Toad - Romantic

A Double Life - Toad

Toad'pup was born to Holly on a brisk autumn night in the comfort of the forest. In the earliest days of Toad'pup taking breath, he remembers the warmth of his mother and siblings curled up against him, the smell and taste of her sweet milk filling his belly, and the dreams that plagued his sleep while he grew. The dreams often followed a creature, who he recognized in spirit and heart, but not with knowledge. He later learns this creature to be a wolf, what his mother is, his siblings are, and what he is.

This dream wolf is a mother of seven pups, one of which being Toad'pup himself. In good dreams he played with his siblings under the dappling sunlight through the trees. His mother in these dreams fed them and nurtured them, as he'd assumed any loving mother would, but she always seemed tired, solemn, and scared. While he still waited for his eyes to open in the physical world, the dreams were almost precious to him, giving him insight into a world he was still physically blind to. In the physical world, his heart and body were warmed by Holly and his two siblings Hallow'pup and Stardust'pup, but in the spiritual world of dreams, his heart fluttered with love and play from another family.

It was only after his eyes opened that the dreams became nightmares. Toad'pup's spiritual mother became weak and frantic. Food was coming less and less, and outside dangers started stalking the family's den. In one nightmare, he watched as two of his siblings were ripped apart by trespassing wolves. Their eyes were ablaze with hate and malice as they dropped the limp bodies of siblings to the ground. Holly had woken him from this nightmare with gentle licks and hushed words of comfort. Toad'pup was truly grateful to her that night. In another nightmare, he watched a strange creature with long fangs and a high-pitched yowl carry a brother away. His spirit mother tried desperately to chase after the creature, but after a few hours, as the sun drifted beneath the trees, she returned empty-mouthed and shrouded in grief. He remembers curling up next to her, promising to be brave, and help her protect his remaining siblings. The look in her eyes was the first time Toad'pup had ever seen true relief. Unfortunately, there was no way to help with the nightmares that came after.

Toad'pup was healthy and walking in the physical world when the next nightmares started. Those dreams were filled with chills; he simply couldn't get warm. His spirit mother would fret over him constantly, pleading with him to stay close to her, but he hurt so much from the chill that even touch from her felt like leaping through piles of pine needles. Those dreams only lasted a few nights, before they stopped entirely. In the last dream, he remembered curling up next to his spirit mother. The pain was unbearable, but he couldn't be without her. Toad'pup could feel himself fading, a similar feeling to when he falls asleep. This had never happened in a dream before however, so he wondered what would come next. Before the fading of darkness finally took him, he remembered hearing, 'You've been so very brave Toad, so very brave.'

The dreams ceased after that. The mystery of it all was never truly solved. Such vivid dreams seemed unnatural. After all, that is what his physical mother said when he asked her what it might mean.

Now he sits with his two sisters, who stare back at him in as much shock as he's sure he's showing, with mouth agape and brows furrowed. They too have had similar dreams. Theirs ended in the same way, and now, with the dreams gone, they all have more questions than answers.

Written by: Cupicate
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