#Snake bite

[linecrosser]

Febuwhump 2k25 - Day 3 - Pinned Down

The first and last time Gongyi Xiao met Zhuzhi Lang.

[weirdlookindog]

Alessandro Biffignandi - Le Nere Ali di Satana (The Black Wings of Satan)

cover art for Vampirissimo #29, Vol.4, May 1977.

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

[whumpypepsigal]

@whumpgifathon | Day 16: “Bitten”

Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

[omg-snakes]

My leucistic Texas rat snake, Dilbert, was so excited for dinner that he came flying out at it when I opened his enclosure and missed by about a mile. I tried to move his food to intercept his path and he ended up grazing me and catching two teeth in my thumb. Thankfully it was the side of my thumb, not the pad.

It didn't phase him at all, and he most likely didn't even notice.

I tried to be stoic but I did utter some choice words. I managed to get his meal into his mouth and him back into his cage before extracting these two snake thorns. Thankfully they're very smooth and came out easily.

Then not even ten minutes later Dextro the corn snake, who it turns out is starting a shed cycle and has reduced vision, jumped past the meal held by my feeding tongs and grabbed my finger and thumb together in a huge bite. He wrapped my entire hand and my tongs, so I couldn't reach his head to tap him or help him disconnect. My middle finger and thumb were pinched together and pierced by two rows of tiny, very sharp needles. He realized his mistake and voluntarily let go after an excruciating 15-20 seconds of me trying to hold very still. At least he had the decency to look embarrassed. He then went back in his enclosure and poked his actual dinner with his nose very thoroughly all over to make sure it was really food and not still my hand before eating it.

My point is that it doesn't matter how much we trust these animals or how well socialized they are. Accidents happen. It's not their fault and I can't be mad at them or even at myself. Anyone who keeps a snake shouldn't ask whether they'll be bitten, but when.

It's just a part of snake keeping!

[whumpdoyoumean]

Whumptober #4

xxx alternate prompt: venom

The call is a surprisingly straightforward one, considering dispatch had told them that the caller, a hiker named Aimee, had reportedly fallen off a cliff. It turns out to be less of a cliff and more of a hill. A steep hill, Eddie will give Aimee that, but still. A hill. They're able to get down to her just fine without any equipment, and though getting her back up the hill is a little more complicated due to an ankle fracture that Hen splinted, it isn't nearly as complicated a rescue as they'd been prepared for. All in all, things go pretty smoothly, right up until the paramedics start wheeling the patient to the ambulance.

"Oh, no," she says suddenly. "No no no!"

"You okay?" Chimney asks, and she shakes her head.

"What's happening?" Hen says, immediately on alert. "Are you experiencing dizziness, shortness of breath?"

"No, I'm not – it's not that," Aimee says, and her cheeks flushing. "My phone. I think I dropped it back there. Can't I just go get it real quick?"

"Aimee, we need to get you to the hospital. And we're definitely not going to let you walk on a broken ankle. Definitely not down that hill."

She lets out a choked sob. "Oh god, my whole life is on that phone! What am I gonna do?" Her breathing starts to quicken, coming in little gasps, and she seems a second away from going into a full-blown panic attack.

"I can go take a quick look," Buck offers, which doesn't surprise Eddie even a little. It has the intended effect, too, and Aimee's breathing starts to even out as she looks over at Buck with wide eyes.

"Really?" she says, and beside her Hen mouths thank you.

"Yeah!" Buck says with that wide, goofy grin he gets. "Yeah, you just. You get that ankle taken care of. If I find it, I'll drop it off at the hospital for you."

"Oh my god, thank you! You're literally my hero!"

It takes everything Eddie has not to roll his eyes. He's surprised when Buck doesn't say anything flirtatious in response. Instead, he just says, "No problem!" and starts carefully picking his way down the steep hill to the spot where Aimee had fallen.

"Make it quick, Buck," Bobby calls down.

"Yeah, Cap, I'll just be a minute!"

"Hen, will you come with me?" Aimee asks, and Hen looks at the other paramedic, who raises her shoulders indifferently.

"If they don't need you that's fine by me."

Hen turns to Bobby. "Cap?"

"Go ahead," Bobby says. "Shift's almost over. I'll let dispatch know."

Eddie watches as Hen climbs into the back of the ambulance. It's pulling away when Chimney nudges Eddie with his elbow. Eddie looks at him, and Chim nods down toward Buck.

"You think he'll actually find it?"

The area is grassy and overgrown, and there are dozens of shrubs where a phone could disappear and never be found again. That's if it didn't take a tumble down the next part of the hill, in which case the screen probably will have shattered into a million pieces. Eddie snorts.

"I guess we'll see."

Not even two seconds have passed before there's a cry from below them. It sounds more startled than pained, but Eddie still moves forward, ready to go down the hill if he needs to.

"You good?" he yells down.

"Uh – yeah. I found the phone!"

Chim makes a sound. "Of course he did."

"Good job," Bobby says. "Now let's get going!"

"Coming!"

Buck scrambles up the incline, and he could be imagining it but Eddie thinks he looks a little clumsy, more uncoordinated than usual. When he makes it up the hill, he's breathing hard, harder than he should be, and there's a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. His left hand is held tightly against his middle.

"Buck, you okay?" Bobby says with a frown, taking a step toward him. Buck looks up at him with wide eyes and a slightly guilty expression.

"Yeah. Er – no, actually. Um. I got bit by a rattlesnake."

Eddie's stomach drops. Beside him, Chimney starts to laugh but it dies off quickly.

"You're serious?"

Buck pulls his left arm away from his body and holds it out for them to see. There are two puncture wounds on the inside of his forearm, leaking blood. His arm is already starting to visibly swell.

"It happened really fast," Buck says, weirdly calm. Eddie doesn't know how he isn't freaking the hell out. "I was reaching for the phone and I – I didn't see it. They don't always rattle first, you know, if you. If you catch them by surprise."

Bobby's eyes are still on Buck's arm when he says, "What are our steps here, Chim?"

"Get him to the hospital ASAP so they can administer the antivenom. I can bandage him up, monitor his vitals and the swelling--"

"Can you do that on the move?"

Chimney nods.

"Right," Bobby says, finally tearing his gaze away from the bite He looks shaken, but his voice is steady. "Okay, then, let's move. Eddie, you help Chimney with Buck. I'll drive."

"You need to take your watch off," Chimney says as they start toward the engine, Eddie walking close to Buck, ready to catch him if he stumbles. "Before the swelling gets too bad."

Buck does as he's told, shoving his watch into a pocket. "You know, something like ten to twenty percent of rattlesnake bites are dry. No venom."

"Maybe you got lucky," Eddie says, and Buck lets out a breathy laugh.

"Yeah, maybe."

He's pale by the time they get him into the cab, his face drawn in pain. Bobby is already behind the wheel, explaining the situation to dispatch. He looks back at them as they climb in, Eddie and Buck side by side and Chimney across from them, the trauma kit on the floor between them.

"You guys ready?"

Eddie nods. "Let's go."

Buck makes a small noise as the engine lurches into motion, wincing.

"You okay?" Eddie says.

"I'm okay," he responds, a little breathlessly.

"Really?"

Buck eyes him for a second, then sighs. "Pain's getting worse. Sort of feels like I'm being...stabbed with a hot poker or something."

"Let me see," Chim says, and Buck holds his arm out. "I'm gonna bandage it up."

"Do you need to clean it?" Eddie says.

"No. If there's any venom on my skin, the doctors might be able to use it to figure out the right antivenom," Buck responds. Eddie's eyes narrow, and he's about to say That sounds made up when, to his surprise, Chim nods.

"He's right," he says.

Buck is quiet as Chim wraps the bandage around the bite, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and the tightness of his mouth speak volumes. Eddie wishes there were something he could do, some way to take the pain away. He can't, though, so instead he sets a hand on Buck's knee.

"There we go," Chim says, finishing up the bandage. He pulls something out of his pocket and hands it to Eddie. A Sharpie. "I'm gonna take his vitals. Eddie, I need you to mark around the edge of the swelling and write down the time."

"Got it," Eddie says, pulling the cap off of the marker and tracing around the edge of the swelling.

"It wasn't the snake's fault," Buck says suddenly, and Eddie and Chim both look up at him.

"Stop talking for a minute while I take your blood pressure, k, Buck?" Chimney says before Buck can continue.

"How's he doing?" Bobby asks.

"His pulse is high but his blood pressure seems okay for now. I'm definitely going to be keeping a close eye on it, though. Now what were you saying, Buck?"

"The snake. It wasn't its fault. Snakes get a bad rap, but they're really important for the ecosystem. And really they very rarely hurt people, as long as you leave them alone." He's speaking quickly, his voice pitched slightly up, and Eddie knows nervous chatter when he sees it. If talking will help, he doesn't mind keeping Buck talking.

"Didn't you cut of a boa constrictor's head once?" Eddie says, and a little color goes into Buck's pale cheeks.

"It was a python. And I feel really bad about that. I did some reading on snakes after and...anyway. I should've been more careful." He looks up at Chimney. "My hands're starting to feel tingly."

"I'm not surprised. Rattlesnake venom can do that."

"My mouth, too."

Chimney and Eddie lock eyes for a brief second before Chim looks at Buck and forces a small smile.

"You're gonna be fine, Buckaroo. Just try and relax if you can, the calmer you are the better."

Chimney checks his vitals again a few minutes later, and Eddie marks the swelling. He's surprised at how far it's spread in such a short time.

"Pulse is still high, but holding steady," Chim says. "How are you feeling, Buck?"

"Thirsty," Buck responds. He blinks heavily, letting his head fall back against the headrest. "'n tired."

It makes Eddie's gut twist with worry. He does his best not to show it – Chimney literally just said the calmer Buck is the better, and Eddie freaking out isn't going to help anything.

"I loved snakes as a kid," he says, to distract himself, and to try and keep Buck alert. Eddie rarely talks about his childhood if he can help it, even when Buck pesters him about it. He hopes maybe the novelty of him willingly opening up will be enough to keep Buck's attention. "My sisters hated them, though. Adriana especially. There was this one time we were playing in the backyard, and – Buck, you okay?"

All of the color has drained from Buck's face, and his breathing has noticeably quickened.

"Buck?" Chimney says, leaning forward.

"'m really dizzy," Buck murmurs, the words running together. And then his lashes flutter and his head lolls forward.

"Buck!" Eddie cries.

"What's going on?" Bobby, his voice tight with anxiety.

"He just passed out!"

"Hey, c'mon Buck!" Chimney is saying, and he's inflating the blood pressure cuff again, a frantic look on his face. "Shit. His blood pressure just dropped. Cap, I think he's going into shock. How far out are we?"

"About seven minutes. The hospital knows we're coming, they'll be ready for him."

"Okay. Eddie, we need to get him laying down, help me move him."

"Yeah," Eddie breathes. He barely gets the word out; his heart is pounding so hard it's making his chest ache.

It's tricky in the confined space, but they manage to get Buck onto his back, his legs propped up on the trauma kit. Chim grabs an emergency blanket and drapes it over him. And Eddie...Eddie feels useless. He reaches under the blanket, grabbing Buck's good hand and gripping it tight.

"Hang on, Buck," he says. "You got this, man. Hang on."

xxx

A/N: Shout-out to Emergency! episode 3x06 for the inspo on this one. Legendary show, which you can watch on archive.org

[mote-historie]

Hans Makart, The Death of Cleopatra, 1875.

Liechtenstein, The Princely Collection

Hans Makart was a 19th-century Austrian academic history painter, designer, and decorator. He is best known for his influence on Gustav Klimt and other Austrian artists, but in his own era he was considered an important artist himself and a celebrity figure in the high culture of Vienna and attended with almost cult-like adulation.

Makart was the son of a chamberlain at the Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria, born in the former residence of the prince-archbishops of Salzburg, the city in which Mozart had been born. Initially, he received his training in painting at the Vienna Academy between 1850 and 1851 from Johann Fischbach. While in the Academy, German art was under the rule of a classicism, which was entirely intellectual and academic—clear and precise drawing, sculpturesque modelling, and pictorial erudition were esteemed above all. Makart, who was a poor draughtsman, but who had a passionate and sensual love of color, was impatient to escape the routine of art school drawing. For his fortune, he was found by his instructors to be devoid of all talent and forced to leave the Vienna Academy.

[sabyfangirl]

Too Close

Summary:

“The Cobra King” episode, but things go wrong at the end. Enjoy! :D

Notes:

Rewatch the episode if you're afraid of confusion.

“AH!”

It started off as a minor mistake.

“He got me, bro!”

He always forgot his stuff, especially in the wild.

He just never thought it would lead to this.

Chris struggled as he held onto a tree branch for dear life. “But it’s a good thing I have Cobra Powers right now.” He looked down at his elbow, the bar on his immunity meter beginning to rise. “Venom immunity to the rescue!”

“Yeah, but it won’t last forever.” Martin quickly slithered toward the Cobra’s behind before he started pulling. “G-Gotta get him off!”

He yelped as he easily got whacked away by the Cobra’s tail, his long, serpent-like body ending up rolled around a nearby tree branch, head upside down.

It was then that Aviva and Koki showed up.

“Um, Martin. What are you doing tangled in a tree?” Koki asked, perplexed.

“Argh, long story. But just get me down. I gotta get to Chris!” He pointed at his struggling brother, the Cobra’s fangs still sinking into his green tail.

“Oh, no. The immunity meter is rising! The suit can’t take this much venom,” Chris let out when he realized that the bar on his wrist was reaching a dangerously high level.

“Oh, no! We gotta help Chris! Here, Martin, use this.” Aviva popped out a mini Creature Power Disc out of her MIK.

“King Cobra Power!” Martin exclaimed with excitement. “Oh-ho, that’ll help even this fight.” He eagerly inserted the disc, before Koki helped him out of his tangle.

“I’m coming, bro!” Martin quickly slithered back toward the back of the Cobra, touching its tail for DNA activation.

“Activate King Cobra Power!” Martin’s suit flashed a familiar blue as he grew a bit larger than before. “Now, it’s king versus king.”

“Sorry buddy,” Martin tapped the back of the Cobra’s hood. “Cobra strike!”

Martin attacked the snake with his own fangs. The creature hissed as it let go of Chris’ tail.

Chris slithered up the tree until he felt that he was safe. His eyes quickly went down to check on his immunity meter…

His heart skipped a beat.

Meanwhile, Martin was battling against the King Cobra all on his own.

For a split second, his focus shifted toward his brother, who looked frozen in his spot.

The Cobra would’ve struck him if it weren’t for Koki throwing a rock at it to chase it away.

Martin looked stunned. “Woah, thanks Koki.”

She gave him a thumbs up. “You should’ve been more careful.”

“Yeah, I know,” Martin laughed sheepishly.

Beep. Beep.

Everyone’s attention turned to Chris, who was still hanging around that tree.

Martin and Koki seemed perplexed. Aviva, however, gasped loudly.

“Oh, no. No, no, no…” she muttered as she ran to help Chris back on the ground.

Chris lay against the tree with his eyes wide, circled by everyone.

“Bro, what’s wrong?” Martin approached him before noticing his brother’s immunity meter beeping a bright red.

Oh God.

Martin’s stomach dropped at the sudden realization.

“Less than half an hour,” Chris muttered under his breath.

By now, Koki had caught up; she put a hand over her mouth.

“The anti-venom,” Aviva ran a stressed hand through her hair. “He needs my anti-venom ASAP!”

“I’ll call Jimmy and tell him to fly the Tortuga as close to us as possible,” Koki declared, already making the call on her Creature Pod.

During all this, Martin’s world started spinning. His background went silent, pierced by his own heart beat.

…rtin…Martin…

“MARTIN!”

Martin’s eyes went up to Aviva’s.

“Martin, deactivate Chris’ suit right now. The venom will take longer to affect him if he’s human sized,” she explained.

Without a second thought, Martin went over and pressed his brother’s deactivation button, before deactivating himself.

Flashes of green and blue blinded the girls.

Chris’ head fell on his brother’s shoulder. He groaned from his aching muscles.

Martin’s arms instinctively wrapped around him in a securing manner.

He swallowed.

A familiar engine sound burst through the air.

“Look!” Koki pointed at the Tortuga, landing not too far from their spot.

“We gotta move!” Aviva urged.

Martin immediately slid one hand under his brother’s legs, quickly standing up with him in his arms.

Chris moaned at the sudden movement.

What started as a fast paced group walk soon turned into a race against time.

Aviva and Koki were in the lead, guiding the way as Martin followed them, his mind on auto-pilot.

All he could think at that moment was, ‘It should’ve been me.’

It was his Creature Pod that got lost.

Instead, here he was running with his brother in his arms, knowing that his life depended on it.

He could already feel his brother’s pulse getting weaker and his breathing getting faster.

“Martin,” Chris manages. “If I don’t make i-”

Martin refused to let him finish that sentence.

“SHUT UP! YOU’RE GONNA BE FINE!” he cried out, holding back tears.

Chris winced at his reaction, then sighed as he closed his eyes.

Finally, after a few minutes, Martin could see the entrance of the Tortuga.

Aviva and Koki cleared the way as much as they could for Martin to get through with his brother.

“JIMMY!” Aviva and Koki called out as soon as they stepped foot in the main room.

“Over here!”

As quick as a dash, Jimmy had already set up the center table with the proper equipment, including Aviva’s anti-venom shot.

Martin - who was breathing heavily, both from the running and panic - hurried over before gently laying Chris down on his back.

Even though he only had a few seconds to look at him before letting his friends do their job, it wasn’t hard to tell that the venom had taken a toll on his brother.

His pale face, pain written all over it. His eyes were closed shut. His body was covered in cold sweats.

Yeah, Cobra venom was known for kicking it pretty quick.

Martin stepped back a little, nearly tripping over his own feet; his legs felt like spaghetti. He put a hand over his mouth, the corners of his eyes slowly watering.

He finally collapsed in Jimmy’s nearby cushion chair, watching from a distance as his brother was being given the shot that would save his life.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair. He looked to his side. He looked down, his hands covering his face.

He didn’t dare to look up. Too afraid he might find faces saying, ‘we’re sorry.’

He thought about when he yelled at him back there.

Regret ran through his guts.

What if that was the last thing he said to him before-

NO.

Don’t think it.

His heart was beating louder and louder by the second.

Lost in his own thoughts, he hadn’t noticed someone approaching him.

Startled, he was surprised to find Jimmy looking down at him with a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Martin,” he said softly. “Chris will be just fine.”

Martin blinked for a few seconds.

How was he so calm?!

It was kind of out of character for him.

Martin peeked behind Jimmy and saw Aviva and Koki putting away some of the medical equipment.

Chris was still laying on the center table; he was out of it. A pulse oximeter was attached to his fingertip

Martin sighed heavily; Jimmy put a hand on his shoulder.

That was close. Too close.

A few hours had already passed.

Chris was resting in his and his brother’s room.

He was lucky that the suit prevented a bite mark, but that didn’t stop the venom from doing its job any less.

He opened his eyes and stared at the sealing for the longest time.

He heard the door open, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Somehow he already knew who it was.

“Hey bro,” he said without even looking at the entrance.

Sure enough, Martin passed by his brother’s bed and placed a cup of water on his side table.

He then sat on the side of his bed.

“Hey,” his voice was hushed, his eyes dull as he looked away.

…

“I’m sorry,” he finally said.

“I know,” Chris replied almost instantly. “Don’t worry about it.”

Martin’s lips started shaking.

“I almost lost you, today,” he whispered to himself.

Chris reached a hand.

Martin shakily held it.

“I almost got you killed,” his voice was filled with guilt. “It should’ve been me.” He gritted his teeth, tears slipping through his eyes.

Chris shook his head as though telling him, ‘No. Don’t you dare say that.’

“I am not dead.” Chris brought his brother’s hand to his heart. “Thanks to you, guys.”

Martin shook his head.

“You saved my life.”

“I was so scared.”

“I’m here.”

“I-I know.” His voice cracked. “I’m glad you are.”

He forced a half-smile, his face wet from his tears.

He squeezed his brother's hand.

Chris gave him a tired smile in turn.

It was all okay, now.

[whumpygifs]

[ninjamonkeystudios]

Gong hei fat choy!

Coming off the Year of the Dragon (my sign) I don't have high hopes for this Snake Year. I understand it can be a time of transformation and growth, but we're going to be experiencing some real growing pains first. I created this image to reflect my skepticism.

Tip/Support/Commish: ☕KO-Fi 🫙 Patreon 🏪Ninja Monkey on Redbubble Ninja Monkey Website

[kame-artist]

A very rarepair, but I blame my Sin!Lucifer for events that I will eventually write between him and Angel Dust who have an.... interesting dynamic.

Mela means Apple in Italian.

Uses He/She/They they don't really care. They do prefer Prince over Princess when it comes to titles though (They like princess as a romantic pet name, and it's weird outside of that context for them)

Horns and second set of arms are both retractable. Usually both are out in public, but both retracted while relaxing around family.

Hes a goofy little guy who loves playing tricks on peple around the hotel, but feels terrible if people get genuinly upset about them.

Falls in 'love' far too often, but doesnt have many relationships, and when he does they dont last long, usually they are the ones to break up with him. He is also very susceptible to being manipulated or used by someone he has feelings for because he's blind to their red flags.

Loves to preform and be center of attention, but gets awkward when people praise him directly.

Ambivert. Very extroverted on his own terms, but when he's home he likes his own space and is uncomfortable when he is expected to attend events, especially in regards to being a prince of Hell.

[whumperer-86]

He has a fever from a snake bite but he was sleeping not fainted, she tried to suck the poison out of his finger

The story of Kunning Palace ep32

[weirdlookindog]

Alessandro Biffignandi - Il Cuore di Satana (Satan's Heart)

cover art for Supermarket #5, September 1987.

[lekrow]

How are you? 5.5″ x 8.5″ ink

Oh, y’know. C’est la vie and shit.

[nekojenw]

Hi All! My dog got bit by a rattlesnake and though he received treatment, his road to recovery might take a while. This fund is to help pay my parents back and to also help with any and all future vet bills. 

Please donate if you can and share. 

Any and all help is appreciated.

Thank you

[brutal-nemesis]

An All Organ-ic Buffet

Okay well. This is in one of @galaxywhump and I’s 120 AUs I gutted (hehe) the context you don’t need it besides the fact that this Castys hasn’t ever really been tortured before so he’s not as used to all of this as he would be in canon <3 sucks to suck, dumbass

Castys Masterlist

Ingredients: gore. so much gore. also Castys gets eaten (but it’s a monster so not really cannibalism), a little noncon touching, there is a snake, the rib crowbar shit that i was born to write (❁´◡`❁)

This was going to suck absolute balls, wasn’t it? It was going to be worth it, it was, but it was still going to suck balls. 

The phaitenri lived pretty far from, well, anything, which was probably for the best given its…unique diet. Which was really the only thing that made Castys certain he could strike a good deal with it at all, honestly. 

Having arrived at the caves where the phaitenri made its home, Castys ran through the list of things to say and not say in his head before steeling himself and knocking on the door. A few tense moments passed before it opened, and Castys did his best not to flinch at the sight of the phaitenri. They were annoyingly tall, towering over Castys, bleached-white skin webbed with black cracks, their red eyes boring into him. Most notable, though, were the golden antlers sprouting from their head. What Castys had come for.

“I’ve come here to make a contract with you,” Castys blurted, the promise of a contract protecting him from being outright attacked. The phaitenri’s eyes narrowed, slitted pupils contracting in their different-colored irises.

“Fine,” they growled, their clawed hand curling around the doorframe, “which organs are you willing to part with?”

“Uh…all of them? As many as you want for six inches of antler.” 

They cocked their head. “All…you can’t form a contract for anyone but yourself, human. Do you intend to die for this?”

“Well, see, that’s the thing, I am, uh, what the kids call…immortal. So if you kill me everything’ll just grow back. Seriously, you can have as many organs as you want from me.” The trade was starting to sound more and more horrific as Castys talked, actually saying it out loud, but what could he do? This was the only way to save Berkeley. He had to do this.

The phaitenri crossed their arms, tapping their fingers as they leaned against the doorframe. “How do I know you’re not lying? Give me a demonstration.”

“I will not. At least, not until the contract’s formed.” The phaitenri glared at him. “What? Dying leaves me basically defenseless, I’m not just gonna let you kill me and then take me prisoner, ya know? Look,” he sighed, “if I’m lying, and I enter the contract with you, I’d just die, yeah? The contract would be dissolved, and you wouldn’t be out anything. There’s no reason to refuse.”

After considering it for a moment, the phaitenri straightened, gesturing for him to enter. “Alright, human, I’ll form a contract with you, so let’s negotiate.” Castys followed them inside, slightly relieved that they weren’t just going to dismiss him outright. “I’m Aleph, by the way.” That was a good sign, too, that they told him their name, since it meant that they were very interested in forming a contract with him.

“Castys,” he replied, showing his interest right back. They smiled at him, displaying their wicked-sharp teeth, teeth that would soon be…mmphf, don’t think about that right now. Think about Berkeley. He was doing this for Berkeley.

Aleph sat down at a mostly-empty desk, gesturing for Castys to sit across from them. He did, and it felt…weird, like he was getting ready to discuss a bank loan or something stupid and not, like, having his organs eaten by a monster so he could get a potion ingredient to save his best friend’s life. After thinking a bit, Aleph spoke up, “For six inches of antler, I’ll have you for…two weeks. I can eat as much as I want during that time.”

“Two wee-I don’t have that kind of time! I need to-” Castys stopped, sighing. “One week. That’s the longest I’ll give you.”

Aleph hummed, rocking their head back and forth. “How about…one week, and I can eat as much as I want as well as taking extras and storing them.”

That hardly seemed fair, but…Castys didn’t want to negotiate much more. Typically, the longer talks went on, the greedier phaitenris got. It was usually best to take the second option offered, so… “Alright. One week of unlimited access for six inches of antler.”

“Deal!” Aleph clapped their hands together, grabbing a sheet of parchment and writing down the terms. They signed their name before pricking their thumb and stamping on a thumbprint of their black blood, handing it to Castys when they were done. He took it, reading it over thoroughly, making sure they didn’t sneak in any fine print, before preparing to do the same. “Wait!” Aleph stopped him just as he was about to sign. “Take off your shirt.”

“Huh? Why-”

“The moment you sign that, magic chains are going to appear on your wrists until you’ve served your part of the contract, and even I won’t be able to get them off without dissolving it entirely. And since I’m going to need access to your torso…either take it off now or I’ll have to cut it off later.”

“Oh. Good call.” Castys was glad Aleph had spoken up since he was wearing one of Berkeley’s shirts, and he’d feel bad if it got destroyed. He pulled it off, Aleph’s hungry gaze sending a slight chill up his spine. “Thanks.” Taking a deep breath, Castys picked up the contract again, signing his name and pricking his thumb. The moment his thumb stamped on the parchment, iron manacles appeared on his wrists, just as Aleph had said. The chain between them was long enough that it wouldn’t be a huge inconvenience, but he was still chained, the inescapable reality of the contract heavy around his wrists.

“Well, let’s get started!” Aleph said, giddy as they took the contract from Castys and put it away. Once that was done, they reached out and hooked their finger around the chain between his wrists, dragging him along behind them. They pulled him into a room that was, well…it was pretty clear what kind of things happened here.

The walls were dark, definitely covered with bloodstains, because of course, and the floor was too, even though there was a drain in the middle of it, so clearly things could be cleaned up if Aleph wanted to. There was a table to one side, also bloodstained, with restraints, which wasn’t surprising in the slightest, but the sight of it still made Castys’s stomach turn. Aleph half-pulled him towards it, but then stopped and half-pulled him towards a comfortable-looking and somehow not bloodstained armchair, but then stopped again, rocking back and forth on their heels.

“Oh mannn, I just don’t know,” they whined, looking down at Castys. After a few more seconds, they bent and scooped him off of his feet faster than he could react, holding him in a bridal carry. “I just don’t know where I want to start with you, you know? There’s so many options…” They were looking him up and down, hugging him close to their chest, their bare skin freezing against his. Castys was tempted to make a suggestion so they’d put him down, but he didn’t really know if there was anywhere he wanted them to, ah, start more than somewhere else.

“Oh, I think I’ll start with your tummy. It’s been a while since I’ve had intestines!” Aleph carried him over to the armchair, settling into it comfortably, shifting their hold on Castys so he was sitting on their lap with his back against their chest, and he couldn’t help but shiver despite his efforts to stay still. Sure, he absolutely didn’t want to be sitting on their lap like this, but he was under a contract now, and he was going to serve his side of it as well as he could so this whole nightmare could proceed as smoothly as something like this ever could.

They twisted the chain attached to his wrists in one hand, pulling up and holding his arms off to the side and out of the way, their other hand teasing the surface of his bare stomach, claws scraping his skin lightly. Just as he was about to yell at them to just do it already, to stop driving up the anticipation, their claws turned inward, plunging into his flesh. Castys screamed at the sudden pain, head arching back against Aleph’s shoulder, eyes wide. They grabbed ahold of something and pulled, tearing the gash in his stomach open wider, and, no, no, he couldn’t look, didn’t want to look, he was already stuck feeling the awful pull at his insides, something sliding out of him through the hole in his abdomen, and the noises, the wet slipping, tearing, sucking, biting, swallowing, Aleph’s hums of pleasure, and their hand just kept going back in, pulling out more and more and more, and he didn’t know how much was left, how much he’d had at the start, but his ears were ringing now, vision fading, t-there was so much blood, it was so hot on his stomach and got colder as it dripped down, leaving him shivering and shuddering against Aleph, their tight grip on him never relaxing, pressing him into their chest, feeling his every twitch, and he couldn’t take it, he wanted to worm out of their grasp and run away, escape this awful, awful moment, but he had to be still, he had to let this happen, had to endure this for Berkeley’s sake, he couldn’t give up now, not when they’d just started, he had to do this, even as something squirted out and landed on his face, even as the ringing got so loud it drowned out the sounds of Aleph eating, even as he got so dizzy he wasn’t sure if they were even holding him anymore, e-even as-as…he was empty inside now, wasn’t he? So that was it then. It was. 

It was.

When Castys came to, he was still on Aleph’s lap, still covered in blood, but his stomach was…no, something felt…wrong. Aleph was giving him a look that he could only call concerningly fascinated. Henceforth, he was very concerned as he looked down to see��ah. Well that was. That was new. That sure was new.

His whole torso was all bloody, and that was expected. Aleph’s hand was resting on his chest, arm drenched in red, little strings of ripped flesh clinging to the surface of their skin, and that was expected. What wasn’t expected were the twisted ropes of intestine erupting from the unbroken skin of his stomach. There wasn’t any pain, everything healed up after he’d died, just the strange, disturbing sensation of…this. 

“This is so fun, look at you!” They grabbed the coils of his intestines, tugging at them gently as they examined them, causing him to wince. “You came back to life just like you said you would, and this makes it so much more interesting. I wasn’t planning on eating any more quite yet, but I feel like just leaving this out here would be a waste…If I kill you again, will that fix it?”

Castys gulped. “I, uh, I think so? This has never happened before, so I think as long as everything’s, um, inside when I die, it should be okay.” 

“Alright. I’ll try to be more careful in the future.” Aleph ruffled his hair with their bloody, gore streaked hand, much to Castys’s dismay. He didn’t mind getting dirty, but having his own blood and guts in his hair was a bit much, even for him. “Sorry, I sorta did that without thinking. I’ll let you get cleaned up after I finish here.” They grabbed the intestines hanging out of his stomach, and Castys winced, looking away as they began eating once more, thankfully not with as much voracity as before, but them going slower was almost…worse, in a way. He wasn’t as distracted by the chaos and the pain and the blood, and he could tell just how much Aleph was…enjoying this. 

But it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter how he felt, what he was going through. It only mattered that he was going to save Berkeley. That made all of this worth it. It was just one week. He could handle it. For Berkeley.

He grew used to it soon enough, or at least as used to having your organs ripped out and eaten as a guy could get. Aleph had two large meals a day, one midmorning and one early evening, but they took plenty in between to save for later, so he spent most of the day sliced open and bleeding. Really, it took so much scrubbing to get the layers of dried blood caked onto his skin off each night, but Aleph insisted he wash off, and, honestly, he felt gross enough that he actually wanted to, which was saying something. Wearing his red swim trunks here had been the best decision he’d ever made, since they cleaned off pretty well. He probably wouldn’t be too traumatized by all this to wear them again. Probably.

Probably.

He was lying on the table this time, the chain on his wrists secured to some hook or something above his head. His ankles and hips were strapped down, too, but the worst was the one around his fucking neck.

“Sorry, it’s just that I can’t exactly strap down your chest, so this is the best way to keep you still. Try not to choke?” 

“I’ll do my best,” Castys sighed, wincing slightly as he swallowed under the tight leather strap. 

Aleph giggled. “Before we get started, I think we’re going to need my friend’s help with this one.” They stepped away for a moment, and when they returned they were holding…a snake? A big, shiny, purple snake. They held it up proudly. “This is my familiar, Ileum! She’s a real sweetheart, but her venom makes blood clot more quickly, so she’s going to give you a little bite so you don’t die before I’m done with this, okay?”

Castys swallowed, glad this was happening to him, who liked snakes, and not Berkeley. “Uh, okay.” He really didn’t like where this was going if whatever bullshit they were gonna do required him to stay alive longer than a person should, but what could he do? 

Aleph lowered Ileum until she was next to his upper arm, which was also very close to his face. They tapped his bicep. “Right here, girl!” Ileum stared at him for a moment, unblinking, before striking, fangs sinking in and out of his arm so fast it might as well have been an injection. He still flinched, his arm throbbing like he’d been stabbed with a nail. “Good girl,” Aleph cooed, stroking their snake’s head before setting her down on the ground. Shit, had Ileum just been wandering around the whole time he’d been here? He was surprised he’d never seen her. But whatever, he had more important things to focus on right now. Like the fact that he was probably about to get ripped open and gutted like a fish.

Aleph placed a hand on his chest, taking a moment to feel his heartbeat. While Castys didn’t exactly enjoy the feeling of them touching him, he savored his last few moments of not really being in pain before-ah, uh huh, there it was, claws digging into his flesh, tearing away the layer of skin and muscle over the left half of his rib cage. Castys had seen his ribs a lot in the past few days. They looked how you would expect them to look. Rib-y. Aleph wormed a motherfucking crowbar under one of them, and at that moment Castys decided to stare at the bloodstains on the ceiling. Given where he was lying, it was pretty easy to imagine how those got there, all humans ever did in this room was bleed and scream and-

CRACK

The sound was short, loud, sharp, piercing, nestled in his ears, stabbing through his skull, the nonexistent echoes nearly drowning out the sound of the cries humming in his throat, the leather tight over his neck making him all-too aware of them.

There was pain, too, of course there was pain, sharp and bright and suffocating, and now there was pressure again, the next rib being strained until it snapped, causing him to jerk against the straps, and it was all he could do to keep breathing as his vision started to darken, but unconsciousness wasn’t coming for him, no, just a haze of dizziness punctuated by the loud snap of his bones breaking, all the pain blending together until it was all unrecognizable and painful and awful and very very painful-

“Aw, come on, Castys, look at this!” Aleph’s hand curled in his hair, jerking his head up, pressing his throat into the strap over it so hard he could barely breathe. They tore through a thin film over his organs with a claw like they were unwrapping a Christmas present before carefully pawing his lung aside, better exposing his beating heart. Castys had never seen his heart before, or planned on seeing it, or wanted to see it, but there it was, stupidly still beating even after all of this. “It’s so cool to see it going like that, huh?” Castys let out a choked gasp in response, and that seemed to be enough for Aleph, who let go of his hair, his head thunking back against the table. “I’m gonna drink from it!”

Castys didn’t really register what that meant until they were on top of him, straddling his waist, tossing away the last few pieces of splintered bone before lowering their mouth to his heart, giggling as its frantic beats brushed against their lips.

And then gently, tenderly, they bit down.

Thump thump

Their teeth only went in a little, not enough to kill, as much as Castys wished they would.

Thump thump thump thump

They sat like that for a moment, the throbbing muscle massaging their tongue, fresh, hot blood gushing directly into their mouth.

Thump thump thumpthump

Castys only now started screaming, but not because he could feel anything.

Thumpthumpthumpthumpthu-

He didn’t notice the pain anymore, really.

ThumptHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUM-

There was only the figure crouched on top of him, their face in his chest cavity.

ThUMPthUMPThuMptHumPthUMPTHuMpTHUmpTHuptH-

He was so, so grateful when they bit down harder and everything cut to black.

Somehow, he woke up without any noticeable fuckery going on with his ribs, which was cool. Aleph was sitting up now, a mass of…oh, it was the remnants of his heart still in their hand. They must have torn it out before his chest closed up, meaning the one beating inside him now was…not the one he’d been born with. A drop of fresh blood fell from the ceiling and landed on his face, and he switched to gazing at the new constellations he’d added up there while Aleph finished eating. 

That had definitely been one of the worst Anythings of his life, but if he had to do it again for Berkeley’s sake, he would.

 In a heartbeat.

Castys Cult: @as-a-matter-of-whump​ @blackrosesandwhump​ @fanmanga1357-blog​​ @thehopelessopus​ @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi​ @hearse-song​ @muddy-swamp-bitch @whumpasaurus101 @yet-another-heathen​​ @galaxywhump​ @starnight-whump​ @his-unspoken-words​ @misspelledwitch​ @suspicious-whumping-egg​ @pumpkin-spice-whump​ @painsandconfusion​ @i-can-even-burn-salad​​ @befuddled-calico-whump​ @whumpinggrounds​ @whump-queen​