Ends

A strange little fellow, unlike its kind. Ends was killed by an older curator named Mr Sorrows in a dispute over a find that Sorrows had laid claim to.

Ends always stood out in its parent flock for its differences in behaviour and appearance.

Of the two, Ends’ nature was a greater offence. Ends was at best ignored and at worst tormented by the other youth and adults alike. It would not fight back, more inclined to quietly take a beating and avoid interaction as much as possible. In other circumstances Ends would not have been tolerated, and instead chased off or killed, but the temporary flock leader was a little bit soft. Not enough to stop the abuse and appear weak for its mercy, just enough to turn a blind eye. Still, Ends remained abnormally gentle and even-tempered despite its mistreatment.

Ends’ friendship with Strings grew from Strings being one of the few youth who didn’t harass Ends, though, Strings also did not step in and stand up for Ends for fear of receiving the same treatments. Ends noticed this, but Strings seemed to take interest in it and Ends was glad for the companionship. Strings, too, wanted to be gentle, though it could not express this nature with any but Ends, while Ends could and would do nothing to hide its different-ness.

Ends was never a fighter, so it planned to escape its torment and gain status via a mastery of language and an impressive collection. This is what drove it to take from Mr Sorrows, and refuse to give in once confronted.

It was a wreck called the Parzifal that spawned the conflict that would kill Ends. The first human voyage into the High Wilderness. The end of all her crew. A tragedy, a great sorrow.

Mr Sorrows hid the wreck away, but Ends trespassed and stole from it. Ends was confronted by Mr Sorrows when their respective flocks crossed paths and invoked the Order of Days, rules dictating how flocks interact when they meet. The Days of Hunt and Feast passed without incident.

On the Day of Council, Mr Sorrows laid out its grievances with Ends before both flocks. Ends made attempts to debate with Mr Sorrows to resolve the matter in its own favour, but took a pretty shameful defeat. It had been coy in the discussion, said little of substance, and made no apologies nor appeals. Ends did not yet have the proficiency in the Correspondence that it had been trying to cultivate, which left it perhaps the most frustrated it has ever been in its short life, and out of time to find a solution it could accept.

On the Day of Bargains, Mr Sorrows laid out a final deal. Ends would turn over its entire hoard to Sorrows, or Sorrows would take its life as payment. Ends refused. Strings pleaded with Ends to reconsider, and tried to make its own deals with Mr Sorrows, but the older curator was not interested in anything Strings had to offer.

On the Day of Slaughter, Mr Sorrows followed through on its threat. It easily overpowered the young runt, but before it could kill Ends, Strings intervened. The three bats scuffled, and though all three were injured, Ends came out the worst off. The fight was broken up by the magnates of both flocks, the most prominent of which from Mr Sorrows' flock was furious about the disrespect shown to such an upstanding (by curator standards) bat, one senior to these youths, and to the curators’ system of rules. Strings and Ends were accused of Violating the Order of Days and of Abberation, and Strings additionally of the crime of Charity.

Mr Sorrows and its flock demanded a punishment of death to both for the slight and disregard of customs, but the younglings’ flock leader debated a lighter sentence. The result was immediate exile of both Ends and Strings, who would be given a grace period of a month to flee as far as possible, after which Mr Sorrows would be permitted to kill them on sight without repercussions. Ends didn’t last the month, succumbing to its injuries after only a few days and leaving Strings alone to deal with the consequences.

Ends’ hoard is still hidden, with only Strings now knowing where to find it. Some examples from Ends’ collection:

• senet boards
• taxidermy of an endling, possibly the quagga
• wilted, dried plants
• items with the symbol ‘☉’, representing the sun in astronomy, gold in alchemy, and used in trail end signs by the british army. possibly also marks the end of the game in senet
• the bones of Suns are golden. Ends can’t get sun bones but it favours other golden objects
• the final work of an artist/writer/etc
• discarded children’s toys
• remnants of old London and the cities that fell before it
• heirlooms from families with no living descendants
• headstones (particularly with gold embedded)
• used candle holders, full of melted wax
• empty bottles and tools that have outlasted their use