Smoke In The Eyes

Click, snap, snap, click, click, thud…

The sound of turbulent wind almost drowned out the sound of the team getting their gear together as they traveled in the back of the truck at full speed. It could almost be mistaken for music, which it was to Sienna as she checked over her equipment.

She was too preoccupied with other thoughts to worry about how everyone else was getting ready. Her mind was a tangled web of worry and doubt. Doubt that they wouldn't be able to track them. Worry that they'd only find corpses. If she were honest with herself, none of this was right.

Things hadn't been right for a long time. Their peaceful protests got them nowhere fast. Faster than doing nothing, it seemed. They cried out against places that refused to serve faunus, mark things at a higher price, and use them for labor at cheaper wages.

It was disgusting.

Equality.

That was nothing but a lie, told by people of power who stood above others. The people in charge, the ones who made the rules and never followed, created a world for the betterment of humanity by forcing them into slavery.

There had been a time in which such a thing had been thought possible. Human and Faunus working together to protect the world and gain some mutual understanding. But those times were faded, lost on deaf ears to a world that no longer wanted to listen. What choice did they have? Let themselves be consumed by a past that is threatening in its return or fight for a future that wasn't one filled with suffering and sorrow?

If things were different, the Humans would be on the bottom, but Sienna never wanted that. The first promise, the original one created by those that stood by them on a terrible night of suffering, was the one true thing she wanted: Equality.

How quickly they were to resume a lifestyle that had gripped them so.

Her eyes danced over each individual that had come to help, a need to know and make sure they were ready.

Adam, though unseen, had his eyes closed, his sword laying across his lap, and was taking steady breathes that he held for several seconds before exhaling. It was an exercise created to open his mind and senses, allowing him to feel the world around him. His aura pulsed and breathed like a living thing, connecting him to his weapon and it to him.

Fennec was going over medical gear that he had brought with him. A large pack sat at his feet, the top of it split open as he feverishly dug inside, making sure that he brought what he needed and that nothing was out of place. His ears swiveled rapidly, listening to the sound of the wind that ripped by him.

Yuma, a new addition, was tugging at the black sleeves of his new jumpsuit. He had no training to speak of, no way of preparing for the abominations they might against. But he was alert.

Nickel was checking his gun and knives over, eyeing them with concern. The bumpy road gave no chance for him to lay things out to fully prepare them for the coming storm. Sienna could see that much in him. Were they not in a vehicle hellbent on getting to the accident and on a bumpy dirt road, he would have had each item laid on a table in neat rows. Instead, he was forced to improve, pulling each knife from its spot, eye it like a jeweler inspect the quality of a gem, clean it with oils and the whetstone before putting it back in place.

Fennec was the first to know of the trouble. His ears turned in the direction of a sound. Sienna heard it too, but only after the fox. A moment later the truck began to slow down.

Almost on reflex, Nickel and Adam jumped from the back, both running around the truck as it slowly came to a stop. Sienna and Fennec jumped out last as Yuma took to the sky and landed on a large branch to serve as a lookout.

A mangled truck with claw marks and smoke lay on its side, the front of it caved in by a fallen tree. The hood was peeled back like a can of sardines, and the engine splattered with black oil and blood.

Adam moved to the door, tearing it open and peering inside just in case someone had stayed inside. He found a corpse, the face resting in a final moment of shock and horror. It was rude to leave one behind. He cut the bindings that held the poor soul in place, pulling him out and dropped him down Fennec.

Nickel moved around the back, his gun and wakizashi drawn and ready to act. He sniffed the air for signs of trouble. The oil, exhaust, blood, and bodily liquids that permeated the air and made it hard to find anything noticeable. Tearing at the tarp that covered the back of the truck, his red eyes scanned the place.

Packs were left behind, abandoned in the attack. He checked one, sniffing it in the hopes of finding a trail. Food, mints, and earthly scents was all he got. There wasn't enough for him to go on.

He jumped out of the back of the truck as Sienna looked inside, and ignored her in favor of his one task. There were dozens of signatures mixed in with the air around him. Too many to track and too many new smells for him to know which way to go. The exhaust played hell with him.

Adam stepped up to him, his hand resting on the tail end of his sword. The redhead was smart, allowing Nickel to work in peace as he got down low to the ground. He'd seen hunters work the ground in ways not possible to a city slicker. Each step they took was like an exotic dance. They moved from place to place, almost weightless, their feet never leaving a print.

But on a much smaller note, Nickel didn't act like a normal hunter. He sniffed the ground, pushed weeds from his brow as his face was mere inches from the soil. Each sniff he took brought about a new expression. And to his credit, his tail did not move. It was a sign of discipline to Adam. Discipline a lot of the newer members lacked.

Long had the newer members listened to their leader, but many fell victim to their poisoned minds. Some sought drugs, others sought violence. In either case, it all lead to the same thing: Imprisonment.

Hope was a currency to them. Those that had it spent it on things made of pride and ambition, drowning their hope in the process. Lost hope was not easily gained back. Despair, a negative emotion, brought the horrors of the night with fangs and claws. To return from the dark was a rare thing. But to come back brighter than before was another.

If his talks with Nickel meant anything, the darkness still held firm to him.

"Got anything yet?"

Adam silenced Sienna with a simple gesture. She shot him a look. He gave a sly smile as he pointed to the wolf faunus that was now a few meters away, sniffing the air in the thick grass.

The others began to group around the faunus as they watched in mild fascination to the non-member as he looked for some trace, some clue as to where the survivors had gone to.

An interesting thing to watch for sure. Like watching documentaries of early faunus in the days of old that hunted by night, searching for food when predators were less active. Odd sight as it made, true or not to the stories of history, watching it in action was completely different and almost prideful to some.

Nickel moved out a few more paces, his eyes closed as his nostrils filled with earthly scents and herbs. His tail went rigid and his head tilted in a familiar fashion to a bird looking to a new sound.

"This way!"

Adam and Sienna followed quickly. Nickel was fast, they'd both give him that. Weighed down by enough bullets and knives to fight a small war, enough pelts to keep a small family warm on the coldest nights, he move with speed matched only by a few.

Sienna heard it before they rounded the thick trees. Water. The temperature dropped rapidly as the air cooled quicker in the moisture, and the earth beneath their feet was loose and damp. By the time Adam had rounded the corner, the sight was all hers and it was beautiful.

Nickel and Adam both paid no mind to the beauty of the land, a split that was divided by a massive river that had carved a mountain near perfectly in two. Though the water was hundreds of feet beneath where they walked, the cool and smooth surface of the stone told a story of time and the might of rapid waters beneath.

Nickel turned to face them and stepped off the edge, his hands catching at the last second to the smooth rock. Adam blinked, his face a mixture of worry and fear as he rushed over to assist in helping him up. But Sienna heard it before he saw it: Soft whimpering.

Adam looked over the edge and down past Nickel. Two kids were hugging each other tightly, their frail forms soaked with water, sending them into frightened and cold induced shivers. Both looked startled to their presence, none more so than the form of Adam and his dark mask made in representation of the horrors humanity saw them as.

"Give me your hand." Nickel let go and reached for one while the other held tight to the rock. He was just a few short inches away from them, his fingers nearly touching the soaked fabric around them. "I got you. I promise."

The two children looked to him, fear in their eyes, but understanding. They rose up as much as the small cave they hide in would allow. The first one jumped, catching his hand and crying in fear when the weight of her motion threw her further back than anticipated. Nickel hoisted her up to Adam.

The second jumped a moment later once the first was taken by the masked faunus. Nickel hoisted him up, less trouble than the previous, and then scampered up as well. He rolled onto his back, both hands coiling and uncoiling as he tried to remove the cramping that came with the actions he'd performed.

Sienna and Adam tended to both, rubbing them roughly and holding them tight to keep them warm. Nickel, after a moment on the ground, got up and yanked off his thick pelt and gave it to the two.

"That should keep them warm. I'd get them out of their clothes and near a fire fast." He sniffed the air again. "A few more made it across the gap. I can smell them."

Adam glanced down at the two kids. They leaned away from him when he leaned down to inspect them, pushing deeper into the warm embrace of Sienna as she hugged them tightly. "Get them back to the truck," he ordered. "We'll press on. If we find any more survivors, we'll light a fire or something to signal you if we have trouble."

Sienna bit her lip in thought. "Alright." She picked up both of them and started her journey back. "Stay safe."

Adam gave a curt nod of understanding as he turned back to Nickel. The sight of him without his thick pelt was unsettling to him. A myriad of scars lined his arms and shoulders, most likely caused by work or the usage of his knives in training. It gave him a mysterious flavor that was not seen in his normal features.

Nickel looked around, his face one of puzzle. Adam saw his concern. "Can't make that jump?" he asked, his voice slightly raised with mirth. Nickel nodded, but he was scratching at his chin in thought, his eyes dancing to a large tree behind them. "Bridge."

Nickel stepped out of the way, his eyes glued to Adam now as the redhead moved towards the tree. He took a stance unknown to him, but watched in ravid fascination as Adam pooled his aura from his chest into his shoulder, down his arm, and into his hand. Like lightning… No, faster than lightning… Adam swung his sword and sheathed it all in one fluid motion.

The tree wobbled at the very top for a moment before gravity pulled it down. It slammed over the ravin, forming a bridge. Nickel took another step back as Adam took the same pose again, and just as before, swung and sheathed the sword in one fluid motion. Each branch that covered the top of the tree fell off to the side as a red crescent wave clove through them.

Adam admired his handiwork for a moment before he saw Nickel rush across the makeshift bridge and continue the search.

Branches lay broken on muddy tracks. Blood and sweat filled the air. They didn't travel long on their path before they came across two corpses. Their bodies were mauled and chewed apart. Nothing left for them to identify who they were. Not that they would have been able to identify them.

Nickel leaned down, his hand rubbing over the blood soaked clothing that covered the chest of the man and pulled a small trinket from it, a silver oval shaped gem. He rubbed his thumb across the smooth gem and worked his jaw. Maybe a survivor could identify the person with that and this would be enough to give them rest.

He did the same from the other corpse, pulling out a thick wad of fur bound by metal. Blood soaked as it was, it was easy to see as a tail from a rabbit or some other form of life.

Nickel pocketed them both, his eyes closed as he mourned for their loss in his own way. Adam had no words. Guilt, perhaps, but no words. Another life snuffed out before it had a chance to grow.

The two pressed on, leaving the corpses behind. Nickel remained up front, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Adam was just behind him, off a little to his side, his hand gripping tightly to his weapon. This injustice would not stand. No one else had to die.

When the wolf faunus came to a sudden halt, his tail went rigid and he crouched down low enough to hide his form within the thick brush. Adam followed suit, his breath caught when he saw what was in front of them.

A wall of wood and bone and blood. Someone had made a stand here. Made a place to call their own and to ward off unwanted guests. Grimm would care not for such wardings. Damage from fighting was evident, but that was not what gave Nickel pause.

His nostrils filled with the scent of gore, bread, meat, and most importantly, metallic saps. Saps that knew came from his home. This was the home of those that had attacked his place. But he did not detect them. They had clearly moved on, afraid of the unknown Grimm or those that might follow them.

"We need to get in." Adam told him. Nickel did not respond. His eyes were working the wall, his nose pulling in the scents around him. The redhead took his silence as a sign of naive wonder. "We need to get in there. They might have been-"

Nickel grabbed Adam and hauled him down low enough that his face nearly hit the dirt. A hand covered his mouth, but he jerked up enough to see him motion for silence. Adam blinked, his first instinct to fight kicking in, but when he saw that subtle motion, he knew that his life was safe. When he let him go, the redhead peered through the brush and saw why he'd been silenced.

Grimm.

They were hunting. They did not know a way inside the structure, but they knew they had prey on the other side. Spikes that jutted from the wall made a frontal assault improbable, but not impossible.

Nickel started to move around the wall, still hiding behind the brush. He kept an eye to the ground. Adam did no such thing. Though he followed, he dare not let one of the beasts leave his sight. He followed Nickel with his hand on the back of a pelt to make sure of where to go.

When the faunus stopped moving, Adam glanced his way. Nickel pointed to an opening, small enough for them to crawl in and get a look around, but the bull faunus did not favor such a thought. They'd have no way of knowing what was on the other side. To go in without knowledge was not a risk Adam was willing to take.

Nickel brushed his hand off, rising up just enough that his head almost poked out from behind the dead brush he took cover behind. He sniffed the air for danger and knew they were in the clear. When he jerked his head in the direction of the hole, Adam shook his head.

"No," he mouthed to him.

Nickel shrugged and crept towards the hole. Adam swore inwardly, not liking any of this. Too many unknowns. Grimm were in the area. What if they saw them while they went under? What if they got stuck?

In the short time he spent swearing up a storm, Nickel had gone under the hole and then motioned to him. Adam worked his jaw. He wasn't afraid of the unknown, he just didn't like testing the unknown.

Begrudgingly he followed and slipped through the hole. When he got to his feet, Nickel put a finger to his lips and motioned towards a set of wooden shacks off to the side. The mask wearing faunus nodded and they moved together.

Tents and small wooden shacks covered littered the land. Tracks rushed from one place to another to hide from the terrors outside.

The duo marked to the furthest tent. Nickel knocked on the wood door as he said, "Anyone alive in there? We're here to help," and then pushed it open slowly. Huddled in fear were adults and children that were a little worse for wear.

Adam stepped forward and the children began to panic. He stepped back, taking a defensive stance when the howls of the Grimm grew louder.

"Don't worry. We're going to get you guys out of here." Nickel looked around for a moment and then back to the survivors. A small child, probably no older than seven,held tightly to a smaller child and stared up at him with eyes full of conviction. "What's your name, little one?"

"Her name is Pepper."

Nickel eyed the adult that spoke with a calm smile. He got down low and reached out to ruffle her hair. She pulled back, but only just enough to see that he had no weapon, before his hand touched her head. "Pepper, huh? Brave name for brave girl." A howl alerted him that it was about to start. "Pepper, can you be brave for me? Can you watch over these people?"

No adult questioned him. They understood what he was trying to do. While adults could suppress their fear and negative emotions, children let it run rampant and without control. If they wanted to survive this, the children needed to be at peace. What better way than to instill bravery in one to make others feel the same.

Pepper nodded mutely.

Nickel stood up, his hand resting on the grip of his gun. A larger man, probably just a few years his senior, stepped out with him.

"Name's Tukson. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Nickel tossed his flint and oil to him. "Help Adam lite a fire. We have people coming to evacuate you guys, but they don't know our location. We need a signal fire."

Tukson moved moved to Adam to start while Nickel pulled out his gun.

Nickel could feel it. A hatred so pure and thick it was like sunshine soaking through his skin. Their malic… Their appetite for destruction was so potanent Nickel felt his knees shake and his mind begin to warp to their thoughts. Though he was strong willed, even the darkest of beings could tempt others with just a simple thought. Their strength was enough to make even the strongest fall to their whims.

The howls grew louder. Ripping and clawing sounded on the other side of the walls. They were hunting and everyone knew who the prey was.

Heat washed through their air.

Nickel looked behind himself to see Tukson marveling at the fire and Adam moving up beside him. "They won't be able to get to us unless we clear out the Grimm," Adam told him softly.

"I know. We're going to open the gate and hold fast."

The redhead shook his head. "We should try to lead these people away."

"Their fear will draw the Grimm no matter where we go. The only option is to fight and pray they wise up to leave. The older ones will leave, but the younger ones will be quick to the slaughter."

"I don't like this idea."

"We can't move them. Not until we clear out the Grimm. Not unless you wanna try and play decoy?"

Adam frowned at such an idea. There would be no way of knowing if the Grimm would leave them alone if they tried such a thing. Maybe one of them could run away fast enough, lure them away with negative emotion, but they had about ten people here, some of which were small kids that were frightened to death.

But… Nickel had a point. The only option was to fight. This much negative emotion would eventually attract bigger Grimm. What was currently outside was smaller and not capable of getting through. Any bigger and they might just challenge the wall.

Tukson stepped up beside them, looking at the looming gate with fear in his belly. "Plan?"

"We're opening the gate." Nickel marched on the thing. Adam shook his head and growled. It was stupid and they all knew it. But what choice did the have? "Once I do this, we have to bottleneck them here. Keep them stuck in this spot. Let them climb over their kin."

"I don't have a weapon!"

Adam sized up the man. Tukson was hardly a fit man. He looked like someone that would fall over in a simple breeze. His clothing were in tatters from time in a mine and no proper equipment for safety.

"Here!" Nickel tossed a wakizashi to him, that he deftly caught. "I want that back when this is over!" Nickel took two calm breaths. He could hear them on the other side clawing at the ground. Eyes tightly shut, he willed his strength and courage into one and yanked the latch off before making the sprint back to the other two.

There was a moment of silence as the looming gate opened. A false darkness lay in the trees with a thousand angry red eyes pointed in their direction. Like fog rolling in, the darkness rolled forward, consuming the ground and freezing it moment before the blanket covered it.

Then, as if a dam had been broken, they flooded in. Dozens of angry teeth and claws and bones rushed through the gate, snapping at them as they did.

Nickel opened fire, dropping eleven as he emptied the shells. Adam rushed forward with blinding speed, slashing and stabbing at the Grimm. Tukson was there was with him, dancing around them and weaving death where he danced. The onslaught of darkness paid them no mind, as they were little concern with three warriors facing an army. They had a prize they were after. A prize that the three vowed to stop in their tracks.

Tukson moved in and out of reach of the Grimm, the wakizashi moving like a dancing firefly as it wove in and out their forms. The blade was alive with a sickly green glow as Tukson used his aura to coat the weapon in a protective sheen and aid in its cutting ability. Each slice was clean and surgical, removing limbs and gutting them when they lurched upwards to overpower him.

But he did not bow and cow to these beasts. He slew them with a ferocity nearly matching their own. And like Nickel had told them: They would climb the corpses of their kin to get to them.

Climb them they did.

Adam moved from spot to spot, slicing the Grimm with clean cuts. No movement was wasted, no action unneeded. He was a surgeon making cuts through the darkness. His weapon, a thing of fire and steel so sharp, it cut through the darkness itself, wove a pattern of death.

Nothing could stand before Adam, for he was a fury unmatched by all. Their might was his might. He stole their strength, made his fear their fear. They feared him, but continued their charge over the fallen.

Nickel fought with a cool and calm mind. His finger on the trigger, he pulled it eleven times, dropped eleven horrors, unloaded the shells, and slid new iron into the cylinder. Each shot sounded like thunder in the night. His gun, the cannon as it was, was a weapon that called a storm with its shots. It sang a song of storms and Nickel was the eye of that storm. For he stood tall, unmoved, carrying to the creatures before him. A storm did not care what got in its path. It simply moved from one spot to the other with little thought to those around it.

The bodies piled high in the gate. Ten feet high and the beasts kept coming. Nickel and Adam fired on them with what they had.

Tukson moved back to the fire, and more importantly the screaming kids. His presence gave them pause and a sense of calmness, but the gunfire and screaming horrors did little for them. They were consumed with fear.

A scream pierced the night. Nickel felt his blood run cold as his ears tickled from the sound.

The earth shuddered beneath their feet. Tukson caught himself when he fell to one knee. Nickel reloaded his gun, his eyes narrowed on the pile of corpses that were slowly dissipating. Adam stepped back to the group, his hand gripping tightly to the hilt of his sword.

The air grew silent and the land stilled. For a moment their bodies were put at ease to the horror that had stopped its approach. Their minds knew otherwise.

A cry sounded in the night. The earth shuddered again and something snapped trees like twigs as the dead monsters were suddenly thrown aside to show a large monster that loomed over them, casting a shadow over the entire camp.

It stood twenty feet high with thick bones over its back, torso, and face. Two horns pointed forward and reached out like hands towards their forms. It was a massive lion-like monster.

Nickel snorted at it, ready to fight the creature. When it opened its mouth to roar at them, the entire body froze and it released a soft whimper before crumbling into pieces.

Tukson blinked in surprise. "That was… anticlimactic."

Sienna stepped around the black fumes of the corpses, a chain swinging in her hands and a feral smile on her face. "I hope you didn't have too much fun~"

Adam sheathed his sword. Nickel kept his gun out.

"Not at all!" Adam replied, a smile on his face. Tukson returned the weapon to Nickel, but the gunman seemed preoccupied with something else. "We got about ten survivors. Where's the truck?"

As if on cue the truck pulled in. Fennec was at the wheel, a look of terror etched across his face as he whiteknuckled the wheel. Sienna grimaced. "We got more horrors rushing this way."

"How long?"

A cry was the answer to his question.

Nickel opened fire as Fennec got out. The fox ducked back inside, his head poking out over the wheel as Nickel fired while moving. Adam saw it too. They were already upon them.

"Get them loaded up and out of here!" Nickel rushed for the far wall, firing as he did. The Grimm turned when his shots hit them.

Adam watched Nickel vault over the wall, his gun still ringing out. What few Grimm remained were easily picked off. "Get them out of here now! I'm going to help Nickel!" He rushed over to the faunus in question.

Sienna turned and started moving the survivors into the back as Yuma and a few others fell out to fight what remained behind. Once the last person was in, Fennec floored it.

You better not die out there, Adam. Or I'm going to be quite cross with you.

(-)

Out of the dumbest things a mind could conjure up, running away from an angry horde of teeth and claws on foot was probably up there. Leon had spoken many times about people doing dumb things back in the day. Most of those stories were dares that lead to the person being injured or getting in trouble. Usually the two were connected, but on rare occasions they were separate.

Dumb came in all sorts. Sometimes it was something as simple as forgetting someone's name or that you had a date. Other times it could be something as grand as running headlong into the night to fight its horrors with nothing but your fists and determination. But, on rare occasons "dumb" came down to doing what was right, but horribly wrong.

There was a reason why some people would say that doing the wrong thing for the right reasons was a dumb saying. What reason could possibly justify such a dumb act?

In Nickel's case; the right reason was ensuring that the survivors got away safely. The wrong thing was running on foot with a pack of angry Grimm chasing after him. No one could outrun them. Not to Nickel's knowledge anyways.

Still, a desperate and ill thought out plan as it was, it was working… Hopefully.

The power of a lie and the mind did wonders at times. A horrible act could be ignored with the right set of words. Justice could be one of those words, but sometimes it was simply the mind that could make the lie work. In this case, the lie and his mind were telling him that he was doing the right thing and that everyone was now loaded up and casually heading back to the camp for food, warm clothes, and a nice place to rest their heads.

A promising as the thought was, and in knowing it was a lie, Nickel still was left wondering if his idea was a good one.

Shame he didn't have time to think about that.

His gun clicked empty. Running full speed, he reloaded his gun and kept firing. The shots were wild and meant to lure, not to kill. He killed a few that got in front of them, eager to cut him off and cut him up.

He had part of a plan. Get back to the ravine and pray he could remove the tree somehow. That'd stop them from getting across and to him. Obviously the problem was moving it. He didn't carry explosives and he didn't have a weapon capable of slicing the tree in half at the center to make it fall in. Until he reached the spot, which he knew was coming up soon, he needed to think of a way to move it, or to make it difficult for the Grimm to cross it.

But he never came up with one.

Nickel rushed to the center of the tree, turned, and aimed his weapon. The Grimm paused in the darkness of the forest, their hungry eyes taking in his form. He had no other options available other than to run. But even that wouldn't last. The tree had to be removed.

A few of the angry eyes turned away from him. Nickel sniffed the air and stepped back when a speeding blur landed where he stood. Adam rose to his full height, his sword drawn and ready to be used.

"Get back!"

Nickel jumped back as Adam swung his sword through the tree and jumped as well. The tree buckled inward and fell into the depths below, leaving the Grimm trapped on the other side.

"I doubted you had the power to cut this tree down or move it." Adam admitted as he turned to face him. Nickel shoved him out of the way, his gun up. He fired two shots. A body hit the ground. Adam turned slowly and saw a Grimm dead behind him, Nickel's gun smoking from the fired shots. "Nice save."

Nickel twirled the gun in his hand with a twist of his wrist before holstering it. "I'll get you back to the road and point you in the direction of the camp," he told him as he started moving through the brush.

Adam followed with a snort. "Don't bother. You told Sienna you'd join after this. I assume your going after the humans you protected?" Nickel nodded mutely. Adam slapped a hand at his side, his arms now akimbo. "Why bother? They're humans."

"My final act for them. It was my fathers' job. Now it is mine. Once they're safe, I'll come back. You don't have to follow."

"It's dangerous to go alone. Like it or not, I'm coming." Adam suddenly paused and looked around. "And we don't have supplies!"

"We'll be fine." Nickel almost laughed at him when he saw the look of disbelief wash across his face. "We'll be fine, Slick. Trust me."

Adam grumbled at the name as his doubt grew even more. But given that Nickel had obviously been raised a farm… His stomach rumbled softly. He doubted Nickel heard it. It wasn't like he had any other options at the moment. There was no telling when the others would pass them by on the road or if they already had. Given how fast Fennec had floored it, he was willing to believe that they had already passed them. And if food was already on his stomach's mind and it took them an hour to get here by vehicle at max speed, there was no way he'd survive the trip without something to eat before he got to the camp.

"Don't call me that." Adam told him as he marched up beside him. Nickel laughed lightly as he shook his head, leading Adam to groan. I'm way out of my element here.