Nothing like the threat of death to coax something out
también noté que tengo algunos lectores en español - ¡hola! ¡Te veo! (no, no hablo español pero creo que es justo que leas algo en tu propio idioma :))
Children cowered as the explosions shook the complex, showering dust and gravel onto their heads from the ceiling. Despite the door being quite heavy, the group could hear the footsteps of guards and lieutenants alike; all scrambling and yelling to each other in a panic. Whatever it was, it was terrifying.
Silver cowered with a squeak. What if it was that cloud monster? If it was that awful thing - he had to get out of the cage. Bars would not stop such a beast. Hurriedly, gold eyes glanced around the room.
Banging filled the air as the teen boys took the sturdiest of their cage and started ramming him against the door; trying with all their body weight combined to break it open as quickly as possible. A cat from the girl's cage drew her claws and started frantically picking at the lock while the others whispered suggestions at her while she worked. With a squeak, the smallest kid from his own cage started trying to squeeze through the bars, shoving and shoving while she cried out in pain.
The ceiling shook again - sending more debris raining down upon the kids. With a cry, Silver ran forwards. Taking bars in his hands he rattled at the door, shaking with all his strength in an attempt to loosen the hinges. On cue, all the kids ran forwards, taking the metal bars in their hands and rattling the cage. Even the teen boys dropped a few from their battering ram to shake at the bars. The room echoed with the clanging sound of metal and crying. Silver himself shook as hard as his small body could in the throes of the chaos.
Another explosion shook the room. This time: it was closer. The ground under their feet rattled slightly from the force, sending shivers up the young hoglet's spine. All at once, the boys stopped their rattling, in favor of discussing amongst themselves another proposal for breaking out. The girls stopped as well - with a young snake taking up the front and sticking the small tip of her tail into the lock to give another go at it. Silver plopped down on the floor. The young kids were too small and weak to ever have a chance at breaking open the cage they resided in. With a sniffle, he laid himself on his back as the other kids slowly felt their way around the bars for a potentially wider gap to squeeze through.
"You three take the left hall!" A guard shouted from the other side of the main door. "You - accompany me down the right; we can't lose our prizes!"
An absurdly large yell erupted from the boys cage as the whole group ran at once, slamming themselves into a specific side. The cage wobbled a bit, tilting off center from the force. Sitting up, Silver watched as the boys wound up again, this time charging as a whole to the other side.
"Boys be careful!" An older teen girl girl called out.
"I think it's working!" One of the boys called back, winding up with the rest of the groups. As the teens slammed against the opposite side yet again, a yell erupted from one of Silver's own cage as they found an irregularly placed bar. Picking up the smallest of the cage, they shoved her head in between the bars - a cry of pain squeaking from the poor girl as she was pushed and pushed. With a gleam of hope, Silver rushed in - pushing on her legs as she grasped the bars to pull.
As the girls rotated to a teen with a bobby pin, the boys slammed themselves into a wall yet again, this time the cage tilting far off balance. As momentum carried it back to its original position, the teens yelled when the metal slammed against the floor with a loud noise. Silver covered his ears with a squeak. As the boys picked themselves up and remobilized, a group of guards rushed past the room with thundering footsteps. There had to be at least twenty.
"Try shifting left!" A girl called, the girl with the bobby pin still struggling with the lock.
"I'm tryin' as best I can!" She snapped back, turning to growl at the first girl who spoke. Silver's own group erupted into yelling as the girl between the bars found herself snagged and stuck in her position. Silver covered his ears as tears began to form around his eyes from the stress.
What if they never got out? What if the cloud monster got them? Would they be eaten? Turned into stalkers? Who knows what would happen if that evil thing burst through the room.
With a yell, the boys threw themselves at the cage once again. As a few of the teens jumped and slammed into the top of the bars, the cage tilted once again - this time off its center. The room echoed with a huge crash as the container flipped on its side; piling the boys on top of each other like sardines in a can. Groans filled the air just barely louder than the fight outside.
"Nice going." One of the girls sarcastically remarked.
"Shut up." Snapped the apparent group leader from the bottom of the pile. "We didn't think we'd get this far."
Loud popping noises filled the air as the explosions grew closer. As larger chunks of rock fell from the ceiling, more and more kids started shielding their heads and watching the clearly precarious structure. As Silver pulled his paws over his eyes, to avoid a cloud of dust approaching his head, he saw his blue markings glow once again. An idea hit him.
"Guys step aside!" He shouted, standing up and positioning himself square to the door. "I'm gonna try my power!"
With a grunt, Silver pushed his palms forwards. The glow tinged at his fingertips as he slowly and steadily forced his focus through his hands. It was, however, easier said than done - for the loud racket that blazed outside broke his concentration several times.
Taking a deep breath he tried again, holding his breath and refusing to blink. The glow flickered and pulsed, weakly tingling at his fur. More explosions racked the complex, sending a large chunk of concrete falling to the ground behind the cage. Children squeaked and huddled, as the teen boys gripped at the bars.
"Can you even control that power?" One of the kids shouted from across the room.
"No…." Silver quietly whimpered, before righting himself to his stance.
"But I have to try."
Silver Pushed his palms out again, a new determination filling his blood as he looked around at the pale faces and scared eyes. If he failed, that cloud monster would get them all. He couldn't just stand by and let them all die. He had to do something.
An explosion rattled the door as a bright beam of red shone through the cracks. The kids were knocked off their feet as the following boom shook the room. Silver felt his feet briefly leave the floor in the aftermath as the kids all huddled against each other in absolute terror. It was right outside. Silver bit his lip.
Pulling his focus back to his core, he took a deep breath. Control. Control the feelings - control the powers. Slowly, he pushed his hand forwards; taking the slow and gentle movements Shadow had taught him days before. His aura grew bright as his hands slowly pushed back and forth.
A yell erupted from the kids as the door splashed with a cyan blue. The glowing influence of his power crept up the bars as Silver's golden eyes looked from bottom to top. Pausing for a moment, to observe the glowing door, Silver held his hands out again.
Right as he thrust his hands forwards, the front wall exploded open. Chunks of wood and stone showered through the room as the harsh orange light blasted through the gaping hole where the wall used to be. Silver's door flew open with a crash as Silver was knocked backwards from the force. All the kids found themselves flat on the ground as the sounds of popping and roaring fires blasted through the previously sheltered room. Scrambling, Silver picked himself off the floor to look through the open cage - only to see a horrifying sight before him.
The hallway was absolutely destroyed. Fire burned away at the walls and floors as the heat blasted through the bars. Injured guards crawled on the ground before dying as the mere heat took their lives right before the childrens' eyes. Silver cringed as the sparks and heat dried out his eyes. The brightness from the fire blinded him for a few moments as the loud roaring and popping filled the air with anxiety. Soldiers ran through the halls, only for some to turn back when they saw … it.
The silhouette.
It calmly walked though the blaze -figure distorted from the heat as it approached the room where the kids were held. Silver squinted, trying to make out the strange creature in the brightness of the fire only to see two glowing red eyes piercing back at him.
Stumbling, Silver bolted out of the cage, planting his feet on the rapidly heating floor in front of the girls' cage. With a deep breath, he summoned his power again, struggling through the violent air to keep his focus.
The figure stalked forwards, catching a charging guard by the throat and throwing him to the ground with a mere movement of its arm. Screaming filled the air as the guard caught ablaze and hurriedly tried to crawl away from the menacing thing as it walked past him without a glance; cloak billowing behind it like an enemy flag on home turf. Silver let out a squeak as fear filled his system.
The girls started to yell in terror, prompting the young hoglet to turn his eyes back to the bars. The roaring fire filled his ears as he lit his hands cyan blue once again. Trying and trying, he focused on the door - girls begging him to hurry up as the figure walked closer and closer. The aura crept up the base of the door once again as soldiers could be heard yelling down the hall. The rapid footsteps of charging guards only amplified Silver's stress as the figure walked closer and closer.
With a yell of desperation, Silver pulled his paws back - wrenching the door open as the girls scrambled back. Silver turned around, only to see the horrible silhouette standing a mere 15 paces away.
The guards charged, turning the hooded figure's head away from the kids and to the rapidly approaching group. As the fastest one approached, the figure's hand shot out - firing a precise bolt of familiar energy straight into the guard's chest. The green hood dropped to the ground, not even moving as the second one closed in.
Swiping back and forth, the second guard jumped into the air, dodging the cloaked stranger's attacks and throwing a spear at its head. With a mere movement, the figure shot out its leather gloved hands and caught the weapon. Silver paused, staring at the highly contrasted silhouette against the flames. A shout from the boys grabbed his attention, snapping his head away from the fight and over to the toppled container of teenagers.
Planting his feet back into the ground, Silver extended his paws for a third time, watching them light up blue once again. Looking at the whole container, He folded his ears back, trying to ignore the figure behind him as he watched the cyan glow creep up the entire cage.
A scream filled the air as the mysterious stranger spun the spear around, catching it on a guard's hood and twisting him around in the air. The platoon found themselves knocked back as the vomiting guard was launched at a remarkable speed into the group. Tossing the spear aside, the figure leapt into the air, firing rapid shots into the platoon as more yelling sounded throughout the room.
As Silver jankily pried the bars apart, a loud popping filled the air, immediately dropping Silver to the ground as a high-speed object whipped past his ear. Turning to watch, Silver's eyes caught a red hooded guard as he pulled out a long metal stick. The lieutenant fired - sending bright flashes and small pebbles shooting out the end of the stick. The silhouette held its arm out, the small rocks breaking on its skin without a single flinch. Extended hand exploding into a glow, the stranger waited on the soldier.
As the lieutenant charged the figure, the boys started squeezing through the hole Silver created. One by one they popped out, running to the first cage to protect the small children inside. The girls also took the opportunity, bolting one by one to the cage. Several kids dropped with screams as the pebbles hit various parts of their bodies, forcing them to pick themselves back up and limp towards the final goal. SIlver himself found himself snatched up by the last out of the boys' cage and drug back into the first cage. As the boy snatched up the discarded spear, his trembling fingers wound tightly around Silver's mouth - trying to keep him as calm as possible. Anxiously, the teen pointed it at the fight, watching as the figure drove its claws through the lieutenant with an angry snarl.
The remaining girls in the other cage screamed out as the hooded figure stood from the dead guard. Slowly, its glowing red eyes turned to the cage where they resided. Whimpering the girls scrambled back - heads knocking against the bars as the menacing figure approached - cloak billowing behind it. Blood covered leather gripped the bars as the boy with the spear shouted a warning at the figure. Baring its teeth, the hooded stranger opened its mouth and spoke with a voice dripping with rage and anger.
"Where are the others."
The girls were astonished. Looking at each other, they turned back to the cloaked figure at the bars.
"Wh-what?"
"I said where are the others." It spat, gripping the bars tighter as its eyes glowed brighter. "There were naked men, and women's clothing scattered around - Where. Are. Those. Girls."
"Those girls?" The boy with the spear spoke, still holding his hand tightly around Silver's mouth. The fire burned hotter as the glowing eyes turned towards the teen.
"They probably scattered around the complex when all this broke out." He sputtered, visibly shaking. The figure walked to the middle of the room, eyes glancing around. Silver, feeling an overwhelming sense of joy and relief, wiggled out of the boy's arms. Before the teen could snatch him back, Silver bolted from his place - too emotional to even speak - towards the stranger in the room.
With a loud sob, he crashed into the Ranger's body, tears erupting from his eyes as he gripped onto the strong and familiar body. The figure dropped low, running his leather gloves all over the hoglet's face for any sign of injury.
"Silver!" Shadow choked out, looking straight into the sobbing child's eyes. "Did they hurt you? Are you injured?"
Silver could only shake his head as he buried his face into Shadow's smoke and ash filled shirt. The ranger looked up, seeing the kids all staring at him with slack jaws and wide eyes. Immediately, Shadow took command.
"You." He sharply spoke, pointing at the kid with the spear. "Do you know how to use that?"
"Y- you're…" The teen stammered out, unable to compose himself. "Y-you're Him…I.."
"Snap out of it and focus." Shadow barked. "Do you know how to use that?
"Yes sir."
"Good - You're going to need it."