Disclaimer: I do not own the characters involved in Don't Starve. All characters and materials perceived in this story belong to Klei Entertainment.
Chapter 14: Prey
A sharp squeal sounded threw the air. Wendy held a rabbit in hand, lifeless as she untightened her grip. With tender care, she stripped the animal down to a morsel. And after storing it away, she made her way towards the next trap.
The girl had reached the savannah. And under instruction from Webber, began maintaining the traps set beforehand. Near some rabbit holes stood three mediocre traps, with one wasting away due to poor maintenance.
Wendy was now onto the third one. It scuffled about, thrashing away at the trap forged from grass. As the girl neared, Raven approached it from the other side. With the spider only a few inches from the trap, she lifted one side. Her pupils focusing at the opening, unblinking.
The rabbit dashed towards the exit in a flash, desperate to escape. Not even a second passed by as the girl snagged the lower body of the animal. It squealed upon touch and violently moved its limbs to escape.
Just as the girl was losing grip, she clenched her other hand against its throat. Halting any momentum the prey had achieved. Raven screeched loudly and shuffled in place. Genuinely content and impressed by the girl's third successful capture.
She smiled faintly, "Practice pays off." She turned to the stirring arachnid, allowing a sense of pride to enter her mind. Which quickly diminished as she remembered her companion was a spider.
Focusing back to the rabbit in hand, she allowed it to squirm about. Slowly depriving itself of its energy. The adrenaline dropping. And after no assurance of escaping, finally submitted to the will of its captor.
She gazed at the creature. Its breathing slowing down as it stopped its movements. As it gradually calmed down, the girl snapped its neck.
…
Webber strode through the forest, slouched low to the ground. Spear held with both hands, occasionally looking back at Calamity and Faven. Reassuring himself that they were following close by. Their steps were silent, and slow. They used the underbrush and trees to hide their bodies. And gently traversed through the woods.
Few tracks were found, directing them to strange locations. Their leisure movements causing large gaps of time between each new track. The prints often crossed paths, pointing to the same location as the other. The boy couldn't tell which to follow, resulting in futile stalking and a wisp of uncertainty.
Using what little they could gain from the prints, they carefully tracked them. The lack of progress hindered the group, as time seamlessly withered away. While the rare discovery of a new print renewed their fragile determination.
The immense silence encompassing a feral environment. The leaves of the trees could be heard blowing against the wind. The trees radiating a sense of life as they touched the hard, oak wood. An intoxicating feeling of nature at its natural state. Pulsing deep within Webber as his senses reacted keenly to the environment.
More tracks were found, looking recent. Signaling his companions to come near, he observed the ground filled with multiple paw remnants. He felt the ground with his fingers, sliding them across the softened earth. They were smaller than the one before. Some were deeply ingrained into the earth, and typically the size of his palm.
They were certainly fresh, and abundant. But a different creature from what they had in mind. As the boy further investigated the scene, his eyes widened.
Deep howls were heard, severely close to initial position. A profound shutter of fear beamed through the boy's spine as he recalled the familiar sound.
"Hounds," he said abashed.
In a panicked manner, he signaled his spiders to follow him. Swiftly, but diligently jogging away from the cries of the hounds. As the scuffling of legs could be heard from the distance, he quickened his pace.
Calamity struggling to keep up, cried out to the boy. Webber was quick to pick up the tired spider as they ran away from peril. Faven advancing in front of the boy as the spider began leading the way. They traveled fast for a few minutes, the sound of howls fading in the distance.
With every decline in volume, the boy experienced a sense of relief.
Until they came upon a massive creature. A beast eyed them both intently as they stopped only a couple of feet in front of it. It sported a thick, black coat consisting of rough, prickly hairs. It had four short legs, disproportionate with the rest of its colossal figure. Its head abnormally huge, capable of swallowing a turkey whole. Maybe even a small kid like himself. Several sharp teeth inhibited its gaping mouth, a few of them as large as his hand. Its eyeballs were void of pupils. The white in its eyes changing to red as it snarled at them.
The large beast let out a thundering howl against the peaceful air. Vibrating through the confides of the trees, echoing back and forth.
Faven inched back from the beast, never shifting its gaze away from it. Calamity growled aggressively in response, trying to wiggle out of Webber's tight grip. The boy merely stood still, keen on staying alive.
From the distance, howls could be heard nearing their destination. Rapid steps crashing against the ground. Tearing away the tranquil peace the forest seemed to exude. Only the booming galloping of monsters could be heard quaking the ground below them.
Fear incapacitating the boy.
…
Wendy strode down a brick path, Raven by her side. Her backpack had been stuffed to the brim with a large amount of grass. Thus, she carried her ax with one hand.
They had been walking back to camp for quite some time now. Which typically consisted of a peaceful journey back. She gazed at the peaceful setting for some time, securing her sights on a bird returning to its nest.
The bird seemed to have hatch-lings waiting for her. The little hatch lings pried their mouths open, awaiting their mother. In which the mother fed them freshly caught worms.
"It's funny, don't you thing." She said while observing them. Raven turned its attention towards the girl, still walking through the path.
"The little birds look grateful, they get to eat and live another day." She continued. "But for the worm, it means the end to its life. Do you see the humor in this?" Wendy turned her head to Raven. The spider looked at the girl intently.
"It is the same case for the mother bird," she began peacefully, "if we were to hunt and eat it. Then we would be grateful and live another day. But to the bird and hatch-lings, it would spell disaster. And in this world, anyone can fall victim to it." She looked back at the nest, the chirping of small birds flooding the silence.
The sun began to cross the land, providing less visibility to the land. Nightfall would be coming soon.
"Nature encourages this, the cycle of death."
…
Webber stood shockingly still, subjected to the growl of a towering beast. Faven tried to gain his attention, constantly screeching at him. As the howling increased in volume, the spider bumped into the boy's legs. Hoping to generate a response, but the boy wouldn't budge.
Calamity tried its best to escape the boys locked grasp, even battering around aggressively. The boy's iron grip hands wouldn't let go, unintendedly hurting the spider amid its struggle.
As the beast moved forward, it dominated Webber with its presence. Its growl was harsh and repugnant. Snarling gaudy sounds as if it were an engine, booming with ferocity. Its eyes glaring into his body, burning him with its gaze. Time passed by in slow increments, the emergence of primal fear had increased his cognizance of his natural senses. Profoundly isolating himself to his inner conscious, which plagued him with memories of past.
He had been in situations just like this, countless times. But every situation was filled with new experiences, new grievances. In the time of such dire situations, his survival instincts took over. His need to live, and his thirst to thrive. But there was something else, something strong.
He failed once, not again.
The beast lunged at him, widening its jaw to chew threw his body. Webber darted low to the ground, towards his left. Dodging the beast was easier than he initially thought.
Without haste, he sprinted away. Doing his best to run away from all the peril, Calamity still in hand. Without looking back, he called out to Faven, "Run back to camp!"
The spider was beside the beast, low to the ground. Before joining Webber in their escape, Faven tore through the creature's front leg. Mildly damaging the flesh, and drawing blood to seep through its wound.
It thrashed around upon incision, nearly stomping on the spider as it fled the scene. As the creature regained its footing, a pack of hounds rushed by. Three of them giving chase as the large hound let out an earsplitting cry. The sound carried through, encouraging the hounds to hunt down their prey. Then it ran towards their direction.
Webber kept running at breakneck speed, exhausting most of his energy to go back to camp. As Calamity murmured softly, the boy thought of Faven. A grave thought of worry flushed the boy as he called out to the spider.
Shortly, he saw the frantic arachnid rushing to him. Followed by three vicious hounds following behind. One of the hounds closing in on the spider, astoundingly close behind. The sight of Faven close to danger evoked a substantial anger towards the hounds.
Without thinking, he pulled out his boomerang and aimed it at the protruding hound. With just a short amount of time, he aimed the weapon to its torso. Careful not to strike Faven by accident.
The boomerang flew across, dexterously thrusting deep inside the inner thigh of the hound. It crashed forward with a high-pitched cry, rolling furiously across the ground. It bruised most of its body when slamming against the outgrown roots from the trees.
The other two hounds stopped in their tracks for a moment. This allowed Webber and the gang to create distance between them. A loud howl called, beckoning the other two dogs to continue following them.
The one with a boomerang lodged in its thigh used its mouth to pry it off. Causing it to cry out in pain even louder as blood stained its fur. The larger hound caught up to it as it was licking its wound. With just a single wail from the giant beast, and the hound stood itself up to continue chase.
Limping on one leg as it tried to keep a constant pace with the larger animal.
…
Wendy stopped by the pond before returning to the camp. Slightly leaning her head down to take a drink from the fresh water.
Fish were barely visible several feet under the surface of water. Raven lay nearby gazing at the fish swim effortlessly across the pond.
"We should head back now," she said finishing her drink. The spider screeched in agreement, standing itself up. Together, they walked to the site. Expecting Webber and crew to be dancing around, making a fool out of themselves. Wendy scoffed at the bizarre thought.
In little time, they entered their humble abode. A nicely crafted ice box stood out from the camp, followed by two spiders near the den. They kept pacing around, almost fidgeting.
Wendy looked around once more, the boy was nowhere to be seen. That and a couple of spiders were missing as well. She stood still, processing what was in front of her.
The spider warrior took notice of them and to their direction. Along with a petite spider by its side. Meeting with them, they screeched frantically. Looking around as if expecting more.
'Okay, we'll be careful. We won't fight anything dangerous.'
His voice echoed through her head, almost as if he were right beside her. Suddenly, a savage roar was heard in the distance. A voice familiar to the girl.
"That idiot," she said barely audible.
Without a moment to lose, she dropped her bag to the floor. With a tight grip of her ax, she ran to the sound of the roar. A pack of spiders following behind.
…
They were out of the deciduous forest now, closing in near the brick path. There were minimal trees while they ran, making it easier to run. But made them blatantly visible to their enemies, who were tailing close behind.
Webber was losing focus, almost out of breath. It had been quite some time since his last meal, and the constant running was now backfiring. Faven also showed signs of fatigue.
They passed the brick path quickly, hoping to enter the forest for more coverage. While speeding through, Webber stumbled on his feet. Falling on the ground and tossing Calamity in the air. The football helmet broke his fall and they both rolled on the ground. Quickly, they fought to gain their footing to run once more.
However, Webber had the wind knocked right out of him. He struggled to breath in air as he forced his body to traverse through the woods. His chest burning, legs aching. A hint of nausea cascaded through his cranium as he struggled to run. His pace slowing.
Exhausted, he fell to the floor. Energy completely wiped out from his pores, and the boy took rapid, short breaths. Faven stopped and screeched at him. Webber tried getting up, hoisting himself to one knee. Calamity growled behind the boy, the hounds had caught up to them.
Faven stood in front of the boy, doing its best to sound intimidating. The dogs neared, casually approaching their prey with vicious growls.
Webber tried recovering from his pitiful state. Raising his other knee as it quivered to enact movement. His body looked frail and depleted but his eyes burned with passion. With his entire body shaking, he stood himself up. The abnormal movements of the boy caused the hounds to stop in place. As he turned around to face them, he fell to the ground. He coughed violently against the ground, his shoulders couldn't stop twitching. Once more he began to lift himself, his body strongly rejecting his commands.
Finally, the varg arrived at the scene. Along with the wounded dog from earlier. Unable to get up, Webber eyed the beast. Fury radiating from his stare, but entirely baseless.
The varg snorted heavily, readying its legs to charge at the boy. Before it could act, a giant spider leaped from the left. The spider ensnared one of the hounds and plunged its teeth into its abdomen. Spiders emerged from the woods, which caused the hounds to charge at their assailants.
A little girl walked in front of the boy, an ax scratching against the ground as she strode by. A passive expression plastered upon her face as she approached the varg.
"Wendy," he said meekly.
She didn't respond in the slightest, merely facing the creature in front of her. The varg, filled with fermented emotions, charged at the girl. With a quick dash, she ran towards his right side. She struck the beast with a heavy slash across its inner ribs, barely cutting through its thick hide. The varg swung its body to push the girl away, but not before receiving another blow from the ax. Wendy flew off the ground from the tackle she had just been dealt. One of the varg's teeth left a long cut across her arm, followed by a small stream of blood that flowed down to her elbow.
The ax Wendy had previously possessed was now lodged into the neck of the tenacious beast. A spear skidded across the ground, coming from Webber. The boy had used what little strength to give her his spear.
Grasping the weapon, she advanced to the animal again. The varg stomped heavily on the ground, its nostrils flaring up. It charged at her, this time with the intent to run her over. With its massive weight, it could easily crush the girl.
Wendy stood still, unfazed. She readied herself, pointing the sharp end of the spear at the charging animal. The girl steadied her breathing. Once within reach, she plunged the spear in the varg's eye sockets. The vast momentum allowed the spear to piece through, snapping the spear in half.
The beast cried out in hysteria, frantically moving all around. Kicking and stomping in every direction as it wailed out in horrible pain. Blood stained the ground, and gushed out in tremendous waves. The varg collided with nearby trees, violently slamming its body against the hardened oak. Only after several minutes of desperate flogging did it begin to reside.
After the beast calmed down, Wendy turned to see the condition of the spiders. All of them were accounted for, and struck down their foes without a single serious injury. The group of five had joined together to fight against the hounds, Muffet leading them the whole way.
Wendy walked to Webber, who was still lying on the ground. He was unconscious, but still breathing. The boy passed out from mere exhaustion.
"It should be night soon, I'll build a fire."
As she walked away to get her ax, she cursed herself. She should feel furious at the boy, but she only felt relieved.
Author's Note: I should be sleeping, but I'm not. Couldn't stop thinking of this story. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. It was definitely something.
Also, I have an idea for a fic for undertale. Maybe I'll implement it in the future, who knows. It stars my favorite character from the series tho. Welp, I'll see what the future holds. Have a great night!
Phoenixflame of Thunderclan: Yo, you gots to sleep. It's important for your health and such! Don't worry about he chapter, it'll always be here. Take some rest, enjoy yourself. And if I take my time with this it'll never be done. But I hope you enjoy what I'll produce. Good night!
Miss-DNL: Yo, I've seen you before. Not physically, but I've read your name before. I checked your profile, your in the gravity falls fandom. I remember browsing threw some fics in that category. Anyways, you read like four chapters before I could write one. Sorry for Rooney, it was inevitable. Good night!