AN- ShadowRebirth37 here! I'm still going through a really tough time, but I made time to write this chapter. I changed chapter 3's title; it didn't really fit and I thought it was weak. SQUEE!! My fave song, Already Over, by Red just came on!! Um… anyway, this will be a dark chapter. Oops, I forgot to explain what it means when an Organoid feeds. Hatchlings must feed on energy to survive until their self-supporting AI fully develops. After their AI matures, they do not need to feed but can. Adult Organoids usually only feed when they are injured or weak, for it replenishes their energy and helps them heal. When they feed they secrete a silvery-clear fluid that is a mild paralytic; causing numbness, sleepiness, weakness and eventually unconsciousness. It isn't usually fatal, but some Organoids, like the rare subspecies, Ago doku koori, developed the fluid into a potent poison. Read my other fic, The Distant Stars, for more info. Weird, I know, but don't blame me! This came from a dream! Did the last paragraph of chapter 3 freak anyone out? It gave me chills! I HATE Ambient!!O I digress; this chappie will be dark, scary, told mostly from Raven's POV, introduce another OC and be slightly funny. Without further a due, chapter 4- In the Demon's Jaws.
.:Chapter 4: In the Demon's Jaws:.
The crimson Organoid pushed against his shoulder forcefully, growling sharply. Raven groaned, opening his eyes as the Organoid turned and stared at him with its piercing, cold gaze. He saw something strange; a silvery-clear liquid coated the Organoid's jaws. 'What is that stuff?' he thought, looking at the fluid. The Organoid hissed; its eyes narrowing as it saw he was still conscious. Then, a grim smile creped across its face, and a wicked growl escaped its throat.
Suddenly, the red Organoid lunged with a snarl, clamping its jaws on Raven's shoulder. He cried out weakly as the Organoid's teeth pierced his shoulder armor and sank deep into him. The fluid dripped onto him, and the Organoid began making a strange noise. He suddenly began to feel tired, as if the little energy he had left had been sucked out of him. His shoulder started to go numb, and he felt extremely tired and weak.
The Organoid flicked its tail as if it was enjoying it. Raven closed his eyes and lowered his head, groaning in pain. He knew he was going to lose consciousness, and he knew that if he did, he was dead, but he couldn't fight it off much longer.
"Help… please…"
Copper slowly came to his senses. He uncurled his long tail and stretched, trying to see if he was damaged in any way. Not detecting anything of worry, he opened his eyes and shakily got to his feet, still rattled by the red Organoid's surprise attack. He looked to his left and gasped, seeing Shadow collapsed on his side. He rushed over to his friend's side and leaned down to him. His eyes were dim and his breathing almost nonexistent, due to one of the worst wounds Copper had ever seen- three deep slashes on the black Organoid's soft throat. Unbelievably, Shadow's eyes flashed slightly and he spoke.
"R-Raven… red…" he whispered before he lost consciousness again.
"What?" Copper asked, confused by his friend's words. Before he could ask again, he heard a loud snarl off to his left. He froze, fearing the thought that the red Organoid was still in the cave. A different sound; a wet, almost eating noise, caught his attention. 'What in the world is that?' he thought, turning towards the sounds' source. He walked over towards the chamber it had originated from and froze, seeing the red Organoid bent over something.
"Help… please…" Raven cried weakly. Then it hit him…
'It… it's feeding on him!'
Copper was frozen, unsure of what to do. His eyes wandered from the hulking form of the red Organoid to Raven; unmoving and bleeding in the crimson Organoid's jaws. Seeing Raven clutched in the Organoid's jaws triggered something in Copper, like an overwhelming instinct. Forgetting his fear, he roared, causing the Organoid to release Raven and turn to him. The look of fear on its face faded and was replaced by one of annoyance as it saw it was only him.
"What do you want, gold?" he hissed, glaring at the thinly-armored Organoid.
"Get away from him!" Copper roared, baring his fangs.
"I'm too busy feeding right now to fight with you, so I suggest you leave me before I finish, gold." The Red replied calmly, turning away from the gold Organoid back towards Raven. Hearing a pained cry from Raven as the Red's jaws closed on his shoulder again infuriated Copper. With an enraged snarl, he attacked, tackling the Red as he snapped at his exposed throat. The Red yelped in surprise and released Raven as the gold-clad Organoid rushed him. Copper roared and rammed him again, forcing the crimson Organoid away from Raven.
Hissing in rage, the Red swung his heavy tail at the attacker, who dodged easily. Copper roared and lunged, his jaws snapping shut on the red Organoid's unprotected throat. The Red screamed in pain and whipped around violently, trying to shake Copper off. Copper held on, and began to force the Red out into the main chamber, away from Raven, and towards the outside ledge.
With a final shove, he pushed the crimson Organoid over the edge. The Red roared in surprise as he feel and hit the canyon floor. Copper looked down at his foe, and was surprised to see the now-wounded Organoid struggle to his feet.
"Be gone, red!" Copper roared at the fallen Organoid, fanning his coal-black wings. The Red looked up at the golden Organoid before he fired his boosters and disappeared down the winding canyon. Copper watched him vanish, and then turned back into the cave. He glanced over at Shadow, just to see how his condition was. A loud wheeze filled the air with every labored breath he took, but at least he was still breathing.
Copper turned away from the black Organoid and walked towards the chamber Raven was in. He stopped suddenly, hearing a quiet rustling noise inside the chamber. 'He couldn't still be conscious, could he?' Copper thought, listening to the soft shuffling. He turned slowly into the chamber as quietly as he could, so not to frighten him. Copper expected to see the boy unconscious, but instead he was greeted by narrowed, violet eyes.
"Holy Helkat…" Copper cursed under his breath, seeing the young pilot's wounded shoulder, which was drenched in blood and the silvery-clear fluid. 'How is he still conscious? A full-grown Organoid just fed on him; he shouldn't have enough energy to stay awake! He's strong… for a human…' Copper thought, looking at the boy with his jaw agape. To his astonishment, Raven tried to get to his feet, but failed miserably and collapsed back down to the ground with a yelp.
Copper growled softly as he walked over to his side and leaned down to him. Raven tensed up and closed his eyes, expecting another attack. Copper growled lowly and lightly nudged his arm, trying to show he wasn't going to hurt him. Still, Raven didn't relax or react to him, so Copper lifted his head away and walked back out to Shadow.
Raven heard a loud roar behind the crimson Organoid, causing it to let go of his shoulder. He opened his eyes slightly, and couldn't believe his eyes, for there was yet another Organoid standing behind the red Organoid. This one was a golden color with black underpaneling, and had shining, greenish-black eyes. It roared at the Organoid that had attacked him and curled its lip, exposing its sharp, silver teeth. The red Organoid seemed completely unfazed and growled back to it, like it wasn't afraid in the slightest. It even turned its back to the snarling gold Organoid as it turned back to him.
The crimson Organoid bent down to him and clamped its jaws back onto his shoulder. Raven cried out weakly in pain, closing his eyes again. Suddenly, the Organoid's jaws were ripped off him as the Organoid roared in pain. He forced his eyes open, and gasped at what he saw. The gold Organoid had rammed the red Organoid, forcing it into a corner. It hissed and swung at the other with its tail, but the gold Organoid ducked and bit into its neck. It screamed loudly and jerked sharply, trying to yank its neck free of the attacking Organoid's jaws. The golden Organoid growled, and slowly pulled it out into another chamber and out of sight.
A loud scream of pain and a roar of victory announced that the fight had ended. Raven heard the loud, clanking footsteps of one of them approach the chamber he was in, and he was afraid the red Organoid had won and had returned to finish him off. The Organoid that peered in at him was not the red, however, but the golden one.
'Is it going to attack me?' Raven thought as the Organoid stared at him and growled. 'It took down the red one… probably just to get at me…' He tried to get to his feet, but was too weak and slid back down to the ground with a pained cry. The Organoid growled again and walked towards him. Raven closed his eyes and tensed, expecting it to bite him like the red Organoid had, as it leaned down and snorted quietly. It didn't bite him; instead it growled lowly and lightly nudged his arm. He still was scared that the Organoid was going to hurt him, so he didn't move or react to its nudging.
Eventually, the Organoid lifted its head and walked away, making an almost fuming noise. Only after he was sure the Organoid was gone, Raven opened his eyes and looked around. He really hadn't had time to look and see where he was before the red Organoid attacked him. From what he could see, he determined he was in a cave of some sort, and holes in the cave roof leaked in sunlight. But other than that he hadn't the slightest idea about where he was exactly. He brushed some dust off of his right side where he had been laying on the floor and touched something wet.
Suddenly, pain shot up his side, causing him to cry out and clutch his ribs. A few seconds later the pain subsided, and he removed his hand and looked down. He gasped at what he saw- a bullet wound. 'Where the Helkat did that come from?!' he thought, looking at it closely. As he looked closer, he saw something odd- some of the silvery-clear fluid, like what had been on the red Organoid's jaws, was on the wound. 'It must numb the pain and stop the bleeding, cause I only felt it when I brushed the stuff off and there isn't a lot of blood…' he thought, but the strange liquid still puzzled him.
He heard something outside in the larger chamber, and lifted his head to try and see what it was. It was too dark to make out any details, but he could see what he believed was the gold Organoid bent over a lump on the floor. He heard it growl, and was surprised to hear another growl answer it. 'There's another one?!' Raven thought in astonishment. Sure enough, the lump stood up, revealing itself as another Organoid. 'I thought Organoids were extremely rare, so why have I seen three in a span of five minutes?!' he thought.
The two Organoids growled at each other, almost like they were talking to one another. The new one turned and looked at him with bright blue eyes before it turned back to the golden one and growled loudly. The gold Organoid growled an answer and looked at him too. 'What are they doing?' Raven thought, not understanding the two Organoids' strange actions.
As he watched, the gold Organoid disappeared outside the cave, leaving the other Organoid alone. It turned and looked at him, and started to walk towards him. 'Oh great… now this one wants to chew on me…' Raven thought sarcastically, watching the Organoid stop about six feet from him and look at him. Raven looked up at the Organoid, and couldn't help but stare.
This Organoid was much larger than the thin gold one, and much more different in appearance. Instead of the lighter colors of the other two, this one was black and had bright, sky-blue eyes. The reptilian-like fringes that adorned its head gave it a fierce appearance, but the warmth of its eyes created a feeling of intelligence. 'What am I saying? It just wants to eat me like the red one was…' Raven thought grimly, looking at its claws and talons.
As if in response, the dark Organoid cocked its head and growled lowly, as if in thought. That's when Raven saw the deep slashes on the Organoid's throat. 'Those look bad… where did it get wounds that severe?' Raven thought, feeling almost sympathetic for the metal creature's wounds. The Organoid once again cocked its head, and regarded him with almost curious eyes.
Lightly bobbing its head, the black Organoid slowly started towards him, pausing to look at him after every step. Its eyes widened as it saw the puncture wounds on his shoulder. A look almost of concern filled its eyes, and it seemed to be frozen with shock. A loud growl escaped its throat as it walked over to his side and looked at his torn shoulder.
Raven looked up at the dark Organoid that hovered over him. It growled quietly, and bent down to his level, never taking its eyes off his wounded shoulder. It was only a few inches away from him, and Raven could see some of the strange silver stuff in its mouth. 'Great…' Raven thought sarcastically, 'This one's going to bite me like the red one did…' The Organoid growled and opened its jaws slightly as it moved towards him. Raven closed his eyes and turned away, tensing when he felt the Organoid's warm tongue on his bloodied shoulder. He cringed, for the contact burned and he was expecting to feel its teeth tear at him any second.
The Organoid growled quietly and began lapping up the blood from his wounds, at the same time covering them in the silvery-clear fluid. The pain and bleeding from the injuries slowly decreased, and soon was almost gone. The Organoid snorted and lifted its head, turning to look at Raven, even though his eyes were closed. Growling softly, the Organoid lightly tapped him under his chin, almost like a cat would. Raven shut his eyes tighter and turned away, not knowing what it was doing.
Exhaling noisily, the Organoid softly nudged his uninjured shoulder, like it was trying to wake him up. Groaning, Raven slowly opened his eyes and looked at the black Organoid. The Organoid lightly tilted its head and made a noise similar to a croon. Raven once again tried to get to his feet, but this time the Organoid carefully pushed him back down. 'What? Why won't it let me up?' Raven thought, looking up at the dark Organoid strangely.
/Do not move, you will upset your wounds/ The Organoid said sternly in his head, looking him in the eyes. Raven was completely stunned, the Organoid actually talked to him. 'Am I imagining things? Or did that Organoid really just talk?!' Raven thought in disbelief, staring at the metallic dragon in front of him.
/Yes, I did just talk to you, young Raven/ The black Organoid said with an almost mocking tone, /And I do have a name besides Organoid, you know/ It added, smirking slightly. Raven finally recovered enough to answer it.
"Then… then what is your name?" Raven asked, still not believing he was talking with an Organoid.
/Shadow/ The dark Organoid answered, /Please know Raven that I am not going to hurt you. After getting shot at by Republican soldiers and nearly killed by that red demon, I would not even think of harming you/
"You… you pulled me out of the Raptor?" Raven asked the Organoid, the earlier events of the day slowly started to make sense.
/Yes. You were lucky I found you before the Republican soldiers did. And that Copper was able to drive away that devil of an Organoid/ Shadow replied, lying down beside Raven to his left.
"Thank you, Shadow." Raven thanked the Organoid, "I'm guessing that Copper is the golden Organoid, right?"
/Yes, he is. You can trust him; he has been my friend since I was a hatchling. He saved your life, Raven. You can trust your life with him, I have many times and he has never let me down/ Shadow nodded.
"I'll be sure to thank him when he gets back. Where'd he go, anyway?" Raven turned to the black Organoid curled up to his left.
/He wanted to make sure that the Red was gone/ Shadow answered.
"Hmm…" Raven leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He was completely exhausted, which could be expected considering he was nearly killed in a Zoids battle, hit with a bullet, and fed upon by an adult Organoid. Shadow laid his head on the stone floor, careful of his wounded throat.
/You should rest Raven, you will need all the strength you can get/ Shadow said quietly, closing his eyes. Raven looked down at the Organoid that was now almost asleep.
"Yeah…" he whispered, "You should, too…" He laid his left hand on the dark Organoid's muzzle and slowly moved his hand over the reptilian crest. Shadow purred loudly, and tapped his tail against the ground. 'He's just a big kitten…' Raven thought, smiling inwardly.
/I heard that/ Shadow opened an eye lazily and looked at Raven with a grin before he closed it again. Raven couldn't help but smirk at the Organoid. Soon, both of them were sound asleep, unaware that the Red was scheming to kill them both at the very same time…
Ambient was laying on a ledge overlooking the canyon, basking in the fading light. His left leg was cracked slightly from the fall, but the other injuries he had sustained in the fight were minor and mostly healed due to feeding. 'My leg will heal quickly after all the extra energy I consumed, and then I can enact my revenge…' Ambient thought with an evil grin as he casually licked the blood from his muzzle and claws.
After he finished cleaning the still wet blood from his crimson armor, he laid his head on the ground and closed his eyes. 'Soon, Raven… as soon as this leg is healed you're time will be up…' he smirked cruelly, unconsciously curling and uncurling the tip of his tail slowly. If he hadn't been lost in thought, he might have heard the quiet scraping of tiny claws on stone as something snuck up behind him from inside the cave's mouth that was yawning widely behind him.
Suddenly, something pounced on the tip of his tail with a small roar. Ambient wrapped his tail-tip around the tiny attacker's tail and brought it up to his face, not even bothering to open his eyes. The small blue creature squirmed in his grip in a desperate attempt to escape, but eventually gave up and just hung there, upside-down.
"Your attack method needs some work, Orkari." Ambient said quietly to the small hatchling as he turned towards it, opening his eyes.
"Sahwe, fahzer…" the sapphire-blue Organoid answered in a sad tone, disappointed that he hadn't scared his father.
"That's alright, Orkari." Ambient reassured the chick he wasn't angry. He lowered the Organoid to the ground and laid him on his back, releasing his tail. The small hatchling wiggled his legs frantically, before finally succeeded in turning right side-up and shook the dust from his small metal body. His sapphire body gleamed in the dying red light of the sun, making it almost glow. Clumps of sharp, pointed spines covered his shoulders, back, hip, and the tops of his arms and legs. His head was adorned by a horn in-between his eyes (picture Specula's) that was surrounded by more spines. A few pairs of the same spines on his cheeks and atop his nose were dangerously sharp but very short. A row of spikes also hung from below his chin. His tail-tip bore a cluster of longer spines, that even though he was no longer than Labrador retriever could deliver a painful blow. The boosters on his back were laid flat, their outline almost melting into his streamlined body. But his most striking feature was his bright, yellowish-orange eyes.
"Fahzer, I hungee…" Orkari whined, butting Ambient's arm with a loud mew.
"Patience, Orkari, patience…" Ambient calmed the whimpering chick, "…I'll go hunting tomorrow, I just need to rest for a little bit and let my leg heal up…" he added, seeing the hatchling's sad face.
"Wha happened to your leg, fahzer?" Orkari asked curiously, cocking his head.
"I was roughing up two Organoids when one scored a lucky hit, nothing bad, so don't worry Orkari." He told the young Organoid with a hint of pride evident in his voice.
"Wow fahzer! Two Organoids?!" Orkari squeaked in astonishment.
"Yes Orkari, two Organoids…" Ambient sighed, lowering his head to the ground beside the small chick. Orkari yawned loudly and curled up next to him, snuggling against his chest. Ambient purred loudly, which calmed and relaxed the young hatchling. The last rays of the sun faded behind the lip of the canyon, casting a shadow on the pair.
"Goodnye, fahzer." Orkari yawned and curled up tighter into a ball.
"Night, Orkari…" Ambient whispered to the now sleeping chick. He had found the poor thing cowering in a cave a few weeks ago, and had begun raising the hatchling as his own. He had been scavenging chunks of Zoid Cores from downed Zoids for him to feed off of, but now he had another idea in mind, an idea that involved a certain ebony-haired pilot whom he had just tried to kill…
'I'll kill two Pteras with one shot… I can get my revenge on Raven and feed Orkari, and teach him how to use his… special ability…'
AN (Very important!! Please read!!)- What? I can't make Ambient a good father?XP Even though I hate him I can picture him as a pretty good father. I tried to make Orkari's dialogue as realistic as possible, but I haven't been young for a long time so I had to guess how a hatchling Organoid would mispronounce words.XD This chapter was a roller coaster, and I apologize. I'm going through an extremely tough time right now. School finals are coming up, so I'm very stressed over that. But the really distressing thing right now is that my health teacher, Mr. David Henwood, died yesterday from an arrhythmic cardiac arrest. He was supposed to retire on the 31st after 35 years of teaching, but he never got to. From what I know he collapsed at his house while cooking Mother's Day lunch for his wife when he collapsed. They had him in an ambulance in a matter of minutes, but he wasn't responding. He was on life-support for nearly two days, but sadly he was beyond saving. I'm upset because this is bringing up bad memories from last year (see my profile, it'll tell you what happened last year). Please be kind in your reviews, I don't think I can handle a verbal assault right now. Please review guys; I need to know what you think. No flamers please. I also took away the review limit for new chappies because I now believe them to be unfair. Anyway, please review.
Ibeyla:P
Oh... here's a little guide in case some of you got confused...
"hello"- normal speech (human-to-human, Organoid-to-Organoid, ect.)
'Great...'- thoughts/thinking (human thoughts, Organoid thoughts.
feeding- emphasis/added emotion
/Yes/- Organoid-to-human mind speech
I think that covers all the types of speech and stuff. Now please go and leave a nice little review for me.XP