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It was a dangerous bet.
Covered in mud, Eiji ran through the forest, howls and his panting filled the air. If he was quick enough, he'd soon find the safety of open fields. For now, he was stuck with dense trees.
"Eiji!" Ash’s cries could be faintly heard in the distance. The amount of pain in his voice shook Eiji to his core, it took all of his willpower to remind himself it wasn't Ash.
" Eiji! " The forest was persistent, or maybe just desperate. Eiji knew it's secret. It would stop at nothing to make sure that secret doesn't make it out.
He forced himself to keep running. He was almost free.
The trees stretched and twisted in an attempt to grab him. He dodged the roots and sharp branches with an almost practiced ease. He wasn't going to die here, no matter how far the forest stretched in its attempt to trap him.
"Almost there." Eiji reminded himself as he forced his legs to run faster. Stopping meant death, but soon he might run out of stamina.
He ran face first into a flurry of yellow.
"Ow!"
They tumbled into a tree, and a whimper could be heard as the person hit their head. Eiji scrambled away, ready to continue his sprint to safety. It wasn't until he focused on the person in front of him that he hesitated.
"Ash?"
The forest could only chase, not cut off. If Ash were to run from the fields into the woods…
"Yeah, it's me. Jeez, you scared the crap out of us when you disappeared." Ash groaned, rubbing his head. No doubt about it, it was Ash.
Eiji wrapped his arms tightly around Ash, causing his head to hit the tree again.
Ash copied the gesture, albeit somewhat confused. "Hey… did something happen?"
There was too much to explain and too little time.
"Ash, listen to me," Eiji started, holding onto Ash's arm like a lifeline. "You need to run, ok? Run in a straight line and don't deviate from the path until you're out of the woods."
He could see gears in Ash's head turn. "What? Why? Eiji, you're not making any sense."
"Trust me, I'll make it back to you. Just gotta distract it for a little longer for you to run." Eiji was too aware of how labored his breathing was. He might not make it, but Ash didn't need to know.
Ash gripped Eiji's hand. "You're scaring me. We can make a run for it."
"No, we can't."
They were wasting too much time. The forest behind them was disappearing, a gaping black maw crept closer and closer.
Ash's grip tightened. "E-Eiji? What the hell…?"
"It's after me, not you. Just run, please."
Eiji. It called his name.
"We can make it together, I'll carry you if I have to."
Eiji.
"That's impossible, Ash. I need you to trust me!"
Eiji!
"I'm not leaving you, Eiji!"
"God dammit, just run! " Eiji screamed as he pulled Ash up and pushed him in the direction he was originally running toward.
"Go!" he yelled, darting to the side as he felt the branches trying to snag his clothes. He heard Ash mutter something and the sound of leaves crunching underneath. He'd be fine, it wasn't after him.
Eiji made the mistake of looking back. The maw was rapidly approaching, ready to swallow Eiji whole.
"Just keep running." Eiji muttered as he tried to pick up the pace.