#we can yell about these two trauma bonding i guess cause thats how fictional characters become friends right--

[tahnisreu]

ㅤIt had become evident years before that when confronted with an imminent threat, at the time a viperwolf, Addi was about as reactive as a bag potatoes. Not to say she lacked survival instinct - more rather her brain ceased to function when presented with the immediate and urgent demand to either run or hold ground. It often took a yell or shove from an outside source to jumpstart her into one or the other. Getting hauled up by the back of her shirt was not an uncommon mode of transport - she dealt with it a lot as a child, but it didn't make the sensation of losing agency of her own standing any less jarring.

ㅤThe scream was involuntary. It had already been working its way up when the heavy machinery collapsed, but the final push came from abrupt disconnect with the ground. The bag strap dug into her chest and flared a pain from the constriction. What felt like an agonizing length of time was in reality only a few seconds as they had reached the door the had been aiming for.

ㅤHardly a minute was given for her to recover from all of that when a stomach-sinking realization dawned on her. The stupid doors had gone into a lockdown feature, most likely when an air seal broke long ago to trigger the system but before the power supply gave out. ❛ No, no! ❜ She pleaded, trying to help Neteyam with getting the door to open further. The gears were holding firm but the gap was just wide enough that only she could slip through. ❛ C'mon! I'm not leaving-! ❜

ㅤThe scattering movement punctuated that that thing had gotten over the bulldozer ploy and was back on target. Her frantic gaze moved from Neteyam's to behind them, where through the darkness there was movement, a glint of shining eyes and barred teeth barreling straight for them. The action was halfway through before she realized what she had done - she had pulled his hands from the door and ( with all the adrenaline fueled strength she could ) pushed Neteyam to the side. A heartbeat later, the slinth's momentum sent it crashing into the doorway, forcing Addi to fall through to the other side.

ㅤThe beast's arm flailed through the gap, several clawed swipes left gouges in the steel flooring and inside the door before the creature realized she had fallen out of reach. After the arm withdrew, the doors seemed to shutter and clank like a gear was setting itself back in place and to her horror, the doors clamped closed. Try as she might, her fingertips were barely able to even get leverage in the door's seam. ❛ Neteyam? ❜ Her voice shook, but carrying more air than sound. She couldn't hear anything from the other side of the metal, and she realized she was alone in a dark hallway leading to who knew where.

it  was  too  dark  to  see  further  than  a  handful  of  feet  around  them  and  neteyam  was  thankful  for  the  slow  and  steady  pace  addison  was  making  towards  what  he  hoped  would  be  an  exit.  most  of  the  predators  of  pandora  wouldn't  be  able  to  resist  fleeing  prey  and  neteyam  doubted  that  addison's  short  legs  would  be  able  to  keep  up  with  him.  taking  another  step  backwards  after  her  neteyam  briefly  considered  carrying  her,  she  was  light  enough  but  he  also  knew  that  he  wouldn't  be  able  to  run  and  shoot  at  the  same  time  if  he  was  also  juggling  addison  in  one  or  both  arms.

          hearing  addison's  sigh  of  relief,  neteyam  had  hope  that  they  were  nearing  something  resembling  a  way  out  of  the  death  trap  they  found  themselves  to  be  in  but  didn't  dare  take  his  eyes  off  of  the  looming  darkness  to  see  it  for  himself.  no  sooner  had  addison  sighed  did  movement  draw  neteyam's  gaze  to  a  spot  of  blackness  that  was  just  slightly  darker  than  the  rest.

          neteyam  felt  his  heart  leap  into  his  throat  as  the  darkness  descended  upon  them.

          he  raised  his  bow,  arrow  notched  and  pulled  taunt  as  the  txumre's  plates  unfolded  from  it's  face,  maw  splitting  open  with  a  shriek.  the  arrow  left  his  bow  with  a  fwip  but  rather  than  aim  for  the  monster  directly,  neteyam  hit  one  of  the  supporting  chainlinks  above  it.  the  mining  dozer  came  down  following  the  shink  of  rusted  metal  and  the  txumre  was  forced  to  twist  it's  sleek  body  in  an  impossible  turn  to  avoid  the  dozer's  razor  sharp  teeth.  neteyam  didn't  wait  for  the  creature  to  recover,  he  spun  on  his  heel,  snatched  a  hold  of  addison's  bag,  shoulder  strap,  and  shirt  as  he  sprinted  towards  the  small  red  sign.

          running  while  holding  addison  was  awkward  but  the  fallen  dozer  had  given  them  time.  he  could  hear  the  txumre  hissing  and  snarling  at  the  enormous  machine,  for  the  moment  convinced  that  it  was  another  intruder  but  that  wouldn't  last  long.  only  when  they  were  closer  to  the  red  sign  did  neteyam  set  addison  on  the  ground  again,  slinging  his  bow  over  his  shoulder  he  rushed  towards  what  he  could  now  see  was  a  pair  of  doors.  he  hit  the  wall  when  the  doors  didn't  immediately  open,  kneeling  to  shove  his  fingers  between  the  two  steel  plates  and  straining  to  pry  the  doors  open.

          the  doors  trembled  and  stuttered  stubbornly  against  his  strength  but  they  were  old  and  worn,  nothing  like  what  they  had  once  been  and  with  several  gutteral  grunts  and  a  string  of  colourful  phrases,  neteyam  had  pried  the  doors  open  wide  enough  for  addison  to  slip  between.  ❝  go  .  .  .  get  inside,  now,  quickly!  ❞  neteyam  hissed,  straining  to  keep  the  doors  open.  his  ears  twitched  when  he  heard  the  scrape  of  claws  against  the  hard  concrete  floor,  glancing  wildly  to  meet  addison's  gaze.  ❝  hurry!  ❞