Celeste smiled. "I am sure you would fix it had you ever the chance. Yours is the gentlest of hearts... Just... Don't lose yourself in the size of the task, okay? There's times you're startlingly alike to Brisa before her shadow talked her into allowing herself from rest. I worry you'd crush yourself under the weight of the world while trying to carry it all on your shoulders."
[…]
"I apologize if I sound dismissive of your hopes. I... I really do wish you all the best in uniting the team. I just also... care about you. And worry, sometimes. I want you to be happy, and sometimes I can't help but feel... like you'd hurt yourself for the morale of those around you. And... perhaps it's selfish of me, for yours is a noble desire, but I cannot help but want for you to keep yourself well firstly."
Icetales said nothing for a while, mulling over those words, and stared at the stars.
A comet shot across the inky blackness, and his mind wandered into the memories of his puppyhood.
Back when Queen Magnanimous reigned Borealis with kindness and wisdom, always there for her people and always making sure that they were safe and happy. A glowing light for all inhabitants, someone who used all her power to help sort through the issues of her people, and someone who keep the kingdom united and peaceful.
A smile spread across his muzzle, his heart becoming slightly lighter at those pleasant memories. If only his dear mother was there…
“I understand what thou mean, Sir Celeste, and I appreciate that thou care so much about my well-being. Truly, I do.” He sighed, a nostalgic glint shining in his eyes. “It’s just… I cannot help it at times. One of the most important teachings of my dear mother was to put others above ourselves. Because… this is what royals are supposed to do — keeping the safety and sake of their people as their uppermost priority.”
Soft thumps sounded behind the duo, made with some of Icetales’s tails. His muzzle was scrunched in concentration.
“Howbeit… I must concede that it becomes most difficult to help others if thou cannot help thyself first, huh. How much help can thou offer… if thou art drained of thy energy and enthusiasm?”
The Ninetales chuckled nervously, while rubbing his cheek with his leftmost tail. “I guess… I still have to fully assimilate this lesson, myself. I forget it far too often.” He smirked at Celeste. “Perhaps thou ought to remind it more often, yes?”
"I suppose the difference is how we reacted to that. You made of yourself a well from which to draw for others what the world didn't give you. I... did not. I held those few I trusted close, and placed the well-being of myself and those others above the outside world. I... It's what I was just doing. Asking you to think like I do, and to protect yourself first. Perhaps, though, I ought to be more like you, and not the other way around."
Icetales’s stare hardened. “…I used to think like that, too, while I was stranded in Chaos. To put myself first, to survive and not bother about anything else. It was me, and only me. Nobody else.” He shook his head and looked again at the lake. “Though, that was survival at its finest, and something that led to an endless cycle or paranoia and hyper-awareness, slowly eroding any sense of monkind I still had in my mind and spirit…”
The Ninetales shuddered as he recalled those painful moments, but he regained his composure surprisingly quickly. There was no point in running from himself anymore. It was time to march forward, and to come clean.
“I… became a literal beast, borderline mindless and mad.” He glanced again at Celeste. “But I didn’t lose myself, no matter how much I was brought down by the circumstances and how much I was wounded, both physically and psychologically. I held onto that bright dot of hope, preserved my heart and soul — no matter what. At the end, that paid off…”
Icetales sighed and shook his entire body. The grass underneath his paws froze instantly, as he unleashed his inner energy and demons.
“And here I am today. I cannot say that everything is fixed nor pretend that nothing happened, but I managed to reclaim a semblance of normality, at least. And… I cannot say to know how things are in thy world. I wager that thy behavior in thy world is a result of different circumstances.” He smiled reassuringly. “So, I shall not judge thee for that. I only judge thee for what thou art here, in this world — a really close friend.”
Celeste leaned against Icetales. "But, uhh, still don't burn yourself out. I stand behind that much."
“…I’ll make sure to chill out more often.” Icetales smiled and placed his head on the Absol’s shoulder, letting their furs brush against each other. “After all, I am an ice Ninetales.” He chuckled. “Chilling should be in my nature!”
