It hurt. God, it hurt so much. For the young avian known as Rip Runner, there was no end to the pain he felt. The pain of being ignored, of being forgotten was agonizingly eternal. Ever since the success of the Robo Amigo two months ago, it seemed as though his parents had abandoned him for their eldest son. It didn't help that Rev Runner, first born and super crime fighter, did nothing to discourage the extra attention his parents were constantly giving him.
As more thoughts of his perfect older brother entered the teen's mind, the voice came along with them.
They don't love you, it whispered cruelly. The only reason they ever conceived you was to give that brother of yours some company. You're nothing but dirt. Why struggle to be noticed? It's no use. Why not just end it?
At the last question, the young avian turned his head to his dresser and looked at the object of the voice's desire. A knife. The feathered adolescence had taken it to his room only 10 minutes ago. His parents were at some kind of convention and his brother was no doubt out with the team he called his friends.
Shakily, he reached his hand over to the thin piece of stainless steel. As he held the lethal blade up to his face, a strong sensation came over him. A warm, comforting sensation.
Without a second thought, he slowly slid the blade's edge over the wrist of his unoccupied hand. The sensation grew more potent. He continued this many times, switching from arm to arm.
It wasn't long until the crimson fluid of life covered his arms. The fluid dripped off his elbows like rain drop-shaped rubies. The teen started to feel his heart beat faster in vain as his breathing became more labored. With the last ounce of energy in his body, Rip raised the already blood-coated weapon to the area of his neck that protected the main artery.
Then-
SLIT! SPLAT!
He breathed no more.
1 hour later
"Rip! I'm-home. Mom-and-Pop-called-and-asked-if-I-could-check-up-on-you. And-I-would-never-miss-a-chance-to-visit-my-only-baby-brother. Rip?" the voice of Rev Runner echoed through the ominously silent house. As the black-and-scarlet clad roadrunner stepped into the main room, he was soon followed by his team mates who had offered to come with him.
"Do you think he went to bed already?" asked the only female on the team, Lexi Bunny.
"What kinda kid would pass up the chance to stay up late while his parents are outta town?" questioned the leader, Ace Bunny.
"Not to mention it's a Friday night," put in the drake known as Danger Duck.
"Perhaps he had nothing to do and decided to turn in for the night," suggested the team technician Tech E. Coyote.
The largest of the group, Slam Tasmanian, just grumbled a few incoherent words.
The team speed demon soon found himself in front of the door that led to his brother's room. He swung open the door and squinted into the darkness. The older roadrunner could see now that his little brother was laying down, back to the door. The bird anthro immediately zoomed over and lowered his head to the back of Rip's head.
"Miss-me-little-bro'?" the older Runner brother asked good-naturedly.
The younger roadrunner remained silent.
Rev frowned, "C'mon-Rip! You-and-I-have-barely-spend-any-time-together-ever-since-I-became-a-hero. You're-not-still-mad-about-how-Pop-thought-the-marketing-idea-was-mine-when-it-was-really-yours-are-ya'?"
As the bird anthro reached over and grabbed his little brother's hand, he realized something was wrong. Rip's hand was cold, limp, and wet. Rev withdrew his hand and nearly fainted when he saw it.
Even with the matching coloring, Rev could still see the blood on his palm. He pushed Rip's body to lay flat on the bed and choked in horror.
His little brother's arms had turned from a soft, powder blue to a dark, reddish maroon. When he looked at his brother's face, he saw a large splotch of crimson on his neck and shoulder. Rev franticly searched for a pulse.
He found nothing. Rip, his only brother, his only sibling, was gone.
Rev numbly picked up Rip's cold and bloody body and held it to his chest. Then, without warning, he buried his face into the deceased teen's stained neck and began to sobbing.
It was at this time that the rest of the Loonatics came in. Each member had a different reaction. Lexi buried her face into her leader's chest to hide from the gory scene. Ace comforted her but couldn't tear his eyes away. Slam fainted. Duck had quacked himself down stairs and was screaming into the telephone for an ambulance. And Tech slowly walked over to the distressed roadrunner and tenderly separated him from the corpse and hugged him.
Minutes later, as the ambulance drove off with Rip's body, Rev tearfully looked up into the glittering night sky and wondered if his little brother was watching over him.