Weeeeee here's the second half of what's technically chapter 7 but got split.
We all need some angst. Don't insult my loyalty, and don't insult my sailor boys. I will come for your neck.

Don't worry, the kid I mention falling in was saved by someone downstream but I'll never get the image out of my head.

Also I am VERY sorry for the lovely cliff hanger but you know how it be. See y'all in a week or four!

Warnings:
Language, canon character peril.

It didn't take long for any of us to finish off the containers before we were off once again. Backtracking to the trail, I got out the knife and ran my fingers over it as we walked.

How could Trevor have even gotten this? Sure he was literally op, but to bring something from one fandom adventure to another… Then again I'd had Multi-verse ground zero set up in my old fanfiction and it was that universe my sailor adventure had even happened in. He could have gotten it through that way. Maybe?

"That's a cool lookin' knife!" Wrecker said.

"Yeah," I laughed softly. "It's definitely a cool one."

"What so special about a knife given by that feral Halfblood?" Crosshair asked dismissively.

My tail bristled. "It's not from Trevor." I looked back down at the knife again, a reminiscent smile spreading across my face. "It's from one of the sailors."

"The ones who hit you with a speeder."

First of all, that was my own fault . "It was more complicated than that."

"Why aren't you with 'em if you cared about 'em so much?"

Watch it, beansprout. "Careful, Cross. You're searchin' for landmines with a hammer right now," I warned, skin prickling with irritation. "I would have stayed… but they got into some big legal trouble and it was better for both if we split up."

That was the shorthand at least. The major shorthand. Couldn't really explain "yeah and now I just go visit them in my dreams whenever I want because for some reason I can just fully immerse myself fully into my headspace and by the way this is probably also in my headspace and I'm having one long elaborate dream sequence that gives me physical scars like some wacky Dark Forest-Place of No Stars bullshit. Yeah, couldn't really explain that. Or even begin to think of a way to accurately shorthand that.

"So you just abandoned 'em when it got rough?"

I stopped dead and turned to face the sniper, fist clenched around the switchblade. "One more strike of that hammer and a landmine is gonna blow you sky high, long limbed bastard," I hissed, tail twitching furiously. "Back the fuck off now."

For a moment, hesitation flickered across the man's face. But it was gone so quick I couldn't be sure. "You don't scare me."

"I should." It was cliché and tropey as hell, but I was too pissed to care. I was chill, unless you attacked my loyalty. That was something I prided myself in, and I wasn't about to let the sad excuse of a popsicle stick tear it down.

Hunter got up and moved between us. "Easy. Crosshair, stand down. Shadow, you too."

"You are not my superior, Hunter," I reminded him. "Can't order me around."

"I said stand down ," he ordered, voice turning stern.

Markings gleamed across my skin as the ground beneath us rumbled. "Or what?"

"Shadow," Tech said softly. "Don't."

The technician's worried gaze and slight puppy eyes dulled my anger. I couldn't see Wrecker's face, but judging by how quiet he was the situation was making him uncomfortable too. It's not worth it. Crosshair isn't worth your anger. Worthy or not, he earned it. "Insult me like that again, Crosshair, and you'll regret it. No one asked for your opinion, so keep your trap shut."

Turning back to the path ahead, I took up a brisk pace away from the men.

"Shadow?"

At Tech's tentative call I turned back only to see a trail of thorn bushes in my wake. Great, now they knew that was a thing. Maybe I shouldn't have connected Alphian's powers to their emotions. I was probably OP in this story, so I had the power levels of a much older Alphian but the control of a young adult.

"Step around it, it's just thorns. Y'all have armor, a thorn scratch ain't gonna do shit to you," I grumbled as I resumed my hike.

Hunter came jogging up behind me. "Ice-"

"Spare me a lecture. Don't care to hear it. Want to avoid another instance like that? Get a handle on that shit brother of yours."

"You know he doesn't mean to be rude like that-"

"I don't know, actually. If he keeps actin' like an ass then I'm gonna treat him like one. I ain't toleratin' his bullshit."

The sergeant was silent for a moment. "What did happen to cause you to leave 'em?"

"I don't expect you to care. Leave me alone."

Hunter seemed to accept he wasn't about to make any headway with me and fell back with the others.

We reached a stream spanning a couple yards full of various boulders as well as a few vegetated strips of land through the center of the creek. Or could this be a river? Looked big enough to be a river.

The hell? It's literally Chimney's Picnic Area from the Smokies without the human roads and tables. Yeah I know how to get around this. Just gotta find that one area. Looking out over the river, I scanned the easiest path across. Some rapids there, slick rocks here. Could go upriver, could go downriver. Would probably get wet either way, but wouldn't bother me too badly. Just couldn't go too far from where we were or rapids would block our path.

"What are we waitin' for?" Crosshair demanded as the Bad Batch came up behind me.

"Well A, for you to shut the hell up," I hissed. "B, I'm searchin' for the best and driest way across."

"Just wade, ya afraid of gettin' wet?"

I stood up and faced him. "That a cat joke? This river is more dangerous than it looks. Under currents and deep pools can catch you off guard and sweep you downstream before you know what hit you. I've seen people fall in before and go under before anyone knew they fell in."

"Tch, you're just makin' that up. Like that bit about the sailors. You didn't really spend a week with 'em."

"Fuck's sake!" I snarled. "Fine! Think whatever you want, Crosshair. Clearly you won't believe me no matter what I say, so I'm not wasting my breath on you. Find your own damn way across!"

I started across the rocks and jumped down to wade through a calm patch of water.

"Should we follow you?" Tech asked hesitantly.

"Do whatever you want, don't care," I snapped, not looking back as I climbed up onto one of the rocks and shook my feet off.

"Way to go, Cross," Wrecker muttered.

"You're takin' her side?"

"Just stop antagonizin' her, Cross. She's nice if you don't."

"You just have a crush on her."

"So?"

That got my interest. Wrecker had a crush on me?

It'll fade. Don't get excited. You damn well what happens whenever you show interest in a guy. You want to get ghosted again? By Wrecker of all people?

I flicked my ears and continued across to one of the island strips where I stopped for a break. Crouching on a rock protruding from the earth and partly hidden by a fir tree's boughs, I watched as the various members picked their way across. Hunter, predictably, looked most at home, expertly moving from rock to rock. Tech, an agile little fella, jumped from rock to rock as he chattered about the three point rule. Wrecker took a predictable approach, simply wading across with no true concern about getting swept off his feet. Crosshair…

Someone looks nervous.

Crosshair moved slowly, lingering on each rock and glancing at the water before crouching and shuffling to the next boulder. Until he saw me watching him that is, then he straightened and tried to look confident.

This really ain't the place to try and prove how big your dick is. Nature will end you in an instant and laugh over your dead corpse .

My tail twitched as I kept my eyes on the sniper. A chill ran down my spine. Something bad was about to happen. This would not end well at all. I slipped my pack off and rested it on the island.

Hunter, approaching my position, noticed and made his way over quicker. "Shadow what is it?"

I said nothing, merely flicking my ears forward to indicate Crosshair.

Hunter, crouching beside me now, looked out towards Crosshair. "Cross, remember what Tech said."

"I'm fine!" Crosshair snapped.

Hunter remained quiet but one look at him told me he was ready to launch himself forward at a moment's notice.

"Sarge," I said slowly. "May want to head over to him."

Hunter nodded and started towards his sniper. Climbing across a large fallen log, he made his way up the neighboring island strip towards Crosshair.

Would he get there quick enough? Flashes of energy pulsed down my back through my legs as Crosshair readied himself to jump on a soaked rock. Didn't he know better than to do that? When he slipped off he'd instantly be snatched by the currents and dragged downstream.

So what if he gets wet? There aren't major rapids around this area. He'll have to go through some deep decently calm pools before he hits the white water. Maybe getting soaked would dampen his damn ego.

I remained quiet, watching from my rock as he jumped down. Sure enough, his legs slipped from under him and he plunged into the frothing current.

" Crosshair !" Hunter yelled, panic causing his voice to crack as he rushed forward.

"It's fine, Hunter! He'll hit some calm pools before he gets to the really dangerous rapids-"

"Shadow, he can't swim!"

"What?!" I screamed, launching off my rock after the sniper as the river swept him past me down the backside of the island.

Three pools. I had three chances to reach him before he hit that section where I'd seen the kid go under once after falling off the log.

I could reach him.

I knew these rocks.

I was faster than Hunter.

I could reach him.

I would reach him.

I currently hated Crosshair, but he was not about to drown.

Not if I could help it.