Shani Na'Selle is a Flenille, a species heavily featured in a novel I wrote a few years back called: Suncasters. The Flenille are a heavily matriarchal society, and as a male with Suncaster powers, he was destined for a short, likely violent, life as a political tool. He was rescued by Whinnahael Raiden, a Master Suncaster who who become both his trainer, and the closest thing to a mother he would ever know.
Its been several months since Shani was rescued, and his adoptive mother, Whinnahael Riaden, is starting to learn that caring for a human, and caring for a Flenille, are two VERY different challenges.
The mess hall of the Suncaster Academy was finally growing quiet as the hustle and bustle of dinner faded. Academy staff hurried to clear away the dishes as the last few Suncasters finished their meals or indulged in cups of tea or coffee while the crimson light of the setting suns shone through the western windows.
Whinnahael sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, staring down at her cup of coffee. “I just don't know what to do with him.” she muttered, “Nothing I do seems right.”
Across the table from her, Brightmaster Cax Orion smiled in sympathy, “I'm led to believe that parenthood is difficult enough when the parents and the children are of the same species. I can see why this situation would be more... complex.”
“You're telling me.” Whinnahael sighed again and rested her head on the table, “He's attached to me, that much is obvious, but I can't seem to keep up with him. He has more energy in a day than I have in a week..."
"Mmmmm."
"And he's so... I don't want to say clingy but... he's emotional."
“You have taken on quite the task.”
“I don't know how he manages to get himself into so much trouble. Last week he managed to get himself trapped up on the library roof, Mistral knows how he did it, he can't tell me without crying, and once he was up there he realized that he was afraid of heights! I had to get Master Rayne and Master Kertz to help me up to him, and it took all three of us to pull him off the weather vane!”
“I had wondered why it was so difficult to get him down. Still, it was a rather humourous sight.” Orion replied, lightly sipping his tea.
"And you should have seen the scratches he left in the metal with those claws of his! They were deep enough to stick your fingers in!" Whinnahael sighed and rolled her head back and forth, "And of course Master Atraedius is furious at me for interfering in his plans. He had some grand ambition for the boy, and now those lay in ruin."
"Nothing new there though."
"And then there's Master Yelgrin...”
“Ah yes... I heard about that. How is he?”
“Better. He'll have quite the scar, but thankfully Shani's teeth missed any tendons.”
“That's a relief at least.”
“Yeah.”
“What did he do exactly?”
“He bit him and then hid for a day and a half. I thought he'd run away, until I found him under a pile of laundry. Thank heaven for that uncontrollable tail of his... stick out from underneath a pair of my knickers.”
“No, I mean Master Yelgrin, what was he doing?”
Whinnahael looked up at Orion, “He caught Shani playing with his precious insect collection. I understand that he was upset, but he shouldn't have something like that anyways. Suncasters are supposed to be about protecting life of all shapes and sizes, not sticking it to some gaudy velvet hunk of junk.”
Orion raised an eyebrow. “Indeed...”
“Anyways, he caught Shani playing with it and laid into him. Apparently Shani damaged a butterfly or some such nonsense and Yelgrin smacked him twice before Shani bit him.”
“Fair enough.”
“Of course Shani claims it was just on instinct, and he feels terrible. Yelgrin on the other hand…” Whinnahael’s gaze darkened and anger crept into her voice, “He should have known better. And as far as I’m concerned he's lucky all Shani did was bite him. If I'd seen him beating my apprentice he'd have lost a hand. Still… I confined Shani to his room for the day.”
“Do I sense your motherly instincts kicking in?”
“Damn straight.” Whinnahael growled, “Dammit Orion... You should have seen him on the ship back! He was so skinny I could carry him under one arm, he was covered in fleas and he stunk to high heaven! He was shaking like a leaf, and he refused to come anywhere near me while I had my casting rod.“
Orion’s eyes widened at the implication of Whinnahaels words. He knew that Whinnahael was never separate from her casting rod; she even slept with it in hand. Even for a Suncaster, Whinnahael’s reluctance to part with her weapon was legendary. For her to put it aside for anyone…
“He did have a rough life prior to you rescuing him.” Orion said after a few moments, “I suppose that is to be expected when dealing with a lucent male among the Flenille. Any family that controlled him would have the ability to reliably pass down the Suncaster code. It would make them very formidable.”
"You know the first thing he said to me was: 'Are you going to kill me' ! He still flinches every time I try to touch him!”
“Hmmmm.”
“I gave him a mint the other day and he looked at me with so much love in his eyes… Like this tiny little candy was the most precious thing in the world.” Whinnahael’s hands curled into fists “And I brought him to a place I told him was safe, I promised him he would never be hurt again, and what happens? Playing with some insect gets him hit by a man I taught him to respect! And Master Atradius is no better, he just wants to use the poor boy! It isn’t bloody right!”
Orion raised his eyebrows slightly as he noticed the table beneath Whinnahael's fists begin to smoke But thankfully Whinnahael’s rage was short-lived. With a heavy sigh she leaned back in her chair, “What have I done... the boy needs a professional, not me.”
“Pup.”
“What?”
“Flenille children, they're called pups. Well the males are called pups, young females are called kits apparently. ”
Whinnahael raised an eyebrow, “How do you know that?”
Orion reached into his robes and withdrew a small booklet, “Simple, I consulted a professional.” Orion slid the book across the table towards Whinnahael, “It's early for your birthday, but I suspected you might need some help.”
Whinnahael picked up the book and read the title aloud, “Madame Collingwood's Condensed Guide to Raising Anthrogenic Children’?”
“She runs an orphanage specializing in anthrogenics, down on Copper Street, near the fish market.”
“I've heard of it, we recently acquired a lucent Nanuwa from that place, didn't we?”
Orion nodded, “Indeed. Ix was her name I believe, a consummate troublemaker if what I have heard is to be believed. Either way, she’s the authority on this sort of thing, so I got you the abridged version.”
“So basically: 'How to raise a Flenille for Fools'.” Whinnahael sighed again, “Maybe he'd be better off with Madame Collingwood...”
Whinnahael jumped slightly as Orion placed his hand over hers.
“You know that's not true.” Orion said gently, squeezing her hand, his massive palm easily covering her entire hand, “I can hear it in your voice, you only want what is best for him. And I think you know, in your heart of hearts, that you are what he needs.”
Despite herself, Whinnahael felt her heart skip a beat at the words.
“So take some time, read the book.” Orion continued.
“I don't know...”
“Yes you do.”
Whinnahael sighed and looked down at the tiny leather-bound book in her hand, “Well... it can't hurt.”
===
The sun was setting as Whinnahael returned to her chambers, a basket of food for Shani under her arm. But as soon as she opened the door, she froze at the sight that greeted her.
Shani was in the middle of the room, covered only in his own fur, his initiate robes spread from one end of the room to the other. He was on his back on the plush carpets in the middle of the apartment with one of Whinnahael’s pillows in his teeth, held in his back paws.
As Whinnahael opened the door, it startled Shani, who kicked with his back feet. There was an explosion of thousands of tiny feathers as Shani’s powerful hind legs and razor sharp claws immediately reduced the pillow to shreds. By the time the feathers settled, Shani was sitting cross legged on the rug, ears down and a guilty look on his face, the red satin pillow cover still in his mouth. A single feather gently settled on Shani’s head as he stared up at Whinnahael.
Whinnahale opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was angry, certainly, but the look in Shani’s eyes stopped her.
“What are you doing?” She asked finally.
Hesitantly Shani let go of the pillow case in his mouth. “You were gone a long time.” he replied softly,, “And it… smelled like you.”
“But you knew I was coming back!” Whinnahael said, stepping into the room and brushing a floating feather away from her nose.
“I… I guess so…”
“And your robes… I know you don’t like them but you have to wear some clothing!”
Shani’s ears dropped even more, “I’m sorry…”
Whinnahael sighed and stepped forwards, kneeling down in front of Shani. With a sigh she reached forwards and gently pulled on his cheek, “It’s alright. Pick up the feathers and then you can eat.”
As Whinnahael spoke, Shani’s stomach growled loudly. Sighing again, Whinnahael smiled and pulled the feather off of Shani’s head, “Or… you can eat now and we’ll both pick up the feathers.”
Hesitantly, Shani reached forwards and plucked a feather from Whinnahaels hair as well. Despite herself, Whinnahael snorted, and then burst into laughter. As she laughed Shani leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around Whinnahael, holding her tight and burying his nose in her hair.
“I really missed you.” Shani mumbled softly.
“Okay, okay.” Whinnahael said, gently patting Shani’s back as she chuckled, “Come on, you don’t want your food to get cold.”
"Sorry about the pillow..."
"Don't worry, there are always more pillows."
===
Later on, as the academy began to drift off into slumber, Whinnahael sat in a chair beside Shani's bed, reading from a Suncaster text. The young Flenille watched her quietly, his big orange eyes staring into hers.
Like all Flenille, Shani didn't like to be covered up, and so in lieu of blankets, had his arms and legs wrapped around a large fluffy pillow. In their native land, multiple generations of Flenille would sleep together on a single mattress, with the young and elderly in the middle and the adults at the perimeter.
The pillow was covered in patches of fabric where Whinnahael had patched tears from Shani's razor sharp claws. The young Flenille was often tormented with nightmares and Whinnahael would be greeted with a hurricane of feathers and stuffing when she came to comfort him.
“And from the light that is the life of this world, we are taught that it is the defense of life that is our most important task, the core thesis from which all of our actions are derived.” Whinnahael read aloud, “And thus we arrive at the second key tenant of the Suncaster order, ‘Safeguard thy life and the lives of others, as they are the beacons that shall lead others to true light.”
A loud yawn interrupted Whinnahaels' reading. As she looked up from the book she could see that Shani was struggling to keep his eyes open.
“That’s all for tonight.” She said, closing the text and placing it on the floor beside Shani’s bed.
“But I'm not...” Shani yawned heavily, still fighting to keep his eyes open, “Not…. tired…”
Whinnahael smiled and reached forwards, scratching Shani between his large ears. “I know. Just rest your eyes for a little while.”
Shani purred quietly and dug his nose into his pillow.
As Whinnahael stood up to leave, Shani whispered, “I’m sorry…”
“For what?” Whinnahael asked, pushing the thought of her favorite satin pillow out of her mind.
“For biting Master Yelgrin.” Shani mumbled, “I didn’t mean to hurt him…”
“Of course you didn’t.” Whinnahale replied quickly, kneeling down next to Shani’s bed and meeting his eyes, which were glistening with tears.
As Shani started to whimper, she quickly brushed the tears away, “No no no, don’t cry, it’s okay.”
“But I hurt him…” Shani whimpered, “And I got you in trouble. I’m sorry…”
“Trouble?” Whinnaheal replied with a smile, “This is nothing. You wouldn’t believe some of the trouble I've gotten myself into. This doesn’t even rank in the top one hundred.”
Shani sniffed loudly and his lip quivered, but he didn’t cry. “R-really”
“Not even close.” she leaned forwards and whispered, “One of these days, if you promise not to tell anyone, I might even tell you about some of them.”
“L-like the goat incident.”
Immediately Whinnahael scowled, “How did you hear about that?”
“From Master Rudolph.”
Whinnahael’s eyes narrowed, “I am going to skin him…”
“Are you mad?” Shani asked, his lip quivering again.
“No, no, no, not at you.” Whinnahael replied quickly. After a moment she asked, “Rudolph didn’t tell you what happened… right?”
“N-no…”
Whinnahael sighed, “Good.”
“Can you please stay?” Shani asked after a moment.
“Now and forever sweet one.” Whinnahael replied, gently tugging his cheek again, “Now no more crying, and go to sleep.”
Returning to her chair, Whinnahael watched as Shani’s eyes grew heavy and finally slid closed. He snuggled closer to his pillow and within moments was fast asleep. Once she was certain Shani was completely asleep, Whinnahael quietly stepped out of his room and into her own.
After changing into her nightgown she picked up a lamp, lit it with a spark from her finger, and placed it on her nightside table. She froze when she thought she heard Shani yelp in the next room, but there was only silence. After listening for a moment to make certain that Shani was still asleep, she opened the book and began to read.
"Chapter one... so you have decided to adopt a Flenille"
Part 3 coming soon
Read his full story here:https://www.reddit.com/r/TheAuroran....._the_link_for/
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I am open for Commissions
Its been several months since Shani was rescued, and his adoptive mother, Whinnahael Riaden, is starting to learn that caring for a human, and caring for a Flenille, are two VERY different challenges.
The mess hall of the Suncaster Academy was finally growing quiet as the hustle and bustle of dinner faded. Academy staff hurried to clear away the dishes as the last few Suncasters finished their meals or indulged in cups of tea or coffee while the crimson light of the setting suns shone through the western windows.
Whinnahael sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, staring down at her cup of coffee. “I just don't know what to do with him.” she muttered, “Nothing I do seems right.”
Across the table from her, Brightmaster Cax Orion smiled in sympathy, “I'm led to believe that parenthood is difficult enough when the parents and the children are of the same species. I can see why this situation would be more... complex.”
“You're telling me.” Whinnahael sighed again and rested her head on the table, “He's attached to me, that much is obvious, but I can't seem to keep up with him. He has more energy in a day than I have in a week..."
"Mmmmm."
"And he's so... I don't want to say clingy but... he's emotional."
“You have taken on quite the task.”
“I don't know how he manages to get himself into so much trouble. Last week he managed to get himself trapped up on the library roof, Mistral knows how he did it, he can't tell me without crying, and once he was up there he realized that he was afraid of heights! I had to get Master Rayne and Master Kertz to help me up to him, and it took all three of us to pull him off the weather vane!”
“I had wondered why it was so difficult to get him down. Still, it was a rather humourous sight.” Orion replied, lightly sipping his tea.
"And you should have seen the scratches he left in the metal with those claws of his! They were deep enough to stick your fingers in!" Whinnahael sighed and rolled her head back and forth, "And of course Master Atraedius is furious at me for interfering in his plans. He had some grand ambition for the boy, and now those lay in ruin."
"Nothing new there though."
"And then there's Master Yelgrin...”
“Ah yes... I heard about that. How is he?”
“Better. He'll have quite the scar, but thankfully Shani's teeth missed any tendons.”
“That's a relief at least.”
“Yeah.”
“What did he do exactly?”
“He bit him and then hid for a day and a half. I thought he'd run away, until I found him under a pile of laundry. Thank heaven for that uncontrollable tail of his... stick out from underneath a pair of my knickers.”
“No, I mean Master Yelgrin, what was he doing?”
Whinnahael looked up at Orion, “He caught Shani playing with his precious insect collection. I understand that he was upset, but he shouldn't have something like that anyways. Suncasters are supposed to be about protecting life of all shapes and sizes, not sticking it to some gaudy velvet hunk of junk.”
Orion raised an eyebrow. “Indeed...”
“Anyways, he caught Shani playing with it and laid into him. Apparently Shani damaged a butterfly or some such nonsense and Yelgrin smacked him twice before Shani bit him.”
“Fair enough.”
“Of course Shani claims it was just on instinct, and he feels terrible. Yelgrin on the other hand…” Whinnahael’s gaze darkened and anger crept into her voice, “He should have known better. And as far as I’m concerned he's lucky all Shani did was bite him. If I'd seen him beating my apprentice he'd have lost a hand. Still… I confined Shani to his room for the day.”
“Do I sense your motherly instincts kicking in?”
“Damn straight.” Whinnahael growled, “Dammit Orion... You should have seen him on the ship back! He was so skinny I could carry him under one arm, he was covered in fleas and he stunk to high heaven! He was shaking like a leaf, and he refused to come anywhere near me while I had my casting rod.“
Orion’s eyes widened at the implication of Whinnahaels words. He knew that Whinnahael was never separate from her casting rod; she even slept with it in hand. Even for a Suncaster, Whinnahael’s reluctance to part with her weapon was legendary. For her to put it aside for anyone…
“He did have a rough life prior to you rescuing him.” Orion said after a few moments, “I suppose that is to be expected when dealing with a lucent male among the Flenille. Any family that controlled him would have the ability to reliably pass down the Suncaster code. It would make them very formidable.”
"You know the first thing he said to me was: 'Are you going to kill me' ! He still flinches every time I try to touch him!”
“Hmmmm.”
“I gave him a mint the other day and he looked at me with so much love in his eyes… Like this tiny little candy was the most precious thing in the world.” Whinnahael’s hands curled into fists “And I brought him to a place I told him was safe, I promised him he would never be hurt again, and what happens? Playing with some insect gets him hit by a man I taught him to respect! And Master Atradius is no better, he just wants to use the poor boy! It isn’t bloody right!”
Orion raised his eyebrows slightly as he noticed the table beneath Whinnahael's fists begin to smoke But thankfully Whinnahael’s rage was short-lived. With a heavy sigh she leaned back in her chair, “What have I done... the boy needs a professional, not me.”
“Pup.”
“What?”
“Flenille children, they're called pups. Well the males are called pups, young females are called kits apparently. ”
Whinnahael raised an eyebrow, “How do you know that?”
Orion reached into his robes and withdrew a small booklet, “Simple, I consulted a professional.” Orion slid the book across the table towards Whinnahael, “It's early for your birthday, but I suspected you might need some help.”
Whinnahael picked up the book and read the title aloud, “Madame Collingwood's Condensed Guide to Raising Anthrogenic Children’?”
“She runs an orphanage specializing in anthrogenics, down on Copper Street, near the fish market.”
“I've heard of it, we recently acquired a lucent Nanuwa from that place, didn't we?”
Orion nodded, “Indeed. Ix was her name I believe, a consummate troublemaker if what I have heard is to be believed. Either way, she’s the authority on this sort of thing, so I got you the abridged version.”
“So basically: 'How to raise a Flenille for Fools'.” Whinnahael sighed again, “Maybe he'd be better off with Madame Collingwood...”
Whinnahael jumped slightly as Orion placed his hand over hers.
“You know that's not true.” Orion said gently, squeezing her hand, his massive palm easily covering her entire hand, “I can hear it in your voice, you only want what is best for him. And I think you know, in your heart of hearts, that you are what he needs.”
Despite herself, Whinnahael felt her heart skip a beat at the words.
“So take some time, read the book.” Orion continued.
“I don't know...”
“Yes you do.”
Whinnahael sighed and looked down at the tiny leather-bound book in her hand, “Well... it can't hurt.”
===
The sun was setting as Whinnahael returned to her chambers, a basket of food for Shani under her arm. But as soon as she opened the door, she froze at the sight that greeted her.
Shani was in the middle of the room, covered only in his own fur, his initiate robes spread from one end of the room to the other. He was on his back on the plush carpets in the middle of the apartment with one of Whinnahael’s pillows in his teeth, held in his back paws.
As Whinnahael opened the door, it startled Shani, who kicked with his back feet. There was an explosion of thousands of tiny feathers as Shani’s powerful hind legs and razor sharp claws immediately reduced the pillow to shreds. By the time the feathers settled, Shani was sitting cross legged on the rug, ears down and a guilty look on his face, the red satin pillow cover still in his mouth. A single feather gently settled on Shani’s head as he stared up at Whinnahael.
Whinnahale opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was angry, certainly, but the look in Shani’s eyes stopped her.
“What are you doing?” She asked finally.
Hesitantly Shani let go of the pillow case in his mouth. “You were gone a long time.” he replied softly,, “And it… smelled like you.”
“But you knew I was coming back!” Whinnahael said, stepping into the room and brushing a floating feather away from her nose.
“I… I guess so…”
“And your robes… I know you don’t like them but you have to wear some clothing!”
Shani’s ears dropped even more, “I’m sorry…”
Whinnahael sighed and stepped forwards, kneeling down in front of Shani. With a sigh she reached forwards and gently pulled on his cheek, “It’s alright. Pick up the feathers and then you can eat.”
As Whinnahael spoke, Shani’s stomach growled loudly. Sighing again, Whinnahael smiled and pulled the feather off of Shani’s head, “Or… you can eat now and we’ll both pick up the feathers.”
Hesitantly, Shani reached forwards and plucked a feather from Whinnahaels hair as well. Despite herself, Whinnahael snorted, and then burst into laughter. As she laughed Shani leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around Whinnahael, holding her tight and burying his nose in her hair.
“I really missed you.” Shani mumbled softly.
“Okay, okay.” Whinnahael said, gently patting Shani’s back as she chuckled, “Come on, you don’t want your food to get cold.”
"Sorry about the pillow..."
"Don't worry, there are always more pillows."
===
Later on, as the academy began to drift off into slumber, Whinnahael sat in a chair beside Shani's bed, reading from a Suncaster text. The young Flenille watched her quietly, his big orange eyes staring into hers.
Like all Flenille, Shani didn't like to be covered up, and so in lieu of blankets, had his arms and legs wrapped around a large fluffy pillow. In their native land, multiple generations of Flenille would sleep together on a single mattress, with the young and elderly in the middle and the adults at the perimeter.
The pillow was covered in patches of fabric where Whinnahael had patched tears from Shani's razor sharp claws. The young Flenille was often tormented with nightmares and Whinnahael would be greeted with a hurricane of feathers and stuffing when she came to comfort him.
“And from the light that is the life of this world, we are taught that it is the defense of life that is our most important task, the core thesis from which all of our actions are derived.” Whinnahael read aloud, “And thus we arrive at the second key tenant of the Suncaster order, ‘Safeguard thy life and the lives of others, as they are the beacons that shall lead others to true light.”
A loud yawn interrupted Whinnahaels' reading. As she looked up from the book she could see that Shani was struggling to keep his eyes open.
“That’s all for tonight.” She said, closing the text and placing it on the floor beside Shani’s bed.
“But I'm not...” Shani yawned heavily, still fighting to keep his eyes open, “Not…. tired…”
Whinnahael smiled and reached forwards, scratching Shani between his large ears. “I know. Just rest your eyes for a little while.”
Shani purred quietly and dug his nose into his pillow.
As Whinnahael stood up to leave, Shani whispered, “I’m sorry…”
“For what?” Whinnahael asked, pushing the thought of her favorite satin pillow out of her mind.
“For biting Master Yelgrin.” Shani mumbled, “I didn’t mean to hurt him…”
“Of course you didn’t.” Whinnahale replied quickly, kneeling down next to Shani’s bed and meeting his eyes, which were glistening with tears.
As Shani started to whimper, she quickly brushed the tears away, “No no no, don’t cry, it’s okay.”
“But I hurt him…” Shani whimpered, “And I got you in trouble. I’m sorry…”
“Trouble?” Whinnaheal replied with a smile, “This is nothing. You wouldn’t believe some of the trouble I've gotten myself into. This doesn’t even rank in the top one hundred.”
Shani sniffed loudly and his lip quivered, but he didn’t cry. “R-really”
“Not even close.” she leaned forwards and whispered, “One of these days, if you promise not to tell anyone, I might even tell you about some of them.”
“L-like the goat incident.”
Immediately Whinnahael scowled, “How did you hear about that?”
“From Master Rudolph.”
Whinnahael’s eyes narrowed, “I am going to skin him…”
“Are you mad?” Shani asked, his lip quivering again.
“No, no, no, not at you.” Whinnahael replied quickly. After a moment she asked, “Rudolph didn’t tell you what happened… right?”
“N-no…”
Whinnahael sighed, “Good.”
“Can you please stay?” Shani asked after a moment.
“Now and forever sweet one.” Whinnahael replied, gently tugging his cheek again, “Now no more crying, and go to sleep.”
Returning to her chair, Whinnahael watched as Shani’s eyes grew heavy and finally slid closed. He snuggled closer to his pillow and within moments was fast asleep. Once she was certain Shani was completely asleep, Whinnahael quietly stepped out of his room and into her own.
After changing into her nightgown she picked up a lamp, lit it with a spark from her finger, and placed it on her nightside table. She froze when she thought she heard Shani yelp in the next room, but there was only silence. After listening for a moment to make certain that Shani was still asleep, she opened the book and began to read.
"Chapter one... so you have decided to adopt a Flenille"
Part 3 coming soon
Read his full story here:https://www.reddit.com/r/TheAuroran....._the_link_for/
If you like this and wish to support me, please consider supporting my Patreon. Or just visit for more stories and art: https://www.patreon.com/theauroranarchive
And for more stories and artwork, visit the Auroran Archive Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheAuroranArchives/
I am open for Commissions
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Exotic (Other)
Gender Male
Size 989 x 1280px
Comments