Chapter Text
Tlip, tlip, tlip.
Droplets pooled in the tight crevices of metal tiles.
Tlip, tlip, tlip.
A puddle grew from the leaking pipe.
Tlip, tlip, tlip.
Bubbles bounced above the water.
Tlip, plip, tlip.
Ballooning, the beads burst.
Plip, pop, plip
A bloated body bobbed in the stream, carried slowly to the pools.
Tlip, pop, sccsshh...
A Sircu was swallowed by the surge of water, washed under the waves. Lavender soap bled into the liquid, swirling and sinking down. Shorks swarmed. Bubbles snapped back only to be swallowed by starving jaws.
Amber eyes stared from the shallow end. They fluttered, maroon eyelids drifted down. Tired. Lulled to sleep by the gentle splash into its side. Streaks of red rushed from golden stitches into the water.
Dark dorsal fins waded through the current. Blue eyes gleamed as they washed above the surface. Curiosity forgotten with hunger gnawing at the Shork. The claws that pushed through the tide as deadly as the pain they felt tearing through their gut.
Thankfully, a meal was laid along the shore. Coral colored fur swished at a steady pace. Unresponsive to the staggered droplets that lightly pelted its chest.
The snack was fresh, too. Fur was still exploding across the human skin underneath. Stitches sewed the flesh inside. Droplets could no longer seep past the shell. The pipe had stopped leaking.
Time ran out.
Everything felt... fuzzy.
Underneath the weighted fur, a wet blanket spread across its body. Squeezed uncomfortably by the gloop, it sprung up.
Huge, heavy ears swung through the air. They twitched and jolted before shooting upright. Immediately, sounds of the swishing stream hit its mind.
Expecting a puddle, it peered over its shoulder. Totally shocked by the dark, polluted liquid it peered into the water. A hand reached out to see how deep it went.
When a wine red paw came out instead, it leapt back. Short white fingers flexed. Goldenrod paw pads glistened from the moisture stuck on it.
A wave splashed over and soaked the artificial fur. A shadow lingered over. A huge one.
Multiple glistening Shorks; lemon, pink, and one nearly black, stood over the little red bundle of dripping fur. The pale blush colored Shorks drew back, sinking under the water. Snarling softly to themselves once realizing the prey wasn't human.
The scrawny bite seemed to realize the same. A long tail swished with uncertainty as faint memories began flooding back.
Staring at what it believed to be a pack of PseudoShorks, it scrambled to its feet to run. The slick floor made the Raytraxian slip.
Opportunity.
The Wisp rushed out, bounding after the Raytraxian. Chasing after the maroon fuzzball, the Wisp's tail thrashed into the bleach white walls. The harsh blue bio-luminescent light along its neck and chest blazed brighter. Its ribcage rattled against its chest cavity. Effervescent crystals on its knees clinked when its legs collided with the floor. Bones jutted out from the gaps in its flesh. A few chunks from an earlier meal jumped out its exposed torso.
Still slippery from soapy streams, the red Raytrax sprinted to the end of the hall. Heavy pants huffed past haggard maws. Metallic clanks followed closely behind. The dark Shork only grew faster.
Determined.
Infernal scratching from the Wisp's foot talons screeched into their ears. Remaining Shorks retreated under the waves. Yet, the crimson creature had nowhere to go.
Clawing at its ears, the little Raytrax cried out. An already blurry gaze went dark. It ran without thought; completely blinded by the sound.
A sharp object whizzed past the fox-like head, only grazing a few hairs off. The pointed end slammed into the Wisp. Wet bits sprung into the air, splatting on the ground. A light sprinkle misted on the remaining Raytrax's back. Panicked shoes squeaked away.
With the sound gone, vision slowly returned. Amber eyes blinked and widened.
A shelf stood imposingly in its way. A rusted, mixed metal pole held horizontally. Beige boxes labelled "FRAGILE" stacked highly on the upper half. Unmoving and stiff.
Despite desperately trying to slow down, the puddles shoved stumbling paws along. Arms waved recklessly about. Too bewildered to bravely hold forward like a shield, they dangled away.
With chin slowly tilted up, eyes stuck staring, neck open and unprotected: Throat thrusted forward, whamming into the rail.