#Bix will for sure be one of the biggest players on this blog just because he’s so fun to play with ;)

[ouchie-central]

Whump Wheel Drabble #2: Missing

Thank you to @ofinkandstardust for the wheel and the inspiration!

CW: Amputee Character, (Magical Prosthetic) Non-Human Whumpee (Harpy) Cane use, Healing stitches, Cursing, Ignoring the severity of wounds, Loss of family.

Characters: Bixita “Bix” Meliaki, (he/him) Prince Tahir (he/him)

“They’re gone.”

Bix’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as soon as he set foot in his home. His siblings weren’t there, and as he frantically began looking around for any signs of them, it became more and more clear that they hadn’t been here for a long time.

The old silo had been abandoned when Bix found it standing alone at the edge of the city. All the grain long since picked clean by rats, and hardly anything but the roof, the floorboards and the door warranted calling it a home. But his siblings had been born in the nest he’d built into the silo’s catwalk. He’d told them stories of monsters and adventurers around the fire pit he’d dug into the ground. And the shelves lining the wall, built from nothing more than an abandoned cart Bix had run across on the road, still boasted the various knickknacks he’d acquired, found and stolen over the years.

But his siblings were nowhere to be seen. Everything was coated in layers of dust and cobwebs, and it was impossible to tell the last time the fire had been lit. Bix dropped his makeshift cane at the door and hobbled over to the nest on his leg that had barely healed, collapsing into it and sifting through the blankets, as if he’d find the three little harpies wrapped up in them.

But there was nothing.

Tahir, still frozen in the doorway, finally spoke. “Bix, I’m so sorry…”

“Shut up.” Bix snapped. He was clutching a blanket so hard it seemed like he was trying to strangle it. “You have nothing to be sorry for. This is my fault.” Bix swiped at the tears that were beginning to prick at the edges of his eyes and threw the blanket down, pushing himself up with great difficulty and dragging himself over to the stairs. Tahir picked up the other’s cane and shut the door behind him, following closely down the stairs.

“Bix, your stitches…”

“I don’t care!” He shouted, whipping around to give Tahir a piece of his mind. But his eyes were filled with tears. “My siblings are gone! I was supposed to protect them, I’m their big brother, and I was stupid enough to get arrested and leave them alone for three years! So my stitches, and my fucked-up leg, and my useless fucking wings don’t fucking matter because they’re probably-“ Bix froze, his eyes widening as the worst-case scenario fully dawned on him. And the grief that had been building up in his chest finally came out in wet, anguished sobs. His bad leg gave out, and with a split second to react, Tahir caught him and lowered him to the ground.

“Get the fuck off me!” Bix cried, pushing against the prince, who let go immediately. Tahir could only watch in sympathetic silence as Bix crumpled in on himself and cried, his sore wings only having enough mobility to partially wrap around himself in an attempt to hide. Eventually, he slowly uncrumpled and began to drag himself down the stairs, one step at a time. When he reached the bottom, he toppled over onto his side, his weak body still wracked with sobs.

The world seemed to stand still for a few moments. Bix’s world had crashed down around him, and Tahir didn’t know how to help. Eventually, the prince stood up and slowly walked down to the bottom floor of the house, setting the cane at the bottom of the steps but staying away from Bix as he’d requested. Instead, he wandered over to the shelves, observing the meager belongings of Bix’s family. An assortment of pots and pans, some folded-up fabric scraps and a basket full of sewing supplies, lots of pretty rocks, and a couple of toys: Some cobbled together, some that had once been nice but were now a bit past their prime. And between them all, there were some empty spaces, spots in the dust.

Some things were missing.

“Bix…?” Tahir asked cautiously from across the room. “What else used to be on this shelf?”

“What the hell are you talking about…?” Bix sniffled, his usual vulgarity having lost it’s edge. The harpy pushed himself off the ground, grabbing his cane and hauling himself to his one working foot to cross the room.

And as soon as his eyes finished scanning the shelves, he gasped.

“Their favorite toys are gone… And their bags, and my good cooking pot-!” Hope began to seep into Bix’s tone as a realization hit him. “They left…”

Tahir looked down at Bix, who was staring at the shelves in disbelief. “Do you know where they might have gone?”

Bix shook his head, trying to dry the tears that just kept coming. “No… But if they left then they’re out there. And I’m gonna find them.”

#whump #winged whumpee #wing whump #amputee whump #tw loss of family #whump writing #whump drabble #whump wheel #this is one of the later points in Bix’s story and the beginning of his recovery #and the first time he’s cried in front of Tahir #Bix will for sure be one of the biggest players on this blog just because he’s so fun to play with ;)