#him ending up on shock sites just to see the quick and deep gash left on someones neck. someones arm. someones thigh

[jrmblob]

cut

thick tension in the air while str rummages through a box underneath the sink

j's on the edge of the bathtub, rubbing his knees together and making shy eye contact with himself in the mirror

he jumps when str turns around, he cant see what he's oh so carefully holding in his hand

str tugs at j's arm, it goes limp and lays flat on his thigh

"dont move"

j wants to move but he obeys, shutting his eyes as if he were on a rollercoaster

a sharp pain, only for a second

and then another

his eyes open, 2 timid slashes lie below his wrists, the first starts to show blood

j stands, covering his arm with his hand, he cant speak, str has a weird look

staring too deep into j's eyes, like he was trying to send a message, as if the cuts he gave him were birthday presents and they weren’t being appreciated

they both try to find the right words. j doesnt feel like its right, he should be mad, he is..kinda. but it felt nice, he guesses. he needed it. hes always kind of wanted it

str wants to do more, he wants to hurt with somebody, hurt somebody

j smiles, its coy. he reaches for the door, making eye contact with his savior

"thank you"

[tigerclawsremorse]

Chapter Thirteen

“He..did he.. could he actually have.. why would he..” Goldenflower stuttered, using Spottedleaf as a crutch to return to camp from the medic den. “It doesn’t make any since. How can you even stand to be around him?”

“I don’t know,” Spottedlead admitted, unsure of how to answer. “Tigerclaw came to me for help and I felt obligated, I guess. He’s my friend.”

“He killed your brother.”

“When he told me,” Spottedleaf began slowly, “he had this look in his eyes. I had never seen it before, not from him. I knew it wasn't an accident, but I also knew he could have never predicted what would happen afterwards. He was willing to give up everything to serve as a medicine cat, so how could I deny him?”

“You should have just told him no. What if news comes that he was the cause of other deaths? If he conspired to have Lionheart killed, I don't think I could maintain your empathy and composure.” Goldenflower concluded with a wheeze, “Everyday these pains are getting worse.”

“That means your kits are due soon.” The medic mewed, happy to change the subject.

“It means I can't move,” the queen panted, “give me a heartbeat to have them pass.”

“Oh yes,” Spottedleaf nodded, “You stay here and I’ll run ahead to prepare your nest extra soft, call if you need anything.”

Goldenflower stood for a couple of minutes, catching her breath and then losing it. She knew she wasn't ready yet, just some pregnancy pain, like what she had with her previous litter. After it had passed, she concluded it wasn’t anything serious.

“Spottedleaf was much too eager to leave my side,” Goldenflower said hushly to herself, continuing her slow journey to the nursery.

“I’m okay now,” Goldenflower peaked her head in, “passing pain,” she scanned the eerily still den and huffed in confusion, “She wasn’t that eager to get rid of me.”

From the gash in the wall shone two eyes that froze Goldenflower, the glaring ambers kept her paws latched to the ground where she stood, the figure was unseeable in the dark, “Tigerclaw?” She asked weakly.

The shadow did not respond and instead dashed out, a mewling noise accompanying them. With a deep and anxious breath she stepped into the den, in the corner opposite of the gash laid Speckletail, asleep despite the fact she was supposed to be on guard. Stepping around her, Goldenflower halted as blood pooled around her paws, still warm. “Spottedleaf?”

“Bluestar!” Goldenflower moved as quickly as she could to the leader’s den, her pregnancy seemed more and more like a curse. Summoned by the shouts of the worried queen, Whitestorm came down from highrock.

“Breath, Goldenflower, Bluestar is preoccupied currently, tell me what’s wrong?”

“I need to speak to her,” The queen demanded, the small scene had gathered the attention of the cats in camp.

Whitestorm with a nervous lash of his tail restated, “Tell me.” trying to avoid the watchful eyes of their clanmates.

“Whitestorm I cannot climb up there to talk to her myself and this is an urgent matter.”

“She’s speaking to Firepaw,” Whitestorm explained, hoping that would calm the queen slightly and prevent a clan uproar.

“The nursery--”

“My kits!” Frostfur barged into camp, her white fur standing on end and eyes wide with alarm, “Someone has taken my kits!”

Goldenflower flinched away as Whitestorm stood to give orders, “They must be in camp, warriors are to patrol the boundary and apprentices, check every den!” In a moment the camp was in a flurry in search of the missing kits, Goldenflower felt herself in shock even though she was well aware of the news.

Tigerclaw, left alone in the medicine cat den, began to organize the herbs. Spottedleaf had told him sometime back when she got stressed she would arrange and straighten up the herbs, it helped her feel like she had done something worthwhile instead of moping around. Down in the den alone, it was easy to understand what a solitude she must have always been in, he thought that was probably the real reason she helped him.

“This is chamomile,” He meowed to himself, “eases the mind and goes with the traveling herbs. I could probably use some.”

“And this is coltsfoot, no wait, these are dandelions.” Having the knowledge to be able to correct himself gave Tigerclaw a quick feeling of pride. Life as a medicine cat was what he needed, he decided.

There was no better time to decide, the tom told himself, his thoughts could not be any clearer. “Goldenflower, Bluestar... Thistleclaw, they’ll all understand.”

As he packed away the dandelions, he heard a yowl from beyond the tunnel, he whipped his head up to see and caught glances of the unusually active camp. Setting aside all the herbs, he scurred up the path to get an explanation.

“Yellowfang is gone!” Cried some cat buried in a camp wall bush.

“Yellowfang has killed Spottedleaf and taken my kits!” Screeched Frostfur.

“Killed Spottedleaf?” murmured Tigerclaw, suddenly unable to stand up.

The flurry of panic continued, emerging from the crowd came Longtail who nudged Tigerclaw. The brown tabby’s eyes were set on the other tom, but he could not be bothered to hear what he was rambling on about. Rather, he took to getting up on his wobbling legs and checking the nursery for himself.

The den was dark and rain droplets dripped down from where a sudden storm had brewed. Thunder crackled over head, accompanied by lightning that shone a brief light on the strew corpse of Spottedleaf.

“If Yellowfang has killed Spottedleaf and stolen Frostfur’s kits, she will be hunted down without mercy.” Bluestar’s voice echoed softly through the den’s walls. Tigerclaw couldn’t be bothered to focus on the rest, instead allowing her voice to become a soft droll of orders.

Mousefur stepped into the den, followed by Longtail, after a moment of shock, they dipped their heads and hurriedly carried Spottedleaf to the clearing. Again Longtail turned to say something, but this time remained silent.

Stranded alone, Tigerclaw bowed his head to her death site, preserving all the scents he could gather before the rain swept them away. “ShadowClan.. and….” he hesitated, in his grief and the thick scent of the nursery must deceive him. Darkstripe had no business in the nursery.

As he tracked along, making a strong and quick effort against the rain, he found his nose had not tried to fool him and the stench of ShadowClan was paired with Darkstripe. And the ThunderClan nursery which he supposed must have been the missing kits Frostfur wailed about.

His suspicion about the kits proved true as he smelt kitscent, and it seemed Frostfur’s theory rang true as well as the tom picked up on Yellowfang’s scent. Slowing his pace, he carefully approached a stump baring his fangs, but the elderly she-cat had already moved on. Confusingly, he also caught the scent of Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw, but they were nowhere to be seen either.

In the mix of all the scents, the rain washing half of them away, Tigerclaw huffed and took a rest. He couldn’t even begin to think of what he was doing. Going to go save those kits? Going to go kill Yellowfang? His ears lowered to his head and he took a deep breath.

“Borage is to lower fevers, broom is to bend broken bones, burdock root is for rat bites, tansy is for,” his mind blanked and he looked to the clouded sky, “I don’t know that I can do this without you, Spottedleaf.”

“Tansy is for curing coughs.” Croaked an old voice, in his daze, Yellowfang had managed to make her way right in front of the tom. “Tigerclaw,” she continued, apparently having not having just shown up to help him with his herb knowledge, “I’ve seen a lot. You must get up and help us,” Behind her approached more ShadowClan cats, not fine warriors, Tigerclaw could tell, but some outcasts.

“A ThunderClan patrol approaches, I am innocent and so are you. So I urge you to come along.”

“Of course I’m innocent?” The tabby got to his paws, “What do you mean?”

“Maybe you were told your path would be simple, good or evil. I’m sorry to tell you that way is long and difficult and rumors linger yet. Your scent hung heavy on Spottedleaf and in the nursery.”

“Ridiculous,” He padded after the she-cat and her comrades, “I could never.”

“Never is a stretch, huh.” She spoke curiously, “I must go meet with the other ThunderClanners, Dawncloud will lead your way.”

After Yellowfang finished, she quickly headed off, leaving Tigerclaw and the ShadowClan queen. “Hurry along now,” The dark molly nodded, “There really is no time to waste.”

[jace-the-writer-guy]

Lifebringer (Part Two)

///A Lifebringer. An Acolyte of Life and Death. Aurora Aramentay had gained these titles after an audience with Suvlenoyus himself, giving her the ability and knowledge of resurrection. Months later, Aurora set out into the world on her own, where she discovers the body of a young half-storm giant man and decides to revive him. She does so, and their future is set///

Word count: 2,300

Months passed since Aurora had gained her audience with Death, nearly a year. She had learned all she could from the sorceress’ guild of Ashantil, and she felt that she had a much greater control of her abilities than before. She was powerful, and many in the village knew it. No one tried to talk her out of leaving to adventure the world, because they knew she would take care of herself. And with that, they knew that she had to leave so that she may use her power to aid those in need that she deemed worthy of it. The only people that took her departure hardest were her friend Vaeril, and her mother.

A month had passed in her journey after she left home. She was dressed in her elegant, revealing dark purple robes and a pair of simple sandals on her feet, and her cloak over her shoulders and it’s hood over her head. She carried no camping supplies with her as she had her own little pocket dimension she had created herself that was just a little home she could summon a door to whenever she needed it, and it was stocked with items and provisions she had brought from Ashantil. It was a nice little spacial magic spell she had created after months of practice, and she was proud of it. It was draining though even with her power, so she needed much more training with it.

One day after passing another village, she came across the site of a battle against a dragon. The earth was upturned and scorched by fire, and trees were burned down to ash. Aurora walked through the charred battleground, her nose just flooded with the smell of both burning wood and flesh, causing her to pull the scarf of her cloak over her mouth and nose. The battle must have been recent as there were still a few small fires around the area that Aurora had used her magic to snuff out. She couldn’t see any bodies around, so her first thought was that they had been burned to ash with only the afterscent remaining. But, it soon became evident that that wasn’t the case.

A minute into her search, she saw a half-giant man laying at the end of a long trench, his greataxe clutched in his lifeless hand as a tribal looking greatsword was strapped to his back. The dragon must have picked the poor warrior up after ending his life and had just thrown him away as if he was nothing more than a nuisance, not even bothering to eat him. Aurora made her way over to the body of the man and she could see that he was both very large at eight and a half feet tall and very muscular, but he was also very young. She could easily see that past all the burns across his face. His armor had withstood the heat of the fire at least, but had suffered multiple gashes across the breastplate that left his chest bleeding.

Aurora acted fast. She summoned her spacial home and with the aid of her magic, she took him inside, and she shut and locked the door. From the outside, the door just disappeared from sight. She laid his body on a blanket on the floor and threw off her cloak, then proceeded to take off all of his armor and what he wore under it, setting it and his weapons to the side while completely ignoring the fact that he was huge everywhere, and instead she focused on all the burns that had been sustained from the dragon’s fire flowing under his armor. She healed them all and sealed the wounds shut that were on his chest, and then she prepared herself for her ritual.

Silence filled the air as Aurora placed her hand over her chest, and then she placed her other hand over the goliath’s chest. An emerald green aura glowed around her hands and enveloped their chests as Aurora mouthed silent words of power for the ritual. She closed her eyes as she silently recited the spell and then the glow reached peak brightness. With her hands over her own chest and the fallen warrior’s, she leaned down over his face, her lips hovering just centimeters above his, and she let out a long exhale of breath that carried with it a green aura like the one surrounding her hands. The aura flowed into the man’s mouth and nose and flowed through his lungs, and Aurora continued to exhale for several long moments.

Soon, Aurora’s hands stopped glowing and her exhale of breath followed.

And the man sucked in a deep, long breath.

Color came back to his sky blue eyes and the tribal markings on his face glowed with a blue energy as his life was returned to him. He quickly raised up to a sitting position and his eyes blinked for several moments as he stared around the strange, unfamiliar, and very small room. He eventually laid his eyes on Aurora, and his confusion grew even more as he stared at her like a fool. He opened his mouth to try to speak but he was unable to form any words. His mouth and throat were extremely dry and he coughed when he tried to speak, but then soon after there was a mug fit to the size of his hand filled with water for him.

“Drink slowly, friend,” Aurora said softly and placed her hand on his back, and she began to heal the burns there, “You’ve been through quite a lot.”

The man drank slowly as what was left of his long, unkempt hair hung over his face. Everything was happening so fast for him, but all he could do was drink the water the Dark Elven woman gave him. Eventually, he felt his mouth and throat were well enough, and he lowered the mug from his lips. “Wh-wh-who are y-you?”

Aurora was shocked at hearing the half-giant speaking common. It sounded rather broken, but it was still surprising. “My name is Aurora Aramentay. Who are you?”

It took him a few moments to figure out what she asked. “C-Cronus… Stormw-wind…”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cronus.”

“I… died.”

“You did. Thankfully I found you when I did. I resurrected you.”

Cronus looked at her in absolute confusion, his mouth gaped open as he tried to speak but Aurora lifted the mug back up to his lips. “Drink a bit more, regain your energy.”

Cronus did so and and now that his throat was getting better, he began to chug the water down. When the mug was empty, he watched as Aurora laid her hand over it and used magic to fill it back up with water. That led to him drinking from that mug much more slowly as his thoughts gathered in his mind of what happened, and it not only made him feel uneasy to remember that he had been killed, but it also terrified him to know that he could be killed by a dragon so easily.

“The dragon… tried to attack that village,” Cronus began to say, his voice low, “I saw it fly toward it, and I struck it with lightning to make it attack me. It did, and… it killed me effortlessly.”

“That sounds horrible, friend,” Aurora said gently and rubbed his bare, muscular back, “It seems like you did prevent the dragon from attacking the village, though. I passed by not even two days ago.”

Cronus let out a sigh and took another drunk of water, swallowing it down easily now. “That’s… one comfort to know from this.”

Aurora hummed softly. “You did a very honorable thing, Cronus.”

“And… you brought me back to life?”

“I did. I saw how young you are, and I felt I had to act.”

Cronus handed her the mug and he grunted in slight pain as he moved his body. Aurora tried to keep him still, but he was extremely strong and pulled out of her hands. She would have used her magic to keep him down but she didn’t wish to annoy him by keeping him down when he wanted to move. Soon, Cronus was in a kneeling position before her, his head bowed to her.

“I’m sorry… but your name is difficult for me to try to say,” Cronus began to speak, “You brought me back to life, and now I think I owe my life to you fully. If you let me, I’ll journey with you and be your guardian, and follow you with everything you want to do. Aur… A-Auro…” He let out a sigh, “Ara-Ara, I give my life to you. I hope you don’t mind me calling you that.”

Aurora was taken aback by the vow Cronus had given, but she couldn’t help but giggle a bit from what he called her. “I don’t mind you calling me by that at all. And you don’t have to pledge your life to me. I wouldn’t ask you to.”

Cronus shook his head. “It’s what I want to do with my new life that you gave back to me. That is if you would let me come with you.”

“Hmm I certainly wouldn’t mind a traveling companion, but I will not force you to do anything. You’ll do everything of your own free will, and you’ll always be free to say no or leave.”

“So you’ll take me?”

“I will. And I must say…” The sorceress crossed her arms and her eyes trailed downward, “It’s difficult to take your pledge seriously when your manhood is rather impressively touching the floor.”

Cronus looked down and he finally realized that he was completely naked. “Oh… sorry about that hehehe.”

“It’s alright, Cronus,” Aurora replied and she laughed lightly, “I’m no stranger to seeing a person’s body being revealed, although it was mostly those wearing very loose robes.”

“So… should I put clothes on?”

Aurora smirked, reaching over to grab the clothes Cronus was wearing under his armor, and she used her magic to begin mending them. It didn’t take long before she fixed his trousers, and she handed them to him. “That would make things a bit less awkward.”

Cronus took the trousers and chuckled. “Right…” He stood up and went to put them on, and it wasn’t long before he fell face first onto the floor, “…Fuck…”

Aurora was quick to his side and she helped him to a sitting position. “Just rest and regain your strength for now, friend. I’ll summon a bed for you and we can rest here until you’ve recovered.”

“What all can you even do with magic?” Cronus asked curiously.

Aurora hummed at that. “Well, I did create this pocket dimension we’re in right now, so I would say I know a good amount.”

Cronus blinked. “You're… really powerful.”

“I’ve been told~”

“What do you use your power for?”

“Hmm…” Aurora thought for a moment on her reply, and she smiled, “Well, I haven’t used it for many things yet. I recently left my own home only a few months ago. But, what I want to use it for is to explore the world and help all that I can with it. I want to use my powers for the betterment of everyone in the world and all who I meet.”

“That’s a noble goal.”

“Thank you, Cronus. Would you like a meal?”

“Fuck yeah I would. I’m hungry.”

Aurora laughed in response to that, and then she stood and began to go to work. First, she used a conjuration spell and summoned a bed out of thin air for Cronus, fit to his size and she helped him up onto it. Cronus began to slowly put his trousers on while the dark elf went to her kitchen area and by both her own work and aid by some magic she began to prepare a large meal for them both. While Aurora usually didn’t eat much, Cronus was much larger than her and in addition to being brought back to life, he would need much more sustenance to recover from the entire ordeal. So, the sorceress threw numerous large pieces of beef and chicken on a rack over the fire and summoned a bit of aid in the form of a spectral chef, who began to season the meat while Aurora prepared a stew.

Cronus laid in his bed for several moments while the succulent aroma from the meal being prepared filled the room. It began to smell like nothing he had smelled before from his clan’s cooks. He had never tasted anything more than simple, unseasoned meat cooked on sticks held over a fire so this was quite the change of pace for him to smell. He would try to stay awake so he could savor the scent of it as long as possible, but he was barely able to stay awake now that he was laying in the softest bed he’d ever laid in.

He turned his head and watched as his savior put numerous ingredients into a pot. Without a second thought, he devoted his life to her after she restored his life. Not because of her power or beauty, but because she gave him his life back. He had devoted his life to her so quickly, and now he was damned sure this was the path he was going to take. Aurora’s goals lined up with his in the sense that they both want to explore the world, and now his new goal was to help the sorceress in her own mission to help others along the way, and carve their own path into the history of Palara.

With those new goals set in his mind, Cronus soon drifted off into a deep slumber.

[snarkysboys]

Chapter One: First Encounter

The time on her cell phone read 2:13 am. “I hate weekends.” She grumbled under her breath and quickened her pace. Danielle had just gotten off work at a local pizza place and was hurrying home to get some rest before she had to start another shift in the morning. She was aware the area of town she was currently in was mildly dangerous at night, so she kept her hood up and head down, senses on high alert. Since moving to New York, Danielle had yet to encounter any incidents she couldn’t handle, and she intended to keep it that way. Living in the big apple usually meant the usage of a vehicle was more of a hassle than an asset and so, shortly after the move, Danielle’s car was sold for a fraction of what she paid for it and the 24-hour subways became a way of life. Thankfully, her train stop was less than a mile from her apartment which she could cover in roughly eight minutes at the speed with which she hastily walked. Her knockoff canvas shoes barely made a sound as they hit the unyielding cement. Her backpack slung over her shoulder, gently bobbing with each stride. The sky was cloudy with hardly a sliver of moonlight peeking through the mass. Danielle could start to make out the convenience store on the corner that signaled her to turn left in order to reach her destination.  

Suddenly, there was a loud POP that echoed through the deserted streets and Danielle stopped in her tracks, turning her head towards the noise. A deafening screech followed the noise and Danielle saw a flash of metal skid around the corner clearing a path that led directly to her. The headlights blinded her as she stood unwavering a moment but then, as if shot with a volt of electricity, she reacted and launched herself out of the sights of the uncontrollable ivory van.  She felt the air whoosh by her as the van careened past then she stared transfixed as it continued at full speed on a one-way trip to the dead end of an alley. Her eyes widened the instant it made impact with the brick wall.  

The sound of metal on rock was thunderous. Danielle stood paralyzed for a minute, watching the smashed van as a thin stream of smoke began to rise from it. The horrid realization creeping over her that whoever was in that car couldn’t have possibly survived. She unconsciously took a small step towards the van. A dozen scenarios played in her head of ways this situation would play out. The ambulance, the police report, watching a stretcher be wheeled away. Danielle could tell the shock of the event was weighing heavily on her as her limbs appeared to be locked in place. She couldn’t bring herself to reach for her phone or move out of the street or even breathe. Then she noticed a rattling on the back doors. Someone was still inside! Before she was even aware of her actions, Danielle found herself racing towards the van.  

“Hey! Don’t worry in there! I’m gonna get you out okay?“ She called, nearing the back of the van. She heard no reply but the persistent jiggling on the other side of the door continued. She reached for the handle and tugged. The van was a common model used for construction or electric workers. There was only the driver and passenger side doors at the front and then two large rear doors used to store large transportable equipment. Much of the damage was at the front of the car, folding in on itself like an accordion in a way that completely obscured the front seats of the vehicle. The back had been dented slightly outwards, considerably blocking the hinges, but the rear windows had somehow managed to survive. Danielle pulled with all her strength on both handles to no avail. She then looked around frantically and saw a stray brick from the impact nearby. She quickly picked it up, shouting, “Hey! Cover your head and close your eyes, okay?! I’m gonna break the window!" 

She waited a moment but again no reply. She raised the brick above her head and smashed into the glass window with an excessive amount of adrenaline fueled force. It gave way instantly. She gave another softer hit to some of the stray shards along the bottom of the pane. "Okay. Dont panic. I’m gonna get you out of here.” As she shakily shouted words of reassurance, she was quickly taking off her hoodie to put it along the bottom of the broken window in case any large shards remained that could cut the person still trapped inside. Unbeknownst to her, her cell phone, which had been residing inside her jacket’s pocket, slipped out as she did this and landed to the ground with a dull thud.  

 As she laid the hoodie gingerly across the broken window ledge, she was finally able to peer inside of the van. Immediately she was greeted with two neon pink eyes staring back. She recoiled but didn’t step back, quickly noticing the stillness of the form. Her heart stilled as she curiously examined the mysterious figure. She saw the eyes belonged to a translucent blue humanoid body whose arms stretched out and latched around the handles of the rear doors. It was apparent the form was not human however, since directly under its transparent teal skin was the gears and cranks that powered this machine. And as her gaze drifted lower, she noticed a large pink mass she couldn’t quite identify resting in its abdomen.  

Danielle tore her eyes from the strange robotic creature to quickly scan the rest of the vehicle for signs of any sentient passengers residing within. The van bed was nearly empty, housing nothing else except a handful of canisters with a strange neon green jelly sloshing around inside. Danielle was perplexed but managed to find her voice as she uttered out a, “Uh…anyone in here?” That’s when the robot struck, jutting out one of its lightning fast arms to grab Danielle, latching its cold digits tightly around her face. She could feel the steel painfully pressing into her cheekbone and chin, stifling her from opening her mouth to scream. In another fluid motion, the robot reached for the window ledge with its other hand and propelled its body gracefully through the hole. The robot landed outside the smoking van with Danielle being dragged along with it. Her knees hit the ground with traumatizing impact but she was denied releasing a vocal assurance of the pain. She desperately reached up with both her hands to try and break the grip on her face but only ended up slicing deep gashes into her palms on the rough ridges that jutted off of the robots mangled exterior. Panic was starting to swell in her chest when suddenly-

“Hey Kraang! What do you think you’re doing? Put the civilian down!” She heard a voice echoing down the alleyway behind her followed by a swift sound of metal. Before she had the opportunity to try and signal her would be savior, she felt her body abruptly launch into the air until her toes could only gently kiss the ground below. Her cheeks were bruising and her hair was painfully twisted around the metal shrapnel on the robotic hand. It felt as if Danielle’s head might burst. She kicked out, making contact with the robot a few times, before she felt her body being drawn closer then flung outwards at high speed. However, she quickly made impact with a dumpster along the opposite side of the alleyway then shortly after, the ground. The force knocked the wind out of her, leaving Danielle dizzy but still conscious and she turned her head back toward the droid. To see it currently engaged in combat. 

The assailant was quick and too difficult to make out clearly in the dark shrouds of the alley but Danielle noted their motions were sweeping and elegant. They carried two large bladed weapons that seemed to dance with the enemy. In comparison, the AI looked clunky and disorganized compared to the calculated attacks dealt out by her rescuer. Danielle could make out the person having a rather large protrusion along his back and many flashes of green suggested his outfit was primarily in that color. The robot suddenly stopped engaging attacks with its target and instead raced back to the van, taking a running start to plunge half of its body through the shattered window Danielle had made. She thought maybe the robot was attempting retreat as the shrouded man gave chase. The very next moment proved that to be wrong as the robot reemerged with a large metallic gun shaped object in its hand. It quickly hiked the gun up into position, peered through the sites along the top of the barrel and fired a bright pink laser projectile that made direct contact with her rescuer, blasting him backwards. 

Danielle’s disbelief with her own eyesight was hitting a tipping point but she tried to reassure herself and calm her frayed nerves. She reached for the backpack still holding desperately to her shoulder and tore into the zippers, frantically hunting for her cell phone. She dumped the contents of the bag on the ground when she had no luck blindly searching by feel and felt fear start to kick in when it was nowhere to be seen in her array of objects. 

And then it was all over.  

The man in green somehow flipped the robot over the protrusion along his back and launched him onto the top of the van where the robot lay a moment in bewilderment. The man wasted no time following him on top of the vehicle and then violently drove one of his weapons straight down into the head of the AI, pausing just a moment before ripping it off the rest of the body. The robot lay still and the man used his foot to dislodge the decapitated head free from the weapon he held. Was that a sword? The last thing Danielle noticed was a fleshy mass of pink plopping off the side of the van then dashing wildly past her and out of the alley. Whatever it was she thought she saw could not begin to decode in her brain at that moment so she chose to ignore it for now.  

At this point she was finally able to will her body to adequately move and she pulled her head and shoulders off the concrete, supported by her elbows. She noticed the blood from her hands had pooled down her arms and was splattered along the ground. When she turned her head back up the sword wielder was now hovering directly above her. He hesitated a moment before swiftly picking her up and draping her along one shoulder then he dashed to the end of the alleyway where he hooked onto a fire escape railing and hoisted them both up. He hurriedly took them both to the rooftop while Danielle held the rough, hard mass attached to the mans back. The shock of the entire experience lent to her willingness of being snatched by the armed man.

He carried her a few blocks from the scene of the attack, easily clearing rooftops by jumping from scaffolding to scaffolding. Danielle could hear the sounds of sirens ringing in the distance below them. In this city, they could be heading to check out the crash the two of them just fled from or they could be headed to a  completely unrelated emergency.  

After a while the man finally halted and gingerly helped her down off his shoulder. He held onto her elbows to steady her while she gained her footing. “There we go. Easy does it.” He said and she looked up to get her first full view of her hero.. 

And she couldn’t help but gasp. Standing in front of her was a fully scaled emerald green humanoid turtle. His shell stood noticeably above his shoulders and attached around the front of his midsection. Laced across his waist was a belt with a few satchels sewn inside. Diagonally across his chest sat suspenders that seemed to hold the sheaths his swords fit into along his shell. He had bandages circling his three fingered hands and flat feet. He only wore knee-pads and elbow pads that had grime caked into the material. Finally, along his oval face, resting atop his ridged nostrils, he wore a blue bandanna that was swept up in the wind. 

For about a minute neither of them said anything and he simply analyzed her as she stood in wonder, measuring the type of horrified reaction she would have at his appearance. He opened his mouth to finally break the silence when Danielle awkwardly belted out, “Thank you.”

He faltered, taken aback. “Wh-what?" 

"Thank you.” She said again with a bit more conviction, trying to ignore the fight or flight response his appearance evoked in her. “For helping me back there.”

“Oh uh…its no problem.” He smiled, rubbing one large hand along the nape of his neck. The image was something Danielle had never seen so she had to fight the uneasiness of his reaction at first. On a deeper level however, Danielle noted that he crinkled his large eyes considerably and his wide grin showed off all of his flattened white teeth when he smiled. It seemed like a genuinely kind, good-natured smile and she decided at that moment that she really enjoyed it. Although his appearance was off putting, he didn’t seem intimidating and he apparently didn’t wish to harm her. Danielle attempted to ease the pressure from her shoulders and smiled back.

His ocean blue eyes seemed to sparkle in response but then he cleared his throat curtly and motioned to her hands. “You got some nasty cuts there. Do they hurt?”  

She looked down at her blood soaked hands then back up to him. She had honestly forgot about cutting her hands at all as she could only feel a dull throbbing in them now. Truthfully, her back hurt far more from where she connected it with the dumpster but even that pain was mild since her adrenaline was still spiked. She just returned his stare and replied, “A little but I think I’ll live.”

He slowly raised one of his course hands toward her. “May I?”  

She hesitated just a moment but then brought her left hands towards his. He held her wrist gently and took a cautiously slow step towards her. She tried to keep her breathing even as he unwound the wraps from his knuckles and used them to tightly bind the deep gashes in her hand. She watched  him work, his technique quick and precise. Once he finished one hand he gestured for her other. She complied and soon she stood with her throbbing hands bound tight. The blood soaked through the fabric in a few places but the pressure from the wraps should halt the bleeding. “There.” He said as he finished the last knot on her bindings. “That will keep the bleeding from getting worse but you will need to disinfect it and re bandage as soon as you get home.”  

“Okay.” Danielle said and dropped her hands back to her sides, trying to not stare too intently at the mutant who had saved her. She averted her eyes awkwardly and opted to focus on the skyline instead. The city looked a lot different from up high on the rooftops. She liked the change of scenery. And the warm night air. Danielle could feel her heartbeat steady and her blood pressure start to stabilize as she finally began to relax.  

Suddenly the turtle cut though her peace. “Do you live around here?" 

She snapped her attention back to his quizzing eyes and replied, "I’m a couple blocks that way.” She pointed to the left of him.

He chanced a peak over his shoulder in the direction she pointed, gauging the path, then looked back at her. “May I escort you home?” Unexpectedly, panic shot though Danielle once again and a heavy pit settled into her stomach. She debated if she should really chart a course for this creature to always locate her at. He didn’t seem dangerous but the fact remained that she barely knew him or what he was or what he was capable of. And how did he get to be so proficient with those weapons?

She bit her lip and attempted to draw the voices of doubt back down. Thus far the turtle had only acted to help her. His intents did not seem malicious or untrustworthy and Danielle sought to trust her gut instincts when it came to peoples character. Then, there was the the curiosity that this blue clad renegade had piqued within her. She found that she wanted to know more about this mysterious mutant turtle and thus, her doubt was beaten out this time. Danielle nodded, “Yes, thank you.”

He smiled brightly once more and pointed his thumb to the left, “You said that way, right?” Danielle nodded. “Okay. Do you mind climbing on my shell? Its a bit easier to navigate.”  

Shell. He said it so nonchalantly. She was so interested to feel his shell with the knowledge of its identity that she wasted no time in stepping up behind him. She brought one bound hand out and gently touched the back of his shell, feeling the smooth divots it naturally created. The texture reminded her of the top of a fingernail but much more dense. She briefly remembered in 5th grade touching one of her classmates pet turtles and it truly did feel the same as it did now. It was amazing. He stood patiently as she explored his shell until she eventually guided her hands up the ridges and rested her hands lightly along the ridge of his shell.

Then, an intrusive thought suddenly flashed into her mind. “Won’t holding on here hurt you?”

“No not at all. I have pretty tough skin.” He chuckled lightly, feeling her hands seek light purchase at the rim of his shell. He bent down slightly and reached back to clasp her legs under his rough arms then hoisted her up to rest along his shell, trying his best to avoid the katana sheaths.  She let out a small grunt that she promptly stifled. She always hated being carried. “You okay?” He asked.  

“Yes, Im good.”  

“How are your hands?”

She did notice the ridge was cutting into her gash a bit but she ignored the sting and said. “All good.”

“Okay, you’ll have to guide me.”

“Ur..Ill try my best. I’ve never traveled by rooftop before.”

“Its an underrated method of transport.” He laughed to himself then set in the direction she originally pointed. Leaping through the air without a second thought from one rooftop to the next. Danielle, now much more aware of the world blurring around her and the instant vertigo charged by how far below the ground really was, let out a loud gasp and wrapped her arms around the turtles neck tightly. Each time the turtles large soles found the ground again, she found the experience equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. He then gently hoisted her a little higher to try and loosen her lock on his neck. She got the message but left her arms along his front in case she suddenly needed to hook them again. 

Although Danielle managed to get lost for a few minutes, they did eventually locate her apartment complex. He lowered her down in the dimly lit alley adjoined to the parking lot of her complex.  She couldn’t help but beam a wide smile at him. “Thanks again so much for everything you’ve done. You’re really incredible.”

He turned his head slightly to hide a light blush creeping up his cheeks. He buried the flustered feeling in his gut and replied, “It’s no problem miss. It’s what I do.”  

She turned to look up at the apartments, mulling over the thoughts she had while they were on their parkour rooftop adventure. She wanted to see him again. She couldn’t explain why besides the curiosity, but she knew something else was drawing her to him and she wanted to explore what that might be. She bit her lip, working up the courage to form the words in her head out loud. She quickly spun back to meet his eyes. “Is there any way-”

Suddenly an agitating beeping from somewhere on his person erupted and he recoiled in surprise, pulling out some kind of rounded cell phone from a pouch on his waistband. He scanned the screen quickly then stored it back where it came from. His eyes seemed to develop a more serious tone and his stance shifted tensely. “Listen, I gotta get going. Remember what I said about the antiseptic and be safe, okay!” As he spoke, he had started to back away and reach out for the nearest fire escape ladder.

Danielle was stunned as she watched him hurriedly depart. “I..uhm..okay. I will!” She shouted up at him as he disappeared over the rooftop and out of sight. She stood there another minute or so, staring up, hoping for one more flash of the curious renegade but none came.  

She let out a light sigh then turned and solemnly trotted back to her apartment across the lot. Luckily her keys were tucked safely in her pocket instead of lost in the alleyway with the van. She yanked them out, jammed them into her door and rushed inside, kicking her shoes off and latching the lock shut behind her.  

She expected her roommate to be asleep but instead she was out on the patio, looking at the skyline with a cup of steaming coffee in her hand and a look of wonder on her face. “Billy, dude. You are never gonna freaking believe what happened to me tonight.” Danielle started, excitedly.

“Dani! Okay, no you are not gonna believe what I just saw. There was these big guys on the rooftops over there and they all started jumping around doing crazy, amazing stunts and they all had these weap-…what the hell happened to you?”

Danielle grabbed the first aid kit and a bottle of peroxide from the medicine cabinet then quickly plopped herself down onto the sofa and began recounting the events from her evening.  

The time on the kitchen stove read 3:04 am.

[axgmented]

♟ : Patching up a wound

    there's so much blood. there's so much that she thinks the earth is crying it when she finally finds him. the mud beneath her boots squelches with each timid step and she swears she sees the crimson mixing with the ruddy brown. her stomach aches, knots twisting her insides up in miserable bows and her lungs burn with the ache of air she can't seem to swallow down quick enough. her own muscles burn, but the disassociation to pain is kicking in and she's moving on autopilot towards camp, towards his tent. she has to hold herself together to keep from her bones rattling out through her skin; her jaw aches from the pressure and she has to take a slow, purposeful breath before entering his station.

   " --- g-gladio, jesus."

    she whispers, more along the lines of wheezing before those shaking hands gather up soiled soaked hair, pointedly ignoring the ends of her hair because she doesn't want to think about the blood that stains the tips. she secures it at the crown of her skull, making sure the strands are out of her face before her hands dip in the bowl to rid her flesh of dirt and grime. though she was quick, the woman was thorough before shaking the water free and edging close to him. she doesn't like to see blood, much less his own. how many nights had he made sure she was dry, safe, not terrorized by the nightmares of home? it was her time now, because she doesn't know where the scholar is, where the prince is, or even her kindred spirit prompto. it's just them and the little band of wanna be glaives out here.

   rem's hands have stopped shaking and her face has lost that shell-shocked, deer in headlights look; she's focused, she's determined and she's gathering the little odds and ends she's going to need to sew up that massive gash that's glaring at her from his arm. she's got the tools, the hook and thread, a lighter, the alcohol and her teeth bite at the fabric of what used to be a pillowcase to tear it into strips. carefully, she sets them on the bed, snatching the bowl of water before emptying it out and replacing it with clean, cold water she dips the first wadded up strip in and dabs at his forehead.

     " i-i-.."

   she wants to say she's sorry, that she never meant to not be by his side after all he's done for her but the words wont come out because he's just staring at her with gritted teeth and trembling muscles. she knows that look and sighs softly, shoulders dropping before she bites at her lower lip. now was the time, it wasn't the place and after dabbing the last bit of dirt off of his face as gently as she could rem gets to work. she shrugs hastily out of her jacket, left in her tattered t-shirt before snatching the bottle of amber liquid and pulling the top off with a bit of effort. she offers him the first drink and he grabs the bottle before taking a few pulls, offering it back to her and she winces when she pours some directly onto the wound; there's a hiss through bared teeth and she shushes him softly, a pathetic noise of  "i know, i know," before shes wiping away the mess to assess the damage.

   " can ya feel tha'?"

   she mumbles quietly, taking her nails and poking each one of his fingers. they all twitch faintly but he grunts his affirmation and she nods. good, no nerve damage, muscle movement seems good --- it's not deep to get a tendon but it could have been. she exhales sharply, pouring another dose onto the wound before hastily dabbing the area. she's pretty sure she's got it clean, and new strips of damped fabric being placed on either side of site. she flicks her lighter, once -- twice, she swears before the third strike catches flame and holds the hook above the flame and watches as it smokes.  she waves the heat away, dunking the tool in the basin before she's threading the eye and tosses a nervous glance at him, hands hovering above the gash.

   " m'sorry.. m'sorry."

  she starts, hooking the needle through his flesh before wincing for him, little deceptive hands working as fast as she could with as much accuracy as she possessed to sew him up. it takes a good fifteen, maybe twenty minutes before she leans down and teeth bite through the thread. the bottle's nearly empty and she takes a swig for herself to calm her nerves down. her eyes close tightly, that sickening feeling coming over her again when she thinks back to the blood that soaked her hands as she patched him up. rem makes a strangled sort of noise before sitting the bottle down and throwing the tools (all but her lighter) into the pink water of the makeshift sink and fumbles around for another pillowcase she can use as a gauze. sure enough, she finds out and starts ripping it at the seams and into thick strips before covering her handiwork.

   "don't think yer gunna lose it."

  she laughs a little, staring down at her hands and instantly looks away from them. they feel sticky, cold and clammy as if she were a walking corpse. she sniffles faintly, glancing around the room before stealing a glance at his face. she wonders if he's in pain if he needs anything if he wants her to stay or leave or --- she shakes her head a bit, throwing the suffocating thoughts away before finally finding her voice.

     " -- do...do you need anything?"