Well Versed

A collection of poetry by Mezepheles surrounding Snowshank and its residents. Capitalization is inconsistent but intentional. Do not edit or take any content from this page without explicit permission. 
These are listed in the order they're written, but do not follow any particular continuity in universe.
==wearily, warily==
Centers around The Canary, includes light implications of murder.
:wearily, warily, open your eyes 
:you've lost something great 
:but you are still you 
:wearily, warily look at your friends 
:he knows that you died 
:she wishes you did 
:taste it (it's your favorite)
:read them (you wrote that)
:tell her (do you still love her?) 
:this is your handwriting 
:this is your face 
:these are your goals and your hopes and your dreams 
:keep going, don't look back, 
:there's nothing to see 
:don't worry, we remember, what you were and should be. 
:wearily, warily, ask what they know 
:he says that you're stronger 
:she remembers you failed 
:wearily, warily, look at yourself 
:you've changed, you think, maybe 
:yet you are still you? 
:try it (you wanted to learn)
:find them (it's your duty) 
:kill it (you've done it before) 
:the cat laughs in your face 
:it taunts you to fight it 
:it says, don't remember? did you forget? don't you know? 
:he knows that you died 
:she'll learn that you did 
:listen, little bird, it leans close with sharp teeth 
:be weary, be wary, but be honest and think
:you were someone, once,
:but you are not you
==Those Wild Things==
Centers around Parhelion Wolven-Ash, includes animal death & gore.
:when the coyote slunk into my home 
:mother clawed until it begged and cried 
:then crushed its heart until it died 
:she sobbed and sighed and hugged me close 
:smearing blood and gore with all her woes 
:darling, dear, she whispered low 
:stay away from all these wild things 
:they'll pull you along on puppet strings 
:they're clever, don't think you're as smart 
:they'll worm their way into your heart 
:years later I would find a pack 
:they'd chase me off, but again we'd meet 
:and I'd give them little treats to eat 
:they laughed and said they were no dogs 
:just crept and snarled and hunted hogs 
:they taught me how to hunt 
:how to hide and watch in hidden wait 
:I learned to chase and follow their gait 
:and I would offer up another snack 
:until they called me, too, part of their pack 
:then the sun fell from the sky; 
:in the wrong throat someone left a slash 
:and it swept the isles in dust and ash
:swathed in clouded, lightless dark
:they saw their chance, their hunger sparked
:the regent raised another flame 
:but the isles remained in disarray 
:and soon they jumped into the fray
:your golden blood, they crowded near
:our next sun, you see? it's you, it's here
:they needed to clear the way
:your mother, said one of raven pelt
:he grinned wild with teeth of yellow felt
:you know this is how it's meant to be 
:she needs to die, don't you see?
:she warned me away from the wilderness then
:but I learned to be a wolf, and her?
:nothing more than a helpless hen
==memories==
Centers around Acanthus Blight-Blade and Gladiolus Soaring-Branch.
:we first met in the winter cold 
:huddling for warmth in the biting snow 
:yet the memories have grown old 
:once I cared for just wealth and gold 
:but you were everything I need to know 
:we first met in the winter cold 
:gentle you were, yet equally bold 
:you showed me how the spring flowers grow 
:the memories have grown old 
:of all the tales you always told 
:my favorite was of your fight with the crow 
:we first met in the winter cold 
:sit, and give me your hand to hold 
:watch the shoreline, the sunset's glow 
:yet the memories have grown old 
:I don't know how I can continue to withhold 
:the pain knowing that without you, rivers still flow 
:we first met in the winter cold 
:yet the memories have grown old
==Little Otter, that's a bit far==
Centers around Thalassia Whale-Fall, includes death and murder.
:Thalassia Whale-Fall may have been her name
:but her father always called her his little Otter
:they were all born to be cannon fodder
:but he loved her all the same
:they loved each other all the same 
:when he fell ill in the winter chill
:they say he just wasn't cut out for work anymore
:the owner of his hut knew he couldn't pay anymore
:and so, get out, you can't live here anymore
:don't blame me, 'cause you can't foot the bill
:Thalassia Whale-Fall was a sensitive girl
:young and malleable, but with a strong will
:and watching her father, sickly as he already is
:begging, doing everything he can to keep what's his
:it breaks her heart, she won't take it standing still
:her father kept saying, it's all right, my little Otter
:he'll do what's right in the end, he's my friend,
:after all. she watches her father lying as
:he lies there dying. he can't bear to see her hurt
:and she can't bear all her hurt, but
:murder was a bad call, don't you think,
:Thalassia Whale-Fall?
==All's Good and Well==
Centers around Chrysos Evening-Frost and Gladiolus Soaring-Branch, includes profanity and death.
:eyes the brown of ebony bark
:but now they're dark, blacker
:than the beaded gaze of a mackerel
:and you weren't ever quite so pale
:even when you wailed like a whale
:in pain.
:you always took distress so well.
:you were named after a flower
:but as much as your parents wished
:you were always more like a fish, small
:but aware of your power, you wanted it all, 
:ready to let the world see exactly
:what you could be.
:you always knew you'd go to hell.
:i found you splatted in blood
:blood that was your own, this time
:you didn't make it out, this time
:they can't take that change, so just let me arrange 
:a little edit, toss in my two cents about the course 
:of these events.
:it'll be a hard sell but,
:look at that, you're alive and well.
:(look at that, hope it's cozy in hell.)
==tell her (do you still love her?)==
Centers around The Canary and Acanthus Blight-Blade.
:the first time she refused it
:forced someone else to sit 
:by your side, couldn't look you in the eye
:(she won't admit it but) she tried
:to sweep you aside, wishes you died
:leaning close, your friend said
:give her time, it's not the end
:(you don't remember what that means)
:you don't react, you don't care quite yet
:you're still adjusting to this new paradigm
:she avoids you for days, a week
:but you're still weak and bedridden
:so who cares, really
:she's busy keeping you all safe, hidden
:you can't see it but she cares, still
:(maybe, she's not quite sure if she will)
:the second time she appears 
:in the middle of the night
:outlined by the moon outside
:doesn't bring a light, doesn't sit
:by your side, just stands and stares
:whispers, explains what you used to be
:what you should be
:begs you (though she'd never admit it)
:to remember what you used to be
:she cared about who you used to be
:thought she was a dream, half awake
:eyes blurred, you could barely see
:as she paced, maybe you chose to agree
:you can't recall by the time you wake.
:you still don't know her face.
:the third and fourth and fifth time
:happen slowly, tread light, but they happen
:she lets you back into her life
:sometimes she cracks but then
:she hugs you tight, and everything's all right
:she traces the scar carved in black
:down along your neck and back,
:gently, as if afraid you'll shatter
:you don't know it but she's afraid
:of a lot of things she didn't care for before
:you lose track of the encounters
:stopped keeping a counter
:just breathed in the air and thought
:how lucky you were to be here
:with her, because you care for her
:just like you loved her before
:maybe.
:you're still not sure.
==Empty Apologies==
Centers around Velleity Moth-Brush, includes light implications of murder.
:Forgive me.
:Surrounded by evergreen trees and the winter breeze,
:It's so easy to pretend they answer your pleas.
:They're fighting now, but they'd understand;
:You do what you need to in this god forsaken land.
:Forgive me. 
:Look at you, surrounded by your friends.
:One day, in the end, perhaps you'll make amends,
:But today, the vulture's circling above, a spectator,
:Watching as you proclaim yourself a traitor.
:Forgive me. 
:The crown does not need your regret or repentance,
:not when you gave them a criminal to sentence.
:You know the last time she was betrayed
:She tore him apart with a makeshift blade.
:Forgive me.
:She sees who you are, not who you pretend to be.
:Danger crept to close, and you chose to flee;
:Sacrificing everyone else for the hope of comfort—
:Her smile is cold. You'd fit well in this rotten crown's court.
:Forgive me. 
:Someone else asks of you, wants it from you this time,
:As the one they killed demands they pay for their crime.
:Will you? For a mistake from a long forgotten life?
:They place the choice in your hands, give you the knife.
:…
:Someone needs to pay for the mess you've made. 
:It's so kind of them to offer themself for the trade.
==Colloquy==
Centers around Aethon Rush-Light and The Canary, includes light implications of murder.
:Canary!
:Hello! Why are you in these walls?
:Have you figured things out?—
:Aw, what's with the pout?
:Well, I'm not sure if it'd help at all,
:But I thought if I told you what you were,
:Perhaps you'd start knowing what you are.
:So, what do you think?
:A penny for your words?
:...
:Passivity doesn't fit you, little bird.
:Anyway, some history—
:(You're not that deep a mystery)
:You were a child born in the middle of nowhere
:With parents too busy to be there or to care.
:You were one of the scraps the crown took in,
:Training you to carry out the worst of its sins.
:An astute and precocious dragonet,
:A surprisingly skilled combatant
:Exactly what they asked for and wanted
:You accomplished it all, undaunted
:From what I hear, just like the one you replaced
:(So maybe it's not all a waste)
:You were a safeguard for the crown from danger
:A tool. Of course you couldn't change her
:You were a protector, a defender, a savior
:A guardian who didn't need a title to savor
:You were angry but they don't mention that part,
:With your cold and suffering, blackened heart
:You were a traitor, what else could we say?
:When we came across her corpse that day
:Never noticed the other one you killed
:A less important soul you stilled
:...
:You know what's funny, little bird?
:I never learned your name.
:After all these years—isn't that absurd?
:Ah, what a shame...
:Try figuring out a new one for yourself.
:Though of course, I'd vote the one I picked myself
:See you soon, Canary.
==a scrape, a scratch, a broken bone==
Centers around Gladiolus Soaring-Branch, includes descriptions of injury and death.
:a scrape from tumbling through grass
:a slice from a shard of broken glass 
:a bite from a bug I was trying to hug...
:all pain felt by the young and the brash
:recovery always slow, demanding I be rested
:healing joints aching, not ready to be tested
:forced incessantly to wait for a moment to be great
:no matter how much I complained and protested
:a sprain from tripping over gnarled roots
:coughing fits brought by chimney soot
:scratched and bruising, a cut that starts oozing
:and on go the injuries from violent disputes
:bloodied teeth in a triumphant maw
:despite the ache of a fractured jaw
:smiled like a fool, a child wanting to be cool,
:ignored wounds, grasping at the glory I saw
:it's lovely to be known as the one that inflicts
:delivering the deserving down to the Styx
:I could handle strain, I was familiar with pain
:I would always claw my way to the top in conflicts
:I knew what to do to push through, to survive
:sorry I couldn't make it out of this one alive
==a soundless cascade==
Centers around many.
:water seeps through the cracks in your heart
:is it mending or splitting you further apart?
:still drowning in that undertow
:suffocating on dust and burning coal
:let it flow free, the night's still young
:the torrent of words on the tip of your tongue
:tell me how you feel, what are you thinking?
:it feels like im drowning, my heart is still sinking
:sit in the dark and dismantle your thoughts
:always too tangled up with someone else's plots
:wish the ocean could rage but over the years
:the sea has dried up, we're all out of tears
:tomorrow, the sun will split the skies
:with rivers of gold and watchful eyes.
:the moon is a kinder companion to contemplate
:why do you stay, after all this, for my sake?
:what's left, what's there to reclaim?
:nothing to hold onto except a fake name.
==incongruent==
:there is a wariness in your touch,
:a caution in your tenderness, 
:as if the slightest brush could shatter
:my visage into countless shards.
:ha... I'd like to see you try.
:after the sparring, after we fought out 
:battles both sanctioned and not, we rest, 
:bandage our scrapes and locate the bruises, 
:watch as the sun crests the cold landscapes 
:and paints our blood gold.
:it was nice, our silence and the sky.
:Oracle was full the night you hatched
:were you truly kept out of the light?
:you looked at me, fascinated, as if I am but 
:glass for you to peer through to a chasm 
:of unfathomable ends.
:is my fate already written in your eye?
:in that charade of first impressions
:you said that you are not afraid
:that if the moon split the earth again
:you will stand where I would fall.
:I assured you then, as I do now,
:I do not plan to die.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Genre (Poetry)
Category:Content (Mezepheles)