"The year is twenty-exty-ex, the date currently unknown. I've been stranded in this forest, pitted against a team of two in a battle to the death. Member one; Prussia. A formidable opponent. His strengths are his fighting and combat abilities, yet his weaknesses include being white as crap and having a funny accent. Member two; Spain. His weaknesses are being really weak and happy and stuff, and his strengths are… uhh… well, he makes killer tomato-related foods. Can't quite remember the name of that one dish, it's too… foreign-y. Anyhow, I think that starting with Spain will be easier since he's not too strong. For now I am a one-man army, a terminator let loose, a wheel of steel, a—"
A firm hand clamped down on America's shoulder. "What are you doing, America?"
The nation nearly dropped his phone in surprise.
"Sweet baby Jesus, Russia, why do you have to be all creepy like that? I was busy camping out and being all top-class ninja-stealth-warrior!" America ended the recording on his phone with a pout. "Way to ruin it, I was just about to break into song as if this were some cheap Disney Princess movie or something!"
Russia walked past him, stepping over a twig. "Yes, I am sure you would make a nice Disney Princess. Now why don't you try actually participating in this hunt so that we can enjoy the looks of terror on our opponent's faces when we catch them?"
"Uhh, hey, Russia, you're kind of doing that creepy aura glow-y thing again—"
"It's time to create a battle plan. You need a smart path of attack in order to overcome your enemy, da?"
America could barely make out the Russian through the darkness of the forest; the trees yawned high overhead, blocking out all but a small amount of moonlight that glistened on the foliage around them. Bushes and ferns that were scattered about all reached skyward, brambles trailing out from a select few and threatening to trip whoever dared to tread them.
In other words, America had already fallen on his face multiple times due to the thorny plants.
"I was making a plan, you obese hippo! I was thinking we should go after Spain, seeing as he's the weakest of the two-"
"American." Russia stopped in his tracks ahead, holding aside a low-hanging branch with a hand. He turned back just enough for America to see one of his lilac eyes glint coldly at him. "Don't underestimate your enemy. You may be surprised at just how much stronger they are than you."
America frowned at him, though he doubted that Russia could see it through the darkness. "Yeah, yeah, that's the same thing my boss had told me when I was fighting you. And who won the Cold War, hmm?"
"No one—"
"Exactly!" America puffed his chest, folding his arms. "Don't worry, ruski, I know what I'm doing!"
Russia turned his back on America; America could tell this because the branch he had been holding swung back just enough to fling debris at the American. The U.S. glowered.
"Hey, watch it!"
"If you want to go after Spain alone, that is your choice. If you want to go by my tactic of pursuing them, seeing as they most likely will decide to either camp until we arrive or move to find us first, we will be able to gain the upper hand by moving now. Make your choice, America."
Why is he talking to me as if I'm some five year old kid? I'm totally much more maturer-er than he takes me to be! America cleared his throat. "I think I'll take my chances and go after Spain. Sorry, dude, but I trust my own judgment more than I do yours."
Russia didn't move. America awaited his reply.
He didn't have to wait long.
"Fine," Russia finally spoke, "You go after Spain. I'll be sure to save our team when you lose against him. I would leave you to suffer the loss, but I am on your team as well and I refuse to lose because of you."
"Wha—hey! What the heck, I am so not going to lose against Spain!" The United States objected, indignantly clenching his fists.
"Then prove it." The Russian's voice came from further away now; he was already walking off. "Bring me Spain and I'll take back what I said."
"Okay, I will!" America hollered back. "Just you wait!"
It took him a moment to remember that he should probably be quieter considering the whole hunting thing going on.
"Stupid Russia…" America mumbled, turning in the other direction. It was time to prove just how good he was at his own game!
The American glanced around at the surrounding trees, spotting a low-spreading pine and trotting towards it. He hauled himself up the sweet-smelling bough, swatting at a few stray needles that clung to his casual wear. After a close call with an angry squirrel he was safely perched high atop the tree, peering down at the land with a smug expression.
"Let's see…. Where is that Russia?" America mumbled to himself, squinting and trying to make out any movement in the darkness. The Russian hid himself surprisingly well; it took America the better of five minutes to find Russia's figure, almost completely hidden as he crept from tree to tree.
"Alright, now's my chance to document this hunt without having that walrus here to interrupt me!" America grinned as he pulled out his phone. "… Oh?"
His phone blinked up at him "five missed calls from Iggybrows" and "ten unread texts".
"Jeez, is Britain on his period or something? Why is he spamming me so much?!" America muttered, unlocking his phone and checking his inbox.
Iggybrows: America, answer your phone.
Iggybrows: America, this is serious. Please answer your phone.
Iggybrows: America. Pick up!
Iggybrows: Stupid git, answer your bloody phone!
Iggybrows: At least tell me if you're okay.
Iggybrows: America, please tell me if you're okay! Dangerously close to where you are, there was a—
SNAP!
America looked up, his eyes wide. Russia had vanished from where he had previously been.
A moment of frantic scanning revealed that Russia, and now Prussia, had grown close to where America perched. Both were aware of one another's presence judged on how they both ducked, staying well out of each other's line of vision.
Did the snap come from them? That twig crunching had sounded much too close for it to have been either the Prussian or Russian's doing. Immediately suspicious, America began descending from the tree. He pocketed his phone for the time being; Britain's womanly issues could wait until after he kicked some serious butt!
Landing on the ground with a thump, America lowered himself into a crouch and began creeping towards where he had seen the pair of Eastern nations. If Prussia was near, Spain couldn't be far, right?
He paused by a fallen tree, glancing around the clearing it lay in.
Clack!
America whipped around with a smirk, tearing towards the sound.
"I've got you now, Spa—Rock?!" The American stumbled as the body he'd expected to have slammed into by now was not present and was instead replaced by a tiny stone on the ground.
After recovering, America stared at it, drawing a blank.
That rock had definitely not been there before, right?
"Nope." America assured himself. "… I think."
Thud!
The United States narrowed his eyes. There was a chip left in the tree where the rock had hit it, so that meant that whoever had thrown the stone had thrown it hard so that it specifically hit that tree, right? Or so says Sherlock. America wasn't too keen on those BBC shows Britain loved so much.
"Come out here and face me like a man, Spain! Or are you too weak to even grow a pair?"
A stone flew out of the darkness and pelted America directly on the forehead. It sent the nation sprawling back. "Hey, watch the hero, would you?" He hissed, gingerly picking himself up.
There was no reply.
The American took a moment to dust off his clothes before pushing past some ferns and emerging into the darkness of the trees once again. "If you won't come out here to face me, I'll come there to face you!"
He shoved aside the leaves of a bush.
Nothing.
"Wha…" Upon closer inspection, America noticed a few footprints in the soil of the forest floor. A single stone sat where Spain had undoubtedly been standing moments before. Another rock lay a few feet away, and just barely peeking from behind a tree sat a third. "Playing this game, are we? Challenge accepted!" America announced into the forest, rolling his shoulders once before breaking into a lazy jog and following the stones that were placed in a trail into the depths of the trees.
"I could totally be an assassin," The American boasted to no one in particular. He continued following the trail of stones until he began to grow tired. His gait slowed and eventually faltered to a halt. "Heeey! I'm going to win anyways so you might as well come out now!"
His voice echoed into the woods in an almost eerie way.
The sharp splintering of wood caused the United States to grow rigid, alerting him to another person's presence. "I've got you now!"
America madly dashed towards the sound, his arms pumping wildly. He had barely taken a dozen steps when without warning an arm jutted out from behind a tree, choking him as it hooked the nape of his neck.
The air was knocked out of America's lungs as he made rough contact with the forest floor below. "Oof-!"
A shoe planted firmly against his chest, pinning him to the ground. America grasped at his perpetrator's ankle as he struggled to recover his breath.
"Si," The voice was very low but very familiar, not a trace of emotion in his words. "Because I'm so weak, right?"
"S-Spain?"
"It's a shame, really…. If only I were stronger, as I once was, I would be able to kill you instantly. Now it has to be long and painful." The European drawled, his emerald eyes piercing through the darkness.
"Hey, man, what are you talking about?!" The United States started thrashing, though his efforts were in vain. The Spaniard's hold on the younger nation was incredibly strong, surpassing the usual strength the American had. "W-Why is my strength not working? What did you do to me?!"
"I have done nothing, for this is simply the true strength of El Reino de España [The Kingdom of Spain]." His lips twitched into a smirk as he extended an arm, his hand drawing closer, closer, closer to America's neck—
"Loser! Not-so-Loser! Where are you?" Prussia's voice caused both of them to freeze. "Spanien, you better have caught him!"
The Kingdom of Spain'shand twitched back slightly. "Tsk… Continuamos esto después [We'll continue this later]." He stepped away from the American.
Prussia, followed closely by Russia, emerged from the trees. They both halted.
"Jeez, what happened to him?" Prussia jerked his head towards the United States.
"He almost looks as pale as you are," Russia commented. "I haven't seen that face in a while."
"I dunno; I found him on the ground like this. Maybe he saw a monster?" Spain suggested in reply to Prussia, offering a hand to the American.
"Monster? That's an understatement!" The U.S. slapped the hand away, picking himself up.
Spain's features adopted a look of concern. "Estas bien, mi amigo [Are you okay, my friend]?"
"Don't you 'mi amigo' me! I'm not falling for that again!" America pointed an accusing finger at the other teen, his eyes flashing wildly. "You stay the freak away from me!" He made haste to turn in the opposite direction and sprint as though his life depended on it (and to him, it most certainly did).
"Since we were the ones that scored this round, I suppose that makes us the winners." Russia turned to Prussia and Spain. "I guess this means round two?"
The albino nodded. "Yeah, just go on ahead. Don't wait up."
Russia nodded, bidding them farewell and departing into the darkness.
Prussia faced Spain. "What did you do, release your conquistador on him?" The German let out a string out laughs.
The only reply Spain offered was a neutral expression. He suddenly laughed. "I have done nothing, amigo. That's a good joke!" He clapped Prussia on the shoulder and began walking away.
Prussia stared after him with a faltering laugh. "Ehe… are you serious or was that a joke?"
Spain's laugh echoed throughout the forest.
The next round started off normal enough; Russia and America managed to put their differences aside long enough to pull together a plan of action. America was to be sent out as bait while Russia would come from behind and catch the pair of Bad Touch Trio members.
This plan started out rough but proved to be a success in the end; just as America was cornered by the pair, facing a seemingly imminent defeat, Russia had appeared, picking them up by the collars of their shirts as though they were kittens. "I believe this is a win, da?"
And that was the end of round two.
"Ey, Prussia, you know at this point we're going to lose either way, right? I think we should just stop playing."
"Nein! Don't be such a France, we can't run away! We will go down with this ship!"
"I'm sorry?"
Round three began.
Things had started off well until somehow the hunt for men turned into a contest of the brave. A mere 'boo!' had escalated into a jump scare and it was a matter of time before a full-fledged fright war broke out among the youngd nations.
Prussia trot up to Spain, gulping down air to recover from a run. "Spain! I found an awesome idea on Google to scare them with, look!"
Spain blinked at the iPhone shoved between his eyes, squinting. "… I don't see anything about pranks. This says, 'four missed calls from West'."
The German glanced at his screen. His eyebrows shot up. "From West? Who died?" Prussia called his voicemail and nodded at Spain. "You wait here."
"But—Pero—"
The European was already walking away.
"I don't want to play anymore," Spain whimpered. A soft rustle of bushes was his only reply.
Prussia, meanwhile, stepped over twigs and leaves as he aimlessly walked in the other direction. "West? You called?"
"Prussia," Ludwig replied, "You're okay."
"Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be?" Prussia was alarmed at the note of concern in his brother's voice.
"Didn't you check my voicemail? A convict escaped very close to where you are and is armed. Please tell me you are somewhere safe."
Prussia swallowed. "Ja… sure. The middle of a forest sounds safe, right?"
"… Was?"
A blur of blonde exploded through a nearby shrub, startling Prussia. "Dude, Prussia! I have some news from England and it is not good, man-!"
A shriek cut him off.
"What was that?" Ludwig asked.
"Nothing," Prussia replied quickly. "I'll call you back."
"Wait, before you go, what do you do when Gilbird spontaneously bursts into flame?"
"Oh yeah, that's normal. Goodbye." Prussia dismissed the conversation and pocketed his phone. He focused on America. "Uhh, how about no? I think my news tops yours."
Russia emerged from the forest, bumping into the United States. "Pryvet. I have some good news and some bad news." He was panting slightly. "… Okay, maybe just some bad news."
"I know, I know! It's that some armed bro went missing from a prison in this city, right?" America asked.
"No," Prussia objected, "West told me that someone escaped from prison. He's armed!"
Russia's frown deepened. "Ehh… both of you are correct."
Both American and German turned to look at him in confusion.
Russia nodded to America. "A criminal went missing from a prison here." He then nodded to Prussia. "He's armed."
"And?" Prussia and America chorused.
"He escaped," Russia finished.
The pair silently urged him to continue. "What was the bad news?"
"It was the Black Dolphin."
Prussia looked ready to throw up.
America paled. "T-The what?"
Prussia shot him a sharp glare. "A prison for only the worst of criminals."
America adopted the pre-throw up expression.
"And there is more." Russia sounded insecure; he fidgeted with his fingers as though this were casual conversation. He spoke in a rush of words: "Theprisonisonlytwomilesfromhere."
"What?!"
Russia smiled. "You two are like twins; you keep talking at same time."
"That isn't important!" Prussia snapped. "We need to go inside or something!"
There was a unanimous decision to return indoors.
"Are you coming, American?" Russia asked. Prussia continued walking.
America's brows were furrowed. "… Dude. Where's Spain?"
The Russian deadpanned. He turned stiffly to the albino. "Prussia? Have you seen Spain?" He called, approaching the Prussian. America joined them, casting antsy looks into the surrounding forest. "... Prussia?"
Prussia was staring down at something, his eyes wide. His mouth was half-open as though words were caught in his throat.
Russia slowly followed his panic-stricken gaze to the forest floor. Prussia's foot was poised mid-air.
His shoe and the ground beneath it were stained in crimson.
A/N from Hazel: Why, hello again, guys! :D It's been a while, ain't it? Is that a new shade of flesh you're wearing? How about those socks? I'm glad to see that you're well! We certainly are; we're gettin' back into the swing of editing and creating and we are hellbent on powering through this story until it is completed. Hooplah!
A/N from Pride: Yuppy, yup! We have been slackin' recently with keeping our stories updated but we've been busy with school lately and vacation and holidays and shitzle. But now we're back! Back again- Pangea's back- tell a friend- *SHOT* Anywho~ We're not too sure how long this story will be but I don't believe it will surpass 50 chapters xD JK it'll probably be like five more and then finito! or will it? Owo DUNDUNDUUUUNN Okay welp, thans fior followin' and please read, review and repeat! :D
Happy holidays from Pangea Cosplay!
