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Description
Ishkur had been babysitting his nephew at the market for most of the day. It was well into the afternoon when it came time for Aardraa to return home, the sun was riding low along the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. Normally, Ishkur would have walked the young hybrid home, but it wasn't too far, and Ishkur had another job at the docks to get to in less than an hour. So he let Aardraa go alone.. with words of warning of course such as "go straight home" and "don't talk to any cats you don't know". Aardraa was a bright kid. He shouldn't have anything to worry about..

Ishkur was a bit worried, but he quickly shifted his mind to other things as he trekked his way to Masilia's ports. That was until the distant caterwauls of a battle ensuing elsewhere in the city reached his ears. All thoughts of over engagements that night left his mind as he swiftly made an about-face and raced back the way he'd come across the city- back in the direction he'd sent Aardraa home..

It took far longer than he'd liked to reach the chaos of the escaping stone felines, and the pandemonium was such that he couldn't make out any small, familiar pelts amongst the throng of wild cats, hunters, and city guards. "Aardraa!" he called, but his voice was easily drowned out by the cacophony of other voices crying out to no avail. His attempts to ask onlookers and other city cats if they'd seen the small male were equally futile.

This was a parent's worst nightmare.

The minutes eked by at an agonizingly slow pace until the torrent of cats through the city streets had mostly cleared. By this point Ishkur's throat was raw from calling out and he was more than a bit battered and bruised from fighting his way through the crowd until- finally- it was quiet.. Still it was not quiet in Ishkur's head from the thoughts that plagued him as he continued his desperate search. You should have walked him home. This is your fault. He could be hurt. He could be worse. All because of your carelessness.

The air was thick with the scents of fear and blood and all sorts of different felines, picking out Aardraa's scent amongst the many would be nearly impossible, but somehow, Ishkur did. It was amidst his frantic search amongst the wounded and dazed cats picking themselves up off the cobblestone that he caught his nephew's scent. Ishkur quickly changed course to follow it, praying to all the gods of creation and beyond that he wouldn't lose track of the scent- such could cost precious minutes that might be the difference between life and- but when Ishkur reached the alleyway his heart dropped into his paws.

First he saw the snow leopard, sprawled out on the paving stones, slain. Then he saw.. "Aardraa!? Aardraa- oh gods- oh Brahma, no.. please- please no.." he begged as he approached the bloodied pelt of the small yellow form, curled in the back of the alley.

----

Sniffling, cold, cheeks itching from drying tears, Aardraa snapped his head up the second he heard a voice. For a long moment, the voice and the form were unfamiliar, connected to nothing in his memories, and he scrambled up hastily, pushing back against the wall behind him with nowhere to go, green eyes wide and empty before he realized; this was no empire killer come back to finish the job, but Uncle Ishkur.

Here, now, finally.

“Chacha-“ Aardraa sniffed, brokenly, voice hoarse from crying, and rubbed desperately at the clumped fur below his eyes that his tears were dampening again.

“I don’t- she’s- it’s my...” Aardraa shuddered, took a deep, shaky breath, and a few unsteady steps forward. He wanted to run to his Uncle, to be held, to let this nightmare fade away, but between them...

The body was still there, and he didn’t want to step over it.

Exhausted, terrified, and completely at the end of his rope, Aardraa curled his long, fluffy tail around his paws and looked at his uncle with huge, watery eyes, finally breaking down and crying all over again, completely unable to decide what to do but knowing his Uncle would.

“Uncle Ishkur- please.” He wailed.

----

Ishkur could have collapsed to the ground in relief. His legs felt suddenly weak as it washed over him, but he didn't waver. His nephew was scared out of his wits and he knew he needed to be steady as a rock right now.. "Aardraa, bhateeja.. Are you hurt? Come here, you're safe now.." He made his way respectfully past the fallen feline and to his nephew.

"I shouldn't have sent you home on your own, this is my fault.." he bent to run his rough tongue over Aardraa's forehead and gently over his eyes, before wrapping a large paw over the young one's back and pulling him into a tight embrace.

----

Aardraa threw himself at his uncle the moment he was close enough, wrapping his paws around his throat and trying to breathe in Ishkur’s familiar smell to block out the copper-iron tang, wrap that familiar rumble of a voice beneath his ear and soft fluff beneath his cheek around his mind to block out everything he’d seen today. Ishkur was familiar, safe, and right now he was perfect.

Blaming Ishkur had not even begun to occur to Aardraa, and it still didn’t- how could anything be Uncle Ishkur’s fault? He was here, which meant he cared, and that was all that mattered, and any particulars would be placed squarely on his own thin shoulders by himself, without any outside help.

“S’not ur fault, uncle. And it’s not... it’s not my blood.” He managed, after a few moments of gasping and sniffling as he tried to bring his tears back under control.

The warmth of a familiar tongue rasping over his head almost hurt from how perfect it felt, and he screwed his eyes shit as fresh tears came.

“I just want to go home.” He admitted.

----

Ishkur pulled Aardraa in tight, not wanting to linger here, but not willing to let go of his nephew just yet..

"She will have a lot of good karma in her next life.." he rumbled in an attempt to comfort the quivering form resting against his chest as he cast his gaze back to the snow leopard who had undoubtedly given her life in the protection of his nephew. A sacrifice he would not soon forget.

For he knew that it easily could have been Aardraa in her place..

"Yes.. lets go home.."

woooooop, overdue response to www.deviantart.com/quetzalcoat…

and thank you very much to Quetzal for RPing out the story with me!!

Aardraa (c) Quetzalcoatlkinga
Ishkur is mine!

Aardraa
+1 partial body
+1 lines
+1 color
+1 shading

Ishkur
+1 partial body
+1 lines
+1 color
+1 shading

BG
+1 present

+ 4 writing (1112 words)
+5 RP

= 18 EP to Ishkur
= 9 EP to Aardraa

Description
Ishkur had been babysitting his nephew at the market for most of the day. It was well into the afternoon when it came time for Aardraa to return home, the sun was riding low along the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. Normally, Ishkur would have walked the young hybrid home, but it wasn't too far, and Ishkur had another job at the docks to get to in less than an hour. So he let Aardraa go alone.. with words of warning of course such as "go straight home" and "don't talk to any cats you don't know". Aardraa was a bright kid. He shouldn't have anything to worry about..

Ishkur was a bit worried, but he quickly shifted his mind to other things as he trekked his way to Masilia's ports. That was until the distant caterwauls of a battle ensuing elsewhere in the city reached his ears. All thoughts of over engagements that night left his mind as he swiftly made an about-face and raced back the way he'd come across the city- back in the direction he'd sent Aardraa home..

It took far longer than he'd liked to reach the chaos of the escaping stone felines, and the pandemonium was such that he couldn't make out any small, familiar pelts amongst the throng of wild cats, hunters, and city guards. "Aardraa!" he called, but his voice was easily drowned out by the cacophony of other voices crying out to no avail. His attempts to ask onlookers and other city cats if they'd seen the small male were equally futile.

This was a parent's worst nightmare.

The minutes eked by at an agonizingly slow pace until the torrent of cats through the city streets had mostly cleared. By this point Ishkur's throat was raw from calling out and he was more than a bit battered and bruised from fighting his way through the crowd until- finally- it was quiet.. Still it was not quiet in Ishkur's head from the thoughts that plagued him as he continued his desperate search. You should have walked him home. This is your fault. He could be hurt. He could be worse. All because of your carelessness.

The air was thick with the scents of fear and blood and all sorts of different felines, picking out Aardraa's scent amongst the many would be nearly impossible, but somehow, Ishkur did. It was amidst his frantic search amongst the wounded and dazed cats picking themselves up off the cobblestone that he caught his nephew's scent. Ishkur quickly changed course to follow it, praying to all the gods of creation and beyond that he wouldn't lose track of the scent- such could cost precious minutes that might be the difference between life and- but when Ishkur reached the alleyway his heart dropped into his paws.

First he saw the snow leopard, sprawled out on the paving stones, slain. Then he saw.. "Aardraa!? Aardraa- oh gods- oh Brahma, no.. please- please no.." he begged as he approached the bloodied pelt of the small yellow form, curled in the back of the alley.

----

Sniffling, cold, cheeks itching from drying tears, Aardraa snapped his head up the second he heard a voice. For a long moment, the voice and the form were unfamiliar, connected to nothing in his memories, and he scrambled up hastily, pushing back against the wall behind him with nowhere to go, green eyes wide and empty before he realized; this was no empire killer come back to finish the job, but Uncle Ishkur.

Here, now, finally.

“Chacha-“ Aardraa sniffed, brokenly, voice hoarse from crying, and rubbed desperately at the clumped fur below his eyes that his tears were dampening again.

“I don’t- she’s- it’s my...” Aardraa shuddered, took a deep, shaky breath, and a few unsteady steps forward. He wanted to run to his Uncle, to be held, to let this nightmare fade away, but between them...

The body was still there, and he didn’t want to step over it.

Exhausted, terrified, and completely at the end of his rope, Aardraa curled his long, fluffy tail around his paws and looked at his uncle with huge, watery eyes, finally breaking down and crying all over again, completely unable to decide what to do but knowing his Uncle would.

“Uncle Ishkur- please.” He wailed.

----

Ishkur could have collapsed to the ground in relief. His legs felt suddenly weak as it washed over him, but he didn't waver. His nephew was scared out of his wits and he knew he needed to be steady as a rock right now.. "Aardraa, bhateeja.. Are you hurt? Come here, you're safe now.." He made his way respectfully past the fallen feline and to his nephew.

"I shouldn't have sent you home on your own, this is my fault.." he bent to run his rough tongue over Aardraa's forehead and gently over his eyes, before wrapping a large paw over the young one's back and pulling him into a tight embrace.

----

Aardraa threw himself at his uncle the moment he was close enough, wrapping his paws around his throat and trying to breathe in Ishkur’s familiar smell to block out the copper-iron tang, wrap that familiar rumble of a voice beneath his ear and soft fluff beneath his cheek around his mind to block out everything he’d seen today. Ishkur was familiar, safe, and right now he was perfect.

Blaming Ishkur had not even begun to occur to Aardraa, and it still didn’t- how could anything be Uncle Ishkur’s fault? He was here, which meant he cared, and that was all that mattered, and any particulars would be placed squarely on his own thin shoulders by himself, without any outside help.

“S’not ur fault, uncle. And it’s not... it’s not my blood.” He managed, after a few moments of gasping and sniffling as he tried to bring his tears back under control.

The warmth of a familiar tongue rasping over his head almost hurt from how perfect it felt, and he screwed his eyes shit as fresh tears came.

“I just want to go home.” He admitted.

----

Ishkur pulled Aardraa in tight, not wanting to linger here, but not willing to let go of his nephew just yet..

"She will have a lot of good karma in her next life.." he rumbled in an attempt to comfort the quivering form resting against his chest as he cast his gaze back to the snow leopard who had undoubtedly given her life in the protection of his nephew. A sacrifice he would not soon forget.

For he knew that it easily could have been Aardraa in her place..

"Yes.. lets go home.."

woooooop, overdue response to www.deviantart.com/quetzalcoat…

and thank you very much to Quetzal for RPing out the story with me!!

Aardraa (c) Quetzalcoatlkinga
Ishkur is mine!

Aardraa
+1 partial body
+1 lines
+1 color
+1 shading

Ishkur
+1 partial body
+1 lines
+1 color
+1 shading

BG
+1 present

+ 4 writing (1112 words)
+5 RP

= 18 EP to Ishkur
= 9 EP to Aardraa