A/N
A slightly longer chapter than before. There isn't much dialogue, so I apologize of it's boring. I do believe that the next chapter or so will be lacking in dialogue as well. MK is alone, so he doesn't have anyone to talk to anyway. I have the next chapters planned, so I'll try to get to writing. My motivation is picking up, so that's good.
Enjoy.
-Chapter 7-
Dry grass crunched beneath the defeated warrior's irregular footsteps. With each limp, he swayed and staggered about. His injured right arm hung uselessly against his bleeding side, their wounds staining his skin and gloves red. At his back, his left wing dragged in the dirt, leaving a trail of blood upon the blades of grass
Around the knight, tall, thin trees with cracking bark hung their scraggly heads in the dying light of the setting sun. Wisps of dark clouds hung in the sky, crawling from the direction of the once lush greenery the knight had left behind. He meandered onward, lifting his gaze briefly to eye the ball of promising warmth that prepared to vanish yet again. The first glimpses of sunlight earlier that day had lifted his spirits, but only for a while.
The air was dry here, but far warmer than the dark world that grinned at his departure. A cool breeze brushed his scarred, exposed back. The prickly bushes and crinkling leaves of trees shifted and rustled in the crisp, foreboding breath. Meta Knight lowered his gaze, focusing upon the dying forestry. It wouldn't be long before the unforgiving shadow claimed another stretch of land.
The light of the sun no longer kissed the dusty ground. The canopy of the grieving trees possessed small highlights before they too were left to weather another eerie night. The air cooled swiftly as the frigid wind blew in to chip away at the dying vegetation. The knight drew his head back, scanning the blackening canvas above. His dull eyes flashed as faint dots twinkled in silence. The great stars could only observe the peaceful planet fall beneath the claws of the new tyrant.
In the darkness, chilled by the frigid air, Meta Knight limped. He no longer cared to step with caution and suffered cuts and scrapes from invisible thorns and rocks. The veteran paused, looking ahead. A faint orange light flickered from between the trees. He sniffed, smelling the smoke that drifted in the air. He took unsteady steps forward while trying to lift his limp wing carefully from the ground. He supported it with his right wing, the left's membrane torn and lacerated.
The light grew brighter as he approached. The popping and hissing of ashy wood could be heard echoing against the trees. Foreign, masculine voices spoke, someone chuckling in response. As the blue puffball pressed himself to a tree, he peeked around it. A few tents rested between several larger trees. Around a fire, three men sat upon a log. They were of the same species as Fumu and her family. They were dressed in old clothing that consisted of worn leather and aging cloth. Around their waists were belts with sheathed knifes.
The knight took a small step away from the tree. As grass crunched beneath his feet, a pair of growls rose from the small camp. Two red eyed hounds rose to their feet and flattened their shredded ears to their skulls. They stared at the Star Warrior with intense glares while baring their teeth. As Meta Knight took an uneasy step back, the dogs immediately charged. Chains at their throats jerked them back and they barked with deep, loud voices.
The men shot to their feet and shouted angrily at the canines who did not cease their aggressive yowls and barks. The knight stiffened where he stood. Two of the three men unsheathed their crude weapons and cautiously stepped beyond the snouts of the ravenous hounds. Meta Knight's eyes darted about and he quickly shot behind a cluster of bushes. Thorns pricked at his skin and he shifted uncomfortably. One man paused, surveyed his surroundings.
The other shrugged and continued to wander. "Nothin' here."
"That's the look of things."
"Hey, maybe it was just a rabbit or somethin'." The wandering man grinned awkwardly.
He gave a yelp as a hand clasped his mouth and he was jerked back.
"John!" His companion shouted, racing over.
Meta Knight wrenched John's weapon from his hand and kicked him to the ground. The man choked and sputtered as the knight stepped upon his throat. With the other ruffian charging him, the veteran Star Warrior spun around and barely managed to dodge the unskilled blow. He tripped over his unsteady feet and stumbled into a tree. With the dull knife in hand, he faced his attacker.
"What the hell is going on over there?!" A voice carried through the dry vegetation.
"Let the dogs go!" The man shouted back.
Meta Knight's eyes widened.
He jumped at the ruffian and swiped at his face. Th blade skimmed the man's brow to his disdain. Upon landing noisily, the puffball frowned as he made a mental note, reminding him that he no longer wielded Galaxia. Sighing, he prepared to dodge another blow from his opponent. However, teeth sank into his broken wing's arm and jerked him back.
The knight gave a shout of pain and whirled around. His stolen weapon sliced through the canine's throat. Blood stained the steel of his blade and splattered about as the dog raced through the trees while hacking and whimpering. The other canine came running and jumping, its teeth glinting in the fire's light. The wounded knight sidestepped quickly.
The man shouted in alarm as his pet growled and bit into his arm. "No, you stupid dog! Attack him!"
The third of the ruffians came running, his old blade in hand. He quickly scanned the area. One of his companions and a dog were dead, both having suffered a similar fate. He eyed Meta Knight and exchanged glances between him and his remaining cohort. The vicious dog shrieked as its owner's knife stabbed into the side of its head. Soon, it screamed and collapsed into silence as the blade was twisted, then ripped from its ragged pelt.
The veteran Star Warrior flinched as the third knave shouted and ran at him. He swung his dull sword at the puffball who dodged easily, but stumbled upon his achy feet. Exhausted, he panted and swirled around to face the wounded man behind him. He threw his dagger, it burying itself in the ruffian's chest. He collapsed dead. Again, the remaining knave charged. As he swiped his sword through the air, Meta Knight skillfully evaded. He grabbed the man's arm and twisted it with a crack. His attacker screamed and dropped his sword as he fell to his knees and clutched his disfigured limb.
Clenching his teeth, he keeled over and scowled at the Star Warrior who lifted his newly obtained sword from the ground, gazed at him, then turned away, and left.
Meta Knight found himself limping again as he carefully lifted his broken wing from the ground and rested it upon the other. Well beyond the light of the dissipating fire, he approached the trunk of a tree. The veteran clutched the bark tightly and climbed up to the closest branch, upon which he roosted. Leaning against the trunk, he draped his intact wing over his battered form, while the other hung carefully upon his perch. With his stolen sword in hand, he crossed his arms and gazed up at the forest's canopy with drooping eyes. Stars peeked through the leaves, overlooking the dulling world. After heaving a shaky sigh, the wounded knight's eyes slowly closed.
Fog hung in the air, dampening the dry forest. Heads of water rolled down the bark of the trees and clung to their branches and brittle leaves. Fat droplets fell from a higher branch and splashed upon the slumbering knight below. He gasped awake as the sudden cold liquid met his skin. Mist danced through the crisp breeze, collecting upon his cracked mask. The puffball briefly pushed up his mask to wipe his tired face of condensation. Laying still, he looked upward at the dripping leaves.
A growl rumbled in his gut, reminding him of his need to eat. He had forgotten such necessities the previous day and failed to fulfill them. Hunger and thirst forced him from his roost. He scaled the trunk, mindful of his fractured wing which he had not yet found adequate materials to create a makeshift brace. There were no saplings or strong enough branches, let alone anything flexible enough to tie with.
Sleep had not done him much good, and he was left feeling no better than before he had drifted off. He pressed a hand to his stomach as it growled angrily once again. No potential food awaited him in the desolate trees. His unsteady steps eventually led him beyond the depressing forest. Thick clouds filled the sky and rain poured from above. The rain was cold and chilled him. His armor was bitterly cold, and, without his cape to provide him with some amount of warmth, his shivered. His left wing ached, the new wound throbbing endlessly. Fortunately for him, he had long learned to endure injuries through years of war and far more excruciating pain in the past.
The bubbling of water broke through his thoughts. The green of his eyes flickered back to yellow. Cutting through the grassland, across which he padded, was a wide, flat river. Stones rolled along with the encouraging water. Silver, sparkling flecks glistened beneath the cool liquid's surface as aquatic creatures swam about contentedly. The knight approached the edge of the river and surveyed the other side. An overhang of rock caught his attention. It was shielded from the rain which grew heavier, chilling him further.
He could not fly across and he didn't want to walk downstream, let alone around the river. He stepped into the frigid waters, icy chills shooting into his form. Meta Knight disdainfully felt as sediments sucked at his feet and filled his boots. He furrowed his brow with annoyance while he walked about uncomfortably as sand rubbed and scratched at his feet. The water, though relatively shallow, was powerful regardless. He lifted his arms up as to keep himself balanced.
To his alarm, his broken wing was grabbed at by the water like wind in a sail. He was dragged sideways, the water trying to knock him off his feet. It succeeded. He took a quick breath before being suddenly jerked to the side. The wounded puffball grasped a rock as he was being pulled into a deeper section of the river. Clinging with a death grip, he stabbed his sword into the ground and clawed at the bank while hauling himself up. Meta Knight took heavy breaths while hugging the ground. The rain hadn't ceased. It continued to fall without a care. Sitting up, he was again reminded by his stomach of his hunger. He faced the river and stared into the bubbling water. He could clearly see the fish that thoughtlessly followed the current.
The exhausted puffball extended his right wing and lowered it into the water. The current fought against the membrane, as did the fish that were unfortunate to be caught by his clever net quickly, he brought his wing from the river, attempting to contain the two fish he managed to capture. They flopped about with panic in their unchanging faces using his sword, he sliced their heads off and skewered them. The grasses were marshy and mud slurped and gurgled as he dragged himself to the rocky overhang.
The dead fish continued to flop reflexively upon his dull weapon as he sat against a flat boulder. Water trickled from gaps in the rock. Even beneath the protective overhang, it was damp. Building a fire wouldn't be possible with the land so damp. Without a second thought, he removed his mask and quietly ate his catch. Occasionally, he looked up from his meal to watch the rain or listen beyond it for what he thought to be footsteps, but the sound was quickly dismissed.
Setting aside the fish bones, he wiped his sword with his gloves and stabbed it into the ground next to him. Adjusting himself, he lied upon the ground and closed his eyes. The knight listened, as he drifted into a light sleep, for any noises that were not of the river or rain.
Meta Knight stirred. He ran a damp hand over his unmasked face and yawned. What he wanted to be a nap had become a deep, dreamless slumber. The late air was chilly, but, to his fortune, the rain seemed to have long ceased. He was soothed by the churning of the river and found himself to be relaxed where he lied.
A loud splash startled him. The knight's heart raced as an abrupt metallic scream scratched at the air. He shot up and grabbed his sword. Swirling around, the color in his face drained as a demonbeast of a large build struggled to cross the river. Clearly, the water was treating it no better than it had treated him. The creature's piercing red eyes flickered and flashed as it scowled at the Star Warrior. Over years of being weathered, the beast had not faired well through time. Its mechanics were exposed to the air and began to rust. Whatever inorganic skin remained on its unstable form was being stripped by its staggered steps and the rushing water.
Bolts and wires fell loose, its circuits sparking and zapping. It ignored its poor condition as its sights remained fixed upon the knight who stood uncertainly against it. The demonbeast heaved an outraged scream as it staggered to the side and nearly collapsed. A large hand slapped the ground, its claws digging into the soft earth. Its attempts to cross were seemingly futile as the ground gave way and crumbled into the river.
Hellbent upon getting across to attack its target, the demonbeast threw itself over a pile of rocks and slammed against the swampy grassland. Gears screamed and wires were ripped away from their connection points. As the demonic beast rose with a huff, its joints groaned. Its right knee could not take the weight any longer. The creature's leg fell apart with an abrupt shriek of metal grinding against metal.
Meta Knight ran at the monster and gave a shout as he began to shove it toward the river. The creature was quick to learn what the Star Warrior's plan was and it lifted a hand to smash him. However, as it did so, the knight set it off balance. The demonbeast screamed in rage upon tumbling to the side. Its body slid across the muddy ground and the river happily took the monster back. The mechanical abomination screeched while clawing at the air. Its body was torn apart by the strengthening current, and, soon, the rest of its being was swept away.
The knight breathed shaky, heavy breaths. It had been years since he had ever seen a demonbeast. Had this one somehow managed to wander to what was left of DreamLand, there wasn't much to tell what would happen. Perhaps it had been following him. He shrugged the thought away as he finally settled his nervous. The creature was destroyed, and that was all that mattered to him.
He approached the river and crouched upon the bank. Removing his glove, he cupped his hand and collected water which he brought to his mouth. For a few minutes, he drank what he could then stood and returned to the rocky overhang. Collecting his mask, he strapped it to his form and returned his glove to his hand. The knight gripped his sword tightly, supported his broken wing with the other and limped through the grasslands. Puffy clouds scrolled through the star fields above, dissipating as the cold air broke them apart.
He still had a long while to go before he reached his destination.
A/N
Description, description, description. I feel like this chapter was a little on the boring side. It wasn't too boring for me to write, so I don't know. ^^' Meta stole a guy's sword…
I'm not a survivalist, so I'm not too great at writing stuff like that. But I do know a thing or two. You can indeed eat fish raw right after you catch and kill it. You can do that with every animal I believe.
Writers like reviews! I appreciate and encourage constructive criticism!
