It has been two days since the Signless was murdered by the hands of the highbloods. Karkat leans his back against a boulder, next to Terezi. No news about anything. At least the Condense hasn't figured where the camp was. Playing with his fingers, Karkat glances at the other members of the rebellion, seeing them still shocked about the news about Kankri. Meulin stood up, preparing the meal for the night.
"What's for dinner tonight, Meulin?" Nepeta asks, walking up to her.
"Remember the pigeons Aradia and Sollux hunted for earlier?"
"Yeah!"
"I am going to make that for dinner."
Pigeons? Again? Karkat hated living like this, the lowtroll of the hemospectrum. Only in his dreambubble could he imagine himself living as a highblood. Not having to sleep in the dirt, having to run away from the highbloods 24/7, not having to fight when the highbloods surround him, and not having the Condense looking for him. He pictured himself as not someone who would let the hemospectrum determine who was ruler or not. Just like what Kankri taught, he would use as the new world. All of the questions of his past came into his mind, remembering holding onto Kanaya's hand every time they would have to run away from the highbloods, even past that, he would still have a hold of Kanaya's hand, never wanting to let go. Except he did. Kanaya wouldn't be a slave to the Condense if he held onto her. He clenches his right hand into a fist, while his left hand grips onto the wrist; his candy red tears fill his eyes, seeking a way out. Terezi sniffs the air, smelling the cherry red cough syrup.
"Are you okay, Karkles?" She asks.
He turns his body away from her.
"No, okay!" He yelled, his tears finally falling from his eyes, "I am not meaning to yell, I am not doing okay. Kankri is dead! Mom is a slave! Kanaya is a slave to the bitch who started this!"
"I'm sorry." Terezi pauses, "Karkat, there is something I should tell you."
"That fucking bitch took them away from me!" Karkat hisses, tightening his grip on his wrist, "I have no family left! When will the Condense think that she has too many slaves and starts to kill them off?! When will she kill Kanaya?!"
"She won't be killing anyone, Karkat!" Terezi screams, "The Condense will keep a hold of Kanaya for a while, she won't be killing her off anytime soon."
"How do you know, Terezi?" Karkat pauses, "The "empress" can change her mind at anytime."
"Because Kanaya told me herself." Terezi pauses, "Right before she was taken, she told me that the Condense liked her so much that she would keep her until she dies."
"What the hell?!" Karkat pauses, "Why would the Condense . . . Fuck it, never mind. I know the fucking reason."
"It's due to her rare color of green."
"I knew it." Karkat whispered, "I fucking knew it!"
Aradia glances passed the trees, hearing someone come closer to them.
"Help!" the person cries.
She jumps up and runs into the forest, seeing Tavros crawling his way to them.
"Tavros!" She gasps, going to the ground, "What happened?"
"I . . . I'm not sure." He pauses, "I fell down a cliff, my legs . . . They don't work."
"Give me a minute," Aradia gently lifts him into her arms, "What happened again?"
"I'm not sure, Aradia," he pauses, "I think I fell down a cliff, but Aradia! My legs . . . I can't feel my legs! They don't work either!"
Aradia carries him to the camp, not understanding why he fell.
"Do you remember anything before that?" She asks.
"I remember placing my Pupa Pan hat on my head, then everything went black."
"Did you feel different?"
"I felt like I was someone else."
"Like who?"
"I felt that bite on my arm first, I think it was Vriska."
"Vriska?!"
She sees Sollux coming to help her to take him to the camp.
"Yeah, something must be up." Tavros pauses, "She would never do that unless she was pissed about something."
"But what would that something be?!"
"Not sure."
Karkat glances at the paralyzed troll.
"Damn it!" He hisses, "How many of us are coming back hurt?! I can't handle this any more."
Meulin glances over at Karkat, then at Tavros, and finally back at the cooking bird. Aradia gently puts Tavros leaning his back against the tree trunk next to the boulder.
"If only we had a healer." Aradia says.
"You have Kanaya, why don't you ask her to heal my legs?"
Karkat closes his eyes, groaning under his breath, shaking his head.
"That is impossible to do, Tavros." He moans.
"Why would it be?" Tavros says, "Just go ask her."
"She's not here!"
"What?!" Tavros inhales.
"She is a slave to the Condense now." Karkat opened his eyes, his red tears returning.
"When did that happen?"
"After they killed the Thignlethth." Sollux answered.
Karkat sighed, letting his grip go.
"I should have been there," Karkat pauses, "I could've protected all of them."
"No, you couldn't." Sollux says.
"I could've saved them Sollux!" Karkat hisses, "I could've done something."
"They would have killed you along with him, KK." Sollux says.
"None of us would've like to see both of you die." Nepeta pauses, "There was nothing you could have done to stop it."
"I could've fucking done something, Nepeta!" Karkat moans, his tears falling from his face, "If we are caught, I will suffer the same fucking fate as Kankri."
"No you wouldn't." Terezi gently places her left hand on his shoulder.
Karkat jumped up, glaring at everyone.
"Look at me, Terezi!" He pauses, glancing down at her, "I look like him, a bit younger, but I still look just like him!"
Terezi sniffed the air, finally piecing the puzzle together. Karkat's stress is what's coming out of him.
"I am sorry for my blow up," he pauses, "I need to calm down in the tent for a while. Tell me if someone comes."