I know it's only been a couple days since I posted the first chapter, but I realized that not only was the previous chapter really short, there wasn't a whole lot that happened (note that the chapters after this one will be a little longer). That'll change in this chapter. This is where the T rating comes into play.
When It Rains
Chapter 2: Loss
"Aww, getting tired out already?" Hopper asked in derisive concern and grabbed Flik around the waist with his two lower arms. Flik's head bobbed up and down as he struggled to stay conscious. "Well, how about we just wake you up a little?" With that, Hopper grabbed hold of Flik's left arm and tore it out of its socket completely. Flik let out a long, piercing shriek that would send chills through anyone with even the smallest hint of empathy. Alas, Hopper was not an empathetic insect, especially not toward the ant that thwarted his plans not only that year, but forever. Those ants knew they outnumbered and overpowered the grasshoppers by a wide margin, and because one pesky ant had to stand up, Hopper's annual food supply was no more.
The more Hopper thought about it all, the more he saw red. It wasn't even so much about the food – he and his gang could get food anywhere. It was about the control that he held over the ants; it was about the loss of the fear stranglehold he had on them, including the queen herself. Hopper, as a leader, didn't like not getting his own way and he was going to teach that one ant a lesson that wouldn't soon be forgotten. He narrowed his eyes and, without saying a word, Hopper wrenched Flik's right arm around until it snapped with a sickening crack. He then ripped the broken arm off and tossed it aside. The ant wailed in inconceivable agony and began squirming and kicking in Hopper's grasp.
Hopper's smile was as vicious as ever. "Now don't waste your voice all in one sitting, Mr. Hero. We're only halfway done!" He switched arms, using the upper ones to hold the ant by the chest and the lower ones to tear both of Flik's legs out at the same time. Flik threw his head back in a tormented scream that echoed throughout the island. Tears poured down the ant's bruised cheeks, but he didn't make any further noise – he simply shuddered as shock began to set in. Flik was screaming all over on the inside, but he was so drained and stunned from the pain consuming what was left of his body that he didn't have the strength to cry out any longer. Clear blood oozed steadily from the four open wounds where the ant's limbs once were, and the same clear fluid was splashed all over Hopper and his hands*. Hopper grinned, pleased with what he'd done, and dropped Flik like a rock while laughing. The only sound Flik made was his impact against the ground.
"Oops. Butterfingers." Hopper looked quite smug as he stood over his victim – a shattered spirit trapped within a pitiful, limbless body. Still in shock, Flik did nothing but stare blankly up into the sky, even after Hopper kicked him. In spite of beating the ant within an inch of his life and mutilating him, Hopper's desire for revenge was still not sated. He wouldn't be satisfied until he killed Flik with his own hands. Hopper wrapped his hand around the ant's throat and lifted him up by his neck; he wanted to watch his adversary take his last breath, knowing he'd squeezed it out of the ant's mangled body himself.
"I'll make sure you don't get in my way again." Hopper said, sadistic pleasure and fury dripping off his tongue all at once. His other hand clenched Flik's throat and Hopper began to strangle him, savoring the sight of the ant gasping for air. Hopper was almost disappointed – his victory would seem a bit less gratifying if Flik just let Hopper kill him. Little did Hopper know that while he was so engulfed in torturing his enemy, he failed to notice a much larger threat flying right toward him.
Hopper's only warning to the imminent danger was a loud tweet right behind him. He didn't even have time to turn around and see the bird before it plucked him off the ground. Taken by surprise, Hopper dropped Flik unceremoniously before being eaten alive by the ravenous feathered menace. Flik couldn't move at all, but his incapacity worked in his favor; by not moving, he didn't attract the bird's attention and, therefore, didn't join Hopper in his fate. Still, at that point, Flik wished the bird would have taken him as well and finished what Hopper had started. He laid prone on the cold ground, wet, bleeding, and in pain that he couldn't even begin to describe. Meanwhile, the princess was out scouting for him... too little, too late.
*Ants do not have "blood" in a typical sense. They have clear circulatory fluid.
Author's notes: Like I said, this chapter got kind of violent. I did my best to try and ensure nothing in the story sounded too redundant - after all, there are only so many synonyms for "painful." As always, I welcome constructive criticism because I'm no master author, and if anyone has suggestions or spots mistakes/inconsistencies that I did not, please let me know in the comments. Stay tuned for chapter 3!