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Light filtered in through the stained glass windows of the church, spreading colored light onto the pews and marbled flooring in a beautiful rainbow.
But blood seeped through the cracks of the tiled flooring, becoming more prominent as it started to crack and splinter. Tiles dug up, bits of rubble and debris scattered around the floor. Small red scales littering the wreck, reflecting the light and making the mess look almost pretty.
What wasn't pretty was Grizzly, crouched in a circle of the worse destruction, one claw holding his head where bits of blood were trickling down. Small scales torn away.
Charlie stood in front of him, as did his other friends.
He summoned an apple in his inky black claws, as red as his friend's sins, and slowly he rolled it over the rubble and to Grizzly's feet. His friend looked down at it, with tears in his eyes.
"An apple for the road." Charlie huffed. "Now get lost."
Grizzly took it with shaky paws, his tail tucked between his legs as he got up. Wings kept close to his body as he passed the other three in a wide berth, sending one last pleading look to their priest. But she said nothing, only looking away with a guilty frown.
She had no say here.
It was them, the gods, that were in charge.
Grizzly paused at the entrance to the cathedral, looking back at them all with tears running down his scales.
"I still love you all.." Grizzly called out, his voice meak. Weak and sad. Pathetic and grating on the ears.
Slime narrowed his eyes.
"Go away, Griz." He huffed.
Something in Grizzly looked like it shattered, and without another word he was leaving the treshold and taking off with damaged wings.
The church felt like it darkened, and Charlie could feel the whole building start to collapse around him. He stood there and let it, inky tears of his own starting to form as he looked down at his paws.
The whole building, the light, his friends, his home started to decay around him.
Until he was buried with his grief.
Buried like a dead body.
How deserving.
Charlie woke up with a jolt, hoping to his feet and stumbling backwards in his nest as he let out a high pitched sound - a mix between a roar and a squeal of pain - that reverberated off the walls and high ceiling.
His breathing was sharp and quick, and he frantically brought his claws up to wipe at his face where he felt tears starting to fall.
"No- no no come on. Why can't I just sleep-?" He mumbled to himself, a pathetic whine as he couldn't yet shake off the effects of his nightmare. Or… memory, technically. Although a few minor details were different. Mostly the state of their home.
It was never that destroyed. Not from their petty argument.
And Grizzly's blood wasn't enough to fill in all the cracks in the flooring.
Charlie heard the door on the far side of the room open and close, and he could see Milo enter his room. She was wearing a nightgown, her hair a mess.
She looked both annoyed and concerned as she made her way up to Slime, stopping at the edge of his nest, waiting there for him to step forward. Which he hesitantly did, almost stumbling over himself thanks to his shaking.
"What's wrong? Why did you scream?" Milo asked, her voice a bit wonky from just waking up. She rubbed at her eye a bit.
"Just had a nightmare… I didn't mean to wake you, I'm sorry I- you can go back to sleep." Charlie brushed off.
Milo looked down at him with a sad frown. She bent down to pick Charlie up, and she carried him over to the pews. Sitting down on the soft velvet and setting Slime down next to her.
"Hey man, it's okay. You don't need to worry about waking me." She assured, her voice soft and calm. But still filled with worry.
Charlie rubbed at his tears again, pressing himself against her side. Seeking comfort.
She compiled with no complaints, hugging him close.
"What was it about? If I can ask."
"Grizzly… I - I can't help but think we made a horrible mistake Milo. I want him back… I miss him- I don't want him to stay exiled." Slime cried.
"I want him back too… It's okay. It's not your guy's fault, it's nobody's. It was a stupid mistake, yeah. But we'll get him back, don't worry." She told him.
"I never told him I loved him… He said it to us, but- but I didn't say it back. I should have - fuck I really should have." He sniffled.
"None of us did.. We can tell him when he comes back from his exile." She said.
"What if he thinks we hate him?? What if he doesn't come back?" Slime spoke his worries.
Milo shook his head, "I'm sure Grizzly knows. And if he doesn't come back on his own we can go out and get him back."
"Okay…" he didn't feel the most reassured, despite how true he knew his friend's words were. They could just drag him back, apologize that way. Grizzly probably still knows they love him, but… if he didn't? If he was out there all alone, fresh scar above his eye, kicked out of his church? No friends or home? Thinking they all hated him, and that they'd never want to see him back?
Slime hopes he's doing okay…
He just leaned against Milo and let her comfort him until his tears fully stopped and he felt much better. The sun starting to peak through his windows, casting a slight cold light into the room and over his nest.
"Thanks Milo." Slime asked as he pulled away from her, chuckling a bit when he saw the amount of goo stuck to her clothes.
"You're welcom- aw man, this is gonna take forever to wash out!" Milo whined when she also noticed the state of her clothes.
Charlie laughed a bit louder, and Milo snickered a bit along with him. Although she still looked annoyed. Which was fair, Slime would also be annoyed if his clothes got as ruined as Milo's constantly did.
That's what happens when you're in charge of a dragon that sticks to everything, and another that has a part of them constantly ablaze.
Honestly, he felt worse for their cleaning staff.
Milo mumbled a bunch of swears and something about needing to change anyway as she got up and began to leave, and Slime made his way back up into his nest.
Maybe he could get a bit more rest before he had to start the day.
He curled up among his soft blankets and gems, closing his eyes as the door to his room shut with Milo's leaving. He was glad he had someone to help comfort him when he had nightmares. It was nice… He hopes Grizzly has found someone while he's out there.
Hell only knows the nightmares his friend is having..