Open The Trenches Trembling Treble

[Kaii Nashirou]

(I've messed up and this should be Whisper's thread, not Kaii's. Just keep this in mind for the future.)

Another day, another panic attack. Such was a life for the small fox that looked nothing like they should.

Whisper walked by the banks, shops, other institutions they saw for the first time. They really were feeling out of place wherever they went. The city had to offer an experience truly beyond anything they knew in life. Especially when it comes to being stressful. Too many noises, voices, eyes, ears, tails... Whisper was just overwhelmed.

And yet they wandered in search of inspiration. Like a parasite, an idea for a piece that would portray this chaos and weird harmony it brought drilled a hole in their little head. Whisper would much rather stay at their little room, experiment with instruments... and yet, that wouldn't let them make what they wanted. Ambition crashed with Anxiety. Fear of insufficiency with fear of society. All boiling down to them now walking the streets with visible trembling.

Due to their size and lack of visible feminine traits, Whisper could at least just use an excuse of being just a child when they needed to escape. Honestly they didn't feel like adult at all. And yet life demanded it, at least their parents were trying to make it as smooth as it could be.

Suddenly a bunch of officers of some sort rushed across the street. One of them was yelling at someone something about stopping. Whisper couldn't care about that. They were just struck with fear as if with a lightning bolt. The fox just scurried away into the nearest building.

That was a mistake.

Suddenly Whisper found themselves at what looked like an inn. Many various beasts sat around their tables, drinks and snacks in their paws. There was however a small scene. Place for a musician that wasn't there. And the tiny fox now realized, they came in holding their violin in paw...

Weight of (self-perceived) expectations made Whisper feel physically ill. Unable to move and almost ready to throw up. They could play, they knew it and were sure it would go well. It just... wasn't the right moment.

They basically curled into a tiny ball at the entrance. Becoming more aware of how bad and pathetic this must've looked, a few soft whimpers and tears followed soon. This prompted a bunch of chuckles and laughs, something that made the sensation even worse. Especially as one beast was now coming over, ill intention behind their eyes and a malicious grin upon their snout. Whisper was frozen in place. Already knowing how bad things will become once they get to them.

 

[Pomodu lu Modokunomulo]

The ill-intentions of the beast advancing on the trembling fox were halted by a booming voice, one that echoed a threat that, in the past few weeks, had become feared throughout the Bilge:

"Hu'g!"

Red arms that were surprisingly plush swooped down and scooped up the trembling fox, wrapping her in the warmest, most comfortable, most protective embrace that the Harbor had yet seen. The beast holding her glared a threat of fiery death at the crowd, one backed up by her performance in a brawl during a prior visit. "I'su my furein'du!" she snarled at the crowd, raising her hackles and baring her teeth. "No tou'che!"

 

[Whisper]

Whisper only have managed to yelp as an overwhelming force encompassed them. They weren't per se not fond of hugs but one from a stranger? In her state? They have froze, instinctively clinging on whilst crying into that luscious fur. Anxiety was killing her. Whisper wished to just disappear into nothingness. To not be that pathetic, afraid child among the other, functioning beings.

The beast stopped at the sight of powerful and massive being scooping their target into their arm. He just sneered at her words. "What are ya sayin' freak? Yer size didn' come with brains now did it?" He mocked, clearly not planning on being nice. Some others chuckled at his words, making the local bullies the harbour was named after clearly seen among others.

The rest of the clientele was mostly indifferent, few were appalled at the mockery and shown disdain towards the bullies but they weren't doing a thing really.

 

[Pomodu lu Modokunomulo]

Pomodu glared death at the antagonistic tavern patron. "I supea'k Valupin'sulanu bettah da'n you," she shot back. "Lea've huh alo'ne. You no li'ke me whe'n I hu'g you."

 

[Whisper]

Said patron laughed, clearly oblivious to the threat the giant red beast posed. Some of those that showed support of his actions had faltered but others just became more jarringly mocking.

"With yer accen'? Shut it ya overgrown rug." Laughed the beast, coming close and stepping to block their way out.

Some others stood up to join the mocking. They however kept their distance, intimidated at least with the size, even though they were eager to join the mocking.

Whisper in the meanwhile scrambled to keep their violin in their paws. They were not in any shape to do anything but shake, cry and whimper. The lithe fox wished to play something, turn away attention from them and the giant red beast hugging them but… the same beast made it impossible. And even if they let go? Whisper wouldn’t even be able to move and start playing.

 

[Berchar Fleetfoot]

“…so n-no, sir, when they’re saying ‘remand’ it’s not ‘demand’ misspelled: it’s actually rather serious.”

The stoat’s blank stare did not shift, and it was taking everything in the little jerboa’s power to neither laugh or cry. To do either might incur the ire of the increasingly frustrated beast, though he dearly wished he could massage his temples. The headache had well and truly set in.

In an attempt to make ends meet across the year, one of Berchar’s services as an educated beast had been to, for a reasonable fee, assist in the reading and filling out of forms and paperwork for those who could not. What he hadn’t expected was so much of it to come from the Ministry of Justice. Removing his glasses, Berchar polished them busily. “We’ve been at this for well over an hour. You said you had the week to return these to the Ministry, so why don’t we pick this up tomorrow? Perhaps a break would do us some good.” To his relief the stoat seemed just as keen to be gone, though Berchar rather suspected it was less to do with boredom and more his increasing realisation that he was days from an arrest. With a grunt and mumbled comment the beast was gone. Thank goodness.

His long-suffering sigh of relief, however was short-lived. At first Berchar’s eye caught the presence of a fox who had just entered the inn who seemed entirely overwhelmed. Honestly, he could well relate: though he had been better placed to handle his first days in the city he often felt far more terrified than he liked to admit. Poor thing. Before he could think anything further on it, another beast was advancing – and then…His eyes widened a touch behind his spectacles. In the city of his youth he had seen red pandas but it had been many a season, and truly he had forgotten their size and presence. His ears wilted, though it did not take long to realise that she was trying to act as a protective force.

Whether it was an over-abundance of empathy for the fox, the sense of safety from the red panda, or simply irritability from his own headache, Berchar found himself joining in. Hopping down from his seat, the jerboa noted the instrument the fox carried. “E-excuse me, is this how you treat all the entertainers who play in the inn?” he squeaked. “I dare say the barman wouldn’t be happy to see you all chasing off the beast he’s paid to play for you! Show some respect for an artist!”

 

[Pomodu lu Modokunomulo]

Pomodu took note of the little jerboa hopping about, her eyes widened as she recognized the species. "Yesiboqeqota cu nakabuqe wamivege rewakebingo lu leceyilesebiko lataruba!" she exclaimed in what mast surely be her native tongue. When there was no recognition from the smaller animal, she switched back to Vulpinsulan. "Dey ah teribuh!" she exclaimed, gesturing with one arm to the beasts present. "Why ah dey li'ke di'su? Di Valupin'sula i'su di lan'du o'f heroe'su! Bu't dey ah villain'su."