Chapter Text
Wailing and crying were all that Uranus could hear, either from his cries or from the stress of trying to help his babies, his fledglings, whom he had no idea how to make stop crying. They weren't eating the food he would normally get, coughing and gagging between the larger and smaller ones, neither eating but crying just as hard, and he couldn't figure out why they weren't eating. Uranus let out quiet cries and tried to soothe the fledglings until the sound of footsteps drew near.
"Uranus," A harmonic voice spoke, with gentleness and tenderness that Uranus craved so badly to be his.
A large, feathered, serpent-like creature strides closer to Uranus and his fledglings, who were starting to sniffling, and their crying was being quieted down, fearing something until they heard something familiar, something very familiar to them, even if the two of them had known of it only for a few hours.
"Nox?" Uranus whispers, a smile appearing on their face.
"Hello, Uranus." They began." I'm sorry for..." Nox was ready to explain before Uranus stood up and rushed towards them, carrying the fledglings with him.
Uranus lets out a gasp, nightmares and ghost pains echoing throughout his mind as he slowly wakes out from a half-remembered nightmare.
Shakily, Uranus slips out of the nest he had made in a sleepy daze, right next to Titania's and Oberon's nest and stands up, stretching his wings as joints start to ache and crack, but not as painfully as it was yesterday for Uranus.
He glances towards his fledglings, both still asleep and resting peacefully. Titania had managed to roll herself over Oberon, who was somehow upside down, and curl up around their twin. They needed to preen soon; Uranus needed to preen himself, too. It has been ....
"Much time, preen." He spoke hoarsely and shifted towards one of his wings, still covered in bandages.
Carefully, he moves his wing as close as the bandages would let him and starts to preen the wing.
The crying noises started to quieten as Uranus got closer to them.
The large feathered serpent-like steps closer, smiling as Uranus was closer and closer towards them until they were finally close enough to touch, letting out purrs." I'm sorry," Nox repeated, holding onto Uranus, who was letting out happy sounds.
"It good," Uranus replied, just happy to see them again." Our babies. Ours."
He showed them to Nox, who cautiously put a clawtip near one, hovering anxiously." Our babies. Yes, ours."
The larger one let out a cautious hiss while she covered the other one, as if they were testing something or being cautious, while the large feathered serpent-like creature let out a coo, gently putting a claw dingit onto her." Cutie."
"I miss you," Uranus said, as he let louder purrs yet quiet enough not to alert anything.
"Can't stay too late, unless the bastard finds out I left the cell." They explained quickly and softly." I'll stay here as long as I can and help you too."
"Thank you," He spoke as he hoped even when he knew it wouldn't.
Uranus let out a long hiss as he gazed at a sensitive spot on his wing, where the bones were at the thinnest between skin, fat and muscle. After a brief moment of painful sensation, it passes as he continues throughout his wing. He was used to the pain, dealing with it, living with it, existing every moment with it, yet he still remembers when he wasn't fighting, when he wasn't in pain, he remembers when he was safe...
A gasp not made by Uranus but by someone else. He didn't turn around to see who it was, persisting on, yet he put his other wing to cover up his fledglings, pretending to be more focused on preening himself. With each pluck of a feather being removed, with each feather smooth and clear as best he could, with each careful yet fanfic movement wanting to get it done quickly. Uranus pretended to be more focused on his wing being preened than on anything else.
"Uranus," A voice whispers as the sounds of tail hitting the ground." You look. You look. You look so... You look so bad and tired.... What happened?"
Uranus continues to ignore the voice as he finishes preening his wing and goes to the other one, which was covering his fledglings. Carefully, he maneuvers himself to cover his fledglings with his body and the other wing while he starts to preen the other wing.
"Uranus, please." The voice begged as more steps were heard, followed by droplets of water landing onto the ground and walls. Cousin, kin, littermate, traiTOR, no family, family. NO DANGER THREAT, NO TRUST, NOT AGAIN!
"Who?" Uranus spoke tensely as Neptune backed up, momentarily taken aback from how Uranus sounded.
"It's me......" The voice pauses, as he lowers his voice." Your cousin, Neptune?"
"You probably don't recognize me, I was smaller than you and was lighter than, and had less scales and bubbler compared to now, and I heard that dad found you and he bought you her-" The voice continues nervously as Uranus was trying to refuse the temptation to look at the source of the voice.
LIES! LIES! LIES!!!! LIAR!!! BIG FAT LIAR!!!! Uranus nearly screamed those thoughts out loud to be heard by the voice.
Every part of him wanted to see who he was speaking to, even as he refused to, as he was too scared to, it means admitting so much, and what happens.
The source of the voice was getting closer, but the footsteps were unsteady and slow and hesitant as they seemed to be afraid or unable to confront Uranus. You remember, you remember, you failed me, I hate you, I hate you, I hated you!! i miss you.
"Neptune, we have orders." Another voice chimes in.
Uranus freezes, recognizing that voice." I know, but he........"
"I know that you know, but we have to clean him up to prevent any infections...." The other began, sounds of a second source of movement becoming evident.
"And he smells horrible. Did the arena even bathe him?" They hastily wondered.
Uranus tensed himself as they were both getting closer.
He knows what's going to happen; he knows what happens if he doesn't prepare himself. He knew the consequences if he didn't do anything, he wouldn't let them take Titania or Oberon when he would be drug, sold or taken somewhere else, he wouldn't fail them, he would not fail them. Uranus will not fail them by letting them be taken away.
He forces his body to relax as he readies himself for the looming threat, preening carefully and slowly as if he weren't aware they were two individuals there.
Uranus continued, pretending that the two individuals came closer, unaware that Uranus would strike first.
"Uranus, we're coming in. I know...... Just please." The voice begged Uranus even as he was positioning himself while also keeping his fledglings from the crosshairs.
Uranus, to the onlookers, was ragged, dirty, thin to the point he was skeletal underneath all the feathers, still covered in blood and other body fluids from his previous arena fights, as well as having numerous jagged or uneven scars across the torso, wounds, new, healing and nearly healed. The feathers were missing in patches across the body, as well as the bandages covering the worst of the wounds, yet already bloodied and with pus and contributing to the smell.
"U- Ouranos," The figure said, scaled and clad in many cloths strung together to make a clashing display of colours and textures, as well as sparky metal collars down his neck...
He glares, memories of the collar being forced onto him, memories of cold metal turning warm with metal and time. Of memories being held down and taken away, or led somewhere away, of being stuck and trapped and not being able to move. The pain, the agony, the restrictions, the limits, the screaming, the shouting, the begging for help that won't come, the promises that won't ever be fulfilled, the dreams of broken chains and shattered collars." Saturn.."
Uranus' feathers flattened with his wings curling close to his body as he still covered his fledglings with his body, but they could tell he was much more willing or at least not as likely to attack." Yeah, it's me.. Saturn, your littermate."
"Saturn..." Uranus covered Titania, who let out a yawn, rubbing her hands against her face, and Oberon let out a whimper, seemingly sensing the tension in the room." Saturn, collar, long?"
"I've been here for about eight years," Saturn answered cautiously, tail coiling as he was moving slowly between Uranus and Neptune." And Neptune, about five years."
"Neptune..." He said TRAITOR, LIAR, WORSE, RUN, NO TRUST THEM, PAINFUL, PAINFUL, failure, "I promise we'll be together forever, Uranus!"
"NEPTUNE!!!!"
I DON'T WANT TO BE SOLD!! "Leave, freak. The runt is being sold today. Unless you want to be sold too?"
"Yes, master." Neptune gave one final look, one meant to hide his emotions, but to Uranus, it showed only one thing: betrayal and weakness.
"THE SAME TO THE REST OF YOU LOT IF YOU DON'T LEAVE NOW!!!" The master yelled, and the sounds of skittering feet, claws and tails trying to leave before they could face punishment.
"Neptune." Uranus weakly cried, reaching out even if he knew it was fruitless, as a collar was put onto him, mind-numbingly cold metal against him, even with his feathers providing some form of protection from it.
He promised, they all promised.
Neptune was there, behind Saturn. Covered in dark blue cloth wrapped around his torso, wrist and upper part of his tail. Eyes were tearful and red. He remembers, he remembers, he remembers, traitor, hatred, love, I gave you my love and you destroyed it by not getting me back, you left me there, with the master when IT happens.
"Cousin," Neptune reaches out, but a slap from his talon draws blood.
"You horrible," Uranus hissed as he raked his talons against the ground," You left I after a promise made together. I fought. You TRAITOR!"
"Uranus, I'-" "No, forgive you!" He interrupted Neptune, hissing loudly, followed by a soft hissing by one of his fledglings.
Uranus churs softly, cooing at them." I needed littermates, I wanted love, got back pain and nothing and loneliness. I'm lower than littermates, you escaped and deemed worth, I deemed worthless, I am worthless. Sold to be fighter, worth only as fighting. I'm worth fighting only, I am a fighter and only a fighter."
"Uranus," Saturn repeats as the clanging sounds of the metal collars banging against each other.
Uranus hadn't noticed how close Saturn had gotten to him, not yet, at least. More focused on covering his fledglings and on Saturn's metal collars, neither one of them had reacted to them, either because they knew and didn't want to do anything towards them while talking with Uranus, or they didn't know about them and were about to find out." You aren't any of those. I don't know what they taught you in the arena, but you're worth more than that."
"They're wrong! They didn't know you, they saw you for what they wanted you to be!" Neptune growled, tail thrashing angrily, making Uranus tense up momentarily." Look at me, Uranus. Focus on me, please let me..."
He was crying, yet anger was clear to anyone who saw Neptune. He was angry but not at him, and he was crying. Uranus didn't know what to do, memories and emotions and everything were clashing internally, of what happened, of what he remembers, of what he would do. Uranus was confused and angry when he felt warmth seeping into him that wasn't his or his fledglings.
PANIC, PANIC. FIGHT, DEFEND, FIGHT, DEFEND, AWAY FROM IT. DANGER. Uranus started to move on pure instinct, fighting and clawing and tearing at the source of the warmth he felt. Not realizing who it was.
THEY ARE YOUNGLINGS HERE!! Saturn was being very careful, as careful as a larger-than-average ophidian could be, especially after being taken in by master Apollo dad? Caretaker??? Sun??? Sol??? Whatever. Sol, with a reputation for being manic, unpredictable, possessive and above all else, kind or gentle to slaves like him and the rest of his littermates friends. He was found by him like the others, like Jupiter, Neptune and X. He hasn't chosen a new name yet.
Saturn couldn't look further into the fledglings when he felt talons sinking towards him, followed by the rest of Uranus' body burrowing into Saturn. Knocking him down while Uranus was breathing heavily with frantic, panic-driven movements.
"SATURN!" Neptune yelled as he lunged towards Uranus to remove him from being on top of Saturn, but being hit by the wings knocked him off balance.
Uranus' wings were flapping hard despite being unable to fly, and with feathers puffing out as Saturn tried to pry Uranus off of him, while trying not to get bitten or scratched by Uranus was difficult.
Saturn wasn't a fighter; he didn't have the experience that Uranus had, but he certainly had the advantage when it came to size and weight due to being an ophidian type, with scales helping to protect him. Yet it did little to protect against Uranus' sharp talons, and he knew where to aim even when he was panicking; he was taught how to fight regardless of who or what they were, regardless of how he would feel about anything.
Uranus let out a howl of surprise as Neptune bodyslams himself into him, trying to tackle him, letting Saturn get a chance to restrain him before he could do anything else. Saturn had to use his tail to knock him down and tackle him with Neptune.
Uranus struggles, fighting, kicking, clawing and biting against Saturn and Neptune, both trying to restrain him." NONONONONONONONONONONO!!!!!!!!!!"
"LET GO! LET I GO! LET GO!" Uranus yelled, screaming as he was kicking and clawing harder, as Saturn managed to grab the legs while Neptune aimed for the arms and wings.
"Uranus, please settle down!" Saturn pleaded as Uranus was being restrained further and further by them.
Saturn could watch as he couldn't do much as he was coiling as tightly as he could without hurting the struggling, fearful avian that was littlemate, someone knew when he was younger, someone that he grew up with, someone that took care of, someone that he failed. Someone that he couldn't protect, someone that he wants to save.
Someone that Saturn wanted to help, even if he would get hurt doing it, after all, he failed Uranus once, and he didn't want to fail again; this time, he will help him. He will do something that he should have done when he was younger, something that he should have done.
"I'm sorry, Uranus." He said, as Urnaus kept struggling and fighting even when he was restrained by him and Neptune.
Wailing, screaming, crying, hissing, growling and shouting were loud enough to draw someone's attention from across the estate.