OC Spotlight August: Weshau // nsfw

it's funny that weshau got featured right after nian, because weshau actually started out as an alternate universe version of nian. he quickly turned into a very different character, with a very different design and personality, but you'll notice some similarities to their stories. buckle up, enjoy the read, and feel free to ask as many questions about weshau as you want, whether sfw or nsfw! 

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weshau is a starbeast, a species created by daiva, the goddess of the night sky, truth, and clarity. the starbeasts were amphibious shapeshifters with distinct starry night-looking fur, who weren't quite spirits but definitely not normal mortals either. they were noble creatures with a long history of art, writing, philosophy, and culture; their crowning achievement was the gorgeous underwater town they built deep beneath the surface of the lake of the remote oasis they called home. the town centered on an ancient shrine, one of many sacred sites of daiva that the starbeasts were caretakers of. their community was small but prosperous and they mostly kept to themselves; other people thought of them as semi-mythical, at best. 

one fateful day, a neighbouring elven kingdom--with grand supremacist aspirations--found out that the area of the starbeasts were ideal for the production of liquid moonlight (a very valuable resource) and started encroaching on their territory. they founded a village and populated it with workers and craftsmen and farmers, most of whom were terrified to suddenly find out that the "mythical" starbeasts were in fact real. 

there were attempts at diplomacy and negotiations between the new settlers and the creatures who had inhabited the area for millennia, but conflicts soon erupted--not least because of the elven leaders of the venture, who would rather see the starbeasts out of the picture than contend with them. they began a fear-mongering slander campaign against the starbeasts, denying their intelligence, morality, and cultural achievements, claiming they were little better than malevolent spirits or primitive creatures. one wonder how differently things might have turned out if the mortals had ever seen the underwater city of the starbeasts, the libraries it contained, the temples, the art. but the settlers only saw the starbeasts themselves, and were intimidated by their formidable appearance. they soon came to believe that starbeasts were dangerous predators who would sooner or later try to kill them all, that the only way to protect themselves and their families was to kill the "monsters" first. the elves started leading hunting expeditions, which turned into a war, which ended with a pogrom.

as with the nian, one elf could not stand a chance against one starbeast. but (again, as with the nian) the starbeasts had a very low birth rate and there was not that many of them to begin with; the elven ruler hired a veritable army of mercenaries, monster hunters, and mages that vastly outnumbered them. the mortals suffered heavy losses as the starbeasts fought back, and their fear was well founded in the sense that a starbeast warrior is a terrifying and deadly thing indeed. but even then they were able to start picking off the starbeasts, one by one, outnumbering and overwhelming them. with every fallen fighter, the mortals pushed deeper into starbeast territory, leaving fewer and fewer safe places for the starbeasts to take refuge.

weshau was one of the starbeast warriors. he was known as an honourable, responsible, and disciplined person, with a borderline regal and yet approachable aura. he was always collected and sensible, able to make quick decisions without being rash or impulsive, well liked and valued by his community.

he fought to the bitter end. he had seen his loved ones die; his parents, siblings, his little nephews and nieces, his old mentor, his best friend. he buried them all under the water, as their customs dictated.

the conflict culminated in a final battle between the mortals and the few starbeasts who remained. a last stance. weshau fought to what he thought was his death. he saw his people fall around him while he bled from more and more wounds, and eventually his vision blackened.

he woke up in a cage. his injuries were treated and bandaged up, but he had magical shackles around his neck and wrists, and the cage was enchanted--the work of a powerful mage. turns out one of the elven instigators of the conflict, a man named Adan, had decided to keep weshau as a living trophy in what can best be described as his personal "collection." the enchanted bars proved impossible to break, and the magical shackles enabled adan's mage to control weshau, forcing him to obey their orders.

weshau spent decades in captivity. a lot of things happened during that period.

once the starbeasts were gone, the dust settled after the fighting, and many of the mortal hunters and mercenaries settled in the village. they married the locals, became farmers or craftsmen or priests or learned to work with liquid moonlight, the production of which took off in earnest. they forgot the rumours of an underwater town, but still told their children about the war against the '"frightening beasts."

the elven kingdom fell, but adan still prospered. 

at first, weshau's grief filled him with cold, bitter anger. he soon gained a reputation in adan's "zoo;" his calm, dignified integrity (reminiscent of a big feline) would make his "caretakers" lower their guard, only for weshau to attack when they least expected. he managed to kill a fair number of adan's servants and guards, and they quickly realised that they would never be able to tame him or make him submit; the only way they could control him was through the mage's magic. adan paraded him around like a tiger on a gold leash, showed him off to his peers, boasted of owning "the last starbeast"--and often used him to intimidate his enemies and underlings, sometimes even forcing him to fight in his private arena.

weshau prayed to khuthlya, the god of vengeance, that one day he would get his revenge--both on adan and on those who killed his kin. he was patient, ready to wait, knowing that sooner or later he'd get his chance. he seemed indomitable, unbending, noble even with a slave collar around his neck.

in captivity, weshau befriended another slave--a young elf named renza. this was the first time weshau got the opportunity to truly talk to a mortal, to connect instead of fight, and he found himself getting fond of the brave little elf. renza told him about the world of elves and humans and thajir and andarah and other mortals; tales of their noblest heroes, dark and tragic stories of conflicts and hatred, and everything inbetween. weshau realises that mortal cruelty does not discriminate; the systematic extinction of his people was horrible, but mortals treat one another as badly, too.

he still prayed to khuthlya, but he also started praying to mezfirah, the god of mercy and forgiveness.

that was when his prayers caught the attention of these two divinities. khuthlya was certain that if weshau managed to get back home, he would extract a grim revenge on the mortals. mezfirah, on the other hand, had faith that there might not have to be more bloodshed. the two gods decided to make a bet about it.

mezfirah asked to appoint one of his spirits as guardian of the village, an individual who were to not only guide and protect the mortals but also to try to heal and help weshau once he returned. khuthlya agreed--on the condition that he could choose the spirit. he picks a small black rabbit spirit, and thinks he's already won the bet. there's no way a tiny bunny could stop weshau from destroying the villages.

but the black rabbit, minoru, took his task very seriously. he soon established himself as the guardian spirit of the village and was beloved by all for his gentle ways and kindness. the village thrived under his care, and he readied himself for the day weshau would return, trying to figure out how to convince the "monster" to have mercy on the mortals.

meanwhile, renza managed to escape slavery, but promised to one day return and free weshau and the others. years later, adan and renza have their final showdown--which is a completely different story, but it ends with renza bringing adan down for good and setting his mansion aflame. he kept his promise, releasing all the other slaves, including weshau. while the mansion burns, weshau set out to find adan. as it turns out, renza had cut his tendons, leaving him at the mercy of his now-free "pets." weshau tore his throat out.

the journey home is long and arduous, and when he finally makes it back to the starbeast oasis, all he finds is tombs and ruins. he keeps himself hidden and unseen, sneaking around the village, observing the mortals who killed his family. a few times he even disguises himself as a traveller and visits the village for a few days, with none of the people he meets having any idea of who and what he really is.

a couple of weeks later, villagers start to go missing in the night, gone without a trace except for pools of blood and pieces of flesh. people would wake up in the middle of the night to the terrified bleating of their sheep and goats, only to find a few of them slaughtered, ripped apart by large claws and fangs--and another person missing. 

minoru realises that weshau has returned, but the villagers barely believe him at first. they were so certain they had all been extinct, that they had "rid themselves of those monsters once and for all." but soon they start to catch glimpses of weshau as he turns the village into his hunting ground, carrying people off into the dark. the villagers are terrified; those among them who were once hunters and mercenaries haven't held a weapon in years, their children have grown up in peace and quiet and don't know how to deal with such a threat. minoru comforts them, promising to set things right, and goes out to meet "the beast." 

minoru was just a little spirit when the war between the mortals and the starbeasts took place; he couldn't do anything, but he remembers. he's heard all the villagers' stories about the "blood-thirsty monsters," but he knows there's more to the starbeasts than that, and hopes to be able to reason with weshau.

he sits outside the village every night, patiently waiting for weshau to approach. finally, there is a voice from the shadows; "don't waste your time trying to stop me." minoru asks why weshau is angry, and weshau tells him of what the mortals did to his people. "they should suffer like i have, like my family and friends did. they killed my kin. why should i not do the same to them?"

minoru asks if there is nothing else that weshau wants, aside from revenge. weshau is quiet for a while, and then says "if you come with me, i'll show you what i want."

minoru decides to agree, despite the risk and danger, despite the horror of the villagers when they see their guardian spirit leave with the spectre that has come to haunt their homes. weshau even shifts into his four-legged four, and offers minoru to ride on his back. they run back to the oasis, not a word spoken between them, just the wind in their faces and the tendrils of weshau's mane gently wrapped around minoru's wrists, to make sure he doesn't fall off.

he brings the rabbit spirit to the oasis. it's not as splendid as when his people lived there, but it's still a gorgeous sight; weshau's main lair is underwater, but there's a few buildings by the lakeside too, and he's made one of them liveable--cozy, even. weshau walks him through the ruins, past rows of tombs, and minoru can sense the veil of sorrow that shrouds the place.

they stop at the lakeside, and weshau tells minoru too look beneath the surface. what minoru sees is the missing villagers, asleep in the water, completely unharmed. and seeing them all, minoru realises that weshau did not choose his victims randomly; the people he kidnapped are the spouses, children, grandchildren, and friends of those who were once hunters and mercenaries, those who fought and killed the starbeasts.

"i haven't killed anyone. i'm not a monster. i'm merely making them feel what i felt; i'm making they think they've lost their loved ones. they will all go home eventually, once those who killed my family have grieved like i grieved."

minoru asks about the blood; weshau explains it was from the livestock, splattered around to make it look like the mortals met a violent death. minoru asks why, and weshau says that at first, he wished them dead--but during his time in slavery, he realised that their death wouldn't change or fix anything. he realised that it was up to him to choose if he would exact revenge, or find it in himself to have mercy, to try to forgive, to prevent more deaths from happening. he decided to choose mercy. but still--he wants to teach them a lesson. he asks minoru not to interfere.

minoru ends up staying in the oasis for a while, and weshau treats him like an esteemed guest. he helps taking care of the sleeping villagers and also grows curious about the recently lost starbeast culture, of which weshau is the last keeper. minoru explores the ruins, showing an interest that weshau had not expected; he gladly tells him everything he wants to know, and throughout these conversations, a friendship is formed. minoru realises that weshau was never the barbarous, ruthless monster of the villagers' stories; he can be austere at times, yes, in that warrior's way, but at heart he's a kind, unselfish soul, almost sage-like in his wisdom and honourable in his morals. minoru watches him make sure the sleeping villagers are well, how careful he is with them even as he kidnaps new "victims," gently sinking them into a magical sleep. not that it's easy for minoru, a highly empathic being, to let his villagers suffer, thinking that their families and friends have been taken from them--but he can't find it in him to deny weshau his "revenge," either.

minoru's and weshau's friendship comes to be defined by mutual respect, open-mindedness, honesty, and trust. weshau tells the rabbit about how he visited the village as a traveller, a stranger--and how he was met with hospitality and kindness. he had been invited into the home of the woman who had killed his brother, where he had shared a meal with her and her family. she had become a smith after the war ended, but instead of swords and arrows she forged pots and mirrors and jars for the liquid moonlight. her grandchildren had peppered him with curious questions about the world outside, the youngest had fallen asleep in his lap, and they gave him food and water for the road when he left. he had witnessed the marriage of the person who skinned and slaughtered his old mentor; they cried at the ceremony, their partner kissed the tears away from their cheeks. during the feast that followed weshau had been invited into the dance around the bonfire, and they asked him to join the others in lighting a silver lantern for the good luck of the newlyweds--he had done so. 

when they had not been ruled by fear and prejudice, when they had been unaware of his actual nature, their instinctual reaction had been to welcome him with warmth and generosity. and weshau had seen them as they are--normal people. some of them had done horrible things, driven by dread, manipulated by the man that had wanted weshau to call him 'master' and other cruel persons like him. but weshau saw that they were not monsters any more than he was. 

weshau and minoru's friendship gradually takes a turn for the romantic; it's slow, unhurried, starting with little gestures and words that goes beyond simple friendship. they find themselves lingering with one another, closer than before, metaphorically and physically, but not stepping too quickly. their conversations sometimes turn into quiet moments together that are somehow more intimate than many of their long dialogues, and they both sort of know they're in love long before ever talking about it or acting on it. they let it simmer, as if to savour it.

minoru finally takes the step; the catalyst is, quite frankly, when he feels his heat come along. who better to spend it with than weshau? what better time to allow the pull they've been feeling towards one another to come to fruition? he basically invites weshau to spend his heat with him, and is adorably blushy while asking, because it would be his first time having a mate he cares as deeply about. weshau gladly accepts--and once the heat has passed, they stay together. 

it turns out they're a fantastic match in the bedroom. minoru had always worn out previous partners way too quickly for his liking, but weshau--who is no ordinary mortal--has a bunch more stamina. even then, keeping up with a rabbit in heat is no easy task. luckily, weshau realises that the perfect way to get some rest while still keeping minoru satisfied is to knot him. weshau gets a breather and minoru gets to squirm in his arms while stuffed with cock: everyone's happy. minoru also proves himself capable of quite the filthy dirtytalk when he gets past a certain point of horniness, asking to get bred and filled with weshau's cubs. weshau is into it, to say the least.

the topic of potential children does come up in conversation, because minoru says that he doesn't know if he might get pregnant--he's never had children with anyone before. weshau asks if minoru wants to have kids--minoru says he'd love to, and asks weshau the same question, to which he replies "there's few things i'd want more." he loves children, and also--if he had cubs he wouldn't be the last of his kind anymore, which would mean a lot to him. "they would be half rabbit, though," minoru adds. weshau kisses his temple and says that "they would be perfect."

weshau eventually awakens the sleeping villagers and brings them back to their families. it's a very emotional moment, where the villagers are reunited with people they thought dead, weeks after holding funeral ceremonies for empty tombs, since no bodies were ever found. they find out that the beast of their nightmares and the kind traveller who visited them months ago are one and the same. they realise that "the monster" has been more merciful than any of them, that they all have the blood of his family and friends on their hands. he could easily have killed all of them, and yet he chose not to. 

after processing what's happened and talking with one another, the ex-hunters and ex-mercenaries gather together, each carrying offerings and prayers. they bring them to weshau, bowing before him, formally asking his forgiveness for the past, and he grants it.

the old wounds don't completely heal overnight, but weshau and the villagers are both open to healing; he's invited to stay at the village, and with time, the mortals ome to the same realisation as minoru. yes, weshau looks quite intimidating, even scary, with his tall stature and unbending posture; he's got sharp claws, long fangs, he's big and strong and potentially very dangerous. but he's got a good, kind heart, a thoughtful and caring mind, a solid sense of morality and responsibility. he grows to feel very protective of the village, and its population comes to realise that they can trust him. 

against all odds, weshau finds a new family--a new place to belong--with the mortals, and joins minoru in being the village's guardian. they build a shrine to him, and once their cubs are born, the whole village helps care for them (not to mention the following batches of kids). weshau teaches his people's culture to his children, and it mixes with the culture of the mortals. as time goes on, the integration of mortals and starbeast-spirits is complete, to the point where people can barely remember a time when it was otherwise. 

and khuthlya finally has to admit that mezfirah won their bet. 

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// art + weshau © me; minoru + renza + daiva + adan © kubi.