This is a little one-shot, a memory of Shamir's when he was a teen monster.
It was supposed to be within the story of Altershift, but I thought it would stand better like this.
Altershift AU belongs to me, it's specifically designed for Shamir.
If you want to understand his personality better, you can read the full story too. :)
Me: Hey, Shamir. What do you say about this?...
Shamir: Did you really have to bring this up? Of all the memories I have?
Me: *hugs the jaguar* Shush.
Shamir: *sweatdrops* I-thanks?
All he could remember was distant screaming, pitter-patter, him pulled away by a pair of paws...
It wasn't the best memory he could have - hell, it didn't overtop Sans and Alphys' memories of battling the human - but this event was a rarity.
He was forced to fight one of his own...
Pawprints were left behind in the humid grass of Waterfall, as young Shamir was behind the Royal Guard captain, Ratoveros, alongside young Ribras and Rasha, their movements reduced to a stealthy ambush - as they were announced the orders were changed - and Ratoveros hissed at Shamir for not keeping up with the others, for the latter was more interested in reading what was written on the ancient glyphs, in hopes of figuring out his life.
"Just how many times do I have to repeat? Keep up, cub."
"Sorry, sir. I was-" Shamir tried to excuse himself, but Ratoveros didn't do anything else but keep hissing.
"I don't care. We're close, keep attention!"
Shamir raised his sword in anticipation, as his azure eyes were trying to catch any movement, any shift in the wind so he could know what to do next, while Ribras and Rasha were content on holding their axes up and do dancing circles to keep one another's back. The black panther captain was listening in as his indigo robes were fluttering with the wind, ears perked and with the arrow ready to pierce the human, aware that the Royal Guard's success depended on this mission - plus, he would be acclaimed as a true hero. The yellow-furred jaguar sensed the wind shifting, and steeled his nerves in anticipation as he was somehow attuned to the wind's movements. "There's something here, we'd better be careful!" he advised to the others - Ribras and Rasha actually took in Shamir's advice, while Ratoveros ignored it and caused a large paw to swipe at the teen jaguar.
"Who is giving orders in here, cub?" the panther captain roared at the jaguar before him.
"You, sir." Shamir said shamefully.
"Good. You have no right to interfere with my actions." Ratoveros said.
A strange fluttering sound could be heard in the distance, and all of the felines' ears perked up in alert, while Shamir looked at what was before them - it was a familiar presence, yet very, very distinct from what he used to know. The other monsters picked that up as well, and Ratoveros didn't have any time to waste on the ambush - it was logic, in his mind, that the jaguar would ruin the mission - and then decided a new attack plan, that outcasted Shamir from it.
"Ribras. Rasha. Let's form the Triple Guard Attack," the black panther said. "We have to focus on killing whoever heads up this way."
"What about Shamir?" Ribras asked, seeing as the yellow-furred feline was declined any chance to act in.
"He's too weak to do anything." Ratoveros said as he kneeled on his right leg. "Now, get in formation!"
"Yes, sir." the two lions said, while they looked at Shamir, who didn't really seem to care about that.
The jaguar was a bit hurt by the fact he was pushed away from proving his potential, but nevertheless, he kept in position as the three felines were placing themselves in the Triple Guard Attack formation. While he was beginning to show some pride in being a Royal Guardsman, he often felt like he was deliberately denied any chance to prove himself because he was a Dreemurr - Ratoveros often said that Asgore Dreemurr was too much of a softy to fight the human himself, while Toriel did nothing but plan ahead, give orders - and Shamir often found himself in the situation of wanting to genuinely kick the tail of this Royal Captain.
If anything, he felt that this was not the way of the Royal Guard.
The fluttering sound came to a halt, not so far from their position, and everyone stood ready as they gripped their weapons, while Ratoveros was holding the bow in serious tension as the arrow was aiming towards the shadows before them. Their heartbeats were almost audible as the darkness before them didn't dissipate in the slightest, until Ratoveros couldn't contain his posture and released the arrow without thinking about the consequences of that action.
Crack!
The arrow seemed to have hit something, yet...it also broke on contact? Shamir thought as he focused on coating his sword with lightning, while Ratoveros cursed under his teeth for showing so much weakness, and the two lions exchanged worried looks as something was about to go down - until they heard, on the other end, a maniacal laughter that sent the chills in the younger warriors, while Ratoveros remained unfazed.
"So...TRA LA LA...It has come to this, the war has begun!" River Person came out from the darkness, surrounded by a gloomy purple aura and their eyes shining a glazing, horrific red.
R-River Person?! What happened to them?...Shamir thought as he gulped in fear, eyes widened in shock, paws still tightened on the sword, while Ratoveros rose from the ground, placing another arrow in his bow with a shining tip. Ribras and Rasha stood ready, axes forward, even though their tails were floof with fear. The black panther didn't seem to care about who or what he was facing, his instinct called out in killing the figure before them that looked like River Person.
"Where's the human, filthy monster?" the panther asked with a little tension in his voice.
The figure didn't seem to have heard the question, for it replied with a cryptic tone, "the human's job is not done. And only I hold the answers." as they dropped the hood to reveal a monster-human hybrid. The sight of such a terrible creature shook even Ratoveros - and he wasn't the type of monster to go instantly coward at the sight of the enemy - but it shocked the jaguar more than he thought, because he could've never imagined that the River Person...
...was a hybrid. And their face looked so gruesome, a mingle between a reptile and a human face, it was no wonder they chose to stay hooded at all times.
And by all means, they...look incredibly stronger, Shamir mused as he saw Ratoveros began shooting arrows towards the strange hybrid, which the latter blocked out with a light-blue shield in front of them and retorted instantly with a lot of magical slashes towards the four felines, making them split as they jumped in different directions, in an attempt to avoid the slashes - the jaguar managed to deflect a few with his lightning charged sword. Ratoveros wasn't going to let this go as River Person wanted, so he started shooting Triple Arrows charged with white beams as retaliation, but they all looked ineffective as the hybrid negated their effects.
This...can't be happening! the panther was roaring inside his mind as he powered up a Super Arrow and shot towards the figure, the latter retaliating with a larger magical purple slash towards Ratoveros - he didn't manage to avoid that in time, and got large cuts on his right arm - forcing the panther captain to drop his bow and take out a small steel dagger with poison, thinking that closer combat may give him a chance in finishing the monster.
But River Person looked like he almost predicted what Ratoveros was about to do, and started releasing dark magic balls that honed on him, forcing the panther to dodge for his life, until one hit him in his left leg, burning his flesh almost viciously and made him collapse to the ground. Ribras and Rasha immediately jumped to their Captain's aid, while River Person cast their hybrid eyes upon the jaguar, whose eyes were widened with fear. The hybridic monster didn't hesitate in powering up a large, purple beam to engulf the jaguar with, while Shamir was steeling himself up for the umptenth time as his blade showed the enemy's reflection.
"SHAMIR!" Rasha said as she saw that River Person was about to kill him, and felt hopeless in doing anything.
The brave jaguar managed to deflect the powerful beam with his lightning-charged saber, aiming almost over the felines' heads - moment in which he nervously gulped - but the recoil from the clash was enougn to make him land on all fours. This isn't good. Captain's busted, Ribras and Rasha are potential targets...gotta take a decision. I don't freaking care about his rank. He's toasted, Shamir thought as his eyes looked towards the three felines, and bellowed in a commanding tone:
"Take the captain away from here!"
"But, but Shamir-!" Ribras said as he looked at the teen, yellow furred jaguar before him.
"No 'buts', just take him away! It's an order, Ribras, please do so!" the jaguar soldier said, as the two lions nodded in approval.
He then turned towards the hybrid-like monster, his eyes glowing a slight red as an aura of lightning started to envelop him, and wind howled strongly to make his medium-sized robes flutter with the wind, knowing that it had come to this - fighting against one of his own. However, before he did even start the battle, he wanted to know why.
What could've possibly turned River Person against us? Unless... he paused in his thoughts as he glanced a little at the light-blue shield enveloping the hybrid monster.
"TRA LA LA...Yes, Light Blue human gave me their SOUL, tra la la. They said they want to kill everyone, tra la la. But they died at the hands ...of two monsters."
River Person said as they started to summon, in their hybrid limbs, a light-blue war scythe, and their eyes started to shine as a creepy smile plastered itself on their face.
Oh no.
[Reality]
"hey, shamir." the small skeleton shook him as the jaguar seemed to growl in fury. "shamir! wake up!" Sans said as he engulfed him in his telekinesis and pushed him over the campaign bed, making the jaguar grunt in pain.
"Ugh...What the hell was that for, uh?" the confused jaguar said as he blinked twice, before seeing Sans...and a distressed Alphys.
"We heard your growl from yards!...We thought you were attacked...or worse..." Alphys said as she shyly hugs the jaguar.
"I-I'm okay, Alphys. I-" Shamir said as he didn't refuse the gentle hug. "I was just...reliving a dark memory."
"If Undyne would've heard you, she would've been like in full alert and call down the Dreemurrs." Alphys said sheepishly.
"I'm sorry I scared you two, little ones." the jaguar retorted casually. "I'll be fine."
Me: Good to know I ended it on a less than sour note.
Shamir: Yeah...thanks for not making me go through it all. *sweatdrops*
Me: Sorry. People had to know why you are so ...grouchy sometimes.
Shamir: Well. Leave a review if you want, Shock would love to know what you think!