Name:
Edward
Name Origin:
England
Name Meaning:
Wealthy Guardian
Nicknames:
Ed
Eddie
Edwin
Gender:
Male
Sexuality:
Aroflexible Heteroromantic Apothisexual
Age:
15 years old
(Born in 2000)
Species and/or specific breed:
Ferret
Family:
Younger Brother - Alphonse
Medical Issue:
Amputee
(Lost his back left leg in an accident. Now he has a bionic leg.)
Phobias:
Fear of losing someone who is loved. – Thantophobia
Fear of being alone. - Monophobia
Birthday:
June 7
Theme Song:
Neverending Strife
Favorites:
Reading Material
Books - Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Book Author - J. K. Rowling
Dates, Weather, Seasons, etc.
Day - Saturday
Month - June
Season - Summer
Weather - Warm
Foods
Meal - Bread and Cheddar Cheese
Fruit - Banana
Vegetable - Pumpkin
Root/Tuber - Potato
Flower - Artichoke
Drink - Tomato Juice
Other
Wristbands - Woodie 3 and Mastermind
Colors - Red and Yellow
Fish - Halibut
Insect - Dragonfly
Reptile - Lizard
Mammal - Badger
Marine Mammal - Dolphin
Bird - Eagle
Plant - Venus Flytrap
Minerals - Brazilianite and Brookite
Precious Stone - Pearl
Fandoms
(If he were in any of these fictional universes, he would play roles such as these.)
Avengers - Hulk
Hunger Games - Volunteer Tribute from District 2 (District 2 specializes in Masonry)
Divergent - Divergent (Combination of Dauntless and Erudite)
Narnia - Maugrim
Doctor Who - 12th Doctor
Star Trek - Captain Kirk
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Captain Picard
Personality:
Edward may be small, but he certainly isn't helpless. Strong both in mind and body, he can go against any foe and win. In a battle of wits, he creams his opponents. In a tangible battle of brute and brawn, he will usually win as well. He can often be found practicing his battle moves on his brother, Alphonse, who welcomes the challenge of battling his older - though smaller - brother. When just looking at Edward, you wouldn't think much of him. He's very small for his age, and is even shorter than his younger brother! Most people think of him as the younger brother, and he often gets annoyed with how many people really think he's a little kid. He just happens to be small, and he'll be the first to remind you that surprises often come in small packages.
Edward has an excellent relationship with his younger brother. The two of them may have their spats, but no matter what stupid little thing they can be seen arguing over, they'll never hate each other. They will always remain the best of friends and the closest of souls. Because of their tragic pasts, the two brothers are more close than siblings usually are. They are willing to give their lives for one another. You'll rarely find Ed without Al, as they usually stick close to each other, neither wishing to depart from the other brother's side.
Even with all of his great personality traits, Edward does have his downfalls. He tends to appear depressed. Edward really doesn't smile very often. Truly, when he does smile, you should be wary. It usually means he's won an argument or a battle of some sort - or he legitimately found whatever morose thing he's stumbled upon as funny. Also, he can be very stubborn and easily-irritable. He often snaps at others when they don't do what he wants. He can sometimes act immature and bratty if he doesn't get his way. Honestly, when he's angry, it's his way or the highway. He'll literally start scratching and biting you if you don't do as he wishes. When in an argument, he'll often yell and throw a fit. He relies upon scare tactics to get his opponents to be afraid of him - though these often backfire, due to his small stature and friendly appearance. That's not even taking into account how stubborn this little guy is. If you want to get through to him once he's made up his mind, you're a braver soul than I am. Trying to get him to budge when he doesn't want to is like trying to make a sleepy donkey haul rocks up a mountain - in other words, it won't ever happen, and by attempting to make it happen, you may get hurt in the process.
Edward
Name Origin:
England
Name Meaning:
Wealthy Guardian
Nicknames:
Ed
Eddie
Edwin
Gender:
Male
Sexuality:
Aroflexible Heteroromantic Apothisexual
Age:
15 years old
(Born in 2000)
Species and/or specific breed:
Ferret
Family:
Younger Brother - Alphonse
Medical Issue:
Amputee
(Lost his back left leg in an accident. Now he has a bionic leg.)
Phobias:
Fear of losing someone who is loved. – Thantophobia
Fear of being alone. - Monophobia
Birthday:
June 7
Theme Song:
Neverending Strife
Favorites:
Reading Material
Books - Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Book Author - J. K. Rowling
Dates, Weather, Seasons, etc.
Day - Saturday
Month - June
Season - Summer
Weather - Warm
Foods
Meal - Bread and Cheddar Cheese
Fruit - Banana
Vegetable - Pumpkin
Root/Tuber - Potato
Flower - Artichoke
Drink - Tomato Juice
Other
Wristbands - Woodie 3 and Mastermind
Colors - Red and Yellow
Fish - Halibut
Insect - Dragonfly
Reptile - Lizard
Mammal - Badger
Marine Mammal - Dolphin
Bird - Eagle
Plant - Venus Flytrap
Minerals - Brazilianite and Brookite
Precious Stone - Pearl
Fandoms
(If he were in any of these fictional universes, he would play roles such as these.)
Avengers - Hulk
Hunger Games - Volunteer Tribute from District 2 (District 2 specializes in Masonry)
Divergent - Divergent (Combination of Dauntless and Erudite)
Narnia - Maugrim
Doctor Who - 12th Doctor
Star Trek - Captain Kirk
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Captain Picard
Personality:
Edward may be small, but he certainly isn't helpless. Strong both in mind and body, he can go against any foe and win. In a battle of wits, he creams his opponents. In a tangible battle of brute and brawn, he will usually win as well. He can often be found practicing his battle moves on his brother, Alphonse, who welcomes the challenge of battling his older - though smaller - brother. When just looking at Edward, you wouldn't think much of him. He's very small for his age, and is even shorter than his younger brother! Most people think of him as the younger brother, and he often gets annoyed with how many people really think he's a little kid. He just happens to be small, and he'll be the first to remind you that surprises often come in small packages.
Edward has an excellent relationship with his younger brother. The two of them may have their spats, but no matter what stupid little thing they can be seen arguing over, they'll never hate each other. They will always remain the best of friends and the closest of souls. Because of their tragic pasts, the two brothers are more close than siblings usually are. They are willing to give their lives for one another. You'll rarely find Ed without Al, as they usually stick close to each other, neither wishing to depart from the other brother's side.
Even with all of his great personality traits, Edward does have his downfalls. He tends to appear depressed. Edward really doesn't smile very often. Truly, when he does smile, you should be wary. It usually means he's won an argument or a battle of some sort - or he legitimately found whatever morose thing he's stumbled upon as funny. Also, he can be very stubborn and easily-irritable. He often snaps at others when they don't do what he wants. He can sometimes act immature and bratty if he doesn't get his way. Honestly, when he's angry, it's his way or the highway. He'll literally start scratching and biting you if you don't do as he wishes. When in an argument, he'll often yell and throw a fit. He relies upon scare tactics to get his opponents to be afraid of him - though these often backfire, due to his small stature and friendly appearance. That's not even taking into account how stubborn this little guy is. If you want to get through to him once he's made up his mind, you're a braver soul than I am. Trying to get him to budge when he doesn't want to is like trying to make a sleepy donkey haul rocks up a mountain - in other words, it won't ever happen, and by attempting to make it happen, you may get hurt in the process.
Name:
Alphonse
Name Origin:
France
Name Meaning:
Noble and Ready
Nicknames:
Al
Alphie
Gender:
Male
Sexuality:
Aroflexible Heteroromantic Apothisexual
Age:
13 years old
(Born in 1997)
Species and/or specific breed:
Ferret
Family:
Older brother - Edward
Phobias:
Fear of losing someone who is loved. – Thantophobia
Birthday:
June 17
Theme Song:
Once Upon a Dream
Favorites:
Reading Material
Books - Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Book Author - J. K. Rowling
Dates, Weather, Seasons, etc.
Day - Saturday
Month - June
Season - Summer
Weather - Warm
Foods
Meal - Bread and Cheddar Cheese
Fruit - Banana
Vegetable - Pumpkin
Root/Tuber - Potato
Flower - Artichoke
Drink - Tomato Juice
Other
Wristbands - Woodie 3 and Mastermind
Colors - Black, brown, and blue
Fish - Halibut
Insect - Dragonfly
Reptile - Lizard
Mammal - Badger
Marine Mammal - Dolphin
Bird - Eagle
Plant - Bird of Paradise
Minerals - Brazilianite and Brookite
Precious Stone - Pearl
Alphonse
Name Origin:
France
Name Meaning:
Noble and Ready
Nicknames:
Al
Alphie
Gender:
Male
Sexuality:
Aroflexible Heteroromantic Apothisexual
Age:
13 years old
(Born in 1997)
Species and/or specific breed:
Ferret
Family:
Older brother - Edward
Phobias:
Fear of losing someone who is loved. – Thantophobia
Birthday:
June 17
Theme Song:
Once Upon a Dream
Favorites:
Reading Material
Books - Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Book Author - J. K. Rowling
Dates, Weather, Seasons, etc.
Day - Saturday
Month - June
Season - Summer
Weather - Warm
Foods
Meal - Bread and Cheddar Cheese
Fruit - Banana
Vegetable - Pumpkin
Root/Tuber - Potato
Flower - Artichoke
Drink - Tomato Juice
Other
Wristbands - Woodie 3 and Mastermind
Colors - Black, brown, and blue
Fish - Halibut
Insect - Dragonfly
Reptile - Lizard
Mammal - Badger
Marine Mammal - Dolphin
Bird - Eagle
Plant - Bird of Paradise
Minerals - Brazilianite and Brookite
Precious Stone - Pearl
Name:
Elsie
Name Origin:
Germany
Name Meaning:
God is My Oath
Nicknames:
El
Els
See-see
Gender:
Female
Sexuality:
Aromantic Heterosexual
Age:
27 years old
(Born in 1988)
Species and/or specific breed:
Canine
Birthday, Birthstone, and Zodiac:
October 11 - Opal and Tourmaline - Scorpio
Medical Issues:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Survivor's Guilt
Bipolar Disorder
Phobia:
Necrophobia - Fear of Dying
Theme Song:
The Riddler's Song
Favorites:
Reading Material
Book - Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Book Author - Frank Miller
Dates, Weather, Seasons, etc.
Day - Sunday
Month - October
Season - Fall
Weather - Cool (not too hot and not too cold)
Foods
Meal - Steak (raw)
Fruit - Blood Orange
Root/Tuber - Potato
Flower - Artichoke
Drink - Bloody Mary
Other
Color - Green
Fish - Giant Grouper
Insect - Emperor Gum Moth
Reptile - Sinai Agama
Mammals - European Rabbit and Common Agouti
Marine Mammal - North Atlantic Right Whale
Bird - Green Violetear
Plant - Barbarea Vulgaris
Mineral - Aragonite
Precious Stones - Opal and Tourmaline
Personality:
If Elsie is anything, it's jealous. She is very easily turned green with envy, even if it's for something as stupid as someone else owning a better jacket than her. However, most don't know she's jealous due to her greatness at hiding her own emotions. She's very secretive, and rarely shows what she's feeling. This can often come back to bite her, though, as because she hides most everything, she has a nasty tendency to bottle up her emotions - particularly the negative ones - and then, when she's least expecting it, they'll fly out with fury and vengeance unlike that which anyone has ever seen. When she gets into a fit of rage, don't you DARE stand in her way - she'll take you down without a bat of her eyelashes. Stubborn and determined, once she sets her mind on something, she is never swayed from obtaining her goal - even if that goal isn't the most kind-hearted or heroic. With her quick wit and trickery, she often bamboozles even the best of people into believing she's something that she's not. She takes pride in the fact that she can pull the wool over anyone's eyes, no matter how un-trickable they may think they are. The only thing she loves doing more than stirring up trouble is watching others suffer from the chaos she's caused.
Elsie is very protective of the few things she owns that she holds dear. She is often borderline-obsessive over making sure that they're safe and sound - take, for instance, her collection of encyclopedias. Elsie has a thing for words and using new ones, so she absolutely adores her encyclopedias more than any other book she owns. She will often triple-check that they're dusted, dry, and safely in her bookcase before she goes to bed every single night. This routine of checking and re-checking and re-checking again can take up to an hour more than she intends - but she excuses her paranoia on the false pretense that "someone could have come in while I was in another room and destroyed them!" Her OCD tends to act up at the worst possible times, and she can often be found stressing herself out further by having to check, re-check, and re-check things over and over and over until she's completely satisfied that everything's okay.
Elsie is a poor, paranoid soul. She is wary of everyone, and trusting of few. When something absolutely horrendous does happen, she often blames others for her own mistakes. She'll never take responsibility for collateral damage, and won't really care if someone gets hurt...unless that someone is her very own self. She often has impractical solutions for things, and will go out of her way to do something the hard way instead of taking the easier route.
It could be argued that all of her issues are due to her Bipolar Disorder or her Survival's Guilt, but not all of her flaws can be explained away by medical terminology. Some would say Elsie's just a bad apple - but personally, I think she was just never raised right, and that horrid upbringing and tragic past has made her the twisted, warped, easily-hurt individual she is today.
Elsie
Name Origin:
Germany
Name Meaning:
God is My Oath
Nicknames:
El
Els
See-see
Gender:
Female
Sexuality:
Aromantic Heterosexual
Age:
27 years old
(Born in 1988)
Species and/or specific breed:
Canine
Birthday, Birthstone, and Zodiac:
October 11 - Opal and Tourmaline - Scorpio
Medical Issues:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Survivor's Guilt
Bipolar Disorder
Phobia:
Necrophobia - Fear of Dying
Theme Song:
The Riddler's Song
Favorites:
Reading Material
Book - Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Book Author - Frank Miller
Dates, Weather, Seasons, etc.
Day - Sunday
Month - October
Season - Fall
Weather - Cool (not too hot and not too cold)
Foods
Meal - Steak (raw)
Fruit - Blood Orange
Root/Tuber - Potato
Flower - Artichoke
Drink - Bloody Mary
Other
Color - Green
Fish - Giant Grouper
Insect - Emperor Gum Moth
Reptile - Sinai Agama
Mammals - European Rabbit and Common Agouti
Marine Mammal - North Atlantic Right Whale
Bird - Green Violetear
Plant - Barbarea Vulgaris
Mineral - Aragonite
Precious Stones - Opal and Tourmaline
Personality:
If Elsie is anything, it's jealous. She is very easily turned green with envy, even if it's for something as stupid as someone else owning a better jacket than her. However, most don't know she's jealous due to her greatness at hiding her own emotions. She's very secretive, and rarely shows what she's feeling. This can often come back to bite her, though, as because she hides most everything, she has a nasty tendency to bottle up her emotions - particularly the negative ones - and then, when she's least expecting it, they'll fly out with fury and vengeance unlike that which anyone has ever seen. When she gets into a fit of rage, don't you DARE stand in her way - she'll take you down without a bat of her eyelashes. Stubborn and determined, once she sets her mind on something, she is never swayed from obtaining her goal - even if that goal isn't the most kind-hearted or heroic. With her quick wit and trickery, she often bamboozles even the best of people into believing she's something that she's not. She takes pride in the fact that she can pull the wool over anyone's eyes, no matter how un-trickable they may think they are. The only thing she loves doing more than stirring up trouble is watching others suffer from the chaos she's caused.
Elsie is very protective of the few things she owns that she holds dear. She is often borderline-obsessive over making sure that they're safe and sound - take, for instance, her collection of encyclopedias. Elsie has a thing for words and using new ones, so she absolutely adores her encyclopedias more than any other book she owns. She will often triple-check that they're dusted, dry, and safely in her bookcase before she goes to bed every single night. This routine of checking and re-checking and re-checking again can take up to an hour more than she intends - but she excuses her paranoia on the false pretense that "someone could have come in while I was in another room and destroyed them!" Her OCD tends to act up at the worst possible times, and she can often be found stressing herself out further by having to check, re-check, and re-check things over and over and over until she's completely satisfied that everything's okay.
Elsie is a poor, paranoid soul. She is wary of everyone, and trusting of few. When something absolutely horrendous does happen, she often blames others for her own mistakes. She'll never take responsibility for collateral damage, and won't really care if someone gets hurt...unless that someone is her very own self. She often has impractical solutions for things, and will go out of her way to do something the hard way instead of taking the easier route.
It could be argued that all of her issues are due to her Bipolar Disorder or her Survival's Guilt, but not all of her flaws can be explained away by medical terminology. Some would say Elsie's just a bad apple - but personally, I think she was just never raised right, and that horrid upbringing and tragic past has made her the twisted, warped, easily-hurt individual she is today.
Made Using:
Kamirah's Puppy Maker on DollDivine
Name:
Bathington
Nicknames:
Batty
Bath
Bathee
Gender:
Male
Species:
Canine
Hex Codes:
Base - 890707
Grey Accents - 706768
Pale Tan Accents - dba960
Eyes - 7e4121
Nose - 514640
Kamirah's Puppy Maker on DollDivine
Name:
Bathington
Nicknames:
Batty
Bath
Bathee
Gender:
Male
Species:
Canine
Hex Codes:
Base - 890707
Grey Accents - 706768
Pale Tan Accents - dba960
Eyes - 7e4121
Nose - 514640
History:
(The history is meant to read with Derpy and Carrot Top's Epic and then Pony Empires Complete playing in the background, though it can be read without the music.)
"Come on, Alphonse! Keep up!"
"I'm coming, big brother!"
Narrowing his eyes, Edward raced ahead. Through the tunnel, under the bench, and over the bush he ran. Faster and faster his legs pumped. In his left ear he could hear the whine and groan of the springs and screws in his bionic leg. With every step he took, he could feel it becoming more and more loose. He knew it would give out one day, but until that point Edward swore to go as fast as he possibly could, go as hard as he possibly could, and never back down from whatever challenge lay in front of him.
The current challenge was beating his brother in a race.
The chill of the wind made him shiver, but he didn't mind the biting elements of nature - he welcomed them as a distraction of his attention from his bionic leg and the pain he felt with every pawstep. His bionic leg covered what mangled remains of his leg there were, as there was simply a stub where his leg used to be - a mangled, ugly stub. He rarely set eyes upon the stub, however, as he never took off his bionic leg. He hated looking at where his leg had once been. The only thing he hated more was remembering how he'd lost it in the first place: saving his brother.
Alphonse crashed into him, throwing him off course and straight into a bush.
Edward spat out leaves. "That's not funny, Al!"
"Then why am I laughing?" he retorted, continuing to race forward.
Edward got up shakily, making sure he hadn't permanently destroyed his leg. When it didn't give out beneath his weight, he raced off, intent on beating his energetic younger brother.
Suddenly, something crashed into him.
Edward tumbled, head over heels, becoming entangled with whatever had rammed into his side.
When his world stopped spinning and his vision cleared, he found himself staring into crystal-clear brown eyes.
"YACK!" he exclaimed in fear, quickly backpedaling until he was far enough away from his attacker to see her clearly. His eyes narrowed as he shifted his weight. "What do YOU want, wolf?"
Elsie smiled a crooked grin. "Just here to pay my respects."
"To WHOM?" Alphonse said, creeping up beside his brother, the fur along his spine raising menacingly.
"Why, to your brother's leg, of course," she said with a chuckle and a flick of her tail. "I can only imagine the pain he must be in."
"Can't feel a thing," Edward retorted, almost snarling at the creature three times his size.
"What's it to you?" Alphonse said, bristling.
"Oh, nothing much," she said, circling around the two boys. "Just wanted to drop by and pay my respects."
"To. A. Leg." Alphonse said slowly, enunciating to make sure he understood her odd request.
"Why, yes, of course. Why not?"
"Because that's just weird," Alphonse said, a puzzled look on his young face.
Edward jabbed his elbow into his brother's front leg. "Hush," he whispered. "You're only giving her more to work with."
Elsie laughed. "Aw, big brudder wants wittle brudder to stop talking nowww."
Edward snarled. "You make one more crack about my brother, and so help me, I'll - "
She smacked his snout with her tail, shushing him with her thick fur. "Now, as I was saying...you boys will just have to be careful."
"Why's that?" Alphonse said, tilting his head in a confused manner.
Elsie bent down and got right in the young ferret's face. "Because it's very dangerous out here for such runts like you and your brother." Cackling, she raced off, nearly skipping with glee as she bounded across the yard and over the fence, not to be seen for another six months.
Elsie was still laughing when she reached her house, flinging open the door as she hummed happily to herself. She slammed it shut, locking and then relocking it several times before flinging her scarf onto the hat rack. She made her way to her bookshelf, dusted her books and reorganized them, and then checked them five times to make sure nothing had happened and nothing was missing. Content, she lay down in her bed to sleep.
Alphonse was shivering from the fear coursing through his body. "Ed? Ed!"
Edward rolled over, upset that his brother had woken him up from his peaceful slumber. "What is it, Al? I'm tryin' to sleep, if you hadn't noticed."
"I'm s-s-s-sorry, but it's just so c-c-c-cold."
"Get a blanket."
"I have three all ready."
Edward sighed, rolling his eyes. "C'mon and crawl in next to me - and bring the blankets."
Alphonse smiled, doing as he was told. He rested his head on his brother's shoulder. "Your leg is cold."
"It always is."
Alphonse nodded, his smile waning. "What do you think that weirdo meant before she jetted off?"
"I dunno - she's crazy. If she comes back, I'll scratch her nose off."
"I'll bite her tail."
"We can do it together - get her off of our property. Mom and Dad left this to us - not anyone else."
"She doesn't need to trample over our nice lawn!"
Edward nodded, yawning. "Let's get some sleep, Al. We need to be rested - we've got a fight tomorrow."
Alphonse yawned as well. "All right, big brother. Get some good sleep, Ed."
"Goodnight to you too, Al. Sleep well, brother."
For six months, Elsie worked out her elaborate plan. Once she'd finally finished making the last touch-ups, she signed with content. "Tomorrow will be the greatest day of my life...and the worst of theirs." Instead of crying herself to sleep as she was accustomed to, Elsie actually fell asleep with a smile on her lips and a goal in her mind.
Al and Ed were in their yard, preparing for the next battle. Ed balanced on his back legs and swung his paws in his brother's direction only to be knocked over by a harsh bit of wind.
Al giggled. "It's no wonder we lost the match six months ago. I'm surprised they're giving us a second chance. We were creamed."
Edward launched himself at his brother, catching him off guard. "I'm going to beat them this time, Al. I promise."
Calling it a match, both stood up and stretched.
"I'm hungry," Al said. "I'm going to head inside to get some food. What do you want?"
"A drink would be nice."
"I'll get you one. Ice?"
"Sure, why not? It's hot enough out here to kill a camel."
Al laughed. "It's just because we've been getting our heart rates up. It's not really that hot. See? There's even a breeze - "
Al would never finish that sentence, however. With one pawstep, he had stepped on something Elsie had planted the day before: a bomb.
The explosion flung him and his brother into the air, both screaming in pain and horror.
Edward was blinded from the light, and squeezed his eyes shut as he tumbled through the air, losing all sense of what was up and what was down. When he landed, he couldn't move - his front right paw was broken.
Alphonse soared through the air, the explosion merely giving him lift and height and not tumbling him about like his brother. He was up high enough that he saw his brother tumble in the opposite direction, dizzyingly falling back to the earth with an audible sound that made him flinch. He was sure he'd heard bones crack. Alphonse then was forced to watch where gravity was taking him: straight for the roof of his house. He closed his eyes and braced for impact, curling into a ball as his back shattered the tiles on the roof and he crashed through several layers of drywall, only being stopped by the electrical, which shortly ceased to function as several wires were snapped by the force of Al's body careening into them. He was suspended several feet in the air, staring down into the kitchen. There was no way for him to get out of his restraints as he struggled to be free from the electric system, shocking him every time his back leg twitched. He screamed in pain as the current rolled through is body. "ED! ED! EDDIE! PLEASE, SAVE ME!"
Edward moaned as he stirred, trying his best to stand. His ears rung, his eyes stung, and his entire body ached. When the pounding of blood in his ears finally stopped, he sat up slowly. He itched the grit and gravel out of his eyes, and twitched his ears, straining to hear anything. All the sound seemed to be muffled, and he strained to hear even the wind rustling through the trees. He was finally able to see, and looked at the damage the bomb had done to his home. The entire back half of the house was destroyed, piece of drywall floating through the air with ash and soot from the explosion. The kitchen, once the best part of the house, was half destroyed, tile chipped and blackened, appliances shorting and electric sparks flying out of the house and onto a pile of dirt, unwilling to light upon the wet substance.
Suddenly, Edward saw movement in the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes, and finally was able to pick out his...brother?
"AL!" he said in shock, watching his brother twist and thrash about several feet above the ground. "ALPHONSE! DON'T WORRY, I'M COMING!" he yelled, standing and racing only two leaps forward before crashing into the ground, nostrils filling with dirt. He snuffed a bit and was able to smell once again. He felt a bit of numbness in his leg, and looked down at his right with a cry of horror. The bone was completely broken. He glanced about frantically, just barely hearing his brother's cries for help. Finally he found what he was looking for: his scarf. It was snagged on a piece of wood that had fallen off of the house in the explosion, but was several feet away from where Edward lay. He crawled over to the scarf, not able to put any weight on his front right paw due to the numbness, and grabbed the scarf with his teeth, wrapping it around his right leg and under the paw so that his leg would be supported enough so that he could walk on it. Once he'd finished, he turned his attention to the house, limping towards it as best as he could. He finally got to the kitchen. "Al! How in the world did you get up there?!"
"I DON'T KNOW! JUST GET ME DOWN!" He screamed again, his back leg twitching as he tried not to fall.
Edward leapt up to the crumbling counter and fell flat on his face against the cold tile. He did his best to balance on his back legs, his bionic leg thankfully still intact, and he reached out with his paws. "Grab onto me, Al!"
He did as commanded, another shot of electricity running though him and Edward.
Edward's leg shorted out, and he crumbled to the ground, screaming in pain. In doing this, he managed to pull Al out of the wires and to the ground with him. Panting in pain, he wearily glanced up at his younger brother. "Get to safety, Al. Please, just...run..." His head dipped, and his eyes closed. His body couldn't take anymore, and he went limp, passed out.
Alphonse did his best not to freak out, his body and heart rate still jittery from the electric shocks. He shook them off as best as he could, slung his brother over his shoulders, and raced out of the house. He was so focused on just getting out that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and nearly ran into Elsie.
Elsie had been waiting outside, laughing at the scene that she had caused. "My, what a brave little brother you are."
Alphonse spat in her face. "Outta my way!"
She batted him over with a swift spat of her paw. She cackled as he struggled to stand and sling his brother over his shoulders once again. Elsie raced forward and picked Edward up, flinging up through the air and into a tree. "Oops," she said, her crooked smile filled with glee as she glared at Alphonse. "Now, where were we?"
Alphonse felt the fury rage within him. He raced off to his brother, and climbed the tree - something that he had never been good at before in his life. He grabbed his brother, slung him securely over his shoulders, and raced off into the woods, the weight from his brother not even slowing him down. He narrowed his eyes, and made one final leap over a river, landing on the soft mossy ground on the other side. He panted with exhaustion, though his body had so much adrenaline coursing through it that he didn't even feel tired. He continued to race forward, getting distance between himself and Elsie.
He collapsed three hours later under a thick tree, leaning against the tree trunk for support, but unable to take even one more step. He fell to the ground, tiredness taking over his small, frail body. He succumbed to sleep, his brother still out cold next to him.
Edward stirred, waking up for the first time since the explosion. His ears were still ringing, and he couldn’t even hear the rushing water of the river less than five feet from where he lay. He couldn’t hear the birds chirping or the wind roaring through the trees, but he could at least feel the latter. He tried to move his arm, and cried out in pain – it was horribly broken, and hurt to even slightly move.
Al stirred beside him. “Ed?”
“Al,” he said with relief, resting his head on top of his brother’s. “Are you okay?”
“How long have I been out?”
“I don’t know. How long have I been out?”
“I don’t know.” He sat up, and looked around his surroundings. “So, where do we go from here?”
“What?”
“I said, where do we go from here, brother?”
“WHAT?!”
“WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?”
“Oh, I dunno! Where do you wanna go?!”
Al frowned, staring at Ed. “What’s up with you?”
“What about a canoe? You see one?”
Al shook his head. “WHY CAN’T YOU UNDERSTAND ME?”
The ringing in Edward’s ears was so bad that he couldn’t understand what Al was saying. “WHAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU WITH ALL THIS RINGING!”
Alphonse’s face had a look of horror upon it. “You’ve lost your hearing.” He backed away from his brother slowly. “Oh my stars – you’ve lost your hearing.”
“WHAT?! TALK LOUDER, WHY DON’T YOU?!”
“YOU’VE GONE DEAF!”
Ed stopped trying to move and just stared at his brother. “What?”
“YOU’RE DEAF!”
“I’m dead?”
“NO! YOU CAN’T HEAR!”
Edward suddenly realized what his brother was trying to say. “I’ve gone deaf? But…but…but…how? HOW?!” Tears of rage welled up in his eyes. “HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?!”
“THE EXPLOSION WAS SO LOUD IT DAMAGED YOUR HEARING.”
Ed didn’t need to understand everything. He was able to piece it together. “Explosion killed my hearing, eh?” he hoarsely whispered. “What am I gonna do now?”
Alphonse, content that his brother wouldn’t snap at him any longer, curled up next to him and spoke directly into his ear. “Let’s just get some sleep, okay?”
Edward nodded, feeling dejected. “Fine. Whatever. Sleep is good, I guess.”
Elsie cackled, feeling the heat from the fire warm her fur. “It’s so beautiful,” she breathed, laughing at the smoke and the ash that rose from the burning heap that was once the two ferret’s home. “You two will pay for what your family did to me. Your parents – not that I’m sorry that they’re dead, or anything – will pay. Now, seeing as they’re DEAD, there’s not much I can do to hurt them. Instead, I’ll hurt YOU. YOU will pay for your parents evil deeds. THEY were the ones that wronged me, but YOU will have the consequence!” She cackled as the gas heater in the house exploded, sending more pieces of drywall and splinters up into the air. “They were the ones that sent me to that insane asylum. Such fools! Such INSOLENT fools! THEY were the ones who were deranged, not I! And, of course, joke’s on them – they let me out with a clean bill of health less than three months later. I’m fine…but I’ll never have the satisfaction of watching them mourn over their lovely little house they spent their entire lives building.” She laughed once again, choking on the smoke before backing a bit away from the flaming house. “They didn’t want to hear about my ideas – oh, no, poor Elsie’s just mad in the head. She’ll never amount to ANYTHING!” she shrieked, kicking a glass bottle that had fallen from the kitchen into the air, smiling as she heard it shatter a window. She turned and yelled to the voices in her head, “IS THIS NOTHING? HUH? IS THIS BURNING HEAP OF WOOD NOTHING?” She cackled, her voice getting louder with every raspy laugh that erupted from her mouth. Once she’d laughed as much as her body could take it, her stomach aching with pain from the peals coming from her lips, she calmed herself, the fire reflecting in her shining brown eyes. “Oh, and don’t worry,” she whispered, backing slowly away from the fire. “Your boys will be just FINE in my care.”
Three years later…
Edward and Alphonse awoke from a lovely nap beside the fire place in their tiny cottage in the woods. Edward rolled out of bed first, and then Alphonse followed. The two made their way to the kitchen, Ed still limping from his never-full-healed bone injury all those years before. Al was also limping, but for a different reason: after the explosion, he’d gotten a piece of wood stuck in his left back paw, and couldn’t get it out for several months after that point. When he’d finally gotten it out, it was too late to save his leg – it was permanently damaged. However, Al didn’t limp quite so badly as Ed, and could get around much easier than his older brother.
Ed didn’t let his Deafness stop him from going far in life. He and Al had figured out a way to communicate without having to yell at each other or talk into each other’s ears, as they did for at least four months after arriving in the forest. It mainly consisted of body swifts and wiggles, though occasionally used paw shakes and twists as well. Mostly, it was just facial expressions. The two could have a great conversation about anything without ever saying a word, and this was how they communicated on most days. It made hunting and foraging a lot easier, as the less sound one made the easier it was to sneak up upon whatever one needed to catch.
Reaching the kitchen, Ed poured himself a bowl of cereal, making one for his brother as Al squeezed the oranges they’d just gathered from the tree a short ways from their new house. The two had worked hard to get this far in life, and had built the cottage from rocks and various other materials they’d found lying in the forest. They were situated within walking distance to two different streams – one of which was more of a pond with a waterfall – so one was used for washing in and the other was used for drinking out of. Heavy leaves blocked out most of the sun on most days, and both Ed and Al had grown accustomed to the little light that the leaves let bleed through into their small cottage, only consisting of three rooms total: a bedroom with a fireplace, a kitchen with an ice chest, and a small closet for various items they found or needed to store somewhere.
Ed and Al were happy as clams in their new life, and while they did miss the home they grew up in and adored so much, they had grown closer over the last three years than either had thought possible, and were overall grateful for the experience that they had had to go through and deal with.
Elsie, on the other hand, wasn’t so grateful.
She had singlehandedly ruined her entire life.
After starting the fire that destroyed Edward and Alphonse’s home, she’d searched the woods day in and day out, trying to find the boys.
She never did.
After giving up on trying to get her vengeance through them, she turned to less steady ways of trying to get money to survive and keep up her lovely collection of encyclopedias. She sold every item in her home except for her bed, a few pillows, the blankets, and the bookcase filled with encyclopedias. She ate next to nothing, and became very skinny, simply obsessed over her precious tomes.
One day, she received a knock at her door.
Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she opened it. “What do YOU want?” she snapped.
A red, grey, and sand-colored dog bowed, smiling as he rose up. “My name is Bathington. I’d like for you to come with me. I have been searching high and low for the most beautiful wolf in this country, and I finally laid eyes upon her today at the market where food is purchased and sold.”
“And you want me to help you find her? Tough luck!”
“Wait! You don’t understand – you my dear, are the beauty I laid eyes upon on this very day. M’lady, please, come with me. You are more radiant than a sunflower, more beautiful than the horizon, and more lovely than all the roses in my kingdom. Come with me, please. I…I think I love you.”
She scoffed. “You don’t even know me, creep. Get lost.” She slammed the door in his face.
He never did lose her address, and came back once a month to ask her once again. He also took that time to ask about her personal life, and learned quite a bit about the wolf through his own methods. One day when he came back, she was no where to be found, and the new owner creaked open the door. “May I help you, sir?” the panda asked, tilting his head.
“I’m here to see my friend. Where is she?”
“The previous owner left about a week ago. Said she was heading to a place called Kingdom of Spades, or something. I’m sorry I can’t be more of a help to you, sir.”
“Please, you must tell me how to find her! My name is Bathington, and I come from the Kingdom of the Spade of Cards. You must help me find her – she is my one true love!”
“Your name is Bathington?” he asked, silent as he wracked his memory. “There was a packaged that arrive today for you. I was about to go and give it back to the maildog. Here,” he said, reaching behind him and giving him the wrapped parcel. “I paid for it, and would appreciate being reimbursed.”
Bathington was too absorbed in tearing the paper off, and waved for one of his guards to give the panda his money. Bathington ripped the box open, and lifted up the book. “An encyclopedia? How is this supposed to help me?” He opened it, and found a sticky note on the first page. It read, “If you know where to look, you might be able to win my heart…if only through a book.” He smiled. “Come along, men! We’re going back to my kingdom.” Tucking the book under his arm, he trotted off, his head held high. “I will find you, Elsie, if it’s the last thing I do.”
(The history is meant to read with Derpy and Carrot Top's Epic and then Pony Empires Complete playing in the background, though it can be read without the music.)
"Come on, Alphonse! Keep up!"
"I'm coming, big brother!"
Narrowing his eyes, Edward raced ahead. Through the tunnel, under the bench, and over the bush he ran. Faster and faster his legs pumped. In his left ear he could hear the whine and groan of the springs and screws in his bionic leg. With every step he took, he could feel it becoming more and more loose. He knew it would give out one day, but until that point Edward swore to go as fast as he possibly could, go as hard as he possibly could, and never back down from whatever challenge lay in front of him.
The current challenge was beating his brother in a race.
The chill of the wind made him shiver, but he didn't mind the biting elements of nature - he welcomed them as a distraction of his attention from his bionic leg and the pain he felt with every pawstep. His bionic leg covered what mangled remains of his leg there were, as there was simply a stub where his leg used to be - a mangled, ugly stub. He rarely set eyes upon the stub, however, as he never took off his bionic leg. He hated looking at where his leg had once been. The only thing he hated more was remembering how he'd lost it in the first place: saving his brother.
Alphonse crashed into him, throwing him off course and straight into a bush.
Edward spat out leaves. "That's not funny, Al!"
"Then why am I laughing?" he retorted, continuing to race forward.
Edward got up shakily, making sure he hadn't permanently destroyed his leg. When it didn't give out beneath his weight, he raced off, intent on beating his energetic younger brother.
Suddenly, something crashed into him.
Edward tumbled, head over heels, becoming entangled with whatever had rammed into his side.
When his world stopped spinning and his vision cleared, he found himself staring into crystal-clear brown eyes.
"YACK!" he exclaimed in fear, quickly backpedaling until he was far enough away from his attacker to see her clearly. His eyes narrowed as he shifted his weight. "What do YOU want, wolf?"
Elsie smiled a crooked grin. "Just here to pay my respects."
"To WHOM?" Alphonse said, creeping up beside his brother, the fur along his spine raising menacingly.
"Why, to your brother's leg, of course," she said with a chuckle and a flick of her tail. "I can only imagine the pain he must be in."
"Can't feel a thing," Edward retorted, almost snarling at the creature three times his size.
"What's it to you?" Alphonse said, bristling.
"Oh, nothing much," she said, circling around the two boys. "Just wanted to drop by and pay my respects."
"To. A. Leg." Alphonse said slowly, enunciating to make sure he understood her odd request.
"Why, yes, of course. Why not?"
"Because that's just weird," Alphonse said, a puzzled look on his young face.
Edward jabbed his elbow into his brother's front leg. "Hush," he whispered. "You're only giving her more to work with."
Elsie laughed. "Aw, big brudder wants wittle brudder to stop talking nowww."
Edward snarled. "You make one more crack about my brother, and so help me, I'll - "
She smacked his snout with her tail, shushing him with her thick fur. "Now, as I was saying...you boys will just have to be careful."
"Why's that?" Alphonse said, tilting his head in a confused manner.
Elsie bent down and got right in the young ferret's face. "Because it's very dangerous out here for such runts like you and your brother." Cackling, she raced off, nearly skipping with glee as she bounded across the yard and over the fence, not to be seen for another six months.
Elsie was still laughing when she reached her house, flinging open the door as she hummed happily to herself. She slammed it shut, locking and then relocking it several times before flinging her scarf onto the hat rack. She made her way to her bookshelf, dusted her books and reorganized them, and then checked them five times to make sure nothing had happened and nothing was missing. Content, she lay down in her bed to sleep.
Alphonse was shivering from the fear coursing through his body. "Ed? Ed!"
Edward rolled over, upset that his brother had woken him up from his peaceful slumber. "What is it, Al? I'm tryin' to sleep, if you hadn't noticed."
"I'm s-s-s-sorry, but it's just so c-c-c-cold."
"Get a blanket."
"I have three all ready."
Edward sighed, rolling his eyes. "C'mon and crawl in next to me - and bring the blankets."
Alphonse smiled, doing as he was told. He rested his head on his brother's shoulder. "Your leg is cold."
"It always is."
Alphonse nodded, his smile waning. "What do you think that weirdo meant before she jetted off?"
"I dunno - she's crazy. If she comes back, I'll scratch her nose off."
"I'll bite her tail."
"We can do it together - get her off of our property. Mom and Dad left this to us - not anyone else."
"She doesn't need to trample over our nice lawn!"
Edward nodded, yawning. "Let's get some sleep, Al. We need to be rested - we've got a fight tomorrow."
Alphonse yawned as well. "All right, big brother. Get some good sleep, Ed."
"Goodnight to you too, Al. Sleep well, brother."
For six months, Elsie worked out her elaborate plan. Once she'd finally finished making the last touch-ups, she signed with content. "Tomorrow will be the greatest day of my life...and the worst of theirs." Instead of crying herself to sleep as she was accustomed to, Elsie actually fell asleep with a smile on her lips and a goal in her mind.
Al and Ed were in their yard, preparing for the next battle. Ed balanced on his back legs and swung his paws in his brother's direction only to be knocked over by a harsh bit of wind.
Al giggled. "It's no wonder we lost the match six months ago. I'm surprised they're giving us a second chance. We were creamed."
Edward launched himself at his brother, catching him off guard. "I'm going to beat them this time, Al. I promise."
Calling it a match, both stood up and stretched.
"I'm hungry," Al said. "I'm going to head inside to get some food. What do you want?"
"A drink would be nice."
"I'll get you one. Ice?"
"Sure, why not? It's hot enough out here to kill a camel."
Al laughed. "It's just because we've been getting our heart rates up. It's not really that hot. See? There's even a breeze - "
Al would never finish that sentence, however. With one pawstep, he had stepped on something Elsie had planted the day before: a bomb.
The explosion flung him and his brother into the air, both screaming in pain and horror.
Edward was blinded from the light, and squeezed his eyes shut as he tumbled through the air, losing all sense of what was up and what was down. When he landed, he couldn't move - his front right paw was broken.
Alphonse soared through the air, the explosion merely giving him lift and height and not tumbling him about like his brother. He was up high enough that he saw his brother tumble in the opposite direction, dizzyingly falling back to the earth with an audible sound that made him flinch. He was sure he'd heard bones crack. Alphonse then was forced to watch where gravity was taking him: straight for the roof of his house. He closed his eyes and braced for impact, curling into a ball as his back shattered the tiles on the roof and he crashed through several layers of drywall, only being stopped by the electrical, which shortly ceased to function as several wires were snapped by the force of Al's body careening into them. He was suspended several feet in the air, staring down into the kitchen. There was no way for him to get out of his restraints as he struggled to be free from the electric system, shocking him every time his back leg twitched. He screamed in pain as the current rolled through is body. "ED! ED! EDDIE! PLEASE, SAVE ME!"
Edward moaned as he stirred, trying his best to stand. His ears rung, his eyes stung, and his entire body ached. When the pounding of blood in his ears finally stopped, he sat up slowly. He itched the grit and gravel out of his eyes, and twitched his ears, straining to hear anything. All the sound seemed to be muffled, and he strained to hear even the wind rustling through the trees. He was finally able to see, and looked at the damage the bomb had done to his home. The entire back half of the house was destroyed, piece of drywall floating through the air with ash and soot from the explosion. The kitchen, once the best part of the house, was half destroyed, tile chipped and blackened, appliances shorting and electric sparks flying out of the house and onto a pile of dirt, unwilling to light upon the wet substance.
Suddenly, Edward saw movement in the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes, and finally was able to pick out his...brother?
"AL!" he said in shock, watching his brother twist and thrash about several feet above the ground. "ALPHONSE! DON'T WORRY, I'M COMING!" he yelled, standing and racing only two leaps forward before crashing into the ground, nostrils filling with dirt. He snuffed a bit and was able to smell once again. He felt a bit of numbness in his leg, and looked down at his right with a cry of horror. The bone was completely broken. He glanced about frantically, just barely hearing his brother's cries for help. Finally he found what he was looking for: his scarf. It was snagged on a piece of wood that had fallen off of the house in the explosion, but was several feet away from where Edward lay. He crawled over to the scarf, not able to put any weight on his front right paw due to the numbness, and grabbed the scarf with his teeth, wrapping it around his right leg and under the paw so that his leg would be supported enough so that he could walk on it. Once he'd finished, he turned his attention to the house, limping towards it as best as he could. He finally got to the kitchen. "Al! How in the world did you get up there?!"
"I DON'T KNOW! JUST GET ME DOWN!" He screamed again, his back leg twitching as he tried not to fall.
Edward leapt up to the crumbling counter and fell flat on his face against the cold tile. He did his best to balance on his back legs, his bionic leg thankfully still intact, and he reached out with his paws. "Grab onto me, Al!"
He did as commanded, another shot of electricity running though him and Edward.
Edward's leg shorted out, and he crumbled to the ground, screaming in pain. In doing this, he managed to pull Al out of the wires and to the ground with him. Panting in pain, he wearily glanced up at his younger brother. "Get to safety, Al. Please, just...run..." His head dipped, and his eyes closed. His body couldn't take anymore, and he went limp, passed out.
Alphonse did his best not to freak out, his body and heart rate still jittery from the electric shocks. He shook them off as best as he could, slung his brother over his shoulders, and raced out of the house. He was so focused on just getting out that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and nearly ran into Elsie.
Elsie had been waiting outside, laughing at the scene that she had caused. "My, what a brave little brother you are."
Alphonse spat in her face. "Outta my way!"
She batted him over with a swift spat of her paw. She cackled as he struggled to stand and sling his brother over his shoulders once again. Elsie raced forward and picked Edward up, flinging up through the air and into a tree. "Oops," she said, her crooked smile filled with glee as she glared at Alphonse. "Now, where were we?"
Alphonse felt the fury rage within him. He raced off to his brother, and climbed the tree - something that he had never been good at before in his life. He grabbed his brother, slung him securely over his shoulders, and raced off into the woods, the weight from his brother not even slowing him down. He narrowed his eyes, and made one final leap over a river, landing on the soft mossy ground on the other side. He panted with exhaustion, though his body had so much adrenaline coursing through it that he didn't even feel tired. He continued to race forward, getting distance between himself and Elsie.
He collapsed three hours later under a thick tree, leaning against the tree trunk for support, but unable to take even one more step. He fell to the ground, tiredness taking over his small, frail body. He succumbed to sleep, his brother still out cold next to him.
Edward stirred, waking up for the first time since the explosion. His ears were still ringing, and he couldn’t even hear the rushing water of the river less than five feet from where he lay. He couldn’t hear the birds chirping or the wind roaring through the trees, but he could at least feel the latter. He tried to move his arm, and cried out in pain – it was horribly broken, and hurt to even slightly move.
Al stirred beside him. “Ed?”
“Al,” he said with relief, resting his head on top of his brother’s. “Are you okay?”
“How long have I been out?”
“I don’t know. How long have I been out?”
“I don’t know.” He sat up, and looked around his surroundings. “So, where do we go from here?”
“What?”
“I said, where do we go from here, brother?”
“WHAT?!”
“WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?”
“Oh, I dunno! Where do you wanna go?!”
Al frowned, staring at Ed. “What’s up with you?”
“What about a canoe? You see one?”
Al shook his head. “WHY CAN’T YOU UNDERSTAND ME?”
The ringing in Edward’s ears was so bad that he couldn’t understand what Al was saying. “WHAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU WITH ALL THIS RINGING!”
Alphonse’s face had a look of horror upon it. “You’ve lost your hearing.” He backed away from his brother slowly. “Oh my stars – you’ve lost your hearing.”
“WHAT?! TALK LOUDER, WHY DON’T YOU?!”
“YOU’VE GONE DEAF!”
Ed stopped trying to move and just stared at his brother. “What?”
“YOU’RE DEAF!”
“I’m dead?”
“NO! YOU CAN’T HEAR!”
Edward suddenly realized what his brother was trying to say. “I’ve gone deaf? But…but…but…how? HOW?!” Tears of rage welled up in his eyes. “HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?!”
“THE EXPLOSION WAS SO LOUD IT DAMAGED YOUR HEARING.”
Ed didn’t need to understand everything. He was able to piece it together. “Explosion killed my hearing, eh?” he hoarsely whispered. “What am I gonna do now?”
Alphonse, content that his brother wouldn’t snap at him any longer, curled up next to him and spoke directly into his ear. “Let’s just get some sleep, okay?”
Edward nodded, feeling dejected. “Fine. Whatever. Sleep is good, I guess.”
Elsie cackled, feeling the heat from the fire warm her fur. “It’s so beautiful,” she breathed, laughing at the smoke and the ash that rose from the burning heap that was once the two ferret’s home. “You two will pay for what your family did to me. Your parents – not that I’m sorry that they’re dead, or anything – will pay. Now, seeing as they’re DEAD, there’s not much I can do to hurt them. Instead, I’ll hurt YOU. YOU will pay for your parents evil deeds. THEY were the ones that wronged me, but YOU will have the consequence!” She cackled as the gas heater in the house exploded, sending more pieces of drywall and splinters up into the air. “They were the ones that sent me to that insane asylum. Such fools! Such INSOLENT fools! THEY were the ones who were deranged, not I! And, of course, joke’s on them – they let me out with a clean bill of health less than three months later. I’m fine…but I’ll never have the satisfaction of watching them mourn over their lovely little house they spent their entire lives building.” She laughed once again, choking on the smoke before backing a bit away from the flaming house. “They didn’t want to hear about my ideas – oh, no, poor Elsie’s just mad in the head. She’ll never amount to ANYTHING!” she shrieked, kicking a glass bottle that had fallen from the kitchen into the air, smiling as she heard it shatter a window. She turned and yelled to the voices in her head, “IS THIS NOTHING? HUH? IS THIS BURNING HEAP OF WOOD NOTHING?” She cackled, her voice getting louder with every raspy laugh that erupted from her mouth. Once she’d laughed as much as her body could take it, her stomach aching with pain from the peals coming from her lips, she calmed herself, the fire reflecting in her shining brown eyes. “Oh, and don’t worry,” she whispered, backing slowly away from the fire. “Your boys will be just FINE in my care.”
Three years later…
Edward and Alphonse awoke from a lovely nap beside the fire place in their tiny cottage in the woods. Edward rolled out of bed first, and then Alphonse followed. The two made their way to the kitchen, Ed still limping from his never-full-healed bone injury all those years before. Al was also limping, but for a different reason: after the explosion, he’d gotten a piece of wood stuck in his left back paw, and couldn’t get it out for several months after that point. When he’d finally gotten it out, it was too late to save his leg – it was permanently damaged. However, Al didn’t limp quite so badly as Ed, and could get around much easier than his older brother.
Ed didn’t let his Deafness stop him from going far in life. He and Al had figured out a way to communicate without having to yell at each other or talk into each other’s ears, as they did for at least four months after arriving in the forest. It mainly consisted of body swifts and wiggles, though occasionally used paw shakes and twists as well. Mostly, it was just facial expressions. The two could have a great conversation about anything without ever saying a word, and this was how they communicated on most days. It made hunting and foraging a lot easier, as the less sound one made the easier it was to sneak up upon whatever one needed to catch.
Reaching the kitchen, Ed poured himself a bowl of cereal, making one for his brother as Al squeezed the oranges they’d just gathered from the tree a short ways from their new house. The two had worked hard to get this far in life, and had built the cottage from rocks and various other materials they’d found lying in the forest. They were situated within walking distance to two different streams – one of which was more of a pond with a waterfall – so one was used for washing in and the other was used for drinking out of. Heavy leaves blocked out most of the sun on most days, and both Ed and Al had grown accustomed to the little light that the leaves let bleed through into their small cottage, only consisting of three rooms total: a bedroom with a fireplace, a kitchen with an ice chest, and a small closet for various items they found or needed to store somewhere.
Ed and Al were happy as clams in their new life, and while they did miss the home they grew up in and adored so much, they had grown closer over the last three years than either had thought possible, and were overall grateful for the experience that they had had to go through and deal with.
Elsie, on the other hand, wasn’t so grateful.
She had singlehandedly ruined her entire life.
After starting the fire that destroyed Edward and Alphonse’s home, she’d searched the woods day in and day out, trying to find the boys.
She never did.
After giving up on trying to get her vengeance through them, she turned to less steady ways of trying to get money to survive and keep up her lovely collection of encyclopedias. She sold every item in her home except for her bed, a few pillows, the blankets, and the bookcase filled with encyclopedias. She ate next to nothing, and became very skinny, simply obsessed over her precious tomes.
One day, she received a knock at her door.
Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she opened it. “What do YOU want?” she snapped.
A red, grey, and sand-colored dog bowed, smiling as he rose up. “My name is Bathington. I’d like for you to come with me. I have been searching high and low for the most beautiful wolf in this country, and I finally laid eyes upon her today at the market where food is purchased and sold.”
“And you want me to help you find her? Tough luck!”
“Wait! You don’t understand – you my dear, are the beauty I laid eyes upon on this very day. M’lady, please, come with me. You are more radiant than a sunflower, more beautiful than the horizon, and more lovely than all the roses in my kingdom. Come with me, please. I…I think I love you.”
She scoffed. “You don’t even know me, creep. Get lost.” She slammed the door in his face.
He never did lose her address, and came back once a month to ask her once again. He also took that time to ask about her personal life, and learned quite a bit about the wolf through his own methods. One day when he came back, she was no where to be found, and the new owner creaked open the door. “May I help you, sir?” the panda asked, tilting his head.
“I’m here to see my friend. Where is she?”
“The previous owner left about a week ago. Said she was heading to a place called Kingdom of Spades, or something. I’m sorry I can’t be more of a help to you, sir.”
“Please, you must tell me how to find her! My name is Bathington, and I come from the Kingdom of the Spade of Cards. You must help me find her – she is my one true love!”
“Your name is Bathington?” he asked, silent as he wracked his memory. “There was a packaged that arrive today for you. I was about to go and give it back to the maildog. Here,” he said, reaching behind him and giving him the wrapped parcel. “I paid for it, and would appreciate being reimbursed.”
Bathington was too absorbed in tearing the paper off, and waved for one of his guards to give the panda his money. Bathington ripped the box open, and lifted up the book. “An encyclopedia? How is this supposed to help me?” He opened it, and found a sticky note on the first page. It read, “If you know where to look, you might be able to win my heart…if only through a book.” He smiled. “Come along, men! We’re going back to my kingdom.” Tucking the book under his arm, he trotted off, his head held high. “I will find you, Elsie, if it’s the last thing I do.”