Ever since he had returned to the Healing Center, everything had changed. From the way Flame felt more attached like one slip-up could be catastrophic, to the way Nighthunter took way more precautions when speaking to him. He didn't blame them. After all, he had just run away and nearly killed himself in a forest.
The day he got back, there was an especially long "session" he had to sit through. That's what she called it, though it felt more like an interrogation, though he wasn't very surprised. Nighthunter was concerned for him, and an interrogation was the least she could've come up with. She asked questions like, "Why did you run?" and, "What was keeping you away?" and, "How many times did you consider coming back?" But most importantly, a question kept coming back. One that he wasn't even sure about the answer to himself.
"Will you do it again?"
He didn't have an answer to that question.
Maybe, he thought to himself. Maybe I'll freak out again and run away. Maybe I'll panic over Crane and relapse again in the forest.
He thought of Flame, with his wings wrapping around him, and as the water they were drowning in before froze over, Umber found himself in a blizzard instead. Flame was keeping him warm and safe, but his wings wouldn't stay warm forever, and cold would eventually have to seep in. Soon, Flame wouldn't even be enough to keep him stable. That thought scared him.
He found himself staring at the ceiling thinking about it for a while, as Flame slept beside him with his wing lazily flopped out to the side atop of him. The dark called out to him, enveloping him in temptation to give up. But he had to stay strong, for he didn't know what Flame would do if he had been so close to helping him and failed. Would he do what he did last time? Or would he let dragons in and allow them to help him like he had this time? He didn't know, and he didn't want to find out the answer.
Before he knew it, the sun was shining brightly through the window, and Flame awoke from the deep slumber he found himself in. He blinked a few times before catching Umber's eyes against his. He smiled. "Good morning, MudWing," he said before placing a warm kiss on his cheek. Umber's heart fluttered. "Have you been up all night?" he asked, concerned.
"No," Umber lied, though it was really only half of one. "...I've been up only half of the night."
"I thought we talked about this, Mud Muffin," Flame said. Calling him Mud Muffin was his way of making him realize he had done something wrong as of recently. "You shouldn't be distracting yourself at night thinking about everything you did wrong. That all happened before. What you should be focusing on is that you're here now. With me." He paused, inspecting the exhausted look on his face. "I'll tell Nighthunter that you can't come in today-"
"No!" Umber blurted. There was a pause. "I-I should go. It's important that I go. I don't want to run away again."
After not feeling the warmth of Flame's scales against his for so long, it's all that he craved. He craved the feeling of love — of the feeling of Flame's lips against his — of the feeling of his wing giving him an extra layer of blanket at night when he started shivering. But it was only a temporary shelter, and the blizzard continued on just outside.
"Are you sure? One missed day won't be a very big deal." He retracted his wing and allowed Umber to sit up.
"You said you wanted me to get better" — he turned his head away to stare off at the wall while Flame lay in bed — "and the only way I'll do that is if I go." He felt tears well in his eyes upon thinking of his next words. "I-I don't want to run away again, Flame." One singular hot tear dripped down his scales, despite all of his efforts to keep it at bay. "I want to stay here with you a-and get better."
Flame didn't hesitate to sit up and wrap his arms around him. Red wings enshrouded his brown scales as Flame pulled him tight. "And you will, MudWing. I'll make sure of that," he said softly. Even though his voice was rough, hardened by years of being angry at everyone around him, it always made Umber feel calm. Even when they were just friends.
Flame pulled away for a moment and stared at his tear-stained face. Umber turned around to gaze at him and their eyes locked. His heart skipped a beat as Flame's head slowly drifted closer to his. Before he knew it, their tongues were mingling at the center, before they both pulled away. "I love you," Umber said, though his words couldn't describe just how much he truly did.
"I love you too, Umber," Flame said with a smile. "and I'll never give up on you. Never." Flame pulled him back into a hug and wrapped his wings firmly around his scales. And for the next few minutes, they hugged. How did he stay away from it for so long? Maybe it was because he was already pushing him away, self-destructing his life to prove that he wasn't good enough, and he hadn't experienced it in so long.
"Alright, let's go to Nighthunter's office," Flame said. "And once we get back, the rest of the day's yours, whether you want to sleep or read or anything." Umber nodded his head.
On the way there, as they strolled their way through the lobby, Manticore — who was playing their guitar — gave them a brief smile. Umber couldn't thank them enough for what they did, for if it weren't for them, he would probably be dead in the forest by then.
It wasn't long before they were at Nighthunter's office door, rapping their knuckles against the wood. It was always the initiation for the session to begin. He knew after a few seconds, she would open the door and say, "Come in, come in!" or something similar.
The door opened in front of them, and Nighthunter put on her professional smile as usual. "Come in, come in!" she said just as Umber had predicted. It made him smile for a moment and let out a little giggle under his breath. "I see you've brought Flame along this time. Did Starfish give you the OK for this?"
"Starf said that since I'm already doing well, I can tag along with Umber for now. He takes priority right now anyways." Flame looked over at Umber with a smile as he wrapped his tail around Umber's. Even faced with the nervousness of having his first real session with Nighthunter after having just gotten back, he still felt a sense of calm with Flame by his side. He rested his head on Flame's shoulder and closed his eyes, and Flame brushed his wing against Umber's broken one gently.
Umber still wished he could fly — he didn't have to be a SkyWing to enjoy the wind blowing in his face as he soared through the clouds. Oh, how good it would feel for him to finally take off from the ground and stop being like a scavenger confined to walking forever. Maybe he would have to learn to fly all over again after being grounded for so long. At least he had his favorite SkyWing to teach him how.
Flame walked in and Umber lifted his head again, though their tails stayed entwined, refusing to let go of each other. Umber felt as if their love had only grown since he came back, but the only issue was with the storm. It raged on, and the love that pumped through their hearts may not make them beat fast enough to keep Umber warm. The blizzard needed to calm, and only Umber was in control of that.
They both took their seats, scooting close next to each other as their tails gripped tightly. Nighthunter stared at them both as she pulled out a jar of ink, a clipboard, and some napkins to wipe her talons off. With one dip into the jar, their session officially started. "So, Umber, how have you been feeling recently?" she asked. "Are you sleeping, eating, and getting out often? I hear vitamin D is good for broken bones."
"Yeah," Umber lied, keeping his answer short and simple. Any longer and Nighthunter would read each muscle on his face as if she could read his mind. But something told him his short answer all but gave it away as she shot a disapproving look back.
"No — to the sleeping part anyway. You can't keep a MudWing away from food if you tried," Flame answered for him. "The sun outside reminds him of how things used to be, back when we lived in our shitty, happy home and not here."
Her glare shifted from Umber to Flame. "I don't quite remember asking you, Flame, but thank you for your input regardless." A hint of annoyance flashed across Flame's face for a quick moment. She looked back over at Umber except with a more questioning stare.
"Uh- y-yeah," Umber stammered, caught off guard. He was hoping Flame would just answer every question for him. "Yeah, that's all true." He was almost ashamed at the fact that Flame had to answer for him because he thought he'd be unwilling.
She sighed. "I can understand why you're not sleeping well, Umber, I really can. But if you want to get better, you have to sleep. You'll be in no shape to show up to these sessions and begin questioning your behavior when your mind is already ready to shut down for the day." She began writing down on her clipboard. He hoped the notes she was writing wouldn't have to go on for much longer.
Umber put his head down. "I know." He was trying, he really was. He was so scared of sleeping because he thought he'd see Crane, with her gurgling voice and wide-eyed stare and she told him everything he did wrong. It was ironic, because when he wasn't sleeping, he was awake, lying in his bed thinking about her instead. Thinking of everything he had done wrong instead of her having to tell him information he already knew.
He knew he had to get past this eventually. He would never be truly happy if he didn't. Not when Flame was kissing him, not when his sibs would be over visiting. Moons, not even when he and Flame were walking down the runway, tails entwined and talons ready to be equipped with a ring, tongues ready to mingle.
"You've been carrying around this emotional baggage for far too long, Umber," Nighthunter said. "It'll weigh you down more and more and more until it pins you and you can't carry on anymore. Then it'll be beyond fixing, and no healer in the world — no matter how professional — will be able to help you. I can't win this battle for you Umber. You have to help me help you before it's too late. All your dreams with Flame will be blown away in the wind, never to be found again unless you learn to let go."
Umber's head sank lower than it was before. Tears threatened his eyes as he thought about it. Everything I've ever wanted, gone, lost in the wind… He thought. Tears dripped down his face like a leaky faucet before landing on the floor.
A talon appeared on the left of his face, and who he initially thought to be Flame turned out to be Nighthunter, kneeling on the floor and looking up at him. "Crane's death was not your fault, Umber. You can't control the actions of others."
He felt walls begin to reinforce around his mind. He smacked Nighthunter's talons away and immediately stopped the flow of tears from his scales. "But I can stop them!" he argued. "I could've stopped her, but I was so worried and selfish over my own safety that I just hovered there and watched it happen!" He wouldn't let her take advantage of his vulnerability. He wasn't ready.
"You said you wanted to get better, Umber. The only way I can help you is if you let me in," she explained. "You'll get nowhere if you continue to build another wall every time I take one down." She was still kneeling on the floor, staring at him.
He looked over at Flame in hopes that he would scold her, just to hopefully stall the situation longer. To hopefully stall his confrontation with Crane. He didn't want to face her, he wasn't ready. He wanted to keep carrying around his emotional baggage as long as he could. It'll weigh you down more and more and more until it pins you and you can't carry on anymore. Then it'll be beyond fixing, and no healer in the world — no matter how professional — will be able to help you, Nighthunter's voice echoed in his mind. He held onto it in hopes it would give him the strength.
"She's right, MudWing," Flame agreed. "You have to help her help you, like she said."
At that moment, all he felt was anger. Not towards Flame, nor towards Nighthunter, but himself for allowing it to carry on for that long. Actually, he was mad at the entire situation. He was mad that he couldn't get over Crane. He was mad he was scared. He was mad he was mad. He was mad he couldn't even think about her without wanting to cry.
He began storming off, intending to run off to their room and cry, when Flame stepped in front of the doorway. "Please move," Umber begged. He didn't want to cry, as showing vulnerability would only cause him to have to face her sooner.
Flame cast a glance over at Nighthunter, who nodded her head. Flame stepped aside. "I'll meet you at our room, alright?" he said. Umber was hardly in earshot to hear the last words as he sprinted down the hall. Tears dripped on the floor, creating a path to his room if you looked carefully enough.
He was jumping on his bed before he knew it and buried his head into his pillow and began bawling. Why can't I just move on?! Why do I have to hurt everyone around me?! What is wrong with me?! His head started pounding as the watergate of tears kept raining down against his pillow. That was, until he felt talons against his shoulders, and then someone laying on the bed beside him as he faced the wall, hugging him closely.
"It's alright, MudWing," he heard Flame's voice say. "I'm here. I'll always be here — right beside you." Umber pushed himself further into Flame's embrace, to the point where their scales may as well have been fused together into a dance that was meant to be, like all three moons shining in the sky at once.
He heard the darkness call to him, but all he would spare was a whisper.
And soon, that whisper would turn into a yell.
Every session after Umber's was easy, as nobody was as deeply troubled as he was. She was almost constantly going over ways she could help, reading books, studying techniques, anything she could do to further try and understand Umber. At times, she would even try to convince herself that what happened at the Night Kingdom was her fault, just so she could get a glimpse into his psyche.
Helping dragons is what she loved, and Umber was no exception. She would rest at nothing until Umber was better, no matter the lengths she had to go or the money she had to spend. Umber was the biggest challenge she had ever faced, so whenever she felt like giving up, she thought about the countless dragons she could save with the things she had already learned because of Umber.
She looked over at the pouch Flame had given him before he chased after Umber and held it tight, as it may have been the only way to show Umber how to forgive himself before it was too late. She strapped it around her neck as she packed her things, ready to go home for the day. But first, she had to visit Zephyr.
As she walked down the hall, turning her motions on autopilot, she thought to herself. What if it doesn't work? This might be the only way to heal him, but am I going too far? She questioned. No, this has to be done. Umber has already shown he's unwilling to proceed. It's either I do this, or he may never be happy again. Or worse… She flinched at the third option.
Her talons rapped against Zephyr's office door. And after a few moments of shuffling noises coming from inside, she opened. "Hey Zephyr," she greeted. "I just wanted to say that I won't be staying after today like I normally do. Cometseeker and I agreed to have lunch today."
"Oh, alright, that's fine," she said as she stood there. "Also, before you leave, I want to say that we figured out who stole your files." She turned around and grabbed some papers off of her desk before handing them to Nighthunter. "They're old, but they might offer some insight on some of his older sessions." She tucked them in the bag she had around her shoulder.
The files that had been stolen were certainly a setback for Nighthunter with Umber. She stayed up incredibly late that night digging through her memory of everything she could remember Umber saying before writing them down in her notebook. Most of the important stuff wasn't lost, thankfully, but there were a lot of small things that could've helped out greatly, including some of his triggers, how he looked when he lied versus telling the truth, and subjects he was particularly vulnerable with.
"Who stole them?" was her immediate question. She got mad at even the thought of that dragon. Using classified documents to hurt and anger others for their own personal gain made her mad.
"Well, it wouldn't come as a very big surprise, but it was Fennec. He has since been fired, and something tells me he won't get hired at another place that even has a kitchen once the word spreads," she said. "My guess is that he stole them, and told Alpine to anger Flame knowing what his reaction would be in an attempt to get him fired. And now that we're out of a manager, I'll have to give Flame that position for now. He'd probably be a better fit than Fennec — that irritating stain of wine," she spat nastily. "Anyways, I'll let you go now, I just thought you should know who stole your files."
She felt a hate for Fennec grow. His dismissal of the Healing Center and any other restaurant ever was too generous for what he did. "Alright, have a good day," she waved as she walked away.
"You too," Zephyr said. Oh, just how true that would be.
When she finally arrived home, her brother, Cometseeker, was lying on the couch with his black tail lazily flopped off of the side as he read a scroll. Just from that sight, she could tell it had been a long day at work for him; just as it was for her. Just as it would still be that night.
"Tired?" Nighthunter asked as she closed the door behind her, locking it shut. He certainly looked the part, especially with the way his eyelids drooped.
"Yep," he answered. "Had to cut up all of the meat today basically all day. Apparently, it's in high demand all of a sudden, how convenient for me — the butcher. That knife is heavy, y'know" — he set the scroll on the table and sat up — "and swinging it around all day with full strength is exhausting." He sighed and threw his head back against a throw pillow. "What about you? Anything exciting happen with any of your patients today?"
She gave him a disregarding glance. "Cometseeker, you know that's classified. Besides, even if it wasn't, I'm not invading my patients' privacy like that — my office is supposed to be a safe space for them."
"Yeah, yeah," Cometseeker said, sounding almost bored of the same response. "Why don't you ever stop working?" Nighthunter was about to open her mouth when Cometseeker cut her off. "Not in the office, you even do it at home — your space to relax, and, y'know, get away from work, not work even more."
"And I'd like to, but believe it or not, all of those sleepless nights are worth it, especially because of this one particular patient I have." She walked further in and set her bag on the living room table. The feeling of getting it off of her shoulders after a long day felt good. Except my long day is far from over, she thought as she looked down at the pouch around her neck. She grabbed it to check if the contents were still inside, and thankfully, they were. "Move over," she said to Cometseeker. He did, but she couldn't help but notice a stare from him all the while. "What?"
"Don't tell me you've been doing all of this over one patient," he asked in disbelief. It made her a bit angry he would suggest that a dragon's sanity wasn't worth the effort she was putting in.
She glared at him as she sat down. "Yes, I have been. I'm a healer and it's my job to make sure my patients are doing well. Actually, Cometseeker, it's more than just my job, it's my passion. Don't you remember what I did for you? After the Night Kingdom?" It was as if she could remember it like it was yesterday. The loud explosion that gave her tinnitus for the rest of her life, the brightness that would've blinded her if it weren't for the RainWings, but most importantly, the volcano that killed her mother and scarred her for life. Not even the best healer could get rid of the memories that still haunted her thoughts from time to time.
"I do…" he trailed off, not saying another word.
"Then you understand why I need to do what I do. That dragon has been through more than you and me combined and multiplied times five. That dragon dreams of his mistakes every night, terrorized by his own mind. How would you feel if you dreamt of Mom every night for years, and then bared your teeth and acted like it didn't hurt because you were scared?"
He didn't comment, and that was all she needed to hear to know his response.
For the next half hour, Cometseeker read a scroll next to her on the couch as she noted what she'd do that night. If Flame was right about it, then her plan would work. All she could do was hope; something she only wished Umber had enough of. Then she wouldn't have to do this.
All of a sudden, Cometseeker wrapped up his scroll with a scrollmark and set it on their bookshelf. "Alright, time for lunch," he said, breaking her focus. "Time for you to take a little break from work and eat something for probably the first time today."
She turned to him. "What? I've eaten today," she said. But as she retraced it in her mind, the last time she remembered eating was the night before. Hastily, she grabbed her bag and pulled her lunchbox out, only to feel that it was completely full; not a single thing had been eaten out of it. How had she forgotten to eat, of all things? It didn't matter, because all of the meat she had packed was spoiled by then anyway.
Cometseeker let out a laugh. "Exactly," was all he said. "Now let's go before you look like you did back at the Night Kingdom." He grabbed a few suns he had off of the counter and dropped them into a pouch, before strapping it around his wrist. "I'll pay."
"Fine," was all she said before they walked out through the door and went on their way to whatever cafe Cometseeker was taking her to. He was always changing between cafes, not sticking to any particular one. Maybe it was because he wanted to mix it up.
Nighthunter's talons dug into the gravel below as she landed. Her town wasn't incredibly popular, but that's how she liked it — quiet, peaceful, and everyone keeping to themself. Not many dragons walked the paths, so it was easy to get around even when not flying. Most of them were SkyWings — obviously — so even if there were a lot of dragons, they'd mostly be in the air anyway.
She looked up at the sign, and read "Cirrus' Circle". Odd name, Nighthunter thought to herself. It had a big, red circle surrounding a dragon's head whom she assumed was Cirrus themself. It was very generic, but who knows? It could've been the best cafe she'd ever gone to. "Really?" she asked Cometseeker.
"Yeah, I heard this place was good!" he argued. "Maybe if you looked around more often, you'd find better places."
"Or waste money on horrible-tasting food. Money I have but you don't." She continued walking a few paces behind Cometseeker as they walked inside. A bell atop the door rang as they walked in, but most of the waiters and waitresses looked too busy to notice as they carried around orders whilst taking them at the same time.
They both took a seat at one of the tables sitting across from each other. Two menus sat on either side, with two more stacked underneath. With skepticism, she read off a few of the menu items, before deciding on two raisin bagels with cream cheese and butter.
After a few minutes of waiting, a male SkyWing waiter came over with a notepad in his talons, ready to take their order. "What can I get you two today?" he asked as he readied his pencil to begin writing.
"I'll just get two of the raisin bagels with extra cream cheese and some butter on the side," Nighthunter said. His pencil started writing, lead to paper as he scribbled down her order. He turned his head over to Cometseeker.
"And for you, sir?" the waiter asked. His scales glowed a bright, crimson red in the sunlight that shone through the windows. She hated to admit it, but he was handsome, in a way. But she had the decency to allow waiters to do their jobs instead of being asked out.
"I'll just get a chocolate muffin," he started. But as Nighthunter subconsciously picked up his movements, it quickly became clear to her that he was about to continue saying something else. Seeing how he was nervous, nothing good would come out of it. "And maybe dinner with you sometime?"
A big, red blush appeared across the waiter's face, and he quickly turned away to hide it. "I-I'll get that chocolate muffin right out for you," he stammered before quickly walking off.
"Cometseeker!" Nighthunter scolded once the flustered SkyWing was out of earshot. "Is this why you're always looking for cafes? Because you flirt with the waiters and ask them out to dinner?" She knew she'd never be able to go to that cafe again, not after Cometseeker asked out a waiter he hardly knew.
"What? He was attractive!" he argued. "And I need someone at home because you're never there!"
"That doesn't mean you ask him out- you know what, whatever. Remind me to never have lunch with you again." And with that, she pulled out her notebook and flipped to the page where she had her plan for Umber written down. All background noise was drowned out as she put herself in Umber's talons, matching feelings to situations like a connect the dots game.
She felt joy, despair, and sadness, all in the span of five minutes. But one emotion that stood out the most was anger — a constant feeling in the back of her head that was ready to come forth any time it needed to. Umber's defense mechanism… she thought.
Cometseeker dug into his muffin, though she was oblivious to it. It was only when her bagels began getting cold did her brother finally pulled her out of her trance. "Nighthunter!" he yelled, bringing her back to reality.
"What? I'm trying to work!" she scolded angrily. All of the emotions she had a grip on before. All of them except anger.
"You know, there's a difference between work time and eating time!" he shot back. His tail angrily slapped against the floor, and his snout wrinkled as he yelled. A few dragons' eyes were on them at that point, including the waiter's that Cometseeker had asked out. "You're always so caught up on work that you ignore everyone and everything else around you! The fact I had to say your name three times before you even acknowledged me is only proof!"
"This work is important, Cometseeker!" she pounded on the table. "I'm dealing with a dragon that very well might die if I don't act soon!"
"That doesn't mean you can't eat!" He pointed to the bagels sitting in front of her. Silence hung in the air. How had she not even noticed when a plate was put in front of her face? How had she not even realized that the hunger in her stomach was becoming painful? Was she really that caught up in her work? How did she not even realize what she was doing? She's a healer, she should've known that! It's all she'd been doing for the last three years!
More silence followed as her thoughts wandered. Until finally, she let go of Umber's anger that she was keeping hostage inside of her mind. The fog that clouded her thoughts cleared. She finally realized that she was hurting Cometseeker. He asked out the waiter because she wasn't there, he was yelling at her because she was there, but not at the same time. Even when she was home Cometseeker still felt far away. "I'm sorry," was all she said before taking a bite of her bagel. She closed the notebook beside her and ate.
"That's more like it," Cometseeker said. There was still an annoyed undertone in his voice, though.
The meal they finished in silence was good. Good enough that she wanted to go back even if the waiter was there. All she could do was pray he knew she had nothing to do with it.
The day passed in a blur, but she still had to work. Most of it was spent with Cometseeker, making him feel less lonely, less like he needed another dragon at home to feel fulfilled. Stepping away from work felt…unnatural for her. All she knew was work, writing, putting herself in dragon's heads, feeling what they felt, all in a day's work. A breath of fresh air was almost overwhelming for her, and it was only then she realized how exhausted she always was mentally.
A break felt good.
But she still had to help Umber.
"Cometseeker," she abruptly interrupted as he moved his chess piece across the board. "I know I said I'd stop with work, but tomorrow I have to only work." There was tension in the air where neither of them talked. "I have to help him, Cometseeker. Soon, he'll be a shell of what he once was if I don't act soon. He'll push his loved ones away and lock himself behind his door, refusing to speak to anyone. I've seen it in his eyes, and I understand him and what he's feeling. Maybe it was because I've experienced it as well…with Mom." She flinched. Cometseeker was about to speak up, but Nighthunter interrupted. "He might die if I don't do something quickly, that's why this is so important."
There was a moment of silence, followed by a sigh from Cometseeker. "I understand."
The next day consisted of strictly work. After all of her sessions, all she did was work.
Cometseeker brought her some food throughout the day as she tirelessly worked, lying on her bed. She was grateful for that, at least. He even came in and entertained her a few times whenever she was feeling overwhelmed, whether it was bringing in a board game, or asking a completely unrealistic question and striking a conversation about intergalactic dragon warriors.
Writing, working, putting herself in Umber's position during nearly every minute of the day. But it would be worth it, because Umber would heal. At least, she hoped so. If her plan didn't work…she didn't want to think about that.
But finally, the sun dove below the horizon. She held her breath just the same.
Her plan was ready. She memorized every word, every line, every stroke of lead on the papers. In the dark room, she knew Umber was sleeping as three moons rose high in the sky. Oracle, Perception, and the biggest of all, Imperial. It was the perfect time to strike. Wish me luck, she thought as she stared at them.
And then she opened the pouch from her nightstand and grabbed the dreamvisitor Flame had given her. She raised it to her forehead, and her heart pounded. What if this doesn't work? What if something happens? What if Umber isn't sleeping? What if my plan fails? She worried, all while Umber's face was floating in the back of her mind. She was scared that her being scared would affect it working. Would it not work?
She didn't have time to answer those questions before she felt her mind shutting down, and the world fading into blackness around her.
She opened her eyes.
Her plan worked.
It was time to end this.
Author's notes: We're in the endgame now lmfao. Next chapter will be the final chapter before the epilogue, so unfortunately, Healed is ending soon. I'll be moving onto my next two stories, though I'm not sure how the scheduling will work.
One thing before I end the author's notes is that I forgot someone in the last author's notes's list, so I'll make it up to him by dedicating an entire section of my author's notes rather than a single line.
ThistYT (or ThistGayT in the server) joined a few days before I released the chapter and I completely forgot to include him with the others. He's currently writing a story about his OCs in the Amethyst Winglet named Beetle and Otter. Otter is probably one of my favorite OCs ever because I can relate to him.