S E R E K
you kneel before my throne
unaware it was born of lies

Serek dipped his head as Pallas considered his question. Hopefully he’d be granted some clusters of his own- the desire to grab those presented was only pushed down by a fine layer of modesty. Curious to see what Pallas was doing, though, Serek propped himself back up against the tree and struggled to look inside the den. What was he doing to the clusters?

He dropped back down when the blanket of wood was shown. His eyebrows came together. “And how is that supposed to help me?” He sniffed at it, smelling the woody sap and the scent of the wood. It must have been not long ago- parts still seemed fresh, and yet the sap was dry when he pressed against it with a dry part of a paw.

And why did everyone he talked to end up being so tired? He thought to give Pallas a banana, perhaps, yet… That wasn’t why he was here. Instead, he only watched Pallas with his mind pleading for more information.

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

It hadn’t occurred to Pallas that other people weren’t on his own wavelength as well. Though- this time, it simply parsed straight though his brain that he had to tell more. “Sorry-” His spine stiffened as he pulled back the woven wood. “I was thinking- you could fold up the saplings into like a.. Mm, a bag?” The word escaped him for a moment. “Here, wait, again,” he spoke, pulling the blanket back up to his level.

It wasn’t hard to find a stick that would fit Serek’s mouth, or even go around his neck. He’d gathered many that hardened up in time to be saved from the bundle that went to the project, yet this would do kindly. He should be able to pull two more- yes, there, he extracted another stick from his garbage pile and snapped it in half before returning to the quilt.

Mindlessly, he went to work, pushing the smaller branches into the still wet corners of the creation to pull the sides up into a sort of lopsided basket. He then pulled up the fold at the middle of the corners and pushed in the longer stick with some struggle. This had dried more, yet after some brute force he managed to push it in.

He proudly nodded and marvelled at his own work.

One last time, he returned to his den and retrieved three smaller clusters, rolling them out to the patio. Only two managed to fit- the other threatened to fall out when the basket moved. The larger stick still had some give to it too. It was a bit too tall of a structure for Pallas to comfortably carry. Though- he wasn’t the intended customer, and delicately he dragged it over to the edge of his patio and dangled it down with the handle in his jaws.

He thanked the caves it didn’t break. He actually made something of use, for once.

S E R E K
you kneel before my throne
unaware it was born of lies

Serek was still rather unsure what Pallas was insinuating with his weird creation. He didn’t want to waste energy propping himself up again, and only sat in the murky mud below and getting his hindquarters wet with the disgusting water. It’d wash out later, hopefully. Serek grimaced as he tried moving about to get settled in a better position.

Sitting was a lost cause. Though, the snap brought his attention upwards. What in the world was Pallas doing up there? He strained his neck up, yet he couldn’t see over the barrier the linsang had created, unfortunately.

And so he sat patiently, waiting until Pallas dropped down the basket.

Serek’s eyes went wide when he saw the dull grey of a cluster inside. Excited, his tail held high up and he reached and moved to take the basket in his mouth, hesitating. The opening looked big enough to worm his head in, but he had to be careful of his horns. It took a moment of posturing but he was eventually able to go into the basket horns-first, head pressed against his cold gem before popping out when it was fully around his neck. The basket didn’t hang low, and stopped at his collar. What surprised him most was the weight, though, but he could look down at the clusters in wonder and check on them any time he wanted.

”Thank you,” Serek spoke softly, glancing to Pallas with wet eyes. His voice was genuine. Now he could share these beauties with the Gembound of Hydra, if they were still there.

They were his.

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

The basket almost slipped from Pallas’s jaws as Serek hesitated in picking it up. He startled a bit as the horns came to him, but it was fine- he was fine, and Serek managed to slip on the basket that he’d let go in his brief panic.

The linsang’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Well, he didn’t expect it to go around his neck, but… It could work! “I’d be careful, I don’t know how much strain that can take,” Pallas spoke while nodding to the new accessory. Was it uncomfortable around his gem? How would it hold up? Oh, how Pallas wanted to accompany him and know, but he had his own clusters to protect. He couldn’t just leave them alone.

”You’re welcome.” Pallas dipped his head. All part of being a crafter, he supposed.

S E R E K
you kneel before my throne
unaware it was born of lies

Serek twisted his neck to look over the basket, still in awe that it managed to work. It didn’t seem uncomfortable against his neck, and it sat nicely against his collar. After a pause, he backed up and pranced in a circle- it bobbed a little, but it stayed stable enough above his collar to be kept on. ”Thank you,” he repeated softly.

Well, he had a desert to visit. ”I’ll… Tell you how it goes. Thank you for giving me them…” His voice drifted off as his mind wandered, tail flicking upwards in excitement.

With a final dip of his own head, Serek turned and began pacing towards Cetus’s exit, his mind set. It was time to find some more Gembound to share his gifts with.

Exit Serek

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

Pallas wasn’t sure to make of Serek’s dreaminess. Wasn’t he furious the last time they met? It seemed like so long ago, yet… No, Pallas could barely think. He shook cobwebs out of his skull and closed his eyes in thought, ears perked as Serek spoke a final time and headed off.

Pallas felt his back arch. “I’m just lending you them!” He called, though perhaps he was too late for Serek to hear at this point.

Ah, well. With a huff, Pallas turned back to his den and returned to his nap, pacing a circle about his clusters before laying curled around them.

Perhaps he would have more of the odd dreams come to him.

Exit Pallas