Chapter Text
Chris grunted as his back slammed against a tree trunk. He looked up from his slumped position at its base, a small trail of blood trickling from his nose. He smeared it with his sleeve, wobbly standing to his feet. It had landed one hell of a blow on him, and had turned its attention towards Martin, who was acting as a distraction. Chris's mind ran, struggling to come up with a plan that would get them both out of this alive. He glanced at his supply bag, his tools all safely stashed away inside. It lay there, tauntingly, 50 feet away.
'Son of a bitch.'
He clenched his jaw, glancing again at the creature engaging with his brother. He had an idea, but it was risky. Martin would just have to trust him. He would. Chris knew he would. Even when they couldn't trust anybody, they could trust each other.
He pushed off the tree, beelining for the key to their survival. Martin noticed him first, his eyes following his trajectory and landing on the bag, his curiosity breaking his concentration. The beast roared, head whipping around at the sound of rapid footfall. It snorted angrily, beginning toward the green-clad brother. Martin, in a panic, threw a rock at it.
"HEY YOU, um, YOU OLD GRANDPA! WHAT, FORGET ABOUT ME ALREADY? IS THE DEMENTIA SETTING IN?!?!"
It stopped in its tracks, slowly turning back to face Martin. A snarl stretched across its snout, eyes wide with fury.
He was suddenly filled with intense regret.
"Oh, s h i t."
It bounded toward him, jaws wide, saliva flying. Martin dropped the second rock he had loaded and yelped as he scrambled to turn around and make a run for it. Screaming the whole time, he zigzagged between the trees, making a frantic circle around the clearing that had served as their wrestling ring. He passed Chris, the creature's jaws snapping entirely too close to Martin's back.
"Whatever your plan is, Chris, now would be a good time to fill a brother in!"
Chris had been fiddling with the supplies from his bag, fingers a blur as he built, quite literally, for his brother's life. He looked up, running to another position.
"There's no time! Just trust me and do what I say! Come into the clearing from the far end and run straight ahead. And whatever you do, do not stop."
Martin didn't know what exactly the plan was, but he did know Chris. He would trust him with his life. He guessed now was his chance to prove it. The adrenaline was keeping him chugging along at full force, bringing them around the far end of the clearing like Chris had said. He burst from the foliage, temporarily soaring through the air. He almost resembling the Kool-Aid man, but with more leaves and sticks. Chris would have laughed if it wouldn't have killed them both.
Chris had hidden himself behind some bushes, Martin rushing passed, his assailant hot on his heels.
"Go, Martin! Go and don't stop! Don't look back, I'm right behind you!"
He sure hoped this would work.
As the canine passed Chris's hiding spot, Chris let go of the rope he had been holding. His trap sprang into action, a large branch releasing and whipping the creature square in the face. It fell back with a yelp, quickly followed by another roar. Chris cut a second rope, and several make-shift bolas catapulted towards its legs. They only sort of worked, the beast getting tangled up in the ropes more than being tied up. Good enough.
Chris snatched a hunting knife, made of pure silver, and approached the struggling predator. It writhed and flailed, growls mingling with whimpers. Its gaze fixed onto Chris.
He stood beside the magnificent canine, its struggles dwindling as it eyed the blade in his hands. It knew.
"I'm sorry", Chris whispered as he raised the knife above him. He began to plunge it down, but stopped. It had stopped struggling completely now, the only movement the rapid rising and falling of its chest as it breathed heavily. Its eyes locked onto his, wide and unblinking, brimming with fear.
They stayed that way, at a standstill. Eventually, Chris sighed, arms lowering.
"I can't", he whispered.
He raised his arms once more, swiftly bringing the blade down. The ropes fell to the ground, sliced apart, and freeing the creature. It quickly rose to its feet, regaining its intimidating demeanor. It blinked at Chris. Chris blinked at it.
"Soooo, are we… friends now?"
It lunged at him. He fell back with a scream, arms raised instinctively to protect himself. A piercing howl reverberated across the clearing, and Chris was suddenly soaked in warmth. He grunted as the weight of the creature crushed down on him. With much effort, he rolled it off himself, blood oozing everywhere. He looked at the beast, a knife handle protruding from its chest.
Well. That's unfortunate.
Chris fell back into the puddle of blood he was sitting in, chest heaving as he panted.
"This is way above my pay grade."
He rose to his feet, still catching his breath. He made a face as he stood in front of the corpse.
"I'm so sorry. It's nothing personal, I swear."
He grasped two fistfulls of fur and clambered up to retrieve his knife.
"This is so disrespectful, oh my god."
He pulled the knife out with a wet squelch and jumped off as quickly as he possibly could. He shuddered, making his way back to his bag. He wiped the blade on his bloodied clothes, not doing a very effective job of cleaning it. He sighed before placing it in one of the pockets. He gathered what he could of the supplies he had used, leaving the ropes under the creature's lifeless body. Choose your battles? Chris was choosing, and he chose… not that one.
He threw the backpack over his shoulder, looking after where Martin had taken off. Thank nature he had listened to Chris, his inability to kill that thing could've gotten them both killed. He debated chasing after him, but ultimately decided to contact the crew and form a search party. Martin could run longer than Chris could, and Chris was already exhausted. It would be a waste of time.
He called the Tortuga on his creature pod, sending his location for them to pick him up.
"Woah, dude, you look like shit" Jimmy said over Aviva's shoulder. She rolled her eyes and shoved him out of frame.
"We'll be there in a few. Please try to stay alive till then." She zapped away as the call ended.
Chris sighed. What a mess this trip had become.