Chapter Text
I'm tired…
please..please, just let me die…
The ground crunched and squelched in infrequent amounts underneath the creature's feet. It was an uncomfortableness it had gotten used to. It had to, despite not wanting to.
Barely anything was alive here, at least not anymore. Not after what happened.
-CRACK-
The creature's head snapped up, eyes no longer focusing on the disgusting excuse for undergrowth it walked on. The sharp slits it learned to call pupils narrowed so the shadows wouldn't seem as dark. The slits softened when the cause of the sound was identified — just another rotting tree losing a branch. Nothing new.
Or was it?
…
Yes. It was. No new smells, which solidified that fact. It was nothing new.
The creature huffed before beginning to shuffle along it's predetermined path. The trail it took was barely indented, despite the amount of times the creature had used it. The sharp foliage scratched at it's skin, attempting to tear away clumps of oil slick fur or get a chance at drawing blood. The creature simply moved on, stuck in its normal daze. It wanted to get back home, the almost dry watering hole it was coming from had been too crowded for the creatures liking. Despite it being the only thing there aside from plants.
When mushy dirt shifted to jagged gravel the creature knew it was getting close. Its head tilted up, eyes perfectly alligning with the entrance of its cave. The jagged opening of it barely seeming to fit the creature. But it did, and that's all that mattered.
Well this place looks like shit.
Dynamight sighed, staring around at the base that that looked basically thrown together despite a couple of the eastern armies having been settled here for over half a year.
The bombs dropped years ago, yet it looks like it dropped yesterday—
His eyes traveled from dry looking dirt up to the massive trees. He blinked. Trees..? Were those trees…? They looked too smooth and too….spike like. Now that he thought about it, it looked like a wall—like something was trying to keep everyone out…
"Dynamight!"
Dynamight snapped out of his thoughts and looked towards his red headed partner.
"What is it Shitty Hair???" He acted more annoyed than he actually was. The red head sighed with a smile before speaking again.
"It's Red Riot here, man-" he muttered, before remembering his purpose for talking to the angry blonde. "-anyways, the general was callin' us in order to explain our job. No more looking around." Red riot rubbed the back of his head, giving a nervous smile.
He was on edge. Of course he was, every hero that was called here was—unless they were arrogant and big-headed.
Dynamight scoffed, crossing his arms, walking towards Red Riot.
"Lead the way Red."
The cave was annoyingly warm, but it was colder than it had been years ago.
Look at the positives [Name]-
[Name]..? Who's that..? Oh well. Positives, look at them.
The charred lumps thoughtfully placed in the nicest corners were still there. Pride swelled in the creature at that, for some reason. but, good job anyways. Then a negative swelled up. That tended to happen often in this forsaken land. Too often. The lovely, charred lumps it treasured were not food. Never food. But that meant there was no food in the cave at all. None.
A grumble escaped the creatures mouth. The floor would have been comfy, the slight jaggedness made for a nice texture it had grown to like. It was a comforting uncomfortableness that made [Name]'s malformed flesh just ease.
But if food was needed, then there was no time to lay in the cave.
The creatures feet ached. Or was it paws..? Whatever they were, they ached. Despite that, the creature shifted back out the way it came, but deciding to take a different path through the pathetic excuse for a forest. The walk was going to be long, at least a day and half of travel just to get to decent hunting grounds. The creature had claimed it's territory too well. A small well of regret bundled in its chest, but it quickly dissipated. There was no reason to feel such a way.
The creatures stumpy legs dragged onwards, the scenery pretty much the same as the last hunting trip. The trees were malformed, the branches practically melting. The leaves and needles were no longer easily visible, as they blended in with the ashy bark of the trees. The animals were a similar story, skin ashy and barely hanging onto its respective skeletons. Fur, if there, was either oil slick or too matted to be worth having. Animals were the only source of food here, since they were just barely not toxic enough to incapacitate—which meant animals came in few and far between and that the alive enough ones were tough to hunt.
The creature huffed out a sigh, dragging its feet a little faster than before. A bit more motivated for some reason. [Name] tilted their head up, ah that's why. The spike wall. How long had it been since th-it had been made. It was just an uncomfortable spot. The creature was sure everyone else felt that way. Even though no one else was there. Never will be. Never.
…
The creature sniffed the air, then stood still. It was that scent again. Of course it was over here. It was a fresh smell. Fresh everything. Fresh skin, clothes, metal, gunpowder. It fealt surreal. The creature didn't know what to do, what to think. It was stuck. How unfortunate. Then the gun powder smell got stronger. That shouldn't be right. The creatures ears twitched. The air was shifting, it was too fast to be a bug. Then it was loud, ear shattering—along with a voice. That shouldn't be possible. But [Name] heard it.
"DIEEE!!"
Pain. Excruciating pain. It shot through their skull, leaving lasting remnants through their limbs. Their skin felt immensely thinner, like their hand could just reach through- A yowl left the creatures mouth, echoing that of a normal scream. Just slightly to animalistic to seem right.
There was the thump of heavy boots then the voice again.
"Shit!! There's someone in that thing-!"