Low Roar
by SMYGO4EVA
For all his quick thinking and strategy, Knuckle still was reckless and impulsive. Shoot knew that all too well. Whenever it came to certain danger, what lurked below the waves, or right in front of them, Shoot saw that whatever chance Knuckle had, he would take it. Even if it would work just one second, he would take that chance and never let go. There are times Shoot believed that it was Knuckle's way of taking any enemy down, no matter the cost, that he would make that gamble.
Dealing with the Chimera Ants was a completely different playing field; there was no going back from whatever decision was made in battle. Knuckle had no interest in dying, and Shoot shared that with him, that determination and knife-sharp focus that could make or break them. It stood to reason that casualties couldn't be avoided, no matter how much they disliked it. Shoot knew, and Knuckle knew, along with the others in their team, they had to carry that weight.
The battle was won, and the living were victorious, but they weren't without their losses. Whatever scars had etched themselves on Knuckles' skin, Shoot would attend to, and he would pluck himself from what despair threatened to seep into him. Whatever moments plagued Shoot, the questions of what more he could have done, Knuckle would place a hand on his shoulder. He didn't need to do anything, and nothing more could be said. Shoot's heart was still beating, and under his hand, he felt Knuckle's heart beat in his chest, the rhythm of being alive coursing through them.
Whatever flew overhead, Shoot realized that he and Knuckle had more in common than he had thought, than what he had thought before. Differences in tenacity and strategy was what separated them, how they were polar opposites, but it was also what they both held together. What they held was loud, yet what they could only hear in a low roar.