As you walked you had no real idea of where you were going, but you trusted your legs to take you where you wanted to go, and you found it, a small wooden lonely shack. You knocked on the door and waited, wrapping your arms around yourself for some form of comfort.
"You came to visit!" Ratau answered the door.
"Hey, you crazy old man"
"By the one below, come in, come in" he ushered you into the shack when he saw the grim look on your face, "Take a seat" You sat on the small bed but kept your head down, he wrapped a blanket around your shoulders when he caught a glimpse of you shivering you whispered a quiet thank you and pulled the fabric closer to your body. "What happened?".
"I had a fight with Lambert".
"Judging by the looks of it, it was no typical sibling fight". You nod your head "When running a cult, some will lose sight of those you are close with, I should know, it happened to me" he gently touched the scar on his missing eye, he sat next to you on the bed, placing a hand on your shoulder.
You wiped your eyes from any remaining tears and took a deep breath "Food is running low, so that the Followers won't starve I stopped feeding myself, Lambert found out and got angry at me, he would rather let the Followers starve to death than me go hungry for a few days. I understand that part but when he said that he didn't care about the Followers, and he can always get more and that he will use them to his advantage, I couldn't take it, I had to leave".
"You understand that some cult leaders use Followers for their own gain, right?" you nod your head again understanding what he means.
"I guess I will never be a cult leader".
"no, you won't" Ratau got off the bed and picked up a piece of paper, he began to fold it in an elaborate way "But you are good at helping others in need, you may never be a cult leader or just a leader, but you are good at comforting and encouraging others, they will put trust in you and look for you when in need, they can be either Followers or leaders looking for your help. You are not a leader, but you are not a Follower either" he finished folding the paper and at the end, it turned into a crown, he placed the crown atop your head "Between you and me, leaders tend to think they don't need the help, but in reality, they need it the most" he patted your arm in replacement of a wink, you understood what he was trying to say.
"Thank you, Ratau".
"No need, I know how it feels, treasure what you have with Lambert, you will miss the good and bad times if you ever have to separate".
"You must have a sibling too if you understand".
"I do, his name is Ratoo, I dearly miss him".
"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss..."
"My loss? Ha! The jerk won't die even if someone ripped his heart out of his chest!" the two of you let laughter fill the room.
"You should stay here for the night, sort out your mind before going back, Lambert might be going to same".
"I don't want to stay longer than I need to! I don't want to be a bother!"
"(Y/N) you are not a bother, now here" he gave you a bowl of food "Eat up, I have plenty stocked up".
You hesitate at first, but feeling your stomach beg for something to fill it you eat it all up, you are Ratau set up the sleeping arrangements and went to sleep, you pass out as soon as your head hits the pillow.
You tossed and turned, reliving a nightmare you had countless times, but this dream was set in reality, the memory stayed with you, it lingered in your mind during the day, and followed you in your sleep. When it got too much for you, you jolted up, you panted out trying to calm down your heart, you could feel the cold sweat seep into your wool, to warm morning sun helped calm you down. You let your hooves touch the floor as you looked around.
"Ratau?" you called out, he was not in the shack, as you got up the door opened.
"Good morning" it was Ratau, he was carrying a bag with him, "You must have just woke up, you haven't eaten yet"
You look at the table and see a bowl waiting for you, "I was really tired last night" you say as you eat.
When you finish with the bowl you clean it and put it away "You should start heading back, we don't want Lambert to get worried about you, but before you go here" he gives you the bag he was holding.
"What's this?".
"You told me that you were running low on food back at the cult, so I got you a few things, so no one starves".
Not wanting to look a gift rat in the month, you accept it, you put the bag around your chest and the paper crown on your head. You give Ratau a tight hug "Thank you again for everything".
He hugs you back, "It's not a problem, I'm here to help" You two let go "Now get a move on!" he taps his stick on the floor.
"I'll visit you again one day, you crazy old rat!"
Ratau chuckles at the nickname you gave him, "Stay safe".
