Salix and Willow writings.

[seiko yume 19]

A/N: This one's a rewrite of that fic I was referring to in this post. The OG fic was much, much shorter and very lighthearted and written in an unserious manner. I don't think I even built up the scene or anything, I just jumped right into the dialogue, since it was meant to accompany an image that built the bickering sibling dynamic of Salix and Willow. I'm a bit better at writing now, but I still kind of forgot how to write due to being out of the fanfic practice for over a year, so please go into this with low standards.

Title: Hug Me Like This Is The Last Time You'll See Me

 

   The familiar archways and chambers of his old clusterhome invited him like a haunted house, incense and clay marked the territory of the arachnid changelings. Salix inhaled the scent, but found less comfort in it than he liked to imagine. It was nostalgic, marking his childhood, though all the nostalgia in the world could not shield him from the guilt that bore deep into his shell, for he was useless to his kingdom.

   Salix's steps came to a halt outside a web-adorned den, contemplating if he should go in, or turn back. After all, no news was good news, right? He could save his only living family from the stress and heartbreak of the truth. His heart caught in his throat. Perhaps it would be better to turn back, and head back to his guild. The Marrow Eaters were good to him, and he'd hate to miss out on their next raid or ambush.

   It seemed, however, fate had made the former decision for him when the den's door swung open and he was swept into a tangle of limbs and silk.

   "Salix! I knew that was your scent and not my next meal! Unless... you're really a changeling from another kingdom posing as my brother that died on the front lines? Yes... you don't smell exactly like my brother." The large spider-changeling chittered, turning Salix over in a blanket of webs.

   Salix growled, raising his stinger with a defensive hiss. "Try to eat me and I'll make sure your insides turn to liquid, Willow."

   Willow instantly dropped him on the floor, untangling him from the webbings with a spin. "Nope! Not a meal, just my normal, cranky brother." She sing-songed with a giggle.

   "Ugh... could you have let me down in a more graceful manner?" Salix groaned as he slowly rose on his hooves. Willow hummed, and tapped a hoof to her chin. Oh man, was she actually starting to think for once?

   "That was the best manner possible, I'm afraid. You get to be let down, and I get to see that look on your face when you fall." She replied. False alarm, she wasn't really thinking that far.

   "Of course..." Salix sighed. "Anyways, I was just stopping by. I'll take my leave, now."

   Just as Salix turned back to the door, he was barricaded by a cage of spidery hind-limbs pouncing down in his path. "What?! You're leaving already? But we haven't seen each other in ages! You can't seriously be that busy with knighthood!" Willow argued.

   Salix's heart dropped. This was exactly why he wanted to turn back. "I-I just... thought you weren't interested in such... serious... knightly matters." He stammered, trying to move around her, but she only blocked him further.

   "I have all the time in the world for the juicy details. Come on, spare your elder sister more than a few minutes of your time, oh gracious knight." She replied. Salix cringed. He was undeserving of that phrase.

   Willow seemed to have caught on to his reaction, much to his dismay as well. He thought his training had made him more stoic to where his subconscious reactions wouldn't outwardly express themselves. She tilted her head, her calculating attitude falling for a more worried one. God, he hated that look. He hated the disappointment and shame he surely expected from others when they found out he failed to become a knight.

   "Salix...? Is everything okay?" She asked gently, as though one may talk to a nymph.

   Salix turned his head. He knew he could lie no longer, as his sister was far too wizened to let anything slip by her. Though, his tongue still remained in his mouth.

   "Salix... if there's some thing you need to tell me, please do so." Willow pressed.

   He took in a deep breath, "I... did not become a knight. They said my shell was too fragile, and that they could not allow me to be on the front lines, or even as royal guard."

   Willow lowered her front body, taking a less guarded stance. "I figured." She responded. "Then please, tell me why you've been gone for so long. I mean, you didn't even write. I thought you became a knight and was instantly deployed, or if you were a guard, they had you working double-shifts with no break to even send a simple letter."

   Salix didn't respond, prompting Willow's worried expression to turn more stern. "Salix. We are not doing this whole silent thing again. Tell me where you have been. Now." She demanded.

   "You will not be happy." He said.

   "I will be even less happy if you keep me in the dark like this! I'm your family, can't you even tell me a vague idea?" Willow retorted.

    Salix shook his head, his mouth pressing into a thin line as he turned his expression to the ground. Willow's snout scrunched up.

   "All this time, I've been worried sick about you! You didn't even give me an inkling of evidence you were even alive until now, and now you won't even give me a slightest clue as to what reason you had to keep me up at night, wondering if you were okay, praying to the ancients and our ancestors that you hadn't died?! Don't you feel even a bit of remorse for--"

   "I'm not a hatching anymore, Willow!" Salix snapped.

   Willow's eyes widened and her body reared back, as though he had just struck her, and her gaze turned away from him. Why did she have to know exactly how to instantly make him feel bad? She was silent for a time, making Salix instantly regret his remark.

  "Willow--"

   "Forgive me for caring about you." She said in a hushed tone.

   "No-- Willow, I'm sorry I just... I'm in this situation."

   "Then tell me, what in all of the clusterhome could possibly be so riveting, that you can't tell your own sister?"

   Salix took a sharp inhale. "I joined a guild involved with the bone trade." He said.

   "From enemy territories, and lesser beings, right?" Willow inquired, knowing her brother was roped in much the opposite. A shake of the head confirmed that fear. "Oh... oh, brother. Please, please quit. I can help you become a weaver, even if you don't have your own silk. This could get you killed, if not from your fragile shell, then absolutely from rival guilds and gangs, even the guards."

   "I know what I signed up for." Salix responded, "I know. I can't quit now. I'm bound to the Marrow Carvers. I wouldn't thrive as a weaver, and it's not fair to you to have to take care of me because I'm too aggressive to hold a normal job. I have a bloodlust that I can't control, beyond the primal need for hunting. I wanted to use it for good, I really did, but... that's not a possibility right now."

   Willow grimaced, seeming like she would start sobbing. Salix let out an exhale, knowing nothing of what he said would calm her nerves.

   "They're good to me. The Marrow Carvers. They're like the cousins I never had, or... just family in general. We live rough, but we look out for each other. I didn't want to disappoint, or put shame on our bloodline." He added.

   Willow didn't respond, didn't react. Salix saw how wet her eyes were. She sniffed, and finally moved slowly, carefully to pull him into an embrace as though he would be snatched away from her just like the rest of their family members.

   "Salix... my little brother... please, please promise me one thing. If something awry happens with your guild, or a bounty is placed upon your head, you run. Quit immediately, and flee to another kingdom and hide. Create a new name and identity, and never speak a word of your past life. I will find a way to follow suit. It will be no burden to me, because a greater one would be continuing to live after you draw your final breath." Her voice wavered. Feeling as though her brother would argue, she continued, "Don't reject this promise. Please... promise it to me now. It is the only thing I ask..."

   Salix nodded, a slight motion, but Willow could feel it beneath her hooves. Silent confirmation. Willow drew out a shaky breath, holding her little brother tighter, drawing in his scent and the unfamiliar musk from the other changelings and bugs that had rubbed off on him. She nuzzled her cheek glands into his mane, to replenish that odor that hopefully reminded him of home.

   "Thank you... please stay a fortnight too-- even a month's worth if you can. I'll set up a spare web in the canopy." She replied, drawing back to climb up into the many webs that decorated the den. 

   "I will. I can write to my guild to let them know I'm taking leave for longer than I expected. They may need me for work again sooner, though." Salix said.

   "I understand. Please look after yourself." Willow responded, unfurling a soft woven hammock in one of the netted platforms that served as a room. "I'll go out hunting for dinner too. I'm not sure if you're still unable to eat fruit."

   Salix gagged in response, earning a melancholy chuckle from his sister. "I'll take that as a no. Even the thought is enough to make your stomach lurch, hm?"

   "When did you start to eat plants, anyway?" Salix interrogated.

   "I like the juice. It's also a nice break to buy from the ponies that come to trade at the market from time to time instead of having to constantly put time aside to hunt fresher meats." Willow said, her tone lighter now.

   "Disgusting..." Salix muttered.

   Willow let out another giggle. "Get up here, dummy. Your web is ready. Oh! And don't mess around with my system again. It's organized for me, not for thee."

   "I can see several baskets of the same type of beads. scattered in different areas."

   "I need them in those areas! Now get up here and take a nap or I'll wrap you like prey again."

   Salix groaned, begrudgingly ascending the webs as Willow made her way towards the exit, ready for a hunt. Perhaps things would be okay after all.