A/N: Just a strange idea I had, but what if Snap White, before he was a superhero, was "born" a villain? I had published this on Google Plus only as well, but decided to bring it here today. Hope you enjoy!
The Tale of Whisp Black
Chapter One: The Reckoning
It had suddenly been a dark day in Chalk Zone. But not the kinda dark that was spooky or disturbing. It was instead cloudy, and chilly even, and the residents were almost shocked by this strange cool blowing in. It had been warm and sunny all year.
Something was forming in the woods. It had gotten erased in the real world. Now it was coming here. It was a rather short figure, but not too short, and it had constituted near chalk water. It fell to its knees, panting heavily. That was rather tough. Too tough. Usually, a Zoner was formed with no pain.
Not this one.
He rubbed at his covered temples, and slowly got up, scanning his surroundings. It seemed to be a forest of some kind, a rather strange forest, but a forest nonetheless. Candy cane trees were everywhere here, and it was quite the sight. He looked around, kicking a few rocks, when he finally saw the water.
He walked over, and leaned over it, trying to see what he looked like, for he hadn't been able to. He jumped back from what he saw. He appeared to be a shadow of sorts - wearing grey mittens, black pants, cape and cowl, mask, and a terribly dark grey shirt, accentuated by white skin. But his eyes.. those crimson, glowing eyes… that's what made him jump back.
He raised a shaky hand in front of his face, red, blank eyes focusing upon it. He didn't know what he was trying to do here. His Creator didn't draw him with any powers in mind, he thought. But why did he look like a super…
He caught himself. No. That wasn't what he was, was he? maybe his Creator made a mistake? surely he wasn't meant to have red eyes and desaturated colors?
...right?
This sent his mind reeling, and his stomach churning. He dry heaved for a moment, and stalked forth, grasping at a tree. He recovered quickly, and sighed.
That shouldn't be what he was meant to do. He'd find something else. He hoped he would.
The Zoner then reopened his eyes, and stared, shocked, at the tree. In his emotion, it had frozen. Solid. He gasped, and touched it again. Immediately, it thawed out. Biting his lip, he looked at his gloved hand again.
But then he regretted it, as he cried out in pain.
Oh.
So apparently his teeth were sharp too.
What else was new, eh?
He groaned, kicking at more stones, and then focused himself. He had to find someone. This place had to be populated. He had to find someone.
Anyone.
So he slowly started to venture out of these woods, somehow beginning to know this place like the back of his hand. He held onto his stomach again, passing several strange birds that looked like they came from a kid's imagination. However, they were all more afraid of him than he was of them. They fled, retreating into their homes, but one stuck around, shivering as it looked upon him.
With this, the Zoner figured they may be sentient enough to help, so he flashed what he thought was a gentle smile at it and was about to open his mouth. The bird gasped and immediately set into the air, flapping as hard as it could away. His stomach sunk. Why?
Why?
Why did they do that..? he frowned, and then ran his tongue over his teeth. He winced once more, catching some jagged edges. Yep. Sharp teeth. Apparently, they also looked sharp to these residents too. Too sharp.
He sighed and kept walking, coming across more water. He thought this was a serendipity, because not only did he wonder what his teeth really looked like, he was also thirsty too. He figured that, as he had just formed. So the black and grey creature wandered over and knelt, taking some into the cups of his little mittens and drawing it into his mouth. After a bit, he knew it was enough, and then stared at his reflection.
Those crimson eyes stared back at him.
He shuddered, but largely ignored this, and flashed a smile. Shivers ran through his spine and his blood ran cold, his smile becoming far less genuine. They really were as sharp as he thought they were. Jagged, a bit lengthy with the canines, almost like a leech, but bigger. Much bigger. And combined with his eyes...
He choked on a sob, grasping his stomach, the smile quickly dropping from his white face.
The young Zoner stood back up though. He had to keep going. He had to find someone. Hopefully someone morally sound, to help him guide himself onto the right path, the straight and narrow.
He probably didn't need it, but with how he looked he sure did need the reassurance that he wasn't a…
...a villain.
He sniffled, and got back up, wiping the tears away. Those bird creatures were only a part of this population. He couldn't base what he was on their reactions.
No.
He had to find someone. Someone who understood.
So he kept on, eventually exiting the forest. And right there, a few yards away, was a small town. That would certainly be a nice place to start.
He smiled, but not enough to bare teeth, and began his way, almost skipping with joy.
A rather peculiar woman was currently practicing her singing, and it drifted over to where the black and grey Zoner was located. He blinked, and smiled, bounding even faster so he could take a closer look. He was soon only a few yards away from her, and he peeked out at her from afar.
The Zoner was nearly smitten the moment he saw her. She was kinda skinny, but not too skinny, and she looked kinda pretty too. But what enticed him more was the singing.
It was clearly coming from her.
Glad to finally have found someone he could actually talk to, he slowly revealed himself, smiling softly, "Uhm, hello there!"
The singer Zoner jumped slightly, not expecting this, and then looked up, cutting off her rapping. She seemed only a little fazed by his appearance, her eyes widening with fear. But the other Zoner didn't seem to mean any harm, and she'd never seen him around before…
She sighed, and nodded, forcing a smile, wrapping her arms around herself. It had gotten colder all of a sudden. She spoke then, "Oh, hello, dear."
He didn't notice that was a fake smile, having just been created, and sighed of relief, "Oh, it's so good ta finally talk ta someone!"
The female tried her best to ignore those crimson ovals, no matter how innocent they appeared at the moment. Red eyes never meant anything good. She stared at his side, "You mean you hadn't talked to anyone yet?"
"Ah, no," he drooped, and sighed, "they all ran away befo' I could."
Luckily, he didn't seem to notice, scratching his head. But his subconscious did pick up on the fear. For some reason, he felt it now. And he hated it.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear," she responded curtly, but the new Zoner paid it no mind. He was just glad to have finally found someone, trying to push his sense away. She then blinked, "So what's your name?"
"Me?" along with his gloved hand immediately pointing to himself, was his first instinct, but slowly smiled and laughed, "oh. Yeah, me." He then frowned, looking away, "I don't think my Creator gave me one."
The lady sighed of relief that she didn't have to see those eyes for a bit, and shook her head disapprovingly, "That's no good. Well, mine is Rapsheeba. Queen Rapsheeba. The Zoner of rap and singing."
All this flooded through his head as he tried making sense of things. One thing that stuck out was that she had a purpose that clearly represented her, and what she loved doing. He? well.. he was currently the Zoner of nothing. Except ice, but that wasn't what he loved doing.
"Black seems to fit you."
Her voice tore throughout his thoughts, and he looked back up and over at her, unseen eyebrow raised. Rapsheeba once again shuddered at his eyes, but tried to remain strong. He blinked, "Say what now?"
"Black. Your name is Black," she answered, and then proceeded to turn and walk away. She took note of how much warmer, even if not by much, it became the farther she got from him. Could he be the cause of this chill?
The newly-christened Black blinked a few times, and nodded, testing it out, before he smiled, "Oh, thanks, Buckette! th..that was some nice singin' ya got too!"
She turned to look at him, and smiled a little more genuinely, "Thanks."
Black grinned, and the chill seemed to fade away. But he wasn't careful of his sharp teeth, and so they showed this time. Rapsheeba gasped, paling completely, and the black and grey Zoner grew increasingly worried, the grin once again dropping from his face.
"Uhm, what's wrong?" he tried to get closer, but she backed away, and the chill started back up again with a vengeance. She shuddered, due to both fear and the cold, and started running. He reached an arm towards her, "HEY!" and then promptly gave up as he watched her vanish into town, groaning, "oy coloy…"
He thought he'd finally found someone. But deep down, he knew he hadn't. She already feared him, and baring his teeth was the last straw for her apparently. Black shook his head, and moved on, wandering deeper into town.
He passed some residents, but he knew none of them were exactly worth talking to. They all cowered, and screamed. They all behaved like he was…
He stopped the thought before he could finish.
No. No. No. I'm not a villain… I'm just.. lost and confused… he looked down, kicking more stones. One resident screamed, as if he had just kicked someone. He looked over, and it immediately stopped, the Zoner hiding behind someone.
He had to find someone else.
Black soon came upon a bakery, and smiled. Like he was thirsty, he'd become hungry too. He skipped over, ignoring the whispers, and then entered. The bell above the door made a little ding, signaling whoever was working here that a customer had arrived. The lost Zoner stepped up to the counter, looking around and eventually up at the menu.
All kinds of food seemed to be served here. Burgers, fries, even cakes. Of course, it was a bakery. His mouth watered. He couldn't wait to try.
Another Zoner soon came up, smiling slightly, but shivering too. His eyes were closed at the moment, so Black couldn't say that was fear. "Hello, welcome to Lazlo's Bakery. How may I help serve you?"
"Uhm…" he now had no idea what to do. And he realized he didn't have any money. That wasn't good.
The fellow then lowered his glasses, and opened his eyes, staring into Black's own blank, crimson ones. A shudder slipped down his spine. Now that was fear, and the costumed Zoner drooped. Lazlo bit his lip, "W..well, you seem new to this whole thing, so I'll just.. give you some food for free."
The odd, duck-like Zoner then retreated to the back of the bakery, not allowing Black to get a word in edgewise. He sighed, and stood there, setting a gloved hand on the counter, waiting.
It took a while, but Lazlo finally came back, holding what appeared to be plates filled with dozens of food, each from off the menu. He shuddered too, making it harder to keep them steady. He handed them to Black, "Here. Take them. All of them!"
"B..but I don't need this many," he tried, eyes wide, but was interrupted when Lazlo forced the food onto him. He wobbled, and walked over to a table with difficulty.
"Enjoy!" and then the Zoner sunk behind the counter, probably cowering now.
Black finally managed to set all the plates down, and then eyed them all. He shot one look at the empty space, one unseen eyebrow raised, wondering what that was all about. If he didn't know any better, he'd say this fellow was trying to appease him so nothing bad would happen. Little did he know, this was the right call.
His stomach growled, and he patted it, before deciding to move on once more, reaching and grabbing a burger. He then sat there, munching.
Lazlo, every once and awhile, looked up over the counter at Black, only to duck down quickly. It was surprising to see how well-behaved Black was, but for all he knew, it could be some type of trick.
But it wasn't.
"Ohh, this is wonderful, Bucko!" Black spoke up, shockingly almost finished with it all. Apparently he did need all of this.
"Well, thanks," the baker Zoner sniveled. Black soon finished, patting his stomach.
"I feel refreshed!" he then began cleaning up, sticking his tongue out as he worked.
"Y..you don't have to clean up," Lazlo had stuck his head up again.
"Oh, but I do. I mean, I gotta repay ya somehow, right?" smiled Black, taking care to avoid baring his sharp teeth.
The baker said nothing to this, furrowing his brow. This is strange, was all he could think.
The lost, kindly Zoner then hopped off the chair, carrying the plates to the garbage and tossing them in. He then headed to the door, and waved, "Have a nice day, Bucko!"
"Y..you too!" Lazlo chirped halfheartedly. He then got up completely and reached for the phone, intent on calling someone.
Black took to looking around again, outside the bakery. He felt full, so now he could resume his search with some steam. The crowd was long gone, save for a few people who still cowered in his presence. He was starting to tire of that, but he knew he could do nothing to stop it.
He hummed, taking more steps, deeper into town once more. He passed a purple person, and he waved, but the person just bolted the moment he saw him. Black drooped, and stalked along the path, losing his joyful energy. And all around him, it just got even colder for everyone else.
He soon saw something weird in the distance. It was tall and bulky and beige, almost like a giant, and it was wearing some sort of Scottish garb. Black gulped and bit his lip carefully, not sure whether he should approach this guy. But if he wanted someone to guide him, then this guy was the best route he could take.
So he did, taking more steps, "Eh, excuse me, Bucko…"
The Zoner turned around, staring with one, large green eye. It was held in a squint near constantly, like he couldn't see clearly, "Huh?"
The accent seemed Scottish too. Well, that was one way they could relate - having accents. This one could go swimmingly. He soon saw Black, and frowned softly, "Oh, hello!"
"Ey.." Black seemed to lose all enthusiasm, before he smiled carefully, "you look like you're the leader of these parts."
"Oh, no, all I do is guard the Chalk Mines," he corrected him.
This guy seemed friendly enough. And he felt no fear. Black liked him already. He blinked, "Oh, the Chalk Mines, eh? special chalk is mined there, ain't it?"
"Correct," he wasted no time, and just now felt the chill. See, the good thing about being a giant Zoner was that he was impervious to cold, if only for a short while.
"Interestin'," he allowed the smile to broaden, especially since it seemed apparent that the big guy couldn't see so well. He stepped closer, closing his mouth into a thin, upturned line, and lent out his black glove-clad hand to him, "Say, my name's Black. Yours?"
"Cyclops," the Zoner took his hand, and shook it. He saw the red eyes, and a small bit of fear came over him. Black became disheartened immediately, but Cyclops shook it off.
"Nice name," he grinned, still not showing off those teeth. "It, uh, fits."
The giant grinned and nodded, chuckling. His phone then rang, and he fumbled about. The costumed Zoner stepped back, frowning softly, but he realized privacy was good here, "Well, it was nice talkin' to ya."
He started walking away, as Cyclops answered the call. A few seconds of talking, and the look on his face darkened. The caller began describing the criminal fully, and the giant turned his sights onto Black.
"I've got him," the big guy stated, and hung up. This other Zoner's jovial nature could've been a facade, and he fell for it. Time to apprehend. And then he stalked towards him, "HEY, YOU!"
Black jumped, and turned around, eyes wide. That was pretty frightening, and it almost gave him a heart attack. He put a hand over his chest, smiling weakly, "Uh, what's-a matter, Bucko?"
"I had an informant tell me you just stole from the bakery," Cyclops narrowed his eye.
The Lost Zoner raised an eyebrow, "Wait, what? stealin'? no!" and then his hands defensively, "I stole nothin'! he let me have -"
And then he realized. That baker Zoner thought he was a criminal, a villain, and acted accordingly, even if he had to lie. And it was a pretty bold-faced lie too. Cyclops got even closer, reaching out his hands, "Your kind aren't to be trusted, Black. You lie, you cheat, you steal."
"No, no, no!" and then Black started running. He knew this'd incriminate him more, but what other choices did he have? diplomacy didn't work, and he didn't wanna fight.
Cyclops then bolted after him, surprisingly fast for a giant. It got even colder now, the temperatures dropping fast, and the giant was able to feel it. Black made it in front of the bakery, and tripped. He even started to cry, tears dripping down from his eyes with reckless abandon. The crowd seemed to come back just then, - or did they ever leave? - and mocked him now that they appeared to overpower him.
"Look at the lil' villain."
"He's not so scary now."
"He's nothing but a thief, a low-life."
And many other things. He seemed to give up, just then, lowering his head so he didn't have to look at all of them. Cyclops caught up to him, setting a hand on his shoulder as he prepared some odd handcuffs, ignoring how cold the Zoner was, "You're under arrest."
Lazlo then came out, coated in some food-stains, "Don't let him escape!"
Things seemed to click now. It all made sense now. Black grasped the grass underneath him, shutting his red eyes. He finally figured it all out.
All these people, all these animals, were treating him like a villain...
So, then, he was, indeed, a villain...
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Cyclops interrogated, minutes away from cuffing Black with one hand...
...before the hand on his shoulder froze. The Zoner briefly screamed, and tried to pull it away and break the light blue solid, but it was all a fruitless attempt. Black turned his head to look at Cyclops, and those crimson eyes sent a chill down his back.
An even deeper chill. For it wasn't friendliness in those eyes. Not anymore. Now it was ice, and hatred, and anger. Black then growled, "Let go-a me an' put those 'cuffs away or you'll never see that hand again."
And that voice.. no longer was it chipper and kind.. it held the same amount of hatred, of rage, and of ice. And even had a tiny, teetering between just noticeable and unnoticeable, rasp mixed in with the accent.
Cyclops, eye wide, did exactly as he was told, putting the cuffs away. And Black lived up to his word, thawing his hand. The giant backed away and then waved it multiple times, trying to get feeling back into it.
The little Zoner stood up, head bowed and his cape beginning to billow in an unseen and unheard wind. He then glared at all the Zoners, baring his teeth in a snarl, and they weren't so brave now, taking to cowering and whimpering once again, and shuddering too, from the bitter cold. He felt all of their fear, and he certainly didn't hate it this time, now that he was actually giving them something to fear.
In fact, he seemed to feed off of it. He allowed himself to smirk, and then rubbed his chin, looking up at the sky, "Black, huh?"
Rapsheeba was among the crowd, biting her lip. She didn't have to run away from him, did she? oh, but now it was real cold, and she could say for sure now that it was coming from him.
"Well," he then glanced at all of them, even her, "you can all call me Whisp Black. Your new an' very first villain. I bet ya'll were lookin' for some thrill. Well," he brought his hands together with a loud clap, "ya got it now!"
Most of the civilians began running, Lazlo heading back into his shop and Cyclops back to the Mines. Whisp Black whipped around, "Not so fast!" and backflipped, landing in front of Lazlo, "you're gonna pay, first of all, for lyin'!"
The strange duck Zoner couldn't deny this, either because of fright or because he knew it was true. The villain Zoner then grinned, arms crossed, "Ya can thank yourself for this, Bucko."
He grabbed him, and slowly ice began to encase the baker, starting with his head.
"Y..you can't do that! he's our baker!" one of the Zoners spoke up.
Whisp shot her a glare, "Well, I guess one of ya's gonna have ta pick up the slack."
He let go, but the ice continued to creep, and Lazlo began screaming for mercy, until he was fully encased. And to add salt to the wound, Black knocked on it, producing a strangely wooden sound, as the baker Zoner's eyes moved. He then frowned at them all, "He's fine, ya know? but let that be an example of what happens when one of you crosses me."
They shuddered, and nodded. All of a sudden, it started to snow, coating the land within seconds. Whisp was the only one not affected by the cold. The ones who didn't run away scrambled for shelter, trying to search for warmth and some warm clothing to cope.
The villain Zoner then sighed, and walked confidently away from Lazlo, away from the bakery. It was done. He'd found his purpose. He was the villain. And so a villain he shall be. One small part was begging for it not to be this way. But fate had called it long before he was in its hands.
Thus was the start of an eternal winter in Chalk Zone, and massive oppression to boot. But a villain needed a hero.
Who would save them all now?
A/N: Complete jerks. It was probably out of character, I guess, but I'll leave that to your discretion. It was the only way for Black to fall. As it said, fate dealt these hands.
And I'm gonna give you one guess as to who's gonna save them all. (cough, R, cough)
And this chapter is set a few years before Rudy comes along. So that's why Biclops has only one eye as of now.