A/N: Terribly sorry this chapter is soooooooo freakin' late. Turns out, surprise-surprise, med school is hard as shit! But with that said, let me remind you all that this is still a passion project. I'm always thinking of what to write next in what little spare time I have to myself. So yeah, the reason this chapter is so late is not only because of my air-tight schedule but because I was thinking of what I should write. Every day my thoughts wander back to this story.

Also, I want to remind everyone, during these trying times to stay safe. Take this coming from a med student with a background in epidemiology. Keep yourselves safe. Wash your hands under hot running water for at least 30 seconds, and I do mean WASH them, don't just put your hands under the water for several seconds. Stay inside as much as you can. Only leave the house when you really NEED to. If you must go outside make sure you always wear a mask and keep yourselves at a distance of at least 6ft (2m) from people. Only buy what you NEED at grocery stores. Try to avoid high-public areas. Also even though the quarantine is set to "end" by at the end of the month, I advise you all to try to stay inside longer. Why? Because I can almost guarantee COVID-19 prevalence will SPIKE up! I feel we need to extend this quarantine longer. Much longer. At least until they get a functional vaccine ready. The only problem with that is Dr. Fauci says it will take at least a year for a possible vaccine. The problem with that, however, is that normal vaccines take 5 years to be ready. I'm not trying to scare you all, I'm telling you how things are. Nonetheless, stay safe and keep yourselves healthy.

One last thing, promise. This entire chapter was written whilst listening to Heilung's live show LIFA ( watch?v=h1BsKIP4uYM) on loop. Feel free to add some music to the atmosphere.

Something was resonating through the air of the forest. It was a particular noise. One that the local wildlife was unfamiliar with. They had grown accustomed to many strange sounds, especially ones that happen in the dark. Be it the rustling of leaves, the snapping of sticks, the whistling of the wind, the trampling of water droplets from the sky, they heard them all. They had gotten used to these sounds. But this sound was vastly different from what they normally hear. It was so foreign to them. The sound has been with them for the past three days and only comes at the crack of dawn.

The only ones who were aware of the origin of this noise were five wolves and one gorian. They watched as its conductor played the sound's instrument. A massive tree that was being repeatedly punched.

The man had added a new exercise to his routine. Before and after every workout, he would trample his fists against the massive tree trunk until he was satisfied. And it took quite a while until he was appeased.

The wolves and the gorian watched as the man mercilessly bashed his fists into the defenseless tree. It created this nonrhythmic beat of flesh against the wood and the tempo only increased as time passed. The more time had passed, the more the tree trunk started to wear down.

Fat Belly watched with wide eyes as the man kept on hitting the tree. The gorian could not believe what he was seeing. The guy has been at it for what felt like ages and does not look the tiniest bit tired. Fat Belly also had to watch as the wolves took turns circling him.

It was beyond nerve-racking. Watching his captors monitor him whilst their leader let out some steam. Sometimes a wolf would get dangerously close to Fat Belly and watch his reactions. Whenever they got close, Fat Belly tensed up made sure not to make any sudden movements or sounds. Like they were testing him, waiting for Fat Belly to give them a reason to make him their next meal. But that was not the worst part.

The worst part happened last night after Fat Belly was forced to watch Lazy Legs burn to death. It happened after all the flames died down and what was left of Lazy Legs was his burnt corpse. When that happened Fat Belly had to watch as the man and his wolves started eating Lazy Legs.

Fat Belly wasn't forced to watch them eat, but he could still hear the sounds of cooked flesh being torn off and bones being snapped. Even then they did not finish Lazy Legs. His half-eaten body was just across from Fat Belly. Fat Belly had to spend the night with Lazy Legs' carcass. He got no sleep. Not last night, nor the night before. He was so exhausted and his stomach hurt so much with all the worms squirming around. But even the worms did not make him feel as sick as he did last night when he was alone with Lazy Legs.

To his horror, he could smell Lazy Legs. That was the worst part, the smell, and he smelled good. Fat Belly never felt so disgusted with himself. He cursed the day he got his huge appetite.

The man kept up his punches. His knuckles turned from white to red to crimson. Soon bloody imprints of his knuckles started to appear on the tree, but the man cared not nor did he notice. His mind kept popping up images of the ruined house. How they ate their food, drank their drinks, and slept in their beds!

The man started punching faster and faster. More imprints appeared on the tree and more of the tree started to wear down.

Fat Belly and the wolves noticed how extreme the punches were becoming. The sound of bloody fists hitting a solid object was so chilling.

Before everyone knew it the man-made one final punch. He made a loud, furious grunt as he savagely pushed his fist into the tree. Then came a loud snap.

The tree started to bend backward. It bent so much that all the weight made it lean at an obtuse angle until it was too much for the old tree stump. The massive tree fell to the forest floor with a loud crash.

The impact alone woke up many animals. Birds flew away from their nests, deer scurried away, and a couple of bears came out of their den.

Fat Belly watched in awe as the man stood there before the broken tree stump with heavy breaths and bloody knuckles. His arms barely had muscles and yet he was able to knock down that massive tree with nothing but his fists.

The man started slowing his breathing. His body started catching up with his mind and he realized what he put himself through. His back felt like it was on fire, his arms were trembling, and his fists, especially the one that dealt the final blow, were in agony. Still, he just powered through the pain and breathed in through his nose until his lungs were filled with oxygen and slowly exhaled a large gust out from his lips. He repeated this several more times before looking down onto his fists.

One fist was infested with bruises with splinters lodged in the knuckles and had skin peeling off said knuckles exposing pink flesh. The other fist was more of the same, a lot more. The massive bruises were covered by all the blood oozing out of the huge gashes on his knuckles. Large shards of wood were sticking out of the wounds. The hand was surging with immense pain. But still, it was nothing to him. This pain was nothing compared to what he was put through during his incarceration. And nothing can compare to what happened on that day. That accursed day… When he came.

Fat Belly watched with anxious eyes as the man caught his breath. He just stood there hunched over the tree stump with thick huffs of air exhaling through his lips. The ape could not believe how such a slender looking man could do so much damage. It was like he was not even registering the massive gash in his knuckles or the growing stain of blood on the grass beneath them. Then, after several long moments of heavy breaths and dripping blood, the man's breathing returned to normal.

Seeing the man reach into his loincloth and pull out something small. Morbid curiosity taking over, Fat Belly squinted his eyes at the tiny object as if that would help him get a better look in the dark. But the man had his back to the gorian, hiding the object from Fat Belly. The man then brought the item close to his face and pressed his lips to its flat surface before putting it back into his loincloth. Then he pulled something else out of his loincloth. Turning back to face Fat Belly, the gorian saw the man had drawn. A stone blade.

Fat Belly inhaled a sharp gasp and started squirming as the man slowly approached. He leaned into the tree and muffled cries of protest. Still, the man and the blade kept getting closer. Fat Belly tried with all his might to break free of his restraints, but they were too strong for him.

The man got to Fat Belly and grabbed his throat. He slowly brought the blade to Fat Belly's face.

Fat Belly felt tears form at the corners of his eyes as the blade closed in.

"WAKE UP!" Black Eye screamed, slamming his fists down on Stink Tooth.

"Ow! Wha'?" Stink Tooth said with an ache in his head.

"Where'd ya' put it?" Black Eye demanded.

"Huh?"

"WHERE IZ IT?" Black Eye screamed delivering another punch.

The ruckus woke up Big Toes and Short Tail. Short tail rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

"I don' kno' wha' ya' talkin' 'bout, Black Eye!" Stink Tooth said trying to defend himself.

"DON' PLAY STOOPID WIT' ME YA' dum-dum! Ya' kno' wha' I'm talkin' 'bout!"

"Wha's goin' on?" Big Toes asked.

"SHADDAP!" Black Eye snapped, making Big Toes flinch. "Where'd ya' hide it Stink Tooth?"

"I didn' hide anything'!"

"Liar!" Black Eye screamed landing more blows. "Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar! LIAR!"

"Ahh! Ah! Ouch! Woul'dya jus' stop fo' one se-ow!"

"DON' TELL ME WHA' TA' DO!"

"But I don' kno' wha' yo' talkin' 'bout!"

"YA' STOLE IT!"

"Stole wha'?"

"Ya' kno' wha' I mean."

"I don'."

"YES YA' DOES!"

"No, I don'!"

"Ya' stole mah mi-...," Black Eye stopped himself short and eyed Big Toes and Short Tail for one second before leaning down to Stink Tooth and whispered, "mah 'secrit thing.'"

"Wha'!? Dat's wha' ya'' screamin' 'bout? I didn' take yo' stoopid mirror!"

"Ya're da' only one dat knows 'bout it!"

"I didn' steal it!"

"Ya' did too!"

"Did no'!"

"Did too!"

"I didn' take ya stoopid mirror!"

"Wha' mirror?" Short Tail asked.

"Nothin'!" Black Eye quickly stated. "He d'sn't kno' wha' he's talkin' 'bout. Right, Stink Tooth?" Black Eye hissed.

"Err… uh… Yeah, I don' kno' 'bout yo' mirror."

"Ah! Ya' dum-dum!" Black Eye yelled, slapping Stink Tooth across the face.

"Whatta ya' talkin' 'bout? Wha' mirror?" Big Toes asked.

"Oh fugget it," Stink Tooth said before rising to his feet. "Black Eye's been hidin' a mirror from us."

"But why d'ough?"

"So he could-"

"Don' ya' dare say it!" Black Eye threatened.

"Oh, jus' give it up Black Eye!" Stink Tooth retorted. "He's been makin' kissy faces at 'imself e'er since we firs' got 'ere."

"Hehe, say wha'?" Short Tail snickered.

"SHADDAP!" Black Eye yelled. "I wasn' makin' no kissy faces!"

"Yea' ya' was," Stink Tooth responded.

"No, I wasn'!"

"Yea' y-."

"NO, I WASN'!" Black Eye screamed. "I WASN'! I WASN'! I WASN'!" he started jumping up and down, flinging his hands around. "I WASN'! I WASN'! I WASN'! I WASN'! I WASN'! I WASN'! I WASN'! I WASN'! I WASSSSSNNNNNN'!"

"But ya' was Black Eye. Ya've dun' nothin' but goof off n' push us 'round eva' since we got 'ere."

"Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap!"

"N' ya' really believes dat girlies are a-comin' 'ere. How? Jus' how? How are dey suppose ta' com' 'ere? N'body knows we're 'ere."

"Shaddap!"

"Den' ya'-."

"AAAAAHHH!" Black Eye bellowed, launching a fist at Stink Tooth's maw. He sent Stink Tooth flying backward, landing on his back. The gorian only had a second to writhe in pain before Black Eye jumped on him and clamped his massive hand on Stink Tooth's face. "When I says shaddap, ya' SHADDAP!"

"U-uh…," Short Tail muttered. "Whatcha mean by girlies?"

"Mmm," Stink Tooth groaned. "Ya' ain' gonna b'lieve dis'."

"Shaddap!" Black Eye screamed.

"Oh, jus' stop already Black Eye," Stink Tooth yelled back. "Dey's gonna 'ear 'bout dis' sometimes, right?"

"'Ear 'bout wha'?" Big Toes asked.

"Git dis', da' reason Black Eye done n' brought us 'ere was cause he tinks dat girlies 're gonna be here."

Big Toes and Short Tail shared a look of confusion.

"Girlies 're a-comin'?" Short Tail asked.

"Uh-huh!" Black Eye proclaimed. "Dey 're-a comin'!"

"Nuh-uh, dey ain'!" Stink Tooth reprimanded.

"Shaddap! Dey 're too!"

"How? Ain' no one knows 'bout us!"

"Shaddap!"

"Wait…," Big Toes said. "How 're dey gonna find us?"

"Shaddap!"

"Ya' makin' us wait 'ere for girlies?" Short Tail asked.

"Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap!"

"Girlies Black Eye tinks 're gonna come over," Stink Tooth said.

"Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddapshaddapshaddapshaddapshaddapshaddapshaddapshaddapshaddap!"

"No, ya' shaddap Bright Eyes! All ya' eva' does is says shaddap!" Stink Tooth noticed Black Eye had this stunned expression on his face. "Wha'?" He looked over to Short Tail and Big Toes to find their expressions had changed also. Only they looked more anxious than stunned. "Wha'? Wha's wrong wit' ya'll?"

"Wha' did'ya' jus' call me?" Black Eye said through his teeth. He looked so furious right then. He squeezed his brows together so tight that they looked as though they were about to touch.

"Huh?"

"I told ya' ta' neva' calls me dat!"

"Wh-?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Black Eye then tackled Stink Tooth to the floor and started thrashing his fists down onto him. Stink Tooth tried to block Black Eye's punches but he might as well have hidden behind thin sheets of wood. It would have made no difference. The force of Black Eye's punches traveled through every gorian's feeble defense.

Short Tail retreated to the corner of the room while BIg Toes retreated to the corner behind Short Tail. In all the time they've known Black Eye, they have never seen Black Eye deliver such a violent beat down before.

Normally Black Eye would scream, punch, and kick until he was certain the gorian he was beating down got the message. But this was not Black Eye laying down the law of Black Eye. This was Black Eye unchained.

Black Eye kept on his relentless assault. Punching the huddled up Stink Tooth with no end in sight.

Stink Tooth felt all the strikes throughout his body. It hurt a lot. He knew he was going to get bruises after the beating ended. If it ever ends.

Black Eye then clenched his fists together into a large ball and raised it as high and he could. He then brought it crashing down onto Stink Tooth's chest.

Stink Tooth wheezed, feeling all the air being knocked out of him. He stayed put on the floor, curled up into a ball while Black Eye stood tall.

"Ain' n'body gonna call me dat no mo'! Ya' git it!?"

Stink Tooth didn't say anything, he just groaned in pain, which agitated Black Eye.

Black Eye kicked Stink Tooth. "I SAYS D'YA' GIT IT!?"

"Yea…" Stink Tooth groaned.

"Ya' betta'!" With a harumph from Black Eye he then turned his attention back to Short Tail and Big Toes who were still cowering in the corner. "Now which one o' ya' took mah mirror?"

"B-but Black Eye…," Big Toes trembled, "we didn' know 'bout no mirror."

"Ya' lyin'!" Black Eye shouted. He then turned his attention to Short Tail. "Wha' 'bout ya'? Huh? Did ya' take it ya' tiny winy dum-dum?"

"I… I…," Short Tail struggled, hurt by Black Eyes words. He knows that's his namesake, but he hated his namesake. Did Black Eye have to rub it in?

"Shaddap!" Black Eye then slapped Short Tail. "Where'd ya' put it?"

"Black Eye…," Short Tail hesitated, his cheek stinging from Black Eye's strike, "I didn'-."

"Shaddap!" Another harder, slap was delivered to Short Tail's other cheek. "Where'd ya' put it? Tell me now! Now! Now! NOW!"

"Bu' I didn' take it."

"Ya' lyin'!"

"Bu' I ain-!"

"SHADDAP! Ya' lyin! I know ya' iz!" Stink Tooth landed a sucker punch to Short Tail's core, dropping him to the floor. "I wanna know where iz mah mirror! N' I wanna know NOW!"

"Black Eye pwease," Short Tail begged.

"No!" Black Eyed kicked Short Tail in the face. "I wanna know now now now now now now NOOOO-."

"OH JUS' SHADDAP A'READY!" Stink Tooth shouted.

"SHAD-."

"NO! YA' SHADDAP! Shaddap n' leave Short Tail alone a'ready! Ya' stoopid dum-dum!"

Black Eye snorted at Stink Tooth, before storming his way toward him. "Ya' don' talk ta' me dat way!"

"Shaddap! I don' care no mo'!"

"Ya' don't!"

"Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap!"

Big Toes and especially Short Tail could not believe what they were hearing. Stink Tooth was standing up to a furious Black Eye. Short Tail more dumbfounded Stink Tooth stood up for him. No one has ever done that for him before.

"Stop talkin' Stink Tooth! Shaddap! I jus' wan' mah mirror back! N' one o' ya' took it!"

"Black Eye ya' dum-dum! None o' us took ya' stoopid mirror!"

"It gotta be one o' ya'!"

"Black Eye I told ya' a'ready I don' wan' dat stoopid mirror. N' dey jus' found out 'bout it!"

"It has ta' be one o' ya'! Who else iz it gotta be?"

"Black Eye ya' dum-dum, if it weren' me, n' it wasn' dem, den who-." Stink Tooth looked as though his words were lodged in the back of his throat.

"Wha' 're actin' all loopy?"

"B-black Eye?"

"Wha'?"

"Ya' sure ya' didn' lose ya' mirror?"

"No ya' dum-dum! I always puts it back!"

"Oh. Oh….," Stink Tooth looked dizzy, like he just drank an entire bottle of funny juice and threw it all up.

"Wha's wit ya'?"

"Black Eye, somethin' took ya' mirror."

"Wha'cha say?" Black Eye demanded. "Ya' know who took mah mirror? Spit it out!"

"Black Eye ya' ain' list'n. Somethin' took ya' mirror. Somethin' dat killed Shiny Dome."

"Wha'chu talkin' 'bout Stinky?"

"Don'cha git it, Black Eye? Somethin' is out dere." Black Eye still looked perplexed. "Can'tcha see wha's happenin'? First Shiny Dome's head was left in da' kitchin wit' a warnin' fo' us ta' leave, den Fat Belly went missin', Lazy Legs is gone, n' now ya' stoopid mirror is missin' too."

Big Toes started to shake in his spot the more Stink Tooth spoke.

"We's bein' watched, dis whole time. Wha'eva's out dere told us ta' git out, n' now it's pickin' us off. Wha'eva's out dere's huntin' us down. It's gonna kill us all."

There was an eerie silence throughout the house. All the gorians waited for Blacked Eye's response.

The gorian in question had this puzzled look plastered to his face. None of the gorians ever seen Black Eye look so confused.

Then in their hour of worry, their leader spoke.

"Pfffffffffffffft! Dat's da' dum-dumiest ting I eva' 'eard!"

"Wha'? But Black Eye, tink 'bout it. Every day one less o' us comes back. We's bein' watched. Probably now…."

"We's bein' watched?" Big Toes started shaking in his place.

"Ya' shaddap all o' ya'! We ain' bein' watched n' we ain' bein' hunted."

"Ya' really means dat, Black Eye?" Stink Tooth spat back.

"Yea' I does! N' ya' know why? Cause dat's neva' 'appened t' us b'fore."

"So? Jus' cause it hasn' 'appened b'fore don' it ain' happenin' now!"

"Don' be such a dum-dum, stinky breath! We da' strongest tings out 'ere! Ain' no one gonna mess wit us?"

"Den why hasn' Fat Belly or Lazy Legs come back yet?"

"I dunno, n' I don' care! Dey were good fo' nothin's 'nyway! B'sides dey probably got eaten by dat big bear."

"Da' big bear? 'Re ya' really dat stoopid? Fat Belly n' Lazy Legs may be dum-dums, but they ain' stoopid! Dey know not to go near dat ting's territory!"

"I don' care! I jus' know! It is da' only ex-a-plan-ition."

"M'kay, fine! But one ting, Black Eye."

"Yea'?"

"Wha' 'bout Shiny Dome? Ya' really tink dat bear did dat ta' Shiny Dome? Ya' said so ya'self dat ting could neva' git in 'ere! N' even if it did, how could it do dat ta' ya' blanky?"

"It don' matta 'nyway! We don' need Shiny Dome! We nea' needed Shiny Dome."

"Black Eye! Wha's wrong wit' ya'? D'ya' wanna die 'ere?"

"I ain' gonna die 'ere! Imma git wit da' girlies!"

"D'ere! Ain'! No! Girlies! Comin'! No one's gonna come 'ere! N'body but us knows 'bout dis place!"

"Shaddap! Da' girlies 're gonna come, I knows it!"

"Black Eye we needs ta' git outta 'ere!"

"NOOOOOOO! How many times does I hafta says it? We ain' goin' nowheres!"

"Black-!"

"NO! We ain' goin' nowheres!"

"We can't stays 'ere! Not no more! Tings 'ave changed!"

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!"

"We-!"

"All o' ya' list'n up! We ain't goin' nowheres! Nowheres!"

"B-b-but Black Eye…," Big Toes shook.

"Shaddap! All o' ya'!"

"Black Eye, ya' gone crazy!" Stink Tooth shouted.

"I ain' gone crazy! We ain' goin' nowheres!"

"Give us one good reas'n why we should!"

"I'll give ya' two!" Black Eye screamed before walking away and going into the kitchen.

The other gorians waited and listened to the sound of shuffling items in the other room. Black Eye then returned back into the living room holding two things in either hand. A bloody blanket and a severed gorian head.

"Dis' don' mean nuttin'!" Black Eye tossed the sheet to his side before holding up Shiny Dome's severed head for all to see. "N' DIS DON' MEAN NUTTIN'!" Black Eye then turned around and threw the head out the front door as hard as he could.

The head flew right through the curtained door. Black Eye turned around and faced his stunned troupe.

"Does all o' ya' git it now? Nothin' changes! D'ya hear me? NOTHIN'!" He slammed his massive fists into the floorboards. "Ya' kno' why? Cause we… AIN'T!" the fists fit the floor again, "GOIN'!" and again, "NOWH-ouch!" Rubbing the back of his head, Black Eye turned to look for whatever struck the back of his dome only to find an empty hallway. "Wha' da'...?"

Blinking, the confused ape looked to his left and saw nothing. He looked to his right and saw nothing. He looked up and saw the ceiling. He looked to his feet and saw nothing.

Or so he thought he would.

Right before his feet was a rotting gorian head, missing a snare.

Eyes widening, Black Eye slowly picked up the severed head and examined it. There was no mistaking that reflective cranium. He was holding Shiny Dome.

Black Eye felt something arise in his chest. Like something small was pressing down on his heart. It was faint but eerily familiar. He felt this feeling once before. Yes, it has been a long time since he felt this. Not that he would forget. He thinks about that time every day. From the moment he wakes up to the second he returns to his dreams.

It was when he caught that tiny white-haired human girlie and then the other one with the pink hair came to rescue her with that itty-bitty blue kitty cat. Black Eye had some fun wailing on that snot-nosed brat. He was about to finish that kid with a massive rock. He should've finished that kid off. He should've left that night with a human wife. He should've just left good enough alone. Then he came. He came and in an instant made Black Eye experience what he was feeling now.

Returning to his senses, Black Eye adjusted his grip on the severed head he was holding. He tried to think rationally. He tried to understand why the head he threw outside would return to him and his remaining troupe.

A sudden thought crossed Black Eye's mind. He gritted his teeth together and snarled at the severed head before storming up to the three gorians who were backed into the corner and huddled together.

"M'kay, which wun o' ya' did it?

"B-b-black Eye…," Big Toes stuttered, "w-wha're ya' talkin' 'b-b-bout?" His eyes were widened into massive saucers as they glared at the entrance.

"Don' play dum-dum wit' me'! Who gots da' big eggs on ya? Who threw dis'?" Black Eye demanded holding up Shiny Dome.

"Black Eye none o' us did dat," Short Tail hoarsely said.

"Shaddap! Who don' did it?"

"Wouldja jus' shaddap already Black Eye?" Stink Tooth hissed.

"YA' SHADDAP! N'body tells Black Eye wha' ta' do!"

"Black Eye! We was facin' ya' when it hit da' back o' ya' dum-dum head!"

"So?"

"Grrr! How can any o' us hit da' back o' ya' head if we's facin' ya' front?"

It took Black Eye a moment for Stink Tooth's words to sink in. When they did, they struck hard.

Black Eye faced the entrance again. He monitored that curtained doorway as the pretty flower patterns barely moved in the calm summer's breeze. He squinted his eyes at the tiny openings that would appear when the breeze was strong enough to separate the curtains from one another. But those openings were too tiny and too far away for him to peer through. So he carefully inched his way away from his troupe and towards the hallway.

Every step away from the group was made with the utmost caution. Eyes darting from the floorboards to the veiled doorway, Black Eye made sure to avoid any squeaky boards. Every step was a journey. Every movement was a careful operation. Still, when he was about to enter the hallway he could not see anything through the curtains.

It was still too far and too small for him to notice anything. He dared to put another foot forward and lean into a slow shuffle, but then he stopped and acknowledge that feeling in his chest.

He grazed an open palm over where that sickly sensation was manifesting in his chest. It was such a strange feeling, but what was stranger was the effect it was having on him.

It just dawned on him how clenched his muscles were. Out of deep curiosity, he tried to unclench his muscles. They proved to be more stubborn than he anticipated. Like Black Eye's body was rebelling against him.

He remembers feeling this as well. From so long ago.

Feeling his hand graze his chest hair, Black Eye quality told the feeling in his chest to go away. But the feeling would not leave him. If anything it became more stubborn. Black Eye tried asking it to go away again, only for his request to be denied again.

Black Eye swallowed a mouthful of nothing and tried unclenching again to no avail. The feeling in his chest was still prevalent.

G-go away. Black Eye told the feeling, but the pressure on his chest grew. Go away… It still wouldn't leave him. C'mon already. Go away…. He froze in place.

What was going on? Why was he acting like that? Why couldn't he move? Why was it getting so hard to breathe? Why wouldn't that feeling in his chest go away? What was happening to him?

Out of curiosity, Black Eye attempted moving again only this time he tried moving backward. Much to his surprise, the muscles in his foot unclenched and he felt the filthy hardwood floor tickle his sole.

The foot came to a stop at two inches. Black Eye then tried moving the foot forward again to no avail. More pressure built up in his chest. He told it to go away.

Black Eye then felt another sensation. Like someone was digging holes in the back of his head. He slowly turned his chin to his shoulder and peeked to find three sets of glaring eyes from his troupe. The last time he saw them they were trembling in fear with terror plastered on their faces. But Black Eye did not see terror, he saw concern.

They were all worried about him. Black Eye did not know what to make of it. No one has ever worried for his sake. No one has ever pitied him. Between the increasing pressure in his chest and everyone feeling sorry for him Black Eye's mind was in a state of disorientation. He had no idea how to process all these things happening to him all at once.

Black Eye tried to face forward only to find that his neck was locked in place like the rest of his body. He kept trying to turn his head, but still, he kept staring back at his huddled troupe. Oh, how he wanted to face forward, away from those pathetic faces. His chest felt like it was being weighed down by a massive boulder.

Why can't he move? What is this feeling in his chest? Why is he feeling it? What can he do?

Just then Black Eye registered the extra weight in his hand. He peered his eyes at his hand to find Shiny Dome's head still in his clutches. Those empty eyes full of nothing stared right back at Black Eye. The sockets may have been hollow and the flesh was still rotting away, but Black Eye could still easily see all the unbridled terror that was plastered in Shiny Dome's face.

Black Eye couldn't help but get lost in those eyes. Those hollow eyes that sheltered nothing yet conveyed so much emotion. He wondered what was the last thing those eyes saw when they were full of life. What could have been so horrible that it left an impression of terror even in death? What could have been so horrible that even in death Shiny Dome was aghast?

Is the same thing going to happen to him?

Will his eyes be full of nothing as well?

Black Eye tensed up at that thought. His chest started to ache.

"G-... g-...," he muttered. "G-... G-..."

What should he do?

"Gah…"

What can he do?

"G-gah….."

Is there anything he can do?

"G-g-g-g…."

He knew he had to do something.

"Ga-g…."

Whatever he was going to do he figured he had one of two options.

"Go-..."

Either he was going to stand his ground and take his chances with whatever was out there.

"Giiii-..."

Or he and the remainder of his troupe were going to leave this place for good.

"..."

That last thought struck Black Eye harder than when that tall blonde Fairy Tail member's lightning.

"G….."

Is he really just going to drop everything like that?

"Go…. Way..."

Is he really just going to leave behind what he had worked so hard to find?

"Go…. away…."

Is he really just going to give up?

"Go away….."

No.

"Go away." Black Eye started to fight against all the tightness in his muscles. He fought as hard as he physically could.

He is not just going to turn tail.

"Go away." His limbs started to tremble, he didn't care he just kept pushing himself more.

There is no way he is going to have another repeat of what he tried to get away from.

"Go. Away." He held an iron tight grip around Shiny Dome.

No way is he going to just run away with his other tail between his legs.

"Go away!" His foot moved started to move.

No way is he going to let history repeat itself.

"Go away!" He started pounding on his chest with one hand.

No way is he going to let something as small as this get in his way.

"Go away!" He put one foot forward and retracted the hand holding Shiny Dome.

No way he is going to give up all those girlies that'll worship him!

"GOOOOOO AWAAAAAAAY!"

Shiny Dome was sent flying through the veiled entrance. He flew over the grassy clearing and disappeared into the trees.

Black Eye bolted out of the house and into the yard. His eyes, full of ire, darted around the area.

"WH'RE 'RE YA!?" the fuming ape bellowed. "SHO' YA SELF! YA' SISSY!" He rapidly turned his face in every direction. Front, left, right, he even checked if anyone was on the roof but saw nothing. He looked deep into the motionless forest surrounding him. All those trees and bushes staring back at him. Like they were mocking him. Baring his teeth at the smug foliage, Black Eye looked deep into the trees. His vision prying deep through the army of leaves and darkness.

Still, Black Eye saw nothing.

Nothing appeared to be out there, and yet he just knew something was.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon…," he chanted scanning the area. "C'MOOOOOOOOON! Wh're ya' at?" A soft breeze made all the leaves rustle. Black Eye looked in every direction where he heard a rustle and every time a soft wind came the gorian heard the movements of an entire platoon surrounding him. He also started to see things that weren't there.

Branches started to look like slender arms and odd figures shaped from the spaces between trees. Black Eye tried keeping track of every minutia of detail, making sure that not one twig would so much as flick away from the last position he last saw them in.

Their numbers were in the hundreds. They were everywhere and nowhere.

Nothing was there. Nothing was waiting for him. Nothing surrounded him. Nothing was silently mocking him.

Annoyed, Black Eye spat at the forest, "List'n up wha'eva ya' is! We ain't goin' nowheres! Ya' git it? NO! WHERES!" The clusters of leafy troopers remained eerily silent. Black Eye waited for the soldiers to make their not so stealthy movements again. He stood at the ready and focused and waiting to hear their feet perfectly mimic the sound of shuffling leaves again. Yet, the breeze didn't command its units to move again.

With a harumph, Black Eye turned his tail to the trees and made his way back inside the house. He felt a huge weight fall off his hairy back and crash onto the grass. He practically heard the thud.

Black Eye walked back into the humble abode he claimed for himself and his troupe all those months ago, he heard the squeaky board squeak as it always did, and saw they were still trembling in the corner, especially Big Toes. A big, smug, mocking grin dawned Black Eye as he approached them. Stink Tooth was the first to break the silence

"Wha didja see, Black Eye?" Stink Tooth saw Black Eye's smile grew larger. Yellow and brown teeth were on display for the three cowering gorians before Black Eye started snickering.

"Pffft! Watta bunch o' babies!" Black Eye laughed out before succumbing to a fit of giggles.

"Wha's so funny?" Stink Tooth asked, annoyed. But Black Eye did not answer. Stink Tooth was sure Black Eye heard him, he either couldn't get a word out from all the laughter or didn't care enough to answer Stink Tooth.

"Wha… Wha's goin' on?" Big Toes asked. "Wha's wit him? How comes he's laughin' atta time like dis? It freakin' me outs!"

"Pffffft…. AH HA HA!" Black Eye continued as he started to laugh tears from Big Toes' statement.

"Stink Tooth," Short Tail whispered, "why's Black Eye actin' like dat?"

"I DUNNO!" Stink Tooth shot back at the young gorian. He shook off the two gorians huddling up to him and walked up to Black Eye. "Watta ya' laughin' at Black Eye?" Stink Tooth demanded.

"D-d-d…," Black Eye pressed, trying to talk through his laughter. "D-d-da'...th-three o' ya'!"

"Huh?" Stink Tooth asked.

"Ha haha! Don' ya' git it?" Black Eye said wiping a tear off a jowl.

"Git wha'? Wha's dere ta' git?"

"Ya' three 're so scaredy! It funny, haha!"

Stink Tooth gawked in disbelief at Black Eye. "Dat's wha' ticklin' ya? Ya' think we's bein' scared is funny?!"

"YEAH! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

"Wha'eva's out dere threw Shiny Dome! N' ya're laughin'?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Wat's wit' ya' Black Eye? Ain't ya' da' littlest bit scaredy?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Why's dat?"

"Cause, wha'eva's out dere's ain't commin' in 'ere! It too scaredy!"

"Tell dat ta' Shiny Dome!" Big Toes yelled.

"Ahhh shaddap!" Black Eye yelled back.

"But it out dere Black Eye!"

"N' I don' care! I don' care! I do-oof!" Black Eye felt a familiar pain in the back of his head. He turned to find Shiny Dome had returned. While Stink Tooth retreated back to the corner with Big Toes and Short Tail, Black Eye grit his teeth at the severed head. The peeved ape picked up Shiny Dome and stormed his way up to the entrance.

Black Eye stopped before the curtains. "I tolded ya'...," he then retracted his hand, "how many times now?" Black Eye shifted his weight to his back foot. "Dat we," his gripped tightened around Shiny Dome, "ain't," he set his front foot down, "goin'," all the weight came off the back foot to the front foot, "NOWHERE!" Shiny Dome was sent flying again.

The severed head vanished between the linen curtains. Black Eye stood at the ready, waiting for him to return. Stink Tooth, Big Toes, and Short Tail held their breaths as they watched the back of their self-appointed and abusive leader. Things got quiet again, or at least they would have if Black Eye's weight wasn't pressing on the squeaky board.

So the troupe waited in a squeak filled shanty home for whatever was going to happen next. But the only thing that came was squeaks. Squeaks infested the house for what felt like ages. For ages squeaks kept them on edge. Nothing happened but squeaks.

"Hmph!" Black Eye grumbled finally stepping off the noisy board. He always hated that board. It was that one tiny thing that kept the house from being so perfect. It was a flaw that wouldn't go away. Just like whatever was tossing Shiny Dome back into the almost flawless house.

Black Eye grew tired of waiting and walked back down the hallway, making sure to avoid that flawed board. When he entered the living room, he was reminded of another flaw when it struck his head.

"Oof!" Infuriated, Black Eye turned his head to his shoulder and found someone who was no longer welcomed in his imperfect domicile. "Go away!" He shouted picking up Shiny Dome and catapulted him through the hallway and out the door. This time, Shiny Dome's trip was short and he returned almost immediately, landing before Black Eye's feet. "I says go away!" Black Eye screamed picking up Shiny Dome and evicting him from the house. But Shiny Dome was persistent and kept coming back.

This went on for quite some time. Shiny Dome would return, then he would leave just as soon as he arrived. With every return, Black Eye would remove Shiny Dome. With every removal, Shiny Dome would come right back. With every passing minute, the huddled troupe would loosen up more and more. Eventually, Stink Tooth parted away from the cluster, then did Short Tail. Big Toes was still too afraid to leave his corner and when his two corner buddies left him, he only got more scared.

Meanwhile, Stink Tooth and Short Tail were becoming more jaded with every tossing of Shiny Dome. Who knew one could get bored watching a game of catch with a severed head?

Stink Tooth made his way up to Black Eye, determined to put an end to...whatever this was.

"Black Eye?" No response, the gorian in question just kept catching and throwing. "Black Eye." Still nothing. "Black Eye." This time Stink Tooth wasn't sure if Black Eye could hear him or was ignoring him. Either way Stink Tooth just wanted to put an end to all the stupidity. "Black Eye, Black Eye, Black Eye, Black Eye, Black Eye."

"Shaddap!" The gorian finally responded, still focused on kicking out Shiny Dome.

This time Stink Tooth tapped Black Eye's shoulder, hard. "Black Eye!"

"WHAD'YA WANT?" Black Eye screamed finally turning to face Stink Tooth only for the back of his head to be struck by Shiny Dome for the third time. Black Eye's face reddened with rage as he glared at Stink Tooth.

"Ya' made ya' point already n' it did. Both o' ya' made ya' points!"

"It don't gits it!"

"It does gits it! We ain't goin' nowhere n' it don' care!"

"Wells I'mma make it care!"

"No ya' won't!"

Black Eye bared his fangs at Stink Tooth. "Whatcha say?" he snarled.

"Ya' won't make it care, cause you can't! It don' care whatcha hafta say!"

"Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap! Shaddap!"

"Cancha see wha' it doin' now? It messin' wit' us! It waitin' fo' us! It out dere!"

"Wouldja jus' shaddap! I don' care if it out dere! Cause ya' kno' whats? We gonna git it!"

"D'ya 'ear ya'self? D'ya want ta' git killed?"

"Shaddap!" Black Eye then picked up Shiny Dome and held him up Stink Tooth's face. "I ain't gonna end up like dis dum-dum!" Black Eye then removed Shiny Dome from his home for the umpteenth time. "I ain't gonna die, n' I ain't goin' nowheres!"

"Ya' want ta' risk ya' life fo' girlies dat ain't comin'? None o' us is gonna git ta' see 'nother girlie eva' if we stays here!"

"I SAYS SHADDAP!" Black Eye slammed his fists onto the floorboards again. "I don' care 'bout none o' dem! Not Shiny Dome! Not Fat Belly! N' not Lazy L-!" Suddenly Black Eye heard a loud thud behind him. Grinding his teeth together, he turned around ready for another round of pass the Shiny Dome but didn't the head.

In the hallway were two severed legs bound together by a snare.

Just the sight of it was enough to make Black Eye and Stink Tooth jumped away from the hallway. Short Tail fell on his back and yelped while Big Toes let out a deafening scream.

Short Tail held out a trembling finger and asked, "Wh-wh-w-wh-wh-w-w-w-wha're dose things?"

"D…. dose is... legses," Stink Tooth nervously answered through Big Toes' screaming.

"Ya' ain't thinkin' dat dey're…. Lazy-?"

"Shaddap!" Black Eye yelled, but Big Toes kept screaming. Black Eye walked up to Big Toes and repeated himself, "I says shaddap!" Black Eye swung his fist into the terrified gorian's cheek, finally silencing him. "When I says shaddap, ya' shaddap! Ya' git dat?"

Big Toes quivered a painful groan.

"Good!"

"Black Eye wouldja jus' give it a rest?" Stink Tooth shouted. "We got bigga' problims!"

"Yeah! We does! I jus' figyaed it out!"

"Figya wha' out? Dat Lazy Legs is dead?"

"No! Dat we've been lied ta' dis 'ole time!"

"...Say wha'?" Stink Tooth perplexed, completely dumbfounded by what Black Eye just said.

"Don'cha git it?"

"Is dis 'nother joke Black Eye?"

"No ya' dum-dum! We been goin' at dis all wrong! Somethin' ain't out dere!"

"D'ya no see dose?!" Stink Tooth yelled pointing to the severed limbs. "D'ya think dat dey came off by demselves? Dat dey threw demselves in 'ere?"

"NO! Ya' don' git it! Somethin' ain't out dere. Somebody is!"

The three gorians froze at Black Eye's statement.

"B-b-black Eye?" Big Toes asked. "Whacha mean?"

"All o' it makes sense nows! We been made dum-dums by someone!"

"W-who?" Short Tail asked.

"Somebody we knows! Somebody who'd been watchin' us since we got 'ere." No one was talking now, everyone was too transfixed on Black Eye's inquiry. "Somebody dat knows us."

"Somebody dat knows us?" Short Tail asked.

"Somebody's been watchin' us?" Big Toes asked.

"But who izzit?" Stink Tooth yelled.

"Ya' stoopid dum-dums. Dere's only one dat knows 'bout us. I'm talkin' 'bout…." Everyone leaned in and readied themselves for whatever they were about to hear. They were ready for whatever Black Eye's answer would be. "Fat Belly!"

Except that.

"...Whacha say?" Short Tail asked.

"Ya' 'eard me!" Black Eye retorted. "Fat Belly's da' killa'!"

"B-but….," Big Toes stuttered, "...how? Jus' how?"

"Don'cha see? Fat Belly's a clan eater." All the gorians' jaws dropped. They all knew about the legends of clan eaters. Gorians that go mad and eat their own kind. How very rarely it happens. How it is so rare that the legends are just that, legends. Bedtime stories to frightened newborns.

"A clan eater?" Stink Tooth said. "Fat Belly?"

"Yeah-huh. It da only explanination."

"...Ya' sayin' dat Fat Belly is….?"

"A clan eater," Black Eye finished. "Yeah-huh I is!"

"Mmm-hmmm….," Stink Tooth clicked his tongue at Black Eye. "Black Eye, I gotta ask ya' somethin'."

"Mmm?"

"How hard Shiny Dome hit da' back o' ya' head?"

"Huh?"

"Cause dats gotta be da most….STOOPIDEST, DUMIEST, STOOPID STOOPID, DUM-DUMEST thing I eva' 'eard!" BIg Toes and Short Tail jumped at Stink Tooth's sudden outburst.

"SHADDAP ya' dum-du-!"

"Nuh-uh, ya' shaddap Black Eye!" Stink Tooth was feeling very brave that morning and walked up to Black Eye. "D'ya even 'ear ya'self? Fat Belly a clan eater? Dat's da stoopidest thing eva'!"

"Oh yeah? N' why's dat?"

"Cause Fat Belly nevered hurt 'nybody! He too scaredy to hurt 'nother gorian."

"Fat Belly's always eatin' somethin'. He never stopped eatin' til we got 'ere!"

"Cause ya' nevered let him eat wit'out ya' say soes."

"He must'a gottin' a new tastin' fo' somethin'. A tastin' fo' us. He got Lazy Legs n' Shiny Dome!"

"But Fat Belly was wit' us when we was chasin' dem wolfies!"

"He musto' snuck off when we's wasn' lookin'! When Shiny Dome got dat wolfie!"

"But we was always lookin'! Fat Belly was always wit' us! Fat Belly'd neva' do dat! Neva'! I kno' he wouldn'!"

"Awww….," Black Eye mockingly cooed. "Does Stinky still miss his fatty? Ha ha ha!" Black Eye pointed at Stink Tooth and started chanting, "Stinky misses his fatty. Stinky misses his fatty. Stinky misses his fatty." But this time, neither Big Toes nor Short Tail was joining on the teasing.

"Stop dat!" Stink Tooth yelled swatting Black Eye's finger away. "I knows Fat Belly more dan da' three o' ya', n' he'd neva' do 'nythin' like dat."

"Ya' don' knows dat!"

"I does, you does! All of ya' does!" Stink Tooth looked to Short Tail and Big Toes. "Da' two o' ya's git me, right?"

Neither Short Tail nor Big Toes said anything. They just had blank expressions on their faces.

"C'mon ya' knews Fat Belly eva' since we left da clan. Ya' knows he ain't no clan eater." They still didn't say anything. "C'mon, Fat Belly would neva'..." Stink Tooth could sense the smug grin growing on Black Eye's lips. "Short Tail, ya' don' really git wit' Black Eye's looney idea? D'ya?"

Short Tail felt all eyes were on him, especially Black Eye's. "Well…."

"C'mon youngsta'! Fat Belly would neva' hurt ya'."

"Well er…. I did lose sight o' 'im when we was chain' da' wolfies for a moment."

"A moment? C'mon Short Tail! Fat Belly'd nevered make it fast 'nough from da woflies back ta' 'ere n' back ta' us! Fat Belly iz…. He were supa' slow!"

Short Tail hung his head low and looked to his feet.

"Big Toes! Ya' was neva' eva' scared 'bout ol' Fat Belly b'fores! Why be scared nows?"

Big Toes sighed at Stink Tooth and rose to his feet. "Stink Tooth, I dunno watta think 'nymore. I dunno wha'eva's goin' on. Maybe it iz Fat Belly, maybe it ain't. All I does know iz dat wha'eva got Shiny Dome n' Lazy Legs iz out dere. N' if we stays 'ere we's gonna end up like dey did."

"But Big Toes-"

"Stink Tooth! Jus' git wit' it! Clan eater or not, da' Fat Belly ya' know iz gone." Stink Tooth kept silent and crossed his arms. "N' we all gonna be gone too if we stays here! Black Eye, we gotta git outta 'ere."

Black Eye had the floor again. All eyes were on him as the remainder of his troupe awaited his answer.

"No."

"Say wha'?"

"I keep on tellin' ya's dat we ain't goin' nowhere. So, we ain't goin' nowhere."

"B-b-b-but Black Eye-."

"NO! We ain't goin' nowhere n' I ain't gonna let Fat Belly take mah mirror!"

"Ya' mirror?" Stink Tooth interjected. "Dat's wha' ya' worried 'bout? Ya' mirror?"

"Yeah, n' we's gonna go git it!"

"Say WHAAAAAAAAAAA'?" Big Toes yelled. "Ya' still wants us ta' go out dere? Afta' dat?" Big Toes said pointing back to the legs.

"LISTIN UP! We's gettin' mah mirror back! N' all o' ya's gonna git out dere n' help me find it!"

"Ya' dum-dum! If we git out dere one o' us'll ain't comin' back!"

"I! WANTS! MAH! MIRROR! N' I ain't goin' out dere alone. N' ya' know whats? Whoeva' wants ta' stay 'ere ain't eatin' suppa'!"

"If we git out dere, we might be suppa'!" Stink Tooth said.

"Pfffft! It's Fat Belly, all o' us can take 'im."

"A'ight, we's assumes it iz Fat Belly. But tell dat ta' Shiny Dome n' Lazy Legs."

"Pfffffffffft! Dey was dum-dums!"

"Dey was-!"

"SHADDAAAAAAAAAP! Shaddap n' do wha' I says! Now! Now! Now, now, now, now! NOOOOOWWWWW!"

"We git out dere, we might die."

"How 'bout dis? Either all o' ya's take ya' chances wit' Fat Belly or me!" Black Eye growled. That seemed to be the winning point in the argument. Short Tail and Big Toes scurried out of the house, making sure to step over the legs in the hallway. Stink Tooth was dragging his feet, but Black Eye wasn't having any of that. He kicked Stink Tooth's back. "MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! MOOOOVE!"

"A'ight, a'ght, I gets it-ouch!"

"Jus' shaddap! I'm sick o' ya' yappin' n' yappin'! Jus' do wha'eva I says! Move! MOVE! MOOOOOVE! FASTA'! FASTA'! FASTA'! FASTAAAAAAAAAA!"

Stink Tooth was shoved, pushed, and kicked all the way out of the house until he fell face-flat onto the ground. Big Toes couldn't help but feel sympathy for Stink Tooth. Short Tail as well, but he'd rather be on Black Eye's good side than his bad.

Black Eye burst out of the house. "We's gettin' mah mirror back! I betta' git it back t'day. No mirror, no suppa!" His eyes darted to each gorian. "Da' hecks goin' on? Don' jus' sit dere go!" But everyone was too timid to set on foot into the fray. Still Black Eye insisted. He started shoving and kicking everyone whilst shouting, "Go! Go! Go! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And they were off. All of them sprinting into the trees, searching for something only one of them wanted. Putting their lives on the line for an object none of them needed.

They swiftly ran past the trees, going down the same path they've been walking through for months now. They've been walking on the path for so long that the earth they walked on was worn down. Each day that very path became wider and more noticeable. They've familiarized themselves with the borders of trees and bushes. They recognized these trees they've passed for months. They were the only things that stayed the same, they harbored no secrets and never betrayed them. But that changed when the gorians went out of sight and out of hearing distance.

Behind one of the trees was a man wrapped in a large ursine pelt. He looked down the empty pathway in the direction of the gorians and let out a sharp, disapproving breath through his nose. He then reached into a neighboring bush and pulled out a large vanity mirror before snapping his fingers.

Out of the surrounding bushes came his unit of wolves. He led them back into the house, carrying the mirror. He was the first to enter the house followed by Selsa, Delta, Gamma, and Epsilon.

Dis iz sooooooo stoopid! Stink Tooth internally screamed as he felt an itch on his chest. Sewiooswy? Da' 'eck does Black Eye hope'll 'appen? He came to a stop over a shallow puddle and scratched the itch over his pectoral. Yeah, Black Eye! Dis iz supa' good idea. Da' last times we's left da house, 'nother one o' us neva' returns! Hey, let's does it 'nother time n' see wha' 'appens! Ya' stoopid dum-dum!

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, wondering what his next move would be? The sun was beginning to set and it would soon be dusk. He was done searching for something he knew he would never find. Whatever happened to that mirror was anyone's guess, but Stink Tooth was positive that they would never find it. He wondered what that meant for him, Short Tail, and Big Toes.

What happens when they return with no mirror? Was Black Eye serious when he said that they would not get supper? Stink Tooth rolled his eyes at himself at that thought. Of course he was serious, this was Black Eye. There were never half-measures with him.

Stink Tooth started walking again but came to a sudden stop when he got another thought.

Wait! Watta we suppos' ta' do if we does git da' mirror? Even if one of them found the mirror how was everyone else supposed to know? Did Black Eye just expect everyone to keep searching and searching until they gave up? Or worse?

And now Stink Tooth is out in the open. Like a dum-dum begging to die!

Stink Tooth slapped an open palm over his face and let out an irritated groan. He wobbled over to a nearby tree and braced it with both hands. With a deep sigh, the stupefied gorian started hammering his forehead into the bark. Leaves fell from the vibrations.

"Stoopid."

Thunk.

"Stoopid."

Thunk.

"Stoopid."

Thunk.

"Stoopid."

Thunk.

"Stoopid. Stoopid."

Thunk. Thunk.

"Stoopid."

Thunk.

The same spot Stink Tooth's forehead had been striking started to wear down.

"Stoopid."

Thunk.

"Stoopid."

Thunk.

"Stoopid. Stoopid. Stoopid. Stoopid. Stoopid. Stoopid. Stoopid. Stoopid. Stoopid."

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

"Stoopid!"

Thunk!

"Stoopid!"

Thunk!

Stink Tooth craned his neck back as far as he could. "STOOPID!"

THUNK!

"...Ouch." Stink Tooth stepped away from the abused tree and rubbed his aching head. A large bruise formed in the center of his forehead. It hurt from the slightest touch, but his head hurt more from the massive headache he gave himself. He rubbed his temples in vain.

He stood there with all the "stoopid" digging into his head. Looking back at the tree, he saw it now had a big dent.

Stink Tooth examined his situation. He was out in the open, with a mysterious killer, looking for a mirror that his bully of a troupe leader wants back so he can continue to make kissy faces at himself, and he just gave himself a big bruise that came with a bigger headache.

He couldn't take it anymore. Stink Tooth fell on his back onto the pile of leaves that he was sure wasn't there before. The self-abused gorian looked up to the darkening skies and got lost in his thoughts.

So this is what he's been reduced to.

With a low groan, Stink Tooth wondered what led him to be where he was now.

Oh… yeah. That's right, he was there because he was sick of being an outcast in his old clan. And why was he an outcast?

"Oh… yeah." Because he couldn't stop eating those smelly, delicious fruits. But what could he say? They smelled as bad as they were good. But he paid a price for developing such a peculiar taste pallet. He remembers the first time he tasted the fruit. He remembers how it was like before he tasted those fruits.

Back then he wasn't Stink Tooth. He was just another little gorian who had yet to get a name. Like the other small gorians, he got along with everyone, had no worries, and no bad breath. He used to have many friends, friends that would enjoy his company as he did theirs. Then one fateful day, he and his buddies were exploring and little Stink Tooth found a very strong smell. Despite his better judgment, the young gorian was feeling very adventurous that day. That smell led him to a big grove of the smelliest fruits he had ever found.

Stink Tooth chuckled to himself, recalling how sensitive his nose was to the fruit that day. They smelt so awful. Yet, for some reason, his younger self wanted to get a closer look at those fruits. They did not look like any fruit he had seen before. They were not yellow and curved, round and orange, tiny and blue, or red and hung from trees. No. They were the size of his tiny fists and pink like the heart-shaped patterns on his arms. Stink Tooth remembered how his younger self tried to recall those lessons on what he can and can't eat.

Was it yeller touchie bluey? Mellon touchie blackie? Or were dat fo' bugs? Nuh-uh. Liza'ds?

Then he decided pink wasn't a color that was deemed inedible. That was when he took a leap of faith and picked his first fruit. He had to pinch his nose shut, the stench was so strong. Then he placed the fruit between his teeth and bit down. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. That moment was the moment that sent him down the path of an outcast. From that day on, there were fewer and fewer adventures to go out on. Fewer friends to socialize with. Fewer gorians that enjoyed his company. Fewer gorians that wanted his company.

He'd tell everyone about the fruit, that they can look past the stink when they take a bite out of them. But no one would listen nor care. They just kept calling him names and eventually, he earned the name Stink Tooth. But he decided that if he was going to be known for something, he'd make the best of it.

Every time he tried to socialize and was rejected with harsh insults, he'd have a quick retort to shut them up. His personal favorite one was, "'Least I gots balls bigga' dan birdie eggs!"

The other gorians would praise him for his quick wit, but that praise was gone as soon as it started. They just moved away from Stink Tooth and continued belittling the gorian he had just put down. It was like no matter what he did no one cared or wanted him.

He'd often watch others converse and play games from a distance while he was left to his thoughts and his fruit. Every time he told himself that he didn't miss their company it was half a lie and half a truth. Why should he care about a bunch of dum-dums who can't handle a little smell? Why should they judge him before they give him a chance? Why did he have to enjoy such yummy fruit all by himself?

Those fruits were his one weakness, his one flaw. He hated them almost as much as he loved them. They made him feel so special and so pathetic.

Stink Tooth never thought anyone wanted to hang out with him. That is until he met Fat Belly.

Fat Belly would sneak a couple of smelly fruit just for himself. One day Stink Tooth caught Fat Belly sneaking the fruit. Fat Belly told Stink Tooth that he can try to stop him, but when his gut is hungry, ain't nothing will get in his way. Stink Tooth didn't mind. Just the opposite.

Not that Stink Tooth would ever say it outland, but he welcomed Fat Belly's company whenever he came by. It felt nice to share a meal with someone. Even if they rarely had any conversations.

Stink Tooth scoffed. "Fat Belly…" That dum-dum. Always thinking with his stomach and getting into trouble because of it. And now he's under suspicion of being a clan eater of all things.

Rolling his eyes at that thought, Stink Tooth noticed that the sky was starting to turn orange. It was just about time to make a decision. To go back or to not go back?

If he goes back now, empty-handed, there won't be any supper. Assuming someone did find the mirror, and lived, then he's just wasting his time.

Just then Stink Tooth saw a huge field that was bordered by a huge line of trees. He has been to that part of the forest before. Primarily because that was where the big bad bear lived. It's not that Stink Tooth was scared of it. The only one that was afraid of that bear was Big Toes. It is just he'd rather not face off with that monstrosity. But he was being pressed for time.

Stink Tooth rose to his feet and began his perilous journey into the unknown.

He just realized he hit another new low. Deciding between going a day without a meal or the possibility of death. His stomach grumbled just then.

"Hmph… So dis is how Fat Belly felt."

With that, Stink Tooth crossed the large field and began his journey into the sinister woods. The second he stepped a foot over the border a sudden unease became of him. It infested his body. Like a sixth sense, something was telling him that he does not belong here.

But that didn't stop him before.

Just like when he first got a whiff of that wretched fruit, he went against what his body was telling him. His feet started moving. The deeper he went into the forest, the more his body was telling him to turn back. To run away!

But Stink Tooth decided otherwise. He kept on pushing and pushing himself to keep moving. Still, he had to admit, something about this part of the forest gave him the creeps. Even though it was almost dusk, this part of the forest looked darker than the rest. Maybe it was because there were more trees and they were closer together, but that was not the only thing that was off. The air itself felt and tasted weird. He couldn't put his finger on it, but whatever the flavor was, he did not like it. But the more eerie thing was the noise or lack thereof. It was so quiet here. Not even birds were chirping. All this nothingness was so disturbing.

He was losing himself to his thoughts, when suddenly…

"Whoa!" He came to a halt, trying to regain his balance over the big pit he almost fell into. Stink Tooth stepped back from the hole and peered down into it. It was deep, very deep. He was so thankful for his reflexes. A fall in there would probably kill him.

With an exhale of shaky breath, Stink Tooth carefully walked around the hole, eyeing it with every step. He couldn't help but peer into the depths again. For a second it looked as though it was bottomless. He could barely make out the lowly surface. It was hidden beneath layers of darkness. Stink Tooth speculated how something could get so dark. How much dark can darkness get? Does darkness have a limit? Or is there no end to darkness? Such thoughts left a bad taste in Stink Tooth's mouth and a sinking feeling in his chest.

Snapping out of his daze, Stink Tooth quickly moved away from the hole. He looked ahead, deep into the forest. At that moment he was locked in a state of fight or flight.

All his deeper instincts were screaming at him to listen to what they were telling him right then and there. His instincts screamed so loud that there was an echo in his thoughts. They all told him to turn back and face the consequences of showing up empty-handed. To take Black Eye's fury and live another day. And yet there was this one tiny voice that was being muffled by the screams.

Stink Tooth recognized the voice. Even though it was buried beneath the maelstrom of his thoughts telling him to flee, the gorian easily identified it. That voice was the reason he became who he was. That voice is what pushed him to venture into the smelly fruit grove. It was the part of him he hated the most about himself. That voice was his natural curiosity and it was itching him to investigate.

How long has he kept this part of him in shackles? How long has he ignored the calls of this intrinsic sense of inquisitiveness? It felt like forever. Stink Tooth told himself that it was not long enough.

Standing there bewildered by this unwanted reunion, Stink Tooth clenched his fists as he kept listening to the many voices inside his head. The vast majority of voices were still roaring at him to hightail out of there while he still had a head to contain these voices, while a small voice kept beckoning him to do the exact opposite. Over time the small voice became more vocal, more noticeable. Before he knew it, the small voice was the biggest, and it kept telling him the same thing it told him when he found the stinky fruit.

Satisfy yourself and discover the unknown.

Stink Tooth tried to ignore the call but it was louder and more annoying than Black Eye when he's throwing a tantrum. He rubbed his temples feeling a headache coming on.

"Stoppit!" he said under his breath. "Stoppit, stoppit, stoppit, stoppit, stoppit, stoppit, stoppit." But the voice wouldn't stop. It just kept pounding at Stink Tooth's head. "Owwwwwwwwwwww!" he painfully whined. It hurt so much! And it just kept getting worse!

Soon Stink Tooth was on his knees, cradling his head in his hands. He tried to get back up, but the tiniest movements seemed to only worsen his headache. It got so bad he started yowling in agony.

"O-owww! Owwww! Owww! Oooowwwwww! Ooooowwww! OooooOOOOWWWWW!"

Stink Tooth never had a headache so awful before. Has anyone ever had such a headache?

Writhing in sheer torment, Stink Tooth curled up into a ball and rolled his face onto the ground. He muffled his cries into the leaves and pressed his forehead deeper into the dirt in a vain hope that it somehow might ease the pain.

While he was down there, face planted in the filthy earth, crying like a newborn, Stink Tooth wondered how he came to be in such a position. What did he ever do to deserve this? Why did he have to suffer like this?

Did he ever set out to hurt anyone?

No.

Did he ever steal anything that wasn't his?

No.

Did he ever bad mouth anyone?

Well, at least not to their faces. Nonetheless, there is not one part of him that feels guilty about anything!

….Right?

Feeling his headache start to slowly fade away, Stink Tooth carefully rocked back upright and pondered again. Did he feel guilty about anything?

Not really… he thought. He does live with regret the day he found those awfully delicious fruits.

Stink Tooth suddenly tasted something weird in the back of his mouth. He instinctively tried swallowing the taste, but it remained rooted in his taste buds. Stink Tooth could only describe the taste as the exact opposite of the smelly fruit. The fruit smelled bad but tasted yummy, this flavor didn't have a smell, nor did it have an off-putting form, but it tasted as bad as the fruit first smelled.

The voice told him again to investigate. Despite Stink Tooth's better nature, he obeyed the voice this time and tried to understand this flavor. Where did it come from? Did something slip into his mouth when he was digging his head into the ground? Also, why does his chest feel funny when he tries to swallow?

Stink Tooth knew not the answers to these questions. But he was rather transfixed on something else. What did he feel guilty about?

Stink Tooth wondered again, his thoughts kept coming back to the smelly fruit. He did not understand why though. Why does he feel so guilty about the fruit? What is this icky thing he is tasting? Why can't he get a straight answer from himself?

Hearing the branches shake in the trees above him, Stink Tooth got up and looked ahead into the deep darkness. He still saw nothing. He looked back and found the path out of the forest. The longer he looked away, the more the voice called to him. He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

He wanted to leave the forest more than ever, but there was still that voice. He wondered why it wanted him to venture forth, to put his life on the line. Why would a part of him want that? Why would some part of him be willing to put himself in harm's way? He felt a little sad at that thought.

Stink Tooth felt a chill run up his spine. He hugged himself and started rocking in place.

What is he to do? If he leaves now, he felt that he would live another day, but at the same time, he would be carrying a new burden. The burden of feeling sad and not knowing why.

Stink Tooth looked ahead again. The deep dark forest looked just as scary as before, but it also made him feel hope.

The gorian shut his eyes tight and hugged himself more.

"I jus' knows I gonna reg't dis…"

Stink Tooth unclenched himself and took the first step. The ground felt so cold under his foot. With another step, he felt more coldness. All the hairs on his body rose. Stink Tooth took his time taking step after step. He heard his instincts begging, crying for him to turn back.

The leaves shook again. Stink Tooth froze mid-step hearing them crackle. Still, he pressed on and started walking a little faster.

He made sure to keep aware of his surroundings. His carelessness nearly made him fall into a hole. Who knows what else he might find?

All seemed quiet. Almost too quiet. Too quiet to be called quiet. This wasn't a peaceful quiet. It was a type of quiet that comes right before something bad happens.

Stink Tooth froze up when he thought he saw something move at the corner of his eye. For the seventeenth time.

Turns out it was just about leaf blowing with the wind. For the seventeenth time.

There it was again! Stink Tooth's mind raced with his heart. He started to second guess his sanity again.

Was he really willing to gamble with life for the sake of knowing the unknown? Was discovering the truth that important to him? Stink Tooth walked and walked for the longest time. The light was almost gone. He must have walked for miles. It was quite a while for a gorian to walk that long. But he took his time and was careful with every step.

A small part of him was proud he made it so far. It made him feel less sad. But still, he felt the repercussions.

Stink Tooth dropped to the ground and heaved heavy breaths as sweat ran down his face. His entire body was sore and ached from all that walking.

After taking his time catching his breath, Stink Tooth sat up and looked around. He still saw the same thing when he first started his journey. Nothing.

Stink Tooth rolled his eyes in frustration.

Iz dis it? Iz dis wat I git afta' all dat?

He couldn't believe it. All that hype and worry and for what?

"A whole lotta' nothin'?" Stink Tooth slapped his hand over his face and groaned.

Did he really just risk his life for nothing? Did he really just risked his life for nothing all because he was feeling down about himself?

Stink Tooth whacked himself.

Is he really that stupid? Was this what he was feeling so mopey about? Nothing? Seriously? Nothing?

"Ya' gotta be kiddin' me!" He whacked himself again and groveled in his shame.

Never has a gorian felt so moronic. So dumb.

Stink Tooth kept whacking his forehead. "Ya' stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, stoopid dum-dum!"

He thought he had found something that'll lift his spirits. He thought he had found hope. But no! All he got was nothing!

Stink Tooth groaned again. He buried his face into his palms and screeched through his teeth in frustration. He then took in a deep breath and slowly lowered his hands before letting out a soft exhale.

Whelp, I ain' gonna sit 'round 'ere.

He decided it was time to return to his troupe. No sense in delaying the inevitable. At least the inevitable doesn't waste his time.

Stink Tooth grumbled something under his breath as he walked away. He thought he heard something just then, but decided to ignore it. He wondered if there was a chance to find a bird's nest. He could go for some eggs.

"Mmm-mmm…."

Stink Tooth froze in place. All his muscles locked. He couldn't breathe nor could he feel the rapid beating in his chest.

The air suddenly felt cold and had an odorless smell.

Stink Tooth moved his head ever so slowly. He could hear the creaking of his bones as he looked over his shoulder and into the nothing.

What was that?

Stink Tooth stood motionless, unsure if he should move or not. He waited for the sound to come again. His hearing transfixed on every noise he detected. From the fluttering of leaves to the soft whispering of the wind, Stink Tooth was able to identify more sounds at that moment than he ever did before.

Each noise was distinct and came at random. All the sounds contracted and muffled one another. But none seemed to be as loud as Stink Tooth's beating heart.

He didn't need to put a hand over his chest to see how fast it was pumping. His heartbeat so fast that he could hear every note. It was like there was a drummer behind his ribcage, and the drummer kept increasing his tempo.

Stink Tooth tried to calm himself down but every time he did the beating became more prominent. His breathing started to quicken with his ever-increasing pulse.

Keep it t'getha' Stink Tooth. Don' git all wussy ova' a wittle sound. It were probably nothin'. Yeah, nothin'. Dat's all dat's out 'ere. A whole lotta nothin…

"Mmmmmmm…"

Stink Tooth nearly yelped.

Nothing just made a whimper.

For a moment, Stink Tooth was frozen again. He wondered if this was how Black Eye felt this morning. So scared that even your own body wouldn't listen.

For the longest time, he felt as though his entire body turned to stone. No matter how hard he tried nothing would move. He just stood there, unable to do anything but wait and listen for that sad, pathetic noise again.

"Mmmmmm… mmmmmph."

For some reason, Stink Tooth started to ease up hearing the noise again. As though he was getting used to the noise.

It was happening again. His better nature was being overcome by his need to ask questions and seek the answers.

Moving as cautious as he could Stink Tooth inched his way in the direction of the sound. His feet didn't leave the ground as his soles shuffled along with the dirt.

The sliding of his feet along the ground gathered up small mounds of itchy dirt between his toes. He told himself to ignore it, but the itch traveled from his toes to his foot up his calf to his thighs and the rest of his body. Stink Tooth kept telling himself to ignore it, no matter how bad it gets. Then the itchiness made Stink Tooth shake in place.

He heard the noise again. The itchiness and shaking were gone and replaced by a chill up his spine. The strange made out the noise to be some sort of whimper.

The whimper could be beyond the large cluster of trees just ahead. Stink Tooth gulped down his anxiety and shuffled forward.

He came face to face with the trees, his nose inches apart from the tree bark. He then slowly peeked around the trunk, making sure to conceal as much of his face behind the tree.

There was a big clearing in the midst of the trees. At the center was what looked like a large pile of burnt wood with some charred up looking thing sinking into the charcoal. On the other side of the opening was a fallen tree and a tree stump that Stink Tooth deduced as where that fallen tree came from. Peeking his face out more he saw something was tied to a tree. Something strange looking.

Stink Tooth quickly retreated behind the tree, with panicked breathing. He kept telling himself to keep it down. To keep out of sight and behind the safety of this tree. Stink Tooth clenched his muscles and brought his arms and legs together as tight as he could. His core deflated as he sucked in his gut.

Everything was quiet again. But not to Stink Tooth. His hearing felt like it increased tenfold.

The tiny shuddering of leaves turned to loud crumples. A soft breeze became a howling gust. Everything was so freaking loud! The thinning gorian wanted to tell everything to "shaddap."

He wanted to just bolt right out of there. To run like the wind and never look back, and yet he couldn't. His fears were keeping his feet firmly attached to the ground.

Stink Tooth couldn't understand why he was acting like such a Big Toes. He knew that he saw the creature was tied up to a tree. So what was stopping him?

Stink Tooth compared himself to Big Toes again. How much of a coward he was.

"Nuh-uh….," he hoarsely whispered. He wasn't like Big Toes. Big Toes would have ran away without a second thought like the pathetic creature he was. Stink Tooth was being a bigger coward than Big Toes. So scared that he couldn't decide whether to leave or stay. Stink Tooth hung his head in shame at that thought. To be a bigger sissy than the biggest sissy.

Another whimper made Stink Tooth tensed up again. He shuddered at that sad, lowly cry. It was then that Stink Tooth realized how low his pride had sunk. He was so scared that a helpless creature was terrifying him.

He tightened his muscles and curled his toes into fists.

There was no way he was going to let himself be reduced so low.

The shaking stopped.

Stink Tooth told himself he was not a wuss like Big Toes. Big Toes would never even consider coming to this place. Big Toes was too much of a dum-dum and a wussy-wuss to come near this place. They all were!

He's the only one that ever got so far. He was better than them. He is braver than Big Toes, more mature than Short Tail, more determined than Lazy Legs, and has done more in his life than Black Eye ever could!

He deserved to be where he was.

He's earned it!

He will discover the unknown! It was his nature. His destiny!

Stink Tooth harrumphed to himself and peeked his entire head out from behind the tree. The creature was still bound to the tree.

Stink Tooth then came out from behind the safety of the towering oak and fully exposed himself to the open. Stink Tooth then put one foot over the other and made his way to the beast.

Upon closer inspection, the creature was more helpless looking than he realized. It was covered in mud and looked very frail, and yet his stomach looked so massive.

Its face was buried in a shoulder and it looked as though it was to sit upright.

"Wha' da'...?"

The large muddy creature's ears twitched from Stink Tooth's voice. It slowly raised its head to Stink Tooth.

Stink Tooth stood placid as their eyes met. For a brief moment, the two were motionless as they tried to register what they were seeing.

"F-fat Belly?"

Stink Tooth couldn't believe his eyes. Fat Belly was alive. Yet at first glance, one wouldn't be sure of that. His face was full of open cuts, his lips looked so chapped, and an ear was missing.

Fat Belly made a soft noise before his eyes filled up with tears. Stink Tooth then noticed a thick entanglement was bound around his face, gagging him.

Fat Belly made muffled cries as tears started to fall.

"Fat Belly…..," Stink Tooth softly said. Never has he seen Fat Belly reduced to such a state. It made Stink Tooth feel uneasy in his chest.

Fat Belly actually looked happy, genuinely happy, if not, overjoyed to see him. No one has ever been glad to see Stink Tooth before.

"Mmm-mmmph…," Fat Belly moaned.

"Fat Belly, wha' 'appened t'ya'?" Stink Tooth gently said making his way to Fat Belly.

"Mmmph….. Mmm. Mmm! Mmmmm! Mmmmph!" Fat Belly started squirming in place, his back still firmly pressed against the tree.

"Wha'cha sayin'?" Stink Tooth asked moving closer to his downed troupe member.

"Mmm-mmm!" Fat Belly screeched, rapidly shaking his head. "Mmm-mmm! Mmm-mmm! Mmmph! Mmmph!"

Stink Tooth stood over Fat Belly and knelt. He tilted his head in confusion to what Fat Belly was saying.

"I canno' git wha'cha talkin' 'bout."

"Mmmph! MMMMMPH!"

"...ummm, yeah," Stink Tooth eyed the gag. "Let's git rid o' dis thang." Stink Tooth then reached for the vines.

Stink Tooth pulled down on the gag. Fat Belly then spat out a huge wad of mud and leaves before throwing up worms. Stink Tooth was startled at the sight but didn't have much time to react.

"St-stinky look out!"

A set of razor-sharp fangs came out of nowhere and clamped down on Stink Tooth's hand.

"AAAAAAHHHH! Ow! Ow! Owwww!" Stink Tooth screamed trying to shark off the teeth digging into his fingers. The gorian flailed and thrashed the large wolf attached to him. But the wolf's bite was proving to be worse than his bark.

Stink Tooth kept on swinging his hand about, the wolf's jaw still refused to release him.

The gorian then tried to slam the wolf down onto the ground, but that only made the wolf bite down harder, and Stink Tooth screamed louder.

Stink Tooth tried to pry open his hand but then the wolf started yanking on the hand.

It seemed no matter what Stink Tooth did the wolf wouldn't let go.

Then the wolf bit down as hard as it could.

Stink Tooth's hand was finally free of the nasty wolf's fangs. With a final flail, the wolf was sent flying free from the hand.

Stink Tooth whimpered as he cradled his bloody hand into his chest. It hurt so much! He balled his hand with his other hand in a vain attempt to ease the pain. He could feel a surprising amount of blood seeping from his hand. Stink Tooth did not think a bite from a small wolfie would be that bad.

Stink Tooth then slowly unclenched his fist and found that he was missing his little finger and half of his ring finger. He squalled in horror at the sight of blood gushing out from the places where extremities used to be. He tried holding his bloody fist with his good hand but had trouble getting a grip from all the oily blood drenching his flesh.

Distraught, Stink Tooth shifted his gaze forward and found the wolf was right in front of Fat Belly, almost as if guarding the ensnared gorian. It let out a threatening growl through its crimson dyed teeth as it menacingly glared at Stink Tooth.

Stink Tooth was ready to return the dastardly look but was cut off by an angry snarl, startling Stink Tooth into a stupor. Stink Tooth froze as the wolf stared him down. He also noticed there was something in the wolf's maw.

The wolf opened his jaw and revealed its contents as they dropped to the ground. Stink Tooth's eyes widened as they transfixed on the sight that was his missing fingers.

The gorian started to tremble in place. He held his mangled hand again feeling the wolf's peering eyes on him. They were dead set on keeping its prey in its place and were practically roaring at this intruder to leave!

Beta was set on making sure the prey he and his alpha caught stayed right where it was. His alpha made him stay behind to guard their catch. It was theirs to do with what they pleased, and no one shall get in the way of him, his pack, or his alpha. This was their kill!

Stink Tooth looked at his severed fingers again. A couple of worms Fat Belly threw up were wrapping their slimy bodies around either digit. The sight elicited a very sickly feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Beta let out another menacing snarl before snatching the worm-infested fingers back into his mouth and started eating them. He harked down the small digits. He either didn't notice or cared about the worms. Normally a worm-encrusted meal would elicit a very bitter taste but all Beta tasted was victory.

Stink Tooth locked eyes with the wolf. Beta snarled at Stink Tooth, challenging him to come closer to the pack's kill. Stink Tooth flinched away from the wolf, eyeing the teeth colored in his blood before locking eyes with the wolf. Stink Tooth was no stranger to wolves. He's hunted and chowed down plenty of them before, but there was something different about this one, he could see it in the wolf's yellow orbs.

There wasn't so much as a hint of intimidation in its eyes. Stink Tooth wondered if it was because he had intruded on its territory or if it had seen something more threatening than a gorian that's three times its size.

With another snarl from the wolf, Stink Tooth broke eye contact and scooted away from the wolf. Making sure not to make any sudden movements as he rose to his feet, Stink Tooth mentally drew a map of the path out of the woods only for the sound of crying to interrupt his train of thought.

Fat Belly was sobbing and making a most pathetic sound as his tears continued to fall.

"Stinky, ya' gotta git outta 'ere," Fat Belly squealed out.

Fat Belly's words shook Stink Tooth. He has always been told to go away, but not like that. For once someone was concerned for him. Stink Tooth chest felt light and his cheeks warmed. The corners of his lips started to curl upwards.

It was then that Stink Tooth wondered how long it has been since he was able to make a genuine smile.

The moment was cut short when Beta growled louder. The bloody stubs on his hand started to coagulate. The pain stung so bad.

Stink Tooth narrowed his eyes back at the wolf and stood up tall. He clenched his eight fingers into fists before hunching over and firmly planting his knuckles into the ground.

Beta presented more of his teeth and growled louder.

Time seemed to come to a halt between the gorian and the wolf. All they could see was each other, everything else was irrelevant. Not the ground they stood on, not the air they breathed, not the trembling Fat Belly tied to a tree, nothing. All that mattered, all that existed, in that moment was the creature they were facing.

They stood placid.

Sound itself began to die down.

All either one could hear was the beating rhythm of their hearts.

"IMMA GIT YA!" Stink Tooth roared as he charged for the wolf. It was the logical action to do. A full-on attack on the small wolf. The tiny canine did not so much as flinch when Stink Tooth came at him. Stink Tooth figured it must have been scared stiff. It had nowhere to go, trapped between a raging gorain and a tree. Or so Stink Tooth thought.

Just as Stink Tooth came up to the wolf, he arched his back and raised his fists, ready to slam them down onto the little wolfie. But just as the giant hands were reaching over Stink Tooth's pointy head Beta pounced at him, jumping through the gap between his legs and dodging the large fists as they came down and slammed onto Fat Belly's legs.

"BWAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"Gyah! I sorry Fat Belly, I di'n't mean ta'-." Suddenly he felt an unfamiliar weight on his back and a set of razor-sharp teeth digging into his shoulder blade. "OOOOOOW! OW! OW!"

Stink Tooth went in a frenzy trying to shake the wolf off his back. He tried to reach over his back but his arms were too large.

Beta kept a firm bite on the mound of flesh as the gorian viciously swung his weight around. The wolf was dangling off the large ape's back by his maw. Beta tried to keep his balance, but the gorian swung too much.

Stink Tooth had to resort to spinning around in a circle as fast as he could until Beta was sent flying. The airborne wolf never flew before. To have his paws off the ground for so long was such an odd sensation for him. What was even more exhilarating was when he came crashing down onto the ground, rolling to a stop between two parallel trees.

Beta wasted no time in getting back up. He practically jumped to his paws ready to continue fending his pack's territory. Beta then spat out the wad of flesh and fur in his maw. The wolf quickly shook his body of all the dirt, leaves, and tiny twigs sticking to his fur and barreled toward the hulking ape.

Stink Tooth needed a second to get his barring. A patch of flesh was just ripped off his back and it hurt a lot. Stink Tooth tried to cover his wound but his massive arms were betraying him again. All that exposed pink flesh exposed to the open air stung like crazy. It didn't hurt as much as losing his fingers, but still, pain was pain.

The gorian was so occupied processing all that pain he didn't even hear Beta running at him. The next thing Stink Tooth knew a familiar set of fangs was digging into his foreleg.

Stink Tooth screeched through his teeth before trying to shake the wolf off his leg. When that proved useless Stink Tooth started to punch Beta. The giant fist proved to be too much for the wolf. He let go after four strikes and was kicked away.

Beta got up as quickly as he was put down and found himself locking eyes with that large creature with grassy fur. At that moment Beta tasted the blood coating his tongue. It tasted good but was missing something. It lacked that certain flavor he and his pack had gotten used to these past days when the alpha came along. It lacked that seasoning of victory.

Beta salivated remembering all those kills and that tasty meat they came with, especially from the vicious tyrant they brought down a couple of days ago. Oh, how delicious his flesh was. How amazing it still tasted even from this morning. Victory never goes out of season and Beta couldn't get enough of it. He wanted to eat nothing but victory until the end of days. He wanted to share the victory with his pack. With his alpha. Nothing else mattered to the wolf. All there was was the taste of victory and his alpha.

Beta lapped the blood on his lips. It still needed some seasoning.

Stink Tooth was caught off guard by the new look in the wolf's eyes. The wolf was looking at him the same way he used to look at smelly fruit. It made his throat contract.

Still savoring that pre-victory appetizer, Beta came at Stink Tooth again. This time Stink Tooth was able to react to the grey wolf by swinging his massive arm at the approaching wolf, however, Beta merely jumped away from the arm and quickly circled Stink Tooth. Stink Tooth immediately tried spinning with the wolf and made an attempt to grab its tail.

They started going in circles. The canine's tail kept on slipping through his fingers and he was getting dizzy. Still, he committed to the idea of grabbing that pesky tail. Only as it turned out the wolf had a similar idea.

The end of Stink Tooth's tail was snagged by Beta's fangs.

For a brief second, Stink Tooth froze. A shiver went up his spine that made all the muscles in his body tense up before the sensation of pain was registered. He felt a tear form at the corner of his eye.

"yyyyyyYYYYYYYYYEEEOOOOOOOUCH!" Stink Tooth went cross-eyed for a second before he started flailing around. "Git off! Git offa mah tail! Ya' dumb wolfi-OOOOW!" Stink Tooth tried to move forward but felt resistance when the wolf yanked on his tail. He had to move backward with the wolf's grip. Stink Tooth tried to reach behind him, but the wolf kept on tugging and pulling his tail forcing him to move with the wolf. The entire time Stink Tooth felt the knife-like fangs on the wolf digging and mangling his precious tail's flesh.

Then, completely out of panic, Stink Tooth flung himself backward. His massive body came crashing down, barely missing Beta as he finally released Stink Tooth's tail.

On the ground, Stink Tooth knew he had less than a second to react when the wolf started to scurry away. He quickly flailed his arm in Beta's direction, the wolf just about out of arm's reach, but the gorian was just able to grab the tip of the wolf's tail.

Beta quickly reacted by jerking himself forward. The tip of his tail was freed but felt another large hand grasp his tail tight.

With a three-fingered death grip around the tail, Stink Tooth violently yanked Beta toward him and used the momentum to stand up. Stink Tooth then spun Beta around a couple of times before catapulting him to a tree. Beta's back slammed in the tree and hit the ground. The wolf writhed in pain.

Stink Tooth shouted a mocking "HA!" at the wolf and reached for his tail. He winced at the sight of it. It was missing a lot of flesh and fur. The tip was so bloody that it looked more like a paintbrush dipped in red paint than it did a tail. It hurt too much to let it down on the ground, so he had to make an effort to keep it raised.

The gorian then returned his attention to the wolf. It was struggling to rise to its feet, but Stink Tooth knew that it had more fight in it. He started moving to the downed wolf.

"Stinky!" Stink Tooth heard Fat Belly, halting him in place. "S-stinky….," Fat Belly mewled, "ya' gotta git outta 'ere."

"Don' be worryin' 'bout me. I is gunna git dis stoopid wolfie!"

"Stinky, ya' don' git it. Ya' gotta git goin' befo'...it comes back!"

"...Say wha'?"

"Pweaaaaase Stinky! Please!" Fat Belly begged, feeling tears run down his face.

"Fat Belly I dunno wha'cha-."

"Stinky look out!"

Stink Tooth shot his face forward to find the wolf just pounced at him with an open maw, coming for his face. But Stink Tooth was quick to react. He dodged the wolf by the skin of his rank teeth and swatted him away in mid-air.

Beta crashed and rolled a couple of meters to a stop before facing that overgrown ape who donned a smug grin. Beta snarled at those mocking teeth and the awful stench his heightened canine senses picked up from them. It was such a strong scent that he could taste it in the back of his throat, overpowering that faint taste of victory coating his tongue.

"Haha!" Stink Tooth mocked, pointing an insulting finger at the wolf. "Ya' too slow! Ya' stoopid wolfie!"

Beta rushed for Stink Tooth again, this time going for the digit aimed at him. He charged, he pounced and was knocked away again. When Beta stood up, he was met with another mocking Stink Tooth.

"Ha ha! Ya' canno' git me! Ha ha!" Stink Tooth never really ridiculed anyone before. But he was no stranger to being the one on the receiving end. It felt good to be the one who was doing all the teasing for once.

Beta growled at the vulcan. No prey nor competitor has ever done this before. With another snarl, Beta stormed for Stink Tooth. The gorian had a calm and condescending look on his face that made Beta move faster.

Stink Tooth got ready for the wolf to pounce at him again. He bent his knees, readying himself to jump and retracted a clenched fist to punch the wolf out of his way.

As the wolf came up to Stink Tooth he saw it jump for him. Stink Tooth jumped as well, only higher, but Beta didn't pounce but leaped between his legs. Stink Tooth was left dumbfounded when he swung his arm and the wolf was out of reach and disappeared between his legs.

Coming down, Stink Tooth looked over his shoulder and saw the wolf had used his momentum to quickly spin around and was reclining on his back feet, readying himself to jump. In response, Stink Tooth raised his tail higher as his feet returned to the ground. There was no way he was going to that dumb wolfie pull the same trick twice.

Beta then launched himself off the ground and Stink Tooth couldn't help but make a tiny grin when the wolf missed his tail. However, it turned out the wolf wasn't going for the tail. It went for something else that was hanging between the gorian's legs.

Stink Tooth had gone through a lot that day, ever since he woke up. He had to endure a beating from Black Eye, then he was forced to walk across the massive forest, he slammed his head into a tree, he nearly fell down a hole, his fingers were bit off as well as a small chunk of his leg, and his tail was nearly ripped off. In just one day he had suffered more pain than he ever did in his lifetime. But nothing came close to what happened next.

Just then a loud high-pitched sound echoed throughout the entire forest. It was unlike any other sound the forest-dwellers ever heard. Birds were startled out of branches. Deer perked their heads up in the direction the sound came from. Bears came out of their dens to inspect the noise. Finally, several gorians froze in place, namely a certain timid one.

The noise was not pleasant to hear, nor was it pleasant to witness. Even Fat Belly, after all his abuse, couldn't help but wince at the sight.

Stink Tooth screamed so loud that his voice hurt. He tried to make shouts of protest at the wolf, but he couldn't get any words out, only pained cries. He attempted to punch the wolf's deep, sharp, jagged teeth off his fleshy sack but that just made the wolf more furious and his bite stronger.

Beta tugged on the organ in his maw, forcing the gorian to drop to his knees and hunch on all fours. Stink Tooth started to weakly kick the wolf in vain, but it still kept its grip. Then Stink Tooth tried rolling over but the wolf rolled with him.

On his back Stink Tooth got a full view of the wolf pulling on his scrotum. Stink Tooth cringed at the sight of his bloody sack being violently pulled and shredded in the wolf's teeth. And the wolf just kept on pulling and pulling it back. Was it supposed to stretch-out so much?

Finally, with an angry yank, the clump of flesh in Beta's maw was torn off. Stink Tooth screeched in falsetto through his teeth.

Stink Tooth immediately rolled into a fetal position and cradled his crotch. His body was shaking he was in so much pain. He couldn't even think straight. Blood seeped through the cracks in his fingers, making his hands and thighs all slippery. He gave a gentle caress with his palms and tensed up.

Wasn't he supposed to have two of those?

The downed Stink Tooth slowly craned his head up at the wolf. Blinking away all the tears forming Stink Tooth saw something bloody was hanging in the wolf's mouth.

Beta snarled at Stink Tooth before he bit down on the round fleshy object and started swinging it around like a chew toy. Stink Tooth inhaled a horrified gasp at the sight. Beta then started to gnaw on the chewy object and made his way back to Fat Belly. There Beta stood guarding Fat Belly and harked down his mid-battle snack. With a vicious growl, Beta waited for Stink tooth's next move.

Stink Tooth was at a loss for words and words to think of. Stink Tooth found himself in the same position he started since he met the wolf. On the ground in pain with the wolf standing between him and Fat Belly. This wolf proved to be a more deadly opponent than any other creature Stink Tooth had come in contact with. It was determined, unfazed, and operated by something more than just instinct alone.

This wolf was, by all means, something more than just a wolf. No, it was more than just an animal. Animals, prey and predator, know their limits. But they also have a hard time understanding what those limits are. The lion is known as the king of the jungle because everyone thinks that it fears no animal and eats what it wants. But in truth, they do have fears. They fear large animals, even the ones they prey on. The buffalo who roams in the lion's kingdom does not fear the lion until the lion is exposed. A lone lion cannot guarantee itself the buffalo to be killed once its teeth sink into the buffalo's thick hide. It will encounter resistance. The buffalo will lay down the law of the jungle for its king. This is why lions are the kings because they may carry out the law of the jungle, but the prey keeps the law in check. The higher predators are on top of the food chain the more prey they have, but that also means they have more animals that are against them. Almost as if lions are kings because the prey let them have their throne.

Lions do not plan when hunting their prey. Hiding in the tall grass until the moment is right to attack is instinct. They just know to keep themselves hidden and then bite into the yummy flesh. Stalk then bite. Beta was not a lion and he certainly was not the king of the forest. He knew where to attack and how. He knew how precious those fingers of Stink Tooth were, how those large arms of his couldn't reach behind his back, and how to maneuver around him and go for the tail and the groin. As far as his limits went, Beta just did not care anymore. Beta's instincts have evolved since his alpha taught him new hunting tactics. Beta had gained something other animals lack, an imagination.

Stink Tooth did not know what a lion was, but if he were to ever encounter one he would gamble that this wolf could dethrone the king.

"Stinky!" Fat Belly started crying out again. "Stinky ya' gotta git outta 'ere now! Now! Now! Now!"

Stink Tooth transfixed his gaze onto Fat Belly.

"Pwease Stinky… I dun wanna see ya' die," Fat Belly started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Fat Belly….," Stink Tooth groaned through his teeth.

"Pwease! Ya' don' kno' wha' it gonna do when it comes back! Ya' gotta git outta 'ere."

"F-f-fat-."

"Just git goin'!"

Stink Tooth was about to make another strained remark but then Beta snarled at him.

Both gorians watched as the wolf took a deep breath and craned his face skyward and let out a loud howl. The howl echoed throughout the entire forest. Starling birds out of branches and neighboring deer out of fields.

Fat Belly's face turned whiter than the sheets they slept on and his eyes widened so much they looked as though they were about to fall out of their sockets.

"Stinky…," he hoarsely croaked, "run."

"B-but Fat Belly-."

"PWEEEEAAAASE Stinky," Fat Belly choked up. "Ya' mah best fwiend…."

Stink Tooth stopped shaking, all the pain circulating in his lower body seemed to have been forgotten. Like his mind quite literally forgot to register that his scrotum had just been torn off. As if Fat Belly just hit the mute button for his senses.

For the first time in his life, Stink Tooth had been called a friend. For the first time in his life Stink Tooth had a real friend. Stink Tooth would have been moved to tears if he hadn't already been weeping from pain.

Through the tears and the pain Stink Tooth's lips started moving on their own. The corners curved upward into a tiny but genuine smile.

Fat Belly saw his friend's reaction and how touched he was. "Pwease Stinky… Jus' fo'get 'bout me…."

Stink Tooth then stopped shaking and looked back at the wolf. It snarled at his gaze. Stink Tooth huffed at it before he uncupped one hand from his bloody crotch. He then leaned forward and put all his weight on his free hand and slowly unbent his knees. Legs trembling and one hand covering his groin, Stink Tooth sluggishly stood up and gritted his teeth at the wolf.

Beta bared his fangs back at the large ape. Both knew what the other was thinking.

It was time to end this.

For but a moment all went quiet for the two creatures. The world itself became nonexistent for them. All they could hear was their heartbeats. All they could see was the other. All that existed to one was the other.

Then Beta pounced at Stink Tooth. Stink Tooth, in turn, swatted away the airborne wolf, sending him crashing to the ground, but Beta got up just as quickly as he was shot down. Wasting no time, Beta dashed away from a surprise hammer fist. Stink Tooth had only a second to react before the wolf tried pouncing at him again. This time Stink Tooth was fast enough to dodge the wolf and attempted another swing at him.

Over and over again, wolf and gorian danced with each other in hopes of finding an opening, a slipup, anything that would give the other a disadvantage. It was unlike any fight Fat Belly had seen before. When it comes to fighting, gorians either rough house or go all out. But what Stink Tooth was doing with Beta was not going all out. It was a rushed battle of cat-and-mouse, and they were fighting over who got to be the cat.

It was a continuous cycle: one would attack, the other would dodge and go in for a counter only to miss the target, then the cycle would repeat vice-versa. With each passing second, the fighters' movements quickened. It seemed as though the fight would never end, however, there was still one advantage one had over the other. Stink Tooth was a giant ape, a creature built for climbing tall trees and lifting heavy objects. Beta, a wolf, was built to run long distances and as such has higher stamina. This physical edge came to light when Stink Tooth's breathing started to get heavy and his movements became more lethargic.

With a massive swing down towards Beta, Stink Tooth missed his mark and his hand stayed grounded for longer than it normally did. Beta immediately took notice of this and glared at the large mossy furred beast. Beta wanted to take down that blundering ape more than anything. He wanted to add more meat to the pile. More meat for himself, the pack, and his alpha.

The opportunity showed itself and Beta took it. He launched himself straight for the gorian's face with an open jaw of bloody fangs.

"Wh-whoa!" Stink Tooth yelled, retracting himself back as a set of razor-sharp teeth came at his face. The next thing he knew, Stink Tooth was on his back and the wolf was on his belly snapping his jaw at the gorian. The only thing keeping the wolf from shredding Stink Tooth's face was the gorian's forearm placed under the wolf's chin.

Stink Tooth was in a panic. Those rows of dagger-like teeth kept snapping at him, inches away. He tried to shove the wolf off him, but it was being very resilient and kept pushing back. Its claws were scratching away at his abdomen, digging deep into his soft flesh. Blood started to come out of the scratches.

The gorian was at a complete loss. He could not think straight. The only thing that was on his mind was "Keep teeth away from face." Stink Tooth did not know what he could do. If he used both arms, his groin would be exposed and that wolf would probably set one of his hind paws over it and start scratching away. If he tried rolling, the wolf would probably roll with him and counter. There were just so many "what-ifs" running through his mind.

Stink Tooth retracted his face back more as the wolf shoving his maw closer. He could smell the wolf's rank breath, stinking of blood and something rotten that Stink Tooth could only categorize as something dead that the worms the wolf ate would feast upon. It stank so horribly.

Stink Tooth's eyes then found Fat Belly, looking as pathetic and concerned as he last saw him. Then his gaze returned to the wolf's chomping maw.

"Stinky! Ya' gotta go!" Fat Belly started chanting. "Ya' gotta go now!"

Stink Tooth's vision kept bouncing from Fat Belly to the wolf's teeth. All the while his mind went into a panic.

"Ya' gotta go!"

Teeth.

"Stinky go!"

A snap of fangs.

"Stinky get outta here!"

A vicious snarl.

"Run!"

The stink of death.

"Runaway!"

"NOOOO!" Stink Tooth shouted before removing his hand from his groin and clenched a choking grip around Beta's neck. The wolf gagged and started flailing around in retaliation, his claws digging in Stink Tooth's skin. Stink Tooth chose to ignore the claws and moved his other hand from the underside of Beta's chin and grabbed one of Beta's hind legs.

Stink Tooth rolled upward to a sitting position. Beta managed to wiggle his neck free of the gorain's massive hand and was ready to scurry away, but Stink Tooth was not having any of that. He tightened his clench around the wolf's back paw and shot himself upwards. Stink Tooth then wound up his arm.

"You!"

Beta came down with a slam!

"Stoopid."

Another slam.

"Stoopid!"

Slam!

"Stoopid!"

Slam!

"STOOPID!"

SLAM!

"STOOPID!"

Stink Tooth went into a blind rage.

"STOOPID! STOOPID! STOOPID! STOOPID! STOOPID! STOOPID! STOOPID! STOOPID! STOOPID! STOOPID! STOOPID…."

He set his sights on a nearby tree.

"WOOOOOLFFFFFIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!"

Beta was sent flying into the tree, crashing into the trunk with a pained yelp.

Stink Tooth came to a stop, catching his breath and holding onto his bloody scrotum that hurt so much from all that movement. He hissed through his teeth before collapsing to his knees. On the ground, he took his time recovering. Then he wondered what was taking the wolf so long to come back for him.

Raising his head Stink Tooth saw the wolf's body was limp and hanging against the trunk of the tree. Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, Stink Tooth blinked and whipped his eyes against his arm. The wolf was still airborne. He tilted his head at the sight of the floating canine then he heard a cracking sound. Then came a snap.

Suddenly Beta's body came crashing down with a thud. On the ground, Stink Tooth saw a large tree branch was sticking out of the wolf's side. Blood seeped out of the large wound and dripped onto the forest floor.

Stink Tooth rubbed his eyes again. He had to make sure they still were not playing tricks on him. Alas, the wolf remained motionless and all life had been drained from its eyes.

Beta was dead.

Stink Tooth's mind went blank again. For the longest seconds of his life, Stink Tooth could not form any thoughts. He just sat there, unmoving and unthinking. Then for some reason, unbeknownst to even himself, Stink Tooth started cackling.

"Ha… Ha… Ha ha. Hahahaha-ha!" Stink Tooth went into a laughing fit. If it wasn't for the fact that he was downed one testicle, he'd be dancing around like he was a youngling. "Ha ha HA!" he mocked. "I got ya'! Ya' stooooooooopid wolfie! Hahaha! Betcha di'n't see dat comin'!"

"Stinky…."

"Mmm?" Stink Tooth turned to Fat Belly, who looked more ghastly than ever. He was leaning into the trunk of the tree he was tied to, his purple skin turned into a ghostly white, and his eyes were open so wide they looked as though they were about to fall out of their sockets.

"Oh…..Stinky," he hoarsely croaked. "Ya' done it now. It's gonna come n' git ya'."

"Fat Belly, I dunno wha'chu talkin' 'bout."

"Stinky it gonna git you!" he whined.

"Wha'eva. We gotta git outta 'ere." Stink Tooth then shuffled his way to Fat Belly and started to look for a knot to untie.

"Stinky don't!" Fat Belly shouted, making Stink Tooth recoil.

"Fat Belly, wha's da' matta'?"

"Stinky…" Fat Belly started crying again. "I ain' gonna make it."

Stink Tooth felt an ache in his chest. He put a comforting hand on Fat Belly's shoulder. "Ya' iz gonna make it, ya dum-dum. I jus' gotta git you outta dis."

"Stinky, ya' don' git it. It…. get cuttin' me up, ova' n' ova'. Den when it was done cuttin' it started choppin'!"

"Fat Belly, I don' git wha-."

"I sowwy Stinky…. I shoulda been nicer t'ya'."

"Don' ya' worry 'bout all dat. I fo'give ya'."

Fat Belly started crying harder. "I sowwy…. Sowwy, sowwy, sowwy, sowwy…"

"C'mon Fat Belly, we gonna git outta 'ere." Stink Tooth then started untying the rope.

"N-n-no! Stinky! Don'! Da' tree's gonna-!"

"Got it!"

The second the ropes came undone, there was a loud cracking loud coming from the tree. Looking up, Stink Tooth saw the tree leaning towards him.

"STINKY LOOK OUT!"

The next thing Stink Tooth knew he was being shoved out of the way of the falling tree. He landed on his back, only having a second to look back at his savior who had this pathetic expression on his face, reaching out for Stink Tooth, before it and the rest of his body was crushed under the weight on the colossal tree.

Stink Tooth let out a gasp at the sight of the arm protruding from under the tree, before quickly scurrying over toward the tree.

"Fat Belly? Fat Belly?!" No response. "C'mon Fat Belly, we gotta go." In a panic, Stink Tooth pressed his palms into the tree. "Don' worry bud, hrrrrrrr!" The big tree was heavier than it looked. "Hrrrrr! I ain' gonna leave ya' 'ere. Mmmmmmm! C'mon, already! Move! Ya' stoopid, stoopid… stoopid…."

Stink Tooth couldn't take it anymore. He dropped to his knees and started crying.

"Fat Belly…"

The gorian sat there alone, as he has always been. Crying his sorrows for the one thing he realized he cared more about than those accursed smelly fruits.

Stink Tooth had lost his first friend.

Sniveling up a gob of snot and wiping the tears away, Stink Tooth looked to his right and saw the tree trump looked more worn down on the opposite side. He also saw a large axe was lodged in the trunk.

A weird sensation traveled up his spine, making his hairs stand up. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he sensed someone was watching him.

Peering over to his left he saw four wolves that looked very similar to the one he just killed. Amidst them stood a man with a large bear pelt wrapped around his person. He was carrying a bundle of thick rope in under one arm and a hatchet in the other hand.

The man titled his head at the teary-eyed ape and the fallen tree.

"G...GO AWAY!" Stink Tooth bellowed.

The man made an annoyed grumble and snapped his fingers.

Stink Tooth, put off by the action, just sat there waiting for what would happen next. Only it turned out, nothing was happening.

The man let out a grunt of confusion before snapping his fingers again. Nothing happened. The man looked around as if waiting for something to happen. He tried snapping his fingers two more times and the situation still did not change. Beta was nowhere to be found.

"Ya' killed 'im! Why?"

The man did not move, but the wolves bared their teeth at Stink Tooth and started growling.

"Fat Belly di'n't do nothin' t' ya'! Non'o us did ya' dum-dum!"

Selsa and Delta snarled at the mouthy ape.

"Wha' did Fat Belly eva' do t' ya'? Huh? Wha' did we eva' do t' ya'?"

The man clenched his fists until his knuckles were white-hot.

"Ansa' me!"

The wolves were about to attack, but then their alpha let out a vicious sound. It sounded somewhere between a hiss and a snarl, but it was all rage-fueled. The wolves stood in place.

The man then pressed an open palm into the pool of Beta's blood. He then slammed the hatchet into the ground, burying the blade into the mud and pulled out the large stick lodged within Beta. The man stood up and faced Stink Tooth, pressing the bloodied palm onto his chest, leaving a crimson imprint of his hand.

Stink Tooth narrowed his eyes at the man, noticing his small human body. The man stared back at Stink Tooth analyzing all the wounds Beta left.

Stink Tooth couldn't help but wonder how a human could do so much damage to three gorians. His curiosity itching again, he had to say it.

"Wha' da' 'eck 're ya?"

The man cracked his neck at the gorian. He reached into his loincloth and pulled out his stone blade and pointed it at Stink Tooth.

Stink Tooth started pounding his chest at the human. He silently dared the man to make the first move. Any move!

Then the man flexed out his arms and let his large fur pelt fall from his shoulders, exposing his thin body. He then turned around and showed Stink Tooth his bareback.

"H-huh?"

Stink Tooth's pounding came to a halt. He transfixed on what he saw, unable to make sense of the sight.

"Wha' da'...?" was all Stink Tooth was able to say.

The man then kicked up the hatchet into the air. Its trajectory arched over the man when he then kicked the hatchet, sending it flying into Stink Tooth's shoulder.

"OOOWW!" Stink Tooth cried out. He tried to pull the hatchet out of his shoulder but was stopped when the man came bolting up to him and launched a powerful kick right between Stink Tooth's legs.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP!" Stink Tooth's legs gave out. He was in the midst of dropping to his knees when the man kicked Stink Tooth's thigh, making the gorian lose balance.

Stink Tooth fell on one knee and swung at the man, but the man was able to easily counter Stink Tooth's fist. In one fluid motion, the man spun on his heel, making the fist miss him by mere inches, and used the momentum to bury his stone blade into Stink Tooth's bicep.

Stink Tooth screamed again but wasn't going to waste time wallowing in pain. He had a friend to avenge.

The foul-breathed ape launched his entire body at the man. But the man was able to counter again, this time swerving himself to Stink Tooth's left and plunged the bloody end of the branch into Stink Tooth's side.

Stink Tooth clenched his teeth so hard he nearly bit the tip of his tongue off. He dropped on all fours trying to swallow his screams, but the man wouldn't even let him do that.

The man stepped onto the protruding end of the branch and hopped over Stink Tooth's back. Landing on the right side of Stink Tooth, he yanked out the hatchet from Stink Tooth's shoulder and moved behind the downed gorian.

Stink Tooth felt the man clench his tail with a vice-grip, making the gorian tense up. The tail was then hacked off in one swing.

"GyyyyAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The man then jumped at Stink Tooth from behind, wrapped the tail around the ape's neck, and pulled with all his might. Stink Tooth was being strangled with his own tail.

Stink Tooth gagged mid-breath. In a panic, he tried reaching around his back, but gorian arms were always so big and bulky making it nearly impossible for them to reach behind themselves. He then started scratching at his throat hoping to fit his fingers under the tail, only to find the tail was sinking into his neck jowls. Stink Tooth tried shaking the man off his back, but he was very resilient and pulled tighter.

Stink Tooth could not believe how much of a beating this small, frail human is giving him. At least with the wolf, he had time to catch his breath and reevaluate his situation, but this man is not so much as giving time to form a thought.

The man kept pulling harder and harder on the tail. Stink Tooth's face was starting to turn from a natural purple to a dark shade of blue. He looked like an over-sized blueberry with eyes, and those eyes were ready to pop out.

Stink Tooth tried to lean forward but the man pulled harder on the tail, making the gorian's head come back. The man then shot his face forward and bit down on Stink Tooth's left ear.

Stink Tooth made a pathetic squeak feeling the teeth bite down harder. He tried to push his face forward again but found that the more he pushed the more the man yanked on his ear.

The man pulled more on the ear, bringing Stink Tooth's head back, and kept pulling and biting down more. With another strong bite and a furious tug, Stink Tooth's ear was bitten off. Stink Tooth couldn't scream and had more tears run down his face.

With a vicious snarl, the man headbutted the back of Stink Tooth's cranium. Head hurting, Stink Tooth started to fall backwards until the man's feet touched the ground. The man then stopped strangling Stink Tooth and tossed the tail aside before kicking Stink Tooth between the legs again.

Stink Tooth shot his head up so fast that he almost gave himself whiplash. In retaliation, he swung a panicked punch around himself. The man then dove below the large hairy fist and somersaulted in front of Stink Tooth.

The man then turned his hips back, retracted a shoulder, and raised a fist. He transferred his weight from his hips, to his shoulder, and to his fist. His knuckles landed right in the side of Stink Tooth's jaw.

Stink Tooth's head started ringing and his vision started to go fuzzy. It was in that instant that Stink Tooth wondered how could such a small creature with such a frail-looking body deliver such a punch? Stink Tooth could almost compare it to Black Eye's punches. He got more to compare when the men delivered another punch to the adjacent side of Stink Tooth's chin. Stink Tooth then fell on his back and the man immediately jumped onto him and delivered a frenzy of punches to Stink Tooth's face.

The man's fists rained down onto Stink Tooth's face like a raging torrent. Each punch struck harder than the last and they just kept coming down faster and faster. The more punches he landed the more bruises form. Then the man's knuckles started tearing into Stink Tooth's flesh, leaving behind large blotches of blood.

Stink Tooth tried to shove the man off himself, but his head hurt so much and everything was going blank. He couldn't even lift his arms up.

Eventually, Stink Tooth's face became so beaten up that he did not even resemble a gorian anymore. He was just a mess of black and blue bruises, coated in blood, and the fists would not stop raining down on him.

The entire world was fading out to Black Eye. His head was ringing so much it felt as though his ears would explode. He was pretty sure most of his teeth were knocked out. More and more bruises and gashes were being formed.

Just when Stink Tooth was ready to go to let his conscious slip away the man came to a stop.

Stink Tooth weakly moaned and groaned. His vision slowly returned to him, only to find that one of his eyes was so bruised and swollen that he could not see out of it. The other eye was almost as swollen as its neighbor but could still see.

Vision returning, Stink Tooth saw the man on top of him, heaving hot breaths. His knuckles were bloody and had chips of tooth and bone lodged into them. Then there were his eyes. Stink Tooth had never seen such eyes. So full of hatred and malice. Even Black Eye never looked so vile.

Stink Tooth wanted to look away but the man grabbed Stink Tooth's face with a crushing grip and made the gorian face him.

The man then let out a spiteful growl and raised a clenched fist over Stink Tooth's face. Stink Tooth tried to shut his eye, but it hurt to blink. So, he looked at the man's hovering fist with anxiousness.

The fist slowly unclenched itself one finger at a time. First came the smallest finger, then the neighboring digit, followed by the middle, the index, and the thumb. An open palm was but a jerk of the face away from Stink Tooth.

The hand did not move. It just stayed in place, casting a shadow over Stink Tooth.

Stink Tooth was not sure what the man was trying to do. He kept staring at the palm as if he was expecting something to happen. But nothing did, at first.

Stink Tooth was not sure if his eyes were tricking him or if he'd been hit on the head too many times (despite knowing full well he was), but for an instant, he was sure that he saw a tiny sparkle in the middle of the palm. At first, he thought nothing of it. It truly was a trick of the eyes. But then it happened again.

Stink Tooth almost blinked, if not for his bruised lids, at the palm. Were his eyes truly playing tricks on him? He wondered how fast it takes someone to go mad? Then it happened for the third time.

There was no mistaking it, something was happening with that hand.

Slowly more and more sparkles appeared. The sparkles started to appear more frequent and lasted longer. Soon the sparkles accumulated into a stable glow. A crimson light was radiating from the hand that illuminated Stink Tooth's face.

Stink Tooth wasn't sure why but the light was absolutely terrifying him. It made his blood run cold, it was so horrid.

Then the man slowly started to move his hand closer to Stink Tooth's face. The gorian was petrified of the approaching hand. As though all hope and happiness were being leeched away by that palm. It was like gazing into a never-ending void of despair, sucking his very essence.

His mind was in a maelstrom. He wanted to look away, but couldn't. He wanted to scream, but his voice was trapped in his gizzard. He stopped breathing. His heart sank down to his bowels. Stink Tooth was not aware at that moment, but he emptied his bowels all over the ground.

The hand was but another tiny movement away from Stink Tooth's face. He started to cry, not like when he was mourning Fat Belly. No, Stink Tooth wasn't crying because he was depressed. He was crying out of fear. Fear beyond any fear he had ever felt in his life.

Then, just before the hand made contact with Stink Tooth, it was pulled away and the glowing stopped. The man had spared whatever horror Stink Tooth was about to suffer.

The man was staring deeply into his hand. He brushed his thumb across his palm then clenched it into a fist again. He let out an exasperated and distraught sigh and grazed his knuckles against his face.

Looking back at the lifeless body of Beta the man let out another sad sigh. He then looked down onto his wolf's killer.

Stink Tooth remained frozen and breathless. His mind went blank as if he fell into a coma.

The man let out a small hiss at the distraught gorian, then he looked back at his hand. Then hung his head, as if he were deep in thought. For several moments, it looked as though he was at an impasse, confused, and unsure of what to do next.

Suddenly the man perked his head right up and let out a gasp of revelation.

The man looked back down at Stink Tooth. He was trying to blink. The man breathed a disapproving grunt before delivering a final punch to Stink Tooth's head.

Stink Tooth's eyes rolled to the back of his head as everything went dark.

A/N: Reviews and criticisms are appreciated.

FairyTail IsLife: I'm glad you like my story so far. You apparently liked it so much that you read and reviewed all my previous chapters in a span of two days. Wow! Also, I have never read nor watched "A Series of Unfortunate Events" ever. So if I have been making Erza say some quotes in reference to that series, it is entirely coincidental. I have also never seen "Brave" but after your review, and by the time I post this chapter I will have seen it. One last thing, there's a reason why I am being so cryptic about the man's appearance. I am not going to say if he is a canon character or an OC because that takes the mystery out of it. But I will say I know who I want him to be and I have a feeling when I do reveal his true identity no one will see it coming.