no hell like the one you make for yourself

 There is a change, a shift in the universe, one that Aglain knows not of, because he's always survived in a steady reality — at least to his knowledge. A change that he wasn't expecting just by looking at himself — then again, he was a very good-looking individual; it wouldn't be a surprise if his looks did alter the universe around him.

 His daily routine was to wake up, sit there for a moment and debate whether to go back to bed for "beauty sleep", and when he did decide to grace the world with his presence, it was not without checking his appearance in the lake he lived near. On this particular morning, he spent a little more time on himself, splashing a little water onto his face, smoothing out the rose-tinted fur, and in the brief moment his eyes closed, it happened.

 Upon opening, instead of the still water of the lake, he is greeted with the river's rush, the sound of it quickly following the sight — the roar of it, an indicator to the male that it was not only a river but somewhere nearby, a waterfall (or falls, in this case.) Aglain let out an audible gasp and scrambled backwards from the distorted reflection of himself, eyes darting around the foreign area. “What the hell, what the hell, what the HELL?” Finding his paws, he looked even more frantic, shoulders nervously shuddering, “T...This isn't funny.” He called out, as if his siblings were nearby, exacting a revenge plan for all his mischief — of course, they couldn't do something this big... Right? This had to be... something else. But still, he wanted them to jump from the nearby pines and greet him with their giggling faces. At least it would offer some type of familiarity and cease some of the panic in his heart.

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They had been wandering for a while now, emboldened by the lack of shouting and throwing things they'd experienced. This was not like the town, where the two-legged creatures lived, where they chased things like Rat away. No, there were no two-leggeds here - not that it had seen, anyway.

This was both a good and a bad thing. There was this gaping loneliness where its friend used to be, and it hoped that, wherever he'd gone, it was to a kind place.

Trees rustled far above them, filling the air with the sharp scent of pine and the sound of birdsong. Their tail set to an easy wag as they walked, the sun warming their back as it reached through the branches overhead to touch the earth. It was a nice day - a peaceful one, warming with the promise of an upcoming spring, until...

A voice called out, and Rat perked up, curious. They were cautious in their approach as always, creeping up on the stranger and observing with round eyes. A young wolf, maybe around their own age, clearly frantic.

Should they reach out? Rat was not the best comfort in any situation, but...

"Y' 'kay?" they asked, hoarse, their voice more strained than it had been in their dreams, but they were words nonetheless.

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 The longer Aglain stood, eyes searching for something that looked remotely familiar — the more sobering the reality was becoming. More of the world around him crept into his ears, the sound of birds singing, caught up in the not-so-distant pines, the rustling of the early morning wind, sweeping the leaves of yesterday onto their feet.

 Thankfully, he wasn't left alone with his thoughts for long, the stare turning almost absent-like until the sound of a voice startled him out of the seeping disassociation. Aglain's head snapped in the direction of the voice, “You!” As if it wasn't the stranger who'd pointed them out, their question going unnoticed to the boy's racing mind. “Where am I?” He asked, harshly, as if they were the one who plopped him here.

 Upon inspection of the stranger, Aglain's nose twitched at the stranger's sunken, small form. How were they surviving out here? Oh shit, was that going to happen to him too? What kind of place was this? Had he really been bad enough to be sent to the underworld?

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Uh-oh. The wolf spoke to them in harsh, demanding words. Where was he? Rat did not know. The stranger stared at them in a way they felt to be appraising, like they were perhaps a gross insect on the ground. Sometimes they felt like a gross insect on the ground. 

"Um." It was all they could manage for a few moments, stock still and wide-eyed as they stared at the wolf. Rat had met several of them since they'd woken in this place, but none quite so pink. None quite so pretty. It made their face feel a little warm, even in the face of the wolf's harshness. 

"S-safe place," it tried to reassure, offering him a wag of its tail as a gesture of friendliness. "You... oh-kay?" The question was posed again, a tilt to their head. Grateful at least that their voice came out a little clearer this time around, emboldened by the wolf's own speech. 

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 Aglain's scrutinous gaze picked over the small, scrawny wolf, forcing himself to focus on something he could control instead of the imposingly loud world around him. It took a few seconds for the other to register Aglain's question, making the teen pop a confused, maybe even bordering on concerned, gaze.

 'Um.' The pink boy leaned forward, nodding, already getting the feeling he was going to have to pull teeth to get some answers around here. Fondly, in a second's thought, he is seldomly reminded of Mordred's aversion to speech as well. Though in the end, there was no true answer for Aglain to digest. Just a comforting statement from a stranger. It made him look away, around them once again, taking in an expasperated sigh. “Great. 'Safe.' I'm sure it is.” He uttered underneath his breath, noting the vastness of the pines despite his hammering heart.

 He cut a look back to the other, their former question raised again, almost like a white flag. In an instant, the boy's shoulders drooped, and he groaned, “No— Do I look okay right now?” Popping the question briefly before he answered himself, “I mean, of course, I look good— but emotionally speaking, no. I am very not okay with all of this.” Lifting a front paw and waving wildly around to gesture.

 He took in a dramatic breath, closing his eyes tight, then reopening them, just to see the stranger standing there. “Damn it!” He huffed, wiping at his eyes with his wrist until they were a little fuzzy, but to no avail. “Guess it's not a dream then.” Once refocused on the stranger again, his lips twisted tight. “What's your name?”

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Uh-oh again. It seemed their answer did little to impress the wolf, who looked less than enthused about what Rat had to offer. This was, in fact, a problem, because for some reason, it wanted to impress him a little more than it did with other wolves. It must have something to do with the pinkness of his fur, they decided. Maybe it was magic, and that was why their face was all warm and they wanted to say something that he would approve of. 

No— Do I look okay right now?

I mean, of course, I look good— but emotionally speaking, no. I am very not okay with all of this.

They nodded along with what he said, because yes, he did look good, and no, he clearly was not emotionally okay. Rat floundered a bit, unsure of exactly what to say or do to remedy this situation, because this involved way more nuance conversationally than they could manage. 

A dream? Oh. Oh! He must have woken up here like they did! No wonder he was so... messy. 

"Not dream," they said, apology woven into their tone. A wag started in their tail, slow and hesitant, at the question of their name, because they had one of those now! "Rat," came the introduction, gazing at him expectantly, a smile forming on their lips. "Pretty boy's name?" 

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