Chapter Text
Organizing chests was not Twixxel’s favorite idea. But it was inevitable. After all, if Twixxel was ever undergoing a zombie attack, (or if Mob was…) Twixxel shouldn’t waste time looking through chests trying to find weapons or blocks. And things looked nice when they were sorted anyways.
Twixxel knew that because Mob’s chests looked nice when Mob actually bothered to organize them.
Recently, after Mob and Twixxel were revived, they started a new world, which was an SMP. Mob paid for it, but Twixxel tried to chip in whenever he could. Tried. The other people in it tried to chip in too, which was better than what Twixxel did.
Twixxel usually hopped on different public worlds from time to time when they were bored. Like skywars, bedwars, build battles, etc, and met a few friends who joined the SMP. They only joined because of Twixxel’s begging really, but some bonded with others more than they did Twixxel and they drifted apart.
In total, the server had eleven members, not all online at the moment. Oh, twelve including Verity. Actually, twelve plus Creator. But Twixxel didn’t really count Creator in the other group of people because Twixxel stopped telling people about it.
Twixxel, noticing their dirt stack, sighed and opened that chatlog, texting,
(Twixxel_lesgo) yo dude anyone have like a spare 2 dirt blocks
…
(LookOut3D) Go outside and touch grass maybe?
(Twixxel_lesgo) no like somebody stole my two dirt bloks
(GroxMC) genuinely only 2 dirt blocks btw
(LookOut3D) Just go outside and dig some up??
(Twixxel_lesgo) i know but it’s the thought that counts someone stole it
(GroxMC) genuinely only 2 dirt blocks btw
Twixxel gave up, huffing angrily as they slammed the chest shut, along with the chatlog. Along with the missing dirt blocks (they probably used but forgot,) all of Twixxel’s food was also gone from the chest. Their real food anyways.
They’d have to go get some tonight. The thought made them shudder. To distract themself, they went outside. Their house was next to Mob, so they knocked on the door. Mob doesn’t leave the server unless Twixxel begs to play bedwars with him or something. So Mob would be there. Probably. Unless he was out mining.
“Moooobb?? Mob, open upppp~!!!!” Twixxel wailed through the door, thumping on it with both hands. When the door did open, they fell directly into Mob.
Looking down on the creature that just collapsed onto his chest, Mob grumbled something under his breath, pushing Twixxel away gently. He didn’t want Verity to get upset because he knew how it would end.
Twixxel pouted slightly, looking up at Mob.
“Mob, did you take my-?”
Slam.
“HEY, DON’T CLOSE THE DOOR ON ME!!” Twixxel shouted, banging on it again. “Okay, fine, you win, I don’t care if you stole my blocks for your dih-irt, I just wanna hang oouut!!”
Mob resigned and cracked the door, staring down at Twixxel and their beady little eyes. “For your information, I never stole any of your dirt. But I appreciate the scene.” Mob grumbled, struggling to keep the door open. Because Verity was currently blocking the door with himself to keep Twixxel from entering. But Twixxel didn’t know that.
After about five minutes of Twixxel whining and begging in different ways (“Where did they get cat ears? And why the fuck do they just carry a maid dress around??” Mob thought,) Verity finally rolled into the doorway. The sudden lack of tension against the door made Mob fall, almost, though he managed to catch himself. Twixxel didn’t realize.
“Twixxel! What a surprise! You usually don’t bother Mob for another sixteen minutes and forty-six seconds!” Verity chirped, with that ever-present smile.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!”
“You know exactly what it means.”
“Verity.” Twixxel, pouting, lazily drifted his gaze up to Mob, away from Verity.
“Yes, Mob?” Verity tilted at an angle slightly. Although he was a sphere, it was like a kind of dog or wolf trying to tilt his head. Mob didn’t bother responding to Verity, not look at the ball. He saw that thing enough as is.
“Sorry Twix, I’m busy.” Mumbling, Mob pulled the mask covering his mouth higher. He glanced at Verity. The orb seemed to like that response.
“Whaat??? Mob, you—”
“Twix. Please, maybe later. Or maybe we can only hang out tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. Mob and Twixxel were going over for what Twixxel’s new friend called ‘tea time,’ since they were invited. Though Mob didn’t want to go, he didn’t want to make a bad impression on Twixxel’s friends. And he also didn’t want Twixxel to be upset. Since the people they were visiting were new members, Mob didn’t know much about them. And Twixxel knew Mob didn’t like that.
The door shut. Pouting and somewhat hurt, Twixxel stalked away from the house. They knew how it was with Verity, but they at least wished that Mob could spend more time on the server with them instead of just realms. But Twixxel had to be grateful, since ungratefulness was a bad thing. Very, very bad.
Looking through their inventory, they equipped their pickaxe. A gift from Mob, ironic. They went to an azalea tree and started digging down.
The caves weren’t their favorite, but it could keep them occupied long enough.
—
They kept building up, back out of the hole they came from.
Twixxel’s stomach grumbled.
They had to deal with low hunger for the entire walk back home, though it was more like staggering than walking, hands clutching their stomach as if it would help them. When they finally were back, they could barely even nudge the door open with their foot, so they had to drop to their knees and start gnawing on the door handle so the lock would break and they could enter. They were at one hunger.
Crawling inside, they looked around for anything they could at least gnaw on. Obviously not the torch or lantern. Maybe the back of their furnace or crafting table since those were against the wall anyways. A book could work well, until Mob would pull it out and notice. The covers on their bed could work well, or maybe their pillow. Yeah, their pillow could work, if they wanted to ignore the pangs.
They climbed into their bed, trying to go to sleep while chewing on the edge of a pillow. But they knew it would only be worse in the morning, that is if they even woke up in the morning. Resigned, tired, and utterly mad at themself, they stumbled out of their house, streetlights dimmed, the moon at the top of the sky, and Twixxel could barely even see as it was, vision blurry from wet eyes as they panted. They barely even registered the cold. Or realized they were already outside.
Twixxel didn’t even consider Mob for a second. Maybe they would look into Mob’s storage. But he wouldn’t have any raw meat. Not with Verity around.
The other members of the server wouldn’t do either, they were too nice to Twixxel. Mostly. And Twixxel didn’t want to be like Verity, making people… walk in on… y’know… and it wasn't likely they had raw meat either.
Instead, Twixxel walked through the forest nearby, a jungle, completely dark without the lights of the day to illuminate it.
They didn’t remember they could just ask Creator for food. If they did remember they still wouldn’t, since Creator would likely attack one of their friends. Twixxel probably wouldn’t be able to have enough energy to speak to Creator anyways.
The canopy of leaves made it even harder to see, with the blotchy shadows. Twixxel heard a cow. Perfect. How did the cow get into a jungle? Twixxel didn’t know. Didn’t care. Just needed food.
There was the sound of meat getting devoured before Twixxel arrived. That was good, because if there was a bigger predator there would be more food. Twixxel didn’t notice their own salivating until a drop fell onto their foot.
The sound grew louder.
When Twixxel finally stepped into the clearing, there was more than just a cow.
Sure, there was still a cow there. In mushes of flesh.
Smashed up. Its eyes were bulging out of its skull, or whatever was even left of its skull. The mash of the cow had nerves and muscle sticking out and through it, with pieces of its skin on top of it like some twisted form of confetti or sprinkles. Its bones stuck out, too. But they were all in weird places. The thing around somewhere that was eating wasn’t strong enough to smash bones completely, but it could break them. Oh, it could certainly break them.
There was more than that. A villager was also there, a human being or whatever is closest to it. But it was also smashed up in bits and pieces. It was more lucky than the cow. The bones and skin and veins and muscle were all smashed up into a glob. The noise came from a figure of a predator looming over it, devouring. The thing didn't bother with utensils, and in the haze of Twixxel’s own hunger, and the darkness, they assumed it was an animal or mob somebody else added and Twixxel just didn’t know about it or wasn’t informed.
The sight would make anybody else in the server puke. Twixxel didn’t. They were used to seeing sights of dead things. Dead bodies of animals killed in grotesque ways. Sometimes humans too. If the mob eating it didn’t have sharp enough teeth it would smash it up into bits and pieces. Survival instinct. Twixxel wouldn’t judge or even bother. If they had too, they would too.
They just decided to leave the thing be, staggering over to the cow and dropping to their knees, starving.
Twixxel didn’t notice the sound of eating next to them stop.
They didn’t have utensils like they usually do. They supposed they were too hungry to realize they forgot them.
Their hands were shaking. They don’t usually go right in. If Twixxel cut it up it was easier. It was like trying to pick up mashed potatoes with hairs in them, hairs thick enough to feel through the flesh. Along with squishy nerves. And sharp stabs of bone bits that felt like the nails in the pink cotton candy in the walls.
The only parts of the ‘cow’ that were even somewhat defined was the skull, and a lump of something that Twixxel could only piece together as utters. So Twixxel didn’t know what part they were eating. Other than that it looked good enough.
Twixxel didn’t notice that the thing was now slightly closer to them.
After being able to grab a handful, almost, with scratched up and now messy hands, Twixxel couldn’t hold back. With a choked sob, they raised their hands higher and plunged their face into the mess.
It tasted better than most meat. Probably because Twixxel was starving.
The flavor coated their tongue differently than what Twixxel usually felt, but , likely because Twixxel doesn’t… leave the veins and bones in. And they cut it up. But it was nice for a change to feel more… predatory.
Twixxel nearly choked as they stifled out a sob again, trying not to spit everything out and starve for their own thoughts. Predatory? What was that wordplay? It was probably just instincts, or their mind finally shutting down, it wasn’t Twixxel being malicious, they were certain. Probably.
The meat was crushed up enough where Twixxel could swallow it without chewing, but it scratched up their throat pretty good because of the bones. Twixxel felt the warm feeling and taste of iron flood their mouth, noticing numbly that they were now gnawing on their own hands so hard it bled. Or maybe the roof of their mouth finally gave up and started to turn cuts into scars. Either way, Twixxel knew one thing,
They were still hungry.
They reached out their hands in a bowl, trying to scoop out more meat, eyes blurry. It was likely tears staining them. But before they could, they heard growling.
No, not growling, that sounds different. More like something with rabies frothing out the mouth, while growling. Okay, maybe it was growling. “That’s MY food,” it said, voice scratchy and something more primal than Twixxel ever was. But it was more hungry than anything. Maybe not starving like Twixxel, but it was close enough. Twixxel could tell.
Flinching, Twixxel looked up.
Dear god, it wasn’t a mod or add-on.
It was another player.
Twixxel’s breath hitched.
The nametag the person had, from what vague picture Twixxel recognized, was FroggyDudeMC, apparently close ‘friends’ with Grox. But friends was generous term when all their interactions were just them fighting. Verbal only if both of them were in a good mood.
But even with a vague picture in mind of how the player looked, Twixxel just guessed. The sight was bad enough to anyone normal.
Froggy had those puffy red eyes, from what seemed to be rabies or tears, Twixxel couldn’t tell. There were wet spots down their eyes that anyone would assume were just the remnants of despair, but in this situation, maybe it was because of any struggles that happened while hunting. The crown it wore was, gold, circle-shaped and pointed, was stained badly with blood and… was that an organ on one of the points? It looked like a liver. It was probably one of the things used to bash the animal in.
Despite how it looked, and the frog features of its halfling body, the herbivore teeth, its entire face around its mouth was stained purely with blood and guts. Their teeth were pried and broken to be more sharp, from the player altering itself. Maybe the villager and cow were so mushed so its herbivore mouth could actually handle it. Its fists were bruised badly and looked broken. They were also stained with the iron-scented liquid.
Twixxel didn’t know what to say, they were stunned. They thought they were the only carnivore. So all they could do was try and back away.
But apparently Froggy had other plans. It noticed the micro-tremor of movement before even Twixxel’s mind finally caught up. Or maybe it planned on pouncing on Twixxel from the start anyways. It lunged, causing him and Twixxel to roll on the ground a few feet away from the mess, Froggy coming out on top.
“I don’t like SHARING.” He spat, almost leaning down to do what Twixxel only guessed was to rip their face off.
Twixxel’s life already flashed before their eyes, or whatever people called it. Said eyes already dangerously wide in fear, a pinpoint target for gouging out. Twixxel tried to claw the frog off, scratching its eyes and face, but it did nothing other than anger it.
“W-WAIT!!” Twixxel managed to shout, the sound ringing through the otherwise quiet forest. Froggy responded by another low-gurgle, annoyed by the attention it may bring. “You, you can’t eat me!! Because- because, because—” They scrambled, thrashing their head against the ground to avoid the somehow clawed hand of a FROG trying to strangle and claw at him, tail whipping almost as violently as their head.
“Because Voidlings are—” hack, “—They’re really cold!! Really, really cold!!!! If you try to bite off my skin or something your teeth will freeze and you’ll get sick and everything! Pleasepleasepleaseplease I’m s-oh-rry~~!!” The wail cut through the forest, the frog recoiling from the noise.
Froggy moved to sit on the food instead, one hand pinned on its chest so it couldn’t move their torso, and one hand clawed, raised and ready to tear down, to EAT, but it froze.
Sadly, the words of the dark figure reached a place deep inside the frog's mind. Not the same kind as ‘I love pain,’ but the place where the ‘if I get sick I can’t eat food without it leaving my body' thoughts stayed. Froggy grumbled, lowering the clawed hand, mouth still frothing as it stared down at the things's pathetic face. Even if Froggy was stupid, he wasn’t stupid enough to keep attacking food that would make him sick, and food with sharp claws and teeth to tear him apart.
Twixxel opened their eyes, barely, adjusting the hands covering their face, just enough to see that Froggy’s hand that was about to kill them finally lowered.
Twixxel slowly and hesitantly dropped their hands near their neck, head recentering to look up at the frog. The frog stared back. They stayed in the awkward position, Froggy still growling slightly, his body rumbling from the sound.
Twixxel clawed backwards to try and move, but it only resulted in Froggy tightening his grip on Twixxel. They hesitated, but they had to get out and leave the scene. Their hand was still bleeding and their mouth was still covered in the gunk. If Mob saw…
Twixxel shuddered. “Look, I- I’m sorry for eating your food,” Froggy’s grip loosened slightly at the mention of food. Slightly. “But I promise it won’t happen again, I just thought you were an entity, please… let me go…” They finished, practically whining. But they didn’t care. They were still hungry, but they had enough hunger bars to run. They could find a different animal, it was no big deal. But apparently that was the wrong thing to say.
“I don’t CARE if you eat something else I care if you TELL people.” Froggy snarled, hands going upwards, getting dangerously close to strangling Twixxel. An attack that might actually work because Twixxel’s neck was covered with a scarf. Twixxel recoiled, or tried to, though couldn’t since they were pinned to the ground, unable to move.
Twixxel reached their hands up, gripping onto Froggy’s wrist to try and lift it up. “I promise I won’t, I promise!! I’m in the same boat as you, I swear! I would never, ever—”
“Shut UP.” Froggy’s hand yanked away, as if he just touched a hot stove. Though, his hands would stay on a hot stove. He disliked touch. Hated it very, very much. This was enough for the food to scramble up, sitting in front of Froggy. Froggy stared, eyes glassy as it scrambled and twitched. He enjoyed watching that in food. Especially Grox. But this food…
Froggy darted to grab the dark figure’s wrist. This action alone caused them to flinch, which resulted in Froggy licking their lips before stopping himself. “You ate my food so I don’t WANT it anymore. And if it’s left to rot and be found I will KILL YOU.” He growled, forcibly turning his head away to not bite into the thing's face.
Twixxel shuddered, unsure of what to make of everything happening, but reluctantly followed the predator back to the area with food. He scampered off, bouncing on all fours saying the word ‘ribbit’ (“not even the actual sound a frog makes,” Twixxel thought to themself.)
Froggy stared at Twixxel as they kneeled back down in front of the remnants of a cow. Froggy didn’t continue eating the mush-villager until Twixxel reluctantly scooped another handful and put it to their mouth.
The sounds of Froggy’s mouth slapping and chewing against the meat refilled the forest, Twixxel quietly and reluctantly eating the cow handful by handful. They wouldn’t be hungry, at least. They wished they could save some for another day, but Froggy didn’t seem to understand the concept of ‘saving.’ In both ways it went.
~
The moon was about a half hour away from setting when the two corpses were finished.
Twixxel couldn’t finish the whole cow by themself, so Froggy had to finish it for them. But he had to mash it up more first, which he did with his bare fists. With Twixxel watching. But Twixxel was more concerned about the damage on his hands than the cow. Perhaps worrying about the sanity of the frog was the smarter move.
All that was left on the ground to say what happened that night was a deeply bloodied and crushed grass.
Oh, and Froggy, who was covered in blood, organs, and mush.
And maybe Twixxel. But they always cleaned up after.
Before Twixxel left the jungle, they tried to introduce themselves, being friendly or some of the sort. They didn’t know why. They just had an idea where nights where they’d run into each other would keep happening for a while.
Froggy tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “..Twix? Twixbar? Like the candy? I’m not a big fan of chocolate but food is food!” He said, voice still frothy and scratchy. Twixxel thought for a moment that the frog was going to be more friendly(ish), but his tail noticeably drooped at the last sentence.
“Twixbar… yup.” Dejectedly, Twixxel looked away, back towards the moon. It wasn’t going to be long until morning. They didn’t have to look back to know that Froggy was already hopping off, hearing their loud ‘ribbit ribbit bark bark i mean ribbit’ and landings. They looked around. They numbly thought that the whole thing could’ve been avoided if they considered looking at Mob’s house. They only now noticed Mob’s animal farm that was right next door.
…Mob wouldn’t mind.
And Twixxel, despite the same animal kinship with Froggy, did not want to see him at night again.
So they skipped off to the house nextdoor.