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“Would you rather cooperate and not have Egg captured and killed or the other way around? Keep resisting and have your only friend leave you?”
“…”
“Exactly.”
Lettuce turns around and leaves, the lights turning off, the room plunging into darkness, leaving Wemmbu with only himself and his worries and fears.
———————————————
How long has it been? Wemmbu doesn’t know. What he does know is that his neck is hurting and he needs to get out. He needs to get out. GET OUT. GET OUT GETOUTGETOUTGETOUT.
The only human (?) contact was with masked individuals who walked in twice everyday to shove food down his throat without a single murmured word.
Wemmbu feels like he’s going crazy. The collar shackling him to the wall was rubbing his neck raw. He swears there’s scratches everywhere. That there’s figures in the dark laughing at him, mocking him. He wants light. Please give me light. Or something. Anything.
.
.
.
I wonder if Egg’s worried about me.
And Flame.
And Parrot.
ManePear.
Minute.
…Pathetic.
*****
FlameFrags was just in his base when a colourful feathery mess of a parrot flew straight into his base and crashed against a wall. (ouch.)
He winced.
Parrot stumbled up, nursing his wounds and let out a soft curse before immediately turning to Flame and letting out a string of words.
“DoyouknowwhereWemmbusgone? Icantfindhimanywhereee!”
“What.”
Parrot frowned, his feathers ruffling in mild annoyance as he stood there, his hand on his hip.
“Do you,” Parrot points at Flame, “know where Wemmbu,” he makes a gesture of a crown sitting on the top of his head, “has gone? Because I can’t find him anywhere!”
“Why did you think I’d know bro? I don’t even talk to him that much bro. Like after I beat him, bro, I just left.”
Parrot grimaces. “Then where did you think he might have gone?”
Flame shrugs, how would I know? That idiot just stood there and watched me leave. I bet he’s still fine though. He’s my rival after all.
“I don’t think you’d have to worry too much about him. He’ll be fine. Trust me bro.”
“…I’m worried. What if he’s captured by the law? What if—”
“He’ll be fine, bro.”
“I hope so.”
*****
Hours. Days. Even weeks have passed. Wemmbu tugged against the collar, the chains holding taut. He screamed for a long time, but had gone quiet recently. That thought made Lettuce’s lip curl. Seems like it’s working quite well.
*****
Wemmbu could see a figure masked in white sitting across from him. What was Egg doing here? Was he captured too?
His eyes trailed over the figure before noticing that there were in fact, no chains whatsoever. So what was he doing here?
“Egg…?”
His voice cracked from that one syllable. His dry lips parting after a long time.
The figure looked straight at him, his cobalt blue eyes smiling. Wemmbu sucked in a breath. Egg! Egg’s actually here! And he’s happy to see me!
“Egg! Wait, so can you remove these chains for me please then me can—?”
“…”
“Egg?”
The figure adverted his eyes, his head wings coming up to cover most of them. …As though he was ashamed of looking at him.
“Egg?”
“Hey, Wemmbu?”
Wemmbu sighed inwardly and replied, “Yeah?”
“Why do you always have to cause so much trouble yourself and then lump me with you?”
“You disappoint me.”
“Hey—no! Egg!” Wemmbu cried out desperately, his hands reaching forward, grasping at thin air.
The figure dissolved into ManePear, his mentor, his teacher—
“You’re a lost cause.”
Then it was Minute.
“Wait—no! NononononNONONO! STOP! STOP! STOP! They wouldn’t…say that! They wouldn’t…hate…me…? …would they?” Wemmbu cried out, curling into a ball, hands covering his ears. But no matter what he did, somehow, the words just seem to penetrate through that barrier.
“I told you that violence isn’t always the answer to everything.”
“Now look at where you’ve ended up.”
FlameFrags.
“You can’t win without your Orbitals can you, bro?”
“You cheat and you make me sick.”
One by one, his friends and people whom he considered as his allies spouted hurt word after hurtful word up until—
Rejoice.
The person who died because he was too weak to save. Someone who he cared—albeit not to showy about it—a lot about.
“Wemmbu, it was fun while it lasted and I appreciate playing with you guys.”
*****
Wemmbu snapped. That single line—right before the Wardens ripped him to shreds.
No, no, no no no! Stop! Stop! I don’t deserve this why why me why? I-go away!
With that, Wemmbu blacked out from exhaustion.
———————————————
He was woken up by someone’s gentle touch. It was probably Minute he thought. The previous thing was just a nightmare—a really long one—and he was just in Minute’s base, over sleeping.
He opened his eyes as he leaned in slightly to the touch before immediately pouncing back and banging his head on the concrete wall. Oh, it’s Lettuce.
“Stay away!” Wemmbu snarled, his voice cracking slightly. Lettuce frowned and kicked Wemmbu in the stomach before leaning down and whispering, “That’s not how a dog is supposed to behave, Law dog.”
”I’m not—!”
Slap.
“…”
“Good,” Lettuce smiles and pets Wemmbu on the head, thoroughly confusing Wemmbu now. What was this guy playing at?
But after a long time without touch or affection, Wemmbu’s subconscious leaned into the touch, finding comfort in it. Maybe..maybe obeying Lettuce isn’t so bad.
Lettuce withdrew his hands after a while, his expression back to his usual withdrawn one.
“I’ll come to see you again in the future.”
———————————————
I AM SO SORRY MY BRAIN IS SO MUDDLED UP I CANT THINK OF ANYTHING RN ILL TRY AND EDIT IT MORE TMR BUT I REALLY HAVE NO BRAIN POWER RN!! ;^;
Hope you enjoyed it at least.