Chapter Text
Is this what it feels like, Scar wondered, to be absolutely miserable. To have your heart broken beyond repair. He was so tired, so fucking tired of this stupid war. How had he let it go this far? He didn’t know, he just wanted to sleep. Sleep and forget about everything even remotely connected to grass or mycelium. Oh god he wished Grian was here.
***
One year earlier
A new season, a new start. Scar always looked forward to this time. Exploring this new land, building a hut for the first night in the wild, getting by with limited resources. The pure excitement that filled him at the prospect of planning and building his new base made him smile from ear to ear. Even the fall that had landed him in the middle of this jungle could not dampen his mood. The possibilities in this biome of purest green were endless. His imagination was already running amok.
The only real problem he was facing was the pants-problem. That was what he had named his apparent lack of leg-clothing. Though he could not deny that his new clothes were among the most comfortable ones he had ever worn, he still needed to be somewhat respectable. What if someone found him out here. A leader of Concorp with a beard fuzzier that Robinson Cruzoe and dressed in nothing but a robe and underwear. This was a disgrace. What if Cubfan saw him this way?
But before he could take care of that situation he needed shelter. The night was quickly coming and should he be caught without a shelter in this dangerous jungle he would have greater things to worry about that facing the vex underdressed. So he set out to try and build himself a home for the first night.
***
Moving around in the jungle proved to be a far more challenging task than he had expected. The thick vegetation made it impossible to move fast through the land and by the time nighttime came he had not managed to get very far along. On top of that the darkness was quickly deepening and all around him the sounds of the jungle started to mingle with the noises of the dangerous beings that swarmed out of caves and other godforsaken places. He twitched at every sound and almost jumped out of his own skin when an ocelot crossed the path in front of him. The sudden rush of adrenalin made him take several running steps and in his hurry he missed the creek that suddenly appeared in his way. He let out a yelp as the ground under his feet disappeared and he tumbled forward into the humid water. Even though the water was shallow it did not stop it from soaking him through completely and he had to remain still for a moment to calm himself down.
After a while he tried to assess his situation. He was dripping wet sitting in only his underwear in a muddy creek. Thankfully the greenery around him was so thick that it was impossible to see through, something that at least for the time being shielded him from the horrors of the jungle. But he did not expect it to remain so for long. Without delay he tried to stand up only to curse loudly and fall back down again. His hand found his ankle and he could feel the warmth radiating from it, the swelling had already started. He must have twisted it when he fell and sitting there he could feel the strength and resolut draining from his mind and muscles. He felt like crying, alone as he was in the middle of nowhere. Tears started to slowly trickle down his cheeks and the lump in his throat and the worried knot in his stomach grew larger and larger. But his ever positive brain could not help but wander.
At least the water is warm.
The water…
“The water!”
The last word spilled out of him before he could stop it. It seemed to echo between his ears and he new all too well that the things out there that hunted him almost certainly knew where he was. But that did not stop his thoughts from speeding.
Creeks always end up somewhere, they don't just disappear. Maybe it will lead me back to my camp by the little lake.
With newly regained vigour he carefully stood up trying his ankle. It wasn’t too bad after all, only a slight sprain if he had to guess. But with no way to care for it out here, he had to make it back before he could inspect it properly. So he picked up his backpack from where it had landed beside him and inwardly cursed himself for the state of it. The dry firewood he had collected would be useless. Nevertheless he threw it on and slowly started walking downstream. The warm water was soothing for his foot and it also had the benefit of hiding his traces, for he did not have the strength to flee from any dangers in this state. Though the nightly noises scared him at least now he was moving in the right direction.
***
After walking for god knows how long he had to rest for a bit. The pain in his ankle had gotten a lot worse and was spreading up towards his knee making it hard to move quickly. The vegetation guarding him had yet to disappear and he could not see the night sky to judge how much longer it was to dawn. His hope was faltering and right now any zombie that wanted could have him for dinner for all he cared. How had he thought he could go resource gathering all on his own. He should have stayed at his base and fixed some food and armour before he went. At the very least he should have told someone he was going. But now it was too late, his communicator had no service out here in the jungle and all the other hermits had their own problems to deal with.
He opened his backpack. It had dried somewhat in the warm air but was still damp from its visit in the creak. The inside was a mess, even worse than his usual unorganized chaos. Everything in it had been thrown around and it was almost impossible to find anything. The firewood it turned out was not only wet but also sticky from the juice of a watermelon he had found on his way. The fruit had cracked in the fall and the syrupy sweet water had spilled over the insides of his bag. Trying his best not to get disheartened he pulled out the melon and reached for the axe in his belt. It would settle his roaring stomach, if only for a little while.
Before he new it the melon was gone. He had had no problem eating the entire thing and though his stomach felt on the verge of exploding from all the watery substance, he new he could have easily eaten another one. But even if his tummy wasn't satisfied he could feel the energy returning to his muscles. The sugar had done him good and he wasn't going to waste it laying around in the grass.
He was just about to stand up when his ears picked up a strange noise coming from the bushes on the left. There was a ruffle in the leaves and then a head poked out. A pair of grey eyes looked at him with interest and he looked back, stunned by the closeness of the little creature. He had only ever seen them in pictures before.
“Hello there little guy. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”
He stretched out his hand and the little panda cautiously sniffed on it.
“See, I’m not dangerous. Where’s your mother?”
The panda just looked at him. Scar frowned and started to pull himself up onto his feet. There was a dull throbbing coming from his ankle but he ignored it. Crying would do him no good whatsoever. The animal was startled by his movements and disappeared into the bushes.
“No wait! I'm not going to do you any harm! I just want some company.”
Scar followed the bear into the bushes and tried to navigate through the rough terrain in the near solid darkness. His clothes got caught on several branches and a sharp twig scratched his face badly. But for some reason he felt like he had to keep the little bear within eyesight. It made him feel not quite so lonely and lost.
Just as he thought he had lost it, for the ruffle of bent-away vegetation ahead of him had stopped, he stumbled into a moonlit glade. The sharp difference in lighting forced him to stop for a moment to let his eyes get used to the brightness. A moment later when he could once again see properly he realized what he was looking at. The little panda he had been following had disappeared behind a much larger one. His mother most likely, something Scar realised far too slowly. Before he had the chance to react she was already charging towards him and he tried to throw himself out of the way. He almost made it but she was faster. The big bear threw herself over him, knocking him down. Her claws scratched at his arms and torso before she passed him. He was up on his feet in a second and had already turned to run away before the bear had a chance to attack again. And then he was running.
Stumbling, falling, crawling through the jungle for what seemed like an eternity. He ran until he felt like his lungs were going to explode and then he ran some more. Scared senseless he didn't stop until he finally saw a faint yellow light in front of him. As he approached it Scar realised that it was in fact his own base by the little lake. Somehow he had, in all the panic, managed to get all the way home. He collapsed inside the lit-up ring created by the torches and panted until his heart slowed down and his lungs stopped burning.
It was then he realised that his backpack with all the resources where gone, lost somewhere in the forest. An icy feeling settled itself in his stomach as he crawled up in his bed, clothes still on and the scratches from the panda still swelling. Unable to sleep he sat in his bed, flinching at every sound from the jungle around him, until dawn broke and the sun rose above the treetops.