Chapter Text
It was a soft wailing that greeted the Survivors that freshly changed Autumn day. The season had just rolled over properly, the leaves on the trees beginning to change color, and a chill was in the air.
Safe to say, it was about expected that one of the Survivors group would fall into their instincts by now.
It happened regularly, for all Hybrids, every change of the seasons. Instincts would strengthen for a period of time, rendering the Hybrid rather out of it. The younger they were, the easier it was to lose themselves in the hormones and instincts.
For 007n7 to fall so hard was a surprise to some, but for others it was painfully expected.
Guest 1337, an eternal early riser, was the first one to encounter the Demon Hybrid.
007n7 was outside of his cabin for once, pacing the length of the camp and periodically releasing a deep, sorrowful cry, an inhuman noise from the back of his throat. His eyes were glazed over, and his tail was lashing dangerously. Guest would need to keep a step back if he didn’t want the Hybrid to lash out at him in his distress.
“7n7? Bud? What’s wrong?” Guest 1337 called gently from a short distance, and was barely able to conceal a flinch at the sharp look shot in his direction. A minor snarl appeared on 7n7’s face, before he glanced away, giving another cry.
Of course it couldn’t be that easy.
“Seven, buddy, I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” The Soldier soothed, taking a hesitant step forward before immediately stepping back at the fierce glare pointed his way.
“C4n’7 F1ND.” [Can’t Find.] Growled the Demon Hybrid lowly, before releasing an even louder, mournful howl. Guest frowned.
“Can’t find what, bud?” He asked, hoping that the ex-Hacker had just misplaced something and was incredibly aggravated about it. It’d be easier if that was the case.
007n7 shook himself violently, back muscles spasming as his tail thrashed around, bringing up dirt into the air as the end smacked against the ground.
“MY B4BY!” [MY BABY!] 007n7 cried out, a deeply devastated look on his face. Guest felt a pang of sympathy in his chest, and he cooed softly.
“Oh, Seven…. I’m so sorry, buddy.” Guest apologized, and it was like 7n7 was waiting for the last straw the way he immediately flopped onto the ground, wailing loudly.
“Oh, no no no- Please don’t cry-” Guest 1337 spoke frantically, kneeling down next to the distraught Demon Hybrid, his hands hovering over his back and shoulders.
Slowly, he brought his hands down, and 7n7 lunged face-first into his chest, knocking the breath out of him. It was only through his strength that he wasn’t knocked over, and through luck that 7n7 didn’t accidentally skewer him on the wicked set of horns he had. Despite that, Guest could feel the sharp horns poking slightly at his body armor.
“There, there, Seven. It’s…. It’s not okay, but you’re not alone, alright?” Guest soothed, rocking the older man back and forth like he would have done with his daughter, before the war. Unfortunately, it didn’t quell the cries, which had begun attracting more attention.
Elliot was the next Survivor to come investigate what all of the fuss was about, his sensitive ears growing painful from all of the wailing. He stepped outside of his cabin, and his bad mood softened into something sadder in an instant at the sight of Guest and 7n7, sitting in the dirt.
“Oh, Seven….” Elliot murmured, walking over to the pair and receiving a helpless look from the Soldier. The Merfolk Hybrid frowned gently, kneeling down next to the two.
“Hey, Seven, why don’t we get you inside, huh? It’s no good to be out here in the dirt. Do you have a nest yet?” Elliot asked gently, petting at 7n7’s back with a careful hand. The Demon Hybrid crooned mournfully, finally tearing his face from Guest’s chest to shake his head in a no.
“Nests are important to Hybrids, right?” Guest 1337 asked over 7n7’s head, receiving a short nod from Elliot.
“Depends on the Hybrid, but yes, very. Can you carry him? I don’t think he’s gonna be very cooperative with walking.” At Elliot’s words, 7n7’s tail lashed, but he remained limp in Guest’s embrace.
“Yeah, I’ve got him.” Guest responded, hiking the Demon Hybrid further into his arms before standing in an easy maneuver. 7n7 made a startled noise, but at least his wailing had settled for the moment.
Elliot led the charge back over to 007n7’s cabin, the farthest cabin from the group by virtue of being at the end of the line. Despite being relatively new, thanks to Builderman, the small cabin always held a tense, almost rundown energy to it. Most likely the atmosphere was due to the owner, 007n7.
The Pizza Man opened the door smoothly, leading Guest inside of the dreary cabin. There was little to no decoration inside, merely a mattress in a corner and a small workstation on the opposite side. There was barely even any bedding, just a single, threadbare blanket that had been taken from the main cabin.
Guest whistled lowly, setting 7n7 on the mattress carefully.
“I was expecting more…. Stuff?” He admitted, and Elliot shrugged, wrapping the blanket around 7n7.
“I’m not surprised. Guy likes to think he’s not burdening anyone if he hides away forever.” Elliot explained, and 7n7 gave a short, half-hearted growl.
“‘M R1GH7 H3R3.” [‘M RIGHT HERE] He grunted, curling into the blanket appreciatively. Elliot merely hummed.
“Not my fault you don’t wanna talk. Not gonna make you, either, so don’t force yourself. I know what you’re like.”
For some reason, Guest felt a little bit like he was intruding on something.
“Guest, can you go grab some spare blankets from the cabin? I know some of the pelts are done, right?” Elliot asked abruptly, startling the Soldier, who nodded swiftly, rising to his feet.
“Yeah, I can grab a few spares. I’ll be right back.” He rushed out the door, and Elliot sighed, looking at 7n7.
The Demon Hybrid was attempting to curl up into nothing beneath the raggedy blanket he owned, keeping his gaze on the far wall instead of Elliot. The Merfolk could see the howls building up in 7n7’s throat, squashed down and silenced. He sighed.
“If you need to cry, you can cry. If anyone’s upset, they’ll get over it.” Elliot soothed, and as soon as he said that, it was like a dam had broken.
007n7’s cries could be heard from well outside of his cabin, deep and echoing and full of grief and mourning. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Instinct-heavy seasons weren’t supposed to be times of mourning. They were times of transition, of the rise of instincts to help prepare for the oncoming season. Demons like 007n7 weren’t supposed to be crying their eyes out, all due to the loss of a son. He was supposed to be protecting his territory, protecting his team, protecting his son-
He had failed the one job his instincts had carved into his soul and bones. To protect.
Distantly, 7n7 wondered why Elliot bothered to hold him as he cried. Did he get some sort of sick satisfaction out of seeing 7n7 miserable? Was it all so he could hold it over his head, later?
He wasn’t sure, and wasn’t able to come to a conclusion by the time Guest returned, his arms piled high with blankets made of animal pelts.
The pelts were dropped unceremoniously on 7n7’s head, stopping his cries by making him release a confused sound as he suddenly lost vision due to blankets on his head. He pawed at them, pulling them off, before purring at the soft texture of the treated hide. Swiftly, the Demon Hybrid pushed away from Elliot, getting to work.
“Wow, he’s…. Really getting into it.” Guest commented softly to the Merfolk, who had stepped away from the mattress now that 7n7 was distracted.
“Yeah, one track mind and all that. Say, could you watch him for a bit? I need to get breakfast started, but I don’t want to leave him alone.” Elliot asked, fiddling with one of his headfins with a half-hearted smile. Guest returned it full force, beaming at Elliot.
“Of course! You go get to work, I’ll keep him company.” Guest 1337 responded, smile wide. Elliot’s own smile widened itself at the kindness of the soldier, before he nodded and stepped out of the cabin quietly. No need to disturb poor 007n7 while he worked.
It took nearly half an hour for 7n7 to feel content with his new nest, the blankets piled around him in a careful weave for strength. He curled up, content for all but a moment as his thoughts began to flood back, and his tail started lashing against the carefully constructed nest.
“....I W4N7 MY B4BY.” [....I WANT MY BABY.] 007n7 spoke, beginning to sniffle once more. Guest 1337 kneeled next to the mattress and the nest on top of it, a gentle expression on his face.
“I know you do, buddy. Maybe he’ll be in the next Round, so you can see him?” Guest suggested, and 7n7 ducked his head further into his nest.
“M4YB3….” [MAYBE….] He rumbled.
“Just you wait, you’ll see him again soon.”
~~~~
c00lkidd’s tummy was hurting.
Overall, he felt bad. His little claws were aching, his fangs were throbbing, and his head was hurting where his horns connected to his skull. What a miserable existence.
He sniffled from where he laid, curled up in his best in a messy nest of blankets. He had tons, some were even made from animal hide from the hunts the other Killers went on. c00lkidd never got to go along, and it made him sad, but that was okay, because the others said it was a grownup activity and he could join when he was all grownup.
Would they really be here that long? That he’d grow up, all without his dad there to see it? It made the pain feel worse, and c00lkidd let out a whimper.
He was sorta hungry, but he didn’t want to leave his nest.
It was only an hour past the Killer’s usual breakfast time when someone knocked on his door, the familiar buzzing of Noli making itself present.
“KIDD? CAN I [enter inside]?” The Deity called, and c00lkidd gave a small noise of allowance, the door swinging open slowly.
As Noli opened the door, the first thing he realized was that c00lkidd looked awful. His soft red fur was messy and unkempt, there was a glaze to his eyes, and the base of his horns looked a little swollen and inflamed. All of the signs of a Demon Hybrid child left without proper care.
Despite himself, Noli felt a little bad.
“YOU DON’T [look so hot!] KIDDO. WHAT’S [wrong-wrong-wrong-wrong] WITH YOU?” The Deity asked, settling himself on the bed, outside of c00lkid’s half-baked nest.
“I ‘unno…. Miss my dad….” The child mumbled, tucking his face against a particularly soft fabric, letting the fibers rub against his fur and skin in a soothing manner.
Noli sighed, softening. Even at his worst, he couldn’t look at this miserable child and feel anything but guilt for his condition.
“HAVE YOU BEEN [sand]ING YOUR HORNS?” Noli asked, as soft as he could manage. Silently, c00lkidd shook his head, and Noli winced.
“SHIT, KIDD, THAT’S PROBABLY PART OF [the problem you face]. IT JUST TURNED AUTUMN, TOO….” Noli trailed off as c00lkidd gave another soft, sad sound, curling into a little ball. Sighing, the Deity reached over, gently running his fingers through the kid’s unkempt fur.
“TELL YOU WHAT. [for the low low price of nothing] I’LL BRUSH YOUR FUR, TAKE CARE OF YOUR HORNS. JUST FOR TODAY!” Noli was quick to say. “JUST ‘CAUSE IT’S AUTUMN. AND STUFF.”
c00lkidd perked up, a hopeful look in his little eyes.
“Really, Mr. Noli? You’ll help me like Daddy does?” c00lkidd cooed, the glaze in his eyes bright and almost feverish. Noli nearly winced in sympathy again. Instinct highs were rough on children, who were still growing into their instincts and hormones.
No wonder the kid felt awful.
“YEAH, KIDD. I’LL HELP YOU WHILE YOUR DAD’S AWAY.” He sighed, manifesting a comb from his internal hammerspace. It was an old comb, made just for Demon fur.
“CAN I COME IN, KIDD?” Noli asked as he hovered at the side of c00lkidd’s nest. He’d been swiped at often enough to have learnt some manners, after all. c00lkidd nodded furiously, chirping happily at him.
The little Demon Hybrid all but curled up in Noli’s lap, barely small enough to fit properly. Noli sighed, a tad fonder than he’d like, and set to work detangling the red fur. He knew the kid had a skin condition, so there was no way he was getting him in the bathroom for a bath in these circumstances. He had no interest in getting scratched up by an upset child.
Slowly, the comb worked its way through the red fur, the tangles coming out. Noli had begun making a pile of small burrs that had stuck themselves in c00lkidd’s fur, rather impressed at the amount he had acquired.
Had no one been taking care of the kid properly? He couldn’t really blame the other Killers, it’s not like any of them were properly equipped to raise a child. The person most equipped for it was trapped on the other side of the lake, undoubtedly crying his heart out over missing his baby.
Noli sighed to himself, continuing to pull burrs and general debris from the kid’s fur. He supposed he’d have to step up, if only so that c00lkidd didn’t become boring, of course. A sick and unhealthy child was one that could cause no Chaos, cause no fun!
It wasn’t what he had planned on, when he entered the Spectre’s Realm. But Noli held himself to some standard. He was Chaotic, but he wasn’t a monster!
Someone had to look out for 7n7’s wretched little hellspawn. It’s not like the man himself could do so.