Wood wood wood wood wood wood!
Munch munch munch munch munch munch!
Tree tree tree tree tree tree!
Gotta find tree! Gotta find wood! Gotta munch! Gotta find tree and munch wood!
Tree wood munch! Tree wood munch! Tree wood munch! Tree wood munch! Tree wood munch! Tree wood munch! Tree—
Tree?
TREE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCH!
Wood so tast—
TREE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCH!
Tree is gone. Belly is ful—
TREE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCH!
Fun to munch on—
TREE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUN—
Voice calls him.
Munching stops.
Voice is familiar. Oh! Pack member is calling him.
Pat tail on ground in greeting.
Pack member is giving them the look.
Uh oh.
Pack member is not happy with him.
They scowl him and point at stumps.
Heh. Stupid trees. They never stand a chance agains—
TREE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCH!
TREE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCH!
TREE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCH!
TREE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHUMNCHMUNCHMUNCH!
TRRRREEEEEEE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUN—
Scream?
Pack member?
No.
Scream doesn't sound like pack member.
Scream sounds young.
Scream sounds like… other pack member.
Pup?
Scream again!
Pup is in danger!
Running towards scream. Save pup! Save pup!
New scent hits nose.
Oh!
It must be the pup's smell!
Along with bad smell.
Danger.
Pup is in danger!
Running towards pup.
Found pup!
Pup is surrounded by metal monsters, holding broken stick to keep them back.
Pup is in danger.
Growling, lunging, biting down on closest metal monster and rip off its head.
Metal monsters attack, they fight back.
Tall metal monster shoots lighting at them, hitting them in the arm.
They swing their tail, sending tall metal monster flying.
Animal metal monster charges at them.
They charge back, meeting metal monster head on.
Heads collide.
Ringing in ears, but manage to shake it off and bite down on metal monster's face.
Another metal monster is charging at them.
They swing the metal monster in their mouth at them, colliding metal monster against metal monster.
Pain.
They scream out, whipping around and biting down on tall metal monster that returned for more, chomping into its disgusting tasting insides and ripping it to shreds.
Something rammed into their side, sending them to the ground.
Their side and arm flared with pain.
They get back up, growling that the metal animals.
Metal animals charge at them.
They charge back.
One goes down, but the other dodges their advancing attacks.
Claws barely scrap them.
Tail can't reach them.
Teeth can't get them.
Too fast. Too FAST!
Suddenly animal metal monster has a stick in its eye and lets out a terrible scream that hurts their ears.
They slap it down with tail, hitting it over and over till it's still and flat.
They slap tail down on it again for good measure then snort.
Blood is filling their smell.
They turn to look at pup.
Pup seems okay.
If pup was alright, everything was alright.
They get closer to pup, sniffing them carefully.
Pup pats their nose.
Tells them they did good.
Tail wags.
They did good! They did good! They di—
TREE!
MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCH!
)*(
"WOLFGANG! NO! STOP! STOP! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP RIGHT THIS—! EEP! NOOOO!"
"Get back here Tiny Man!"
"NO! NOT IN A MILLION LIGHT YEARS!"
"Tiny Man will come to Wolfgang's hands!"
"IN YOUR DREAMS!"
"Tiny Man!"
"AND STOP CALLING ME TINY MAN! I'M NOT SHORT!"
"Get him Mister Wolfgang!"
"WEBBERYOU'RENOTHELPING!"
The peace and quiet of the forest had long been shattered as Wilson kept screaming at the top of his lungs as Wolfgang chased him around with Webber ridding on his shoulders. This had been going on for a while now since the first rays of sunlight came up, and the scientist had been running for his life ever since he woke up.
"Tiny Man! You will come to Wolfgang!"
"Please Mister Wilson! We're just trying to help you!"
"BITE ME!" Wilson rounded a tree, running towards an area he hoped he remembered correctly.
"Tiny Man cannot out run Wolfgang forever!"
"Yeah! You have to be getting tired soon Mister Wilson!"
"That I am Webber!" Wilson smirked as he spotted what he was looking for, making a mad dash for it. "BUT YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME SUCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKEEEERRRRRSSSSSSSSSSS!" Wilson dived to the ground, jumping right into the open mouth of a Worm Hole.
Wolfgang skidded to a halt, looking down into the open mouth in the ground with wide eyes. "The ground ate Tiny Egghead Man!"
"Nooooo! Not Mister Wilsoooon!" Webber cried, jumping off of Wolfgang and kneeled next to the hole. "He was doing so well! He didn't die for days! Mean ground! How could you eat our friend?!"
"Wolfgang will SMASH Ground Mouth!"
While the two continued to shout death threats at the (very very confused and with slightly hurt feelings) Worm Hole, Wilson popped right out the other end fine and dandy. (Landing on his face and covered in slime, but still fine.)
"HA! Showed them! I knew neither of them knew about Worm Holes! They'll never find me now! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" Wilson laughed to the sky, giggling madly with glee. His giggling stopped short however as a shadow creature stared at him from a distance. When their eyes made contact, it slithered away into the shadows. "… eh heh…" He took off in a sprint.
)*(
"Seriously? How could you guys not know about Worm Holes?"
Wolfgang tapped his fingers together looking down at the ground in shame as Webber fidgeted. Willow sighed, running her hand over her face. "Okay. Okay. We still have plenty of daylight left. Wilson couldn't have gone far. Especially with this heat out today." She looked up at the clear sky.
The sun's rays were coming down harsh on the land, baking the earth to a crisp and cinder. "With that beard on his face, he's bound to stop somewhere and rest. Or fall over with heatstroke." Willow shrugged. "Whichever comes first I guess."
"So what now?" Webber asked as Willow took off her backpack.
"We split up and find Wilson." Willow took out a pair of straw hats, handing the hats to Webber and Wolfgang. She took out a chilled thermal stone as well and placed it underneath Webber's hat. "Make sure you guys don't overheat okay? I don't want everybody getting heatstroke out here. Now, go out there and find our geeky scientist!"
"Right!" They both saluted her, heading off into a random direction. As soon as they were gone, Willow sighed.
"Honestly Wilson. Running away like a little kid? That's really not very gentleman like." Shaking her head, she stepped towards the Worm Hole, jumping inside the open maw. "And they could at least followed you in here!"
Landing out on the other side, Willow gagged at the thin cover of slime on her body. "Take the Worm Hole Willow. It's perfectly fine Willow. I jump in them all the time Willow. No you can't burn them Willow. Yuck!" Willow flicked the slime off her face. "When this is all over, you and I are going to have a loooong talk about your sanity mister."
Standing up, she glanced around the area, looking for any clues that could lead her in the right direction. "Now where could that nerd run off to?" Her eyes landed on a stray straw hat laying on the ground.
A straw hat covered in a thin dry coat of slime.
"A-ha!" Willow smirked, snatching the hat up as she walked forwards. She hummed to herself as she took off bits and pieces of lose strains of grass and burned them to bits with her lighter. "What do you do when your friend's gone mad? Don't you think that it's so sad? What do you do to a broken lad? Do you think that it's so bad?" She smiled, her humming tuning into a song as she continued on.
I once knew a man who wanted to conquer the world with his mind~
His eyes gleamed with hidden ideas and had unquenching thirst for knowledge~
Mad, they all said~
Mad they say he was~
Day in and out he throws himself into his studies~
Day in day out, lost in his own little world~
Day in day out~
Day in day out~
Show him stone, he turns it into a gem~
Show him a bird, he makes it disappear with a word~
Day in day out he throws himself into his studies~
Day in day out, lost in his own little world~
Day in day out~
Day in day out~
There's a fire in his soul, one that burns brightly~
How he clings to this light very tightly~
This world will see my great inventions~
They will marvel and awe at this fine comprehensions~
Mad, they all said~
Mad they say he was~
Day in day out he throws himself into his studies~
Day in day out, lost in his own little world~
Day in day out~
Day in day out~
Show him stone, he turns it into a gem~
Show him a bird, he makes it disappear with a word~
Day in day out he throws himself into his studies~
Day in day out, lost in his own little world~
Day in day out~
Day in day out~
I visit him every day, to see and marvel at his creations~
He lets me in into his little world~
It's full of interesting things, full of surprises~
Oh how it makes me smile~
Mad, they all said~
Mad they say I was~
Yes it is mad to see a mad man~
But who is the one who's mad~?
A man of science or a lady of fire~?
Who is more mad~?
A lonely man trapped in his own little world~?
Or a girl trapped in the real world~?
Who is more mad~?
Who is more mad~?
Who is more mad~?
…
Day in, day out~
Lost in our own world~
Day in, day out~
Oh how it burns~
Day in, day out~
He makes me smile~
Day in, day out~
He makes life worthwhile~
Day in, day out~
Throws himself into his studies~
Day in, day out~
Needs to be pulled out of his worries~
Day in, day out~
Needs a friend to burn away his worries~
Day in~
Day out~
Show him stone, he turns it into a gem~
Show him a bird, he makes it disappear with a word~
Day in day out he throws himself into his studies~
Day in day out, lost in his own little world~
Day in day out~
Day in day out~
Day in~
Day out~
Humming the last of her little song, Willow glanced up. Her little walk led her to a Savanna. "Well isn't this a nice sight! A Savanna! Wow! Look at all this grass." Her eyes landed on something, smirking. "It's such a good thing I came across this Savanna. Wouldn't want anybody I know here right now." She took out her lighter, smiling evilly as she went over to a certain plant. "Especially since summer is a nice time to burn things to a—"
"DON'T YOU BLOODY SCIENCE DARE!"
Willow clicked her lighter close, placing her hands on her hips and glared. "Bingo." Willow smirked as Wilson let out a small 'oops'. "Thought you could escape through a Worm Hole huh?"
"Well it certainly worked on Webber and Wolfgang. But how did you manage to find me?"
"You dropped this." Willow held up the straw hat. "And you're literally hiding in a bush hat in the mild of a Savanna."
"… Point taken."
Willow sighed, shaking her head. "Wilson. Come out of the bush."
"No!"
"Will."
"No!"
"Will!"
"No!"
"Wilson Percival Higgsbury I did not chase you through spring and over half of the bloody summer just to have this conversation with you! You get out of that bush this instant!"
"No!"
"You're acting childish! I thought you were a gentleman!"
"I am! You're the one acting childish!"
"I am not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"I am not!"
"You are too!"
"I am—you know what? Screw this. Get 'em Wolfgang!"
"Wha—ACK!" Willow smiled as the strong man snuck up behind Wilson, grabbing him by the bush hat and lifting him off the ground.
"Good work big guy!" Willow patted the strongman's arm, smirking at the glaring Wilson.
"Release me this instant!" The scientist growled, kicking his legs out wildly.
"Oh we'll let you go." Willow placed one hand in her pocket, pulling out an item that made Wilson freeze up. "Right after we shave off that ridiculous eyesore!"
"It is not an eyesore!"
"Wilson you've been growing that beard out since last winter!" Willow waved the razor around, ignoring the flinches from Wilson when it went even a smidgen close to his face. "It's the middle of the bloody summer! It has to go!"
"No! You can't get rid of it!" Wilson tried covering his hairy face, which was hard to do since there was more hair than his arms could conceal.
"You found him!" The three adults turned their heads, watching Webber running up to them.
"Listen Wilson." Willow point the razor at him, glaring at him with one hand on her hip. "We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way."
"If you're keen on shaving something, why not shave off Webber's beard instead?" Wilson pointed at Webber's face, which had some webbing starting to gather around his face.
"Because his beard isn't as bad as yours! Seriously Wilson! What compelled you not to shave your beard for nearly eight months?! That thing is more trouble than it's worth! It nearly killed you multiple times with heatstroke and tripping your own face because it's so bloody long!"
"It's not long!" Wilson protested, but Willow grabbed the end of his beard, holding it out to Webber.
"Webber, go run around with this."
"Okay!" Webber took the end of the beard, running off laughing with the thick hair.
"This is absurd! There's nothing wrong with my beard!"
"Mister have you even seen yourself in the mirror lately?! You look like a monster version of a Beardling! Not to mention how much of struggle it's been to keep you alive because of it!"
"You were snuggling in it before." Wilson muttered.
"That was in winter! This! Is summer! With heat and fire and Dragonflys and forest fires and Red Hounds and monsters and everything! Wolfgang! Tell him how much trouble his beard has been!"
"Wolfgang does not like Tiny Man's beard." Wolfgang put in his option, not really paying attention to the conversation and instead watched Webber run around boulders and grass with the beard, completely wrapping them in hair and still going.
"See? Wolfgang doesn't like it. I don't like it. Webber especially doesn't like it."
"Guys look!" The adults looked at Webber. "I'm a mini monster Beardling too!" The spider child giggled, covered in the thick beard and even fuzzier than before.
"… Well Webber doesn't seemed to mind it."
"… HOLD HIM DOWN WOLFGANG! I'M SHAVING IT OFF!"
"Wait WHAT NOOO!" Wilson screamed as Willow started shaving off the ridiculously long beard while Wolfgang held down the scientist. And poor Webber could only look on in confusion as Wilson cried and screamed for mercy, kicking his legs like a child.
)*(
"See? Now was that so hard?"
Wilson grumbled something under his breath, his face clean of any beard hair and now covered in razor cuts. Willow only smirked, patting the scientist on the back.
"Oh re-lax. At least you won't have to worry about killing yourself with heatstroke now. And we've got a lot beard hairs to make plenty of Meat Effigies!" Willow looked back at Wolfgang, who was carrying the said offending item with Webber helping carrying the end of it. (Said item look like two black haired Beefalos stacked on top each other.) "Besides, you look better without a beard."
"Oh what a complement." Wilson sighed, quickly making his way over to the Alchemy Engine grumbling under his breath.
"Is Mister Wilson going to be okay?" Webber asking, holding the end of the beard over his head.
"Oh he'll be fine. This isn't the first time he had to be hunted down because of his beard." Willow waved off the worry. "I used to chase him around trying to make him shave his beard off long before you guys showed up." She looked at the beard. "Now… where are we going to put this?"
)*(
Summer was an easy time of the year. At least that's what everybody assumed it to be since food was easier to gather and the only worry they needed to be aware of was the Hounds, monsters, Antlion (though Wolfgang already took care of that little problem), and the Dragonfly.
(And trying to get Wilson to shave his beard every time the hot season rolled up.)
The main concern was mostly focused on the heat as nobody (besides Willow) could handle the hot temperatures for so long. While the Ice Flingomatic helped prevent any unwanted fire in their camp (everybody kept a close eye on Willow) half of the group stayed near the Endothermic Fire to keep cool.
The other half however.
"Wilson get your butt over to the fire right now!"
"No! I'm nearly through with a breakthrough Willow! I need to stay with the Alchemy Engine!"
"Wilson you are literally burning over here! You need to get in the shade right now!"
"Ten more minutes! Fifteen?! Just long enough for me to finish this!"
"I SWEAR YOUR STUBBORNNESS KILLS YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS WORLD!"
"Wolfgang is impressed Tiny Man has strong grip on tiny machine."
"Mm hmm." Webber nodded his head, nibbling on his Melonsicle. He and Wolfgang were watching the pair argue over a few minutes now, watching Willow try to pry Wilson away from the Alchemy Engine which the scientist refused to budge his grip on the machine.
"I just need more time Willow! Just a bit more!"
"You are burning to death!"
Wolfgang shook his head, rubbing the sweat off his face. "Wolfgang needs ice." He stood up away from the fire, heading over to the ice box.
"I'll be done quickly! Just let me finish this first!"
"I will literally take you and the machine and throw you into the fire if I have to!"
Wolfgang rummaged around in the ice box, knowing that Wilson stored some ice cream somewhere inside the tiny box in the back. He smiled as he pulled out his prize. In one gulp, the cold treat was gone, cooling the large man down. "Much better!" The strong man smiled, standing up to head back to the blue fire. However he spotted something that made him pause.
"An hour! I'll be done in one hour!"
"WILSON—!"
"THE HUNT IS ON!" Wolfgang suddenly shouted, snapping everyone's attention towards him. "Ha ha! Today is good day to hunt! Come friends!" Wolfgang went over to the pair, grabbing Willow and effortlessly pulling Wilson off the alchemy machine, placing them both on his shoulders. "The hunt calls for us!"
"W-Wolfgang wait! I-I need to finish something first!" Wilson tried to scoot off the strongman's shoulders, but Wolfgang held him firmly.
"Nonsense! The hunt waits for no one! Come Spider Child! We hunt for glory and meat today!"
"B-But Wolfgang—!"
"Oh relax Wilson. There's nothing wrong with going on a little hunt." Willow reached over Wolfgang's head to pat Wilson on the shoulder. "Besides, you really need to get out of the sun. Your skin is starting to turn pink." She pointed at his arm.
Wilson glanced at himself, viewing the reddening skin that was starting to hurt. The straw hat on his head was failing to keep him safe against the sun. Sighing in defeat, seeing as there was no way out once Wolfgang wanted everyone to go on the hunt with him and Webber was bringing spears for everyone anyway, Wilson resigned to his fate. "Well, as long as nothing goes wrong, I guess it wouldn't hurt to hunt a—"
)*(
"VAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRG!"
Everyone was running for their lives as Hounds and a Varg were hot on their tails.
"A Varg! A VARG! OF BLOODY SCIENCE COURSE IT HAD TO BE A VARG INSTEAD OF A KOALEFANT!" Wilson screamed, yelping when a Red Hound nearly bit him in the rear.
"Okay! I admit! This isn't looking too good!" Willow took a chance to glance behind them, counting the number Hounds that were on their heels. "I think a Ewecus would be better than this right about now!"
"I DON'T WANT TO BE BITTEN BY A VAARRG!" Webber wailed, running in front of the group.
"Wolfgang can take on Big Puppy!"
"Oh no! Not with that many Hounds mister! Just keep running!" Willow pulled Wolfgang along, making sure the strongman didn't go through with his suicide mission. "Wilson! Any plans?!"
"Just one! RUUUUUNNNNN!"
"Great plan dork!"
The group continued to run for their lives as the monsters continued to chase after them, wanting the taste of blood on their teeth. Seeing as their pursuers were not stopping their hunt, Willow and Wilson looked around for a way to go that would help them.
Wilson spotted a forest.
Willow spied some Beefalo in the distance.
Both were in opposite directions from each other.
"THIS WAY!" They both shouted, not realizing they were heading opposite directions as Willow took Wolfgang and Webber towards the Beefalo and Wilson, too caught up in his fear to survive and not be Varg food, ran into the woods. Immediately, seeing their prey separate, the Hounds split off. One half chasing after Willow and her group and the other along with the Varg chased after Wilson.
Wilson ducked into the trees, running deep inside them in hopes to lose the Hounds chasing him, unaware that he was alone. "Keep running! We can lose them in here!"
His heart skipped a beat as the howl of the Varg echoed in the air behind him. The sound of Hounds barking were gaining on him. "Willow, this is going to sound crazy, but I need you to set the forest on fire! If we set the trees on fire and make it out to safety, we can trap the Hounds in here and burn them! Okay?! … Willow?!"
When Wilson finally realized that he was alone, being chased by Hounds and the Varg, his heart dropped lower than his stomach.
"OH BLOODY SCIENCE!" He screamed out, high tailing it as fast he could.
He ran between trees, through bushes, jumping over stones, and avoided the sharp fangs of the Hounds that tried to bite him. There was no way he was going to die at the jaws of a Varg today. It was already troubling keeping his Meat Effigies from burning up in the sun, up he had a pretty nice surviving streak going on right now.
"Leave Me Alone You Walking Fleabags! Go Hunt A Gobbler Or A Tallbird Or Something That Isn't Meeeeee!" Wilson pleaded, jumping out of the way of the Varg's snapping teeth. "STOP CHASING—!"
The ground beneath Wilson's feet vanished, and suddenly he was falling. He didn't have time to grab anything or register what was happening or dodge the Varg's teeth that barely got the chance to get its jaws around his head as he plummeted down deep, deep into the darkness below, screaming as he descended from the surface world to the underground.
His mind only thought of one thing through all the fear as he spiraled into the darkness.
How no one but the Hounds and the Varg only knew where he was.
And his friends didn't.
)*(
"…"
"…"
"…—p."
"…—e up!"
Wilson groaned. His body was filled with aching pain as his consciousness slowly came back to him.
"WAKE UP!"
There was sudden pain blossoming in his side. Wilson gasped in pain, coughing roughly as he slowly sat up on his knees holding his pained side.
"Finally! It's about time pal."
"Wha?" Wilson blinked, looking over at the voice and— "MAXWELL!" The scientist scooted back, glaring up at the frowning puppet master. "What are you—" Wilson started, but his body suddenly flared with pain. He was suddenly very aware how his mouth tasted like copper and how his limbs felt exceedingly heavy and limp. He gasped, suddenly out of air, falling to his side and clutching his middle.
"Don't bother pushing yourself Higgsbury. Your body is still recovering from the fall."
"Fall?" Wilson parroted, looking up. High above his head, a single ray of light shined down from a hole high above Wilson's head. Looking around, Wilson saw he was no longer in the familiar sights of trees and sunlight, but in cave of stone walls and shadows.
It wasn't completely dark (thank science). The sunlight coming from the opening above made it possible for him to see a good distance. (And spy some interesting plants that peeked his interests.)
"Don't think about it." Maxwell's voice cut off his thoughts, reminding him of his unpleasant company. "Look pal, I don't know how you managed to find an open sinkhole to the underground, but let me be clear that you are not welcomed here." He jabbed a finger at Wilson's face, growling lowly. "Normally, I wouldn't care what you do on the surface, but down here is a different story. Get out now, and I might be merciful enough to let you live."
"Since when did you start caring about what I do?" Wilson asked, smacking Maxwell's hand away from his face clumsily.
"Since you entered a place you shouldn't have even stepped in." Maxwell growled, summoning a cigar. "This place is full of things I don't want you finding. And knowing your uncontrollable curiosity that drives your stupidity—" "HEY!" "It's best you leave now than have you sticking your nose in things you shouldn't be looking into."
Maxwell took a small drag of his cigar, puffing out a small cloud of smoke. "… Listen Higgsbury. And listen well. This place is not meant for eyes of mortals to see. Down here are secrets meant to be hidden. Dangerous secrets. Don't go poking your weird hairdo head into something that you'll be regretting later." He cast Wilson a look. "Unless. You would rather have something bad happen to your friends?"
Wilson's glare hardened. "And what's that supposed to—" Wilson tried to stand up, ready to slug Maxwell across the face, but was back on the ground again in moments, his legs pulsing in pain. A slight hiss escaped his lips, rubbing his sore legs. He could feel Maxwell's eyes staring at him.
He attempted to stand up again, but fell backwards in a tumbling heap. Again and again he tried to stand on his two legs, shaking and stumbling to regain balance but kept slipping and falling back down to the cold hard ground. It didn't help that his head felt dizzy and his ears were ringing slightly. After failing to even have the strength to stand up, he sighed in defeat, laying out flat on his back with one arm covering his eyes.
"… Having trouble Higgsbury?"
"Shut. Up." Wilson hissed. Part in anger, part in pain.
"Just asking." Wilson heard the taller man move, his shoes coming to a stop near his head and the smell of smoke hit his nose. "Though, I really didn't expect you to survive that fall. It is kind of a long ways down here from up there."
Wilson lifted his arm just enough to glare at the man. Maxwell was too busy staring up at the cave's ceiling to notice him.
"It wouldn't be too surprising if all you got was a few broken bones and a bit of major bruising. Still, I don't think you'll be able to move around too much." He cast a glance at Wilson. "Not without some help from your friends…" He grinned evilly. "Oh thaat's right. You got separated from that Varg attack."
Wilson glared harder, willing for Maxwell's head to set on fire.
"Well, I'm sure they're doing fine without you." Maxwell waved a dismissing hand, stepping into the shadows, but stopped for a moment to glance over his shoulder. "Oh, and I would try to stay in whatever light you can find down here pal. It's much darker and more dangerous down here than it is up there." With that final cryptic warning, Maxwell was gone.
Wilson waited for a few minutes, being sure that the man was really gone before rolling himself into a painful sitting position. Taking a looking around, Wilson took in all that he could, spotting his spear on the ground not far from him. Crawling weakly towards it, he used it as an in-place walking stick and added crutch, keeping the pointed stone end on the ground and leaning heavily on the stick once he was on his feet again.
"Okay, now… what to do?"
)*(
Wilson had no idea how long he walk/hobbled for. The agonizing pain in his legs for each step he took constantly slowed him down, forcing him to rest much more than he wanted to. The dizziness didn't let up as well, adding with the building nausea in his stomach. And trying to keep out of the darkness was a challenge itself.
Thankfully, there were (surprisingly) plenty of trees in the few spots of light down in the caves that Wilson could rest against and take a breath. Sighing heavily, Wilson laid his back against a tree, rubbing his temples to try and relieve some of the pain.
"This certainly feels like déjà vu." Wilson muttered crossly, remembering all his little 'adventures' as he explored the wilderness and learning how to survive here.
And none of it was good.
Looking down at his limbs, Wilson pondered on how he was going to get out of here in his current state. Clearly he couldn't climb out. His arms and legs were far too tired and feeble at the moment to climb anything. He couldn't signal for help since he didn't have any materials that he could make something to catch anyone's attention. Even from down here.
He could possibly build a large fire and use the smoke as a signal, but he didn't have enough wood to burn a large enough fire. Nor did he have an axe on him to go chopping down trees. Not that his body felt like it could chop down any trees anytime soon.
Sighing, he slowly lowered himself to the ground, resting his sore limbs. This was certainly going to be harder than he thought. And while he was curious to know why Maxwell didn't want him poking around down here, he was more worried about the threat the man made towards his friends should he not heed it.
The thought of his friends made his heart drop a little.
Were they okay? Did they escape the Hounds? Did they escape the Varg? Were they hurt? Did they have everything they needed to take care of themselves? Did they have enough food? Were they keeping out of the hot sunlight? Was Webber okay? Was Wolfgang okay? Was Willow okay? Were they all alive and safe back at the summer base? Were they looking for him? Did they notice he was missing? Would they notice he was missing? Would they be okay without him?
Did they even need him to survive?
"Stop it." Wilson smacked his forehead (quickly regretting it as it only made his headache worse) and shook his head slightly. "They're fine. They're fine." He closed his eyes, slowly relaxing against the tree. "They're fine. They're fine. They're fine…" He continued to mutter to himself, fading out into unconsciousness and completely missing an approaching light coming towards him.
)*(
"WILSON?! WILSON?! WILSON, WHERE ARE YOU?! WILSON!"
"MISTER WILSON! PLEASE COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARE!"
"TINY SCIENCE MAN! WOLFGANG IS CALLING! IS WORRIED YOU'RE HURT!"
Willow looked around, frantically searching for their missing scientist. "WILSON! COME ON! GIVE US A CLUE! OR SIGN! OR SOMETHING!"
"PLEASE BE ALRIGHT MISTER WILSON!" Webber looked up in the trees, thinking Wilson had climb up one and was stuck in the branches.
"TINY MAN! COME OUT!" Wolfgang lifted a large rock, looking under it.
"He wouldn't be under a rock!" Willow snapped, flicking her lighter out and messed with its handle. "There no way he would get under there in the first place!"
"Tiny Man is tiny. Could fit if he tried." Wolfgang shrugged, placing the rock back down.
"He'd be crushed under all that! And there's no way he would fit under it!"
"Mister Wilson has to be alright, right?" Webber rubbed their hands, looking up at the adults. "The Varg couldn't have gotten him. His Meat Effigy is still up back at the camp!"
"I'm sure Wilson is fine Webber." Willow placed a hand on his shoulder, hiding her other hand that was holding her lighter behind her back. "If his Meat Effigy is still up, then I'm sure he's just fine."
"But what if he's hurt? W-What if he's bleeding o-or has a booboo? O-Or what if he got lost? O-Or maybe he's dead a-and the Meat Effigy isn't working an—"
"Web's. Don't worry." Willow tightened her grip slightly, stopping the young spider boy. "This is Wilson we're talking about! He's been through worse things before and made it through. Plus he wouldn't just die on us that easily."
"H-How can you be so sure?"
"Gut instinct!" Willow patted her midsection, giving Webber a bright smile. "Trust me, if he was dead then we would know. But we got to keep looking for him okay?"
Webber was silent for a moment before nodding. "Okay."
"Great! Let's keep looking okay?" Willow headed off, leaving both of the boys watching as she disappeared into the trees.
Webber slowly looked at Wolfgang, all eight eyes filled with worry. "… Is Miss Willow okay Mister Wolfgang?"
Wolfgang was silent. He didn't want to tell Webber how Willow's hand gripping the lighter kept shaking behind her back.
)*(
What an odd looking man.
ℌ𝔢 𝔣𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔨𝔶.
His hair is really strange.
ℌ𝔢'𝔰 𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔭𝔭𝔢𝔡. 𝔏𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔲𝔰.
He seems in pain. His misery should end.
𝔑𝔬! 𝔑𝔬! 𝔐𝔯𝔰. 𝔚𝔦𝔠𝔨𝔢𝔯𝔟𝔬𝔱𝔱𝔬𝔪 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡𝔫'𝔱 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱.
Mrs. Wickerbottom isn't here. It's only them and the man.
𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔚𝔬𝔬𝔡𝔦𝔢.
Yes. And Woodie. But Woodie isn't here. Woodie doesn't have to know.
𝔚𝔬𝔬𝔡𝔦𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴. 𝔚𝔬𝔬𝔡𝔦𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔡 𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔩𝔩 𝔡𝔬 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔭𝔲𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔥 𝔲𝔰.
What could Woodie do that could punish us? There's nothing in this world that will move their broken will.
ℌ𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔰𝔢𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔢 𝔲𝔰. 𝔗𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔪𝔢 𝔞𝔴𝔞𝔶 𝔰𝔬 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔞𝔨 𝔱𝔬 𝔲𝔰.
No! No he would never do that!
ℌ𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡. ℌ𝔢 𝔡𝔦𝔡 𝔦𝔱 𝔟𝔢𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢.
And he paid with his life.
𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔐𝔯𝔰. 𝔚𝔦𝔠𝔨𝔢𝔯𝔟𝔬𝔱𝔱𝔬𝔪 𝔭𝔲𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔥𝔢𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱. 𝔚𝔢 𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔰𝔢𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯.
… yes. We were separated by cruel fate, weren't we?
𝔜𝔢𝔰. ℑ𝔱 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔞𝔤𝔬𝔫𝔦𝔷𝔦𝔫𝔤.
I do not wish to be separated. That would be most cruel.
𝔑𝔬𝔯 𝔡𝔬 ℑ.
So. What should be done with the strange looking man?
𝔐𝔞𝔶𝔟𝔢 𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔭 𝔲𝔰!
Help? Help how? The man seems to be the one in need of help more than we do.
ℌ𝔢 𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔨𝔰 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫 𝔲𝔰. ℑ𝔣 𝔴𝔢 𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔭 𝔥𝔦𝔪, 𝔪𝔞𝔶𝔟𝔢 𝔥𝔢'𝔩𝔩 𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔭 𝔲𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫.
And if he doesn't?
𝔏𝔲𝔠𝔶 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔩 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔥𝔦𝔪.
… yes. Lucy can deal with him.
)*(
Wilson woke with a start.
His body shot up, but quickly regretted it as pain shot through him, forcing him to lay back down on the straw mat. Only to do it again as he realized he was laying on a straw mat.
"Wh-what?" He blinked a couple times, ignoring the pain that was traveling through his body.
"Ah. He awakens." A small voice caught his attention. Turning his head slowly, Wilson spied a small blond haired girl (another child?!) sitting next to a fire pit, breaking bits and pieces off a tree branch and dropping them into the flames. Wilson opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a harsh cough. The girl silently watched him, her face unreadable as he managed to get his breathing under control. "Do not try to speak. It's meaningless as is living."
Wilson gave her a questioning look, but her focus was on the fire, ignoring him in favor of burning the branch into pieces.
)*(
Time was hard to tell down here in the caves as Wilson came to find out soon enough.
It wasn't easy to tell how many days had gone by just by examining the trees or the growing crops in the gardens. Light may come and go down here, but it was so dark it was hard to tell what was day and what was night.
Didn't help much that his only company wasn't of the talkative sort.
No matter how much Wilson tried to get her to open up and talk with him, her words were very short and cryptic. At least the most useful information he got out of her was her name. Wendy. And that was all he got.
(Not very chatty like Webber when the young boy got excited about something. Or like Willow when she saw, lit, or stood in a fire.)
Plus, he couldn't help but feel… unnerved around her for some reason. Didn't help that her eyes made him feel like she was staring right into his very soul. (Creepy.) She also tended to disappear on him a lot and pop right back when he least expects it. (Double creepy.)
"Well it's not every day you get stuck down in a cave with a unique child." Wilson muttered to himself, unraveling his right leg for its timely checkup. "Still would be nice if she opened up more. Couldn't hurt to know how she got here." He looked over his leg, examining the skin and tested its motor function. When he could feel no pain, he slowly stood up, putting pressure down on it and smiled when his leg held his up.
"Good, at least there's some good news to this mess." Wilson nodded his head before frowning at his other legs that was in a makeshift cast. "Still need time for this leg to heal though. Don't know how long this one will—"
"Finally standing Mister Higgsbury?" Wilson let out a sharp yelp, flinching as he looked beside himself to find Wendy staring up at him. The lantern she was holding cast a dark shadow under her face.
"Huh-Wha-Um-Y-Yes. In-indeed I am. Though not very steady as I would like but I should still be able to move about no—"
"Good. Follow." Wendy headed off, leaving Wilson baffled.
"Wha-H-Hey!" Wilson grabbed his spear, still using it as a crutch, and limped after the small girl. "Where are we going?!"
"Somewhere."
"Yes, but where?"
"Somewhere."
"But where exactly?"
"The place where it is somewhere."
"And where is this place?"
"Somewhere."
Wilson frowned deeply, sighing. "Okay. Why are we going somewhere?"
"Because."
"… Because what?"
"Because."
"No, I need a reason other than because."
"Just because."
"Saying because is not very informative."
"…"
"… Is there a reason why you won't tell me where we're going?"
"… Yes."
"Okay. And that reason isssss?"
"… Because."
A groan of annoyance echoed in the darkness.
)*(
…
Pain…
Hurting…
Everything… hurts…
Breathing… hard…
Can't… move…
Where's… pup?
Need… pup…
Find… pup…
Pup… danger…
Protect… pup…
… what's… noise?
)*(
"So… you act like you've been here for a while. This world." Wilson watched as Wendy climbed on top some rocks, holding her arms out for balance. "How… how long have you been here?"
Wendy shrugged, keeping her eyes down while placing a careful foot down with each step she took.
Wilson sighed, seeing he was getting nowhere with this child who seemed to lack any interest to talk with him. Quite rude if you ask him. He was really missing idle chatter, having grown used it with Willow of the years (years?) here in this world.
He missed having small talks with Willow, telling stories to Webber when he couldn't sleep, or telling Wolfgang how all his studies shown that he couldn't lift a certain object no matter how mighty he was. He missed the science machine and fiddling with it to make improvements. He missed the Alchemy Engine and doing science with it. He missed sitting around the campfire when night fell and sharing stories with his group of friends.
He missed his home, the real world, the comforts of having a roof over your head and not having rain ruin his hair with no one to worry about and living in content without the fear if you'll die the next day or not. He missed the solitude his home had with no interruptions of his work with no one breathing down his neck or telling him how improper he was being letting himself live in such disarray home…
He wondered…
Did…
Did she ever miss him?
"Who?"
"Gah!" Wilson's heart leapt in his chest. "Will you stop doing that?!" He patted his chest as Wendy continued to stare silently up at him.
"Who were you mumbling about?"
"What?"
"You were mumbling about someone. A she."
Wilson's cheeks dusted with a small blush. "I was… mumbling? Out loud?"
"Yes. Who is this she?" Wendy tilted her head, waiting for Wilson to speak.
"No one." Wilson shook his head. "No one important."
"… Is she someone special to you?"
"No. She… she's no one."
Wendy narrowed her eyes at him. "She can't be no one. If she was simply 'no one', then you would have never mentioned her."
Wilson's eyes widen before narrowing. "People can say someone is a no one and be fine with it."
"But you clearly know this she, and she clearly is not a no one."
"She's not important."
"She must be. You keep denying to talk about her."
"Maybe I don't want to talk about her. Or maybe I don't know much about her."
"Lies. You obviously know something about her."
"No. I don't."
"You do. You specifically said 'Did she ever miss me?' when you were mumbling."
"… W-What does that—"
"It means you know something about her. Enough that her options or thoughts about you are enough to impact on your emotions and attitude."
Wilson stopped short. His cheek were burning. "Now see here! I—!"
The ground shifted beneath their feet, breaking their balance. A deep rumbling came about, shaking the ground and rocks falling from the cave roof. Wendy nearly fell over, but Wilson's hands shot out, grabbing her and holding her steady while trying to keep himself from falling over as well. (Keeping his teeth grit so he wouldn't grunt in pain with pressure being applied to his still injured leg.)
A moment or two passed before the ground was still again. They waited a moment, making sure everything was alright.
"Was that…" Wilson started, helping Wendy to her feet. "An earthquake?"
"… I believe so." Wendy gaze was on the ground, looking at the lantern she had dropped when she lost her balance. She stare at it for a while before picking it up, holding up the light for them to see in the darkness.
Both Wilson and Wendy's eyes widen as the light cast upon a large bolder set right before them. They both knew it had not been there before, and they could see multiple boulders and large rocks laid out all around them.
"Bloody science. That must have been some earthquake. Look at all these stones." Wilson hobbled over to the stone before them (oblivious that he had dropped his spear during the quake) and rapped his knuckles against it. "We were lucky none of these landed on us. Otherwise we would have been buried under with no way out—"
Something clattered behind Wilson, followed with a sharp gasp, and before he could blink a little blond blur shot past him. "Wha-HEY! Wendy!" Wilson called out to her, but the little girl had disappeared into the darkness, leaving no sight of her.
"Bloody science!" Wilson grabbed his spear and the discarded lantern Wendy had left, and followed after her. "WENDY! WENDY COME BACK! DON'T RUN OFF INTO THE DARKNESS!"
He stopped, looking around for any sign of the small girl. "WENDY! WENDY! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He took off in what he hoped was the right direction. "WENDY PLEASE! ANSWER ME!" He rounded a corner. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" A brief flash of something yellow passed his eyes and for a moment he though he saw her, but he looked it was only a banana tree. "WENDY! WENDY!"
He kept going, ignoring the growing pain in his bad leg, looking around for the small girl and hoping she wasn't dead and turned into a little ghost. "WENDY! WENDY! WEN—!"
"Shh!" Wilson stopped when he entered a small pathway. Relief flooded in him when his eyes saw Wendy kneeling safely on the floor next to a glowing light flower. But then his eyes moved towards something else. Something that laid out before him. Something he hadn't seen before in this strange land of oddity and death. Something that was trapped beneath a pile of large rocks and boulders. Something that Wendy had her head against, her arms wrapped around its neck, her ear pressed on top the thick brown fur, listening for something.
Wilson's jaw dropped as Wendy lifted her head, and for once since he met her, cracked a small smile. "He's breathing. How… unfortunate."