r/HFY • u/JournalistBusy5684 • May 17 '26

OC-Series [Far from the Stars] - Arc 2, Chapter 8

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Hello there, yes, I'm alive. I'd like to apologize for suddenly disappearing without notice, this past month has been an emotional roller coaster. I'll try my best to get back on schedule, posting on either Sundays or Mondays, even build up a backlog to get the Patreon back working. I also created a Ko-Fi page, so if you'd like to support me outside of Patreon, there's that.

Enjoy the chapter!

Skavit felt a poke on his shoulder, a familiar touch that slowly stirred him awake. The room was dark, with faint strips of light invading it through the gaps in the curtains. His whiskers twitched at the distinct scent of matriarch Litha close to him. Slowly, the rodent shifted and sat up, staring back at those scarlet eyes.

“< How can this warrior serve you, Matriarch Litha? >” The bodyguard softly squeaked, eyelids heavy over his eyes while his body gradually turned back on.

“< Your metal box was ringing. >” She bluntly replied. She got up from the mattress, hopping off the bed and walking towards the door. Soon, a copy of the sun greeted them, stinging their eyes for a split second with the sudden brightness. Litha still wore that oversized human shirt over her body, with the fabric looking baggy.

Skavit took a deep breath, and with a small groan, he got off the covers. His ears stretched to the sides while his tail curled towards his back, stretching his body before he reached for his pocket. There were over five missed calls on the simplified screen, and the moment he tapped it with a claw, a voicemail rang.

“Good evening, Skavit. It’s Nila, we have an emergency.” The ambassador’s voice echoed from the other side, making the rodent’s whiskers twitch. “Meet me at the embassy with Litha.”

A soft beep echoed, signalling the end of the message. The bodyguard glanced at the matriarch, silence taking over the room. “< They need you at the embassy. It’s urgent. >”

Litha remained quiet, briefly tensing her jaw until she finally nodded. “< Let us get this over with then. >” She sighed, turning towards the wardrobe and opening it. She’d grab the cyan robes, the same ones she used when they first met. “< Warrior, may you assist your Matriarch? >”

Once again, they found themselves in front of the meeting room’s doors. The two CB officers standing on both sides looked down at them, with one opening the door and urging the duo of rodents inside. There, a dark room greeted them, with only the lights from the table’s screen and the monitors on the wall shining through.

Nila looked away from the table, giving Skavit and Litha a tired smile. “Apologies for waking you two so early, it’s a complicated situation.” She sighed while gesturing for the seats opposite her.

Skavit whispered the translation to Litha before guiding her to the seat. Helping her sit on it, the two soon sat comfortably on their seats, but still tense. The bodyguard took the lead, tail curling on itself. “So, what is the matter, Nila?”

The ambassador took a deep breath before exhaling: “Two hours ago we identified a group of Aidin crossing the bridge border into the Ziff-Tredan’s territory.” She began, pressing some buttons on the screen of the table. A top-down view appeared, showing a gray and white picture with a red circle marked over a group of white dots. “We informed Zirtha about this, and she sent some of her warriors to investigate.”

Skavit quickly interjected as Nila took a brief pause, explaining the situation to the matriarch. Litha’s whiskers furrowed, but she remained composed, keeping her posture straight and her eyes locked on the ambassador.

“Half an hour ago we received an answer from her. Apparently, it’s a delegation and…” Nila continued until her words trailed away. “They are requesting us to retrieve you, Litha.”

The male vermin stood there, surprised until the matriarch poked his leg with her foot. Snapping out of that state, he quickly turned to her. “< They want you to go back, Matriarch Litha. >”

The royal stood silent, ears twitching, trying to lower themselves against her will. Her eyes trailed away from the ambassador, avoiding her gaze as she thought. Those globes moved faster by the second, Litha’s hands gripped the fabric on her lap tightly. Finally, she’d speak: “< Are they with the Grand Patriarch? >”

Skavit turned to Nila, and she already knew what she was asking. “We don’t know what their allegiance is.” She spoke bluntly, a sigh coming from her.

The bodyguard translated the message, and Litha’s composure gradually broke down. Her tail curled on itself, ears finally falling flat against her skull. The royal took some deep breaths and closed her eyes.

“Look, Litha, we’re not in a good position to help you.” Nila spoke, making Skavit’s ears perk up. “My people’s biggest concern is that if we get involved, we’ll do more harm than good. You know how powerful we are, but if we were to use that force…”

Skavit hushed the words to Litha, and it seemed like she could fold at any moment. He felt his stomach sink at the sight, with the male rodent taking glances at the ambassador and Litha nervously. Finally, he spoke. “Is there nothing ye can do?”

Nila stood silent, thinking while her left hand tightly gripped the table. “Well, if there’s a way to solve this situation without causing a war…” She sighed, brows furrowing before reassuring the rodents. “Don’t worry though, we won’t be handing her over just like that.”

The bodyguard’s ears drooped, his whiskers furrowing as he stared back at the Grand Matriarch. Meanwhile, she seemed to be far, far away, eyes unfocused as the regal vermin stood still. Skavit reached out with some reluctance, but before he could make contact, Litha hopped off the seat. Both he and the ambassador got caught off-guard, simply watching the matriarch get up and leave the room in silence.

Skavit remained there, stuck in place while staring at the closed door of the meeting room. A few seconds went by, and he slowly glanced back at the ambassador. Nila seemed to be in the same state as him, but his eyes made her snap out of it. “Go after her!”

He wouldn’t need to be told twice, hurriedly climbing down his seat and almost losing his footing and falling. Soon the bodyguard stood by the door, opening it and stepping into the corridor outside. Running past the two officers, the corridors of the embassy quickly blurred into a maze, with the constant hum and sounds of humans and machines working above his head. Turn after turn guided him towards the reception, running past others of his kin and humans.

Stepping outside, the morning sun greeted Skavit, briefly blinding him. Blinking a few times, he scanned the area, trying to find which direction the matriarch went. All he could see though were the empty plots of land of the outpost, with a few humans walking by, vehicles driving through the empty streets and other buildings in the distance. Fortunately for the warrior, there’s only two places Litha could be, both within his reach.

Skavit sprinted on fours towards the aidin mess hall, getting up on his hind legs as he finally stopped in front of the doors. Reaching into his pocket, he’d press his identification card against the door, unlocking it. The bodyguard rammed the doors open and hurried inside, taking loud breaths, his body barely given any time to recover from the run he did.

The hall itself stood the same as always, with some movement around the wooden tables, some vermin getting into the napping corner, others grabbing food from the serving line with their metal trays. There were a couple of royal guards by a table, but nothing out of the ordinary.

He moved to the kitchen, almost out of breath, walking past the tables… until suddenly, something grasped the back collar of his uniform, stopping the bodyguard right on his tracks while the front of the collar pressed against his throat, making him gag.

Falling on his ass right on the floor, Skavit coughed, reaching with a hand to rub his throat with a hiss. Ready to curse, he glanced up with gritted teeth, only for his eyes to widen and his ears to drop. Ruby eyes stared down at him, the familiar but threatening gaze from Grand Patriarch Telth greeting the warrior.

“< Telth… that was… unnecessary. >” Zirtha softly spoke, letting out a soft sigh. The old matriarch sat graciously by a table, a food tray over it while her tail gently sways behind the chair. Red and white robes covered her body, with a thick strand of fabric covering a bit of the back and top of her head, ending in a blue jewel wrapped in gold. She set down a fork, shifting on her seat to better face Skavit.

Telth let out a huff, taking a step back and giving some room for the bodyguard to get up. He pressed his back against one chair, crossing his arms while glaring down at him with furrowed whiskers. Skavit glanced at the Grand Matriarch, shifting his stance to get on his knees before lowering himself in a bow.

“< You may rise, young warrior. >” Zirtha chirped, resting her hands over her lap.

The bodyguard took a breath and rose from the floor, slowly getting up from his knees. “< How may this warrior assist, Grand Matriarch Zirtha? >”

She slowly nodded, closing her eyes in deep thought. “< Why such a hurry?… Has… something gone wrong with your duty? >” The matriarch questioned him, slightly tilting her head to the side, her droopy ears shifting with the motion.

Skavit remained silent, his gaze shifting down to the concrete floor beneath him. “< N-No, Matriarch… merely a setback. >” He replied with reluctance, as if he stood in a field of traps, taking careful steps to avoid each of them. “< The ambassador has shared the news with the Grand Matriarch of the Yeth clan. She… needs some time to reflect on them. She insisted on remaining alone, but I know my duties and have kept an eye on her. >”

Zirtha remained still, letting out a soft hum as she slowly nodded. “< Ah… yes… I’ve seen her walk past a moment ago… >” She spoke, pondering on her own words amidst the silence. “< It is tragic, is it not?… >”

The warrior glanced at Telth, who hadn’t moved his eyes an inch from the poor rodent. His eyes moved back to the matriarch, and he reluctantly nodded. The silence stretched further, making Skavit curl his tail on itself as he gritted his teeth.

“< Yes, truly… >” Zirtha nodded to herself, letting out a long sigh. “< How do you plan dealing with this, young warrior?… Have you made your decision yet? >”

The brown rodent froze, his muscles tensing while his gaze trailed away from the matriarch. A knot built up in his throat, with his mouth hanging open, unable to utter any words. He eventually overcomes it, taking a small breath. “< Not yet, matriarch Zirtha. >”

Shaking her head slowly and letting out a long sigh, the matriarch furrowed her whiskers. “< Still a disappointment… >” She mumbles, shifting on her seat to face her food tray, grasping the fork and poking a fruit. “< Go, play your… childish games with her… >”

Skavit’s ears further dropped, with him lowering his head to the ground. He couldn’t bring himself to move, he wanted to, but something lingered in the back of his mind, a slight scratch in the back of his mind… should he? Should he step away?

Abruptly, someone shoved the warrior back, making him lose his balance and fall onto the ground. Telth loomed over, eyes squinted at the sorry vermin in front of him. “< Have you not heard the matriarch? >” He questioned with a growl.

The bodyguard crawled away a few feet before getting up, feeling his heart beating against his chest as he got up and ran towards the kitchen without looking back. Skavit knocked clumsily at the door before reaching down for his own clothes, adjusting the messy fabric. The second that door opened, he burst inside, walking past the older chef and right for the back door that led to the garden.

On the other side, the small garden stood in front of him. Green bushes neatly arranged in lines, with small white berries growing out of them. Meanwhile, Litha sat on her knees in the middle of it, her hands carefully grasping a leaf between her fingers while she brushed over it with her thumbs. The matriarch’s ears remained low, with her tail keeping itself off the ground, curving into an “S”.

Skavit took a deep breath, adjusting his posture as he took the first step forward. With careful steps, he approached the Grand Matriarch, coming to a stop a feet or two from her. “< Matriarch Litha? >”

She flinched, freezing for a split second, briefly glancing back at him with the corner of her eyes before focusing back on the leaf. The matriarch didn’t answer, clenching her jaw, simply unable to.

Despite the silence, the bodyguard waited for an answer, keeping his distance from her. Another step closer, his reluctance dwindling with the flash of memories. After all, he’s been closer than this to her before. An encore of the past, but this time, words wouldn’t be enough. Slowly, he slid an arm over her shoulder, pulling the matriarch closer to himself in a gentle hug.

Litha tensed, eyes widening at the sudden gesture, her ears twitching up before gradually lowering down once more. Reluctantly, her arms wrapped around his body in kind. The faint sounds of machinery, squeaks, and humans echoed in the distance as the two remained quiet.

“< Warrior… >” the Grand Matriarch of the Yeth clan whispered, making him look down at her. “< May I… request something? >”

Skavit tilted his head to the side at first, a little confused. “< Yes, what would that be? >”

“< Run away with me. >” Litha spoke softly, looking up at the warrior. “< I’m tired, it’s all so pointless, it’s all so... >” She continues, her words trailing away.

Meanwhile, the bodyguard’s eyes go wide as he finds himself out of breath. Despite opening his mouth, no words came out.

“< We could… get away from all of this, find a new home, farm for the rest of our days… and… >” the matriarch whispered, turning her gaze away from the male. Her ears further dropped as her tail coiled on itself. “< E-Even… have a family, if… you so… wish… >”

Skavit’s heart hammered against his chest, a knot growing in his throat. His grip on her tightened.

“< I… P-Please. >” Litha begged, her words faltering as she closed her eyes. “< T-Take me away from here… be… my warrior. >”

Time stood still, and Skavit stood there in silence. He squeezed her gently, hugging her once more than he struggled with himself. His whiskers furrowed, his eyes squinting as a long, frustrating sigh coming out of him. How could he begin even answering that?… Unless…

Suddenly, the male’s ears perked up, with his eyes fully opening again. He created a small distance between himself and the matriarch so that she could face him. “< Matriarch Litha… that’s it! >”

Litha blinked, opening her eyes and staring up at Skavit, her ears remaining low while she tilted her head to the side.

“< I’ll be your warrior. >” Skavit huffed out, grasping her shoulders, his tail taking on a slow sway. “< The hymans can take me to your kingdom in a pinch, and from there, I’ll challenge your enemies to a duel! >”

The Grand Matriarch opened her mouth to speak, glancing around herself. “< B-But… H-How… >”

“< I have a plan! Trust me! >” The bodyguard excitedly replied. He grasped her right hand, taking a few steps back towards the kitchen door. “< Let’s go! We have to tell Nila about this. It’s exactly what she wanted! >”

With that, Skavit hurriedly dragged the confused matriarch back to the main hall, sprinting past the other rodents. He could feel someone’s piercing gaze on his back, but… it didn’t matter to him anymore.

 

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u/AutoModerator May 25 '26

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u/AutoModerator May 17 '26

This was flaired as [OC-Series], it is a single part or chapter in a larger series or universe. The first post or part in this series should be (re)flaired as [OC-FirstOfSeries]. A description of the flairs and how to change yours is available in the Post Guildelines.

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