AN: Holy shit, this took so long and I have a good reason. I got fucking lazy. Now I know what you're saying, "What the fuck is this chapter? Why did it turn out like this?". Well because I have a plan and I needed a sort of situation to go off of, I didn't just want this to be just about their everyday life. Fuck that. One, that would be too fucking boring in my opinion; two, I'm pretty sure you all would be bored of that real quick, and three... I didn't want to. So if this chapter doesn't suit your needs, then I don't know what to tell you. Deal with it and don't try to discourage me from writing this path. Without further adieu... Let's roll on with the fucking story!
The air was quiet and warm but the cave felt cold and empty. Not because of the weather but because of the dead feel that basked the entire cave. A small whimper came from in front of Ares and he looked down to see Sistine clutching her stomach and crying quietly. He tightened his grip on her and nibbled the back of her neck while giving small purrs but didn't seem to pick up her mood.
"Sistine..." He whispered quietly. She sniffled and shuffled around to look at him with tears in her eyes, making him sigh and bring her forehead to his chest.
"Why? Why did he have to be taken from us?" She cried and tightly gripped him as he hugged her tighter.
"I don't know... I'm sorry." He apologized. She had been like this for the past two months, ever since the incident happened. It wasn't uncommon for her to wake up in the middle of the night and sob her heart out, usually it was him to calm her down and bring her back to bed. Sometimes it was Rei and Ken who would calm her down and occasions it was Frost who would bring her back. It was beginning to show as of now, at first it was the simple not eating or sleeping but eventually she shut everyone off and hid in the cave for the most of the time.
"Ares, Sistine? C-can I sleep with you guys tonight? I had a nightmare." Frost said timidly. Ares looked ready to say no but looked at Sistine and saw her open her arms out, inviting the young girl. She quickly scampered up to the bed and got in between them, holding onto Sistine as she held the young girl tightly. He saw Sistine's face morph from pure sadness to slight content, Frost seemed to have a positive effect on the older monster, something she needed desperately. As long as Sistine was content enough for now, he really didn't seem to mind if Frost was sleeping between them.
"Sistine? When are we going to go to the lake tomorrow?" She asked.
"In the afternoon sweetie." Sistine replied.
"Are you going to come with us?" Frost asked.
"I... I'll try." Sistine replied.
"You promise?" Frost asked.
"Yeah." Sistine said.
"...Okay." Frost yawned and fell asleep. Ares sighed and looked to see Sistine stroking the young Goliath's hair gently while having her eyes closed, letting out tiny noises that betrayed her usual happy attitude. He reached over and gave a small kiss to her forehead and brought them close to him, giving a gentle purr to lull Sistine to sleep and later falling asleep later.
They didn't see an odd Grimm enter the cave and stare at them, it floated over to the bed and raised one of its tentacles and brushed the side of his face for a minute then floated over to Sistine and hovered over her. It lowered itself near her body and brushed another tentacle over her stomach but quickly retracted it when she held her stomach and let a few tears fall. Backing up a few feet while letting out a warbling noise, it later exited the cave but not before letting out a squeal in surprise when Ares suddenly pounced on it.
It may have seemed like he was sleeping, he wasn't. The moment he felt the tentacle brush against his face he waited until it was exiting the cave. He bit one of its many tentacles and ripped it off before forcing it to the ground, dodging one of them when it sent a barb towards him. His snarling seemed to wake the others and they immediately saw him hold a Grimm down, but had one of the barbs aimed at his skull, as if warning him to stay away. A throwing shard was batted away from its jellyfish like body and it aimed another barb at Frost when she came up from behind. The air around them was silent while they all were at a standstill, Ares glaring at the threat in his home and the Grimm keeping itself from being torn apart. As time passed and the Grimm remained still at the ready, Rei and Ken stared at it intently before slowly marching up, whining when Sistine shielded them away from the barbs. Eventually she slowly walked over to Frost and grabbed her hand, leading her to the back of the cave where they kept an eye on.
"What's it doing in the cave?" Sistine asked.
"I don't know and I don't care." He answered, growling when it flexed a barbed at him. It hovered a bit and reached inside itself, fishing around for a minute before pulling something out. His eyes widened when he saw a familiar object in its tentacle and quickly ripped it from its grasp.
"Ares, that's..." Sistine stared at the object.
"Where did you get this?" He asked the Grimm. "Where the fuck did you get this?!" He roared while tearing into the Grimm's body slightly. It squealed a bit in pain and started to thrash around a bit, accidentally cutting his face slightly. The pain wasn't immediate but it did hurt the over time and he started to growl louder when the Grimm didn't respond. He let go of it as the pain started to hurt more and made him clutch his face, glaring when the Grimm quickly hovered out of the cave.
"Arachne!" He roared, snarling as the cut on his forehead began to sear in pain. In the span of a few seconds the spider monster was standing in front, her gaze focusing in on his wound.
"What the hell happened?" She asked as she rushed up to him.
"Find that Grimm!" He snarled, scrunching his eyes in pain. She looked at the others and nodded before quickly rushing out and jumping into the trees, following the Grimm. The others quickly rushed to him and looked at his forehead to see his forehead bleeding while he clutched it tightly. Sistine tried to move his hand but he batted it away and growled at her.
"Stop and let me see it." She said. It took a minute but eventually he removed his hand and they saw the extent of his damage; the cut itself was deep and if they looked deeply enough they could see part of his skull exposed. She quickly rushed to the side of the bed and grabbed a piece of cotton before pressing it against his head, frowning when the blood just soaked it completely, making him growl louder. A few minutes went by and eventually the blood stopped flowing and his face began to relax then scrunch up as he concentrated and black sludge seeped out with steam coming out. The sludge hardened a bit and cracked off his head and just left a diagonal scar from his forehead to the right side of his ear. As the pain subsided and his breathing slowed down, Sistine finally led him to the bed and sat him down.
"Ares, lie down." She instructed.
"Why?" He asked.
"You just got injured and you're stressed." She said.
"I'm fine..." He said, scrunching his eyes in pain when she lightly pushed him down.
"Shhhhh." She shushed and finally got him to lie down on the bed. After a while of shushing she finally got him to sleep while she just sat there looking at him, a sigh escaped her lips as she lied down next to him. She closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep but felt the children curl around her and start to snore softly while she breathed contently and kissed each of their foreheads softly.
"Oh, my little monsters." She whispered softly and held them tightly while keeping a close eye on the cave entrance.
Arachne came back the next morning with cuts and bruises on her body but otherwise okay, she had said the Grimm put up a fight but otherwise fell easily. All of them sat near the large fire pit discussing what to do about another breach in their home, the children voted to keep watch but was quickly shot down when Ares denied it and the idea of moving to a safer location was out of the question. He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes for a second before turning to Arachne when he remembered something.
"When is Brock supposed to be here?" He asked.
"This afternoon. He should be at the keep." She said, conjuring up a web ball and tossing it up in the air before catching it and repeating the process.
"I'm going to go get him." He said as he stood up and stretched.
"What are the rest of us supposed to do?" Michelle asked.
"I want you to keep an eye on Sistine. Make sure she's eating, not doing anything stupid, hell even try to talk to her. Prove to me that you can be reliable when I need you to be." He answered.
"I'm not reliable enough for you?" She asked.
"Not after what happened at that hunter school." He said making her mouth clamp shut and her form shrink in on itself. He knew that still was a touchy topic with them but he still used it as something to shame her for her actions, and it seemed she regretted saying those words to him ever since.
"I'll do it." She said quietly.
"Go then." He nodded and watched as she stood up quietly and went to the cave before he turned to the rest of them. "I'll be back in a few hours, try not to drive the adults crazy kids. We'll go hunting if you don't." He added, making them give thumbs up and smile as he shook his head and began to walk towards the keep. As the seconds turned to minutes and the minutes turned to tens of minutes, he eventually got bored of walking in his hybrid form, scrunching down and concentrating his body mass until it eventually started to bubble and steam. The bubbles of skin burst open and left flabby strands of flesh as a black sludge seeped out of the open wound, the sludge started to cover the ground around him then started to pile up on his body, burning away his skin and then eventually covered his entire form. It formed a large cocoon that started to grow in size and his monstrous form could barely be seen inside as it swam around in the jelly-like fluid until it grew and grew to the point where it couldn't grow anymore. His spikes gouged a hole in the top of it and he arched his back up to tear the hole bigger until the cocoon fell to the ground with a wet slap. A loud groan-like roar escaped his maw as a plume of smoke shot out of his nostrils before he sniffed around and headed in the direction of the keep.
The occasional Grimm tried to challenge his dominance but either fell under his might or cowered away from him when he devoured their Alpha or Major in front of them. His large form lumbered through the forest and he let out a slight growl every once in a while as he walked, taking in the beauty of the wild around him. The trip came to an end after two hours of walking and he saw Brock standing there with the girls him, making him scowl and the fire in his throat burn hotly. The girls whipped their head towards the trees as they heard cracking and shifting of the branches as the forest seemed to move on its own. All of them backed up and drew their weapons when they saw the hulking figure from the previous year come through the trees and stand tall. Its skin a mixture of red and black in a tiger style pattern, a burning red maw that reeked with the scent of a burning forest, massive spikes and barbed tail, razor sharp teeth, and finally deep red glowing eyes that seemed to pierce their souls.
"That's the thing from the previous year! We need to call Ozpin!" Ruby exclaimed and raised her scroll but jumped when Brock was suddenly in front of her.
"No!" He shouted.
"Why!? That thing will kill us if we don't attack." She replied.
"No! It'll only attack if we provoke it!" He said and watched as she slowly lowered her scroll but keep an eye on the beast in front of them. As she stared she couldn't help but shrink underneath its gaze and shy towards Yang like she used to when she was a kid. Weiss and Blake kept an eye on the monster in front of them while bouncing on their feet, as if they were expecting a fight. Brock took a step forward but stopped when Yang gripped his hand but he gently took his from her's and sent her a reassuring look then turned to Ares.
"Ares, it's uh... been a minute." He laughed sheepishly, only receiving a flat stare in return.
"Brock, I'm not in the mood." Ares said flatly.
"Sheesh, could have said hi first." He mumbled.
"I just said I'm not in the mood. Arachne told me yesterday that you were coming to visit the others. So get on and catch up with them for a minute or leave and I can just tell them this was a big waste of time." Ares said in the same tone.
"Jeez man, you're a lot more to the point than before." Brock said as he jumped slightly when Ares narrowed his eyes and sent a low growl, barking at Blake when she tried to move to the side.
"I see I'm wasting my time. Goodbye Brock." Ares deadpanned as he turned and began to walk away.
"Ares wait! I'm coming with you!" Brock exclaimed as he jumped on Ares' tail and began to climb his shoulder, he caught himself when Ares suddenly stopped when he felt something climb on his tail also, sitting on the ground and quickly maneuver his tail up to his face to see the girls holding on also. Ruby flashed a nervous smile and laughed sheepishly as she stared at his flat face while the others did the same.
"Tell them to get off or they're not going home." Ares said calmly as Brock looked at him.
"Girls... you guys need to get off. I'm not going to lie to you when I say he's not in the mood." He said slowly. After some reluctance they slid off one by one except Yang as she kept her grip on tight, not backing down when Ares brought his tail closer to his face and stared at her while she did the same.
"You're not going anywhere with Brock without me and the girls." She declared evenly while Brock gripped his hair and ground his teeth together nervously. If there was one thing that Yang had bad it was her tenacious attitude, never knowing when to call a situation quits until it was too late. It was why she had stuck to him like white on rice to be honest.
"Then you're not going anywhere Brock. No monsters, no home." Ares said.
"Yang, he's not letting me go home if you don't let go." Brock said.
"What? How the hell is that fair?! Stop being such an ass and just let us come with Brock!" She yelled at Ares while his face remained impassive before he calmly set his tail down and took Brock off his back also. He said nothing and crouched down to hide his tracks before walking into the brush silently, leaving the others baffled and confused before Brock slammed his hands on the ground and sent a rock wall in front of Ares, who just turned around and sent a stoic look, before staring at the monster ahead of him.
"They're coming with us! Whether you like it or not." He yelled.
"Brock you know why I don't want them coming to my home? Because they do nothing but cause problems. I left all those behind when I left the keep with my siblings and Frost. I found and made a home where we could prosper without the problems of civilization yet here you want to come here and bark orders like you own me? Get real Behemoth, this is my home, my house... and when I say somebody isn't welcome, it's usually not without a reason." Ares explained.
"You don't own anything! Dad owns the damn keep and where is he?!" Brock shouted.
"At the cave where I would show you but since you want to be a little hunter's chew toy I don't want to. So I'm going to give you one last chance Brock. Come with me alone and leave your hunters here or leave the damn woods and don't bother coming back." Ares said as he watched Brock narrow his eyes at him for a minute. The air around them was silent for a few minutes as the two parties stared at one another before Brock let out a slow breath then looked at the girls.
"I know you want to come with me but he's not going to let me see my family if you come. So please, just let me go for a few hours and I'll be back... I promise." He said as he looked at each one of them. They seemed reluctant for a minute before they nodded and watched as he sent a reassuring smile and climbed on Ares' back and gave him a few pats to go but looked back as the girls' figures slowly disappeared with the flora.
The trip there was silent with the exception of the trees and wildlife making their natural noises. Ares had kept his focus on the road ahead while Brock looked around every so often to take in the beauty of these part of the woods until he caught himself when Ares stopped and began to kneel down.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I'm changing back because I need to do something." Ares replied. His transformation back was less painful than his previous one and he ended up finding his clothes tucked away in the body remains, covered in black slime and a disgusting gooey feeling to put back on but that mattered none to him.
"Where are we going?" Brock asked as he saw the little cave that was now their home but they were headed down a little path towards a small creek. There was a little stone bridge that crossed over the creek and they eventually entered a small secluded space that had flowers around it and a few trinkets the children made. They brushed past the flowers and Ares dropped to his knees slowly and leaned forward to set his forehead on a smooth looking rock while whispering something quietly. Brock just remained silent and looked around the area, he noticed how well taken care of this part was compared to the forest around them, he heard a sound like water dropping and looked to see drops of water falling on the ground, thinking it was raining. The sky above was still sunny and he still heard the dripping noise.
"Hey Ares, do you hear tha-" He suddenly stopped when he finally saw where the dripping was coming from... it was coming from Ares. The one monster who would rather roar in defiance at pain than cry was right here before him letting tears fall from his eyes. This scene alone made him uncomfortable.
"Ares... you alright?" He asked.
"I'm fine Brock... just go visit the others. I'll be right with you in a minute." Ares said slowly, but one could hear the slight hiccup in his voice if they listened close enough.
"Are you sure? I can wait-" Brock started.
"I'M FINE!" Ares roared suddenly, scaring a few birds in the distance and Brock also. He saw the Goliath's eyes red and could see tears coming from the corner of his eyes before being harshly wiped away as he glared.
"Alright man... I'll go." Brock said with his hands up as he stepped out of the area carefully as he kept an eye on Ares, who just stood there with his body tense. After he left the area Ares slowly turned back to the smooth stone and placed his hand on it, taking in its features with a hurtful gaze. A smooth obsidian stone with a name carved in it and a small hand print on near the bottom right hand corner while flowers were set near the front of it. His gaze turned towards the name inscribed on the front of it.
'Eli'
"Hey there buddy... it's me... daddy. I'm uh... I'm going to bring your mother by tonight so she can talk to you... she hasn't been doing so good since you've... left. But she's getting better..." He said with pauses every few seconds before he steeled himself to finish. "Daddy brought a friend to see the others so we'll come by later tonight... we'll always love you." He finished with a small choke before sitting on his rear and taking a few breaths as he stood up and walked out of the secluded area, casting one last glance at the grave before him then slowly trekking back to the village to see the children climbing on Brock while Mathias and Arachne stood by with a small smile gracing their faces. They saw Ares and were about to say something but backed off when they saw his eyes and the red streaks running from them, casting him a small sympathetic glance before turning back to Brock. He walked into the cave and let his eyes adjust to the lighting before seeing Michelle slowly stroke Sistine's hair while the latter sniffled every so often. She noticed him and was about to stand up to leave but stopped when he just raised a hand.
"She cried for the last thirty minutes but calmed down. I fed her some of the stew and let her cry on my shoulder for a minute." Michelle said.
"Alright... thank you." He said quietly and sat on the bed, bringing Sistine's somber form to his own and closed his eyes while he set his head on her's. Michelle internally scoffed but must have done it outwardly since both Sistine and Ares looked at her, making her face heat up.
"I uh... I-I think the others are calling me." She stuttered and tried to move but found her hand in Ares', then him sitting her down on his right while Sistine was on his left.
"Nobody's calling you Michelle. We need to talk." He said, making her gulp.
"If it's about the time I accidentally spilled your guys' tea then I already made it up-" She stopped when he placed a thumb on her lips, making her eyes trail down to it.
"It's about the fact that you're always staring at us at times." He said. They saw her face turn red and hide them in her hands while trying to shuffle away but was kept in place when Ares just put his hand on her wrist and docked her. It really seemed like she was uncomfortable right now with how much she was shuffling around and the red tint to her face made it clear.
"You're not leaving until we get an answer." He said.
"I-it's nothing really. I just like to observe, you know?" She asked sheepishly.
"Michelle, please don't lie to us." Sistine sighed, making the other Goliath go quiet for a while.
"I'm uh... I'm lonely alright?" She murmured.
"How?" Sistine asked.
"Everywhere I go, somebody has someone else. You have Ares, Brock has that blonde hunter, Mathias had someone in his past, and the children are already showing signs of affection... who do I have?" Michelle asked.
"You have Ares." Sistine said, making Michelle blink a few times while Ares just looked at the former in confusion.
"H-He's not interested in me. I mean who am I besides that Goliath female with anger problems?" She asked.
"You're a Goliath that is in need of a mate. It's not uncommon for monsters to seek out mates who are already taken, I've had to ward off multiple ones in the past from trying to take him from me." Sistine said.
"Really?" Michelle asked.
"Unfortunately yes. She's managed to always ward off many females from claiming me, saying none of them were worthy. If my mother hadn't made a defiant first impression then I wouldn't have one." He sighed.
"How'd she do that?" She asked.
"She uh... flicked me on the snout and glared at me with a stare so fierce it made me want to hide." Sistine laughed sheepishly.
"So... I'm worthy?" Michelle scratched her head, blinking in surprise when Sistine was in her face and with narrowed eyes.
"Not even close. If you want him then you'll have to prove it to me, I don't want my male just taking anyone in." Sistine said. Michelle blinked at the other female's sudden shift in character, when she first met the monster she had initially thought she was a nervous mess but now it seemed that was just a mask for a stern and controlling female. She yelped in surprise when Sistine uncovered her shoulder and suddenly bit down on it, drawing a little bit of blood and making a mark.
"There, now you have my mark. You'll get the one from Ares when you prove to me that you're worthy, and trust me when I say this. It's very hard to please me~" Sistine blew in Michelle's ear. Ares watched in amusement as the angry female meteor Goliath went from defiant to a shy mess with a red face. It was true what Sistine said about being hard to please, many have tried to court her in the past and failed miserably but that's only because they lost interest after realizing the futility of the situation. It may have not seemed like it but both of them saw potential in Michelle, she was just one of those types that wouldn't let something put her down.
"That's enough Sistine. Stop toying with her and say what you will." He said, making her pout.
"Fine, there's three things I need you to do in order to prove yourself to me. First, watch the children for a day. Second, grab a meal big enough to feed all of us. The third will come once you've completed those two." She said.
"What's the third?" Michelle asked.
"Think of it as... a treat if you will. Complete those two and I'll decide what that treat should be." Sistine said, tapping Michelle's forehead with a claw. Unlike Arachne doing it, Sistine's touch was gentle with a slight tease to it, but she was hiding something behind it all.
"How soon will that be?" Michelle asked.
"Such a curious one. I wonder how you'll be when you receive your treat, I can just imagine. Ares do you think she'll be enough or should we get Arachne in on this too?" Sistine turned to him while tilting her head. He could only give a small predatory smirk at her sudden shift from somber to mischievous, it seems that she was recovering at a good pace.
"I think she's enough, do these tasks and we'll see." He said. She nodded and shuffled out of the cave with a red face while Sistine just sat on the bed with her head on his shoulder, before her face morphed into sadness once again. Judging by the sound of crickets beginning to start, it was almost time for them to visit the grave, after all... it had been almost three months. Her mood dipped down and he let out a gentle breath into her hair while lying down on the bed with her for a minute until she fell asleep and he slowly got up to exit the cave. It seemed an hour had gone by since Brock was entertaining the children with his stories while Mathias and Arachne watched by closely, the former's face flat. He walked over to the log and sat on it while watching Brock just continue with his stories.
"You seem unhappy Mathias." Ares commented.
"I am. My son comes back and barely says a proper greeting before rambling on about how being a huntsman is so grand. If I knew he was going to do all this then I would have just kept him at that school." Mathias said flatly.
"Come on old man, you can't always be this grouchy." Arachne grinned while leaning on his shoulder, only to fall when he stepped out from underneath her and tripped her.
"I can and I will. If Brock needs anything then he can come find me. I'll be sure to set some flowers on Eli's grave Ares." He patted Ares' shoulder and walked towards his hut. She saw Ares' face fall as he stared at the happy mass of laughing children, all of them enjoying Brock's company. Her hand found a place on his shoulder as he shook his head a few times then slowly took her hand off his shoulder and looked at her. He began to walk towards the woods and just about reached the entrance until he felt two hands on his. Looking down to his sides, he saw Ken and Rei holding his hands while sending smiles at him, picking his mood up slightly. A small mass jumped on his back and he turned to see Frost smiling at him also.
"What are you three doing?" He asked.
"We want to go with you. It's been a while since we've actually spent time together." Rei said.
"I'm just going for a walk." He replied.
"Doesn't matter, we're coming with. I don't want to listen to Brock's stories, most of them are about his little times with that blonde bitch." Ken cursed.
"Watch your fucking language." Ares warned.
"Sorry, but I don't want to spend the next few hours listening to his stories." Ken replied.
"... Alright. Come on." He said and put Rei on his shoulders while Ken jumped on his back also; they began to explore the woods in a comfortable silence-like state. Not a single one decided to disrupt the beauty mother nature brought upon them, it was a nice contrast as opposed to the always hectic environment near the cave. Minutes eventually turned to tens of minutes, which then turned to a couple of hours as they just explored the area in peace. Frost sprung off his back on one occasion to catch a raccoon and turn it into bones for later while Ken used his wings to climb up on a branch then scale the tree quickly while Rei sat near a rock and played with the insects that lived underneath the cool stone and into the damp soil. While they played with nature, Ares just sat on a nearby rock with a hand over his face, thinking about how he was going to get Sistine by. She had taken it worse than he had and it was beginning to take a toll on her, not to mention the fact that she suddenly wanted to include Michelle in their activities. Now don't get him wrong, Michelle was a wonderful monster when she didn't have a stick up her ass but... he didn't know how he felt about the whole situation.
The rock underneath him suddenly shifted and he widened his eyes before suddenly jumping back and grabbing the little ones then jumped back further to see a massive Deathstalker slowly rise from the ground. It turned its body just to see the bushes move and peered closer at it, before shrieking in pain when a stone shard embedded itself in one of its eyes. A few minutes of thrashing around and the shard finally came out and it looked around in fury for a minute before spotting the three twirling a set of slings in their hands before letting them go and stones fly towards its face. It stopped and blinked its many eyes before pinching its pincers a them, not a single one of them moved and just sent innocent smiles at it before laughing when a shadow engulfed its figure. A bone crushing weight slammed against its carapace and cracked it, making it squeal in pain and thrust its stinger at the attacker. Ares moved out of the way of the stinger and smashed his own tail against it and pinned it to the ground. The Deathstalker felt him slam his fists against its back repeatedly and started to flail around wildly in order to hit him but he gripped its tail and began to spin, avoiding the three who were just watching him fight the massive Grimm. It soared through the air and smashed against a mountain, taking a large part of it as it skidded across the ground, it flailed around some more before it felt an even more painful sensation rock its form. He jumped high into the air and smashed both his fists against its soft underbelly and started to dig his claws and rip out its insides, staining the ground a mixture of black and red.
It was barely alive at this point but that didn't stop Ares from sinking his maw into it and begin to feast on its body. Massive amounts of flesh slid down his throat and blood caked his face as he continued to feast on it, only stopping to rip off its stinger and throw it to the side when it tried to stab him, then continued to eat again. After a minute of mutilating its body it finally died and began to disappear, making him blow out a plume of smoke and roar loudly. It echoed for miles and scared some birds from the trees and even made some of the Grimm cower a bit. They knew that these were his parts and even attempting to enter his territory was considered suicide, he was the true alpha of these parts. The three cheered at his victory and waited a second before he lowered his massive form to the ground and let them climb on his neck before rising up again. They just barely went past the trees and could see Beacon in the distance, only it was a tiny dot instead; a sour thought came to their minds when they thought about that place, just nothing but bad memories now.
"Hey Ares, when are we going to be able to evolve?" Rei asked.
"When you come of age. Most likely at thirteen." He answered, making them pout.
"That's dumb." Ken commented.
"That's life. But it's about that time I take Brock back, so be good until then." He said as they began to head back to the cave. His body was low to the ground when he saw a drone in the sky then suddenly sprang up and crushed it with his hand when its lens turned away from him. It was thrown miles away and he snarled at the thought of hunters trying to invade his home, they would probably fall faster than the ones on Shear or make them go extinct. Yet, these inhabitants have never seen a monster in real life so the odds would be in his favor. A sigh escaped his lips. He just wanted his family to be left alone, they do nothing wrong and humans always seem to bring destruction wherever they go.
'I hope Brock doesn't turn out like them.' He thought, then later brushed it off because he was an exception. Monsters are meant to be violent, it's in their nature.
The girls had been waiting for a few hours now, almost six to be exact. While the forest was beautiful right now, they couldn't help but feel uneasy. Not once had they seen a Grimm or even heard the sound of one, just a terrible roar in the distance and a few birds being scared away from the sudden noise. Ruby was bored beyond her mind, Weiss was trying to do something on her scroll, Blake was just reading a book to pass the time, and Yang paced around worrying about Brock.
"Seriously, where is he?" She asked.
"Probably visiting his dad, he discussed this a when Arachne arrived. Weren't you listening Yang?" Blake asked.
"I was but he's been gone for more than six hours." She exclaimed.
"He's going to be gone a lot longer than six hours when he graduates. That's part of being a huntress, and like Blake said, he's visiting his dad and the rest of his family." Weiss said.
"But why couldn't we come along?" Yang asked.
"Maybe because that giant monster from the previous year showed up and took him to where his family is, which implies that it knows where they are." Ruby said.
"Okay... but do any of you know how it has ties with that monster. I mean he said it was Ares but he disappeared along with it then we found him here." Yang said.
"Why are we talking about that ruffian? If he is the monster then I want nothing to do with him, he tore Neptune's arm off." Weiss scowled. The girls could only turn their heads when they thought about Neptune, the poor boy almost had to give up his dream as a huntsman had Weiss not bought him that prosthetic arm and paid for his spinal surgery; what made matters worse was when he frequently had nightmares about that night. They turned to the sound of branches breaking and could see Brock step out with Ares close behind in his hybrid form. Yang was quick to go up to him and give him a hug while she just sent a distrustful glance at Ares as he sent a flat one back. He turned when the two kissed and let out a little scoff when they went into that stereotypical couple mode, saying how much they love one another. Disgusting. Not even him and Sistine were like that around the others, only nuzzles were allowed in front of them.
"Oh, that reminds me." Brock snapped his fingers as he went to his pouch and grabbed the music box. "I never knew your mother was a human." He commented. Everything seemed to come to a halt after he said that, no crickets, no wind swaying the leaves, even the waterfall seemed to make a noise. Ares stared at the music box with a frozen expression while Brock just held it in his hand.
"Um... Ares?" Ruby asked hesitantly. He barely acknowledged her and just slowly walked up to Brock and held his hand out, the music box gently dropped in his hand.
"I never knew your mother was a human." Brock repeated.
"Yeah, she was... where did you get this?" Ares asked as he rotated the box.
"We got it from Beacon in a package. Never said who it was from or where." He said.
"Thanks..." Ares said quietly and put the box in his rucksack near his belt, it had been a while since he's seen that box, almost to the point where it escaped his memory.
"So how where you born?" Brock asked, killing his thoughts.
"What?" Ares deadpanned.
"I mean if your father was a monster and your mother was a human, then how the hell were you born?" Brock asked.
"She's not my real mother, jackass. And before you ask how they mated they didn't. Both saw the dangers and resorted to pats and nuzzles... thanks for putting my parents mating in my head." Ares bit sarcastically.
"I mean, you were born somehow." Brock said.
"I see why Behemoths aren't the smartest monster around." Ares deadpanned and began to walk into the brush while Brock just stood there.
"Hey! We're smart when it comes to survival!" He yelled. A middle finger was given in response as the girls stared at the retreating figure. Yang could only stare in contempt at Ares before turning to Brock.
"So? How was it?" She asked, voicing their thoughts.
"Oh, it was good. Dad seemed a little agitated, the children are still curious, Arachne still a complete psycho, Michelle still angry, and Ares..." He trailed off.
"Ares what?" Ruby asked.
"He's hurt. Not physically but on an emotional spectrum." He answered.
"I'm almost curious to ask why." Weiss scoffed.
"He uh... he had a baby." He answered, making them recoil a bit.
"How is that depressing?" Blake asked.
"He lost the kid." He stated. All their hearts suddenly dropped at that news. Yang and Ruby knew the pain of losing a parent since they've lost their mother but for one to lose a child before the parent is a whole level of pain above that. Blake's ear flattened at that and a new wave of pity was felt for the monster, she had seen plenty of parents lose their children before them and saw the outcome of that. Even Weiss felt a twang of sorrow for him, it was only enough to cloud her anger for him.
"How'd he lose them?" Yang asked.
"I don't know. When I asked him about it, he just told me to shut up and don't bring the topic up, I didn't bother bringing it up either because he seemed touchy on it." He sighed.
"Well... I guess we better head back then huh?" Ruby asked trying to pick the mood up again.
"Yeah. C'mon, I'll roll you guys into the camera range." He said. They backed up a few yards and watched in slight awe and disgust as his skin began to bubble and steam before a black sludge covered his form in a cocoon. It grew into the size of a boulder before his form burst out of the cocoon and let out a loud roar before lowering himself down and scooping them in his hands. He tucked his body into a ball and formed a massive magma filled boulder before rolling off into the direction of Beacon. The girls always enjoyed him doing this, it was like being inside a heated bounce house, yet also being constrained by a massive rock formation.
As they took off, they weren't aware of a crow staring at them then tilt its head before cawing and taking off towards the cave.
When he made it back to the cave it was nighttime, he noticed that Sistine was missing from it and sighed before trekking towards the grave. It took him a few minutes to actually get there but when he did, he saw her sitting sideways while staring at the tombstone. He walked next to her and sat down silently then just let her set her head against his shoulder. They sat in silence for ten minutes before she spoke up, but her voice was laced with sadness.
"He should have been given a chance." She murmured.
"... yeah." He sighed.
"What else could we have done?" She asked.
"We couldn't have done anything Sistine. He was sick, we tried everything but he just couldn't get past the illness." He said quietly.
"Maybe we could have-" She stopped when he cupped her chin to look at him.
"Sistine, we can't do anything now. He's gone. It pains me deeply to put it so simply but we can't dwell on the fact that he's gone or we'll lose ourselves." He said. She didn't seem content with his answer and just muttered something underneath her breath and closed her eyes; both stayed there in silence before he turned to see her asleep and picked her up in a bridal position. The creek in the background soothed his nerves and visibly made him relax as he kept on walking, once he entered the cave he gently set her on the bed and covered her before going out of the cave and into the woods once again. He heard the cawing of a crow and scowled when he caught sight of its beady red eyes just staring at him, this thing annoyed him greatly since it had been following him for the past two weeks without a reason in the world. It cawed in surprise when he sent a stone shard at it and began to fly away, it landed on a branch a mile away then cawed once again in surprise when the said branch snapped in half when he slammed a fist on it. The fucking thing thought it was going to get away from him? It thought wrong.
He didn't know how long he was following the thing but it had to have been a while since he was far from the cave. Somehow they ended up about ten miles from the walls of Vale where it disappeared around a boulder and a man suddenly appeared, taking him by surprise. He reeked of alcohol and was wearing dress clothes with a tattered cape behind him, he reached behind him to grab a flask.
"You're persistent, you know that right?" He asked, sipping his flask for a second and noticed how Ares just stared at him flatly while swaying his tail. It slightly unnerved him to see such a unique faunus just staring at him with those magma-like eyes and a spiky clubbed tail.
"Not much of a talker eh? Good, because I don't really like interruptions. Names Qrow, blah blah blah, all that crap. Point is, Ozpin finds you interesting for some reason and I'm here to bring you to him. I know it's fine, cool, and dandy living wild out here but kid you got children living out here and frankly it's not exactly safe." Qrow said, he noticed how Ares' body tensed up and his muscles glowed then a small feral growl emitted from his throat. He tensed up when Ares drew his obsidian knife and started to write in the dirt then leap back onto a rock and crouch down on all fours, almost as if he was a quadruped.
"I've met the old man in the tower. I've been in that school and hated being there. Too many restrictions and I don't have enough freedom. Point is 'Qrow', your opinions about my family being out here means nothing. We're not the hunted when it comes to these parts, we're the hunters and the Grimm know dominance when they sense it. All of them know these are my parts and aren't stupid enough to cross me. All their alphas and Majors know that if they cross me then they risk being devoured. Leave my territory." The note read. Qrow raised an eyebrow at this faunus and noticed something different about him, he held no fear of being out here and would rather stay out here than be locked up in a cage, almost as if he were a wild animal.
'That explains the recent decline in Grimm this last year.' He thought as he stared at Ares.
"I don't really know how you've managed to make the Grimm population decline this last year but I doubt it's by yourself. Even high level huntsmen and huntresses can't do that feat, and what do you mean risk being devoured? You can't eat Grimm." He said.
"Hehehe. You humans and faunus really are less intelligent on this planet. Even the hunters of Shear knew an apex predator when they saw one." Ares chuckled darkly. Qrow could only raise an eyebrow at the sudden series of growls and snarls, it took him a minute but he finally deduced that this was the way he spoke.
"Don't know what you said but I'm going to assume that it's negative. Look, I'm slightly drunk and tired so can we not fight, and Oz just wants you to put those Grimm killing skills to use. You could help a few people." He said, stepping back to watch Ares write another message then frown when he read it.
"I don't care about helping people nor do I care what you humans and faunus do. All of you are violent beings who disrupt mother nature with your innovation and invasion. You kill each other over petty squabbles then fuck like nothing happened. But if there's one thing I hate, is you hunters with a burning passion." The note read.
"Why? And what do you mean us humans and faunus? You're a faunus." Qrow said, earning a growl. Ares then realized the futility of the situation with talking to this drunk and shook his head before walking back towards the cave, he wanted to go home and be next to Sistine... she needed to know he was there for her. In reality, he just craved for her, her soft skin and soft olive eyes, her beautiful silver hair, and her elegant voice. While he was hardened and mean, she was gentle and sweet. She was the epitome of his significant other.
"Fine, then let me tell Oz about the children. Whatever you think or not, those kids aren't safe. They could get sick out here. Just think what happened to that baby." Qrow said. He was suddenly sent through the air at high speeds before slamming into a rock and sputtering. He coughed harshly and held his chest where the spiked tail made contact. A snarl made him look up before diving to the right when Ares slammed his fist into the boulder and turned it into smaller ones. He picked up one of them and hurled it towards Qrow, who cleaved it in half, then charged him on all fours. Qrow avoided a downward swipe and slashed three times but found all his attacks either blocked or parried. He vaulted over a leg sweep and spiraled over a tail swipe before evening himself out and skidding on the ground. His weapon turned into its shotgun form and let lose a scatter of shells a few feet from Ares, throwing him back and making him drop to his knees, holding the wound. Qrow flicked his weapon back into its sword form and stared at Ares.
"You know what? I've heard about you, the girls described someone extremely similar to your stature and it didn't take me long to figure out who you were. Yang's boyfriend, who's not that bad once you get past the fact that he's a big idiot sometimes, described how he came from the wild and someone like him was even wilder. I don't understand why you can't be more like him, I mean that kid would have gotten proper medical treatment." Qrow said. He jumped back when a poisoned throwing shard slammed against the ground and widened his eyes when Ares' eyes seemed to glow brighter and his chest began to bubble and steam before a black sludge covered the wound and eventually hardened.
"Okay, that's different." He commented. Ares snarled at him before taking into account that this man was trained, he couldn't help but feel contempt when he stared at the drunk in front of him, it was one thing to talk about his current life style... but to talk about Eli? That was the death sentence.
He concentrated the black sludge onto his skin and felt it bubble before hardening and creating a natural armor that covered him, a shotgun blast blew some of it off but otherwise he felt nothing and just stared at Qrow before doing the same process. Both charged one another and began to lay waste to one another, each one of them slashed, smacked, shot, thrown, kicked, punched, and even tried to bite in some cases. Their fighting lasted for several minutes before Qrow slashed Ares' stomach and sent an uppercut to his jaw and threw him back before jumping up and landing above him, with his weapon against his throat and a stern expression on his face.
"You shouldn't have done that kid. I may be drunk but that doesn't mean I can't fight, so listen closely. I'm getting those kids out of that cave because it's clear you can't control what's happening." He said. Ares snarled loudly and placed both hands on the blade before slowly pushing it away from his neck, his hands began to slightly bleed but he paid no mind to the pain, it was something he was used to at this point. His main objective was to make an example of this drunk, this hunter, this intruder that tried to take his family away from him!
"GRAHHHHH" He roared out suddenly and forced the weapon away before slamming his fists on Qrow's forearms, making him stumble, then gripped his head and slammed his own against it. The older man stumbled back before spitting up when Ares slammed his fist into his face and sent him spiraling into a tree, then sent his skull through it and making a large hole in it. He thew Qrow onto the ground then grabbed the trunk and ripped the rest of the tree from the stump, then used it as a bat and smashed Qrow into a boulder. While Qrow shakily stood up he was kicked in the side of the face then hoisted up before being jabbed repeatedly in the stomach and chest before having a straight sent to his nose, making his eyes roll a bit and the boulder behind him dent. Ares then clamped his hand around Qrow's throat and lifted him up in the air effortlessly and glared at him while tightening his grip.
"Go on, do it." Qrow wheezed out, prompting Ares to tighten his grip. This was the first licensed huntsman he's beaten... but why did it seem so easy? He should have lost to this man like how he lost to Yang a year ago. Qrow wheezed out as the oxygen deprivation began to take effect and his face first turned red then started to turn blue. He grunted in pain when Ares began to repeatedly stab his knife into Qrow's stomach, until it pierced it and made him shout. He was thrown to the side and held it to stop the bleeding while Ares just stared at him with a flat expression before walking over to him and kneeling next to him.
"This is my territory, hunter. I am the alpha around these parts, and you're nothing but food out here." He said, there was a sharp stinging feeling in his forearm and he looked down to see a syringe in it before ripping it out with a snarl and throwing it away. He then stood up and began to walk away while smirking at a bleeding Qrow on the ground, there was poison on that knife, not enough to kill but enough to paralyze him for the Grimm to eat; they were animals after all. In a last ditch effort Qrow, reached behind him and threw a small device on one of Ares' spikes as he walked away into the brush, it was actually a small tracking device for Ozpin to track the wild man.
"Need to get this patched up." He winced and turned into his corvid form and flew away but he fell to the ground and turned back before stumbling towards the nearest settlement.
Everything hurt, his body was in pain and he couldn't do a single thing about it. There were voices and a bright light that blinded him. Eventually his eyes adjusted to the lighting and he looked down to see himself strapped down to a table while two silhouettes had their backs turned to him, one of them turned and jumped when they saw him staring at them. His eyes narrowed dangerously at them as they took cautious steps forward and he recognized one of them. It was a doctor and the nurse, people who he would rather never see again. Ms. Miles looked rather hesitant about the whole situation while the doctor looked calm and kept a steady face.
"Greetings lad, it seems our friend has done his part for Ozpin but didn't take into account that we would pick up the signal also. Granted, that sedative did take a few hours to finally kick in, not to mention the countless hours we spent tracking your signal." He said. Ares just narrowed his eyes in contempt while flexing his fists every so often, this whole situation didn't sit right with him.
"Listen, we don't want to do this Ares but we have our orders. We just need to figure out what makes you do the things you do." Angela said. He put on a questioning face asking what she meant until she looked back up at him.
"We need to figure out how you turn into that creature. If we can do that then maybe we can have a leg up on the Grimm." She answered, making his eyes widen then narrow dangerously at them. They were turning him into a lab rat? This wasn't right, not even by those humans on Shear. While they never experimented on humans and only the local wildlife, they at least knew right from wrong. He began to thrash around wildly as they approached closer and even barked at them, but they still came closer. More people into the room and held him down as more sedatives started to be injected into his body, it took a few minutes but eventually with the amount and the dosage injected it finally began to kick in. His barking and snarls became quiet growls while his thrashing started to become jerky movements. One final injection and his eyelids fell over his eyes and his breathing slowed down, the numerous people let go and exited the room into another that looked like an observation deck.
"Now that he's sedated, we can begin." The doctor said.
"We just need blood right?" She asked.
"Blood, organs, and his brain would be nice." He replied, making her eyes widen.
"You said we only need his blood!" She shouted suddenly.
"Angela, you saw what this boy can do. He can turn into a beast that surpasses the strength of one of the strongest Grimm, just think what we can do with his body." He replied.
"And have him end up like the others? Or have you forgotten how many are still down there?" She retorted.
"The others are still in their prime or growing, but they don't match the condition of the specimen right here." He gestured towards Ares' sleeping form.
"Same thing we can do with the others!" She said.
"Get real, we're already been given the all go by Ironwood. Plus, Ozpin would do anything to get a leg up on the Grimm. I'm sure he would agree." He said.
"Ozpin wouldn't go that far. He may see things in people that we don't see but he would never go as far as experimenting on a boy." She fired back.
"Remember your place. You may be a senior doctor here but I'm your superior and whatever I say, you do. Whatever you find, is mine. Essentially I control you." He said as he towered over her. The air was tense with turmoil as the two stared at one another before she sighed and turned away from him.
"We take his blood for now." She muttered.
"That is fine for now. Next month we take his organs, and in three months we take his brain." He replied.
"...This is sick." She said.
"Sometimes you have to do things for the sake of humanity." He waved.
"But at what cost?" She asked.
"Whatever it is." He replied. A gut wrenching feeling bubbled up in her being, as she stared at the boy. She had known of the risks and the consequences, yet she still continued with the path she was going down. Shame could only be written on her soul each time she glanced at him; she knew that he had siblings to look after and that he was extremely protective of them, yet here her colleagues had taken their family away from them. She shook her head of the negative thoughts and began to take his blood from his arm, doing her best to ignore the pained face he made whenever a large needle embedded in his arm. Eventually, after taking a large amount of blood he was placed on a gurney and rolled into a dark cell before being dumped like a piece of garbage.
A few hours had gone by and he started to shake off the effects of the sedative. His fingers twitched every so often and his senses started to return to him, the first thing he heard was the sound of sniffing and turned to see something by his hand, making him quickly retract it sluggishly. He slowly set his hands underneath him and got up before shaking his head a few times to shake off the effects; once they were gone he finally let his vision focus and let it adjust to the dark cell. He almost jumped in surprise when he saw numerous others staring at him, some with curiosity while others with distrust. His eyes slowly widened when he realized that they were just like him... monsters.
"Well look at what we have here. Fresh meat." He heard someone growl at him and turned to see a corpse-eater Goliath slowly walk towards him. He stopped and looked at Ares with a dangerous gleam in his eyes before circling him methodically while giving the occasional chuckle. "What brings you here, huh fresh meat?" He asked.
"Fucking hunter drugged me." Ares said calmly and found a spot in the corner to sit down. The corpse-eater seemed to be unsatisfied with this answer and knelt down to his level and stared at him.
"Oh? Didn't know Goliaths could be taken down by drugs. Are we beginning to go soft?" He teased.
"I'm in no mood for games, corpse-eater." Ares growled.
"But I am. Now fight me!" The corpse-eater said suddenly and grabbed Ares, throwing him into the middle of the large cell. Monsters from other cells went up to the iron door and began to roar and hoot in excitement while shaking the cell bars as the two circled each other on all fours, while the monsters in the cell with the two watched in curiosity and excitement. Both circled one another for a few more seconds before charging at one another and colliding. They began to bite at each other and slash at the other's torso and giving the occasional tail smash. Ares managed to grab the corpse-eater and throw him against the cell door before spitting up when the other Goliath got up faster than he could blink and charged him. He threw Ares against the wall and began to punch him in the stomach and chest repeatedly before he had his fist caught and was then headbutted back. Ares grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the ground a few times before slashing his face and chest. He was kicked in the stomach and sent back a few feet but caught himself and rolled out of the way when a fist made itself known on the wall behind him. He quickly wrapped his tail around the corpse-eater's neck and squeezed tightly before slamming him against the ground violently and climbing on top of him. Fist began to rain down on the monster below him while his tail trapped the other Goliath's tail. One of his fists was caught but was shaken free and he continued to rain down a barrage of fists on the downed Goliath. Just as he was about to smash the other Goliath's skull into the ground, a blast of cold water threw them to the side and sprayed them unrelentingly, the other monsters backed away when they saw the stream of water. Eventually after tens of seconds, the water stopped and left the two dripping wet while shivering.
"It seems the sedatives aren't strong enough for this one." The doctor said as he dropped the hose before turning to the guards. "Put him in the cell next to the big one, keep him isolated." He ordered. Four massive guards clamped catch poles around Ares' neck and hauled him out of the cell, ignoring the snarls and snaps sent their way from him. The guards led him down the hall for a few minutes until they reached a cell next to a heavily reinforced one, loud snarls could be heard from the inside that made even the guards wary. He was thrown into the cell and had the door locked behind him, as soon as the door closed he slammed his body on it and roared at the guards while gripping the bars tight enough to bend them. They sent him arrogant smirks and laughed before one of them took out his stun baton and shocked the bars, making him fly back into the wall and slide down. Each one of them laughed before heading up the stairs and entering a door.
The hoots and roars of excitement soon died down and all went quiet in the cell block, as he looked around he couldn't help but notice how dirty this place was; unlike the forest, this place just reeked with mustiness. Loose strands of straw was strewn about the place while there were barely any lights to illuminate it, water could be heard dripping from the pipes above. There was a noise to his left and he barely managed to see out of his cell to catch sight of the nurse from Beacon look into the cell block through the door window while having a guilt ridden expression before turning away and shutting off the lights in the office. A deep guttural snarl made him snap his head to his right to see the isolated reinforced cell shaking slightly before a loud pounding noise could be heard and a loud roar echoed throughout the halls. He later saw glowing blue eyes that held no benevolence, only confined fury threatening to level the entire complex with all the monsters resided in. He stepped closer to the edge of his cage and stared at the eyes without fear while they just glared back. For the next few minutes they just stared at one another before the beast in the cage spoke up.
"What are you looking at Goliath?" Judging by the voice, it was a male, snarled.
"A confined beast." He said back.
"Well stop fucking staring or I'll rip you apart with my bare hands!" He snarled.
"Not going to happen, not with these bars in between us." Ares said as he placed his hands on the bars and gave them a shake, seeing that they were durable enough to keep him inside.
"It hasn't stopped me from tearing others apart." The confined one said.
"And look where it got you. In a reinforced cage like a lab rat." Ares said, it seemed that his response triggered a irk in the other monster, as such example when he slammed his body on the door.
"I'll kill you for that!" He snarled.
"I meant no ill will." Ares threw his arms up, putting them down when he saw the monster lessen his grip on the door slot. "What's your name?" He asked.
"Why do you care, Goliath?" He snarled.
"I want to know the name of the beast who I'm talking to. I'd rather treat you like a monster who deserves to be wild and free than a lab rat." Ares said. It went quiet for a while before the one in the cage spoke up.
"Buck... the behemoth." He said.
"I'm Ares." Ares introduced.
"I never asked for your name." Buck snapped.
"But I'm giving it anyways. So deal with it you big son of a bitch." Ares snapped back.
"Hmph, never met a monster that didn't cower before me." Buck mumbled.
"Because savages don't cower beneath others." Ares said flatly.
"You're a savage?" Buck questioned while tilting his head.
"Yeah..." Ares said while leaning his head against the bars.
"I thought you would be more... angry." Buck stated.
"I usually am. My brother and sister would keep me calm enough to get shit done and be loving towards them but... Sistine..." Ares mumbled.
"Who?" Buck questioned.
"Sistine. She's my... everything. The love of my life, my mate, she's basically my significant other. She's the one, aside from the rest of my family, who gives me a reason to keep living. To keep living out in the wild and enjoy it." Ares said, lifting his left hand to see a little ribbon she made for him.
"Huh, never would I have thought one of the most feared kind of monster would have a love life. It almost makes me sick." Buck snickered.
"Maybe because you don't have anyone in this hellhole." Ares snapped back.
"Well, it's either be rude and live or be nice and die." Buck said.
"Huh, you're smarter than the other Behemoth I know." Ares said back.
"What's his name?" Buck questioned.
"Brock." Ares answered.
"Sounds like a bitch." Buck barked out.
"He's... okay. I really thought he was pure monster until he went off with his little hunter bitch. Fucking cunt. Just thinking about her makes me want to rip these fuckers to shreds!" Ares snarled out savagely, making Buck grin sadistically.
"Hoho! Does she strike a nerve in you?" Buck gave a feral grin.
"More than anything! Ohhhh, if I were to get my claws on her then I'd rip her throat out in front of her other little sluts in front of that damn school! I'd break every single hunter on this world and feed them to the Grimm!" He roared out suddenly, shaking a few from their sleep. His muscles started to glow a bright, deep red while his eyes turned wild, darting around every so often and flames began to pool in the roof of his mouth. Buck shook his cell rapidly when he saw the destruction that was about to be unleashed. Just as Ares was about to unleash a torrent of flames, he stopped when he heard whimpering, looking ahead he saw several little ones huddled together in a corner while staring at him fearfully. They continued to stare at him fearfully and flinched when he stood up.
"There are little ones here..." He whispered. Buck's face morphed into anger before turning sympathetic when he looked at the children.
"Yeah... fucking scientists upstairs are testing on them too. I still hear the little ones cry out for parents, only thing is that they're not coming back." Buck snarled. Ares' eyes hardened when that came to mind, they were these children's parents away? All in the name of science of an enemy that they could experiment on themselves?!
"They're going to pay. Those fuckers upstairs are going to pay." Ares snarled quietly.
"Heh, as soon as you figure out a way to get out of here." Buck chuckled mirthlessly.
"I'll find a way. It's just a matter of time." Ares said as he sat down on his dingy cot, out of Buck's gaze.
"If the crazies upstairs don't get you first." Buck said.
"They won't." Ares replied.
"Keep saying that. They'll get you, just like the little one's parents. Gone... and left an orphan." Buck said hopelessly and slowly went to sit down in his cold cell.
"Or end up as a parent without a child." Ares whispered as he slowly lied down on his cot, stealing one last glance at the quivering children as they huddled together for warmth. Their whimpers got to him and made him sigh quietly before gathering a bunch of straw together and tying it together with a band on his belt, then proceeded to gently light it with his fire breath. He gave a quiet whistle and caught their attention, six of them cowered away from them but the seventh seemed to edge closer when he saw the lit straw torch. The little Behemoth edged closer until he was touching the cell door and reaching out towards the torch.
"Come on, little one. You can do it." Ares encouraged. The little Behemoth's face scrunched up before he opened his mouth and his tongue lashed out and wrapped around the makeshift torch, pulling it back into his cell. He quickly rushed over to the others and they all huddled around the small amount of warmth, their shivering was still there but it lessened from the previous minutes. The cot creaked as he sat down and lied down on it before closing his eyes.
"Thank you." A tiny voice from the other side said, making him nod and close his eyes. The other monsters saw his actions and looked at him curiously and tilted their heads before lying down on the floor.
He needed to get out of here... he needed to get these monsters out of here.
.
.
.
He needed to get his people out of this hell.