Announcement
↓ There are some CWs in this chapter that are also spoilers↓
Spoiler
Cannibalism, description of a character being eaten, description of a panic attack
[collapse]
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--- Orion ---
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I panted heavily as I got up and tried to figure out what to do next, Icaro was dragging his granddaughter off into the maze of houses as the mother recovered from getting pushed and chased after them. A bunch of useless idea flittered through my head, things I’ve already tried, and things that couldn’t possibly work, like somehow recovering the lost incense.
So, I just did what I was trained to do and raised my bow, and tried to conjure another arrow onto its string. But, nothing happened, I tried again as the Wendigo looked at me with confusion, tilting its bony head as it watched me fail to get another arrow.
Eventually it dawned on me that I’d run out of arrows, a dire reminder that my skill didn’t make arrows, but rather stored a usually adequate 3 dozen arrows. All of which were embedded in the thing’s joints or scattered around the town.
The Wendigo’s jaw opened in a perverted smile, also realising that I was out of things to shoot at him as it took a taunting step towards me, knowing it had won. I let the arm holding my bow fall to my side, realising it uselessness as I glanced around for Sally. I saw him ruffling around on the floor, like he was looking for something in the area where Icaro’s censer was destroyed.
I carefully walked towards Sally, making sure that my eyes never broke the miserable beast’s stare. It was that tenuous connection between prey and predator, both waiting for the other to move first and give away their plan of attack or escape.
I quickly realised that there wasn’t much of an option but to ru-, regroup somewhere else and, and come up with another plan. I slowly positioned myself next to Sally, the little dragon somehow completely distracted by whatever he found on the floor.
I began to slowly crouch down in anticipation of grabbing Sally before running for our lives, but the Wendigo crouched as well, obviously preparing to do something.
“Sally!” I urgently demanded through gritted teeth. Fortunately, Sally finally seemed to understand what I wanted to do as I reached out an arm towards him, the dragon jumping onto my sleeve and running up it, eventually reaching my shoulder and digging his claws through the cloth.
As Sally climbed up me, the Wendigo’s patience snapped and it lunged forwards, it arms outstretched in an attempt to snatch us up into its grip. But I just jumped back, its bony hands only just missing the front of my face.
Tik Tok.
I quickly got up as I landed on my ass from the impromptu dodge and started running away, putting everything I had left into getting as far as I could from the monster.
“I HAVE A PLAN!” Sally excitedly shouted directly into my ear, interrupting the constant thrumming in head with a spark of hope.
Hopefully, it’s something that works before the Wendigo pounces on us.
As I was sprinting for my life, my heart beginning to pound with exhaustion and a familiar tinge of fear, Sall rotated himself around on my shoulder facing the monster chasing us. He puffed out his chest, rearing back his head and gathering himself up for I assumed could only be a fireball.
As he built up the pressure of the flames, little licks of red light lighting up the corners of my vision. Just as I assumed Sally would release his attack, a sharp and unrelenting force viciously hit my right shoulder and knocked me off my feet, sending Sally and I into the dirt. I groaned, sharp pains running up my back and through my right shoulder as I attempted to prop myself off the floor.
I eventually flipped myself over, and managed to spot the Wendigo leisurely dropping a piece of rubble in the distance, and with the chunk of rock lying nearby, I connected the dots on what hit me.
Sally, who’d landed a few metres away from me, staggered to his feet between myself and the rapidly approaching monster. He tried gather his flames again, whatever he’d been planning for seemed to need at least a few seconds of preparation, which he didn’t have.
The Wendigo, seeing the little dragon obviously doing something, ran towards him, closing the gap quickly. Even though the Wendigo was obviously injured and weakened, it was still able to move with abnormal quickness.
In a moment it was right in front of Sally and raised a hand up, it whole body following through on the movement of slamming its palm downwards, directly on top of Sally. He was squashed into the ground, like a bug beneath a boot.
The Wendigo lifted up its clawed hand revealing an unconscious and bashed Sally, the poor little dragon smashed into the floor.
I felt my world grind to a stop, the thrumming of blood in my ears and the pounding of my heart drowning out the world around me, leaving only the battered sight of Sally in my brain. I wanted to go do something to help, anything, my brain screaming at me to. Just. Get. Up.
But.
But I… I just couldn’t, my legs, my arms, they just shook madly as I watched the Wendigo reach down with its claws and picked up the unconscious dragon. Sally hung from its hands limply as it picked him up, dangling him in front of its eyes, inspecting him like…
Like he was a snack.
I-I-I want to… do something, I got up unsteadily, my right arm limp as the rest of my limbs shook madly. I stepped-
I tried to, but I just couldn’t. what could I do, I don’t have any arrows, I don’t have any weapons, I, I can’t do anything.
But, I, I want to do something.
But I wasn’t trained to kill anything near this big with my bare hands, Father didn’t say to fight he, he, he said to always protect yourself-.
But then it ate him, the Wendigo threw Sally into his mouth like a grape and swallowed him whole.
Just like that he was gone.
Dead gone died never-coming-back vanished.
The sight and realisation of his death ran through my head again and again and again, flashing through my brain in time with my raising heartrate. The bow that was still somehow in my hand fell to the ground, the useless piece of wood clattering on the ground.
The noise attracted the attention of the Wendigo, its black slimy tongue flicking out when it stared at me.
The sight of it paralysed me, the thoughts of Sally and my heartbeat intensified as its body turned, its full attention on me.
“I’M. STILL. HUNGRY” It tauntingly drawled, taking a step towards me.
In that moment I knew what it wanted.
And that realisation broke through the shock of Sally’s death, my injury, pain and uselessness.
I ran.
I ran back into the maze of broken houses, desperately trying to find something, an idea to pop out, some facet of training to draw on.
Something better than just dying here, like S-Sally.
“If you are to die, don’t do it with your back facing the enemy, look at death in the face like. a. man.” My father insidiously whispered, his lessons flashing through my mind.
I ran anyways, ignoring the echoes of his words and plunged myself further into the cramped and badly made spaces between houses.
Eventually I had to stop, my heart racing as my rapid breathing eventually slowed down from panicked hiccups to deep and gulping breaths.
I leaned against a stone wall, the cold rock chilling my skin as I rested my head on it.
That… state from before, that panic, that bubbling, rising feeling of helplessness returned the moment my thoughts had a chance to form again.
Sally.
Sally is gone.
My mind grew even more erratic as the realisation set in, he was gone. My first friend, the first person who’d bothered to actually try.
My breathing grew erratic again, shallow, gasping and uneven breathing all I was capable of as the fleeting memories of Sally flashed through my vision. The fact that our short journey together with each other was over already hurt, it ached. It wasn’t friendship, it was that my selfish wish could have been granted.
To have someone who… wanted to be around me.
Not out of obligation, or because they were asked to.
Just… someone who… liked me, as me.
At some point, I’d slid to the ground, warm salty tears running down my face and dripping onto my clothes.
Eventually the thoughts of self-pity and loss became one endless tide, soaking and permeating my mind with raw, unrelenting emotions.
“Men don’t cry boy.” My father’s voice reminded me, his familiar warning instinctively shutting me up. With a pained sigh I tried to recollect myself, forcing myself to slowly deepen my breathing and push down my turbulent emotions.
You’re a warrior, strong, brave and true.
You’re a warrior, strong, brave and true.
You’re a warrior, strong, brave and true.
Eventually I returned to my senses and stood up weakly, my mind a bit clearer than before. And with the clarity, my right shoulder started throbbing with pain. I glanced at it, quickly realising that it was dislocated and wouldn’t get better on its own.
I started to quickly breath in and out, psyching myself up for the painful task of fixing it. I used my left arm to lift the right up and behind my head and held my breath for the final move.
*click*
I sighed as the pain slowly faded, the sensation was something I never really got used to. But what now?
Do I run?
What can I-
Tick. Tok.
The noise from one of my many pockets broke me out of my spiralling thoughts, reminding me of the monster, the Wendigo that was hunting me.
A crack rang out in the distance, the sound of bones on stones easy to hear.
I started moving again, the faint hope that I could lose the Wendigo in the town’s small maze of back streets pushing me forwards.
“HIIIIDE AND SEEEK?” the Wendigo’s screech echoed, its childish demeanour was terrifying, it made want to run even faster. The loud scratching of claws and the cracking of the weakened walls as it pushed its way through the narrow passages made it obvious that it was catching up.
I started to sprint again, my tired body banging against the buildings as I tried my best to take the corners as fast as I could.
Skills!
I’d forgotten about my skills!
But < Hunter’s senses> only works if you’re the one hunting, not being hunted.
And hand-to-hand combat isn’t very effective against that.
Cherrys_chapters System stuff if that interests you
Announcement
↓ There are some CWs in this chapter that are also spoilers↓
Spoiler
Cannibalism, description of a character being eaten, description of a panic attack
[collapse]
-------------------------------------------------
--- Orion ---
-------------------------------------------------
I panted heavily as I got up and tried to figure out what to do next, Icaro was dragging his granddaughter off into the maze of houses as the mother recovered from getting pushed and chased after them. A bunch of useless idea flittered through my head, things I’ve already tried, and things that couldn’t possibly work, like somehow recovering the lost incense.
So, I just did what I was trained to do and raised my bow, and tried to conjure another arrow onto its string. But, nothing happened, I tried again as the Wendigo looked at me with confusion, tilting its bony head as it watched me fail to get another arrow.
Eventually it dawned on me that I’d run out of arrows, a dire reminder that my skill didn’t make arrows, but rather stored a usually adequate 3 dozen arrows. All of which were embedded in the thing’s joints or scattered around the town.
The Wendigo’s jaw opened in a perverted smile, also realising that I was out of things to shoot at him as it took a taunting step towards me, knowing it had won. I let the arm holding my bow fall to my side, realising it uselessness as I glanced around for Sally. I saw him ruffling around on the floor, like he was looking for something in the area where Icaro’s censer was destroyed.
I carefully walked towards Sally, making sure that my eyes never broke the miserable beast’s stare. It was that tenuous connection between prey and predator, both waiting for the other to move first and give away their plan of attack or escape.
I quickly realised that there wasn’t much of an option but to ru-, regroup somewhere else and, and come up with another plan. I slowly positioned myself next to Sally, the little dragon somehow completely distracted by whatever he found on the floor.
I began to slowly crouch down in anticipation of grabbing Sally before running for our lives, but the Wendigo crouched as well, obviously preparing to do something.
“Sally!” I urgently demanded through gritted teeth. Fortunately, Sally finally seemed to understand what I wanted to do as I reached out an arm towards him, the dragon jumping onto my sleeve and running up it, eventually reaching my shoulder and digging his claws through the cloth.
As Sally climbed up me, the Wendigo’s patience snapped and it lunged forwards, it arms outstretched in an attempt to snatch us up into its grip. But I just jumped back, its bony hands only just missing the front of my face.
Tik Tok.
I quickly got up as I landed on my ass from the impromptu dodge and started running away, putting everything I had left into getting as far as I could from the monster.
“I HAVE A PLAN!” Sally excitedly shouted directly into my ear, interrupting the constant thrumming in head with a spark of hope.
Hopefully, it’s something that works before the Wendigo pounces on us.
As I was sprinting for my life, my heart beginning to pound with exhaustion and a familiar tinge of fear, Sall rotated himself around on my shoulder facing the monster chasing us. He puffed out his chest, rearing back his head and gathering himself up for I assumed could only be a fireball.
As he built up the pressure of the flames, little licks of red light lighting up the corners of my vision. Just as I assumed Sally would release his attack, a sharp and unrelenting force viciously hit my right shoulder and knocked me off my feet, sending Sally and I into the dirt. I groaned, sharp pains running up my back and through my right shoulder as I attempted to prop myself off the floor.
I eventually flipped myself over, and managed to spot the Wendigo leisurely dropping a piece of rubble in the distance, and with the chunk of rock lying nearby, I connected the dots on what hit me.
Sally, who’d landed a few metres away from me, staggered to his feet between myself and the rapidly approaching monster. He tried gather his flames again, whatever he’d been planning for seemed to need at least a few seconds of preparation, which he didn’t have.
The Wendigo, seeing the little dragon obviously doing something, ran towards him, closing the gap quickly. Even though the Wendigo was obviously injured and weakened, it was still able to move with abnormal quickness.
In a moment it was right in front of Sally and raised a hand up, it whole body following through on the movement of slamming its palm downwards, directly on top of Sally. He was squashed into the ground, like a bug beneath a boot.
The Wendigo lifted up its clawed hand revealing an unconscious and bashed Sally, the poor little dragon smashed into the floor.
I felt my world grind to a stop, the thrumming of blood in my ears and the pounding of my heart drowning out the world around me, leaving only the battered sight of Sally in my brain. I wanted to go do something to help, anything, my brain screaming at me to. Just. Get. Up.
But.
But I… I just couldn’t, my legs, my arms, they just shook madly as I watched the Wendigo reach down with its claws and picked up the unconscious dragon. Sally hung from its hands limply as it picked him up, dangling him in front of its eyes, inspecting him like…
Like he was a snack.
I-I-I want to… do something, I got up unsteadily, my right arm limp as the rest of my limbs shook madly. I stepped-
I tried to, but I just couldn’t. what could I do, I don’t have any arrows, I don’t have any weapons, I, I can’t do anything.
But, I, I want to do something.
But I wasn’t trained to kill anything near this big with my bare hands, Father didn’t say to fight he, he, he said to always protect yourself-.
But then it ate him, the Wendigo threw Sally into his mouth like a grape and swallowed him whole.
Just like that he was gone.
Dead gone died never-coming-back vanished.
The sight and realisation of his death ran through my head again and again and again, flashing through my brain in time with my raising heartrate. The bow that was still somehow in my hand fell to the ground, the useless piece of wood clattering on the ground.
The noise attracted the attention of the Wendigo, its black slimy tongue flicking out when it stared at me.
The sight of it paralysed me, the thoughts of Sally and my heartbeat intensified as its body turned, its full attention on me.
“I’M. STILL. HUNGRY” It tauntingly drawled, taking a step towards me.
In that moment I knew what it wanted.
And that realisation broke through the shock of Sally’s death, my injury, pain and uselessness.
I ran.
I ran back into the maze of broken houses, desperately trying to find something, an idea to pop out, some facet of training to draw on.
Something better than just dying here, like S-Sally.
“If you are to die, don’t do it with your back facing the enemy, look at death in the face like. a. man.” My father insidiously whispered, his lessons flashing through my mind.
I ran anyways, ignoring the echoes of his words and plunged myself further into the cramped and badly made spaces between houses.
Eventually I had to stop, my heart racing as my rapid breathing eventually slowed down from panicked hiccups to deep and gulping breaths.
I leaned against a stone wall, the cold rock chilling my skin as I rested my head on it.
That… state from before, that panic, that bubbling, rising feeling of helplessness returned the moment my thoughts had a chance to form again.
Sally.
Sally is gone.
My mind grew even more erratic as the realisation set in, he was gone. My first friend, the first person who’d bothered to actually try.
My breathing grew erratic again, shallow, gasping and uneven breathing all I was capable of as the fleeting memories of Sally flashed through my vision. The fact that our short journey together with each other was over already hurt, it ached. It wasn’t friendship, it was that my selfish wish could have been granted.
To have someone who… wanted to be around me.
Not out of obligation, or because they were asked to.
Just… someone who… liked me, as me.
At some point, I’d slid to the ground, warm salty tears running down my face and dripping onto my clothes.
Eventually the thoughts of self-pity and loss became one endless tide, soaking and permeating my mind with raw, unrelenting emotions.
“Men don’t cry boy.” My father’s voice reminded me, his familiar warning instinctively shutting me up. With a pained sigh I tried to recollect myself, forcing myself to slowly deepen my breathing and push down my turbulent emotions.
You’re a warrior, strong, brave and true.
You’re a warrior, strong, brave and true.
You’re a warrior, strong, brave and true.
Eventually I returned to my senses and stood up weakly, my mind a bit clearer than before. And with the clarity, my right shoulder started throbbing with pain. I glanced at it, quickly realising that it was dislocated and wouldn’t get better on its own.
I started to quickly breath in and out, psyching myself up for the painful task of fixing it. I used my left arm to lift the right up and behind my head and held my breath for the final move.
*click*
I sighed as the pain slowly faded, the sensation was something I never really got used to. But what now?
Do I run?
What can I-
Tick. Tok.
The noise from one of my many pockets broke me out of my spiralling thoughts, reminding me of the monster, the Wendigo that was hunting me.
A crack rang out in the distance, the sound of bones on stones easy to hear.
I started moving again, the faint hope that I could lose the Wendigo in the town’s small maze of back streets pushing me forwards.
“HIIIIDE AND SEEEK?” the Wendigo’s screech echoed, its childish demeanour was terrifying, it made want to run even faster. The loud scratching of claws and the cracking of the weakened walls as it pushed its way through the narrow passages made it obvious that it was catching up.
I started to sprint again, my tired body banging against the buildings as I tried my best to take the corners as fast as I could.
Skills!
I’d forgotten about my skills!
But < Hunter’s senses> only works if you’re the one hunting, not being hunted.
And hand-to-hand combat isn’t very effective against that.
Cherrys_chapters System stuff if that interests you
