DAY 3, 1500 HOURS
Deep within the gang's camp, Raccoon struggled against his restraints. After he had fallen in the battle against his current captors, they had chained his arms and legs to two massive boulders, and placed a muzzle on his face that only left enough room to drink the water they gave him every few hours. Raccoon had grown up in harsh environments, slept in trees and on hard surfaces all of his life, but the dry heat from the desert outside of the tent, mixed with the roughness of the rocks digging into his back, were still like agony to him. The only sleep he'd gotten since they placed him in here came only when he had no energy left to fight. He'd give anything for that soft bed in his room back in the Mystic Ruins. He remembered when Jack had bought it, and the light chiding he'd gotten whenever they caught him sleeping on the floor instead. He felt a twinge of sadness wash over him as he thought about it, hoping Jack and Cyber didn't think he was ungrateful...He desperately hoped they were okay.
"Your struggling is pointless, savage. Day by day, your strength shall continue to wane. It is only when you accept Father's guidance that you will be freed." The younger, male dingo from before said, entering as he and his sister came to give Raccoon some water. As much as he hated accepting anything from these monsters, Raccoon accepted the drink, needing to keep his strength up until Jack could save him.
He knew Jack would save him. He just knew it.
"Don't give the savage too much of that water, Xenia." The older voice of the Alpha Dingo said as he entered, his presence imposing in the shadows. "Only enough to keep him alive."
"Yes, Father." Xenia responded, as she pulled the water away and put it on a nearby table. The Alpha Dingo approached, slowly bringing a very dusty Lady Chao out from behind his back. "You see this, savage? It was just recovered from the desert floor where we fought." Raccoon struggled against the chains again, pulling desperately to try and get Lady Chao out of this monster's hands. "Oh, is this important to you? This little thing? Does your little primitive heart pine for it? It must mean something to you, for you to be fighting this hard for it." Exhausted, Raccoon finally stopped struggling, unable to stop whatever was about to happen, and the Alpha Dingo waved the plush backpack in his face, mockingly. "Oh, that's it. Give up! Accept what should've been obvious from the start. That MY way is the ONLY way that matters from here on out." Backing away towards the table, the Alpha Dingo grabbed a hold of a large knife and held it up to Lady Chao's throat. "Accept it, and maybe everything else you care about won't suffer the same FATE!" As he said this, the Alpha Dingo sliced Lady Chao's head clean off, before letting it and its body fall to the floor in front of Raccoon, as the three dingoes made their exit. Raccoon could only sit there and silently weep over the loss of his plush friend, at his inability to save her. He knew, of course, that she wasn't alive, but he'd promised Quickshot that he'd take care of it, always. And now, he'd failed.
But he soon regained his composure, maintaining a stiff upper lip as he began to struggle against the chains once again. He had to remain strong.
Because Jack was going to save him...
Right?