10-16-2018, 06:56 PM
[align=center][div style="width: 51%; text-align: justify; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: georgia;"]//gore warning; the very last bit is rlly the only part that matters
Each step sends waves of pain through her body. Cosette trudges on, paws sinking into the sand as she searches, glazed eyes scanning the landscape and not seeing anything except large dunes and the occasional bushel being blown by the wind or the form of cacti. Her wounds ache, tan fur stained with oozing red. She curses the whole of Typhoon, their sneering faces haunting her mind, their smart remarks and jabs cutting her deeper than Pincher's knives had.
The desert felt like a sea, stretching on for miles with nothing but herself and the heat. She was going to die out here. But so what? She felt like light headed, her ears buzzing and darkness playing at the edges of her vision. She still forced her tired legs forward, no matter how they hurt and stung, screaming at her to rest. She couldn't, she couldn't stop. Not until she got back.
Why was she even trying? There was Yes man, Benny, Ninazu, Quill--she was fond of them all. But what did they feel towards her? Either way, they could go on without her, she was easily replaced. Her knowledge, her abilities, none of them were hard to find in others. These thoughts sent her legs buckling, finally giving in and leaving her to collapse to the ground. Sand kicked up around her. The blackness that had stayed to the corners finally enveloped her.
---
When she wakes up, the first thing she notices is that she isn't in the desert anymore.
Instead, there's grass under her paws, tall trees sprouting up all around her. Sunlight filtered in through the canopy overhead. It was beautiful, certainly better than the wasteland she had been living in. Then she notices the one in front of her, another savannah like her, fur white and dotted with black. The grin is unmistakable.
"Bishop!"
He doesn't recoil at the sound, doesn't snarl or back away. If anything, he seems pleased to hear it, his face brightening when he meets her eyes. But there's something off about him.
When she gets closer, she tilts her head, studying him closely. This didn't feel right. "What's wrong?" she asks, taking a hesitant step back.
He only cocks his head to the side, not blinking an eye as blood seeps between his teeth, trailing down his chin. His eye twitches.
Suddenly the ground underneath her shifts, breaking apart and paws rising up from the dirt, sharp claws digging into her, dragging her down. They tore at her skin, tearing it away from her face and exposing flesh and bone. All she could do was scream.
Faint laughter echoed all around her, familiar faces surrounding her as she was dragged down, their mouths grinning and sneering at her.
---
The serval wakes with a start, sweating and chest heaving with gasps of air, panicked eyes fluttering about the small enclave. Where was she? She didn't recognize this place, orange rock surrounding her and only illuminated by the fire in the middle of the small space. In front of it, a coyote sat, watching her through narrowed yellow eyes. She stared back, shuffling up until her back hit the wall behind her.
It was silent for what felt like an eternity. The only sound was the crackling of the flames, shadows dancing across the floor. Then the other spoke, amused by her fright.
"Bad dream?" they ask, though they obviously already knew the answer, picking up the stick beside them and poking at the fire. "You can stop eyeing me like that, by the way. I'm not gonna eat you--too lean, not enough fat on your bones." she isn't sure how to feel about that, but nevertheless, a wave of relief washes over her. Finally she relaxes and breathes out at the comfort of resting her tired body.
Then they fall into quiet again, Cosette awkwardly shuffling her paws as the emptiness began to unnerve her. "Um, what's your name?" she eventually asks, wanting to fill the space. Plus she was curious about this stranger who had pretty much saved her from dying out in the desert.
"My name?" they look up from the fire, studying her with a cold eye, then grinning around the stick they still held in their teeth. "Nothing important. Not yet, anyways."
"Well, what are you doing out here?"
"I could ask the same of you. You live here or something? People don't really come here on a walk or some shit like that."
She shrugs, unsure whether to tell the truth or not. She had learned better than to trust people off the bat--but considering they had saved her, she decided she might as well put a little faith in them. "Yes, I do. I was looking for my group, but um, I guess I got lost." she admits sheepishly, ears pinning back against her head.
A toothy smile spreads across their face. The glow of the fire adds to the malicious glint in their eyes, face shadowed as the flames dance between them. Wrong choice.
She watches in fear as they grow closer, standing up to their full height and looming over her, staring down at her and reveling in the way she shrunk away. It was only now that she realized how much bigger they were, stronger with muscles flexing under their copper fur. Their snarling grin reminded her of the faces she saw in her dream: mocking and disdainful.
"Is that so?" their tone sounds like chalk on a chalk-board, yet it was muffled as her head buzzed, suddenly feeling as if she was swimming. Their mouth continued to move, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. They were overpowered by the whispers.
Run. Get away.
The voices echoed in her brain, warning her, whispering to her.
Idiot, stop sitting there. Run away!
They were close enough that she could smell their rancid breath, the stench of decay sticking to their tongue. Cosette couldn't hear anything, couldn't focus on anything but the voices, growing louder and louder as her heart raced in her chest.
K̶i̸l̷l̵ ̷t̵h̷e̶m̶.̴
She shook her head. They were going to hurt her, maybe even hurt the others if they got what they wanted out of her. But she couldn't kill them.
K̵͚͍̈́̈ì̶̩̦̚l̵̦͖͝l̵̦͈̉̑͠ ̸̠͝t̵̗̿͛͗͜ẖ̷͔̒̔ê̵͈̞̇͆m̸̨̖̳̓̃͐.̵̬̈́ ̷̗̘̿͠K̴͇̥͔͋ï̵͚͚̂̽l̷̼̆̆l̷̲͗ ̷̦͆̿t̵̛̟̝h̴̡̺̭̓ḙ̶͍͗̋̀m̷͚̪̲̊̈́.̶̺̫̬̍͛
Suddenly it was a shout, the voices all telling her to do it, to fight back and kill her. She could see their face, contorted into an angry expression, as they shouted at her.
D̶̝̿o̸̮͒ ̷̑ͅĩ̷͈t̶̲̎.̶̲̔ ̴̝̌Ḏ̶̓ỏ̶͉ ̶͎̔i̸̇ͅť̵̼.̵̦̃ ̵̻͆D̸̠̒o̷͔̓ ̷̠͛ȋ̵̬ẗ̸̟!̵̡̊
With a loud cry, Cosette lunged forward, taking the coyote by surprise. They may have had an advantage in size, but she had speed. She caught them off guard, sending them stumbling back a step, but it was already too late. Her teeth clamped down hard, catching their throat and feeling blood fill her mouth.
Her ears filled with the sound of flesh being torn, ripped away as she turned her head, leaving a chunk of meat in her jaws. Blood spurted, mingling with the old and dripping down her fur. They fell to the ground with a thump, landing in a bloody heap, a look of shock still on their face.
---
She was tired of walking, of futilely searching. It hadn't been long since she left the cave, but out here in the middle of nowhere, minutes felt like hours.
Finally, finally, she could see the temples rising up over the horizon, a weight lifted off her shoulders at the sight. She was back--but she still wasn't sure. Did she deserve to make it back, to survive being captured by the Typhoon or being held up by the person who had saved her?
No, you didn't. You should be dead.
But she wasn't. Death didn't even seem to want her.
Taking a seat, covered in blood that was both her's and others', she waited for someone to come along and discover her. She couldn't walk another step.
Each step sends waves of pain through her body. Cosette trudges on, paws sinking into the sand as she searches, glazed eyes scanning the landscape and not seeing anything except large dunes and the occasional bushel being blown by the wind or the form of cacti. Her wounds ache, tan fur stained with oozing red. She curses the whole of Typhoon, their sneering faces haunting her mind, their smart remarks and jabs cutting her deeper than Pincher's knives had.
The desert felt like a sea, stretching on for miles with nothing but herself and the heat. She was going to die out here. But so what? She felt like light headed, her ears buzzing and darkness playing at the edges of her vision. She still forced her tired legs forward, no matter how they hurt and stung, screaming at her to rest. She couldn't, she couldn't stop. Not until she got back.
Why was she even trying? There was Yes man, Benny, Ninazu, Quill--she was fond of them all. But what did they feel towards her? Either way, they could go on without her, she was easily replaced. Her knowledge, her abilities, none of them were hard to find in others. These thoughts sent her legs buckling, finally giving in and leaving her to collapse to the ground. Sand kicked up around her. The blackness that had stayed to the corners finally enveloped her.
---
When she wakes up, the first thing she notices is that she isn't in the desert anymore.
Instead, there's grass under her paws, tall trees sprouting up all around her. Sunlight filtered in through the canopy overhead. It was beautiful, certainly better than the wasteland she had been living in. Then she notices the one in front of her, another savannah like her, fur white and dotted with black. The grin is unmistakable.
"Bishop!"
He doesn't recoil at the sound, doesn't snarl or back away. If anything, he seems pleased to hear it, his face brightening when he meets her eyes. But there's something off about him.
When she gets closer, she tilts her head, studying him closely. This didn't feel right. "What's wrong?" she asks, taking a hesitant step back.
He only cocks his head to the side, not blinking an eye as blood seeps between his teeth, trailing down his chin. His eye twitches.
Suddenly the ground underneath her shifts, breaking apart and paws rising up from the dirt, sharp claws digging into her, dragging her down. They tore at her skin, tearing it away from her face and exposing flesh and bone. All she could do was scream.
Faint laughter echoed all around her, familiar faces surrounding her as she was dragged down, their mouths grinning and sneering at her.
---
The serval wakes with a start, sweating and chest heaving with gasps of air, panicked eyes fluttering about the small enclave. Where was she? She didn't recognize this place, orange rock surrounding her and only illuminated by the fire in the middle of the small space. In front of it, a coyote sat, watching her through narrowed yellow eyes. She stared back, shuffling up until her back hit the wall behind her.
It was silent for what felt like an eternity. The only sound was the crackling of the flames, shadows dancing across the floor. Then the other spoke, amused by her fright.
"Bad dream?" they ask, though they obviously already knew the answer, picking up the stick beside them and poking at the fire. "You can stop eyeing me like that, by the way. I'm not gonna eat you--too lean, not enough fat on your bones." she isn't sure how to feel about that, but nevertheless, a wave of relief washes over her. Finally she relaxes and breathes out at the comfort of resting her tired body.
Then they fall into quiet again, Cosette awkwardly shuffling her paws as the emptiness began to unnerve her. "Um, what's your name?" she eventually asks, wanting to fill the space. Plus she was curious about this stranger who had pretty much saved her from dying out in the desert.
"My name?" they look up from the fire, studying her with a cold eye, then grinning around the stick they still held in their teeth. "Nothing important. Not yet, anyways."
"Well, what are you doing out here?"
"I could ask the same of you. You live here or something? People don't really come here on a walk or some shit like that."
She shrugs, unsure whether to tell the truth or not. She had learned better than to trust people off the bat--but considering they had saved her, she decided she might as well put a little faith in them. "Yes, I do. I was looking for my group, but um, I guess I got lost." she admits sheepishly, ears pinning back against her head.
A toothy smile spreads across their face. The glow of the fire adds to the malicious glint in their eyes, face shadowed as the flames dance between them. Wrong choice.
She watches in fear as they grow closer, standing up to their full height and looming over her, staring down at her and reveling in the way she shrunk away. It was only now that she realized how much bigger they were, stronger with muscles flexing under their copper fur. Their snarling grin reminded her of the faces she saw in her dream: mocking and disdainful.
"Is that so?" their tone sounds like chalk on a chalk-board, yet it was muffled as her head buzzed, suddenly feeling as if she was swimming. Their mouth continued to move, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. They were overpowered by the whispers.
Run. Get away.
The voices echoed in her brain, warning her, whispering to her.
Idiot, stop sitting there. Run away!
They were close enough that she could smell their rancid breath, the stench of decay sticking to their tongue. Cosette couldn't hear anything, couldn't focus on anything but the voices, growing louder and louder as her heart raced in her chest.
K̶i̸l̷l̵ ̷t̵h̷e̶m̶.̴
She shook her head. They were going to hurt her, maybe even hurt the others if they got what they wanted out of her. But she couldn't kill them.
K̵͚͍̈́̈ì̶̩̦̚l̵̦͖͝l̵̦͈̉̑͠ ̸̠͝t̵̗̿͛͗͜ẖ̷͔̒̔ê̵͈̞̇͆m̸̨̖̳̓̃͐.̵̬̈́ ̷̗̘̿͠K̴͇̥͔͋ï̵͚͚̂̽l̷̼̆̆l̷̲͗ ̷̦͆̿t̵̛̟̝h̴̡̺̭̓ḙ̶͍͗̋̀m̷͚̪̲̊̈́.̶̺̫̬̍͛
Suddenly it was a shout, the voices all telling her to do it, to fight back and kill her. She could see their face, contorted into an angry expression, as they shouted at her.
D̶̝̿o̸̮͒ ̷̑ͅĩ̷͈t̶̲̎.̶̲̔ ̴̝̌Ḏ̶̓ỏ̶͉ ̶͎̔i̸̇ͅť̵̼.̵̦̃ ̵̻͆D̸̠̒o̷͔̓ ̷̠͛ȋ̵̬ẗ̸̟!̵̡̊
With a loud cry, Cosette lunged forward, taking the coyote by surprise. They may have had an advantage in size, but she had speed. She caught them off guard, sending them stumbling back a step, but it was already too late. Her teeth clamped down hard, catching their throat and feeling blood fill her mouth.
Her ears filled with the sound of flesh being torn, ripped away as she turned her head, leaving a chunk of meat in her jaws. Blood spurted, mingling with the old and dripping down her fur. They fell to the ground with a thump, landing in a bloody heap, a look of shock still on their face.
---
She was tired of walking, of futilely searching. It hadn't been long since she left the cave, but out here in the middle of nowhere, minutes felt like hours.
Finally, finally, she could see the temples rising up over the horizon, a weight lifted off her shoulders at the sight. She was back--but she still wasn't sure. Did she deserve to make it back, to survive being captured by the Typhoon or being held up by the person who had saved her?
No, you didn't. You should be dead.
But she wasn't. Death didn't even seem to want her.
Taking a seat, covered in blood that was both her's and others', she waited for someone to come along and discover her. She couldn't walk another step.
![[Image: 47407915_RucwlSELKxeGt9A.png]](https://f2.toyhou.se/file/f2-toyhou-se/images/47407915_RucwlSELKxeGt9A.png)
