Edge of the Earth compilation: Edge's Talisman / Sparrow

     Edge of the Earth and Sparrow who Darts Through Trees were friends far before Edge was gifted with his Heart. Once, the scrawny dark gray Hollowcat snuck out of the village alone. Soon he got lost, and in a panic, rushed deeper into the woods. No Hollowcat could find him. No Hollowcat except Sparrow. He found him, and led him home, playing it off as like an adventure and keeping Edge focused on the game instead of the actual dangers around the two young kittens. When he brought him home, Sparrow was seen as a hero, and everyone was quite happy with him. Soon after that, the two began to spend quite a lot of time together, and even through tough moments in their lives, they had each other.

     In time, their lives began to grow harder and harder, and at one point, Edge wanted to leave it all behind. He tried to convince Sparrow to come with him, but he refused, saying that if Edge was going to leave, then he would have to go alone.

     Edge stayed.

     On the day that he turned 13, Edge was granted his Heart. A Hollowcat named Shining Moon entrusted a glass Dragon's eye to him, telling him to keep it safe and never let it out of his sight. Hollowcats all get their Hearts at the age 13, as their souls are too heavy for their mothers to carry at that age. The heart acts as the organ the Hollowcats do not have, and they tether their life forces to them, attaching their soul to an item important to them. If the Heart is destroyed, the Hollowcat experiences an excruciating death.

     Edge kept this Dragon's eye close to him at all times. He never let it out of his sight, and the only person allowed to touch it was Sparrow. Sparrow kept an embroidered necklace as his Heart; a gift from his sister lost at war. Edge and Sparrow became inseparable, holding onto each other's Hearts for the other when they needed to get into a situation that could damage or break it.
     When Edge hit 15, the age all Hollowcats can officially leave their villages, he was ready. The Village Elders refused to leave their ancestral home, even with the looming threat of a war above them. It angered him. He wasn't going to watch his family and friends die beneath the far larger forces of the kingdoms. He tried to convince the Elders to let him lead them to saftey, but they chastised him and mocked him for being young and far too ambitious. Embarrased and furious, Edge was fully composed to leave his entire tribe behind, when Sparrow stopped him yet again, begging him to stay. This time, he couldn't control his anger toward everyone for overlooking him, and blew up at Sparrow, wrongly directing his fury towards his best friend. Hurt and confused, Sparrow left him alone in the woods, going back to the village for the night. Edge regretted his decision deeply, and forever resents his inability to control his emotions. 

     Fleeing from his mistakes, Edge ran away for the final time, this time with no intention of returning. As he left the woods surrounding his village, however, he saw a raiding party. It was from one of the warring kingdoms, coming to oblitirate anything in their path for war. Terrified, he tried to turn back, but he had already gone too far. The raiding party had found his village before he could return. The lone Hollowcat witnessed the burning of his entire tribe, frantically searching for survivors. He could find no one, and began to panic. The regret sunk deeper as he realized that he would never be able to apologize to Sparrow for what he had said. Calling out in desperation for his friend, not caring whether anyone heard him, he finally found Sparrow Who Darts Through Trees, mortally wounded beneath a collapsed house. At first, Edge tried to help him, telling himself that Sparrow only needed help. But soon, the dark reality overtook him, and he simply lay down next to his fallen friend, and gave up. 

When he awoke, it took the entirety of his strength to unearth Sparrow and drag him away from the ruin. Edge buried him beneath the tree where Sparrow had first found him in the forest, and led him back home safely. He took Sparrow's fading heart and attached it to his, using it to tie the Dragon's eye around his neck. Tearing himself away from the makeshift grave, Edge began to go north, as he had nowhere else to go. Eventually, he found himself in one of the many cities. He started out as a desperate theif, but a librarian took him in after a while, and convinced him to take a better path. He listened to them, and his new life of convincing others of peace began, all in the name of his departed tribe and his best friend.

     Edge is absolutely terrified of ever losing his heart, so he tends to hide it from view, tucking it underneath his cloak or chaining it to his pocket. He can often be found gazing longingly at it when no one is around.