Grimm Beginnings 13

-o ? o-

It was like hammers were banging inside my head. And my skull was the anvil.

"Ugh… what…?"

I pushed myself out of the bed… bed? No, off the couch and…

Ugh, so loud! All these booms and bangs and bullshit!

Clamping my hands over my ears, I pushed myself towards the searing light of the window of the tower. The girl I'd brought up here had already left, what was her name again? Chrissy? Cell? No… Belle?…? No, it was C something… ugh, I couldn't think through the pounding of my head and the blur of the world around me. Ugh, Dust, I know I didn't drink that much last night…

"…and who the hell's making so much noise?" I groaned out, squeezing my eyes tightly in the hope that would dull the pain. Ahh, fuck it. I shoved the half-closed curtains aside, blinking my eyes blearily against the searingly bright light of the day.

It was… the hell was going on…?

The were flashes of light and thunderous booms… and my chest went cold as I realized, even through the pain and the pounding in my head, what was happening.

The Grimm were attacking.

"No… no, nonono, the Huntsmen were supposed to get here today!" They were here, right?!

Immediately awake, my eyes went wide in spite of the pain of the bright lights searing my retinas as my gaze darted about. The tower was high enough to see over the walls, it was one of the places defenders were supposed to fall back to so that they could push the Grimm back even from inside the walls, I could see over the walls and into the clearing around this backwater town I called home… and it was a field of black smoke… of black monsters with specks of white bone and blood red eyes.

There were so many Grimm… I'd never even heard of so many Grimm!

"Oh Dust."

Was- was that a flaming tornado-?! And Dust those two Grimm were huge! The only Grimm of that size I'd seen was the Goliath that cute Huntress had fought last month, and I did not want a repeat!

Of-fucking-course one of them was that fucked up one that had been hounding the town, the other was an enormous lion thingy! The lion-like one, Nami's or something, had this huge burn on its back, but the fucked up one was obviously a mess even from here-

I caught movement in the corner of my eyes, just barely visible over the wall and whipped my head around to look. Was that a giant robot-?!

There was a high pitched whine before a beam of bright light blasted out from the robot, tracing a line through the front of the Grimm horde and it felt like an ice-pick was jammed into my ears and shook about…!

"Agh!" I cried in pain, covering my ears with my hands and flinching away from the noise and agony.

What in Dust was going on?!

And why was the damn forest on fire?!

Like, the entire forest!

I… I had to get to the shelters… right? That's where I should be going…?

I looked out at the fight. Did I though? I mean, I was as safe as I could get here… everyone that could fight was already at the walls, the guns were all firing, the booms like hammers in my head… and it'd only be worse if I went outside… if they broke through the walls, the shelter wouldn't help at all, and from here I could watch all of it go on. So I could see the–

"██████████████████████████████!"

The light was blinding, an afterimage burned into my vision even as I fell to the wood floor, clutching my ears at the sound as my skin felt like it burned! My eyes clenching tightly shut even as the bright light shone through them.

The roar faded, and with it the blinding light.

Groaning in pain as the sound of crumbling reached my ears, the thunder of guns having paused… my eyes slowly cracked open…

The… the top of the tower was gone…

It was like it'd been cut off just a bit above head height… it'd missed my head by barely more than a foot… and… and the edges of the stone walls were still glowing orange, the top of the window slumping as it half melted– a breeze blew through the suddenly open-topped tower, the smell of smoke and burning flesh and expended Dust... I…

I should get to the shelters.

-o Hav the Arsenal [1] o-

"Keep firing!" I shouted over my coms, "Fire damnit!"

I held down the trigger for DkNkm, the propelled packets of Dust hurtling out in clusters, each set jerked my arms back as the glowing wire-frame of DkDkm-9 bucked and kicked. Dust continued to pour from my backpack through the blocky projectors above my arms as I fired the 'rockets' into the lines of the Grimm, the thunderous retorts of the guns picking up thankfully soon after.

Nearly everyone had gone to ground at the roar, the damn Aberrant had blasted the Nemean King with its own breath weapon, which had splashed off of the larger Grimm, parting around it and ricocheting all over the battlefield and into the damn town!

A glance back, the walls were on fire-

I grit my teeth and leapt back, firing a pulse from my left hand and letting the shockwave carry me further back. I'd come down from the wall to give Project Recluse some close covering fire and now this?!

My thumb spun DkNkm's dial before pressing its activation stud, and with the sound of shattering glass the glowing wire-frame Dust-constructs broke into a thousand fragments before another weapon drew itself over my left arm. The Dust poured forth from my backpack as DkNkm-0 formed and I twisted through the air, flipping once as I leveled the weapon at the burning walls mid-air.

I pulled the trigger and held it down, the Dust-construct kicking in my hand, an almost minty smell filling the air around me as Teal Dust poured forth, my supplies were limited but I had to put the fires out now! Pulses of half-activated Ice Dust shot out rapid fire, each one bursting into several meters worth of ice.

Two holes in the walls, both of them burning, completely inaudible over the cacophony of the Grimm and gunfire, I focused on the closer one as my feet hit the scorched grass. Did I have enough? I never carried much, it was expensive and it wasn't my favorite function of DkNkm, but this was the perfect use for it.

I grit my teeth, feeling the drain on my Aura reserves as I poured them into the Dust-construct and the Dust being poured forth from it. I swept it back and forth, ice evaporating as it contacted the flames, but within only a few passes I was layering a wall of ice over the hole.

There was a tickle at the back of my neck and I scowled before spinning. A Beowulf had approached–

I introduced it to my boot.

The Beowulves head snapped back with a crack and it began to dissipate even as I spun to level DkNkm-0 at the other hole, firing carefully, sweeping it back and forth to try and put out the flames as quickly as I could. Tracer rounds visibly flew over my head from the walls, both from the militiamen and from the gun emplacements.

"Report!" I snapped out into my Scroll, working as quickly as I could to stop the flames even as I watched the gauge for my Teal Dust drop rapidly out of the corner of my eye.

"Squad One! Project Recluse' targeting systems are still wonky sir! We've had it prioritize the horde over the Giants, but its target acquisition is still off!"

"Squad Two! Walls are secure sir!"

"Squad Three–"

"Seiche–! Seiche's dead!"

My grip tightened around DkNkm's handle and I frowned, one of the Huntsmen had fallen-? "The Aberrant?" I questioned.

Caldera's voice snapped out over my Scroll, easily audible over the din of battle, "That fucking bastard! I'm going to kill it!"

I'd take that as a yes.

"Caldera!" I snapped, "Keep focused on the horde! We'll deal with the giants in time!"

"That piece of shit killed my teammate!" the fiery woman roared over the com, and I had to glance back even as I swept DkNkm-0's stream of Teal Dust back and forth to confirm that the firestorm she was capable of outputting wasn't being taken away from the front lines. I let out a little sigh of relief despite the seriousness of the situation when I saw a wall of flames surge forward into the front lines of the Grimm.

But the tornados… right, without Seiche to fuel and control them, the tornados had petered out. Damn.

DkNkm beeped angrily at me, signaling its rather stark lack of Teal Dust.

Also damn.

With a quick glance I confirmed that at least the fires in the walls were out, they were still holes barely covered at all by any amount of ice, and several of the houses inside the walls were still on fire. But I was out of Ice Dust. I could do no more.

Another spin of the dial and press of the activation stud, with a shattering sound DkNkm-0 dissipated and DkNkm-4 was rebuilt.

Multiple barrels of light formed around my arms as I spun, facing the horde once more as I pulled the triggers. The glowing barrels beginning to spin up as constructed bullets began to tear into the tidal wave of the monsters, removing heads and limbs from the lesser creatures of Grimm with ease.

With a high pitched whine, Project Recluse fired its primary laser cannon once more, sweeping it across the right flank of the horde, a line of explosions trailing after the beam.

I blinked once… then twice as my brain processed what I was seeing. A black mist might have hung over the field with the sheer scale of the death of the creatures of Grimm… but… it was no longer an encroaching tidal wave of the beasts, it was…?

Were… were we pushing them back…?

Briefly, a smile crossed my face as I began to unload into the Grimm, providing covering fire for Project Recluse. With the forest ablaze and either killing the reinforcements of the Grimm or at least injuring them, the aireal forces of the Grimm vaporized by the Aberrant, we actually had enough forces here to stem the tide of the beasts.

Even if it was a the cost of a Huntress... saving this town would be worth it.

The hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up once more, and my eyes snapped over to the Giant Grimm once more. Again-?!

-o Yinyue the Golden Songbird o-

How the hell does a Grimm just shrug off a lightning bolt?!

It seemed the Aberrant was going to have to try a little harder than THAT. [2]

The lightning bolt from the Aberrant's claw set my skin abuzz with static even from this distance, I was thankful that none of ours were closer to the eldritch creature of Grimm. That level of current could have done terrible things had we been closer.

The music poured from my mouth as I pushed my Semblance as far as it could go. I was expending Aura quickly to enhance the Aura's of everyone around me, my fellow Huntsmen the only people within my range…

But it… I… it hadn't been enough to protect Seiche–

Stop. Feel bad later. Save the day now.

Praepostero Pinnae kicked in my hands as I slowly advanced beside Silf and Qrow, but as surely as a cloud must run out of rain, I was running out of ammunition. I had come prepared for a singular, terrifyingly powerful foe, not for endless hordes.

With a snarl lost in the fading roars of the Grimm and the thunder of the guns, Silf stepped up and swung his staff, my partner throwing a spread of jagged icicles into the oncoming Grimm, shredding them as we pushed our way towards the giant Grimm.

The Nemean King rose to its hind legs, its forepaws coming down on to the Aberrant, the bloodied and smaller Grimm desperately dancing backwards. It was like a wolf being assaulted by a bear without its pack, retreating beneath the blows, crimson blood going flying into the Grimm horde all around the two titans.

Qrow lunged forward, scythe spinning in his hands as he turned three Grimm into eight pieces, and I took the small moment of breathing room to reload Praepostero Pinnae and set the song to a new tempo, we'd need–

The buzzing crackle of electricity and my hair standing on end interrupted my thoughts as the Aberrant threw a net of electrical current forward, setting the open wounds on the Nemean King's body ablaze. The larger beast recoiled for just an instant in pain as the Aberrant leapt backwards, breaking free from the melee.

Qrow's head swung towards it, possibly seeing an opening, maybe looking for a weakness in the Aberrant, but whatever he saw made him jerk and freeze mid-swing of his scythe, "No…" It was only a reflexive swing of his weapon that kept a Beowulf from beheading him.

The Nemean King pounced, the Aberrant throwing up its arms to block the saber-toothed Grimm's forepaws from raking across its chest. My breath was stolen as the Nemean sucked in the air for its terrible roar, and to my horror it breathed out a terrible blast of heat and light that poured over the Aberrant's crossed arms, splashing outwards and deflecting at a wide number of angles. Ricocheting about like water being sprayed into a spoon.

"No!"

I nearly jumped in surprise at the sudden roar from the older Huntsmen we were paired with, and with a sudden flash and bang, Qrow almost vanished!

A scream of pain came from the Aberrant as the Nemean sustained the terrible breath weapon, the smell of burning flesh and smoke and ozone washing over us even from here, blasted out by the blazing hot roar.

Even as Silf created a jagged wall of ice around himself and I to protect us from the ricochets and heat, Qrow ran across the tops of the Grimm straight towards the two titans.

With another retort of the shotguns in his scythe, our mentor launched himself past the Nemean's face, hooking his scythe in its remaining eye and tugging its head off course–!

The terrible blast scoured the burning forest, reducing the great trees to cinders as it was dragged across them, vaporizing numerous Grimm before its roar ceased with a howl of pain and Qrow let his scythe slip free, much of his momentum lost in his attack, firing his weapon once more to get further away–

And the Aberrant roared.

The Nemean's forepaws were thrown up high by the Aberrant before the smaller Grimm tackled the saber-toothed monster and bowled it over, knocking it entirely off balance!

The Nemean began to roll to its feet, but the Aberrant was having none of it. Its claws, bloodied and torn, one arm missing its attached wing, both latched onto the Nemean's back before the Aberrant lifted the larger Grimm above its head!

One claw at the back of the feline Grimm's neck, the other just above its hips, the Aberrant lifted the Nemean high in the air… and began to flex.

Thrashing and struggling, the Nemean King was unable to escape the grip of the Aberrant as its back bowed further and further beneath the armored Grimm's efforts. The Aberrant slammed one of its taloned feet into the ground hard enough that I could feel it as a tremor even here, nearly forty yards away! Smaller Grimm lunged and sunk their teeth into the Aberrant's legs, trying to bring it down even as blood dripped from the wounds in its body like crimson rain, their efforts either unnoticed or ignored.

Armored arms got progressively closer to one another, the Nemean King's back bending at a harsher and harsher angle as its legs flailed uselessly in the air.

A thunderous crack resounded through the air as something in the Nemean's back seemed to give, a terrifying screech of pain escaping the monstrosity.

It was enough.

Raising the larger monstrosity even higher over its head, the Aberrant snarled and brought the Nemean down with impossible force and broke the Nemean's back across its armored shoulders. Blood sprayed into the air like a crimson geyser from the rupture that opened in the Nemean King's pale stomach as its back bent at an impossible angle even for its feline spine. It was bent literally in half across the back of a creature barely half its size, and it was only able to let out a final, wet gurgle as it died.

With a shrug, the Aberrant dropped the Nemean's corpse behind it, the mass of Grimm hitting the ground with a boom, sending a tremor through the ground.

And the Aberrant roared with its victory. [3]

A roar interrupted by a bang.

There was the distinctive boom of Qrow's shotgun firing and the older huntsmen's aura visibly blazing as the professional went hurtling through the air at the Aberrant's face. I knew Qrow was fast but I'd barely been able to see hi– the thing dodged-?!

My jaw dropped and Praepostero Pinnae drooped. Qrow had taken off like a literal bullet, moving just as fast as a heavier Dust round could, flying through the air like a streak, his scythe deployed and aimed right at the Aberrants face. And the Grimm had dodged. Its head had jerked to the side like any Huntsmen-in-training might have dodged a bullet fired by an amateur-! Halfway through its roar it had simply moved, jerking its head to the side as Qrow went screaming by-!

And then Qrow reminded us why team STRQ was still whispered about in the halls of Beacon.

Instead of going hurtling off into the field, he'd shifted midair in that fraction of an instant that the Aberrant had dodged, as he hurtled past its head, his shotgun had boomed again and he'd changed direction midair, the massive scythe hooking around the Aberrant's right horn just in time to spin Qrow around to the other side of its face, grabbing it by the corner of its eye with one hand as the scythe twirled once in the other before burying itself deep into the Aberrant's left eye.

And the Aberrant screamed, the deafening sound not able to hide the flash of the embedded scythe firing into the creatures destroyed eye and sending Qrow flying away.

I stared as the man landed on the scorched grass and roared with an anger that I'd only caught a glimpse of when he'd seen his teammates destroyed weapon, "Give them back!"

It was only then I noticed the form of a person, shrouded in the interlocking but damaged limbs on the Aberrant's stomach and covered in blood, and Steel's dark and distinctive form wrapped up in the Aberrant's tail.

Glowing blue flew through the air and icicles impacted with the Aberrant's head as Team Collateral rushed past us, Caldera almost screaming out, "You piece of shit!"

I glanced at the Grimm horde… now a mere scattering of burnt and damaged creatures that were being slaughtered by the Atlas project and the guns of the town–

"This is Qrow to all points! The Aberrant has Steel and Summer! Bring it down but watch your fire!"

"Sir!" I snapped reflexively and started to move, "Silf-!"

"Yeah, I know, they'll need our help!" My partner snapped back, cringing, "Damnit. Let's go already."

-o Andoriol The Alien [4] o-

Pain.

I hadn't hurt this much in… so long.

EEEEEEEEEEEQrEEEEEow?EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE–

Not long enough.

The world was ringing from the scythe scraping along my horn, I only felt meat and pain where my left eye had been, my limbs were… heavy… I'd… I'd almost forgotten what heavy was like…

Light flashed–

"No–!" I lunged to the side reflexively, streaks of light blurring past my head–

Pain flared in my body as I hit the dirt in a roll, struggling back up to my feet, claws coming up–

What– What was going– No! Focus! You're going to have to try harder than that!

Past the fuzz in my head, past the blurriness of my vision, past the intoxicating mess of emotions around me, I grit my fangs together and forced myself to focus past the pain– The blurs of the Hunters came at least partially into clarity, the one that'd taken my eye was nearby, six were rushing in two groups, weren't there two more–?

Light!
Brilliant orange-yellow surged through the corner of my vision!

I jerked my wing up as flames surged from one of the Hunters rushing at me, the heat splashing around the damaged appendage as I desperately covered my stomach, Summer– AGH!

A reflexive roar of pain escaped me as the flames washed over my damaged face, seeping into the cracks of my mask and burning what had been my left eye–! Summer-! This risked her-! Those bastards!

"Damnit Caldera watch your fire!" the gray and black and red Hunter shouted.

Fury burned in my chest–!

"█████████████!"

The flames blew away from me as I screamed incoherently in rage, my wing snapping out, forcing the flames away from Summer as I desperately covered her with my other wi-... claw… all I had was a claw there now–

"I'm tryin–" My claw hovered over Summer's form, I could see her moving but I couldn't hear her heartbeat over the ringing of my horn… her skin was overly warm… I could see the singed tips of her hair and her skin was almost sunburnt… had I…? Had I hurt her in the fight…? I couldn't have… she was the light in the dark loneliness… "It's staggering all–"

She was my ray of sunshi– FOCUS!

With a snarl, I leapt back and away from the Hunters damnit! Focus! Stop just thinking and end the fight! They're risking Summer! "STAH! STAH!"

"Just be ready to–" Words wouldn't form– My legs nearly buckled under my own weight as I landed, my talons digging into the ground. Couldn't think straight–

Cold–!

My leg wouldn't move–?! What?! Why?! My head snapped down, ice-? Ice! They'd iced my leg-!

Motion demanded my attention, making it snap back up and finding one of the Hunters magicking a boulder at me-?!

Noise poured forth from me as my claw snapped up to catch the jagged stalagmite hurtling towards me, snatching the rock larger than my head out of the air and tossing it aside–! Hah! Away from the other You're going to have to try harder than tha–!

No…

The world slowed to a crawl, adrenaline surging through my opened veins… my eye… I could see it all in that instant–

The Hunter… the one with the scythe… he'd been riding the boulder! He was hurtling towards my head through the air, scythe raised high behind his head! His red eyes practically gleamed… he'd had to have leapt from it at the last instant as I knocked it from the air– My arms couldn't move fast enough–! His lips were pressed into a thin line, some sort of cape trailing in the air behind him–

Dodge-?! My legs were jello with some fruit in it, there's no way I could– What about intercept?! With my tail-?! The Hunter was still in it-! I couldn't use it without crushing him-!

The scythe began to descend as its wielder snarled, with my mask cracked, the weight and speed of that scythe… there was no way my bone-helm could survive it–

Never! Tail wasn't an option! My winged arm began to move to intercept, to sacrifice a limb to protect my head–

It wouldn't make it–

"QROW!" Summer screamed… at least… at least Summer would be okay…

Light glinted off of the silver weapon as it moved through the air…

I... I didn't want to die…

"STOP!"

His eyes widened and the Hunter tried to turn, to alter the direction of his already moving scythe, but his momentum was too much–! Silver flashed–

!

Pain-!

A wordless scream of agony escaped me and I nearly collapsed. My head–! My claws snapped to my skull-! My horns-!

–EEEEEEEEEEEEEW-What-?!EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE–

There was a thud as one of my horns slammed into the ground– he'd cut off my horn-!

Oh god I can feel the blood spurting from the stump…

"Andy! Come on big guy–!"
–EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE–
"–are you okay?!"

Pain flared in my wounds… gunshots…? I staggered, trying to get out of the way, but my iced leg nearly tripped me…

Away… gotta… gotta get away… damn ice… keeping me from getting…

Away!

I still had someone to protect! [5]

"EEENNUUHHHH!" I slammed my claw into the ground as hard as I could, and the ground lost. It shattered beneath me explosively, smashing the ice as well–!

"Summer-?!" concern, fear, confusion from the scythe-user.

My tail unfurled jerkily as I turned and I dropped the Hunter I'd saved-! No monsters to attack him! Stop holding him! Slowing me down!

The temperature behind me dropped– more ice was coming my way-!

"Wait!"

I staggered, trying to get out of the way, but nothing encased me-? Doesn't matter! Got to get Summer safe!

"Qrow-?!"

"Huckle-! Flail Shield!"

A surge of heat behind me, sending sparks of pain through my horn but no fire struck me–

"Damnit Steel! Get out of the way!"

Drop her now…? No, too much fire, too dangerous here, get out of the fight, set her down, run… heal… eat… My large legs made enormous strides as I began to just run-!

The world jerked beneath my feet and I staggered, half turning towards– more boulders?! Damnit!

The brightly colored blurs of the Hunters were dancing between one another, they were… intercepting each other-? Not important! There was confusion and anger and worry and hatred surging through the air around me, but that wasn't important! Boulders-! Three massive stalagmites! Hurtling right at my face-!

My tail lashed out at the same time as something thinner, each swatting one of the stalagmites out of the air, the impact sending horrific pain through my tail–! NO! Despite my vision going white, I moved!

Strength surged through my body even as my insides burned. I stumbled as I turned, my claws shining white as they shot up to grab the stalagmite out of the air, my claws digging into the stone even as it forced me back!

The effort was like a thousand needles in my muscles but I held the point away from my face! My claws practically shining as I skidded to a halt! Hah-! Got i–

"–not getting away!"

A small impact went through the stalagmite before it began to scorch my claws, the rock beginning to glow–

"Fucking d–!"

My claws snapped away as I staggered back, the world slowing to a crawl as adrenaline surged through my burning veins. It began to balloon outwards as the temperature rapidly sent up the spectrum even before it began to fall.

Orange– Yellow– It began to swell and distort like Mt. St. Helens had–

No…

White– Blue White–

"–ie!"

It exploded.

Droplets of searing hot lava splattered on my bone armor uselessly, others scorched deep into my open wounds–! But the main mass of the rock was blown off to the side by the rocket that had slammed into it.

"The hell-?!"

Without the sharp boulder in the way, I could see the blurry form of a woman in black with red hair, literally burning as she started to fall back to the earth– Her eyes met mine, and through the pain and blood… I could sense the hatred there…

She'd burn everything in her way to get to me…

That… that bitch–! I'll-! I'll…

I could see an eye of glowing red reflected in her own gaze.

"Andy-!" Summer nearly screamed from her place against my stomach.

…I... I had to get away… I couldn't risk Summer anymore… no more!

My body turned back towards the forest and despite the burning agony in my bones, despite the aching pain that ran through my veins as I staggered, I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I just… Just needed to get my Sunshine far enough away to leave her to those who'll take care of her… Just… run…

"Hav! The hell-?!"

"Stand down Caldera!"

My taloned feet thundered in the scorched ground as I put distance between the Hunters and me… I… black was creeping at the edges of my vision… red was starting to seep into it from my wounds… My world narrowed to the edge of the tree line… where I'd drop off Summer… put a tree between her and the attacks… then run… find more monsters to eat and heal and run…

"Andy! Andy are you okay-?!"

I can't answer… not now, I'll–

Silver-blue light filled the right corner of my vision–

!

"█████████████!"

PAIN!

"Andy!"

It hurt-! It hurt! My face hit the dirt and I dug a small furrow into the scorched ground. It was like a rod of hot steel was shoved through my shoulder-! Damnit! Damnit! I tried to scream, but only a hacking cough escaped me, hot blood bubbling out of my throat as I nearly vomited–!

"Andy! Get up-! Come on big guy!"

It hurt-! Oh god it hurt-! Every twitch of my right arm sent shocks of pain through me-! Gah! Stop!

My left claw slammed into the dirt and I struggled to push myself up-

Black smoke… I collapsed to my elbow with a thud, my right arm weighed down by its still attached wing as I froze in my struggle to my knees.

I was evaporating…

"Andy…"

Everything felt like it was falling apart… my bones ached, my muscles spasmed, my veins were filled with glass… I could feel the tremors going through my body, I could feel the bits falling away and disappearing even as my head felt like it was going to explode from the inside through the fuzz of lightheadedness… and there was a star inside my chest that just burned away at me, eating at my insides.

I… I was...

"Andy-!" Summer almost sobbed–

But I refused.

My left fist slammed into the ground even as I forced my aching limbs at my stomach to open up, something in my right arm gave way as I tried to bring it over, pain flared but I refused to acknowledge it. My tail swung around instead to catch Summer as I opened up her protective cage-

"Andy-?! What are you-?!" Her hands clung to the legs, refusing to let go

But I didn't give her a choice, my tail wrapped around her, pulling her away, "Stay sa'e… Rose…"

"No! Andy! Stop!"

She held on… bless her… I don't know what I did to deserve… I wish I had more… I wish things could have been different…

No.

No.

They will be different!

My fangs ground together with enough force to make them crack as I made myself get back up on my feet. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but I refuse to give up-!

Tail moving quickly, agony rippled up its length as I moved Summer away from me, nearly throwing her aside to keep her from clinging to me. She needed the Hunters, and I needed to get away from them…

"Wha-?! Oof!" I staggered forward, the world swaying as I started to move, Summer rolling to a stop. "No-! No! Andy! Stop!"

There, she was away, on the burnt grass and far from the burning forest or what remained of the monsters… and away from me.

So… alone once more… I ran into the burning forest.


A.N. - -grunts- doesn't like links. I apologize for how nigh incomprehensible these are (as well as all previous attempts at linking, didn't realize they'd been eaten so badly)

[1] www .youtube watch?v=BD3VJGDqphM

[2] www .youtube watch?v=G5xE4tl6fUU

[3] www .youtube watch?v=v_LFKNghYi8

[4] www .youtube watch?v=G5xE4tl6fUU

[5] www . youtube watch?v=vHntpRZMiSQ