~*.*Disciples of the Keyblade*.*~
Title: Hunted
Rating: T to be safe
Warnings: Violence, half-formed swear words, blood
Characters: Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Master Eraqus, Bambi, Thumper, Flower, various hunters and animals
Summary: The animals understood why Man hunted them—but when the delicate balance begins to tip in the wrong direction, Terra and the others are sent to investigate.
Special Notes: My Exams were in progress before, so sorry about the wait. This was an idea from JimBob86, and it was such a great one that I decided to write it up. As for everyone else, I know about your requests and I'll get to it when I can!
For Dani-Chan, as always!
"I'm sending you to a world known as the Tranquil Forest."
Terra and the rest of the apprentices dipped their heads in response to Eraqus's words.
"Why, Master?" Ven, of course.
Eraqus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "The hunters there are viciously killing the creatures that live in the woods. Some of them don't even pick up the bodies."
Terra bit back a comment. Normally, he'd not care about the animals there, but he had been a lion before and now understood that every living being had thoughts and feelings—though not all of them could be understood as a human.
"That's horrible," Aqua murmured.
"I want you to find out the cause of this disturbance," their mentor continued without looking at his students. "Aqua, Ventus, go pack everything you think you will need. This will not be an easy mission, and we'll make it part of your training. A test, if you will."
Aqua nodded and gestured to the blonde to follow her, leaving the large Training Chamber that existed on the second level of the entry hallway. Terra made to go after her, but Eraqus intercepted him, stepping in his way.
They waited until their footsteps faded from hearing. Only then did his Master open his eyes and gaze steadily at Terra.
The earth-named warrior blinked once. "Is something the matter?"
Eraqus took in a deep breath and sighed. "Terra. I'm trusting you to watch over and protect Aqua and Ventus. This is not a game, and this is more than a lesson. This is a true mission befitting a Keyblade Master. I can think of nothing better to test your competence than to send you to the Tranquil Forest and save lives. Do you hear me?"
Understanding flowed through the eldest apprentice as he realized the huge amount of faith his Master had in him. He bowed low from the waist, narrowing his eyes as he began thinking of ways to gather the information they would need once they arrived. "I won't let you down."
Smiling, Eraqus clapped one hand to his unarmored shoulder. "I know you won't, my son."
A helpless, warm feeling pressed down on Terra's heart, and he sighed, grinning back. He loved Eraqus, to be perfectly honest. He was basically his father, not just his father figure. Ever since he had been young, the Keyblade Master of The Land of Departure had always been there.
He did not intend to break his faith in him. Terra swore that he would not fail this mission.
"Then go, and remember, Terra, that the Light is always with you."
Terra turned and walked down the steps, heading for the castle's courtyard. Aqua and Ventus were already there, and they deigned not to ask why Eraqus had held him back. Ven passed the eldest apprentice a loaded satchel, and he took it wordlessly.
They smacked their armor pieces, and once the dazzling flash of light had faded, turned to each other.
Keyblade already in hand, Terra said calmly, "I'm in charge."
No one argued, not even Aqua, feeling the weight of their mission on their young shoulders.
Three Keyblade Riders streaked away.
The Tranquil Forest was a gorgeous world filled with tall trees in full bloom. It was likely summer, dotted all over with open-faced flowers and gurgling streams and rivers. The place would have fit in any fairy tale, and on normal standards, Terra would have found it peaceful.
Except for one thing. It was the original home of animal forms they had used before.
Ven groaned and sank to the ground, clamping his skinny paws over his face. "I'm a rabbit again!"
"Hare," Aqua corrected, swishing her striped tail. "Hares have longer legs."
At least I'm a stag, Terra mused, shifting his hooves against the woodland floor. This body was better suited to such an environment anyway, he reasoned. "Enough complaining, let's find what's causing the trouble."
Bending low so that skunk-Aqua could clamber onto his back—her weight wasn't much of a burden—Terra turned and gestured with his antlers for Ven to follow as fast as he was able. The golden rabbit, at least that's how Terra still saw him, waggled his elongated ears and sprang after him as the deer picked his way swiftly through the dense undergrowth.
There was something in the air that made his skin crawl underneath his fur. Terra wondered if animals had a sixth sense. His hooves tore into grass and shrubs, flattening a path for Ventus, who bounded at his side, out of reach of his long legs.
"So, what's the plan?" Ven asked, leaping nimbly over a patch of brambles.
Terra shrugged his broad shoulders. "This is a forest, and since we're in animal forms, I assume there are animals."
"Naturally," Aqua said in agreement.
"Therefore…we need to find the animals. Eraqus told us that hunters are viciously killing the fauna…right?"
"Yeah! So we're looking for some creatures to talk to and get some information before we kick some bu—whoa!" Ven tripped over a stay stone, tumbling down a narrow slope that descended into a surprisingly deep valley that Terra had just jumped. Pausing, the stag snorted and paced to the edge of the skinny ravine.
"Are you okay?" He called down, lowering his antlered head. Aqua peered curiously over his shoulder, nose twitching. There was a wet splash as Ven floundered in a tiny rivulet of water, then he hauled himself to his paws, shaking his golden fur loose.
"I'm fine!" He replied loudly, flicking droplets from his whiskers. He sniffed and rose on his hind legs. "Terra, Aqua?"
"Yeah, Ven?" Aqua asked, her tone still anxious. Knowing her, she'd be apprehensive until the hare was back beside them.
Ventus looked troubled. He pressed his muzzle back into the forest floor. "I don't think this is an animal scent."
"What do you mean?" Terra pricked his ears, interested. The dip in the earth was too scrawny for a deer to fit down comfortably, and therefore he'd have to rely on his friend's words for clues.
"It smells…weird. Like, sharp and sort of unnatural. My animal instincts just sort of recoil from it, if that makes any sense." Looking sheepish, Ven flattened himself to the ground.
"Go check it out, Aqua." The eldest apprentice ordered, gesturing towards the ravine.
Dropping unceremoniously from his back, the skunk swished her tail oh-so elegantly. "It could just be a predator to your species, if you 'recoil' from it, Ven."
The rabbit grumbled irritably. "No, it doesn't have a…just get down here!"
Aqua wouldn't be rushed, though. With her stockier frame, she had to be a little more precise with her movements unless she wanted to be damp all over like the youngest pupil's tawny pelt. After a few heartbeats, though, she was at the hare's side and curiously snuffling the alleged scent trail.
"He's right, Terra. It's not an animal or human scent," she declared.
We've actually got a lead, Terra thought, surprised for some odd reason. "Well, where's it go?" For once, his size was a disadvantage.
Ven cast about, nose twitching excitedly. His sky-blue eyes suddenly blazed with energy. "This way!" He bolted off, clawing his way out of the narrow gap and vanishing with a stunning swiftness into the undergrowth. Aqua sighed in exasperation and Terra chuckled with amusement, meeting her as she hauled herself out of the dip.
"Why did I have to be a skunk?" She complained after she had settled down on his back. The stag went after Ventus as fast as he could, determined not to lose his friend in the Tranquil Forest.
"Hey, you'll complain now, but when we encounter something dangerous, I'll be happy to have you. It's not like you're a burden," he remarked in an attempt to soothe her wounded pride.
"Hmph," was her only reply.
Terra's long stride made it possible to quickly catch up with the bounding Ven, but he hadn't meant to almost stampede the scrawny hare over. He floundered for a second, endeavoring not to trample him, and barked in irritation, "Why did you stop so suddenly? I almost ran…you…over…"
His loss for words was attributed to a simple matter. Or maybe…not so simple.
Before them, surrounded by torn and flattened flora, was a corpse. It was some kind of animal, mangled so brutally and so riddled with holes that it was entirely unrecognizable. The wind had blown the scent from him at first, but now Terra could smell the heavy reek of death and blood. He shook his head in denial of the battered cadaver, his breaths coming faster and faster in reaction to his utter revulsion.
Aqua made a squeaking sound low in her throat, and he heard her muttering a stream of unfamiliar words to herself, almost as if in prayer. Ven, meanwhile, was just gazing silently at the lacerated clump of flesh and fur, and as Terra watched, a tremble ran through his body.
Okay, enough of this.
Kneeling down so that he was at the rabbit's level, he nudged Ven behind him. "Take a few moments, recollect yourself. I'm going to have a look around."
Terra felt Aqua slide off of his back soundlessly and crouch near Ven, leaning against him for comfort.
The eldest apprentice decided to have a good look at the "crime scene". Swallowing his disgust, the stag prowled around the edges of the mess, searching for any scent trails or signs of what had possibly done such a horrible thing. Terra wondered how they should confront whatever it was that was tearing apart the wildlife, and he griped privately to himself that they had to be animals to handle this situation.
I'd kill to be human again, he mused. And that, unfortunately, was the truth.
After a while, it became clear that whatever it was that had murdered the poor beast was long gone, and the alien scent trail vanished once it reached the kill. Terra was becoming just a little concerned by his friends' wordless silence, and he turned to them, bending his head so that his eyes were at their level.
"Guys, it's okay," he said in a reassuring tone. "At least we have a clue. The monster was here, and we know what it's capable of. Let's find some animals and see—"
"How can you be so calm?" Aqua sounded as if she was going to be sick. She folded her black paws over her muzzle, flattening her bushy tail to her back.
Ven's ears had collapsed, making him appear very small indeed. His eyes were wide open, staring, but not truly seeing. He was whimpering, and Terra realized with a jolt that he was still looking at the carnage.
The deer stepped into his line of sight, scowling fiercely, though his displeasure was directed towards the shadowy killer and not his frightened and quite possibly traumatized comrade. True, Terra himself was shaken, but he'd not show anyone the depth of his fear. Not now, not ever.
"I'm being calm so we don't break down into hysterics," the brown-haired warrior noted evenly. "So if you both please…come on, this way. Aqua, Ven, both of you get on my back."
The female Keybearer shifted so that she was resting on her haunches, but she didn't move otherwise. Her azure gaze was focused on the sky, her short claws digging into the grass with an increasing level of agitation. Ven didn't even twitch.
Rearing up on his hind legs, Terra slammed down an inch in front of their collective noses, crushing dirt and grass under-hoof. "That's an order! I'm the leader of this mission, remember?" His tone brooked no argument, and his shadow-cobalt eyes burrowed into theirs until they both finally approached him.
Kneeling again so they could get on his back, the earth-named male stated in a gentler voice, "Are you guys going to be okay?"
Aqua shook herself until her fur fluffed out to twice its height. "I'm fine, Terra. You're right." She sounded as if she had recovered from her shock. "Let's go."
"Ven?"
The young blonde rubbed at his muzzle, frowning intensely, whiskers drooping. "We need to find what's killing these creatures!"
Terra didn't need any more comments. He briefly wondered which way to go, and after a few heartbeats, he whipped to his right and charged through the Tranquil Forest, not sure where he was going, but at least he had an objective in mind.
The sun had moved to an overhead position, which meant it was now noon, most likely mid-noon. The golden rays created a dusty canopy of light, dappling the woodland and its various plants. Still, there was no sign of any animals.
It was starting to concern him, since Terra thought it was a rather prosperous little place, minus the vicious killings. As they traveled—the stag only a little burdened by the weight on his shoulders—they encountered two more mangled corpses that prompted them to give the area a wide berth.
No sane beast would be by a murder zone.
"The carrion-feeders don't even touch the bodies," Aqua whispered near his ear. They had spoken little, and when they had, it was always in quiet whispers.
Ven was peering back the way they had just came, long ears rotating on his skull. "Well, Aqua, I guess they're afraid of being picked off by the monster."
Terra paused with one leg still lifted, listening intensely. "Shh."
"But what—"
"Shh!" The Keybearer strained his senses. He was certain he had just seen a brown shape, and it hadn't been a tree trunk or a bare patch of earth.
There! There it was again!
"Who's there?" Terra called, eyes narrowing. "I know you're here. Show yourself!"
At first nothing happened. Then a few low-hanging branches trembled and a young deer, smaller than Terra himself, walked tentatively forward. Flanked on both sides of him were a skunk and a gray-and-white rabbit, and the semblance to their own trio was so extraordinary that it gave Eraqus's pupil cause for pause.
"Wh-Who are you?" questioned the deer. His liquid brown eyes were wide with apprehension. "I've never seen you before."
"My name is Terra. This is Aqua, and Ven." Taking a step towards him, Terra asked, "Who are you?"
He looked over both shoulders, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "I'm Bambi, and she's Flower," he gestured to the skunk.
"And they call me Thumper!" The rabbit exclaimed, banging his wide feet against the floor. He quailed, flattening himself to the ground as Flower hissed a hurried "Shh!"
"The birds don't even sing," Aqua fretted, rubbing her paws together. "What's going on? What's killing the animals here?"
Bambi was about to reply, but Thumper beat him to it. "It's the hunters! They don't stop hunting; they just keep on going and going and going!"
"Usually," Flower commented, blinking her dark eyes. "They stop in certain seasons. Not this time, and they're hunting us harder than they ever have before."
"It's because of that new dog," Bambi shivered. "It's been driving them crazy!" His high voice went even shriller with fright.
"New dog? What's it look like?" Ven piped up.
"Oh, it's worse than any other!" The young deer sighed. "It's big and black and it has these awful red eyes."
"And it changes size! Skinny enough to slide between trees…" Thumper's pelt was ruffled, clearing displaying his agitation.
"And large enough to corner a full grown deer," Flower finished.
Bambi stamped his feet. "Why, it even almost caught my father!"
"Your father?" Terra echoed.
"The Great Prince of the Forest! But of course, he escaped. My mom didn't, though." Bambi's head went so low that it dipped between his long legs.
"I'm sorry," Aqua said. There was a respectful pause before she asked, "Where's the dog now?"
"No one knows," Thumper cried, throwing his paws up into the air. "It's safer to move than to keep a permanent den."
"So many animals are afraid to go anywhere though," Flower lamented.
The depth of their sorrow was oddly humbling. Terra berated himself for it, as if it was his fault somehow.
Ven exclaimed, "We need to hunt down the hunters then!"
"The hound, you mean. The black one," Aqua corrected.
"With the dreadful red eyes," Thumper added helpfully.
"Are the hunters from anywhere in particular? Can you show us?" Terra asked.
Bambi exchanged uneasy looks with Flower and the gray rabbit. "Well," began the deer slowly. "We're…"
"You don't have to show us, if you know where they come from," the female Keybearer soothed. Her calm, placating voice seemed to reassure the woodlanders.
"They come from the south," Flower twirled a white daisy between her nimble paws, her dark eyes fixed shyly on it. "I think."
"That sounds right," Thumper agreed. "They come out about six times a—"
A horn blasted through the air, startlingly close by. The effect was immediate. Bambi bent his head, grabbed Flower by her scruff, and bolted off in the opposite direction, his shout muffled by the fur in his mouth. "Run! They're here!"
Terra faced the sound, shaking his antlers. "Ven, go with them."
"No way!" The hare scrambled on top of a tall fallen tree, digging his claws into its rotting bark. "I'm staying here with you and Aqua!"
"This isn't a game," the skunk pleaded.
Ven glared down at her, hackles raised. "Neither were a lot of places!"
The horn again, closer.
"Fine, but stay behind me." The stag began inching forward, placing his hooves down carefully, endeavoring not to crack a single twig. His sharp senses picked up the clattering of horses' feet and the baying of dogs. And something else that created a faint hiss with every movement it made.
That must be the monster hound.
Whoops were heard from the riding hunters as they approached, but the canines arrived first. Terra had never seen animals that appeared so wild before. The dogs would be relatively tame, one would think, but these were vicious. The scrawny gray beasts were salivating constantly, eyes narrowed, their lupine faces alight with an unnatural cruelty.
It's like rabies. But worse.
The eldest apprentice realized he finally had an advantage. Even if they had their Keyblades, the trees were too thick to properly utilize them. Aqua's magic might have set the entire place burning if a single Fire spell went off-course. Terra whirled, kicking his back legs out and knocking a dog into one of the trees with a satisfying crash!
Aqua grabbed Ven and forced him inside the tree trunk, bundling the hare safely behind the hanging moss vines. She followed soon after, and the mere fact that she was a skunk would probably protect her from the canines. Even a blood-crazed animal wouldn't willingly put its face so close to a skunk.
Terra grunted as sharp teeth sank into his right front leg. He dipped his head and caught the dog with his antlers, lifting it and bodily tossing the whining creature over his shoulders. It crashed into the undergrowth and he heard its paws scrabbling against the floor as it fled.
The hunters are almost here! Where's that God dam—
There it was! Shadow stirred on the edges of his vision, and the stag wheeled around, lifting his hooves and bringing them banging down on the spine of a dog. He realized with a jolt that he probably killed it, but that didn't matter.
Red eyes peered at him from the edges of the sunlight. It blinked, and vanished from sight.
Bang!
A bullet whizzed by and slammed with unrelenting force into a tree. A miniature explosion of bark shot through the air, and a scrap of it tore the flesh from Terra's cheek even with the added protection of his fur. Startled, he ducked low and hoped his friends could find him, for he wasn't eager to fight humans with guns.
Guns, he thought moodily as he fled, feet pounding, taking a variety of routes that animals probably wouldn't think of. Blasted things.
Three times the bullets almost got him; in fact, one grazed the stag's shoulder and left a stinging gash. The hunters were creating a strange howling sound all the while. They didn't sound human.
Whatever that creature was that disappeared back in the woods—Terra cleared a log, landing hard and bounding away with the peculiar hopping stride of a deer—it must be affecting their judgment.
At last the sounds of pursuit faded. Kneeling by a stream, the stag glanced around. "I wonder if they'll be able to find me…" He decided to go back and check on them if they didn't show up soon. The sun was beginning to set. It wasn't often that they spent a night in a strange world.
Terra made a face, licking his stinging cuts since it seemed appropriate, given his current shape. He had read somewhere the animals had healing…stuff…actually in their saliva. He was cautious, concerning the brook that bubbled between two old beech trees, since there was a chance that one of the dead bodies could be in the water upstream. The whole tributary could be contaminated with disease for all he knew.
After what the Keybearer judged to be a half hour, he stood and prepared to make his way back to where he had last seen Aqua and Ven when he heard something.
Hooves.
He tensed, circling around, blue eyes narrowed.
"Don't attack," a familiar voice entreated.
Blinking, the apprentice leaned towards the sound. "Bambi?"
The young deer paced slowly forward, and on his back was Flower and Aqua. On either side of him hopped Ven and Thumper. There was a bleeding scratch on the golden hare's side.
"Ven!" Terra crossed the distance between them in a single stride. He studied the gash, and he realized with a surge of relief that it was long but very shallow. Blood barely leaked from the wound. "What happened?"
"When you ran off, we waited until Aqua decided we could leave. Well…" Ventus flattened his ears to his head, and they practically covered him. "I managed to pull us both through a rose bush, and the dogs didn't follow."
The cut was caused by a thorn. No big deal then, Terra mused.
"We found Bambi earlier on, with Thumper and Flower." Aqua added. She glanced down at Ven. "And he won't let me heal his injury."
"It's nothing." The hare brushed it off.
"It is," Terra snapped. "Your blood will make it easier to track us."
Bambi, Flower, and Thumper watched wide-eyed as Aqua slithered off of the young deer's back and laid a paw on her friend's side. A pulse of green healing energy eradicated the scrape.
"You guys are going to do something about the hound, right?" Thumper inquired, speaking in a low voice as if they could attract the wrong kind of attention with a handful of words.
"We intend to," the stag growled, shaking his antlered head in his agitation. He hated feeling helpless. Right now, he guessed their aim was to track down the monster dog. And destroy it.
"We'll help," Flower said sweetly, as if it was something normal.
"You don't—" Aqua began, but Bambi interrupted her.
"I'm going to be the Great Prince of the Forest one day," he flicked his short tail. "My father is keeping everyone he can safe, but even he can't watch a whole forest! I need to help everyone too."
"We need to help everyone," Thumper remarked as loudly as he dared.
Terra gazed into Bambi's eyes and was surprised by the courage and determination he found there. If the young deer were human, he could probably wield a Keyblade. "Okay," he grudgingly agreed. "We could use some help."
Thumper's ears abruptly sprang up, with Ven's following a short second later.
"What is it?" Aqua shuffled forward, her own ears pricked for danger.
"The hound!" Thumper cried, backpedaling, his big feet churning the dirt and leaves underneath him. Ven arched his back, catlike, staring off into the woods.
"There!"
Terra and everyone else turned as one to see a shadowy shape prowling towards them. Scarlet eyes flicked open. With a war-cry, the stag charged towards it. He was surprised to see it retreat from him, and when his antlers collided with its skin, he felt as if he had sank his head into ice water.
The hiss of its movements retreated, and before anyone could stop them, Thumper and Ven raced past and chased after the fleeing dark hound.
"No!" Terra shouted, frustrated to see the pair of rabbits disappearing into the forest. It was becoming thicker the deeper they went in, and by the time he actually maneuvered his larger self through one area, they'd be in the next.
Didn't they say the dog can change shape?
It certainly seemed that way, blinking out of sight as it was. Maybe it was fleeing towards it den.
Aqua and Flower were beside themselves with worry, but the stag told himself that they'd be back.
I hope.
"I'll follow them!" Bambi bounded off, and Terra let the smaller deer pass by unchallenged. Instead, he circled the length of the clearing and waited for his companions to return; thinking to himself all the while that size was both good and bad.
Being split in half again, since I'm about to POV change and we're only halfway done. Apologies in advance, I saw Bambi once many years ago, and I'm certain I screwed these characters up.
Sorry for taking so long, lots of requests and real-life stuff. State testing and now Exams are coming up. But reviews are always welcome, and I thank everyone that already has!
Oh yeah, FF is screwing with my page-breakers, darn them. XD