Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks. This story is also non-canon in both the show and my fanfic continuity. It's just a fun little Halloweeny story.
Night of the WereSloth
Snipe grumbled as he stood watch in the hanger bay. Tapping his foot, he glanced over at the cargo he was guarding. Apparently, the warden Mr. Moss had requested Black Gorge Sloths for Zartacla prison. A pretty difficult request but they managed to snag some off an individual in the black market. Still, he couldn't believe that the puny creatures were the infamous beasts.
It irritated him that he had to overlook this assignment. Yea, he wasn't as busy as his sister or even the Dark Ace. But still, he found it humiliating that he had to guard these things. He had better stuff to do than watch some rip-off gleeps. With a sneer, he approached one of the cages where one was kept.
"Not sure why Moss wants these things anyway," he glowered as he watched it try to escape its prison. Then, like the idiot he was, he stuck his finger in it. "Especially if he wants tougher guards."
The creature, whether insulted or just plain ornery, snatched Snipe's finger and bit it. With a yelp, he yanked it away pretty shocked by the bite. But that was replaced by anger as he soon raised his arm high. "Why you little-!"
"Sir! We have the transport ship ready!" He heard a talon call out as he glanced over to see him saluting. Slowly, he lowered his arm and turned his full attention to him.
"Good. You can oversee the loading. I'll be in my room," he said before walking off. He stammered, trying to convince him to come back. But he was already out of earshot and didn't care at this point.
A short time later, he made it to his quarters and collapsed onto his bed. The day he had was just dull between this recent transfer and all the tedious chores he had before. He would rather have been smashing Sky Knights than wasting time on boring stuff. At least he would be going back to his own terra and doing whatever he wanted. Maybe he'll come up with a great plan for getting rid of the Storm Hawks.
A sudden twinge made Snipe wince and lift the hand where that mongrel bit him. It didn't look infected, but the minor pain was irritating. He wondered if he should have someone look at it or something. Not now though since he felt like he could just go crash into Snoozeville.
Letting out a yawn, Snipe started to drift off. His closing eyes watched as the room started to spin. He felt his body getting heavier and tighter with his clothing. But his mind soon faded into darkness.
Deep into the night, a lone Cyclonian guard walked through the halls of the massive fortress. His footsteps clattered against the metal floor while he surveyed the halls. There wasn't much to check on as the ones lucky enough to avoid patrol duty were asleep. If there was anything around, it was either intruders or the Night Crawlers lurking. Hopefully, he wouldn't run into the latter.
As he was passing by the food stores, he heard something coming from there. He then glanced over to see some light coming from it. He raised an eyebrow, questioning who would be up at this hour. But he shook his head and went on to investigate.
Cautiously, the talon opened the door and looked in. He couldn't see the perpetrator, but he could hear someone, or something, eating. Taking a gulp, he cautiously entered and started to approach the source of the sound. With each step, the crunching started to become louder and more ferocious causing him to tense up. It wasn't long until he finally made it to the end of the room.
What he saw made him quiver on the spot. Though the light obscured the figure's hunched form, he could see that it was massive and frightening. The way it ate all the food with its mashing teeth was a horrifying sight to behold. It made the poor talon bite his nails.
Yet it didn't take him long to grow a backbone and yell, "Hey! No snacking after hours!"
His brave persona was then withdrawn as the creature's long ears flicked and it started to get up. It towered over him with noxious drool dripping from its mouth. As his knees shook, he questioned his life choices before being overtaken.
"Aaaooo…"
Snipe groaned as he tumbled out of bed, his head colliding with the floor. His entire body felt like it had been through a crystal tumbler and spat out on rocks. Getting up, he straightened his sore back before checking his surroundings.
His room was a mess, more so than usual. The bed itself looked like it had been through that same tumbler. Even the clothes he wore last night were in terrible condition. Still, he didn't think much of it, probably a bad dream that he couldn't even remember. Either way, he went about getting new clothes, doing minimal hygiene care, and heading out the door.
Snipe was making his way to the hanger bay when he noticed some of the talons being a bit skittish. It didn't bother him for he liked their quivering in his own fearsome presence. Yet that fear felt like it wasn't even directed at him which made him perplexed. Once he got the hanger, he noticed Ravess standing around and went over to her.
"Hey," he called out to her in a slightly casual tone, "Did I miss something or are the talons being more jumpy than usual?"
She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You haven't heard yet? Something attacked patrol last night."
"Huh? Attacked?"
"Yes. Morning shift found one fainted in the kitchen with large scrapes and bruises." She placed her hands on her hips, pouting. "Honestly, you're as dim as ever."
Though he was insulted, Snipe didn't care. He was going to be heading out and didn't have to deal with her attitude. Then, he noticed the Dark Ace coming right up to them with a displeasing look on his face. The one that looked like he was going to kill them.
When he stopped right next to the two, he said, "I see that you are preparing to leave for your terras. Unfortunately, Master Cyclonis has ordered that all personnel need to stay on the terra for now."
"WHAT?!" both of them exclaimed at the same time.
The Dark Ace stood indifferently at their response, but deep down he was irritated. "Due to last night's attack, she considers precautions to be taken in case there's another."
Snipe's jaw dropped while he slumped. He had already been here long enough, and he had better things to do. Ravess seemed to have the same feelings as he noticed her eye twitch.
"B-but Dark Ace," she began with all the pleasantry she could muster. "Surely there's no need to let everyone stay over one incident. My brother Snipe has nothing else to do, but I have some very important matters to attend to."
"As much as I'm honored to see you volunteer your brother…" He gave a quick glance to a seething Snipe. "She was insistent that we keep all capable talons here in case of any more attacks." With that said, he left.
As Ravess stood gawking in her position, Snipe walked away sulking. He couldn't believe he had to stay there longer, all because some weakling got thrashed. Either way, he probably should make the best of it. And who knows? It could've been a one-time thing. If so, he needed to wait until Cyclonis realized that there wasn't anything to worry about.
Unfortunately, it didn't stay as a single incident. There were many more attacks on the night patrol over the past several days, and each one was as brutal as the last. The talons on those shifts were hospitalized as soon as they were found. Everyone else was on edge due to both the monster and being confined on the terra. With rising tensions, they wonder how long before it was stopped.
Among those questioning was Snipe. As each day passed, he was growing frustrated about staying longer than he wanted. It was even more so that they were running low on food. He was getting smaller and smaller rations, and it was bland gruel. Upon getting his second meal for the day in a tiny bowl and tasting it, he snapped.
"That's it! Snipe's gonna give Master Cyclonis a piece of my mind!" He started to head towards her office, his arms swaying aggressively. The talons who were smart enough quickly scattered from his path. Ravess, who happened to be passing by, noticed his fuming steps and went on to stop him.
"W-Wait! Brother!" she called out to him. "Be rational for once! You can't go on rampaging as you like!"
Snipe glared over at her, not stopping in his stride. "I can and I will!" He then looked back at his destination. "If Cyclonis keeps us here any longer, then she's going to have another thing coming!"
With that, he threw open the doors to her office, almost breaking them in the process. He saw Cyclonis and the Dark Ace turn their heads towards him as he stood there furious. Both looked a bit surprised by his entrance. But they regained their composure when they realized who it was. He was about to confront him until she put her hand in front of him.
She then looked over and said, "Hello, Snipe. Any reason for barging in on our meeting?"
"Yea! I'm tired of being cooped up here, especially with bad food!" He crossed his arms in assertion. "So, figure out how to deal with this thing or I'll go and smash it myself!"
Cyclonis raised an eyebrow before smiling. "What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing."
"… Really?" His anger started to die down.
"It would be irresponsible to have this monster running around and not do anything about it. Therefore, I've been coming up with a plan." She then glanced over at Ravess who was behind him. "And since you're all here, I might as well tell you. We're going to track this thing down, each of us taking a group into a section of Cyclonia. Once a group finds it, we are to either capture or kill it depending on the situation. Is that clear?"
He stood dumbfounded while Ravess took immediate action to dispel tension. "Yes! Of course, Master!"
"Good. Let us go over which areas we'll be taking for tonight then." Cyclonis motioned both of them to come in to listen. They obeyed, coming over to the table and looking at the map. As she discussed her plan more, Snipe was lost in realizing how stupid he had looked by barging in like a madman. At least they were going to deal with the monster. Though he didn't show it, he was looking forward to smashing it to bits.
That night, the three commanders plus Master Cyclonis started their search. With a small group of talons, each looked for the mysterious beast. Snipe had gotten one of the lower levels, much to his dismay. He couldn't help but think Cyclonis was mad at him for before.
He glanced over at his group who were trembling while they walked. As much as seeing their shaking selves bothered him, he couldn't help but feel scared himself. They were trying to find something that had been terrorizing the terra for weeks. He didn't want to be caught off-guard by whatever this thing was. Still, it would be good to find it once and for all. Maybe even rough it up to make up for lost smashing time.
Just then, Snipe began to get a bit dizzy. His head was pounding as he placed a hand on it. He leaned against the wall, trying to remain upright. He then heard one of the talons ask, "Sir, are you alright?"
"Yea… yea… I'm fine," he answered before pushing himself off the wall. "I think… I need a break." He started to head down one of the hallways, his steps staggering. "Give me a few and I'll be right back."
The group stiffened, having a slight twinge of terror passed over them. "But what about the search, sir?"
"I said, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK!" He gave them a glare that gave them something else to worry about. Then, he disappeared down the blackened hallway, his figure disappearing into the shadows.
The talons stood there waiting for Snipe to come back. But as time passed, he was still gone. They glanced over at each other, confused by what to do. At least until one of them spoke up, "Maybe we should check on him."
Of course, none of the other talons were willing to go as they remained in their spots. The first one glared, getting the message. He then went down while grumbling about no comradery among ranks and such. The rest watched him disappear into the dark shadows of the hallway. It was a little while of tense waiting until a roar was heard. To which it was followed by that talon being immediately hurled into the wall.
The group stiffened, hearing loud footsteps echoing against the metal floor. They turned their attention to the dark hallway as they started to quiver. Out of the shadows, a large hand with long claws emerged. Soon, it was followed by a huge creature with piercing violet eyes and dripping fangs. They then realized what they were facing, a Poisoned-Tooth Spiney Haired Black Gorge Sloth.
They all screamed in a high pitch as the beast savagely charged at them.
Ravess tapped her foot as she waited for one of the other groups to arrive. Hers had already finished with their assigned section and had found no sign of the monster. Not even a trace of its presence. At this point, she was practically done and wanted to get this whole thing over with. The more time it roamed freely, the more time she was stuck on this terra with these imbeciles.
It wasn't long until she noticed the Dark Ace approaching with his group. Shooting him a glare, she turned to him with her hands on her hips. "Well?"
"Haven't seen it," the Dark Ace replied in his usual tone. "I'm starting to doubt if this thing really exists."
Ravess sighed as she put a hand to her forehead. Maybe he was right. Whatever had been attacking them was probably nothing. It may have been a series of freak accidents that were caused by the talons' carelessness. Their search was nothing more than wasting time and it irritated her that she had been dragged into it.
"We might as well find Cyclonis and tell her. I swear, of all the things to be-!" Her rant was interrupted by something scraping against the metal. At first, it wasn't anything suspicious. The pipes usually reverberate once in a while. But as the seconds passed, the sound continued, and it grew louder every second.
Everyone in the vicinity tensed up. The Dark Ace readied his weapon while Ravess' hand hovered over her bow. It seemed that whatever it was, it was coming towards them at a suspenseful rate. The scraping soon stopped, letting everyone become more at ease. At least until something big descended upon them, letting out a horrible roar.
They all turned to the Black Gorge Sloth, startled by its appearance. Before the talons could even draw their weapons, it started batting them around. Some were left unconscious due to its powerful swats while others tried to fend it off. Unfortunately, their efforts were futile for it seemed to only anger it further. It let out another roar as it continued its rampage. Ravess, who was in a state of disbelief, quickly snapped back to reality and fired her arrow at it.
It roared as the arrow struck its side. Whipping its head around, it started to charge at her who was about to fire another arrow. But it was advancing at a faster pace than anticipated. When it was almost close, the Dark Ace managed to get her out of the way. The two watched as it slammed head-on into the wall making a large dent in it. It then shook the debris off its head before looking back over at them. Hearing a low snarl, they could see the flashing fury in its eyes.
Lowering its body, it was about to charge again until it got hit by a crystal blast. It turned its head to its assailant, Cyclonis who was readying her next attack. She glared at it as it snorted and faced her. As it pounded the floor, it was about to head to her. But she shot another blast at it and then another. She drove it away with each discharge until it was back up against a wall. Then, she closed her eyes, focusing on altering the crystal itself. It didn't take long until she modified it completely and shot an icy spray, trapping it within a block of ice.
Despite the triumphant moment, Cyclonis staggered before using the staff to stand. Her breaths were wispy as Ravess and the Dark Ace rushed over to her. Looking at them, she said, "The ice won't last long. Let's retreat for now."
There was no argument as they, along with a few conscious talons, headed out. The Dark Ace carried Cyclonis while she used her staff to walk alongside him. Once they were out, the Gorge Sloth broke free from the ice. Its glowing eyes narrowed as it glanced down the dark hallway. Seeing its prey getting away, it let out a terrifying roar that echoed throughout the terra.
Sometime later, a familiar ship flew through the dark red skies of Cyclonia. The Condor had recently received a distress signal from there. Though the Storm Hawks weren't too keen on going there, they figured they should investigate it. It probably was something that meant trouble for the rest of Atmos.
Without much trouble, the ship flew into the pipe system where it was docked under one of the access hatches. The Storm Hawks readied themselves with Aerrow, Piper, Finn, Junko, and Radarr prepping. Stork stood by the steering wheel while Emma was settled on their couch as both were staying behind. All things considered, it would've been best not to draw any unnecessary attention.
Once putting his blades on his back, Aerrow looked over at Stork and Emma. "You two better stay safe here. We're not sure what we're going to find."
"Got it," she said as she gave him a thumbs up. Stork grumbled before going back to handling the wheel. He stared at them, wondering a bit if they would be alright by themselves. It wasn't like they were defenseless, but this was still the main hub for the Cyclonians. He didn't want to risk any surprise attacks while they were gone. In any case, he shrugged before heading up with the others.
As the team moved through the ominous fortress, they noticed that it was barren the hallways were. There were no talons in sight, which made moving around easier. But the lack of security made them more tense, especially with some of the wreckage they saw. Whatever had happened, it wasn't good.
Sometime later, the Storm Hawks heard something. It was a faint hissing sound that was close by. But there wasn't anything to make such noise, no pipes or valves to be seen. They heard it again, a bit louder and much more persistent. As they looked for the source, they took notice of a talon, his head peeking behind a door. He then quickly waved his hand as a sign to come over to where he was.
Despite being skeptical of his intentions, they all went, going into the room. They were more talons as scared as the one who let them in. There was also Ravess and the Dark Ace leaning against one of the walls and glaring at them. Lastly, there was Cyclonis herself. She was on the radio, shouting out, "I've told you already. One of your sloths seemed to have gotten out and is now terrorizing my terra!"
"And I keep tellin' ya that ain't possible!" yelled back the voice of Mr. Moss in his southern drawl. "I got all my sloths here and accounted for! I even getting' them trained for guard duty!"
This piqued the Storm Hawks' interest as they made their way over to Cyclonis. Aerrow leaned over her, catching her attention immediately. "Okay, can you explain what's going on here?"
"Well, sky knight, we're under attack by a Black Gorge Sloth," she replied. She gave him a glare before turning back to the radio. "Probably one from Moss' order if he were to admit it."
There was an irritated groan from Moss' voice. "I already got them all here! If there's any at your place, you must've miscounted my order."
"Impossible. I oversaw the transaction myself." Tapping her finger, she was about to reach her breaking point.
"Well, whatever!" It sounded like Moss was also reaching his own breaking point. "I already have my hands full trainin' the ones you got me. But once I'm finished, the Storm Hawks will have a nice surprise when they try to empty my prison again."
Frowning, Aerrow held his hand out as she gave him the transmitter. "Hey, Moss. Aerrow here. We overheard pretty much everything."
There was a very awkward silence afterward. Sometime later, Hamish's voice spoke up, "Ummm, maybe we should've kept that quiet, sir."
A slap was heard over the radio before the line was cut off, much to their surprise. Cyclonis growled, soon looking over at everyone in the room. They all were quiet, the feeling of dread growing within them. Unless they stopped the Black Gorge Sloth soon, they would all be at its mercy.
Then, Piper said, "Wait! We need to get back to our ship! Stork and Emma could be in trouble if that thing's loose!"
"Oh, I'm sure they're fine." Ravess waved her hand in a callous manner. Even still, the Storm Hawks were uneased about their friends' safety. If that thing was running around Cyclonia, then who knows what kind of trouble they were in right now?
Back on the Condor, Stork stood by the wheel while Emma relaxed on the couch. He didn't like it, being here on Cyclonia. He knew they were going to be discovered and captured sooner or later. Then, they were going to be tortured, or worse. It didn't help that she was off in her own world playing on her gaming device. That thing would give them away for sure.
"Do you think you could keep it down? We are in enemy territory," he said in a quiet yet annoyed tone. While she didn't say anything, she did turn down her volume though it wasn't by much. He scowled, hoping that the others would be back soon. Unless they did, it wouldn't be long before something terrible would strike.
Right on cue, the alarm started to blare as the ship suddenly shook. The two stumbled from the impact, falling onto the floor. Stork glared before getting up. Oh, he knew that this was going to happen. Luckily, he had the foresight to install some new traps on the Condor. Whatever boarded them would now have to deal with his state-of-the-line security.
Though he had full confidence, that soon waned when he heard the foreboding footsteps. Both he and Emma tensed as they became louder, almost shaking the entire bridge. Then, the door was tossed open as a monstrous beast burst through the opening. Seeing the drooling maw, Stork recognized it as a Black Gorge Sloth. Out of all the things he had expected on Cyclonia, this was right around the middle of his list.
As it started to approach them, he backed away to the steering wheel. Then swiftly, he pulled one of the levers on it down. There was a clicking sound and a metal fist attached to a pipe came out flying at it. It hit it squared in the jaw, making it stagger. He smirked at his success before going back to dread as it shook off its daze. Next, it started marching to him, its eyes narrowing into glowing slits.
It raised one of his arms once it got within range. But before it could strike, something hit it. Glancing down, it saw Emma kicking its lower side. She continued to do so until she noticed it saw her and stopped. Strangely enough, it didn't attack her, only stared at her. It lowered its body as she stood there, taking a few sniffs at her stiff form. While she remained still, her hands trembled a bit at her sides.
Tilting its head, it moved closer to her, its eyes almost mesmerized. It was then that Stork took this moment to whack it with his hand. Granted, it didn't do much other than make the Black Gorge Sloth even more angry. As it glared back at him, Stork hesitantly giggled at his unfortunate circumstances.
During that time, the Storm Hawks along with the Cyclonians were rushing back to the Condor. It didn't take long for them to make it back to the access hatch. Cyclonis took a mental note of having regular patrols there to check for intruders in the future. In any case, they ventured downward and onto the ship with the hope that Emma and Stork were fine.
Their expectations for that were diminishing as they saw the inside. It was pretty much the same damage as they had seen on Cyclonia. The walls were scratched up and pipes were either bent or broken. Making it to the bridge, the damage there was a whole lot worse. The room looked like a blizzarcane ran through it. Among the wreckage was Stork who was lying unconscious on the table. As they approached him, he didn't seem too battered, just bruised up a bit.
"Stork! Stork!" Piper shook him, trying to wake him up. It took him a while to come to before noticing the Cyclonians and almost fleeing. But she stopped him and asked, "What happened, Stork?! Where's Emma?!"
"Oh, she was taken by a Black Gorge Sloth after it trashed the ship… I'm guessing they had something to do with it." He glared over at the Cyclonians who seemed to be unfazed.
Cyclonis explained, "We believed one escaped while shipping them to Zartacla. Though Moss says that he has gotten them all."
"Uhh huuuh." Stork nodded, thinking it over. After a while, he spoke, "Did any of the talons get scratched and/or bit by one? I did read that any of those could carry lycanthropic properties to the recipient."
"Lycan… What?" Finn raised an eyebrow, surprised by the word.
"Lycanthropic as in Lycanthropy, Finn," Piper said, rolling her eyes. "It's when a person afflicted by it will transform into a creature. Like when you turned into that monster, remember? Except in this case, it would be by the creature who injures them."
Everyone remained quiet, thinking over her explanation. Then, Junko tilted his head. "So… This sloth could be like a person?"
"… I think that's our most likely answer to all this." The Dark Ace sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. It would explain how one was running around when Moss had said he had them all. Since Snipe oversaw the transfer, he would believe that someone had at least been bitten. Now they knew who to better blame for this mess.
It still didn't change the fact that the Black Gorge Sloth was causing trouble and needed to be stopped. With his eyes flaring, Aerrow said, "In any case, we need to catch that thing and get Emma back. Stork, think you can come up with something to trap it?"
"Maybe…" He lifted himself up and got off the table, brushing off his clothes. "Though I'm more inclined to leave and let the Cyclonians deal with it."
"Oh, and I thought sky knights were always there to help," Cyclonis stated with a sarcastic tone.
"Yea, well, that doesn't extend to megalomaniacs."
Before she could pummel him, Aerrow quickly intervened. "Think of it like this, Stork. You can get back at it for wrecking the Condor."
He remained silent for a moment, thinking it over. Then he said with a smile, "When you put it that way…"
"Just nothing too lethal, alright." Aerrow's words lessened his good mood. That being said, both the Storm Hawks and Cyclonians started to work on a plan. Hopefully, they'd get to Emma before any harm could come to her.
Emma groaned as she found herself coming back to reality. While trying to recall, she remembered facing a big scary animal, and her mind kind of blanked out. She now could see she was being carried by the said animal in one of its clawed arms. It ambled through the halls, balancing its movement while holding her. Though she knew that this wasn't an ideal situation, she was quite comfy, to say the least.
Still, she didn't want to be in this spot. Shifting her body, she arranged herself in a more strategic position. She then slammed her foot into its stomach with all the force she could muster. The beast recoiled, dropping her as it held where she hit it. Making a rough landing, she was about to run. But she felt herself get snagged before even getting a head start.
Looking back, Emma could see it had part of her coat in its mouth. It yanked her back, almost causing her to stumble. She managed to catch herself to see its face inches away from her. Surprisingly, it seemed more annoyed than threatening. There was something oddly familiar about it. She wasn't certain though and felt she was reading too much into it. Either way, she was pretty sure that it had unfavorable intentions towards her.
Before anything else could happen between them, a sharp whistle caught their attention. The two looked to see Aerrow and the Dark Ace standing at the far end of the hallway. Aerrow gestured his hands towards him, beckoning her over. Taking a glance back at the creature, she gave it a quick wave before darting over to them.
It was not too long before it realized what she did and began to chase after her. Despite its gaining speed, Emma had managed to keep a good distance away from it. She passed by Aerrow and the Dark Ace who got between the two. As they readied their weapons, the young sky knight said, "Head to the hanger bay! We'll try to stall it!"
Of course, as he had said that, the Black Gorge Sloth rammed through them as if they were bowling pins. Even then, it still kept its focus on pursuing her. Though she was managing to stay ahead of it despite her depleting stamina. It didn't take long until she made it to the hangar where the others were waiting by a giant cage.
"Quick! Lead it in here!" shouted Piper as she pointed over to the door. Wasting no time, she did a last-minute sprint towards the cage with it following behind him. As it was about to catch up, she passed through the threshold with all her vigor. It followed in after, thrashing its way through. Then, Junko slammed the door causing it to lock up.
With it caged, they all felt relief from their success. It wasn't long until Aerrow and the Dark Ace joined them as well. They were celebrating their well-earned victory. At least until Junko said, "Wait, where's Emma?"
They all stopped, realizing that they had forgotten about her. Looking back into the cage, they all saw the Gorge Sloth cornering a trembling Emma. It approached her more closely, its face right up next to hers. As it opened its dripping maw, she braced for her inevitable demise. She closed her eyes as it leaned in closer…
And then, it licked her.
Everyone stood in shock at what had happened. As it gave her another lick, it wiggled its ears before grabbing and hugging her. Silence engulfed them, speechless by how it went from bloodthirsty to affectionate. Then after some time, Ravess groaned as she placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh Atmos, it's Snipe."
"Wait, Snipe? You sure?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, I'm sure." She glared over at the now-doting Black Gorge Sloth. "He always showed a slight affection towards the Gaian. To be honest, it's embarrassing to think about."
"… That explains a few things," Cyclonis murmured as she looked down. Now thinking about it, it did have the same brutish behavior as Snipe did. In hindsight, they should've checked him first.
As they all continued to stare, there was one question that plagued their minds. "So… Now what?"
"Well, if it is Snipe, he'll turn back after a while," Stork answered while looking at Aerrow. "Our best bet would be to wait until then."
"Good. I have some things to say to him once he's human," said the Dark Ace, sounding very annoyed.
"But what about Emma? We can't leave her like this." Piper looked at her, a bit worried.
"It's fine," she answered, looking like she accepted her fate. "I don't think he's gonna hurt me. Just keep me against my will."
The Storm Hawks, except for Stork, didn't seem too keen on leaving her like this. But since they couldn't do anything at the moment, they headed out along with the Cyclonians. It was a while later when Snipe yawned and fell asleep, still cuddling Emma. Though pretty comfy, she remained awake. Her mind was questioning how long until he was human again. She then thought of how it was going to be when he did turn back. Least to say, she fretted over that inevitable possibility for the rest of the night.
"Ohhh… My head," Snipe mumbled as he woke up. Though his head was fuzzy at the moment, he soon took notice of being in a cage with a very red-faced Emma. "Gaian?! What are you doing here?! And why are we in a cage?!" Then, he finally looked down at himself. "… And why am I naked?!"
"Ah-hem!" His head perked as he glanced over to see Cyclonis, the Dark Ace, Ravess, and the Storm Hawks outside the cage. The girls had their eyes covered while the guys looked away with red faces. Stork, managing a bit of composure, coughed and said, "Perhaps I can explain?"
So, after getting the two out of the cage and dressing Snipe, he went on to clarify what had happened to him. He was very thorough in his explanation. Going into details from Black Gorge Sloths having lycanthropic traits to the evidence of his recent rampages. After he was done, Snipe raised his hand. "So… I'm a Black Gorge Sloth now?"
"Not… Exactly," Stork grumbled, "You just change into one."
Thinking about it for a bit, he nodded. "Guess I'm okay with that."
Everyone else looked in shock, Ravess even more so. "Wait, you're fine with being a mindless beast?!"
"Well, it's not like it's that bad. If anything, it's an improvement." Snipe crossed his arms while smirking. "Snipe's stronger, badder. Heck! I'll be able to smash anyone who gets in my way!"
Gawking, she turned to Cyclonis, a desperate plea displayed on her face. "Master! Please talk some sense into him!"
"Actually… this would be beneficial against the Sky Knights…" She murmured. Seeing the gears turning in her head, Ravess grimaced with her mouth twitching. She couldn't possibly think about keeping him as a WereSloth. With all the trouble he had already caused them, it would be a nightmare to have him stay that way.
"Stork could whip up an antidote like he did with Finn," Aerrow spoke up, catching their attention. "Of course, he would have to stay with us until then."
Hearing this, Snipe was quick in his response. "I don't wanna go with the dumb Storm Hawks."
"Well, it's not like we'd want you either. But better than having you as a rampaging monster terrorizing Atmos," Stork retorted.
"…I wouldn't mind either way." Emma's eyes shifted while developing a slight blush. Luckily for her, no one seemed to hear that.
Afterward, it became quiet. Everyone seemed to be off in their own headspace. Then, Cyclonis looked up and nodded. "Alright, you can take Snipe to cure him."
"But I don't wanna," Snipe whined.
"Think of it like this." Cyclonis leaned in close to him. "You could go with the Storm Hawks and be with the Gaian for a bit… Or you can go to Terra Zartacla as one of Moss' new beasts."
That seemed to persuade him a bit as he flinched. "… Okay."
So, he was to go with the Storm Hawks until he was back to normal. Both parties seemed reluctant to go along with it except for Emma. Stork felt he should check if she had been infected. She seemed too tolerant to have one of their enemies with them. In her response, she told him to shut it.
Squadron Log:
It's been a few weeks since the WereSloth incident on Cyclonia, and Snipe is still within our care. Since he now knows about his condition, he seems to have better control whenever he changes. Though he's still brutish which gets on almost everyone's nerves. Stork thinks we should drop him in the Black Gorge, but he is still working on a cure for him. The only one who seems to tolerate him is Emma…
Speaking of which, Piper glanced up from her book to see Emma. She was playing with her gaming device while leaning against Snipe in his Gorge Sloth form. He let out a whine as she went to scratch him on his neck, still playing her game. Watching the scene unfold, she sighed before going back to writing.
In fact, I think she's okay with it.
Author's Notes:
Happy Halloween, everyone! Thought I should cook up something for the season, at least in terms of classic scariness.
Actually, this took me some years to write it out. It started out as an exercise to write in a different font than my usual (I used to do Times News Roman). I had a good start writing most of the beginning. But then, I hit some snags, decided to focus on my Storm Hawks/Labyrinth fic, and then juggled with it along with other WIPs I had. In any case, I managed to get it done in time, and for me, that's all that matters!
Also, as stated in the disclaimer, this is non-canon, not just for the show but for my writing in general. I have a lot of ideas that sometimes go along with others but can also clash. For the most part, I tend to make Snipe a monster. Mostly because my brain's weird like that.
Hope you enjoyed this fic!
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