The night he announced what was happening, a lot of the monsters voiced their disagreement. They claimed nothing good would come from going to that place and trying to discuss anything with a hunter leader. Most of their voices were of worry should he perish or not come back but he reassured them that he would bring the place down to the ground before he died. The royal family were especially worried about him going there but there was one person that didn't want him going alone, Sistine.
He constantly tried to coax her to stay here but she wasn't budging an inch. She was so hellbent on going with him that he wanted her armor placed on her at all times, to which she had to constantly remind him that she wasn't made of glass. There was a reason why he was so hesitant about her going with him, it was more because he didn't want her in harm's way but remembered she's one of the only one's to take down the Corpse-Eater in combat with barely a scratch. He's one of the best fighters in the monster ranks, being ranked fourth in terms of combat, Buck being the third due to his mass and strength.
"Sistine, this won't even be that long." He said as got underneath the covers.
"This is determining the fate of our people and that bastard has the music box your mother gave you. I'm going with you." She huffed and turned towards him. He wanted to say something but saw that her eyes weren't wavering and he only sighed. Ever since he had gotten back from that hellhole she's been awfully protective of him. Her days consisted of being around him, watching the children, teaching some of the others, and giving Michelle tasks. Granted, she still did other duties but those three things were what she did best. Being the queen of an entire colony of monsters was taxing, just as his job was.
"Can't I come?" Michelle chimed in from the other side of him.
"No, and that's final." Sistine snapped, making the other shrink a bit. His face darkened a bit when he noticed something wrong with her and turned her on her side, he felt her stomach and started to sniff it a little bit.
"Sistine... are you okay?" He asked.
"I'm fine." She muttered.
"No, you're not. You smell different." He said while rubbing her stomach a bit.
"... Just go to sleep." She whispered.
"You miss him. I get it." He said. She tensed up and gave off that scent again and he finally placed it, she usually emitted a strange scent when she's stressed, it leaves a tiny sour feeling in him every time he gets a whiff of it.
"I want another child. I want another one but I just don't want to replace him so fast." She muttered. He sighed quietly and kissed her cheek before promising that the time would come, he made her a promise that he knew he could keep. Soon her scent returned to its normal pleasant smell and he felt tired. There was another smell of a mixture of rain and fire. He turned to see Michelle slowly drifting off to sleep and a thought popped into his before he could actually fall asleep.
"Michelle, you will come with us." He said. An annoyed, tired groan made him chuckle while a small gasp made him nod his head at the Goliath in front of him. He nibbled on Sistine's ear for a second then nipped Michelle's nose and nuzzled it with his own for a second before falling asleep shortly after, leaving her with a burning red face. The tiniest smile appeared on her face as she looked at him then brought her body closer to his then fell asleep shortly after.
It must have been a few hours since he had fallen asleep and everything was going good until he woke up for some reason. He carefully sat up in order not to disturb the two but when he looked around, he saw that Rei and Ken were up also. He felt odd, and so did they, but for some reason there was something that was drawing them to the forest and it was bothering them a bit. There was nothing said as the three got their gear on and their weapons on hand. Rei and Ken were waiting by the cave while he leaned over Sistine and Michelle and told them where he was going, giving each a nibble to reassure them he would be back.
The three of them walked out of the cave and saw the stars shining brightly in the sky before they climbed on his back and just hung there silently as he walked closer to the gate. There were a few monsters out and about but it was usually just ones that could not sleep. They bowed at the three royal family members before resuming their own thing while the three siblings just pushed the wooden gate open and walked out into the wilderness. There was something calling to them that they were drawn to, as if it was a sacred thing that was beckoning them to come to its location.
It must have been an hour since they were walking in silence before they came across a black pond that was just sitting in the middle of a small clearing. He knelt down and let them stand by his side before the three of them walked closer to the small pond and looked at its glistening surface. A dark, soothing hum made them get closer to the tar looking substance before Ares threw his mouth forward and began to gulp some of it down. Rei and Ken slowly did the same thing and gulped massive amounts of the black substance down their throats and let it fill their stomachs. Both of their senses sharpened dramatically. Their bellies were beginning to fill with that smooth substance that tasted like they had eaten the most succulent flesh in their lives.
After a while of drinking the substance, they slowly drew their heads up and let the sludge drip down their jaws before they wiped the rest of it away. The three of them didn't know why but it was extremely pleasing to feel the black sludge swish around in their stomachs, giving them a great amount of energy. They looked at one another and sat on the ground while looking up at the night sky for a minute before standing up and walking towards a certain direction. Where another hum was heard, calling them in that direction now.
They didn't know what was going on. All they knew was it had something to do with their mother.
When morning came the three had returned safe and sound. Many of the monsters asked why they had left during the night and he replied with a simple answer that his mother had reached out to him. Needless to say, a majority of the monsters were shocked when he said his mother used to be human but she couldn't be described one anymore. Her ashen skin was as pale as the bone of a Grimm, her eyes were that malevolent red and black that gave veterans nightmares, and the way she spoke about how humanity was flawed made them think she wasn't human at all.
Rei and Ken were bouncing off the walls and practically exploded with happiness so much that it was infectious. The other children were suddenly in a good mood and had to practically beg their parents to let them play, to which they did after some hesitance, and gravitated towards the two. He then announced that he would not be going to the academy anymore, much to the relief of the monsters, and had brought Buck and Brock aside for a task.
"I need you two to talk to them." He said.
"I know I can but what about Buck? The kingdom practically knows his face." Brock asked. This didn't bother the other monster one bit, if it meant ensuring his people were safe from war then he would put aside his differences and go.
"I am well aware, Brock. But if it means we don't have to fight a war then it must be done." Buck said then turned to Ares. "My King, it shall be done." He knelt down on his knee.
"Good. Brock will translate for you. Both of you will act as my representatives for the matter. Remember though, if they are not happy with the terms and attack or try to capture you then it will be considered an act of war." Ares said. Both of them nodded and got their gear before heading out. Buck had ordered all the Behemoths to defend their home to the death, they all nodded and prepped their weapons should he come home with heat on his tail.
It didn't take long for them to start heading out. Their journey was silent for the most part, the only time they talked is when Brock showed him a way to avoid the direction of the cameras and come in undetected, to which Buck remembered instantly. The trip went into minutes then tens of minutes before it started to stretch into hours of travel, only stopping to use the bathroom or eat a meal they had caught. There were barely any Grimm due to how much the monsters hunted them and it filled both of them with a sense of peace.
Buck spotted a camera on a tree and gargled some molten spit before throwing his head forward and watching as the lava bomb slammed against the camera and melted it in the span of a couple seconds before the tree cracked and toppled over from the heat. They looked at one another before continuing their journey. Brock could tell they were a couple of minutes away from the initiation grounds and warned the other monster that there were cameras everywhere and to be careful of what actions he took.
Once they were in the initiation grounds all the cameras zoomed in on them. It didn't take a genius to tell that they were being watched and Buck could only bear his canines at every single camera that zoomed in on them. While Brock looked at least somewhat tame, Buck was completely wild in terms of appearance and personality. His pants were nothing but bison skin and wolf fur while his boots were made of elk, his coat was made of an Ursa hide and his weapons were his fists and club. He could give less than two shits how he looked in front of hunters.
There were very few Grimm that had stalked towards them but had backed off for some reason. They must have been older because the younger ones charged right at them and lunged, only to have their snouts caved in when Buck smashed his fists against them. He ripped their heads off effortlessly and threw their bodies away before continuing the journey to the famed hunter school.
Another hour passed by and they were at the cliff. Brock looked at Buck then jumped up and dug his hands into the cliff and started to climb quickly. Buck on the other hand jumped up and practically shoved his whole hand in the cliff before he started to practically gallop up the cliff, using both his arms and legs to scale the rock formation quickly. It went without saying that he wasn't a monster to be trifled with, each puncture in the stone he made created a large, noticeable dent in the cliff. It took maybe four minutes for Brock to get up there while it took Buck half that time until he leaped up and landed over the edge and looked down to see Brock not far behind.
"This place smells disgusting." Buck commented as he looked at Beacon with slight disgust. He never really liked man-made structures too much.
"Yeah, the view isn't for everyone." Brock dusted himself off then began to lead them to Ozpin's tower.
"So many eyes watching us. I feel like we're marching into a trap." Buck said. He snarled savagely at the group of students and made them run away in fear. It took a slight scolding from Brock to make him pay attention to the task at hand. There were so many eyes on them and it made Buck's blood begin to boil, literally since his muscles were beginning to glow a bit. They took a quick detour and eventually ended up in the hallway where Brock's room was, inconveniently it was down the hall from the girls', making the bigger Behemoth narrow his eyes when he was assaulted with so many scents that it threw his senses into overdrive. While Brock was in his room looking for a trivial thing, Buck was looking at the wall and scratching away the paint with a feral grin on his face.
"BROCK!" Someone's voice shouted at Buck before a mass collided with his back and made him stumble a bit, he could tell it was a girl judging by the pitch of the voice. "Listen, dad and uncle Qrow are mad at you for some reason, do you know what it's about?" The person asked. Buck didn't answer the girl and kept scratching at the paint, maybe Brock was done with putting his shit away so that he could go home.
"Are you okay? You seem tense. Did Yang say something? Are you two breaking up?" The girl questioned. She heard the door to her left open and widened her eyes when she saw Brock's confused face then looked back to the person in front her. If Brock was to her left... then who was the person in front of her?
"Ruby... let go of him." Brock said slowly. She did what he said and backed up before widening her eyes when she saw the man in front of her glare at her with those wild blue eyes. Huge would be an understatement, the man before her was a complete giant. His hair was wild, the tusks on his lower jaw were sharp enough to puncture someone's skin like a hot knife through butter.
"Are you done?" Buck snarled while he still looked at Ruby. The poor girl was practically shaking in her boots while staring at him fearfully.
"Now I am. Stop staring at her, she's obviously scared." Brock sighed.
"... Fine. You are lucky he is here, girl." Buck walked past her and marched to the end of the hall. Brock sighed and sent Ruby an apologetic smile while he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and went up to Buck with some files in his hands. The two made their way outside of the dorm house and into the courtyard, a majority of the students creating a pathway when the giant looked over them.
Ozpin sighed at the report he was just given and tapped his foot rapidly up and down. Glynda fixed her glasses numerous times when she read the report also, this wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Two other individuals were in the room with them, looking stoic as a statue.
"What is it?" Qrow asked.
"The council demand we do something about Ares' tribe." Ozpin said.
"Like, capture them? I don't think they realize what kind of threat that guy poses. So far he's killed numerous huntsmen like they were bugs and he's displaying their bodies up like a piece of art." Qrow replied.
"Exactly why I don't wish to trifle with them. He's dangerous when he's alone but when he's with others, he's almost unstoppable. I sent three veteran teams after him and they turned up dead a day later, claiming that monsters the size of a Goliath was tailing them before they went silent..." Ozpin said. It was quiet for a while before Glynda spoke up.
"From what Brock has said, he doesn't seem interested in us anymore. It's clear he's extremely territorial as displayed when eliminating the teams." She said.
"It still doesn't explain the recent decline in Grimm, Ozpin." The man in white said.
"It's him, Jimmy. That thing is killing everything that even comes close to his home. He's managed to do something that hasn't been done in centuries and that's lower the Grimm population." Qrow said. James Ironwood scoffed at the claim but then remembered something a few months ago about some secret faunus tribe that displayed unique abilities. He then saw on the news about a massacre in Vale when these so called faunus broke out of containment and killed everything in their path, including the staff at the research facility.
"That's... highly unlikely." The woman in white stated.
"Schnee, it just might be true. We had reports of a faunus tribe in the mountains of Atlas that displayed similar abilities." Ironwood scratched his chin.
"They're in Atlas too?" Glynda asked.
"Yes, I sent my men to retrieve a few of them for questioning..." He trailed off.
"And?" Qrow asked.
"We found their bodies scattered across the forest. One soldier managed to injure one of them when he followed them into a cave, he said they had some sort of armor that naturally covered their bodies. He's currently in therapy as of now." Ironwood sighed.
"I'm almost afraid to ask why." Ozpin said.
"He kept reporting that they were eating their victims. Soldiers that had been reported missing from previous dates were found mutilated. He said that they didn't eat him because they must have been full. The children were what scared him the most though, their term of playing was actually vicious bites that left deep wounds in his arms and legs. He escaped when they were sleeping and crawled to the nearest camp." Winter coughed in her hand. She remembered hearing the man blubber about monsters in a cave and scoffed at the idea, only to be filled with enough death to haunt her for the upcoming days when she found teams of soldiers scattered across the cave.
When she stormed the cave with a team of soldiers, she didn't take into account that half of them would be sticking to the walls. She remembered leaving one of the soldiers when the monsters swarmed her and the team, the screams of agony as he was eaten alive by the massive ones that seemed to come out of the cave walls themselves. They had been chased all the way back to camp and prepped for an assault but were taken aback when the monsters seemed to come out of the snow and were just watching them from a distance before turning around and leaving. That day would haunt her for the rest of her life.
"There seem to be... variations of them." She said.
"We already know of two." Glynda said.
"What?" Ironwood and Winter halted to a stop and looked at her. The elevator rang and everyone's eyes waited for the elevator number to reach their level before it stopped and the doors opened. They heard talking and Qrow narrowed his eyes at the doors while Glynda narrowed her eyes at him. She knew who it was and couldn't help but feel regret when she heard what Qrow and Taiyang had done to the boy. A rather nasty looking gash and a broken rib because he was dating their niece/daughter and he didn't bother trying to stop Ares from escaping.
The doors opened up and they saw Brock walk out with some files in his hand, making the residents from Atlas stiffen immensely. Those were confidential files. They all took a step back when there was a massive faunus behind Brock, he was at least a foot taller than the boy. Brock was seven feet tall, give or take maybe an inch or two shorter, this man was a healthy eight feet tall with a bored look on his face. His untamed appearance and the scent of the forest made it very clear that he was from the tribe out there. Closer inspection made them realize that he was one of the escaped monsters from the city.
"Kid." Qrow bit.
"Drunk. I still see that you're drinking your problems away." Brock snapped back. There was a feral chuckle that made them look at the man, who was busy laughing at the comeback. Qrow just muttered something underneath his breath and turned away.
"Brock, what brings you back." Ozpin asked.
"Well, my stay was over and Ares sent Buck and I to come to a sort of... common ground to avoid the war." Brock shrugged nonchalantly. Everyone in the room stiffened, how did he know that?
"There was never talk of war." Glynda tried to reassure.
"Ms. Goodwitch, please don't play coy with me. It doesn't take my advanced hearing to figure out the council want to go to war with the monsters." He said. It was obvious he knew what would happen and was acting as a representative for the monsters.
"May I ask why you have Atlas files?" Ironwood gestured.
"Oh, you know... Ares gave them to me when he escaped that horrible place you sent him. I think I'll keep these, honestly, there's a lot of juicy stuff that will surely tarnish Atlas' current standing." Brock waved the files around, making both Winter and Ironwood stiffen.
"What's he talking about?" Qrow narrowed his eyes.
"You should know, drunk. After all, you drugged Ares." Brock grinned.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Qrow turned away.
"Liar. I'll enlighten you all. Ares went to the forest, fought you, beat your ass blue, you drug him, he gets taken to a 'research facility' in Vale, they do loads of horrible things to him, he escapes, we build a community away from civilization, you all want to go to war, the rest is history." Brock listed. Ozpin and Glynda turned to the other three in the room.
"What horrible things happened to him?" Glynda asked slowly.
"Are you in for a treat-" Brock opened the file.
"Don't!" Ironwood shouted suddenly.
"Why not? Are you afraid of what they'll do when they find out, or are you simply afraid of your sins coming to light?" Brock asked. Buck on the other hand clenched his fists tighter and tighter when he looked at the pictures of that place. There were so many horrible memories and seeing two people from the kingdom that accepted this made his blood boil at an alarming rate.
"Show them, Brock." Buck snarled, putting the others on edge.
"I would usually want to hear what they say but I feel like I'm doing the monsters justice." Brock cleared his throat and began to read the contents. Minutes passed by and Ozpin and Glynda's eyes slowly started to widen in horror when they heard what type of research was happening right underneath their noses. This had been going on for years and not a single person noticed that these monsters had experienced hell itself. Buck's eyes glowed so brightly and his snarling got to the point where his saliva was starting to drip from his maw, showing those canines meant for tearing flesh off bones.
Illegal experimentation that was shunned everywhere yet Atlas had been funding this so called "research" for years and thought nothing wrong of it. Glynda's eyes were so cold that they could freeze the most blazing inferno, there were limits that had to be taken. Creating new weapons was pushing it, especially if it fell in the wrong hands, but this... this was going beyond all boundaries. Experimentation was a vile act on adults but to do it on children? It was downright evil. It didn't help that the children had their limbs and organs taken and treated like experiments rather than free beings.
Ozpin had seen a lot of evil acts since man could wield magic and he had slightly participated in some of these acts but never once did he experiment on children. He may have gotten numerous people killed and each death brought a new weight of guilt to him but never once had he prolonged a person's suffering then using their bodies in such twisted ways of this so called "science". This was crossing the line, even for him.
"Kid, that's enough." Qrow stood up and marched towards Brock but Buck blocked his way and gave a feral snarl at him.
"Ah ah ah." Brock waved his finger then held up his scroll. "How would your nieces feel knowing that their uncle had participated in someone's kidnapping and subjected to a series of twisted experiments?" He asked, waving his scroll around. Qrow felt himself grabbed and thrown into his seat while Buck just stood by, glaring at the four adults in the room. He saw Brock take a series of photos with his scroll before pocketing it and turning back to them.
"You made a mistake." Winter glared.
"Hmm, that may be. You're missing one thing though... how would your baby sister feel when she finds out her idolized sibling participated in such actions?" He asked. Her eyes widened at the thought of her loving little sister shunning her for the rest of her life.
"And people often ask me why I'm disappointed in humanity and faunus kind." He shook his head. The atmosphere was so tense that even Buck shifted around.
"You have them wrapped around your finger. Discuss the terms." Buck said.
"Right, so now that you're all listening and know the backstory. Let's discuss the terms to avoid the war. Ares, before I left, said that he owned all of Emerald forest aside from the initiation grounds. He's letting you keep this as a sign of peace. He also wants you to stay out of his territory and he won't kill anyone. If they take the warning that he first gives them then he's willing to let them go. You all take a single monster from the colony, it's considered an act of war. You harm either Buck or I, it's considered an act of war. You bring an invading army and attack the colony, it's an act of war. In other words, Ares won't attack anyone if they stay out of his territory, same rules apply for him. Personally, I think he's being rather generous." Brock explained. There was no wiggle room about this matter, nothing to dissuade the two monsters in the room from their current terms.
Essentially this was a warning, leave us alone or else.
"We reject. Atlas and every other kingdom will come to Vale's aid for this upcoming conflict." Ironwood said. Everyone looked at him and Buck's eyes narrowed dangerously, was this man really going to risk it when he wasn't even part of the country?
"This isn't up to you, James. This is a matter that Vale needs to decide." Ozpin said.
"No, as a friend, I'm not willing to back down and watch a country fall to a group of rabid monsters." He pointed at the two. Buck was getting ready to lunge forward and rip into the man's torso but Brock held his hand out, he had a calm grin that made him calm in return.
"You are really going to risk the partnership with an ally kingdom all for a petty war that could be avoided. No wonder mankind is doomed, such arrogance and destruction for a race that perceives themselves to be the dominant species." Brock shook his head. He could tell he was his father's son.
"This is not up to you, James!" Glynda shouted.
"No, no... he doesn't want to comply with our terms, then I'll just tell Ares this was a waste of time. I gave you all a fair chance and judging by how that fleet arriving in the distance, I assume you all won't have much say anyways. You know Atlas, prideful until the death. Buck, you can go and tell him, I'm sure he would love to hear how they don't want to accept the fact that we want to be left alone." Brock said calmly.
"He would've made the smarter decisions in his life had they accepted." Buck shook his head and stopped at the elevator. "You coming?" He asked.
"Yeah, just a sec." Brock said before the turned to the four adults in the room. "This is your final chance to stay at peace with us. We just wanted to be left alone. That's all we want. Now you've started a war with a race that outclasses you. So you can hide behind your walls, behind your guns and weapons, you can even hide behind each other. Know when the monsters come out to play... they play for keeps." He grinned and entered the elevator. All was silent for the next several minutes before Ozpin muttered one thing.
"What have you done?" He whispered.
Ares was surrounded by other elder monsters. Buck had returned a few days ago and said that civilization would not let this go, making his worst fears become reality. Was it so much to ask to be left alone? Here they were, living in peace and not even attempting to destroy anything except threats yet humanity wants to rage a petty war to keep some sort of dignity. On the bright side though, Brock releasing that evidence of what happened in that lab had strained the relationship between Vale and Atlas. Tensions between the two kingdoms was so high that it began to draw Grimm.
"We must show them the true strength of the monsters!" A Goliath roared, a chorus of roars made the Goliath nod his head.
"But what of the little ones and mothers? Will they fight too? The sick and weak? Will they have to take up arms even thought their bodies are in such a state?" Mathias asked. He was always the one who thought of those, who could blame him though, his old mate and previous child died to such circumstances.
"Then how are we to display our dominance as the apex species?" The Goliath said.
"By fighting them on our turf. We know these woods better than anyone else." The Corpse-Eater chimed in. It was his job as the General of the army to organize and plan accordingly. Before he knew it, it was a series of snarls and roars as both sides began arguing on how they should defeat this threat to their home before Ares gave a loud roar that silenced everyone in the colony. No one dared to utter a word when they saw his expression.
"We do both. We'll do skirmishes while remaining on our territory and destroy anyone who dares threaten our way of life. We don't have to collide with them head on, we just need to outlast them. Their food and supplies need to be processed. Our's doesn't. They need Dust and contraptions to fight battles, we don't. Push comes to shove, we fight them head on but eventually... they will wither away and die." He said as he picked up some dirt and let it fall to the ground below. They could see in his eyes that he was ready to fight, like he had been during the escape to the city.
"Then... it is settled. We will fight head on in our turf while doing hit and runs." The Corpse-Eater decided. They all nodded and began to slowly disperse while he remained at the meeting spot a little longer before he stalked into the cave. He saw Michelle and Sistine in the bed, with the former glaring at him tiredly. She had a small round bump on her stomach and he could only nuzzle it gently while ignoring her annoyed groans. Sistine woke up and he let out gentle rumbles and kissed her cheek before kissing Michelle's gently. They were his, both of them knew that, granted he had one more but she was too embarrassed to ever confess.
"You did this to me. I hate you." Michelle growled tiredly.
"It takes two. You can't say that you didn't enjoy it." He smirked. "You too, Sistine. Don't say you didn't enjoy it, because you did. I've never seen you make that face before." He grinned. Both of their faces turned red and he enjoyed seeing it, it was always humorous to see them go from monsters to embarrassed girls when he mentions their private moments. They both reached up and gently held one of their hands to his cheeks and it was this moment did he realize how fortunate he had it. He had siblings that were crazy yet loving and kept him sane, he was officially royal blood as of now, and he had two beautiful mates, possibly three, that loved him no matter how violent he was. He didn't want to tell them that a war was coming but he needed to, he needed them to be ready should he perish and left them alone.
"Ares? Ares, what's wrong?" Sistine asked, noticing his face fall slightly and he looked away.
"Civilization didn't agree to my terms... they are preparing for war." He said. They looked at him and noticed that he had that face that held a thousand words, they knew he was preparing a plan for the risks to come but couldn't help but feel... saddened. When they looked at him for the most part he was a proud King and loving family member, but now... he looked like a man who feared of what to come. He felt Michelle's hand guide his towards her stomach and he felt the small bump on it, this was his child and both knew it.
"What were your terms?" Michelle asked.
"I own a majority of Emerald forest while they own the initiation grounds, I'll give a one and only warning to those who stumble on our territory, and won't even bother attacking unless provoked." He said.
"That seems like a good set of terms. Why did they not take it?" Sistine asked.
"The General of Atlas decided that war was a more fitting solution, he let his pride get to him." He answered. Both of them sighed and held the sides of his face in a hand while he just leaned into their embrace. He felt a small sense of peace with them right here. As much as he wanted to stay here and nuzzle them to death, he needed to do his duties for the day. He nipped them one last time and smiled when they gave those laughs he loved before standing up and leaving the cave.
Michelle tossed and turned in the bed. She didn't know if it was because her belly was starting to get bigger over four months and she couldn't get in a more comfortable position or it was because she was hungry, she did have another mouth to feed after all. Turning her gaze to him, she saw that he was asleep and so was Sistine, her face went to a pout and sighed a bit before smirking and getting up. Quietly going to the cooler and reaching inside, she grabbed a piece of elk and stuffed it in her mouth before grabbing another piece and rushing back to bed before the cold air got to her.
"You plan on sharing?" Ares whispered behind her.
"Nope." She said then ate the rest of the meat. He mocked a gasp then was on top of her, making her give a smile at him. Her hands were pinned next to her head while he just hovered over her and gave those nibbles that she usually craved for. Those sharp canines of his were surprisingly gentle against her neck, it often made her purr like she was in heat and desired even the most basic contact. Her blue eyes stared into his orange ones passionately before closing them when their lips met. She tasted like a sweet mixture of blueberries in his opinion. A warm breath tickled his ear and a nibble soon followed after, making the both of them turn to see Sistine smirking at them.
He smirked back and pinned her next, making her quietly yelp in surprise. She laughed when he nibbled her next then blew into her neck with a gentle flame. There was no one in the cave except those three so they didn't have to worry about the noise. She peered up into his eyes before kissing him, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck. In his opinion; she tasted like a coconut, or what he would assume what a coconut would taste like. Both the girls scooted closer to one another so that he could direct his attention to each one respectively, it was his daily dose of affection for the two. They exchanged playful nibbles with each other for several minutes before they heard yawning and a sigh of relief near the entrance.
"Hey, you guys mind if I-" Arachne stopped when she saw the three look at her from under the covers. Her face lit up a scarlet color and she gulped when she could faintly see that they were barely wearing any clothes. Both of the female Goliaths faces were tinted red and they were faintly panting.
"Mind if you what?" He asked.
"Uh, nothing... I'll just leave." She gulped uncomfortably.
"What'd you need?" He asked. She mumbled something under her breath and began to turn away before Sistine called her and beckoned her closer.
"What'd you need? You came here for a reason." Sistine said.
"I was wondering if I could... sleep with you guys. It's cold in my nest and I really don't like the cold." Arachne murmured. The three looked at one another then back at her to see that she really was cold, her body shivered slightly and she looked uncomfortable. They really didn't see the reason to deny her, especially since she was close to them.
"Don't see the reason not to." He shrugged, making her blink. It took a bit of coaxing but she eventually climbed into the bed with them and gave little chitters when she felt her temperature heat up a bit. The three huddled closer to him and let out pleasurable sighs before falling asleep. He squeezed them a bit and slowly shuffled out from the sleeping heap before going to the back of the cave to relieve himself. When he finished and cleaned up a bit, he was heading back to but stopped when he saw Michelle rub her stomach a bit and crack a small smile. He quietly went to the side of the bed and rubbed his hand against her belly and sent gentle rumbles. Her hands cupped the side of his face and her thumb brushed against it softly.
"You're such a big softy now." She teased.
"Says the one who used to be such a hard ass." He retorted. It was quiet for a while as the two just basked in the silence peacefully. "Have you thought of a name?" He asked.
"Mathias said from the looks of it, it's a girl. I want her name to be Emma." She said.
"Emma?" He asked.
"Mhmm." She hummed. He didn't really think of a name up until now but if she seemed happy about her choice then who was he to argue? She had really mellowed out over the time he had met her, her hard ass attitude was really a facade, or it was most of the time. The only time she got territorial was with him or somebody pissed her off to the point where she would openly attack them. Other than that, she was a sweet, caring monster who loved her family as much as she loved her people. He sent a few more quiet rumbles her way and waited until she fell asleep before going out of the cave and towards the gate.
He hadn't seen Eli in a few days and felt the need to do so, tell him the news of what was happening. It always pained him to see the grave at first glance but the pain slowly faded the longer he spent there. After all, it has been a year since his passing... an entire year since his first born died. He just hoped he did right by his second born and kept her in this world.
Time seemed to fly by at the monster home. Before he knew it, it was late winter. He was crouching on a branch with Rei and Ken while other monsters waited patiently for him to give the signal to attack. During the winter months, he often hunted Elk due to their large size and fur, predators often provided large amounts of materials too if they were lucky enough to encounter some. He equipped his bow and pulled out an arrow before drawing it back, listening to it stretch and lined up the shot before letting the arrow fly into the nearest Elk's neck. The arrow had enough force to fly though its spine and kill it instantly, startling the others in the herd. Numerous monsters sprung from their spot on the branches and descended down upon a few Elk.
A few bulls were quickly killed when a few Goliaths slammed their fists on their skulls, killing them instantly. Others were killed when Wraiths would warp to them and cut their throats open with their talons. The rest of the herd managed to escape and the monster didn't pursue them, they still needed food and would let the animals repopulate before hunting them at this scale again. In total, there were at least nine adult Elk that were killed and it would be enough for the monsters. Some of the monsters gave a chorus of roars at their successful hunt while others looked around for any threats, brushing it off when their stomachs rumbled.
Ken saw some different tracks and started to follow them while everyone was counting the kills. He knew that they needed to head back but his curiosity got the better of him and he started to follow them until he reached a small cliff. The tracks suddenly ended and he knelt down to inspect them before standing up. When he turned around, a mountain lion sprung at him and knocked the both of them over the edge and down the hill. His body tumbled down the slope and rolled roughly before his back slammed into a tree.
"O-Ow." He whimpered as he struggled to get up. There were snarls as the mountain lion flailed around to get up and it finally did, looking around and stalking towards him. It sprung at him and he used his wings to levitate into the air and avoid the attack but not before it managed to claw his shoulder and draw blood, splattering it against the snow. It screamed at him and he sucked in air before letting a vortex out, throwing the big cat into the snow and watching it skid across the ground. His wings straightened up as they cackled with electricity before slamming down and releasing a lighting strike, tearing the animal in half and splattering its innards all over the snow. He winced as he leaned against the tree and saw Ares as he jumped down the hill and knelt next to him, holding his wound.
"I told you earlier not to stray too far off. Predators get desperate in the winter." He said as he released some sludge from his mouth and applied it to his wound.
"I know, I know." Ken winced when he felt the burning sensation heal his wound. It took a minute but it eventually hardened and broke off, revealing claw marks that were nothing but mere scars at this point. Ares observed the scars before going to the mountain lion and tearing the head off then burning the flesh away. Nothing but the skull was left and he handed it to Ken, who looked down at it.
"You fought it, you keep the kill. Those are the rules." He smiled. Ken took the skull slowly and carried it before a smile adorned his face, this was the good part of hunting, the trophies you collected when a kill was made. Rei slid down the hill and landed next to them while looking at the skull in wonder before she looked at him.
"Next time, don't be such a dummy." She stuck her tongue out when she lifted her mask.
"Hey, at least I got a cool skull. What do you have?" Ken retorted.
"I got those cool Nevermore skulls." She waved.
"Uh huh... not as cool as these scars and skulls. All you do is play with those little bugs underneath the rocks. Only weirdos do that." He said.
"Why you little..." She tackled him and started to wrestle him while shouting profanities at him. He laughed at her and started to tease her but screamed when she started to twist his wing at an awkward angle.
"Ow, ow! Stop!" He cried out.
"Say uncle and I will!" She shouted.
"Never!" He forced out then wrapped his tail around her throat and pulled her off. It was clear the two weren't going to quit bickering and he pulled them apart. He carried Ken on his back while putting Rei underneath his right arm, it didn't stop them from shouting at one another childishly. The three headed up the slope and eventually made it back to the group. They already had the Elk strung up and were currently waiting for them before heading back to the village, he called it a colony but it was more of a village than anything.
It took an hour and a half but they eventually made it back to the village, watching as the gates opened and monsters crowded around them. There was shrieking and hooting near the cave that made him look up towards it. One of the Wraith midwives shrieked at him then pointed towards the cave, making him set his siblings down and brush past the numerous monsters and up the slope towards the cave. Had he known this was happening then he would've washed the skull paint off his face but now wasn't the time. He followed her into the cave where more of them in their medical masks made of soft grass resided. They were all crowded near somebody but moved out of the way when they saw a hand reach out.
The metallic smell entered his nose but he ignored it and took the hand to see Michelle reaching out towards him. Her face was coated with sweat and she was in pain but still managed to smile at him when she saw him. He was brought close and knelt near her and looked into her eyes before she let out a few quiet noises of agony. This went on for the next several minutes before a small cry broke the silence of the cave. A small smile tugged at his lips when he saw that tiny body wail her little lungs out. Michelle had a few deep breaths and seemed exhausted but kept her eyes open and looked at him. Sistine had done everything and was currently with the other female monsters cleaning the infant. A few minutes later they had her wrapped up and handed her to her parents but also moved in closer.
He took her and sat on the bed while staring at her. She was a tiny thing; weighing what he assumed was six pounds, had dark hair like him but fair skin like her mother, her eyes were a mystery since they were shut but he could only assume what they were. He thanked the midwives and dismissed them while the royal family children entered the cave and gathered around slowly.
"Come on you guys." He gestured them over. They shuffled over slowly and were eventually gathered around, staring curiously at the tiny bundle in Michelle's arms. Their eyes were filled with wonder as they stared at her and winced a bit when she started to cry.
"She's loud." Andy commented as he clutched his ears.
"Of course dummy, she's a baby. All of them are loud." Frost smacked him in the arm. They were pulled closer to the bed and sat in front of it by Sistine, who just smiled at the scene before her while subconsciously rubbing her stomach. It wasn't clear on how much time had passed since they all sat in the cave but it must have been a few hours since the sky was dark. Michelle eventually fell asleep and Sistine took Emma from her arms and rocked her back and forth gently. The children opted to spend the night in the cave and lied out furs on the ground and either fell asleep or made trinkets. He just sat next to Sistine and leaned his head against hers while taking Emma from her arms.
"What made you want to name her Emma?" She asked.
"It was her idea. She didn't know why, she just wanted the girl's name to be Emma." He answered truthfully. She hummed pleasantly and leaned her head against his shoulder before both of them perked up when Arachne strode in the cave. She sat near them and gazed at the tiny bundle in his arms with wonder. He handed his daughter to her gently and watched as she carried the tiny infant with a gentleness he's never seen before. Ten minutes passed by before Michelle sat up and made a small grabbing gesture and took her daughter gently in her hands. She lifted her shirt and started to feed her quietly while breathing in content. It just felt natural.
"You guys should change your bedding, smells like blood." Arachne pointed out.
"We'll do it later." Michelle said quietly.
"Well... it stinks right now so..." Arachne said as she tugged at the sheets and managed to pull them off before being smacked in the face with a tail.
"I will gut you like a boar." Michelle threatened. He chuckled when he saw her attitude resurface before turning when Buck and the Corpse-Eater entered the cave and bowed.
"Congratulations on the birth and we have something to discuss with you." Buck said urgently.
"What is it?" Ares asked while brushing his hand over Emma's head gently.
"Soldiers have been spotted near the edge of the lake." The Corpse-Eater informed, making him stop brushing his hand. They saw his face harden and he got his gear on.
"Show me." He ordered and followed them out of the cave with a murderous expression.
Buck and the Corpse-Eater led him to a spot where the soldiers were crowding together, wearing tundra camouflage. Ares' eyes glowed brightly when he witnessed them, his face was flat but the other two monsters could tell it held a tranquil fury. They understood why though, today was a special day and civilization had the audacity to try and storm his home like they had every right. Each time they hopped on a branch and observed from above, the more they started to hate the intruders. It was clear they must have been new or experienced due to how they moved and kept looking in each other's blind spots but they didn't see him nor the other two.
It must have been an hour of waiting until they saw one of them stray from the group, most likely to use the bathroom. He looked at the Corpse-Eater and he nodded back before silently jumping from branch to branch until he was right above the soldier, his face twisting into a feral grin. Reaching behind him and grabbing a stone shard with a rope attached to it, he threw it at blinding speeds and grinned when it pierced the soldier's neck. If a monster threw an object fast enough and sharp enough at a vital area, they could pierce the user's aura with ease.
The soldier gagged violently and tried to hold the wound in his throat before he felt himself hauled up into the air and dangled like a puppet. He twisted around while trying to dislodge the shard from his neck before he came face to face with the Corpse-Eater, who was staring at him with a smile, before slowly fading into darkness. His body was spun around a few times and shaken to make sure he was dead before being left to dangle on the branch. Blood leaked from the wound and dribbled down the body and into the snow with a soft dripping noise.
Ares saw the Corpse-Eater make a slicing gesture against his neck and nodded at him. The three peered at the soldiers once again and watched as they began to look around for their missing companion, calling out his name but receiving no answer. Three of them went searching and carefully scanned their surroundings while Ares just looked at Buck and slammed his fist against his hand. The Behemoth nodded and sprung from the tree, he landed on the ground with a loud thump before taking off after the three soldiers. Both Goliaths watched as he was practically stomping towards the three soldiers noisily, subtly was never his thing.
"He will alert them." The Corpse-Eater said as he watched the massive monster close in on the three quickly.
"Buck has the best defense out of the two of us. He will survive their rounds." Ares replied, bringing out his bow. He waited until he heard the tell tale sign of fighting before took action.
Buck was surprisingly quiet for a Behemoth, it helped when you had to stalk your prey long distances, which is what these soldiers were. He saw that they came across their dead companion and quietly got behind them. It seemed they were slightly aware of his presence since they turned around quicker than what he had expected and shined their flashlights on him. They began to open fire at his chest while he just growled in pain and shielded his face when he felt the rounds slam into him, taking his armor away little by little. Quickly rushing up the first one, he gripped her by the neck and lifted her into the air before throwing her into a tree. The next one he used his fissure to knock him into the air then slammed his fist against his stomach and knocked him away. Soldier number three ducked underneath one of his swipes and managed to stab him in the stomach but had his head crushed underneath a giant fist in return.
A gurgling noise erupted from his throat and he spat a lava bomb at the first soldier's face. She didn't have time to scream before the lava literally began to eat away at her flesh and bone. He merely moved to the side when the clusters impacted the ground. More rounds impacted his back and he suddenly whirled around to latch his tongue onto the last soldier, bringing him towards his open jaw where a rather sharp set of teeth awaited. The last thing the soldier saw was red when Buck bit down violently on his face and crushed it like a grape.
The sound of footsteps running towards him made him grin a bit when he smelled the last five. All of them aimed their guns at him but jumped back in slight surprise when Ares leaped down from the branch he was on and tackled one of them to the ground. He grinned and gripped the man's leg before swinging onto the ground two times before using his body to smack some of them away. Spinning around quickly, he tossed the man into the trees where the Corpse-Eater was waiting and caught the man. His screams echoed throughout the night as he flailed around in agony when he felt sharp teeth mutilate his neck. Blood flew from the body and literally began to rain down onto the snow and paint it red.
Ares growled in pain when he felt rounds slam into his body and begin to take his armor away. It hurt like hell which forced him to leap across the trees and avoid them while Buck just tanked more and soaked up a majority of the damage. While he did that, the Corpse-Eater jumped off the branch he was on and tackled the squad leader, clamping onto his wrist with his jaws and tearing it apart before howling in agony when he felt a serrated edge knife slash his face. Breathing in air, he burned the Sergeant alive then jumped onto the next one and sunk his jaws into her neck before ripping it out.
The last two began to fire at them while backing up little by little before tossing something on the ground. The three looked at the cylinder shape item before roaring out in surprise and pain when it exploded and blinded them. A horrible ringing noise pierced their ears and they snarled while shaking their heads furiously to get it out. Ten seconds had gone by and their senses began to return to them, the soldiers were gone but they could barely see them rushing towards something in the distance. They immediately took chase and started to cover ground at an alarming rate.
They vaulted over fallen trees and rocks then took to quickly climbing the trees and jumping across the branches. Buck managed to jump a large distance and land on a large branch that was close to one of the soldiers before flicking his tongue out, grabbing the man by the leg.
"No!" The man screamed as he felt his body dragged across the snowy ground and towards the monsters. He quickly brought out his knife and slashed at Buck's tongue, making the Behemoth roar in pain and immediately let go. Quickly getting up and following his companion, he started to enter the bullhead, only to gasp in agony when a fist burst through his chest. He shakily looked down to see his heart in a clawed hand before it twisted and was ripped out, leaving him to look at the last soldier and the pilot before falling over dead.
The last two survivors looked up to see Ares walk inside of the bullhead along with Buck and the Corpse-Eater, each one having malicious expressions on their faces. Each one of them had wounds that would put a normal person down but they weren't normal people. Ares had bullet wounds in his arms and chest, Buck had a cut on his tongue from the last victim, and the Corpse-Eater had a very nasty slash on his face that would scar in the future. They marched closer and the soldier raised his weapon and began to fire it, only stopping when it ran empty. As he began to reload it, Ares ripped the weapon away from his grasp and snatched him up by the neck, raising him effortlessly. He threw him out of the vehicle and into the snow before snapping his fingers for the two behind him. Both his loyal monsters nodded then went to go deal with the pilot, ignoring the man's pleas of mercy.
"You fucking monster!" The man shouted as he brought out his pistol, only to scream in pain when his wrist was twisted at an odd angle and exposed the bone. He felt his head forced up and his eyes widened in fear when he saw the other monsters mutilate the pilot, grabbing both halves of his body then begin to pull, all while a grin was on their faces. Flesh and bone began to tear apart from the strength of the monsters before they body split into two. Splattering blood and organs all over the pristine metal floor and walls. Feral roars were heard from the bullhead and the soldier could only stare with a shell-shocked expression, not noticing the other two march up to him and stare down at him.
"What will we do with this worm?" Buck gestured, flicking his hands free of the blood.
"I know civilization is watching, so let them drown in their despair." Ares answered.
"The lake?" The Corpse-Eater asked.
"The lake." Ares nodded then tied the man with some rope. The three ignored the man when he asked where he was being brought, shutting him up by either kicking him or clawing his face and torso. The tiny camera on the man's chest was capturing everything as he was dragged through the snow. It took about half an hour but they eventually arrived at the lake where he was thrown onto the shore.
"You attack my home, try to kill me or my family and think you can get away with it? You are mistaken." Ares snarled as he dunked the soldier's head into the lake, ignoring the thrashing. Frigid water splashed against his face but he paid no mind and continued to drown the man. Time slowly passed by and the thrashing became more violent as the man started to take in water in a desperate attempt to get oxygen in his lungs. It eventually stopped after a few minutes and he finally brought the head out of the water and stared at it for a second before slicing open the neck and watching the blood spill into the water.
"Go home, you two. I will clean up these scum." Ares said as he crouched down.
"Do you need help?" Buck asked.
"No, rest up and heal your wounds." Ares said as sludge began to pile up around him and encase him. They shrugged and began to head back to the village, not worrying about their wounds but rather their what civilization had in store for them.
Rei, Ken, and Frost trotted into the cave with new items in their hands. Brock had finally been able to visit the village and a lot of the monsters were excited to see what he had in stock. He always brought little items that helped them create weapons or knowledge about the war, often giving monsters a heads up on what was going to happen next. He got Ken a little box to store fish in and Rei a tiny sewing kit to make pillows and blankets; Frost had a very sharp hatchet that she intended to use in the future. In fact, he had a little hut that held shelves for everyone to see his wares. He was their trader that came by with new items that always seemed to run out each time he visited, all he asked for as payment was crafted items or food.
On the bed was Michelle softly swaying back and forth as the her daughter snoozed quietly in her arms. She smiled as the infant shifted around a bit before getting a little bit more comfortable. The three older children peered over her shoulders and stared at the tiny infant that was sleeping. The girls gushed while Ken just stuck out his tongue then poked Emma in her stomach, earning a stern glare from Michelle. She told him to go sit down and waited patiently for him to do so. He kept poking the infant until she had to practically shout at him to stop and go sit down.
It wasn't until Ares came in the cave and told him to sit down did things take a turn for the worse. Ken's cheeks puffed and he strained himself until his face began to turn red from it. Ares sighed angrily and picked up the younger sibling and planted him on the bed then ordered him to stop acting like a brat. Ken began screaming and thrashing around wildly which woke Emma up and caused her to start crying.
He watched as his brother continued to have a temper tantrum and throw things around the cave, there was no telling what set him off today. Emma's wails combined with Ken's screaming of anger pushed Ares to the edge. The girls saw what was happening and walked out of the cave while the boys' bodies started to glow. It took a couple more seconds of Ken's tantrum filled screaming to set Ares over the edge, prompting him to give a loud roar.
"Why are you acting like such a goddamn brat?!" He roared.
"Maybe because I want to spend time with you and you're being all 'I don't have time, Ken.' Maybe that's the problem! You don't ever have time to spend time with me!" Ken shouted back.
"Because there are more pressing things!" Ares responded.
"Uh huh. You always say that! It's always, "No, Ken, I can't go hunting with you today. I want to spend time with Emma" or "Not today, Ken. Michelle, Sistine, and I are going to spend the night at the Keep." You always make up some excuse not to hang out with me. You take Rei and Frost out to places but I'm always stuck by myself!" Ken listed.
"Rei needs more help since she's showing the supernova ability. You're almost done with your learning about your abilities." Ares said. It was silent for a while before Ken suddenly lunged at him and snapped his jaws around his forearm, biting through a bit of his armor and into his flesh. He let out a snarl of pain while trying to pry his brother off but felt the canines dig in further. The two rolled around and started to trash the cave, making loud noises. Every time Ken was pried off and held at a distance he would use his claws to sink into another part of his older brother's body; when that was done he would sink his teeth into another part of his brother's body.
The little fight lasted a few minutes until Sistine burst in the cave with Arachne. Their eyes widened when they saw the state of the cave and both boys were bloody with cuts and bruises. Ares was pinning Ken to the ground while he just thrashed around wildly while snapping violently. Both went to separate the brothers. Sistine was having a hard time with Ares while Arachne was having a hard time with Ken. It seemed their fight turned into more of a one sided brawl. They shouted hateful things to one another that made the girls wince at the insults being thrown.
"This is why I wish that fall on Shear killed us! So I wouldn't have see your ugly face again! I fucking hate you!" Ken shouted as loud as he could and squirmed out of Arachnes' grasp. He grabbed a pouch he made then bolted out of the cave. His eyes barely caught sight of his sister's before he ran towards the gate, diving under a little hole he dug under part of the wall. Calls for his name fell on deaf ears as he ran through the snow, without a direction. Time seemed to fade into nothingness because by the time he stopped running, it was beginning to get dark out.
Choked sobs escaped his lips as he fell into the snow. He didn't ask for much, just that his brother would spend a little time with him every once in a while. He was always alone most of the time, Orca had often went with Andy to go see Behemoths test their might against one another and Frost, Lilith, Kyla, and Mimi often hung out with Rei. His older brother was the one person he could always count on, always spend time with him when needed. Ever since he's been King and had another child, he's been busy to the point where he barely sees his siblings.
His sobs became snarls and his vision started to warp. After a few minutes he was snarling while saliva dribbled from his maw and he caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent. He glided across branches and jumped on some of them to let his stamina rejuvenate before gliding again. An hour and a half of jumping and gliding and he came across a small camp that had people. A voice bounced in his head, it was sweet and feminine, like his mother's. It began to tell him that these people were intruders and wanted to take him away from the wild. It told him to be careful even though they looked unarmed; sometimes looks can be deceiving.
He spotted one near a tent with a gun and his eyes turned to slits. His wings cackled with electricity as he glided over to a branch near the man, who was too busy staring out into space. Globs of saliva dripped onto the man's shoulder and he flinched at first before taking some of it and rubbing it between his fingers. More saliva dripped onto his shoulder before he looked up to see Ken's open mouth diving towards him. He didn't have enough time to even scream before fangs clamped around his face and squeezed tightly. The cracking of bone and tearing of flesh broke the silence as Ken thrashed around and tore his head up. Blood sprayed in the air like a geyser and splattered against some of the tree and tent before the body crumbled to the ground, a large hole gushed blood profusely.
A noise inside one of the tents made him crawl on all fours and head towards it. He peeked inside to see a male on top of a female, kissing her passionately. This went on for a few minutes before the female suddenly yelped in fright when she saw him on all fours, staring owlishly at the two. It was silent for a minute while he just stared at the two gulped when he suddenly crawled in the tent with them. They backed up when he sat down and continued to stare at them. He hadn't blinked for the past few minutes.
"Look..." She pointed. The male followed her finger and saw the familiar set of wings. There was a reason they were out here, to study the tribe of faunus that had escaped the city months ago, and here they were close to one. Ken's wings opened up and filled the space in the tent before cackling with electricity brightly. The illumination of the electricity was enough to hide his intentions as he suddenly gripped both their necks and started to flood electricity in their bodies. Their nerves were on fire and they tried to pry his hands off but every time they touched him more electricity entered their bodies and fried their nerves.
From an outside perspective, his wings stretched out while the two of them convulsed violently while his tail whipped around wildly in excitement. A few minutes later and the couple was dead in their tent, bodies charred and twitching violently every once in a while. There was rustling in the last two tents and a feral grin popped up on his face before he stalked into one of them.
A missing persons report of a family of four and their friend would pop up on the news in the future after tonight.
It took almost a day and a half to find Ken where he killed that family. It was hard because he barely left a scent or a trail to follow and only through his gut did he find his little brother. Sistine and Michelle were rather pissed at him for shouting those hurtful things to his brother while Arachne was on the same boat as them. He took Sistine, Arachne, Rei, and Frost with him to help look. They weren't really prepared for what they saw when they found him.
There he was in the middle of what looked like a horror movie aftermath. A corpse on the ground with a rather vicious bite wound that took the face, two bodies inside a tent, and two more mutilated nearby. Both of the kids were teenagers at latest but had body parts missing. They could see him biting into something and the girls froze when they saw one of the arms from the teenagers in his arms. His teeth tore into the appendage and ripped some flesh, it stretched a bit before suddenly ripping off and he slurped it into his mouth before diving back into it. His tail whipped around back and forth wildly as he dug his teeth into the meat more.
Ares walked behind his little brother and touched his shoulder, his eyes widening when he saw his eyes. Ken's eyes were black and red. There were cracks around his eyes that pulsated a malevolent purple and red. He didn't seem to notice any of them and only focused on his meal some more. Most of the flesh was gone and he tossed the half eaten arm away before grabbing a leg and sunk his teeth into it.
"Ken." Rei said. She flinched when he looked at her before turning back to the leg and ate some more. Nobody knew what was wrong with him, he was more feral and violent by the looks of it and he completely disregarded the fact that he killed an entire family. Granted, they were still on monster territory but they weren't even remotely close to the village so it didn't bother them too much. What bothered them was that he was killing without a reason.
Ken only killed someone if they were a threat, these people weren't a threat. They were innocent despite one of them having a gun.
After a while he finished the leg off and sighed in relief, he had been rather hungry and these people were the only source of food nearby so it made sense that he at least did something with their bodies. He turned to see Ares talking to him but his voice was drowned out, so all he could do was blink owlishly at him. The only thing he caught was that they were going home now and that it would be a long walk. He saw Frost and Rei jump on Ares' back but he just walked next to everyone. There was a bunny that was injured and they were about to leave it alone for its fate but stopped when he took his knife and began to skin it alive, ignoring its squeals of agony. The bad thing was that he didn't even do anything with it, just tossed it over his shoulder and continued to walk.
This was the thing that worried everyone, he was never this violent. Ares told him to stop and he did but not before killing another animal and leaving its corpse to bleed out in the snow. He was extremely volatile now and the smallest thing set him off into a violent frenzy; a bird chirped and he threw a knife into it, a deer looked at him and he threw banshee mines at it until its corpse was nothing but a steamy pile of flesh. He didn't even take their skulls as trophies anymore.
The trip back to the village took several long hours of silence and they arrived around midday. Once he got into the cave he grabbed some more supplies then quickly left again, he went to Mathias' hut for his missed lessons and stayed there for a while. Every time one of the royal children tried to hang out with him he just replied in an emotionless tone that he was busy. Rei and Frost tried to hang out with him but were cut off when he went to the back of the cave and began making weapons.
He made so many serrated knives and spears that it began to pile up behind him. A mass sat next to him but he didn't notice since he was working on a club, a cough shook him from his stupor and made him drag the carving knife too much and cut too much off from the handle. He flew into a blind rage and threw the club against the wall before flipping the table and throwing pots against the ground while giving out snarls and growls. His eyes caught sight of who coughed and his gaze fell on Mimi, who was practically vibrating with fear when he black and red eyes stared into her.
"What?" He snarled.
"I-I-I was just w-wondering if you'd like some h-help." She shook fearfully.
"No! I was doing just fine until you showed up! Get lost!" He shouted. His eyes started to glow more as he peered into her shrunken ones before he sat down angrily. She didn't want to anger him more and shuffled out of the cave with tears in her eyes. The bracelet on his wrist was ripped off and torn apart before being thrown onto the ground, scattering it all across. His mood turned worse than what it already was and he climbed onto his top bunk then covered himself head to toe in his blanket.
Something woke up inside of him and it wasn't good either. He had the sudden urge to kill everything. Rage of murder were the only things on his mind and he needed something to kill in the next day or he'd lose it.
Everyone could see that Ken's condition was growing more and more violent as days passed on. Ares saw it the most though. He pushed all his pride down and started spending time with his brother more but there was a cost. There was something wrong with his little brother and it concerned him greatly, predators were easily killed and he could see the boredom in his eyes. He wanted more of a challenge. Those normal glowing blue eyes that he always enjoyed seeing were gone and replaced with red and black like his mother's. His jovial personality was replaced with a crude and bitter one, and his love for exploring was switched for his desire to kill everything he deemed a threat or was a challenge.
Ken was changing... not in the way everyone wanted though.
"Ares... I'm worried about him." Sistine lightly bit the joint on her index finger as she and him watched Ken spar with the Corpse-Eater.
"I am too. He's growing more and more violent as the days pass." He sighed, only to wince a bit later when a barbed tail impacted his brother's stomach and made him cough up saliva and blood.
"Do you think it has something to do with the argument?" She asked.
"Could be. Could be because he drank some of the black sludge from a Grimm pool with Rei and I." He shrugged. She saw him clench his fists when he said that. That could be the reason but every time someone tried to talk to him or corner him, he got aggressive and lashed out violently. Frost tried to confront him one day and made the mistake of backing him into a corner; she suffered from a minor concussion and numerous claw marks on her body.
Both looked up to see him land on all fours before straightening his wings. Everyone thought that he was going to perform a lighting strike but widened their eyes when he suddenly shot forward, air kicking up behind him. The Corpse-Eater crossed his arms in an x formation as Ken flipped forward and slammed his tail against his arms, throwing the older monster back. He tried to do it a second time but the Corpse-Eater moved out of the way the threw an open palm up and hit him in the stomach. Ken's cheeks puffed up for a second before a glob of spit flew out of his mouth and he landed on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.
As he was getting up, a drum signaled that their sparring session was at an end.
"You did exceptionally well, little one." The Corpse-Eater complimented. He saw Ken slam his fist against the ground and storm off, snarling at anyone who got in his way as he made his way towards the cave. He sighed then walked up to Ares and Sistine.
"He's-" She couldn't find the words.
"He holds the spirit of a berserker. I've seen monsters hold this much anger on my time on Shear but him..." He trailed off.
"I don't know, either. I know it has something to do with our argument a few days ago but he's never been this angry." Ares said.
That wasn't the only thing, he was worried because Ken used to always enjoy being around others but now... he said he'd rather die alone than spend time with anyone, he even went as far as telling Rei to leave him alone or he'd kill her. There are even times when he'd sleep outside in the cold than spend more time in the warm cave. There was something was wrong with him and it wasn't going to be resolved any time soon.
Dark times were coming.
I'm not going to lie to you guys and say I don't expect this chapter to be any good but goddamn, it feels good to actually get this uploaded. I'm not looking for any of you to be like, "Holy shit, this chapter is 10/10" because that would only get my hopes up. There are a lot of plot holes in this chapter, I already know, but I needed to get this out because it's been on my mind for the past four months. I just needed to get this out before school starts to really lay the smack down on me. Nothing more needs to be said at the moment other than review times.
Specter343: I would say about the mix breed between monsters, no. Humans though... there might be a small chance that a human and a monster could produce a half breed.
HAIL KING DELIRIOUS: One of them will soon meet their end, just the matter of which one.
skeletalpheo: I try not to make my characters flat and thank you. I'll try to keep your expectations.
mteran305: Here it is.
hornig3: Huh, what a coincidence.
pedrofaria339: I did use it as inspiration, yes. I'm not going to lie and say that I thought of it all on my own.
Silverfox72: Here's another chapter.
Th3DoomSlay3r: Yeah, it broke around that time but I got it fixed. As for the story updates, it's kind of random, and as you can see I'm too busy with school to actually upload like how I want to. Work is also another reason.
Imperial Germany: It's updated. And another chapter should be rolling in around this weekend or next week.
kimiko 4: Yeah, I'm still kicking so that's good.
Godzilla: Thank you.
NightHawk The Warrior: It is. As for the huntsmen and huntresses, I'll try to beef them up a bit, I'm not very good at fight scenes as you can tell but I have been improving a bit so there's that. As for SSSN, yes they'll show up.
Mechasonic: There are subspecies. Mathias is an Elder Kraken so yes.
jaalco: I dunno, I'll probably have them included in the future but no guarantees. I'm trying not to add too many characters.
If you've stuck around for this long then thank you for sticking around, if not... oh well. I'm not asking for you guys to enjoy all my chapters like they were the greatest thing but at least show some respect and not bash on them. I literally go out of my way to bring you at least a decent chapter in a story so the least you can do is show some respect and not bash on it. If you don't like then don't read it, there are millions of stories on this site.
Don't have much to say other than thank you and have a good day, everyone.