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Narinder stared at the Lamb with a look of sheer disbelief. “What the FUCK did you just say to me?!”
“I said,” Lamb sneered, “that I’ll bring back Aym and Baal with two conditions.”
Narinder had been spending his afternoon doing some rehab exercises and minding his own business, when the Lamb suddenly barged into his hut(without knocking first, how rude!) and started making demands. He didn’t know what to expect, but he certainly never expected the sheer audacity of their request. Well, perhaps ‘order’ would be a better description than ‘request’.
“I heard that!” shouted Narinder. “But how can there possibly be a condition for the LIVES OF MY SONS?! The sons that you KILLED, by the way!” Narinder’s ears laid back and his tail puffed up. “You have already taken EVERYTHING from me, traitor! What more can you possibly want?!”
Lamb rolled their eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. You’re out of the gateway, aren’t you?” Narinder snarled and Lamb huffed. “I’ll revive the twins if you promise me two things.”
“And why should I promise you anything? You have never once kept any of your promises!” Narinder folded his arms and broke eye contact. “Not to me, anyway.”
Lamb huffed again, as though Narinder was the one being difficult. “Don’t you want to see the boys? You’ve been complaining about them nonstop. Quit this tantrum and hear me out.”
“Tantrum?!” Narinder snarled and turned back to glare at the Lamb. “How dare you!”
“Well, I guess you don’t want Aym and Baal back then.” Lamb shrugged and turned to the door. Narinder felt panic start to rise. He couldn’t abandon his sons to oblivion, no matter how much he hated Lamb. He had to stop them from leaving.
“Wait!” Lamb turned back towards Narinder and smirked. Narinder took a deep breath. “What do you want?”
“It’s simple really.” Lamb took slow steps towards Narinder. “First, promise you won’t kill the bishops when I revive them.” Narinder growled, but he didn’t interrupt them. “The second one is more important.” They reached a hand up towards his face, and he tensed, every instinct in his body screaming to run away. “I want you to marry me.”
Narinder couldn’t breathe. Reviving the bishops was already bad enough, but to make him their concubine? Their trophy? Their plaything?! Was that why they betrayed him?! Did they truly want to torture him this much?! His heart was pounding painfully in his chest. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably. His eyes widened with fear. He stumbled backwards from the Lamb and collapsed, his legs unable to hold his weight. Narinder felt chains wrapping around him once again.
--
Lamb had thought of a brilliant idea to get Narinder to lighten up. He’d been so moody ever since they usurped him almost a year ago, and so they figured bringing back his lost disciples would cheer him up. They couldn’t do this for free, of course. Narinder had been misbehaving for months, and they had to set an example.
They figured out a compromise. Narinder would get his servants back, Lamb would have an easier time completing the Mystic Seller’s request, and Lamb would get to marry their ex-god. Basically a win-win! But for some reason, instead of agreeing, Narinder was now shaking and hyperventilating. “Narinder?” Lamb asked hesitantly. Why was he having one of his episodes now? Was it because they mentioned the bishops? “Narinder, what-”
The door slammed open, causing Lamb to jump. They spun around and saw the Goat standing in the doorway, trying to catch their breath. “I heard shouting, what happened?” Goat looked around the hut. When they spotted Narinder, their eyes widened. “Narinder!” They ran towards him. “Narinder, what happened?!”
“I-I don’t know,” stammered Lamb, “we were just talking, and,” they gestured towards Narinder, who was now curled up in a ball and whimpering, “and THIS happened!”
Goat gently put their hand on Narinder’s shoulder. “Hey Rin, it’s okay.” They softly spoke to him. “Deep breaths, okay? Deep, slow breaths.” Narinder whimpered again. “Shh, don’t worry. You’re safe here.” They slowly rubbed Narinder’s back. Lamb walked towards Narinder and tried to do the same, but when they touched him, he yelped and recoiled. Goat turned towards Lamb and narrowed their eyes. They stood up and grabbed Lamb’s arm. Before Lamb could demand what they were doing, Goat dragged Lamb outside. “Wait out here.”
“What-hey!” Lamb was unceremoniously shoved on their behind and Goat closed the door. They covered their face and groaned. They really hated that Goat. They just showed up out of nowhere one day, and everyone in the cult seemed to get along with them. Even Narinder. The Lamb paced back and forth for what felt like forever. Eventually, the Goat came outside and closed the door behind them.
Lamb opened their mouth to demand an explanation from them, but before they could, Goat yelled, “What the fuck did you do?!”
“Me? I did nothing!”
“Nothing? NOTHING?!” Goat shouted at Lamb. “Then why the fuck did Narinder have a PANIC ATTACK?!”
Lamb stomped their hoof. “I told you, we were just talking! He started freaking out for no reason!”
“Panic attacks don’t happen for no reason! You must have done or said something!” Goat threw their hands up in the air. “What did you say to him?!”
Lamb sighed and rolled their eyes. “I was just telling him how to get Aym and Baal back. I don’t know why he freaked out.”
Goat looked them up and down with narrow eyes. “I don’t believe you. There’s no way that was all. You’re hiding something.”
Lamb scowled at Goat. “I don’t like your tone. In case you don’t remember, this is MY cult.” They walked forward and poked Goat on the chest. “You’re just a guest here, Goat. You have no right to lecture me.” Goat grunted and shoved Lamb’s hand away. “Since when were you so...close with Nari anyway?”
Goat huffed angrily. “Well Lamb, since you’ve been running around on your non-stop crusades, I’ve been looking after everyone here, remember?” They crossed their arms and gave Lamb a very unimpressed look. “I’ve been hearing everyone’s confessions, dealing with personal problems, stuff that you decided was ‘unimportant’. I’ve also been helping Narinder through his rehabilitation.” The Goat smirked at the Lamb. “He’s told me LOTS about you.”
Lamb narrowed their eyes and put their hands on their hips. “You’re lying. He never talks to me. He never talks to anyone. Why would he talk to you?”
“He talks to me all the time. He REALLY hates you.”
Lamb growled. “He does not! He was always happy to see me in the gateway!”
Goat gave them a flat look. “That was before you betrayed him.”
Lamb stomped their hooves. “He just needs time! He’ll like me again! He has to!”
Goat rolled their eyes. “Fine, ask him yourself if you don’t believe me. After he’s calmed down, of course.”
“Fine! I will!” Lamb stomped all the way back to their temple. “Stupid Goat, thinks they know him better than me.” They muttered to themself.
They angrily prepared for their next crusade. They would be gone for a while, at least until they freed Leshy. They didn’t like the idea of leaving Narinder alone, but they decided to give him time to cool off. Surely after their crusade, he would have calmed down. They would propose as many times as it would take for him to finally say yes. He’d have to agree eventually. It was only a matter of time.
--
Tico really didn’t like that Lamb. They were so stuck up! They always thought they knew everything! The stupid Lamb never even called Tico by name! They always just called them ‘Goat’! Tico couldn’t decide if Lamb was intentionally being rude, or if they just forgot.
Lamb finally left for Darkwood around sundown. With the coast finally clear, Tico brought some dinner to Narinder’s hut. They knocked on the door and waited patiently for his response. They knew he hated people barging in uninvited. They heard a muffled, “Who is there?”
“Don’t worry Rin, it’s just me.” They heard the familiar thunk of crutches on a wooden floor and smiled. After months of rehab, he was now able to walk on his own. They knew Narinder was embarrassed to rely on crutches to walk, but they were happy with his swift progress. Narinder opened the door with a tired look on his face. “Mind if I come in?” He nodded. Tico smiled and entered the hut.
Narinder awkwardly scratched the back of his neck while they put the food on the table. “I...apologize, for that scene earlier.”
They turned towards Narinder with a confused look on their face. “What scene?”
He blushed with embarrassment and stared at the floor. “I was lost in my mind again. You should not have had to deal with my weakness.”
“Weakness?!” Their sudden exclamation startled Narinder, causing him to jump. “We’ve been over this Rin, trauma isn’t weakness!”
Narinder gulped. “But I-”
“But nothing!” Tico approached Narinder with a sad look on their face. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
Narinder looked into their eyes for a long moment, then sighed. He sat down on his bed, perhaps tired of balancing on his crutches. “Why do you put up with me, Tico? Surely you have better things to occupy your time with.”
They rolled their eyes and smiled. “I told you. I like hanging out with you.” They sat down next to him on the bed. “Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Do you mind telling me what happened earlier today?”
Narinder fidgeted with his hands in his lap. “The Lamb gave me an ultimatum.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “They said that they would only revive my kits if I fulfilled their conditions.” He glanced at them. They were patiently waiting for him to continue. He gulped. “I have to leave the bishops alive and,” he took another deep breath, “and m-marry them.”
A look of dawning horror filled their face. “They said WHAT?!” Tico jumped up and started frantically pacing back and forth. “What the actual fuck is WRONG WITH THEM?! They’re BLACKMAILING you?! For the lives of your KITS?! Who could possibly think that’s okay?!”
Narinder shrank down and hugged himself for comfort. “What can I do? I cannot leave my sons dead.”
Tico stopped pacing and looked at Narinder. They saw a look of pure despair on his face. Their heart broke just seeing him like that. “No.” They walked towards him and gently took his hands in theirs. “We can find another way.”
“How? They are the god of this cult.” Narinder sounded so defeated.
“Did you forget, kitty?” Tico smirked. “I’m a god too. I’ll talk to that Mystic Seller myself.”
Narinder blinked in surprise. “You would do that?”
“Of course. What are friends for?”
--
Narinder was restless all day. He couldn’t focus on any tasks, his mind returning to his conversation with Tico from the night before. They’d gone straight to the Mystic Seller, and claimed they wouldn’t return without good news. Were they telling the truth? Would they be able to revive Aym and Baal? While he did enjoy their company, he still couldn’t be sure if he could entirely trust them. Narinder had trusted both the bishops and the Lamb, and look how THAT turned out. Nevertheless, he found himself anxiously awaiting their return.
It was past the evening bell when he received a knock on the door. He stumbled to the door and opened it before the person on the other side could speak. He saw Tico and felt immense relief. “You have returned.”
“You’re not going to believe this!” Tico grinned and rushed inside. Narinder closed the door behind them. They took off their Crown and pulled out two familiar-looking necklaces; one with a sun, one with a moon.
Narinder gaped, “Are those what I think they are?”
“Yeah!” Tico was practically vibrating with excitement. “When I explained everything to the Mystic Seller, they just handed me these!”
“For free?” Narinder gave them a skeptical look. “I thought they only traded for god tears.”
Tico waved a hand nonchalantly. “Yeah, they asked for those, but nothing a quick trip through Purgatory couldn’t fix.”
Narinder was stunned. Journeying through Purgatory was nothing to scoff at, and yet they had done so just for him. He swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. “I-I know not what to say.”
They just shrugged. “Hey, like I said, what are friends for? Besides, that Lamb was being a jackass.” That got Narinder to snort. Tico grinned at him. “Anyway, now we just need to find out how to make them work.”
“Well, I know of two ways. Or rather, the official way and the theoretical way.”
“Oh yeah?” Tico looked curious. “What are those?”
“If you sacrifice two people while they are wearing those necklaces, then the souls bound to the necklaces will be revived.”
Tico rubbed their chin, thinking. “Sacrificing anyone won’t be easy. Lamb will definitely notice if any of their followers go missing. What’s the other way?”
Narinder cleared his throat, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Like I said, it is only theoretical. I developed the process for an alternative ritual, but I never had the chance to test it before my imprisonment.”
Tico tilted their head to the side. “Well, what is it? We can’t know if it’s possible unless you explain how to do the ritual.”
Narinder couldn’t look them in the eye. He cleared his throat again, and hoped his dark fur hid his blush. “Two people would have to wear the necklaces, and c-copulate. The souls bound to the necklaces should, in theory, be reborn as infants.” He REALLY hoped his dark fur hid his blush.
Tico clapped suddenly, making Narinder jump. “Well, that’s WAY easier!”
Narinder was stupefied. “How is that easier?”
“Because we won’t have to worry about hiding a secret sacrifice ritual or covering up the disappearance of two people!”
“Y-yes, but,” he coughed, “we would still have to find someone willing to wear the necklaces.”
“I could wear one.”
Narinder almost choked. “What?”
Tico shrugged, “I don’t see the issue here. One quick fuck and two innocent kids come back to life. What’s the harm?”
Narinder slowly blinked at them. “You are serious?”
“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” They smiled at him. What a nice smile it was.
He rubbed his neck. “Well, if you are sure.”
“Great! Now that that’s settled, I need to find someone willing to get pregnant.” Tico turned towards Narinder’s door, clearly intending to leave. “Wish me luck!”
Narinder watched Tico reach for the door, and realized he didn’t want them to leave. Who else would go through all of this trouble for him? He grabbed them and stammered, “W-wait!” They turned with a questioning look. He swallowed. “I-I was born female. I could w-wear the other necklace.”
They slowly raised their eyebrows and grinned at him. “Well, how about that?” They stepped closer to Narinder, close enough for him to feel their body heat. “Is that an invitation, Rin?” He didn’t trust himself to speak, so he nodded instead. They chuckled and reached up to gently touch his face. Unlike with the Lamb, Narinder didn’t feel any fear. He leaned into their touch, closing his eyes, savoring the warmth of their hand. They leaned closer to his face, until their mouths were just a breath apart. “If I do anything you don’t like, let me know, okay?” He nodded again, and closed the distance between their lips.
--
Tico couldn’t believe their luck. They were currently in Narinder’s bed, with said cat sleeping in their arms. They smiled at him and hugged him closer. They still couldn’t believe that he agreed to sleep with them, of all people. They’d had a crush on him for a while, but hadn’t brought it up for fear of ruining their friendship. But now they got to have sex with him! And possibly have children with him! They weren’t sure what tomorrow would bring, but for now, they could just enjoy this moment.