The Sheriff of the Empire
Story of Cupcake, The Sheriff of the Empire
Cupcake is a vesper living in the Empire. She was given the title of ‘Sheriff,’ as she acts as an efficient guard who pursues control and order for the clan. Making sure the law is always followed, Cupcake is notoriously known for ratting out vespers who go against these rules and regulations, her superiors alerted immediately of their traitorous actions. She is obsessed with order, noting that punitive measures are the most effective forms of punishment due to their ability to deter criminals the very best.
Vespers who no longer have a will to act under the rules of the Empire are therefore not fit to stand as a member of the clan, and can therefore be classed as traitorous criminals worthy of punishment.
The Sheriff is regarded as being incredibly reserved, preferring to work alone and live alone. She does not like the company of others, and especially hates couples and young kit, often avoiding them at all costs. She does not work with a partner or a squad like most guards do, and uses her technology, tools, and intelligence to get by as a solo-guard.
Cupcake is incredibly clever, and has been stated to be remarkably gifted with her words. She has a dangerous way of getting things done, using threats and other mental means rather than brute force. At the end of the day, the safety of the clan lays on her shoulders, and thus being weak minded and susceptible to a corrupted, delinquent mind, is absolutely unacceptable.
In saying this, Cupcake did not used to be so reticent, abrasive, recluse, and obstinate, and originally started her life as a hopeful vesper with a true heart.
Cupcake was an only child who grew up in Aceldama with two fathers. She had a fairly normal childhood and developed her pull around the normal age a vesper would. Unfortunately, she felt it tugging her further into the forested territory, away from the Vampiric clan, and further inwards. As someone who had been taught that love was binding, Cupcake dreamed of meeting her mate and sharing a life with them.
Eventually working up the courage to leave, she wished her fathers a warm goodbye, being gifted splendor as she went on her way. One of her fathers was an excellent leather crafter, using the leather from the livestock they fed on in order to craft magnificent items of use. He gifted her a knee brace, several straps to carry her things, a set of gloves, and a set of arm guards- in case she chose to pick up archery. Her other father specialized in materials, sewing her name into one of her arm guards. He gifted her stockings, to keep her warm if she traveled into colder climates, as well as a military beret, one trimmed in fine gold. Cupcake vowed to never lose these gifts, as a reminder of her family and as a promise for when she returned to them in the future.
As she traveled, her pull seemed to strengthen, for she followed it to and fro across the forest. Unfortunately, whenever she sought it out, she found herself tiring, having to retire during the day. When she woke, the pull had gone off in another direction, leaving the young vesper confused and hopelessly wandering the forest.
One day she ran into a few strangers on the borders of clan territory, those discussing their lives as guards. She overheard them discussing what they believed was for the greater good, proposing their good moralities and expressing a certain amount of pride. These guards didn’t look particularly old either, and so Cupcake found herself drawn to them, approaching them as they talked. She found out that they were not real guards, and had been sent out into the forest to collect supplies for their clan, ‘The Empire.’
One of them recognized the markings upon Cupcake’s chest, asking her why she had strayed from Aceldama. She admitted to wanting to find her mate, for she had been searching for quite some time to no avail. Each time she got near, they seemed to disappear further away, which led the young trainee-guards to suspect that her pull was a fellow vesper from the Empire.
They departed, though Cupcake silently followed them back to their camp, posing as another trainee guard. Due to the commonality of Aceldaman’s within the Empire, it did not seem that many questioned her appearance, especially as new members were taken and forced into the Empire on the daily. She merely blended in, continuing her search for her pull.
After a while, Cupcake seemed to find her initial focus dwindling. She got caught up in her training, continuing to learn and follow the life of a young Empire guard. It seemed as soon as she gave up on the search, that little spark had grown again, and suddenly out of nowhere, it appeared as though she miraculously bumped into a stranger who fulfilled that spark.
This vesper was a large vesper who went by the name Viola or Violet, named after her vibrant hair and her mother’s interest in musical instruments. Cupcake, however, was quick to give her the nickname ‘Vi,’ similar to the Roman numerals for six. She had made the joke that Vi must have been over six feet tall, even if the goliath herself was just under five feet.
The two of them were quick to bond, choosing to continue their training together even if they had initially been from different syndicate’s. They seemed inseparable, a pair who would grow up to serve the Empire as equally determined guards, right by each other's side. They were partners, after all, in mind, soul, and their job.
Vi and Cupcake were a deadly duo, able to get jobs done quicker than most. They were efficient and undeniably effective. Vi worked as the intimidation tactic, her height and overall strength benefiting them. Due to Vi originally coming from Amaris, she had bigger forearms than most. Cupcake worked as the enforcer, using her high intelligence to persuade and coerce others simply through the use of her words. Cupcake additionally liked the use of traps, both in relation to mental mindgames, and physical traps. She became able to manipulate bear traps, using them as a threatening tactic to keep vespers out of certain parts of the territory. It's highly possible that vespers and other animals have lost their limbs or ended up very injured due to these traps, especially as they become forgotten about as the Empire moves territories and travels often. Together they conquered and divided, excelling through blunt, rough tactics that helped them get straight to the point.
As a guard, Cupcake was able to find a passion for protecting and enforcing, following the law in order to benefit the clan and the wider community. She believed that if all were to be unified under one set of rules, the forest would be a much safer place, free of corruption and misdemeanors. This mindset led Cupcake to dislike the rowdier vespers in the clan, occasionally using her influence as a guard to have them warned for their actions. She was a nark, a snitch, alerting their superiors of vespers who actively chose to step out of line.
While Cupcake never seemed to be the type to enjoy affection in public, she did enjoy the comfort she gained from Vi and having her around. They weren’t often separated, and could often be found cradled within each other's arms as they slept. Vi even wore Cupcake’s second armguard as a bracelet she tied around her wrist.
As they continued, things seemed to change slowly. Cupcake was completely content with the life she was living, enjoying the role she had made for herself. She liked the action and the thrill and most certainly enjoyed bettering the clan by ridding it of filth. The shackles she placed on herself weren’t those that bound her eternally, and instead helped her thrive as an active member of the Empire. Unfortunately, Vi did not share the same excitement. She slowly grew more and more tired of the action, fed up of the fighting and the repetitiveness. No matter how many vespers they punished, there always seemed to be more- Punitive measures no longer seemed to work to stop reoffending, nor did it deter others from beginning that route in the first place. To Vi, it was becoming a lost hope, one that was aging her far more than it should have.
Vi, after all, was littered with wounds and scars from all the guard work, especially as she fit the role of the brute and the front line bruiser. Cupcake did not have the same burdens, especially as she remained unsympathetic and guiltless towards those they put away. To her, they were benefiting the greater good, to Vi, they were just chaining another vesper down.
Foolishly, Vi decided to journey out of the clan one day, followed by Cupcake, unbeknownst to her. She had explored the borders, kicking at rocks and stones and scratching at trees as she wandered. Cupcake had stopped her in her tracks, admitting that she did not believe what Vi was doing was a good idea. She told her of the rules of the clan and its strictness and told her that they ought to get back to the clan quickly before anyone noticed.
Vi had expressed her wish to continue out further, proposing that they leave for good. They could escape the empire together and could run away from their jobs and start a new life together. There would be no rules or regulations, they could simply live in harmony and enjoy their days as soulmates as she no longer wished to follow their original goals. Cupcake, however, was not pleased with Vi’s reckless thinking and detested immediately. She told her she was just being ridiculous and irrational, and that the both of them would be nothing if not for their jobs as empire guards. They had the perfect lives where they were, why would they throw it all away for a life of uncertainty.
The bigger vesper had gotten angry at the smaller’s words, calling her ignorant and blissfully unaware of the full story. She never got to experience the same action as Vi did, and thus didn’t understand how hard it was on her body all the time. She had stormed off further into the woods, only for a loud crack to be heard a few moments later. A branch had snapped as Vi stepped forth, an area covered in old sticks and moss falling away and revealing a steep cliffside. She had fallen down the side of it, landing not too far down on a small ledge. Vi was injured from the fall, bleeding from several cuts in her side and down her arms. Her back-legs dangled hopelessly over the edge of the cliff, her energy gone from the tumble.
Cupcake had looked over the edge in worry, shouting to her to tell her to use her arms to climb back up. Exhausted, Vi could not, telling Cupcake that she didn’t know what she could do. The blue-haired vesper had been quick to act, telling her she’d retrieve a day-guard in order to help them. Vi expressed worry, telling her that they’d surely be in trouble if found so far out from territory. Regardless, Cupcake had run as fast as her legs could carry her, returning with an older guard who helped Cupcake reach Vi and pulled her back up the cliff. They returned to the Empire almost immediately after, though Vi’s wounds were not tended to.
The day guard had immediately interrogated the two of them, asking why they had snuck off in the middle of the day when they had not been scheduled on. Cupcake had lied, telling him that it was but a temporary journey to try and scout the area around them for any possible vespers, however, Vi told the truth.She admitted to disliking the Empire’s ways, feeling shackled and forced to work tirelessly every day. She wanted to run free and leave, living a life outside the clans where she no longer felt tied to the job of a guard. This was a terrible, terrible mistake.
He had lurched forwards after Vi’s explanation, slashing at her pelt and areas where she already appeared wounded. He left deep lacerations in her side, shredding her ear and causing scratch marks down her face. Cupcake had immediately bent towards her, looking over her wounds and begging the guard to stop his punishment as she did not deserve to be paralyzed for her ideals. The guard did not take kindly to being told what to do by a younger guard, lurching again with his talons to sever the tendon’s in Cupcake’s right arm.
Despite begging again for the both of them, empathy was not a trait the older guard seemed to have, and struck the fallen goliath again, this time it was lethal. Her dark grey blood had oozed from her wounds, grabbers being pressed up against her throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Nothing could be done though, as these wounds weren’t able to be healed. Vi struggled to breathe, crawling closer to Cupcake in an attempt to grasp her for the last time. Vi knew this was her last moment with her, and so hugged her as tightly as she could until her strength existed no more. Cupcake watched the life drain from those once beautiful irises, watching as her soulmate and life partner passed her very last breath.
Cupcake did not care about the arm she lost on that day, tendons shredded too badly that the limb had to be removed. She cared more about the spark that had been torn from her body, that connection she shared with someone special now gone. It was instead replaced by a dark hole, an insatiable void that nothing could fill no matter how hard she tried. She continued her guard work, albeit alone, and was not as successful as she had been with Vi by her side. She vowed to never go against the law again, and vowed to punish all those who sought change.
She became far less idealistic, more cautious, and far more callous to the rest of the world. She no longer had a soulmate, and so felt she could never return home to her family either. She was destined to be alone in the world, a recluse vesper with a mean streak and an affinity for stopping those from breaking the law. Never again did she wish to leave the Empire, pledging her loyalty as a guard until the day she died.
As more and more time passed, Cupcake continued to harden and put up walls around her, barricading herself from others. She focused entirely on her job and role as a guard, and continued to succeed, working her way up the ranks as a solo-officer. She eventually constructed herself a second limb that enabled her to act more efficiently, crafted from leather, ivory, gold, and other metals. The wing even functioned like a glider would, stretched from canvas and lined with leather. This faux limbed guard became known as the Sheriff, a menacing individual known for being apathetic and unsympathetic. She did any job tasked to her without a single question, and well? The Sheriff never failed.