A/N - Hey everyone! I'm almost finished the epilogue, so hang on!
And Razoreagle, thank you for your opinion and for sharing your story. I agree that bullies definitely are a pain. I will admit that bullying issues are going to be a theme in my OC's life, but as to why will be revealed more later then what has already been said. And is it really that big of a shock to find out I'm a girl? I mean, my main character(s) in my stories are female. That being said, I got quite the kick out of it! I honestly never realized that everyone thought I was a guy! I'm sorry, but this is absolutely hysterical. I know that I'm not the most feminine person out there (I'm more of a tomboy than anything), but…!
Still, I'm glad that you enjoy my story, and if you ever post anything, I would love to see what you got!
Ahem. Anyways, onto business! *points finger dramatically into the sky*
…okay, that sounded soooooooo much better in my head.
Let's just get going onto the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only my OC.
Trigger warning implied for PTSD, nightmares, and abuse.
You have been warned!
Night had long since fallen, the twin moons casting an almost eerie white glow on the half-collapsed building. The building was one of many in Onu-Metru, strung with cobwebs from the Visorak horde. In the near-distance, the tall towers of Ko-Metru gleamed in the moonlight, only broken by more of the green webs.
Inside the building, six forms lay in an open space, sound asleep. Then, one of the forms, a black one, twitched. Deep, emerald green eyes with lighter colour horizontal pupils opened blearily.
Whenua let out a loud yawn, his tail twitching and his sail expanding outwards. His clawed, paw-like hands and feet flexed and stretched, leaving small marks on the dirt covered ground.
The black Hordika laid there after waking for a moment, confused. He had awoken, but how or why was unknown. Blinking, he stayed still and silent, trying to pinpoint why he was awake and not asleep. When nothing happened after a short period of time, Whenua closed his eyes and settled down to return to sleep.
Then, he heard it. A faint sound, nothing more than a breath, but enough to get the massive form to rise. Blinking, the Earth Hordika surveyed the sleeping forms, and stiffened as he realized that one of them was missing.
"Emma?" He called out softly, scanning the moonlit area for a certain human youth.
There was no answer, and only when Whenua put his nose to the ground did he pick up her scent. Following it, he found that it was strongest around Nuju's sleeping form, whom she had fallen asleep against earlier. However, the scent moved in a direction away from the group, and as he followed it, it grew stronger. And the stronger it got the Hordika of Earth could hear the sounds that had woken him grow slightly in volume. And as he drew closer, only then did the Hordika realize that these sounds were of someone who was in emotional pain.
Rounding the corner of one of the doorways, Whenua found a familiar white and blue clothed form curled up against a wall. The girl's knees were drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around them and hiding her face from view. Her form was softly trembling, and faint sobs could be heard as the human cried.
The Earth Hordika's new instincts began to cry out at him that the 'cub' before him needed comfort and needed comfort now. He completely agreed with his instincts, and prowled forwards with a near silent grace that most Hordika possessed. "Emma?"
The girl yipped in fright, jumping upwards only to fall back and bash her head against a collapsed part of the wall. Whenua shot forwards in an instant, wrapping his slightly elongated body and tail around her slim form. Emma slumped against the larger black form - who turned his head to sniff the back of hers - and whimpered. "W-Whenua?"
"Easy there…" The Hordika rumbled, moving his head so he could look into her eyes. "You're okay now."
The girl violently shook her head. "N-No-! I-I'll never be okay… n-never…"
The black coloured form gently nuzzled the young form, letting his newfound instincts dictate what needed to be done. He gently sniffed the back of her head, feeling a small twinge of relief when he didn't smell blood. However, her words left him concerned.
"Emma…" Whenua rumbled softly as he settled against the ground, the girl wrapped in his tail, "what's wrong?"
The human only whimpered in response, pressing into the black Hordika's hide for comfort. The two lay there for some time, with Emma curled into the larger's hide. But Whenua could feel the girl slowly, but surely, calming down.
After a moment, he asked softly "A night-terror?"
Emma's flinch was all the answer he needed. He gently pressed his muzzle to the side of her face, letting instinct guide him. "Shh… it's alright little one. They can't hurt you. Shh…"
Emma buried her face into Whenua's neck. "I-I saw it a-again! S-Sissy… T-Tay-! I-I can't-!" She cried again. The black Hordika shushed her softly, curling tightly around her.
"It's alright…" He hushed, "Don't think about it. Just focus on me, okay?"
Emma gave a weak nod, and Whenua could feel her wet tears dripping onto his hide. He gently cradled the crying girl to his side, murmuring soft words of comfort. After a while, her sobs faded, and he gently pulled back.
"Better?" He rumbled softly.
The girl nodded, sniffing as she wiped her face. "Y-Yeah."
Gently lifted her head up with his tail, he asked calmly. "Do you wish to talk about it?"
Emma looked away, tears pricking her eyes. "I… I don't…"
Whenua gently nuzzled her, a soft, comforting rumble coming from his chest. "Shh… it's alright. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
The girl closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. "It… I need to." She said, looking at him with tired but determined eyes. "I can't…" she sighed, "I can't keep it bottled up like this."
The black Hordika sighed, but nodded. "Alright. But if it gets to much…"
Emma smiled sadly. "It's fine." Pulling her legs close to her chest, she let out a deep breath. "I-It started when I was a kid. My… father… he wasn't very nice. He kept… hurting me. Forcing me to fight. Beating me up. Said he was… training me."
"Emma…" Whenua murmured, horrified by the revelation.
The girl continued, giving her friend a sad look. "I had an older sister. Her name was Taylor. She was adopted as a toddler a few years before I was born. She looked out for me, and when she discovered what he was doing with me, she would do her best to protect me. Even if…" she stifled a sob, "if she got hurt."
Whenua remained silent, watching as a few tears slid down her face.
"When I was nine, he… really hurt me. In a way no father ever should. Tay… Taylor got really upset, and threatened to tell everyone. He… he laughed it off… before hitting her. He hit her really hard. She was really hurt. I was really scared. Then…" she shuddered, "then Mom came in. She was horrified, an-and threatened to call the cops. But he… he threw something at her. Knocked Mom out. He-He turned to me, t-to… grab me. S-Said that it was time to… to go. But Tay… she hit him back. W-With a f-frying pan. Sh… She told me t-to run. Run a-and not look back. I was so s-scared… and I… I…" Emma let out a strangled sob, "I left her. I left her, a-and when I did… he… he k-k… k… ki…!"
Whenua watched as the girl broke down, unable to finish her sentence. Gently pressing his muzzle into the side of her face, he rumbled some reassurances. Emma cried, half burying her face into his neck.
"H-He took her from me… a-and I was t-to weak to st-stop it!" She sobbed. "A-And e-ever-ry n-night I-I h-hav-ve t-to w-watch her d-d-d… d-d…!"
The black Hordika curled around the girl, feeling nothing but horror and pity for her. Emma continued to cry, unable to form any more words. Whenua stayed with her, comforting her as she mourned the sister she had lost.
The black Hordika wasn't sure how long the girl cried like this, but he was relieved when she finally calmed down again. "Feel better?" He rumbled.
Emma gave a weak nod. "Y-Yeah." She hiccuped. "Th-Thanks f-for… y-you know…"
A rumble akin to a purr came from the massive black form as he nuzzled her. "It's alright. You've done so much for us, and… you're like a little sister to us."
The girl stared at him, watery eyes wide. "R-Really?"
Whenua gave her a small smile, nuzzling her again. "Of course little gi."
"Gi… that means sister, doesn't it?" She asked.
He nodded. "Yes. Nuju told you?"
Emma nodded. "He did."
Whenua curled tightly around her, nuzzling her and - in a burst of instinct - gently licked her cheek. "Get some sleep little sister. I'll protect you."
The girl smiled, letting out a yawn as she curled up against him. "Thanks… ani…"
The black Hordika was stunned, before smiling down at the sleeping girl. "Good night… little sister."
With that he set his head down, allowing himself to rest while protecting the young human from night-terrors.
A/N - and finished!
I hope you guys enjoyed this. I probably won't get anything else for any of my stories until after next Thursday. I have my last final exam that day, then after that I'm home free!
Till next time!
