ORIGIN

Envy had finally returned home, and scuttled along, following the crumbled wall in which they’d made their home. The weasel’s formerly energetic gait had mellowed into a slinking trot, head lowered to the ground and paws carrying them on autopilot. They felt satisfied after their exploration, and were ready to slump down amongst their hoard of glowing pebbles to sleep and absorb the light, when a distant wailing caught their attention- the unmistakable sound of a child in distress. Envy groaned softly. They could hardly sleep with that echoing around the cave.

Though, in the sound’s echoes, Envy caught the ringing of a familiar name; Reseda?

Envy started in curiosity, and set off towards the sound immediately. Could it be that this child was the first subject? Subconsciously, Envy’s heart sank. They didn’t wanna rule over a bunch of kids! But, they admitted to themselves reluctantly, at least kids grew up. They heard the clattering of a small pebble. Rounding the next corner, Envy was faced with the sight of... a feathery... fluffy... maybe a little bit ugly, creature. Envy hesitated. They were gonna be leading this?

Envy crept up to the creature and gave them a disdainful sniff. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking. In fact, not even they were sure. Finally, they stepped back, brow creased in confusion.

"What’s all the noise about?" They asked finally, the only thing they could think to say in that moment. Of course, there was a lot they wanted to say. But for some reason, their efforts to appear leaderly and strong fell flat in the face of this... bad joke.

"Speech."

Envy blinked at the pigeon, waiting impatiently with their tail flickering. They remained still for a time, eyes narrowing as they tried to figure out what was going through the little pincushion's head, half balled and covered in prickly little feathers. They tilted their head, wondering if the little one would get prettier from another angle. But... it was then that Envy realized how handsome they were in comparison. Suddenly the little one's mindless squawking seemed a little easier on the ears. Their strange exterior was suddenly gratifying. A king shouldn't be less beautiful than their subjects, after all!

Besides, babies grew up. One day, this little thing might make the perfect subject.

Envy came back to their senses as the little one's voice broke through their thoughts. They couldn't help letting a little smirk slide over their features.

Maybe it'd be worth keeping them nearby; Envy knew the perfect place, too. "A nest? Hm. Well, there's grasses around here. Not much, but grasses. How about I help out, hm?" the little weasel sniffed at the air, trying to scent the sparse grasses that grew in dry tufts from some grasses. As they finished picking up the vaguest plant scent amidst the stony drabness, they hurried off by a meter or so with legs blurring in a blitz, before pausing and glancing back towards the baby pigeon.

"So, you met Reseda, huh?" they grinned over their shoulder. "Did she ever tell you about her noble leader?"


"Speech."

"Oh, she did?" Envy feigned interest, though they couldn't help a sour clench of their heart as they listened to the child's fawning.... and the added detail that she hadn't mentioned them. They'd have to have a word with Reseda; this child should be fawning over Envy, instead! "Well, I saved her, you know. She was sick, and I taught her a spell that saved her life. If it wasn't for me, you might still be on that ledge, scared and alone..." They breathed out a sigh as though relieved that it hadn't come to that, though they had to strain to keep the smirk from showing on their cheeks. Acting was hard, sometimes.

Their eyes glittered. "That's right! I'm her king! And yours too, if you’d like that?" they coaxed. Of course, Envy wasn’t about to stick around if she said no; but somehow they got the feeling that this little one would respond well. They paused to let the little chick fawn over them, basking in all of the praise. Fast? Pretty? Kind? They could definitely get used to this. Keeping the little one around was definitely a good idea. "The name's Envy! and yes, I am strong. The most powerful magician in the caves, in fact," they crooned humbly.

Seeing that the chick had almost caught up, they scuttled on, at a slightly slower place, leading the way down the crumbled street. But at this rate, it'd take forever. The little one narrowed their eyes, thinking how they could speed things up whilst they waited for her to catch up. Lust was thanking them now, and Envy's heart swelled with pride. "Don't mention it," they purred, with a flutter of their lashes towards the fawning little chick. "When we collect the grass, I know a good place you can make your little nest, and it means I can look after you, too! No-one'll hurt you whilst I'm around. Doesn't that sound great?"


"Speech."

"Yes, King!" Envy assured proudly, pattering around one last corner. The weasel paused for a second, and then bounded on, making a beeline for a tuft of scraggly grass that had forced its way up through a crack in the worn flagstones. They hunched close to the ground among the sparse grasses as they waited patiently for the child to arrive.

They raised their head, trying to look as regal as the little one was making them feel, and grinned. They looked at her with eyes half-lidded with calmness and self-assuredness, tail twitching. "Yup, that's me! Everything a king should be and more. Don't you think so?" They listened intently as the young one introduced themselves as Lust. Not only that, Reseda had named the pigeon, as she had Pride. Envy's tail twitched eagerly. Pride will find that interesting, I'm sure.

They'd have to seek out the fawn again later.

They returned to the conversation at paw. "Maybe you'll be as powerful as Reseda one day," Envy said slowly, eyes glittering. Their inner thoughts- but never as powerful as me -were left unspoken, but hung from their bated breath like a toxic veil.

The weasel waited impatiently as Lust considered their offer. When she finally answered, they seemed hesitant but also eager, somehow. Envy was sure that they'd appreciate the place if they helped show it to the little one. Conveniently, right by their den. Perfect for a small creature like either of them- and not a place that would need flying to. "Of course not- I insist. The cave is a dangerous place for a little bird like you."

"Speech."

Envy considered the little one's whining with a slow tilt of their head. Their humbleness was certainly flattering, and it made a nice change from a few of the stuck-up kids they'd met in the past. They were growing to like this little Lust. "Not with an attitude like that you won't. But with me as your king, I think you'll get pretty strong. On second thought, I'll make sure of it!"

The weasel looked around at the scraggly clumps of grass they'd found, before in the interest of speed, filling their jaws with a clump and pattering over to Lust. They dropped the large clump at their feet before settling back on their haunches. "What could be more important than being a good king?" the weasel countered the pigeon's protests smoothly, a glint in their eyes as they spoke. They smacked their lips, shuddering at the lingering grassy taste.

But if Lust stuck around and grew up to be a loyal follower, all this effort would be more than worth it. They nudged the grass up to Lust with a paw, before returning to grab some more grass in their jaws. Their stomach rumbled softly, and the weasel had to wrestle the urge to absorb the energy from the grass rather than give it to Lust- but they managed to stave it off. They could feed later. Soon. "'A 'thank you', would be fine. C'mon. I'll show you the place." They brushed past Lust and began to patter along the familiar track towards home.






"Speech."