Hungerstuck
"It all changed 12 years ago, back when my youngest was only one. There had been a mighty war waged between humans and trolls, one that shattered the confides of any war before it, the brutality on both sides exceeded anything us and the humans had ever seen before. The loss of life was staggering, blood caste meant nothing."
"The soulless bloodshed was set to eliminate both species. Only when my beloved – the heart and cheer of our village – was brutally murdered by an invading regiment did I see that we had to act: and act we did. I gathered many of my friends and comrades and they gathered yet more until we were great in number; we escaped to the stars and found a planet where we could survive peacefully. But human trackers found us after barely six months and with them they bought the news of our planet's complete annihilation, and that that the Earth's population had been diminished to just 70 million. As revenge for their loss, they stole us from our children."
"My son!" I bellow into the screams and pleas from the havoc around me. I clutch the bundle of blankets that held my youngest to my chest, our tranquil settlement alight in orange flames. He sees me from across the Plaza and weaves a path through the crowd. A hand snatches at my wrist and I whip around to see a figure in black behind me, hood up, gun to hand. They are the shadows come to take us away, the elite Earth army- no, barbaric warriors. What are we, toy soldiers?
"Dad!" I hear the scream "dad!" I struggle against my captor
"Son!"
He is within meters of me now, I can speak to him just once more. I frantically hold out the bundle in my arms.
"Take him!" I command "take Karkat!" he does as he is told and wraps Karkat into his safe hold. "Run!" I yell, the sounds in the night becoming more frantic. Another gunshot, another cry. He looks like he's about to argue, "run!" I shout again as I am dragged further away from hope. "Run fast, and don't you dare look back boy, don't you dare think about me for just one second, take Karkat and run!"
He turns away, tears welling in his eyes. A gunshot nearby sends spots of blood splattering across his emotion struck face, he screams and staggers away until he's running, my cape bellowing out behind him. He must have rescued it from the house, such a clever boy, my son.
"Our children and other survivors were sorted into groups called districts dependant on their physical and mental ability, it was decided that once a year there would be an interplanetary event called the Sburb games where twenty four inhabitants of age would be pitted in an elaborate fight to the death.
It pains me to think what my sons are going through, I just want them to be safe, happy… safe… happy…"
I find a small cove in a grassy mound behind where our hive used to be, I shuffle in and wipe the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand; I feel dry blood cracking on my cheeks. I don't know how long I sat there just sobbing until a sound squeaks from the blankets in my lap. I pull them away to reveal large, red tinted eyes gleaming at me.
"D-daddy?" he blinks
"Sorry Karkat…" I can't think of what else to say
"Ka… kan- kri?"
"I'm sorry…"