Now and ForeverI am trapped hell of my own design.Of creation. Of destruction.Of healing. Of suffering. I was a great and all-knowing force.A guide across a new, unfamiliar immortal coil.Forgiving and yieldingas I led you across this great space. I thought you to be small.To be ignorant.To be entirely unaware of the plans I had for you.Of the deception I had weaved. After all, how could a mere mortal ever measure up to a God?Mortals know nothing of forever. And now here I stand,like a newborn deer in spring.Unsure of my footing.My own form foreign. In sparing me, you have killed me a thousand times. I am now beneath the very creatures I chose to guide.A mere ant. A speck. A great nothing.I have no power here.No real strength to call my own. I had seen endless sunsets.The rise and fall of civilizations.Witnessed the crash of continents. I understood what it was to be mortal.They lived a mere blink, desperate and afraid,and then they died wholly insignificant. Yet, you made me sit in those fields,as though I had a choice,to listen to the babble of the brook.Not to consider the raging river it may become,but to enjoy it, just as it was. The flowers bounced softly on the breeze;somewhere children shouted,birds sang, trees swayedknowing nothing of eons pastand nothing of tomorrow. I held the universe in my hands.Yet, only now do I seem to understand it.Its intricacies, its nuances.The gentle touch of a summer’s day. In the end, perhaps I was destined to fail.For all of my deceptions, I knew so little.Ignorant to each water drop that created the stream.Each little drip that led to my downfall. After all, how could a God ever challenge a mortal?Gods know nothing of the now.trophyA Sheep in Wolf's Clothing Pt. 2“Lambert did what!!?!!?” Narinder was not in a good mood. He had spent the last few hours listening to Dissenters insult him and The Lamb while he futility tried to make them see reason, but now he was standing in his damaged home surrounded by Leshy, Heket, and some Zealots while his spouse had apparently turned into some wolf beast and was currently running through the woods of Darkwood and probably attacking everything in sight. “It was exactly as I remembered it. The ichor leaking from their body. The energy radiating off of them. Their eyes.” Leshy recounted as he got treated for his bruises and scrapes by Heket. “Narinder, they turned into their Eldritch Form.” Narinder let out a heavy sigh. The Eldritch Form was a powerful technique Crownbearers could use as a last-ditch effort to survive. It involved pooling all of the Devotion gathered from their Followers into their body in order to greatly boost their strength and power at the cost of putting them into a berserk state. After around an hour, their Crown would release all of the pent-up energy and return them to normal, but they would be left drained for hours after. Without their Crown, Lambert risked dying from exhaustion if they didn’t find them in time. “But why a wolf? When we assumed our Eldritch Forms, it was always just an extension of what we already were. I’ve never heard of someone changing their complete form during the transformation.” Narinder questioned. Leshy shrugged while Heket shook her head. He turned back around to observe the damage in the room. The table had been flipped over, the couch and walls were scratched up, the door had been thrown off its hinges, and ichor and scraps of clothing were all over the floor. Narinder picked up one of the ichor coated scraps and realized it was his birthday gift to Lambert. He gently rubbed the fine red engravings that were coated in ichor. I’ll have to get this repaired. Assuming I can find the rest of it. Narinder felt a chilling sensation and looked down. His left paw was stepping on some ichor. He lifted it up and shook the black goo off, but that is when he saw the book. It was partially covered by the ichor, but Narinder recognized it almost immediately. He pulled it out of the gunk and shook off the excess, revealing the book of stories from Lambert’s late father. It was still open to the story Lambert had been reading, one which Narinder recognized as their favorite. He quickly pursued through the story and understanding dawned on him as he closed the book. “Oh Lambert.” he said to himself. He set the book down on the counter and turned to face the Zealots and his siblings. “We need to focus on finding them as soon as we can. Before they hurt themselves or others.” Narinder stated. “Grab your weapons and robes. We’ll leave at sunset for Darkwood.” They all nodded in unison and hurried down the hall as Narinder opened up his closet. He pulled out his Crusade Cloak, a thick dark black robe with red embellishments. As he slipped it over his red shirt and tan pants he made sure to clip the golden skull clasp together along with tying a crimson sash around his waist. He pulled his hood over his head and slipped his ears through the slots on top before putting on his black leather gloves and ankle guards. Once his outfit was ready, he retrieved his weapon of choice from the wall. It was a large black scythe with a shining metal blade and a sigil of the Red Crown built into the handle. He slung it over his back with the attached leather belt and made sure it was secure before heading towards the broken doorway. Just before he left, he saw the cloak Lambert had been planning to wear but had apparently thrown off during their transformation. It was their original Fleece from when Narinder had first given them the Red Crown. He carefully picked it up before folding it and tucking it inside of his robes. Narinder stepped out into the halls of the Chapel, where many Followers were whispering and gossiping with each other. He was joined by two Zealots, both of whom wielded swords spears, and they travelled through the hallway and down the staircase back into the main Chapel. The Followers made way as he pushed open the main doorway and stepped out into the large rotunda in front of the Chapel. At the base of the large fountain, decorated with images of the Lamb and symbols of the Cult, was a Stone of Travel. He and the two Zealot stepped onto the Stone before Narinder pressed the symbol of Darkwood, which was a green diamond. The Stone turned a bright green and caused Narinder and the Zealots to lift up before sending them through the portal. A moment later, Narinder and the Zealots arrived at the heart of Darkwood, which was dominated by massive trees that pulsed with ancient energy. Many farmers and missionaries were walking by as Narinder stepped off the Stone and began looking for familiar faces in the crowd. “Narinder!” a familiar voice called out. Narinder turned and saw Leshy and Heket standing together along with 8 other Zealots, who were armed with greatswords and great axes respectively and dressed in dark black and crimson robes with hoods. Leshy was dressed up in his crusading attire, which consisted of padded leather pants, a thick grassy cloak covered in flowers over a dark grey sweater, and two large and menacing grassy gauntlets labelled with the symbols of the Green Crown. Heket stood over the crowd and wore large brown trousers, white bandage wraps around her hands and feet, a large red and white blouse decorated with symbols of Anura, and a woven cloak of deep brown cloth over her body just under her bandages. Slung over her back was a massive double-ended hammer marked with symbols of the Yellow Crown and with a few mushrooms growing out of its top. She greeted Narinder with a wave as he and his two Zealots joined up with the group. “We checked in with Kallamar and Shamura and the Followers to see if Lambert had wandered into their domains, but they hadn’t seen them enter or leave.” Leshy explained. “They didn’t enter Anura either. I didn’t hear anything from the Followers there” Heket said. “Meaning they must be somewhere in these woods.” “Alright. We’ll ask around then and see if anyone has heard about-” “-a large wolf beast tearing up my farm plots?” interjected a voice. Narinder turned to see who interrupted him. It was a fox wearing a wide brimmed straw hat, a set of overalls over a white shirt, and brown cloth gloves on his hands. He looked agitated as he stood with his arms crossed as Narinder approached him. “You said something like that was tearing up your fields?” Narinder asked. The farmer nodded. “Scared my chickens and dogs alike. It came barreling through the woods and starting tearing up my wheat field. I came out to chase it off, but it was a lot bigger than I expected. It started chasing me, so I ran and barricaded myself inside as it almost threw my door off its hinges. It left soon after.” He explained, before narrowing his eyes. “Come to think of it, that beast looked a bit familiar.” Narinder nodded at the farmer before he turned to face everyone else. “So we know they're here. Leshy! Do you have the Crown?” he asked. Leshy nodded and pulled it out of a satchel on his side. The Red Crown woke up and observed the surrounding group before staring at Narinder. As it looked eyes, Narinder could feel a powerful presence enter his mind. WHERE IS THE LAMB? “They are somewhere around these woods. Aren’t you able to feel their energy?” Narinder asked the Crown. I CANNOT. THE ENERGY THEY ARE RADIATING IS OVERWHELMING. I CAN FEEL IT ALL AROUND US, BUT I CANNOT ISOLATE IT. “Great.” Narinder said. “The Crown can’t find them. We’ll have to just start looking. If you see them, set off a Cleansing Fire.” he said. The Zealots nodded and pulled out their Curse Cards, which shimmered with magical energy and were marked with symbols of fire. “We’ll join you brother.” Heket said as Leshy grabbed the Red Crown and put it back in his satchel. They both began trailing behind Narinder as the group broke up and wandered into the woods. The sun had fully set by this point, and the whole of Darkwood was bathed in the gentle glow of a full moon. The leaves and grass rustled and cracked under Narinder’s paws as he, Leshy, and Heket continued onward. “...Narinder? Did you ever have regrets about letting Lambert take your place?” Leshy asked out of the blue. Heket gave a disapproving glare (she loathed any mention of their final years as Bishops or Lambert’s first years as the God of Death), but Narinder raised a hand to tell her it was alright. “Why do you ask Leshy? It was fated that they would be the final bearer of the Red Crown. They were fated to best me in battle and take my place” he explained. Leshy cocked his head. “I suppose I should rephrase that. Why did you never resist or try to reclaim your throne after joining their flock?” Leshy said. Narinder sighed as he continued onward through the woods. “I did. Many times, I turned away Lambert or any aid they were offering me. I had been reduced from a mighty god to a mere mortal overnight. My body was broken, and my hatred of that Lamb was fresh, yet they still continued to help me. They nursed me back to health and brought me into the fold like I was just another Follower. I learned how to live again after an eon on being trapped in The Gateway, and they were there to help me. By the time I was healthy enough to stand against them, the desire had long left my body.” he explained. “Lambert… they saw something in me that I thought was long gone.” Leshy and Heket walked up to join Narinder. “I remember my first day after they pulled me out of Purgatory. I was vile to them and their Followers and wanted nothing more than to kill them, but they did not hold that same hatred I first felt when they slew me the first time. All I felt was… pity from them.” Leshy revealed. “They didn’t bring me or any of us back out of malice or revenge.” “They brought us back to give us a second chance.” Heket interjected. “I have many regrets… about how things ended between us the first time. If we had reached out earlier, or perhaps heard your reasons brother, we would not have been fractured the way we were.” Narinder shook his head. “You and the others bear no fault for what happened. I was a fool. My ambitions consumed me, and it cost me my freedom, and all of you something dear” he said, gesturing to Leshy’s eyepatch and Heket’s bandage. “When Lambert brought you all back from the grave, it was their way of giving us all a second chance. To forgive, and to rebuild what was lost.” he stopped as he looked up at the sky. “I suppose that’s why I could never bring myself to raise my hand against them. I owe much more than I will ever be able to repay, and they… are more than just my savior.” “They always were, and forever will be, my better half.” Narinder said. Leshy and Heket were silent as Narinder stood there, contemplating his role in Lambert’s ascension, when they heard a loud bang in the distance. They looked to the right into the sky and saw a large trio of fireballs fly into the sky before exploding, bathing the forest in a bright red-orange glow. THEY FOUND THEM The Red Crown began quivering in Leshy’s bag. “Come on. We gotta catch up with them.” Leshy said before charging forward towards the source of the signal. Heket and Narinder followed close behind as they ran off the path and through the woods. Distant sounds of fighting and shouting grew closer as Leshy carved a path through the foliage using his gauntlets. Soon, they burst out of the woods into a large clearing and beheld the chaos around them. The Zealots were occupied with fighting Lambert, who was not going to go quietly. Eight of the Zealots had already been killed and were limp against the ground, but the remaining 2 kept up the offensive against their leader. Lambert grabbed one of them by the neck and slammed them into the floor, which knocked the wind out of their lungs and made them drop their greatsword. Another Zealot jumped up and buried their greataxe in Lambert’s back, causing them to screech. They turned around and grabbed the Zealot by the arm before biting them in the neck. The Zealot went limp as Lambert tossed them away and pulled the greataxe out of their back. Before the Zealot on the ground could recover, Lambert lifted up and buried the axe in their chest, causing them to cough before they went still. Lambert turned around to see Leshy emerge from the treeline with Narinder and Heket. Why are you here Narinder? Go away! Don’t look at me! Just leave me alone! Lambert narrowed their eyes before hoisting up the greataxe from the Zealot’s corpse and tossing it towards the group. Leshy crouched under the flying axe while Heket leaped up above it and Narinder simply sidestepped it, causing the axe to nail itself into a large tree. Narinder pulled his scythe off his back and held it at the ready. Heket landed next to him with a loud thump and raised up her hammer and Leshy stood up next to them and held his gauntlets up. Lambert stared at them, their eyes burning with crimson energy and their snarling teeth bleeding ichor. Their robes were torn to pieces and barely clung to their body while their fur was matted with mud, blood, and plants. “Lambert! A leader needs their Crown.” Narinder said in a stern, commanding tone. “You can either put it back on willingly,” he said, before flourishing his scythe and letting the blade shine in the moonlight. “...or I’ll make you put it back on.” Lambert already knew their choice. They let out a horrible sound, which was between a roar and a bleat, before they began charging towards Narinder on all fours. Narinder held up his scythe and braced himself as Lambert leaped towards him with their massive claws facing him. He stepped back, causing Lambert to stumble on the floor, before swinging his scythe downwards. Lambert was quick to recover, and dodged the scythe easily before the runic tattoos on their arms began glowing. Before Narinder could react, Lambert fired a large blast of flaming energy, which hit Narinder squarely in the chest and knocked him against a tree. As he recovered, Lambert attempted to slash at his face, but Leshy intervened and blocked the blow with his gauntlets. He grabbed onto Lambert’s arm before planting his feet and lifting, causing Lambert to flip over and slam into a tree. Narinder got back up and saw Heket charge towards Lambert with her hammer at her side. Before Lambert could recover, Heket swung the hammer into their stomach, causing the tree to fall over and making Lambert spit out a glob of ichor. As Lambert was against the tree, Narinder dashed over and buried his scythe into their shoulder, causing them to yell. He saw the tattoos lighting up again, so this time he pulled out a Cleaning Fire Curse and shoved it into Lambert’s maw. The card lit up before igniting and exploding, stunning Lambert as smoke poured out from their mouth. “Now Leshy!” Narinder shouted. Leshy ran over and pulled out the Crown before holding it against Lambert’s head. The Red Crown glowed brightly as it began to syphon the Devotion out of Lambert, but Lambert screamed and spat out a large steaming blob of ichor at Leshy. He sidestepped it, but some got caught on his fingers and seared his leaves, causing him to wince and drop the Red Crown. Lambert grabbed Narinder’s scythe and yanked it out of their shoulder while Narinder tried to grab it by the handle. By the time Narinder realized his mistake, it was too late. Lambert threw the scythe into the air and Narinder along with it. He hit a branch from a tree and fell to the forest floor, which knocked the air out of his lungs. His scythe got caught in the treeline and was stuck out of reach. Leshy attempted to place the Crown back against Lambert’s head, but they got up from the tree and slashed towards Leshy, forcing him to block and step back. Heket slammed her hammer into Lambert’s right arm, causing a nasty crack and Lambert to screech. Heket stepped back next to Leshy and saw that Lambert’s right arm was now limp against their body and bleeding ichor from the wound. The tattoos began glowing again and Lambert roared as a massive crack formed along the ground towards the duo. Out of the cracks emerged lost spirits, who flew towards Heket and Leshy and exploded in a burst of haunted energy. Leshy flew back from the blast and landed against the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing while Heket slid against the ground but used her hammer to keep from moving far. She snarled and dragged her hammer against the grass before raising it up to slam it down on Lambert’s skull. Lambert was prepared this time, and used their good arm to grab the handle of the hammer. Before Heket could react, Lambert spat a glob of burning ichor onto her chest, causing her to yell. Lambert yanked the hammer out of her hand and tossed it away before grabbing her by the neck and beginning to choke her out. She gasped for breath as Lambert began squeezing tighter, causing ichor to leak from her bandages. Suddenly, Leshy appeared and bit hard into Lambert’s arm with his rows of teeth. Lambert snarled and let go of Heket while trying to shake Leshy off, which gave Heket a chance to recover and grab onto Lambert’s neck with her elbow. Lambert began charging up their energy once more, but Narinder dashed towards them from the woods and pulled out his dagger before burying it into Lambert’s backside. Lambert was forced to take a knee as Heket held them in place and Leshy began reaching for the Red Crown once more. As the Red Crown was placed on Lambert’s head and began syphoning more energy, Narinder became aware of a loud whining noise. He looked down and saw the ground around Lambert was glowing with crimson energy, as their hand was planted in the ground. “GET BA-” He didn’t get a chance to finish as the ground erupted underneath them, launching them all away from Lambert and sending the Red Crown flying off into the distance. Narinder’s vision was blurry as he looked up from the ground and saw Leshy and Heket, who were both unconscious besides him. He turned back towards Lambert and saw them standing in the middle of the crater. They began slowly walking towards Narinder, their body bleeding ichor and their paws creating heavy footfalls as they approached. Narinder pulled out his dagger and managed to get up. He looked around for the Red Crown and saw it sitting on a nearby pathway, where its eye was looking around frantically. Narinder spat out some ichor and prepared to fight as Lambert approached, but that was when they both became aware of distant whispering. They both turned to look at the source of the noise and saw a distant figure emerging from the treeline. They whispered and mumbled to themselves as Narinder could make out the large purple cloak they were wearing. It was covered in cobwebs and cloaked their entire body, save for their head, which was covered in a large metal helmet. From the sides of the helmet protruded six curved claws and four black cross shaped branches. Narinder could see their four piercing red eyes shining from under the helmet and their large, fanged mouth, which was currently murmuring and muttering to themself. “Shamura.” Narinder said, a smile creeping onto his face. Shamura stopped their muttering and nodded at Narinder before turning to face Lambert. “Young god, cease this frantic scurrying and bloodshed. Your duties lie elsewhere, and your people call for their leader.” Shamura said, their tone dead serious. Lambert snarled and began running towards Shamura, who stood there and watched. Then, as Lambert was about to bury their claws into Shamura’s body, a flash of steel lit up the night and Lambert was knocked away. They slammed into the floor with a nasty gash on their stomach and looked up to see Shamura holding a massive double bladed greataxe, which was coated in web patterns and marked with the sigil of the Purple Crown. Shamura was wearing a heavy set of armor underneath their cloak, which covered their chest, arms, and legs while leaving an opening for their claws. Shamura held the axe close and wiped off some of the ichor with their arm before flourishing it and slowly walking towards Lambert. “Very well. Let us commence this dance once more.” they said, a hint of glee in their voice. Lambert roared and charged up before firing five projectiles of dark energy at Shamura. Shamura slashed at the orbs and dodged with ease, continuing their pace as they got closer to Lambert. Once they got close enough, Lambert began rapidly slashing at Shamura, but they kept blocking the blows with their axe as Narinder watched in awe. Lambert grabbed the handle of the axe and attempted to yank it out of Shamura’s hands, but Shamura narrowed their eyes and allowed two additional arms to emerge from their sides, which dug into the wound on Lambert’s chest with their claws. Lambert let go and tried to cling to their gaping wound to stop the bleeding as Shamura held the axe in all four of their arms and began spinning it around. Lambert could only watch as Shamura leaped up and held the axe high in the sky before bringing it down on Lambert’s shoulder, burying it deep and causing Lambert to let out a cry of fear. Shamura yanked the axe out of their shoulder as Lambert, who was whimpering now, began backing up. Shamura simply watched as Lambert backed into the woods before running away, leaving the clearing in dead silence. Shamura turned to face Narinder. “They are weak enough now to see reason.” Shamura said before signaling into the woods. A group of Followers emerged from the treeline accompanied by Kallamar, who was garbed in his fancy blue cloth robes with white fur trimmings and gold embellishments along its surface. He was carrying a large wooden box full of Carmilla Flowers and various vials of medicine, which he brought over to Leshy and Heket. “He’ll make sure they are alright.” Shamura said to Narinder, before gesturing to a nearby Follower. They brought over the Red Crown, which was much calmer now that Shamura was here, and gave it to Narinder. “Go. Show The Lamb what they need to see.” Shamura said to Narinder before walking off to tend to Leshy and Heket. Narinder nodded and looked down at the Red Crown, which regarded him with respect, before turning and following the trail of ichor left behind by Lambert. The woods were silent as Narinder hurried through the thickets and bushes and made sure to keep an eye out for the ichor trail. He soon arrived in a large vista that overlooked the sea, and saw Lambert hunched over at the edge of the abyss. Narinder slowly crept towards them and sheathed his knife. Lambert’s ears perked up as they turned around to see Narinder. They snarled and attempted to turn around to face him, but their pain flared up and they yelped before collapsing to the ground. Narinder crept closer as they desperately tried to get up, but their pain was too much and they were exhausted from their battle. Instead, they laid there and watched Narinder with fear as he approached. “Lambert. You know this isn’t right. You need the Red Crown, or you’ll surely perish.” Narinder said sternly. Lambert let out a wheeze and tried once more to get up, but couldn’t work up the energy. They were so tired, and in so much pain, and the anguish they were feeling was too much. “...Just… let… me…” Lambert managed to get out. Narinder grimaced before he stared at Lambert with anger in his eyes. “NO! You do not get to just give up after all you’ve done for us! For me!” he shouted, causing Lambert to remain still. “Gods. How can such a merciful soul fail to see what deserves saving in themself.” he said bluntly. “Don’t you get it? You think you have nothing, that your family was lost long ago? That YOU were lost long ago? You think you’re some monster who deserves to die in a ditch? Do you!?” Narinder said, tears starting to form in his eyes. Lambert couldn’t respond as Narinder continued. “Well guess what, you ignorant fool. You are blind to how much you have earned. How much you have saved. How much you matter to your people. To the Bishops. To me.” he said softly. “You have so much more than you know, which you have clawed and scratched and fought to build up from rock bottom. You aren’t a monster. You aren’t a beast. You aren’t a fiend. You are the God of Life and Death. You are Lambert of the Suffolk. Most importantly,” he said, as he crouched down next to Lambert. Before they could react, Narinder lifted up their head, tears flowing from his eyes, and brought them in for a kiss. Lambert’s whole world fell away as Narinder closed their eyes and Lambert followed suit, feeling tears well up in their eyes as well. Lambert felt the Red Crown be placed upon their brow and could feel the Devotion leave their body as the Crown began repairing their wounds. They felt their body shrink, their fur return to wool, their teeth become flat once more, and their horns shrink back to their normal size. Lambert finally opened their eyes as Narinder backed up and saw that Lambert had returned to normal and their wounds were healed. “You are still my damned Lamb” Narinder finished. “Until the end of days.” Lambert sobbed and let the tears flow before embracing Narinder and burying their face in his shoulder. He held them close and did the same, feeling their warmth and their heartbeat in their chest. Narinder and Lambert sat there for a time, just sobbing quietly to each other as the moon watched from on high. After a moment, Lambert sniffled and pulled back from the hug, causing Narinder to let go. They rubbed their eyes and looked down to see their body. It was still covered in ichor, mud, and blood and their robes had been reduced to tatters, with the only remaining being part of their pants, the top half of their robe, and a torn-up skirt. Without their collar, Narinder could see the large scar on their neck, from when they had first met their end. Lambert felt themselves blush as they tried futility to cover up their exposed body with their arms, but Narinder laughed and pulled out Lambert’s cloak from under his robes. “Here. A leader needs their fleece.” he said. Lambert took it and snapped the collar around their neck, covering the top of their body with the familiar red and white cloak. The bell around their neck jingled as they tried to take a step, but their legs felt like jelly, and they almost fell over. Narinder grabbed them by the shoulders to keep them from falling before sighing and picking them up. He held them out in front of him as he walked through the vista back to the woods. Lambert couldn’t help but giggle. “My hero.” they said, to which Narinder smiled as they both entered the treeline and headed back to the Cult. They arrived back at the clearing to see the Zealots were getting revived by Kallamar and his doctors. Leshy and Heket were both getting their wounds and scrapes tended to when they both spotted Narinder and Lambert emerge from the treeline. Leshy and Heket both stood up, which caused the doctors to panic, but they couldn’t be stopped as they both ran over to Narinder. Kallamar and Shamura spotted them run over and followed close behind. “Hey everyon-” Lambert started before being interrupted by Leshy hugging them in Narinder’s arms. Heket, Kallamar, and Shamura followed suit and they held each other close, which caused Narinder to groan as he was crushed between his siblings. “We thought we lost you.” Leshy said. “We’re glad you’re okay.” Heket added. “You’re our leader. We would never let you have died like that.” Kallamar explained. “You have a duty, and it is our job to help you uphold it.” Shamura stated. “For all that you’ve done for us.” Narinder concluded. Lambert laughed weakly. “Stop it. You’re going to make me cry again.” they said. They all laughed as Lambert felt their exhaustion catch up with them and began nodding their head. They yawned and closed their eyes before leaning into Narinder’s shoulder. Before Narinder could say anything, Lambert was snoring softly on his shoulder. “Well brother, it looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Kallamar said. Narinder let out a heavy sigh before hoisting Lambert over his shoulder and turning towards the path back to the Stone of Travel. As he started moving, a procession of Followers gathered around him alongside his siblings and followed him while discussing the events of the night amongst themselves. Narinder had tuned them out, and instead just listened to the soft breathing of Lambert and felt their heartbeat through his robe. Sometime later… Narinder walked into his home and was surprised to see it had already been repaired. The door was back on the hinges and the table and walls had been replaced. The ichor had already evaporated from the floor, and on the counter was still Lambert’s book, which was now restored now that the ichor had gone away. He gently closed the door behind him and brought Lambert into the bathroom, where he turned on the bathtub and poured in some hot water. As they were still asleep, he gently undressed them so as to not wake them up and set the Red Crown on the counter nearby, where it watched Narinder work in silence. He bathed Lambert and washed all of the gunk and mud out of their fur before drying them off and sliding a large white nightgown over their head. Once they were dressed, he laid them down to rest before setting the Red Crown beside them as they continued to sleep soundly. Narinder blew out the candle nearby and closed the door on the bathroom to clean himself up. After a nice long shower and tending to his bruises, Narinder stepped out of the bathroom and just put on some pants before laying down in bed next to Lambert. He drew the covers over both of them and held them close as he tried to get some rest. “...Narinder?” Lambert said quietly from under the covers. Narinder looked down to see Lambert looking at him, their face against the pillow and their eyes shining in the moonlight from the window. “Sorry. Did I wake you.” he asked, to which Lambert shook their head. “No. I just wanted to say… Thank you. So much. For all that you’ve done for me.” they said. Narinder wrapped his arm around them and drew them in close before gently kissing their forehead. “Of course. You are my savior after all.” was all he said. They both drifted off to sleep, embraced in each other's arms, as the moon watched from on high. THE END