Author's note: Hey! I'm finally releasing the story I've always wanted to write, and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!
That said... This site doesn't let me post the kind of warning tags I'd like to add, so I'll put them here. This fic is only rated M for two reasons: 1) it deals with psychological and emotional drama and baggage that might be unpleasant for some to read about (yes, some characters have mental illnesses and one does try to commit suicide at one point though it's not gruesome), and 2) there's death. A lot of it. And blood, and sometimes gruesome descriptions of some killings. I don't go into too much detail, but I'm warning you that a character does hallucinate about chopped off heads screaming at him, so... Be wary. I'll be putting warnings as the story goes along though so if a chapter is especially icky you'll know from the author's note.
Enjoy!
Ignorance is said to bring bliss. In my opinion, it's both a blessing, and a curse.
It may do you good at first, but being unaware of your surroundings will only lead to you having less of a chance at survival, and worse, it may hurt those close to you. Even though you can't help it, it won't change the fact that ignorance is the reason why relationships fall apart, why people get hurt. A small child that is ignorant to the fact that the fireplace is dangerous may crawl to it and get burnt by the flames. Had he known that the fire would harm him so, he wouldn't have approached it at all.
Knowledge is power. Ignorance is weakness.
But sometimes, people prefer to be weak, and be protected by the ignorance. Who knows, they may be happy that way.
I can assure you that this does not apply to me.
- Run. -
- Skid. -
- Turn. -
- Hide. -
- Breathe. -
The distant shouts of their pursuers echoed through the forest, making it sound like there were more people than he had actually counted.
He had counted at least ten. Ten against three.
And they had weapons. Knives, axes, hell, they probably had guns, and him?
He only had his smarts. Oh, and two small children who were clinging to his pants' leg like it was a lifeline.
They were coming closer, he could hear them. Back to escaping.
- Run. -
They spotted him.
- Run faster. -
He heard the sounds of shooting, and bullets flew through the air and past their arms and legs. They weren't aiming for any vital points. They needed them alive.
The rain didn't allow for much maneuvering in between the trees, but he had to keep going. His legs ached from running and his lungs burned.
The two smaller bodies running alongside him were a distraction. He had to constantly rake his eyes along their bodies to see if they had been hurt somewhere beneath all the dirt and wet clothes on their skin. In turn, they would occasionally turn their little heads to look up at him and give him a reassuring nod that kept him from worrying for a few more minutes. That is, if he managed to see it while the rain constantly got in his eyes.
He chanced a peek backwards to see if the bastards were still chasing.
They were.
- Keep running. -
- Don't let them catch you. -
- Breathe. -
For how long had they been running? Hours? A day? He couldn't tell. He didn't have a watch. He'd left it back at their house along with all their stuff.
Well, it had been their stuff, and their house. They were homeless now.
He wasn't the only one having difficulties. On his routine check of his brother and sister, he saw the way their breaths turned to pants, how their legs were less responsive. They were getting tired, he would have to stop.
- Maneuver, turn in random directions to disorient them. Grab the kids so they don't get lost. -
Done. The humans didn't know where they were.
- Skid. -
- Turn. -
- Hide. -
- Breathe. -
They were back to searching, and the Warners were back to hiding.
He pressed himself against the back of a tree, hugging his younger brother and sister to himself in order to shield them from view as much as possible. They huffed almost synchronized breaths, shaking in his arms as they tried to jump their weight from one foot to the other.
He wanted to look at his surroundings, but it was so dark he could hardly see anything. He felt his siblings squeezing his hands in theirs and he squeezed back.
He didn't know where he was running to. He'd just wanted to get away and they'd been cornered into the forest. Supposedly, there was no way out of it. People said that it went on for miles and miles, and that those who entered never came back. He didn't really believe in curses, mind you, but he couldn't exactly say that the thought didn't make him nervous. Let's say he was a half-believer.
- There's no such thing as curses, Yakko. You're getting out of here alive, and so are Wakko and Dot. -
- Don't panic. -
Yakko silently thanked his head for providing appropriate support, taking deep breaths once his heart-rate had calmed a little and watching as his brother and sister did the same. Their pursuers were pointing their flashlights around the area aimlessly trying to spot them, and he put a finger to his mouth to tell his siblings to be quiet. Apparently they saw it, because they squeezed his hands again.
The rain started to let up a little to the point that it was light drizzle, so he passed his hands along his face to clear his vision of water and turned his head this and that way, searching for some kind of place to hide properly. If the humans walked just a few more steps they'd find them.
He noticed a patch of foliage just a few meters from where they were, a thicker one. They'd be able to hide easier in there, he told himself, so when the lights weren't directly pointed in their direction, he gave Wakko and Dot a little push and whispered "Run".
The break, despite being very short, helped them regain some of their stamina and they immediately shot out of their hiding spot, ignoring the shouts of their pursuers who had spotted them as they got five feet nearer the thicker trees.
Yakko heard the sounds of shooting again, clenched his teeth and hoped the bastards couldn't see well enough in the dark to hit them- but then he heard one hit a tree ahead of them, and somehow as they passed by it he was able to see something long and pointy lodged in the bark.
They were shooting tranquilizer darts.
- Shit - he thought, his heartbeat accelerating twice its normal speed - If one of those hits us we'll be down for the count in under a minute - but they were just about getting to the thicker part of the forest. If they could just make it there, their chances of being hit would be reduced dramatically.
- Come on, just a little more - his head encouraged him, almost as if patting his back to keep going.
His muscles ached for mercy as the fact that they were nearing safer ground made them think the chase was almost over. He looked to his sides and almost breathed a sigh of relief to see Wakko and Dot were still running with him, and felt stupid for not having checked sooner.
The trees were getting nearer.
He was taking the last step in-
And they ran past, having to avoid a lot more trees this time as they got to a bit of a safe distance.
- Skid. -
- Turn. -
- Hide. -
- Breathe. -
Yakko did the same pattern he'd been using, only peeking from behind two connected trees to see where their pursuers were. He couldn't see them.
But he could hear them.
"... I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to die."
"Don't be stupid, it's just trees. We won't get our pay if we don't grab those mutts, remember?"
"Didn't you hear the rumors, though?"
"What rumors?"
"... That those who go past this point never return."
One of them sighed "I don't have time for dumb superstitions, I want that money and some thick-ass trees or curses aren't going to stop me from getting it."
"Dude, I'm not going in there."
"Sorry, me neither."
"Come on, you guys don't believe in that shit, do you?"
There was a concerned murmur, and when they realized the majority was skeptical about crossing the forest, the three siblings smiled big at each other.
"I don't know about you, but I'm going in for the prize."
Maybe they would have to fight this one though.
"Don't be such an asshole, let them go. That money ain't worth running around all night in the rain chasing a bunch of mutated kids into a cursed forest. I'm... I'm just going to pretend none of this ever happened and go to bed."
"Yeah, this is getting too ridiculous, even for me."
There was a collected agreement and he heard footsteps going in the other direction.
"Guys! Hey! You're not going to leave me to chase after them by myself, are you?"
There was no response.
The stubborn human groaned and threw something to the ground, presumably his gun "Fuck it, I'm too tired for this bullshit" then, he too began walking away, but not before shouting out "I hope you kids had fun making us run around for nothing!"
And so, they were alone.
"Yeah, we had a blast being persecuted all the way from the city into this dinky cursed forest. We love falling into mud and getting soaked to the bone" Yakko muttered sarcastically as he eased himself off the tree they had been hiding behind and attempted to brush his khakis into some form of cleanliness. As he held his hands up and saw the mud clinging to his gloves though... Yeeeeeah, there was no way he wouldn't look like a hobo who had just ran neck-deep in dirt.
Oh, he actually was a hobo now. No need to worry about his image then.
- Hey, at least you're safe. -
"Who do they think they are?" Wakko growled as he clenched his fists "It's not like we asked to be chased until we could barely feel our feet" to show how that was an accurate statement, his expression went from enraged to mildly worried as he lifted his right foot and looked at it as if saying 'please don't give up on me'.
"Dumb, that's what they are" Dot didn't sound half as upset as her older brother did; she was more annoyed than anything. The danger they'd been in was probably not sinking in yet. She huffed as she tried to clean herself much like Yakko had, but with the same amount of success. Read: none. Making a disgusted face at her muddy form, she continued "They're all cowards anyway. Who put them up to this job?"
"I have a feeling it was the same pretentious douchebag that kicked us off the studio" Yakko couldn't help but grimace at the thought. And everything had been going so well too...
"... Can't believe TP would leave a loophole that big in our contract" Dot sighed, seeming legitimately sad "Or do you think the new guy just didn't care about legal things?"
"... I don't think anything he did was legal, Dot" Wakko grumbled as he kept jumping onto his feet to return them to consciousness "We're not legal in the first place, I don't think."
"Probably not, but regardless... " Yakko looked around them, feeling his spirit sink a bit when all he saw was darkness and trees. Lots and lots of trees "We should try to find a way out of this forest."
"... And then?"
Yakko turned his head to look at his brother and sister, both looking up at him with worry. He could practically feel their fear combined with his at the thought that they had just lost their only home, their chance of getting food, water and safety. They were on their own now. All they had were each other and the muddy clothes on their backs.
They were screwed.
But he couldn't tell them that, now could he?
"Then... Well, we'll see what'll happen when we get out, okay?" he gave them a small smile, and they hesitantly returned it. He knew they trusted him, but they also had needed to realize a long time ago that although Yakko was their older brother and their protector, he was not invincible in any way. He couldn't produce a home out of thin air either. So, it was understandable that they were scared.
"Alright, since we can't go back, let's see where forward leads us."
All their nerves high-strung, the three children walked through the dark forest, and though there was no longer rain falling on them, the trees reached so high and they were so big they covered their view of the sky, hiding the moon completely. They were basically walking blindfolded.
The sound of wolf howls could be heard from a distance.
"Yakko... Are you sure this is a good idea?" Dot shook a bit as she held onto his right hand, not caring if both their gloves were muddy. Scary circumstances required hand-holding "This place is creepy and I can't see anything."
"Sorry sis, I really wish we could turn back" Yakko grit his teeth, constantly turning his head both ways in search for danger, but again, he couldn't see any more than she did "But those guys will be searching for us again, and I don't think letting them catch us is a good idea either."
"Just hope we don't end up in some wolf's belly" Wakko shivered at the thought and held on tighter to his older brother's left hand, wrapping his free arm around himself "I don't think we'd taste very good..."
That was basically the end of all conversation as they carried on, walking deeper into the forest. An owl flying out at them almost gave them a heart-attack, and they had to beware not to step on any weird things, but about an hour later, they still had no view of anything that looked remotely like civilization.
They were all tired, so after calculating that they wouldn't be getting out anytime soon, Yakko made them stop at what looked like a clearing. The grass seemed dry since the trees had barely let any rain down to this spot, and he could easily look around them in case something came out of the blue here. Perfect spot to make a stop.
"What do you say we take a break?"
His brother and sister instantly fell onto the grass at his words and groaned out their thanks, letting themselves lie onto their backs. He smiled at the way they sighed in relief as their muscles got the chance to rest and sat down near them.
"How much longer...?" Wakko mumbled as he stretched.
"... A while. I think we should sleep and wait until morning, it won't do us any good if we suddenly pass out randomly" Yakko let himself fall onto his back as well, closing his eyes for a second before opening them suddenly when he felt a poke at his arm.
"Yakko?" Dot looked up at him as she jumped forward on her knees to be a little closer to him, and he gave a half-hearted stretch of his arms before he sat up and looked at his sister.
"What is it?"
"... I have to go to the bathroom."
Oh. That was a problem.
"Um... You can't hold it until morning, can you?"
"I can't hold it for another minute."
Nothing to do about it then. Yakko shrugged as he stood up, helping her up by his hand "There aren't any toilets unfortunately, but you can use a bush."
"I know that" Dot rolled her eyes and tugged on his hand "But I don't want to go to that dark place alone."
"So you're asking me to just stand there while you empty your bladder?"
"... Yes?"
He had watched over them since they had been in diapers, so it's not like it bothered him, but...
"That would mean Wakko would be the one left alone."
"What" at his name and 'alone' being uttered in the same sentence, Wakko looked up with wide eyes and an expression that pretty much screamed betrayal "I'm not going to stay here in the dark while you go pee."
"Well too bad, I'm younger so I get special treatment."
"Hey, no fair!"
"Guys, I know we're all on edge but we can't afford fights right now" they quieted down at that "It'll just be a minute, and we'll be right over there" Yakko pointed at a large bush a few steps ahead of them "Think you can take the dark long enough for our sister to keep her dignity?"
Dot deadpanned at him, clearly not amused, as Wakko fidgeted on his spot of grass.
"... Can't I be the one that has to stand there awkwardly instead of the one that has to stay in the dark waiting for wolves to eat him?" he gave him a nervous smile.
"Glad to see you prefer me getting eaten by wolves" Yakko rolled his eyes, though he knew that wasn't what his brother had meant. Wakko spluttered to explain anyway.
"That's not it! But you're older and you can probably defend yourself against them better..."
Yakko was about to say that he actually considered Wakko to be stronger (after all, Yakko had been compared to very thin sticks many times before), but Dot interrupted him.
"No way am I letting you watch me pee" her face scrunched up like she had said Wakko had cooties.
"I don't wanna watch you pee either, you know" he stared at her in a deadpan.
"Then just stay here while I do it and you won't have to."
"You don't mind Yakko going with you, what's so bad about me?"
"I trust him. Knowing you, you'd probably try to scare me."
"I wouldn't scare you!" he looked to the side conspiratorially "... Much."
"See!"
"Guys, not the time" Yakko sighed, thankfully getting their attention "Listen, you two go over there and I'll wait here. Wakko, if I hear you scared Dot you're gonna be in trouble." Wakko muttered something about injustice under his breath, pouting, while Dot beamed "If you need me just yell and I'll go running, okay?"
Seemingly satisfied by the arrangement, they both nodded - Dot enthusiastically, Wakko in mild defeat - and scurried off to the bush. A moment later he could hear them arguing again.
"Geez, can't stop fighting for one second" he sighed as he tried to stretch again, a few kinks in his back getting back in place.
He heard the sound of something cracking, and ouch, his bones shouldn't make such an ugly sound, he was still sixteen, not an old man.
He heard it again.
Wait, those weren't his bones- something had stepped on a twig and snapped it.
Before he had a chance to look around and see what it had been, something jumped out from behind him and pulled his arms behind his back with one arm, the other covering his mouth. He stiffened against his captor, the blood rushing out of his face and leaving him white as a sheet.
Thoughts banged against the walls of his head like angry bees; it was a trap, the humans had been following them this whole time, they were going to get killed, oh god, oh god. Another two figures emerged from the bushes, clad in black suits, the only part of them visible a slit where their eyes were. They had guns in their hands.
He could only shake in fear as the shorter of the two new figures pressed the barrel of their gun to his forehead, his heartbeat quickening from panic, his body thrashing against his restraints. The one behind him was taller, stronger, and only tightened their hands around his wrists painfully in response to his erratic movements.
The shortest figure leaned closer to him. Through the slit of their suit he could only see impossibly white skin and cold emerald eyes. That skin did not look human.
"State your full name and your business."
Their voice wasn't menacingly deep, but it also wasn't high and squeaky like his. It was just the right pitch to impose a feeling of dread in his bones when the words were said so harshly, threatening. He could tell the words "or I'll shoot you right now" were implicit.
Seeing he couldn't easily respond with a hand to his mouth, the person behind him let go of it, and he coughed briefly from having his breath taken from him so abruptly.
"I-" he coughed again, his breath leaving him in short, panicked gasps. His next words were intentionally loud, and unintentionally nervous "Y-Yakko Warner, I- I was-"
With an annoyed grunt and the sound of the safety being pulled out, the figure growled at him "Get on with it."
"Running! I was being chased, I just ran blindly!" his eyes unwillingly slid to the bushes he'd seen Wakko and Dot disappear behind. He was almost yelling, they had to be able to hear him and run "I-I just wanted to get to the other side-"
"Chased?" he felt a small pang of relief when the gun lowered slightly at the confusion in the figure's voice "Did the humans betray you? Not that it would surprise me."
That was... surprisingly similar to their situation, but why had the person referred to them as "humans"?
"I..." the confusion overcame the fright for just a moment, slowing down his breaths ""Humans"? Aren't you humans?"
The shortest one frowned, but before either of them could speak a rustle came from the bushes he's hoped his captors hadn't noticed. It was not to be clearly, for struggling and shouts resounded from that direction and Yakko felt his heart sink. Of course they hadn't run...
"Hey, Rose" a new voice spoke as the second figure, one he hadn't noticed slip away while the shortest had been threatening him, stepped out of the foliage. They were holding Wakko and Dot by the scruff of their necks like newborn kittens "There's two more. And they're... kids."
His siblings, to their credit, remained silent. Wakko stared at the one holding them in nervousness while Dot glared at them with frightened eyes.
The shortest (Rose?) gestured with her head to them, her eyes less threatening and the gun no longer touching him "You know them?"
Yakko, out of ideas, gulped and hoped he was making the right choice "... They're my siblings."
"... Huh" it was a small confused sound that the shortest let slip out. The gun lowered completely and he could feel the one behind him grabbing his wrists in a much gentler hold "Well... Let him go for now, Star. Whether he's telling the truth or not, they don't seem very dangerous."
The tall one behind him (Star?) released him slowly, and he immediately brought his arms forward, rubbing his wrists, jittery. He kept his gaze on the still unnamed figure, the one holding his brother and sister, his expression becoming one of challenge. It was easy to be brave when there wasn't a gun being held against his forehead. He kept up the vicious stare until Rose finally spoke up.
"You too, Mary" she motioned to the figure and she, thankfully, set Wakko and Dot down gently on the ground.
And they ran to him.
It was a wordless exchange of strong emotions, a strong group hug that was probably crushing his siblings' chests as much as it was his, but they were still together and they were still okay. That was what was important.
"Did you- Did you really almost get shot because I had to go to the bathroom?" Dot shook and held him tighter, sniffling a little.
"... Maybe I should have stayed and waited for the wolves to eat me" Wakko just gripped at his clothes and sent deadly glares to the figures. One of them coughed, uncomfortable.
"Hey, no pity parties are scheduled for the tiny Warners, only big brother can have those" he patted both of them on the head, a small smile on his face. It was forced, but with how dark it was they probably wouldn't notice "What matters is that we're fine, and hey! Maybe these three can guide us out of the forest, since this was all one big misunderstanding... Right?"
His gaze turned to the figures, or guessing by their names, the girls. Star, the tallest, and Mary, the medium height one, looked at the one in the middle of them, Rose. The shortest of the three gave both of them a look before looking back at him, a frown back on her face.
"Where were you hoping to go?" she asked, seeming tense. Was a questioning really necessary?
"Just... Somewhere away from the city" he replied tersely, his arms around his siblings tightening their hold. He was only hoping they would lead them out because he literally had no other choice. It didn't mean he trusted them. Not. One. Bit "Isn't there supposedly no other side?"
Rose's eyes widened in shock "... Are you serious?"
"Is there a reason why I would lie?"
"I..." she looked at the tallest, incredulous "He can't be serious, right Star?"
Star shrugged "I suppose anything is possible, but there is something we could do to confirm if he's lying or not."
Then she did something unexpected; she took off her mask. Rose and Mary, appearing to understand, did the same.
And immediately the jaws of the three siblings fell to the floor.
They were definitely not human. They were... like them. He would almost call them the same "species". The color of their hair and eyes was different but- the black ears, the white face, the muzzle, the red nose- it was all identical to them.
They were all blonde, although Rose seemed to have the darker shade, Mary a middle tone, and Star had strands that went from a lighter color to a darker one. Their hair was long, and only Star had it tied up in a ponytail.
"... Okay, there's no way that surprise is anything but genuine" Rose, still incredulous, laughed out, shaking her head "I'm guessing you thought you three were the only warners in the universe?"
"... Warners?" Yakko asked, his throat dry.
Was this really happening? Did this mean they weren't all alone in the world?
"It's the name of our species" Mary answered, giving him a smile. It was a little tilted, a little uncomfortable, but mostly well intended "You... really didn't know?"
"... Species...?" Dot muttered, sounding just as dehydrated as he did. This wasn't something that was easy to accept out of the blue.
"Woah" Wakko whispered, his eyes close to shining. He had hope. That was good "This... This is good, right Yakko?"
Yakko wanted to smile, but he was unsure of how to feel about the revelation. This would certainly get them out of the forest though "Yes, sib. Yes it is."
"Unfortunately for all of us, it's protocol to treat you like spies until we know more about you" Star spoke calmly and almost mechanically, purely business "So how about we have a little chat while we walk to our destination?"
"Good idea, I'd love to hear more about what the hell you're all doing here," Rose hummed in curiosity, though she then grimaced "but I think we all heard the wolves' howl. They'll be searching for food in a little while, and personally I don't wanna end up in their gut, so..."
Well, if that didn't convince him, nothing would.
"Let's get walking."
It was a unanimous vote that the three siblings would follow the three blondes to wherever they were going. Yakko hoped this meant that things would start looking up for them.