literature

Can you mend a broken heart?

Deviation Actions

Asante-Sana's avatar
By
Asante-Sana
Published:
489 Views

Literature Text

Thalia stared at the neat piles of herbs, and smiled to herself. There were times, before her capture, that she felt her job was boring. Hell, at first, she hadn't even wanted to be a Healer! But now, the task was familiar and comforting. Thalia needed something familiar and ordinary, given her current situation.

"Put those berries in the right corner, Evira." She asked, not unkindly. The ocelynx looked up from her own pile, and exchanged a look with Salvia, Thalia's newest Healer Apprentice. After being Evira's assistant for such a long time, and having picked up so much from her daughter, it was only fair that Thalia gave her the official spot. Besides, the serval was always eager to learn more, and the snow leopard appreciated her happy nature. 

Thalia smirked. "We can dry those leaves so they can last longer in winter, the same can't be said about those berries. If they rot so close to the leaves, we can end up without both. I don't want to loose more to the cold than the minimun if I can help it." 

Evira nodded, her eyes clearing. "Oh, yeah, right." She shook her head. "We did the same thing last year, before..." She paused. "Sorry." 

Thalia's smirk faded away for a moment. She really didn't want to think about her capture, or the events immediatelly after her rescue. Instinctively, she lowered her head. Her intention was to touch her cheek to her chest, and feel the comfortable shape of her feather necklace between them, but... There was nothing around her neck. It was empty, kind of like her heart. 

"It's just... A little hard to get used to the fact that you're actually here, you know?" She whispered, and Thalia turned so she could look at Evira. Standing up, she padded towards her, though a little unstable (she had gained a lot of weight in the past four months, but it would be a while longer until she was fully fit again), and leaned down to lick the top of her head. "You aren't getting rid of me anytime soon." She smirked, and Evira smiled back. "Never thought that'd sound like good news." She shot back, and Thalia winked at Salvia before returning to her herb pile, shaking her head ever so slightly. 

Gods, if I'm like that in a bad way, no wonder no one likes me. 
She snorted at the thought of her adopted daughter ending up so much like her.

Thalia couldn't be sure, but she felt as if a good deal of Shadow Empire disliked her shining personality. Since she was doing it all on purpose, she assumed it was a good thing. The snow leopard was close to just a few cats, and she was happy that way. More cats meant more possibilities to get hurt. 

Speaking of those few cats...

"Thalia?" The familiar voice called from the entrance to her den. 
"Coming." She nodded to Evira and Salvia, and the two apprentices smiled before heading off to finish her work. Thanks, she mouthed to them. 
She thought she heard Evira snicker as Salvia laughed.
"Yea, Arte?" She asked the tiger as she finished climbing the stairs out of her underground den. "Don't take too long, I can't look like a lazy mentor now that I'm back, regardless of feeling that way." She laughed, but Artemus only rolled his eyes with a faint smile of amusement as more laughter came from downstairs.
"It won't." He promised, before heading out of camp, flicking his tail for her to follow him. 

He stopped not far from there, right by the beginning of the swamp, and Thalia could clearly see the camp, though they were fairly away to not be seen or heard by cats there. Her stomach twisted in an uncomfortable way. This felt too familiar, too close to where she had confronted Taze about what he had done inside Massilia. The only difference was that now it was during the day.

He didn't speak for a while, so Thalia took a moment to study him, not bothering to hide the fact that she was staring. 

Right besides her brother and her cubs, Artemus was the cat she cared about the most. They had been friends for years, since the first time Laertes had left. She found it ironic, in a sick way, that they would never really been friends in the first place without the losses they had suffered. Artemus to watch the death of his mate, Elune, alongside their unborn cubs, in the arenas. And Thalia had lost Taze and pretty much all her friends. It was just by bonding over their pain that they became close. She knew him better than anyone else, and that's why she stared.  

She knew him enough to know that the key to his feelings was his jawline, not his eyes, unless he was genuinely happy. Then his eyes gleamed with emotion. But, like with herself, happiness wasn't very present in his life. His jaw was tense, but his teeth weren't gritted.

He looked... Confused.

"What's troubling you?" She asked softly. Maybe this was one of his bad days and she'd lay down by his side and comfort him as he dealt with the loss of Elune. With how often he'd been doing the same to her the past months, she wouldn't mind in the slightest.
Instead, he asked something completely unrelated. 
"Been a while since I saw your kids." He said, looking at her. "How are they doing?"
Thalia immediatelly felt guilty. Damn it. So he had realized it. Her ears flicked slightly in nervousism, which he immediately noticed. His gaze became accusing. 

Stupid friendship and stupid body reading skills. 

The snow leopard pinned her ears back to her skull, defensive. "They're fine. Fluffi pained my den with mud again."
"Thalia."
"Theseus seemed interested on it. I wonder if he'll make Fluffi paint Evan's den this time."
"Thalia."
"It'd be hilarious, though I bet Evan wouldn't mind."
"Thalia."
She sighed. "What?"
"What's going on?" He asked, looking utterly confused. "Why haven't they been around?"
She hesitated, but what would be the point to procrastinate? He wouldn't let her go without getting answers first. Arte could be as stubborn as herself when he wanted to.
"I... Told them to leave you alone for a while." She admitted, and he looked even more confused. 
"Why?" 
"It's just that... After you decided to help me take care of them, everyone pretty much dumped their cubs on you." She tried not to let him see how much it annoyed her. He was her best friend, and he had decided to help watch over them on his own accord. Since when that made him supportive-dude-adoptive-father to everyone else? They barely knew him, for Aurelia's sake! Were they doing that just to piss her off?

Then again, she had become awfully protective of the few cats she still had. She knew she was being partially irrational, but she didn't want to loose anyone else. Not even to cats in her own Empire.

"And... You don't usually get along with cubs." She didn't have to explain why. His face broke down a little. Artemus had never been fond of kids, not after loosing his own before they could even be born. Cubs were just a painful reminder of his loss, another reason why Thalia was surprised he kept taking care of hers when she got somewhat better. "I felt that they would overwhelm you. You already have What's-her-face's critters, and I'm pretty sure I overheard Sariel talking to you the other day now that she's pregnant too. You... You don't need my cubs annoying you further." 

Artemus stared at her for a while, and she just looked at her paws.

"Thalia." He sighed. "I took on your cubs to help them because I never knew my parents." Crap, she had forgotten about that. "I may look like I'm bothered by it sometimes, but honestly... I didn't have to do that for your cubs. And I could have said no to Luna, or even Sariel if she so chooses to send her children to me when they're born. You don't have to tell your kids to stay away from me. Trust me."
She did trust him, but... 

Guilt washed over her, alongside annoyance. He also knew how much she disliked Luna, though her cubs were okay. She just hated how Luna shoved her cubs at the one cat that was her friend, probably to annoy her. It was no secret how both females loathed each other.
Or maybe she's as broken as you, and just wants someone to help her. 
With that many Empire cats around? What about Seidon? Bet he'd do a great job himself. 
Maybe because just like you, Luna knows he lost cats dear to him, so she may think he can help.
Shut the hell up, she told her conscience. She didn't want to bond with Luna over their similarities - loosing a mate and then a cub, the latter to that cursed Stone Empire - or their pain. She was happy where she was. 

"I thought you knew me better than that." Arte continued, oblivious to her inner argument. Her head shot up, and she almost flinched because that hurt, until she realized he had a small smile and was, quite obviously, joking. 
"I'm sorry." She sighed, shooting him a quiet smile back. "I guess I don't want to annoy you anymore. I hate feeling helpless and I hate that I gave you all so much trouble..." A sigh. "It's bad enough that all those dead cats are gone because of me."
She saw Artemus' face harden. "Because of Laertes? Thalia, he-"
"Said he did it all because of me." She muttered. "Arte, he took words I told him ages ago, when I tried to comfort him, and he twisted them, and now he's using them to fuel his insanity, make that Empire of his grow. It's... It's my fault he's like that." 
Artemus got up, and she saw him move to stand in front of her. Leaning forward, he stared at her eyes and growled: "Thal, it's Laertes' own fault he's like that. He couldn't take the fact that you were gone. And it's not your fault you were captured." He added quickly when he noticed her mouth opening to complain. "Evander was just... Terrible. I was devastated myself, but did I go crazy? I didn't kill other cats, I just told myself I'd rescue you and we - Evander, myself, Scratch, you know, your friends - did it. Loosing someone is never an excuse to go crazy. Mope around and be annoyingly bitter to everyone else? Sure thing." His face softened and he winked at her, winning himself an amused snort from the snow leopard. "But downright murderous? No." 
"I'm only trying to do what's right! For some reason though, I seem to be pretty adept at killing."
"I... Guess you're right." She muttered. 
"I am right." Arte nodded, though he didn't look proud of winning their little argument. 
Thalia sighed yet again, then looked up at him with a faint smirk. "So that's why all the ladies are throwing their cubs at you? Your awesome comforting skills?" 
Artemus smiled for a moment, glad to see she was better. "Why, of course. I'm very good at that." 
Thalia pondered on his words for a second. When she spoke again, it came out as a whine. 

"But Luna?"

Artemus laughed, then his mouth curled up in a smirk as he leaned down to whisper in a conspiratory way. "Jealous?"
She just stared at him for a long while.
Then she laughed. 
She laughed so hard she curled up in the ground. How long had it been since she found something this funny? Before Laertes left for the first time? When her mom was still around? She didn't know, but it felt great. 
Whenever Thalia was about to stop, he made some ironic comment, like "You poor thing. Jealousy has clearly messed with your head", and she exploded in laughter again. She was fairly sure he was just amusing her, and was probably as surprised as herself at her outburst. At this moment, she didn't care. 
"Jealous?" She asked weakly as her laughter subsided. The snow leopard got to her feet, still shaking a bit from residual giggles. "I pity you, my friend." 

She put her paw in a comforting way, as he eyed her, confused - with her sudden playfulness or worried about her mental health, she didn't quite know. "You know what's going to happen now? You will bond with her over the caring of her cubs, and one day, you will wake up to realize your heart is beating faster whenever she comes close. You will realize - gasp! - that she means something to you, and you will live happily ever after, full of mutt cublets running at your feet and butterflies and flowers around you." 
Artemus stared. 
And stared. 
And then he made a face-
She laughed again, leaning on his chest for support. 
"Thalia." He complained, still making that weird whiny face, and she giggled again.
"Oh, oh, I wonder if they'll have stripes or spots. Oh, and those beautiful eyes of hers. If you're lucky, they'll be as bright and charming as their perfect snotty mom!" 
He snorted, and she could feel his annoyance at her fighting the happiness for seeing her so carefree. 

And she felt that way. No matter what happened, knowing where Laertes was and knowing it was over gave her a sense of bittersweet closure. She felt as if a weight had been lifted from her back, and Thalia could finally try to be happy again. There weren't more sleepless nights, wondering where he was and if he'd ever come back, or if he'd ever let her in his heart again, or even if he was coming to her rescue. 
Thalia felt free, and as much as she loved Taze, as much as she still missed him, she couldn't help but feel happy at the chance of starting her life again. 

"No, I'm pretty sure that's jealousy." He muttered at last.
Thalia snorted, and pulled away from Artemus. "Think it that way. Here are you, walking trough the territory with one of the mutts. And then they run off to play with something, and you lay your eyes on her." She strutted a sexy pose, padding towards him again. "And your eyes can't leave hers and she's adorable and you're so in love..."
"You've gone mad." He concluded as she rubbed her flank against his and her forehead to his throat before jumping away with a start, not unlike a cub would do.
"And then you talk for a while, and she's so pretty!" Thalia swiped her tail under this chin, still with the flirtarious strut, with a childishly happy smile. "And then you go off with her and BAM, little mutts of you own! Oh, and the flowers and butterflies thing." 
Artemus just shook his head in mock sadness.
"Oh, oh!" She rushed back at him, and the tiger grunted, surprised, loosing his balance and falling on his side as she tackled him to the ground, and partially laid over his flank. Turning around, belly up, Thalia rested her head on his side, as if he was her personal pillow. "The entire Empire would celebrate such happy union!" She waved her paws at the sky, as if trying to catch imaginary butterflies. "Oh, it would be glorious!"

As Thalia broke down in a fit of giggles, the tiger turned his head to watch her. "I sincerely don't know which one I like the most: you like this or the mopey, bitter teenager I met. I almost prefer that Thalia. Will you be like that forever?"
"What if I will?" She asked cheekily, propping her head up in a challenging way, her muzzle a few inches from his. Truth to be told, she doubted the good mood would stay, but so far she was very happy pushing the pain to the back of her mind. With a few stray giggles still escaping her maw, she flopped back onto his side.
"Sator help us all." Arte grunted, and she laughed again. "So that's Luna. What about Sariel?" He asked, and she quieted down before padding away from him in a proud, annoyed way. 
"You always had this thing about her." He shook his head. 
"Because she's beautiful and perfect and everything I'm not? Why shouldn't I be somewhat annoyed at that?" 
"You don't know her problems, though." The tiger pointed out. 
Her head snapped back at him. "And you do?"
"Jealous." Artemus pointed again, and she shook her head playfully at him as a tiny part of her head told her he hadn't answered. "Your problem is that you're always looking at your weaknesses, and everyone's strengths. That's hardly fair." He said, more to himself, shaking his head. 
His words echoed something Laertes had told her before leaving, of how she was strong, not because of her mood, but because of herself, and she shook her head, chasing the thoughts away because she didn't want to think about her past mate, and like always, having the two males in the same train of thought always felt weird because she should have felt guilty over how things with Arte could be interpreted. But... it just wasn't like what everyone thought. Even if she wanted to feel differently towards him, she just... she couldn't. Not with Laertes...
Thalia was silent, supessing a wince at the thought of the leopard and focusing back on her talk. It was just... hard to see something good in herself. 

Instead, the snow leopard padded torwards the still laying male, and flopped over his side again with a sigh.
"Shouldn't you go back to your work?" Artemus asked, jabbing at her shoulder with his muzzle. 
"No." She laid her head and front paws on his rib cage and pretty much hid her face on his fur. She really didn't want to go back to the grief that stalked her in the corner of her mind, ready to strike again when the tiger was gone.
"Really? Why?" He asked, humoring her. 
"Because I'm too lazy to move." 
Her head shook as he laughed. "Now that's an awesome example to set to your cubs."
"That's why they're not around to see me." Thalia snapped back, and he chuckled again. "Seriously though, most of my work was done, and Evira and Salvia took care of the rest once you arrived." 
"Hmmmm." Artemus laid his head on her shoulders, loosely curling up around her. "Check up on your kids, then?"
The healer shifted, searching a comfortable position with him around her. (It never felt weird or awkward or even different from the first time he did that, years before. It was just them.) Thalia thought for a while. The cubs were supposed to be with Rune today, Evira would be out for more herbs with Salvia soon, and Argyl was with Roanoke. Half closing her eyes, she muttered: "What about just walking around the territory like we did before Taze came back?" Those days when she was little and he was broken and they were hurting and being close slowly mended each other. "Without the sadness, this time. No cubs, just us." 

She felt him sigh as he thought about it. 
"I'd like that."
While not a direct follow-up from my last story, "Can you break a broken heart?", I do consider these two sister stories. I wrote this one after I finished the first draft of the Thal/Taze one, because that had hurt so badly that my mind desperately needed a reminder that Thalia would be happy again. Besides, these two's friendship is just so precious that usually I just wanna keep it to myself. But I felt like sharing this one.

Also, writing happy Thalia is a blast. Everything comes to me so easily. I wish she could be like that more often, but this is just one of the few moments she lets her guard down, which usually only happens around Artemus, Evander, and sometimes Scratch and their cubs.

Oh, Luna. Please don't kill me. I love Lunacat, I really do. But Thalia just... she can't STAND Luna. She hates to be in the same environment as her. And she can get very nasty when talking about her, though she's mostly the kind of 'I am gonna leave this place so I don't kill you' when Luna's actually around her. SO YEAH. DON'T KILL ME. I LUFFS U <3

I'll leave you with a disturbingly giddy Thalia. Creepy, I know.

Word Count: ???
Extra Characters: +2 for Artemus, +2 for Evira, +2 for Luna (too many mentions)
Total EP:
Thalia C Asante-Sana
Artemus & Evira C DappledSun
Luna C Lunet12
Salvia C Altiasdog
Laertes C Staniqs
© 2015 - 2024 Asante-Sana
Comments3
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In