The Aviary was ambient. Chirping and squealing from the wildlife could be heard all around, it was almost tranquil. Team Bucket walked together, not a single sign of a monster.
"Well. I suppose we're not picking up a signal. Take care of my body, please. I am deploying my head for reconnaissance.". Caira nodded, the other two stared at him confused.
"In English please." Hyde grunted.
Bucket sighed metallically. "I'm sending my head to find the monster.".
"Riiiiight. Don't lose your head, haha, aaaah..." Abe chuckled to himself, sighing at his horrid pun.
Bucket sent out his head to search for signs of life, his body stood motionless, whirring away. The three sat down lazily, forming a triangle, an awkward silence arrived between the three. Abe picked a twig up, drawing a tic-tac-toe grid in the dirt. He drew a cross in the center of the grid, holding the stick out to Caira.
"Heeey. C'mon. We got time to kill while Bucket scouts ahead."
Caira looked at him, shaking her head. "We don't know if it's safe to slack off, sitting here being lazy is just as bad...". Abe rolled his eyes at her. "Alright smarty-pants." Abe looked up at Hyde- he'd brought the Blitzleopard with him.
"That thing better not jeopardize this mission." Abe grunted.
"Fuck off." Hyde grunted back.
"Nah man I'm fuckin' serious, if someone dies because of-"
"Guys, please stop arguiiiiing..." Caira groaned, inhaling deeply.
Bucket's body rumbled and creaked, a crackling metallic voice echoed from the chassis.
"Prepare yourselves, you three. I've spotted tracks not too far from your current location. They appear to be.. Well, I've never seen anything like this... Be ready. I am making my return." Bucket announced, his voice cutting out.
"Alright boys, you heard him, we've got something on our hands." Caira stated, preparing her launcher. The three stood, preparing themselves, something big was coming, a stage three? Only a Goliath could make such tremors. Krakens were airborne, and Wraiths were fragile, quick. The thumping approached, closer, louder. Something was in the tunnels, growling, gurgling. In surprise, what they had just saw startled them.
A frog-like tongue flew out from the tunnel, sticking onto a nearby strider. Crunching and roaring echoed throughout the Aviary.
"Alright, I'm droppin' a dome on this one!" Abe announced, throwing the mobile arena into the air, a blue spherical shield glimmered down upon the surrounding area, trapping anything inside- including the group.
A rock-like figure emerged from the tunnel, it was huge, bigger than a Megamouth, darker than one. Spider-like eyes glared at the three, it stood still, almost as if it wasn't breathing. The monster bellowed, hacking up in the back of it's throat, spitting lava-like spittle out of it's mouth.
"Move!" Caira instinctively hit the adrenaline booster, increasing the hunters' rate of speed, their hearts pounding, their bodies moving faster to dodge the spit. As it hit the ground it split into multiple bomb-like spheres splashing everywhere. Hyde flipped the switch, his personal shield activated just in time, the lava splashing off him. Abe had bailed over a wall, taking cover from the lava bombs.
"Alright I'm fuckin' droppin' the dome! RUN!" He called out, panic in his voice, his chest pounding.
"Fuckin' 'ellllll..." Hyde growled, running for Bucket's chassis, slinging it over his back as he ran, he scooped the blitzer cub up, carrying it under his arm.
Caira's adrenaline booster was still running as the three bailed from the Aviary, belting it into the outdoors. They'd made a good amount of distance since they'd encountered the new species of monster, never had they seen such a thing. They were burning out by now, Caira flipped the switch so to speak, their bodies returning to natural states. They panted, groaning, recovering from the immediate change, Caira leant over by a tree, gagging and throwing up from the effect of the booster. Hyde dropped Bucket's chassis against a boulder- except that was a megamouth. It took a few seconds for them to react that Bucket's chassis was now being chewed up by a rocktoad. Startled, Hyde attempted to beat the creature senseless with what energy he had left, ramming his flamethrower in it's face, burning it down. The creature released it's grip, groaning and slowly dying from the pain.
"Fuckin' fuck it.." Hyde groaned, slinging Bucket's body carelessly on the ground. "We'a so fucking fucked! Fucks sake!" He continued to growl and curse, lighting a bush on fire nearby. He was losing the plot. "Oi, look, it's like that bloody Moses story where 'e talks to a burning bloody bush! Ah migh'y bush, what'ya got in store for us? Nothin' cause you're a fucking BUSH-"
"HYDE." Caira yelled snappily, his name getting stuck in her throat, still recovering. "We need.. We need to calm down. This isn't over yet. We just need to know what it does... We can fight it." She insisted, leaning herself against the tree. The blitzer cub wandered off during all the commotion, Abe eyed the creature as it snuck away. "Good fucking riddance" he muttered.
"Incomiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!" Bucket's head whirred as it flew into the tree trunk by Caira, hitting the floor. Caira sighed, weakly picking up his head, screwing it back onto the disabled chassis.
"Thank you, Caira. I am in your debt." Bucket stated, composing himself, his chassis active again.
"Abraham, I would like to request that we scout this beast down, my cloaking device is charged, now would be a perfect opportunity to get a clear look on it, considering you probably have an idea of it's whereabouts." Bucket echoed. Abe stared at him as if he were nuts.
"Did you uh, lose some circuit boards when Hyde threw you down? Are you fuckin' crazy?"
"What other choice do we have? We must get the job done."
Abe scratched his goatee. Bucket was right. Abe sighed, rolling his eyes again.
"Alright, fine. But if I die, you stay the hell away from my funeral."
"Understood." Bucket turned to the nauseous Caira and the irate Hyde. "My advice to you would be run, if you see the monster.". Caira nodded, her hand making a shooing motion. Bucket and Abe departed through the closest tunnel, fading as Bucket kicked in the stealth.
