Loona plays with her phone, with her cheek rested on her hand. As soon as a large shadow looms over the gothic hellhound, she raises her right eyebrow and says "Oh, great. Another FUCKING client..."
The "client" in question turns out to be a large woolly mammoth bull named Manny, who is in the wrong universe for whatever odd reason. He extends a trunk towards the phone Loona is using and says "Hey, what's this, mutant dog girl?"
Loona rolls her eyes, clearly not in the mood for the mammoth's nonsense, and says "It's a cell phone, dude."
Despite being smaller than Manny, Loona's not intimidated one bit. In fact, she looks more annoyed than anything. She stands up and looks up at him.
"You got a problem?" Loona says.
"No but if you want to become part of my motley herd consisting of an annoying sloth, my wife, and a sabertoothed cat, do it. GO forward!" Manny suggests.
Loona's eyes roll so hard she's surprised they don't fall out of her sockets, "Seriously? Is that the best you got? A herd? I wouldn't join if you offered me my own private island." she says.
"Well yeah. No wonder why I'm not extinct." Manny says, continuing to point his trunk at the hellhound's face.
Loona shrugs, "Suit yourself, dude. Not like I care any- hey, wait, did you just... say "extinct!"
"No." Manny lies quickly.
Loona leans closer, her face full of skepticism as she speaks, "Are you sure about that? Cus' I SWEAR I heard you say "extinct."
"Fine, wild ass hound woman." Manny grumbles.
"That's right... I'm a hellhound. Which makes me SO much better than you, buddy." Loona says, raising an eyebrow.
"Manfred. And I am not your buddy." Manny explains, revealing his name to the hellhound, who only growls and leans closer.
"If you point your trunk any closer to my face, I'm gonna eat it."
"Try me."
Loona's muzzle is now only inches away from Manny's massive trunk, "Oh yeah? You wanna do this?"
"Yeah except that if you do, you will become an avocado salad in less than 1 minute!" Manny warns as he towers over the hellhound further.
Loona grins wickedly, baring her sharp fangs and taking on a menacing stance, "I'd like to see you try, meatball."
"Wait a minute. What does I.M.P mean?" Manny says, stopping himself before he gets into a fight with Loona for no reason.
Loona snickers, clearly mocking Manny, and puts a hand on her hip, "It means Immediate Murder Professionals, you ditz! And we deal with humans that've been naughty, you know, and send them all to hell..."
"You know, I do not like creatures that kill for pleasure." Manny says before he runs over Loona, who was stepping towards the fridge. Loona falls to the ground as Manny runs her over, but she's completely unfazed, simply picking herself back up. She's now visibly pissed, glaring at him.
"...I was going to eat that avocado salad, YOU ASSHOLE!" Loona shouts, furious that the mammoth had ran over her when she was just going to get some food for herself.
"I didn't! You mess with my trunk, you get my ultra long tusks." Manny warns.
Loona grits her teeth. She is very clearly restraining herself from ripping Manny apart with her claws, "Look pal, just because I'm a Hellhound doesn't mean you can treat me like some sort of wild animal."
"I am not your pal!" Manny retorts.
"I know that, you hairy dick-for-brains! I'm just saying that I deserve a bit more respect than that. I mean, seriously... come on, dude, what did I even DO to provoke you?" Loona growls.
"You kill creatures for pleasure! I may have lost my ORIGINAL wife and son to some humans, but I did not kill them in return, you hairy milkshake!" Manny shouts back.
Loona's rage has officially reached an all new level. Her breathing becomes heavy and her claws glow from within, "I don't do it for pleasure you dumbass, I do it for my JOB. It's my job to send sinners to hell, and that's exactly what I do! I have no choice in the matter!"
"I don't like ANYONE associated with killing "sinners" for pleasure, mutant dire wolf!" Manny says, stepping closer.
Loona suddenly stops and starts laughing, "Mutant Dire wolf? That's the worst insult I've heard in centuries. I don't even know where to start, ya fat jackass!"
"Call me fat one more time." Manny warns. This is the umpteenth time he has been called fat in his life despite his woolly coat of fur.
"Ya FAT jackass!" Loona repeats, grinning happily with her eyes closed as she does so.
"I am NOT FAT! IT'S MY WOOL THAT MAKES ME LOOK SO, YOU DUMB ASS! I'M SICK OF ANIMALS IN MY HOMEWORLD CALLING ME FAT! THIS ENDS. NOW!" Manny shouts, dramatically punctuating the last bit for emphasis.
Loona cackles and raises her fists, her claws glowing brighter, suggesting she is about to transform into her Dire form if he keeps provoking her in the office, which he would have stood no chance against, "Oh yeah? Well I think you're the most self-conscious fatass I've ever met in my life! Let's see you prove me wrong, you hairy jackass!"
The mocking quote enrages Manny so much that he just trumpets like a bull elephant in musth. Loona flinches with shock at the sudden noise but quickly composes herself. She glares intensely at Manny and raises her fists in a position as if she's about to launch herself at him.
"Do you really wanna go to war with me you goddamn...you goddamn overgrown woolly mammoth!" Loona yells.
"No." Manny bluntly replies as he stomps out of the office. However, after he leaves, his huge size and earth-shaking footsteps is bound to make the ceiling cave in.
Loona frowns and looks up at the ceiling, her expression becoming more worried by the second. She looks back at her phone, then back to the ceiling. She then looks back at her phone again, still worried, then back to the ceiling again. Her gaze eventually becomes panicked, and she looks around wildly.
"Uh... guys? Guys...!" Loona says before the ceiling caves in, clearly not resistant against a giant mammoth who shook the ground with each step. She stares in shock at the collapsing ceiling for a good while, her eyes filling with fear. Finally, she starts to panic completely, running around in a state of sheer terror. She eventually finds a large piece of rubble and stares at it with a mix of confusion, fear, and anger. She hits the rubble and yells at the top of her lungs.
"DAMN HIM!"
3 months later, Manny, along with his herd, replaced the I.M.P HQ with their outside winter habitat. Manny is quite literally chilling by a rock, his tiny elephant ears being blocked by some corks stolen from Loona's alcohol bottles.
After what seems like forever since the I.M.P office was destroyed, a ground sloth the height of a man named Sid emerges from the rubble and says "We were originally goin' to sstay in Hell longer, but I'vh dessided to realise that you and those red things don't kill for plessure. It'sh the client that requests sinners to be killed, wolf woman. I'll wait for you to talk, and then I'll help Manny patch thins up with you."
Loona is sitting with her knees close to her chest, soaked to the bone and shuddering from the cold. It's clear that she's been out here for a long time, with no shelter or food, "Oh, so now you wanna be civil? A little too late for that, Mr. Sid. Thanks to the fatass moose upstairs, I don't even have a home anymore... It's a miracle I can still survive out here."
"He'sh a mammoth. Not a mooss." Sid corrects.
"I don't care what he is, he's a giant meathead who can shove his trunk up his ass!" Loona snarls, glaring at the ruins, her eyes filled with hatred before she eventually turns back to Sid, "Look, can you do me a favor and convince Manny's dumbass not to kill me if I step by?"
"Don't. I'll do it." Sid says for the hellhound's safety. The ground sloth then goes up to Manny, takes off the corks off his ears and says "Manny, I think we've made a big misstake here."
"What? I couldn't hear a single confession over my corked ears." Manny says, standing back up on his four legs, "Tell me what do you want now after our "so-called mistake", wolf."
Loona takes a deep breath, preparing herself for the wrath of the mammoth as she steps over to Manny, "I just wanna talk. That's all I'm asking. So please, if you'll listen, then maybe we can come to some sort of... I don't know... truce?"
"What?" Manny says.
"I'm not askin' you to like me. I'm just askin' you to lay off the insults, stop trying to kill me, and maybe, maybe we can share the same office together, okay? I'm tired of living like a Goddamn bum. And you already have an office, you giant meathead." Loona says.
Manny, still not in the mood to apologize due to Sid's vagueness on their mistake of destroying the I.M.P office for a habitat, says "I don't need your cramped office for my gigantic size! It has become history! Herd life is so much better without migrating an infernal city and hearing of things that kill for pleasure."
"Oh you have got to be kidding..." Loona groans and rubs her temples, clearly frustrated with Manny's stubbornness, "Look, you big lump. I ain't askin' you to throw me a party. I'm just askin' you to work on the same floor as me. You can have the winter season and I'll have the summer season. And I promise I'll stop being so damn antagonistic towards you. Deal?
"Frankly, I don't want to stay in Hell anymore after all this drama I've heard of 3 months ago about you and those three red things supposedly killing for fun and still residing there." Manny says.
"I know exactly what you heard. That I work with a bunch of freaks that kill for fun. Well guess what? We. Don't. I'd explain it to you myself but your thick head is probably too busy bein' stubborn to listen. And yeah, we reside in hell. But so do you, and your little group of prehistoric idiots that do as much damage to this mortal realm as we do. So suck it up buttercup." Loona says firmly.
"Explain what "I.M.P" really is so I don't trample you, canine." Manny demands.
Loona groans once more and sighs, clearly annoyed, "I.M.P stands for Immediate Murder Professionals. Like I said, we work for a living, not murder people just for the fun of it. We take contracts from clients and kill targets for them, but only if they actually did something bad in their lives. Got it?"
Manny takes 5 minutes to realize what the hellhound just said, growling heavily, and simply responds with a quick trumpet after the time is up. Loona winces, startled by the noise and covering her ears to try and block out the sudden noise.
"Jesus Christ, what is it with you and that loud trumpeting?" Loona says.
"It is "mammothese" for "got it", hound." Manny explains.
"Whatever... just stop doing it. You're gonna make me go deaf." Loona groans, her eyes rolling to the back of her head in annoyance.
"Fine. I'll just speak English, wolf." Manny says bluntly.
"Good. Now, are we gonna stop being like little bitches towards each other or are we gonna keep arguing like children? Because I don't care which one we pick, but make a damn decision already." Loona grumbles.
"Don't give me attitude, or I'll feed you to Diego, who's right over there." Manny warns, pointing his trunk at the sleeping sabertooth cat.
Loona scoffs and looks over at the cat before looking back at Manny, "Your big dumbass could probably swallow me whole. Besides, what's that puny kitty gonna do to me?"
"I eat vegetation only, not meat, meathead." Manny says.
Loona's jaws drop open in surprise and disbelief, and she puts a hand to her forehead. "Wait, wait, wait a minute. You mean to tell me that you're a herbivore!? A vegetarian!?" Loona says.
"Exactly. So is, uh... Sid!" Manny replies.
Loona's eyes widen in disbelief, as if hearing this is the stupidest thing she'd ever heard, "Oh this I gotta see! You're telling me that a tiny, little, meek ground sloth managed to stay vegetarian?!"
"Don't be dumb. We're here because we migrate and it's been 20,000 years since we died above." Manny says.
Loona raises her right eyebrow in confusion and annoyance, clearly not believing a single word Manny is saying, "Wait... 20,000 years old? You mean to tell me that you're 20 thousand years old and you still act like a big baby!?"
"No. Chronologically so. Judging by your appearance, you seem like you are in your teens." Manny says. He is not good at understanding the modern world and is unaware that Loona is actually 22 years old.
Loona's eyes flare in irritation at Manny's assumption, "First things first: How dare you assume that I'm in my teens, you big jackass? I'm 22 thank you very goddamn much!"
"Oh so then you're the big baby. Fine, since I don't know your name, I'll just call you puppy. How's that?" Manny says.
Loona's eyes flare in rage and she grits her teeth, "Do not ever call me "puppy"! I'll kick your trunk so far up your ass that your ancestors will feel it!"
"Fine. Then "furry." Manny says.
Loona scoffs in annoyance, but doesn't seem nearly as upset this time, "That one's okay. Just don't ever call me "furry" or "dog" or "pup" or anything like that okay? It pisses me off."
Manny, getting frustrated, says "Look, you're still giving me attitude even after I was aware what I.M.P really was for. Keep this up and I will tell Diego to eat you alive and you're not getting your place back. Got it?"
"Fine. You win, alright? Jesus Christ, it's honestly getting hard to take you seriously when you're that dumb. You know that right?" Loona groans.
"We don't know as much as you do because we are prehistoric! How do you expect me to know what a "sell fone" is?" Manny says,
Loona's eye twitches in irritation at Manny's statement, and she shakes her head in disbelief at how dumb he sounded, "Uh... it's a cellphone, you big idiot. Not a "sell-phone."
"Stop calling me names just because we are prehistoric. Last chance." Manny warns again.
"Fine, you're right. I won't call you names. But that doesn't change the fact that you're dumb as hell." Loona smirks mischievously, waiting gleefully to see how Manny reacts.
Manny, his patience running out, pokes Diego with his trunk. Loona's eyes widen in surprise and terror as the dinosaur-era cat growls, stalks closer towards her and begins to sniff her.
"Oh no... not this thing." Loona says as she backs away into a corner, shaking and whimpering with fear, "Please stop... please no... I-I... I don't taste good I swear! I'm not tasty at all I swear!"
"Hmmm. You seem to have the attitude of Manny but Sid was right anyways. I'll spare you since I don't bite." Diego says as he inspects Loona closer.
"Oh thank God you of all critters are the one having mercy on me! I was scared outta my damn mind when I saw you stalking towards me like that. Just make sure your trunk-nosed friend over there doesn't get any ideas about crushing me, okay?" Loona says.
"Judging by the fact that you are in the middle of a big area with lots of buildings, you seem homeless. I can work something out with Manny." Diego says.
Loona's ears perk up, and she immediately looks over at Manny, almost pleading with her eyes, looking hopefully towards him, "Wait... are you telling the truth? You don't just wanna kill me anymore? You'll let me have a place to stay?"
"If you say so." Manny says. It takes 2 more months for Manny and Sid, with the assistance of some construction workers along with Blitzø, Moxxie, and Millie to fully restore the I.M.P headquarters.
As soon as the building is restored, Loona bursts through the doors, ecstatic. "Yes! I still have a home! Finally, after all this time, I'm not a hobo!" she says, prompting a humorous chuckle from Manny outside of the building.
However, Loona winces upon hearing Manny's loud laughter, and she grumbles to herself as she steps into the newly-restored headquarters, "I swear, if that trunk-nosed jackass mocks me one more time..."
Manny, upon hearing that threat, opens the door with his trunk, sucks in a vacuum of air so Loona is closer and says "Or you'll what? After all of what I did for you?!"
Loona's eyes blaze in fury upon seeing Manny return, "Or I'll kick the sh*t out of you in my new office, you pompous dumbass! And I have no mercy for overgrown, prehistoric, elephant-like asses like you!"
"You're still giving me attitude again, are you?" Manny says, not understanding why the hellhound has decided to get mad with him for no reason again.
Loona's eyes blaze even more in fury, even angrier at how nonchalant Manny sounded about her threat, "You'd best watch your tone with me, you big, fat, lumbering prehistoric trunk-head! And if you lay one, single, trunk-like finger on me, I'll..."
The hellhound's sentence is cut off as Manny sucks in a vacuum of air to bring Loona outside, "Try me again." he says. Loona groans in rage and rolls her eyes as she's pulled out of the office and back towards the street.
"Oh now you're just begging to be kicked." the hellhound growls and raises her claws at the mammoth, ready for a fight, "All right. Come and get me you big dumb piece of prehistoric meat!"
"You still haven't learned to be grateful for what I did!" Manny shouts back.
"Grateful? For what? Allowing me to live in a home I was already entitled to before your ass decided it was your territory? Why should I praise you? Why should I be grateful?" Loona scoffs in rage, baring her canines.
"I fixed it! We migrate, you don't." Manny tries explaining, but the hellhound just rolls her eyes and scoffs.
Great, good for you. You helped make repairs. You're so amazing, aren't you? You big elephant-like lummox!" Loona says, suddenly shouting the last sentence with malice.
"What?" Manny says.
Loona's eyes narrow, her rage building up more and more, "Let me put it in a way you would understand: you're a pompous, bloated, ass. A big fat elephant-like dumba** and I'm so sick and tired of your crap!"
"Don't make us take this headquarters back by destroying it! And when we do, you'll be left with those three red things to fix it yourself with your bare hands." Manny warns.
Loona's eyes widen in rage and irritation at Manny's suggestion of him destroying the HQ, "You'll try to destroy the HQ, you mean old prehistoric trunk-nosed lardass? After all the hard work we put into it? That's right, we! All five of us in that office, and myself included! You're just a selfish, dumb animal that only thinks of himself and can't work as a team! Don't even bother thinking about destroying our HQ!"
Manny then steps back and runs into the HQ, causing a big crack to appear. He is getting sick of the hellhound's ungratefulness. Loona's eyes widen in shock and anger upon seeing Manny tear a hole right into the HQ's wall. Without a moment hesitation, she runs back into the HQ and shoves Manny with all her might towards the door.
"What the Hell is wrong with you, you big fat jackass?! You know how all five of us worked our a****s off to repair our HQ and you go and tear a hole in the wall?! What the f is wrong with you, you big, dumb elephant!?" Loona yells.
"I'm not part of your little team." Manny says bitterly.
"You're right, Manny. You're not part of our team. Which is why you never deserved to tear a hole in the HQ! You're just a freeloading, prehistoric piece of elephant crap and you know what? I've had it up to here with your dumb-ass attitude! You don't get to decide whether our HQ gets torn up or not, I do!" Loona yells with hate.
"Well that's because you are still being ungrateful and giving me attitude." Manny grumbles, emphasizing his words by pointing his trunk aggressively at Loona.
"You really want me to be grateful for your "help"? That's rich, coming from a lazy lummox like you that has a bad work ethic and sucks at working with others! And you know what, you don't get to demand that we be grateful for anything you do Manny! You don't have that right!" Loona shouts angrily.
"Even those red things are grateful. They don't even know us. You're the only one who can't see that." Manny says.
"Oh, you mean the imps? That's because those losers had the misfortune of meeting you first. Not me. Don't think that they're special for putting up with your nonsense. I've met worse. Much worse. And no, I don't feel a single ounce of gratitude for anything you do!" Loona admits hatefully.
"And since Diego refuses to kill you, I might have to do it myself if you don't stop giving me attitude!" Manny says, as he brushes his foot against the ground, ready to charge.
"Oh go ahead and try, you big prehistoric jackass. I'd like to see you try to kill me. This is gonna be hilarious." Loona says with unhidden hatred.
Manny, fed up with the hellhound's persistent rudeness, shoves Loona into the corner of the outside wall and holds her in place, with one of his tusks pinning her to the wall.
"No it will not. Not yet." Manny warns threateningly, his small eye locked on one of Loona's big red eyes. She struggles to free herself from Manny's grip, but is ultimately unsuccessful. Her expression falters upon realizing that she's unable to escape.
"No you wouldn't dare... Get your tusks off of me! Let me go!" Loona says as she struggles frantically against Manny's tusk, clearly afraid now.
"You set this up for payback! I regret ever restoring this place for you!" Manny shouts, pressing his tusk further against Loona's throat to suffocate her.
Loona's eyes widen in shock and realization, and her struggles become more frantic and desperate as Manny's tusk presses against her throat, "N-No... No please don't do this! Please! I'm... I'm sorry! I won't give you a** attitude again, I promise! Just... PLEASE LET ME GO!"
"No you're not. Not until I gut you." Manny threatens.
Loona's eyes flare up again in renewed anger and defiance as she regains some of her confidence, "Yeah? You wanna gut me? Well good f*cking luck. I mean I'm the one pinned down and cornered. You think you can beat me with your big belly and oversized trunk? You don't stand a chance, you prehistoric idiot."
"It's my fur that makes me look fat!" Manny says, flabbergasted and humiliated that Loona would say such a heartless thing to him as he presses his tusk harder.
"Right. So it's your fur that makes you look fat, fatass? Yeah, that sounds believable... Not." Loona scoffs in disbelief, prompting Manny to pin Loona so hard against the outside wall that it is starting to crack. Loona struggles for a moment to free herself, but quickly realizes that Manny has pinned her down so hard that she can't move. As she takes in the situation, her defiance starts to fade and she begins to panic in terror.
"Get... get your tusk off of me! You... *gasp* you're... you're crushing me..." Loona says, thrashing and trying to escape from Manny's tusk.
"Not until you drop your ungrateful attitude." Manny says.
Loona struggles once more, clearly terrified to defy Manny's demands, says "Please... please... let me go... "
She takes a moment to think before continuing, "O-Okay, fine, I-I'm sorry... I-I'll drop my ungrateful attitude, I swear! Just please get your tusks off of me!"
"I still want to kill you after fixing my building. You are infuriating with your lies! You set me up for revenge! I will destroy that entire building and this time, I am not fixing it. I don't care why you kill, you are still being an ungrateful little child, uh, puppy!" Manny thunders, saying the first sentence in a convincing falsetto.
"Oh please, you big prehistoric idiot. So what if I was ungrateful? That's no reason to kill me or destroy our HQ! So what, just because I didn't kiss your ass and praise you for your help, or something?" Loona scoffs, clearly annoyed at the truth.
Manny, losing his patience with the hellhound's continued hatred towards him, uses his trunk to pull on Loona's long, silky gray hair so hard that he rips a good chunk of it off, causing Loona let out a small cry of pain.
"F-F*CK! Get your trunk out of my hair, you dumb prehistoric dick-head! That hurt!" Loona screams before Manny then shoves what he ripped off of her hair into her mouth while keeping her pinned against the HQ's wall.
"Take that!" Manny says, stuffing the chunk of hair into Loona's mouth forcefully as she scrunches her face up in disgust and spits out the hair from her mouth, her face now contorted into an expression of rage.
"You think you can shut me up by stuffing my own hair down my throat?! That's the best you can come up with, you pathetic trunk-headed elephant?!" Loona says, prompting the woolly mammoth to push her harder against the wall, causing the cracks to spread enormously across the I.M.P HQ.
Loona lets out a surprised squeak as Manny pushes her harder against the wall, causing her to wince from the resulting pain. As the cracks spread, Loona realizes just how badly the HQ will be damaged if Manny keeps this up, "S-STOP! You're gonna destroy the HQ, you big fat idiot! I take it back, OKAY?! Please just get your stupid trunk off of me!"
"Never. Those three red things were grateful and grudge-free against me. You are not." Manny says.
"Those idiots? Yeah they were grateful, so what? Like you said, they're a bunch of losers. What do I care that they're "grudge-free" against you? It's not my problem, okay?" Loona grumbles with persistent hate in her tone, enraging Manny to the point that he pushes her harder against the wall, causing the cracks to take up 50% of the HQ.
"Any last words, you big ungrateful baby?" Manny says as the hellhound groans in pain.
"N-No! Stop! Stop right now! You're destroying the HQ! We all live there, and that includes Millie and Moxxie!" Loona demands.
"Well you just referred to them in a bad way. They can live without you and we'll haunt you forever." Manny says truthfully. Loona winces in agony as the wall is slowly collapsing and groans in pain.
"Okay! I get it, I said something bad about them! I'm sorry, alright? Will you just let me go and stop destroying the HQ now? PLEASE just let me be!" Loona pleads fearfully.
"No you're not. Not before I snap your neck with the tusk that's keeping you pinned against this stinkin' wall!" Manny says.
"No, no, PLEASE! Don't snap my neck, I'll say something good about them I swear!" Loona whimpers in despair.
"No you will not." Manny says before he starts to tug and rip another chunk of Loona's hair on her head with his trunk, aiming for the scalp.
Loona lets out a cry of pain as Manny rips out another chunk of hair from her scalp, "FUCK! That hurts! Get your trunk OFF OF MY FUCKING HEAD YOU BIG FAT IDIOT!"
"ENOUGH!" Manny shouts, fed up with the hellhound's persistent rudeness towards him.
Loona continues to struggle as Manny refuses to stop pulling on her hair, "STOP IT! That's my HAIR, you fatass! You're ripping it out of my head, OKAY?"
"That doesn't change the fact that you are still treating us like crap!" Manny says.
"Oh please, as if you're a better person than me! You just threatened to kill me and destroy the HQ because I didn't suck up to you or whatever, you big fat jackass!" Loona growls in disbelief, tired of Manny's constant accusations.
"Because you're still being ungrateful, you little mangy backstabber!" Manny shouts.
"Hey, I'm not a backstabber, okay? I just...I was trying to make a point, alright? That you can't just demand gratefulness from someone just because you helped them with something! It doesn't work like that!" Loona excuses, struggling more forcefully.
"No, it started with you threatening me for laughing at the word "hobo!" Manny says.
"I wasn't threatening you, alright? I was just letting you know that "hobo" can be an offensive word for humans. And besides, you were the one who started it in the first place by laughing at me when I tried to help you out, you big fat jerk!" Loona says.
"I swear, if that trunk-nosed jack ass mocks me one more time..." Manny says in a mocking falsetto while still pinning Loona to the wall with his tusks.
"That's because you've been nothing but a big fat jackass towards me and everyone else ever since you arrived! You've done nothing but insult us and start fights, and you have the gal to act like your the victim?! You're lucky we let you stay here, you big pile of prehistoric jackass!" Loona shouts, her expression contorting with irritation and anger at the mocking. Her red eyes flare furiously as she continues to struggle against Manny's grip
"It wasn't our intention to stay in this building-ridden place! We migrate a lot and I didn't like that I.M.P for killing people for fun when I was wrong 6 months ago! You are just a selfish, ungrateful, stubborn, rotten, spoiled, mangy, backstabbing, whiny, childish, immature, and ungrateful mutant!" Manny says.
"You take that back right now, you fat prehistoric f*cker! I AM NOT SOME MONGREL MUTANT, NOR AM I SELFISH, ROTTEN OR ANY OF THE OTHER CRAP YOU JUST CALLED ME! YOU'RE JUST A STUPID ASS ELEPHANT WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT ME OR MY LIFE!" Loona screams at the top of her lungs in absolute hatred and rage, her eyes flaring up and glowing a dangerous shade of red.
"I don't give a crap about your life. Look above. The cracks are still spreading a little bit across your HQ so I will take matters into my own trunk and kill you quickly if you keep this rotten selfishness. You've got nowhere to hide and nowhere to run." Manny threatens. Loona's eyes widen with horror as she looks up and sees how much the cracks have spread on the HQ.
"Y-You can't be serious. Just because I wasn't grateful for all of your help... you're gonna kill me and destroy the HQ entirely?" Loona says as her expression falls and she swallows nervously, starting to panic a bit.
"Yes I will." Manny says, preparing to push his tusk hard enough to snap Loona's neck.
Loona's entire body begins to visibly tremble from fright, and she swallows as she starts to struggle against Manny's grip once again, trying and failing to break free. "N-No... you can't do this! Please, give me one more chance. I'll apologize and do anything you want! PLEASE, I'm begging you!" she begs fearfully.
"Why in the HELL should I trust you, ungrateful bitch?" Manny says.
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I... I shouldn't have insulted you or anything like that. I know you just wanted to help us, and I was too full of my pride to admit it, okay?" Loona says, her apology sounding too short and cryptic to be truly sincere.
"I don't buy any of this. Sorry doesn't fix anything." Manny says, detecting the lack of truth in Loona's words.
"N-no PLEASE listen! I promise I'm being sincere this time, I really do care! I... I'm sorry for being an ungrateful moron, alright? I'm... I'm sorry for everything. So PLEASE, STOP TRYING TO KILL ME!" Loona wails desperately, beginning to tear up in fear and despair.
Manny, growling with hatred, rips another chunk of Loona's hair off her head with his trunk and lets out a frightening, 6-second long, dinosaur-like roar right in her face. Her eyes shut tight as the mammoth roars loudly in her face, her ears pressed flat against her head from the sheer force of the sound. The roar echoes through her mind, drowning out all other sounds for what feels like an eternity. Loona's body is shaking furiously with terror, and she is unable to force herself to even move for a few seconds before the roar stops, leaving her deafened and disorientated before Manny pushes his tusk against her neck harder.
Loona groans as Manny presses her even harder against the weakening wall, her breathing growing labored as Manny shows no signs of stopping, "O-Okay wait! P-Please, let me explain, I-I'm being sincere!" Loona says, her voice shaky from fright as she tries to appease the woolly mammoth, hoping that it will make him relent as she struggles one last time, trying in vain to break free from his grasp.
"Make it quick or I will kill you." Manny warns. Loona swallows nervously and takes a moment to compose herself, her heart still pounding furiously.
Look, I know that...I know I wasn't grateful, okay? But it...it was never my intention to start a fight, okay? I just felt like... like I had to prove myself, you know?" Loona lies, her voice only faltering at the thought of her HQ being destroyed, and she shudders in fear as she looks up at the HQ and flinches upon seeing just how far the cracks have spread.
Manny, still in rage due to the hellhound's poor excuse, backs up, grabs Loona's tail with his trunk and slams her into the ground, letting out a very angry sounding groan while doing so.
Loona screamed in pain as Manny jerked her tail and slams her to the ground, wincing as she hit the hard surface. The force of the impact sends her sprawling to the ground and leaves her dazed and disoriented for a few seconds before Manny's angered groan yanks her back to consciousness.
"HEY, what was that for?!" Loona yells.
"You know why." Manny says darkly before Loona groans from discomfort and pushes herself up into a sitting position, rubbing the back of her head and wincing. Loona proceeds to glare at Manny.
"Hey, that hurt you know! Why would you do that for no reason, huh?" Loona says in frustration.
"For being an ungrateful, lying jackass!" Manny yells.
"Oh come on, I SAID that I'm sorry, alright? I apologized and tried to explain myself, but you just have to keep going and being a BIG FAT PRICK about it, don't you?" Loona says as she pushes herself up to her feet, her eyes flaring in irritation as she faces Manny.
"You're not being sincere. You're STILL calling me names and treating me like poop. Just because my fur is brown doesn't mean that you get to talk smack and go on a hating spree over me." Manny says.
"Okay, fine! You want me to stop being mean to you? Then STOP BEING SUCH A JERK TO ME! I have tried to be nice to you, alright?! But ever since you showed up here you haven't changed a BIT! You're loud and obnoxious and you insult me ALL THE TIME!" Loona yells angrily as her large, fluffy tail whips back and forth behind her.
"No, that goes for YOU. I've tried doing something nice 2 months ago but you still treat me the same as ever! YOU are the LOUD OBNOXIOUS BITCHY JERK WHO INSULTS ME! HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN I DO IT BACK TO YOU, HUH?!" Manny shouts back.
"Yeah? Well if you're such a NICE GUY and are so SICK of my "crappy" personality, then why don't you just LEAVE ALREADY?! I bet everyone would be happy WITHOUT YOU IN THE PICTURE!" Loona shouts with vehement hatred in her voice as her tail goes rigid and bristly for emphasis, growing even more frustrated with the mammoth.
"Well I may not be nice either but you are 100 times worse! Back when I was still alive, 19,920 years ago, I lost my original wife and my only son to some freaking people! That's the reason why I am no more Mr. Nice Woolly Mammoth! And you're making this incredibly difficult for me, Sid, Diego, Moxxie, Millie, and the other red guy!" Manny explains, trying to reason with the furious hellhound.
"Oh PLEASE, stop being a big crybaby, alright? So you lost your wife and son to some humans? So what? I'm sure EVERYONE has experienced that at SOME point in their life, so why the HELL are you acting like I'm the bad guy here?!" Loona says with a clear lack of remorse in her voice, her tail still whipping back and forth.
However, this insensitive quip about his deceased family truly pushes Manny's rage to its limit to the point where he shoves Loona into the HQ with brute force, causing it to start crumpling. Loona grits her teeth in pain as she feels the force of Manny's shove send her flying into the HQ, the hard surface scratching her skin and leaving painful marks on her back. She cries out in pain as the structure of the HQ crumbles and collapses.
"And I'm not fixing that. You can spend the rest of your life thinking about your crass behaviour." Manny bitterly says with returned hatred as he picks up a piece with his trunk and flings it into Loona's face to harm her even more, leaving a deep gash on her left cheek.
"OW!" Loona shouts as she looks over in horror, seeing how much of the HQ had been destroyed so far, and she lets out a gasp of fear at the sight. "S-Stop!"
"That's what you get for stabbing me in the back and not caring about the death of my beloved ones! You just don't know when to stop!" Manny shouts, hurt lacing his tone. Loona glares up at Manny, her expression filled with pain and frustration. She winces slightly as she gingerly touches her injured cheek.
"W-Well... well, why should I care about some old mammoth and his dead wife and son? They're DEAD. Why should their deaths matter to me?" Loona continues to shout, clearly not caring for the death of Manny's loved ones, which he lost to some Neanderthals a long time ago.
"Don't you EVER SAY THAT!" Manny yells, towering over the hellhound. He cannot believe that she would say such cruel things about him or his deceased family.
"I-I-I... w-why?! They're dead! They mean NOTHING!" Loona shouts defiantly before Manny raises his trunk in a fit of rage and swipes the hellhound's face so hard that all her teeth fly out, causing black blood to splatter all over and leaving her toothless.
Loona lets out a scream of pain as she feels Manny's tusk graze across her face and knock her teeth out, tears of agony streaming down her scratched cheeks as she falls back to the ground. She groans and tries to sit up, but her head is still spinning from the hit, and she feels woozy from the intense pain. Loona's hand finds her teeth which are now scattered across the ground, and she swallows hard as she realizes what's just been done to her.
To add insult to injury, Manny then does that same exact spine-chilling 6 second roar from earlier at Loona again, causing her to let out another frightened scream as the mammoth's roar rings in her ears once again, and she cringes as she feels the painful vibrations from his howl, her sensitive ears picking up on each and every sound. She tries to scramble to her feet, but her head is still spinning from the attack.
"Y-You bastard!" Loona cries before her boss and adoptive imp father, Blitzø, rises up from the debris now, with an abnormally frustrated expression on his face. He goes over and angrily picks Loona up by her collar.
"That is enough, Loona." Blitzø says. This is the first time he has shown anger towards his hellhound daughter, and he seems ready to punish her for making such a cruel quip about Manny's lost family.
Loona winces in pain, her gums and face hurting from Manny's attacks as she tries to keep herself from crying in front of Blitzø. She stares wide-eyed at her boss, her body trembling slightly from fear and pain, while her heart is beating fast from the fight. Her back is noticeably razed from being thrown so hard.
"...B-Blitz?" Loona says fearfully, her voice cracking slightly as she tries not to break down in tears.
"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT STABBING A MIGRATING MAMMOTH IN THE BACK, CREATING FAKE APOLOGIES, AND MOCKING HIS DEAD FAMILY BACK WHEN HE WAS STILL ALIVE! HE RESTORED OUR FUCKING HEADQUARTERS 2 MONTHS AGO AND YOU STILL GIVE HIM ATTITUDE! I'VE EXPECTED SO MUCH BETTER FROM YOU! YOU ARE GROUNDED!" Blitzø suddenly shouts in rage, yelling right in his adopted daughter's face.
Loona flinches at her boss's sudden outburst, her tail going rigid as she's lifted off the ground and stares at Blitzø in shock and fear. She feels a rush of guilt as she realizes just how much she screwed up, and her expression falls as she lowers her head in shame, trying in vain to make up for her mistakes.
"W-Wait, c-c-come on... y-you can't be serious..." Loona tries and fails to come up with an excuse but Blitzø simply shows Loona to Manny, who says "I hate you immensely." He is feeling almost no sympathy for his employee's continued attitude towards the mammoth, who only destroyed the HQ the second time because she wouldn't stop swearing at him.
"B-Blitzø... p-please... I-I'll do anything... anything you want... I'll-I'll stop the swearing... I promise I'll be nice to Manny..." Loona says, her voice cracking slightly as she attempts to plead with her boss, her voice strained from pain and desperation. However, Blitzø, not in the mood, just walks off to angrily sulk as Manny continues giving Loona a death glare.
Loona watches as Blitzø walks away, her expression falling even more, and she looks back over at Manny with a defeated look, her body deflating with realization that her chances of redemption are shrinking.
"So... I... I guess this is it, huh?" Loona says as she tries to smile, but it fades away almost as quickly as it shows up, and she's left looking down at the ground, feeling completely ashamed of her previous behaviour. She takes a few minutes to gather her thoughts before looking up at Manny, the fear and vulnerability clear in her eyes right before Manny then rips off the entire tuft of hair that covers Loona's left eye right off of Loona's scalp.
Loona lets out a pained scream as she feels Manny's trunk grab the tuft of hair and rip it off, leaving the pale skin underneath bare and vulnerable. Tears stream down her face as she watches her silky gray hair flutter gently to the ground and rest in the dirt.
"Y-You bastard! How could you!" Loona growls under her breath, her eyes widening in shock as Manny begins to lift up his massive foot to crush Loona's hand.
Loona lets out another pained scream as she feels Manny's foot stomp on her hand, the force of the impact causing her hand to bend backwards and her fingers to snap like twigs. She curls up into a ball as much as she can to prevent from more damage.
"O-OWOWOWOWOWOW! I-I-I'm Sorry!" Loona whines tearfully, her body shaking as she keeps herself curled up.
"No you're not. Not until I kill you." Manny says bitterly. Loona winces from the pain in her fingers, and her heart starts to race with fear as she hears Manny's threat.
"P-please!" Loona cries, her voice cracking and tears of pain and despair falling freely down her cheeks. "Y-You wouldn't." She pauses, her fear only growing when she realizes that the mammoth's anger could very well lead to her death, "W-Would you?"
"I mean it." Manny says. The bitter tone of his voice shows how much Loona hurt him with her insult about his dead family.
Loona's eyes widen in fear as Manny repeats his threat, her heart racing from the pressure of her possibly being killed by her own mistake. She swallows nervously, her body trembling as she pleads for her life
"P...Please. S-Spare me." Loona says, her tears flowing freely down her face now.
"No. You can just rot here." Manny says before giving off an furious sounding groan at Loona and then starts to walk off, signaling Sid, Diego, Millie, Blitzø, and Moxxie to leave the hellhound alone to die.
Loona's heart continues to beat furiously, her breath catching in her throat as she watches the others walk off, leaving her there, "N-No... don't... don't leave me..."
Loona lets out a panicked gasp as she realizes that she's been abandoned here, all alone. She turns her gaze towards Manny, her tear-streaked face filled with despair and pleading.
"Please... Please don't leave me." Loona whimpers, her voice cracking with fear. However, it seems to be late, as they disappear.
Loona feels her heart drop as she sees everyone leave, and she looks at the ground in despair, a hopeless feeling washing over her.
"I... I'm alone."
Loona slowly sits up, and her shoulders slump, tears still streaming down her face. Now that she's all alone, she lets out a loud sob. With nothing left to do, she falls back into the ground, curls up into a ball and weeps, her tears falling freely as she wallows in her misery.
However, Manny stomps back in rapidly upon hearing Loona's broken sobs, saying "Bitch, are you okay?" as he approaches her.
Loona flinches and gasps as Manny returns suddenly, her head snapping upwards as she stares at him in fear, tears staining her cheeks. Upon hearing his question, her expression turns to that of confusion, and her eyes widen in surprise, her mouth hanging open slightly.
"I-... I-I..."
Loona blinks, and her voice cracks slightly as she responds. She takes a shaky breath, trying to pull herself together, and she runs a hand across her face, trying to wipe her tears away.
"...No." she says as she looks up at the mammoth timidly.
"You still don't care about my dead wife and son back when I was alive?" Manny asks.
Loona feels a fresh wave of shame wash over her as Manny brings up his loved ones again, and she looks at him with a pained expression, her ears pinned back and her eyebrows furrowed as she squeezes her eyes shut. Her voice comes out as barely a whisper as she speaks.
"I... I do care..." Loona says, as she shakes her head slightly, her eyes widening as if she can't believe what she's just said, "I...I'm... I'm sorry."
Manny then draws pictures in the dusty ground with his trunk to show the distraught hellhound how it started back when he was alive. The drawings start off with Manny and another mammoth with their son running around playfully, only to for him to be attacked by a bunch of cavemen. The cavemen in the picture then corner Manny's loved ones as he tries to fight the cavemen, only for his son and wife to be killed in front of him as the mammoth lets out a cry of despair.
Loona's expression shifts into that of horror as she watches Manny's drawings, her eyes widening as she realizes just how much pain and anguish he had to endure. Her heart clenches as she watches the attack on Manny's loved ones, and she winces in sympathy as she sees his son and wife killed.
"Oh... oh god..." Loona says.
"That's how it started, back when I was alive, years before I met Sid and Diego." Manny says somberly.
Loona's voice catches in her throat at the pain in Manny's words, her eyes brimming with tears as she realizes just how much suffering he's been through, her heart breaking at the thought of watching her loved ones die in front of her.
"...Oh... oh god..."
She chokes on a sob as her tears finally spill over, and she lets out a whimper as she looks at Manny, "S-So... so... you... You... ...You... lost your son? And... your wife?"
"I've told you that before, yet you didn't seem to care." Manny says.
Loona's expression falls and she looks away, guilt and shame filling her as she remembers just how heartless she was towards Manny, and she wraps her arms around herself as tears continue to fall.
"...I... I know." Loona says before she lets out a shaky breath, and she looks back up at Manny with a look of contrition.
"I... You're right. ...I-I didn't care... But, I... I care now." Loona continues. Her voice cracks slightly as she tries to speak, her voice still raw with emotion.
Manny gently picks up a piece of the destroyed HQ with his trunk and gives it to Loona, who blinks in surprise, her eyes widening in disbelief as he hands her the piece of building debris, her eyes darting back and forth between the mammoth and the piece of HQ. She swallows nervously as she takes it in her hands, her fingers gripping it firmly, and she looks up at Manny with a look of uncertainty and confusion.
"Why... why are you giving this to me?" Loona asks.
"It's a reminder." Manny says.
Loona's brow furrows slightly in confusion, her breath catching in her throat, and she gazes down at the piece of HQ in her hands, her fingers running softly over the rough edges. "A... a reminder? A reminder for what?" she says.
"Nevermind." Manny says.
Loona's heart skips a beat, frustration creeping into her expression as she hears Manny's dismissive reply. She looks up at him, a pleading expression on her face as she tries to understand.
"Wait, what do you- P-Please... tell me. What is this a reminder of?" Loona pleads, her voice tearfully breaking with emotion.
"I broke your HQ again earlier." Manny says.
Loona's eyes widen slightly in realization, her expression softening, and she closes her eyes as she takes a deep, shuddering breath. She looks down at the piece of HQ in her hands, her fingers tracing gently over the fractured edges.
"...So... you.. You forgive me? For all my... all my behaviour? ...Everything?" Loona says with a hint of fear in her voice.
"If you say so." Manny says.
Loona can't help but let out a sob of relief at Manny's words, the weight of regret and remorse leaving her shoulders, and a shaky smile finds its way onto her face as she looks up at him, tears staining her cheeks. Her eyes are filled with gratitude as she chokes out her words, her voice quiet and filled with an overwhelming rush of emotion.
"...Thank... Thank you. Thank you. You... you don't know how much this means to me." Loona says, her voice shaky, but filled with sincerity and hope. She sniffles and lets out a quiet laugh.
"I must have beaten you pretty bad. All your clothes are tattered, I tore off that tuft of hair off your head, knocked out all your teeth, almost destroyed your hand, and caused a gash in your cheek." Manny says, inspecting the hellhound's beaten body.
Loona's face falls slightly as she listens to Manny list all the injuries he gave her, her hand gently brushing her now bald scalp, and she glances down at her ruined clothes and hand, a wave of discomfort washing over her.
"...Yeah... You were... uh... definitely not holding back." Loona says shakily. She bites her lip, wincing as the gash on her cheek stretches slightly.
"Seems pretty nasty." Manny says, pointing his trunk at Loona's bad hand, which was bent backwards and fingers snapped like twigs. Loona grimaces as she looks at her hand, the pain of her injuries seeping into her, and she gently touches it, wincing at the burning pain that shoots through her at the slightest movement. She lets out a low hiss of pain.
"Yeah... I'm not going to lie, it hurts. You sure you weren't trying to kill me or anything?" Loona says, glancing up at Manny.
"I actually was earlier, as I stated so many times." Manny says.
Loona sighs slightly at Manny's blunt response, her heart sinking at the reminder of just how close she was to death, and she nods quietly, her eyes falling to the ground and she swallows nervously as her mind begins to race with fear again, her body tensing slightly.
"Right... W-When... When are you going to... kill me, then?" the hellhound asks hesitantly, her voice filled with hesitation and fear.
"Probably never, and I'm certain about it." Manny says.
Loona blinks in surprise, a wave of relief washing over her as Manny states that he's certain he won't kill her. Her heart rate slows, and a shaky sigh escapes her as she lets out a nervous laugh, her tone lighter now.
"...Oh... W-Well...Phew... ...For a moment, there, I really thought I was a goner. I'm... I'm glad you've changed your mind..." Loona says, her voice sounding more hopeful now.
"That was what happened when you were still giving me attitude for mocking you after I rebuilt your HQ before I destroyed it again." Manny says.
Loona winces and shrinks back slightly as Manny mentions her earlier behaviour, her heart sinking at the reminder of the way she acted earlier, and a wave of shame washes over her, her voice apologetic as she looks down at the ground in shame.
"...Right, yeah... I... I deserved it, huh?" Loona says. A small noise somewhere between a laugh and a whimper escapes her as she speaks, and she rubs the back of her neck nervously.
With that, the woolly mammoth gently wraps his trunk around the injured gothic hellhound's body for a hug, since his attacks on her for her ungratefulness earlier almost sent Loona into a genuine panic attack and nervous breakdown. He expects her to hug him back by wrapping her arms around her trunk however tight she wants.
Loona's eyes widen with surprise as she feels Manny's trunk gently wrap around her body. For a brief moment, she is shocked by the sudden gesture from the mammoth, and she feels her breath catch in surprise as he pulls her close. She hesitates for a brief moment, her heart still racing, but she slowly lets her guard down as she carefully returns the hug. Loona cautiously wraps her slender arms around the trunk, and her body trembles ever so slightly as she does so, her eyes closed shut.
Manny uses the tip of his trunk to give Loona a headpat as he feels the gothic hellhound timidly close her eyes shut and her body tremble. Unbeknownst to the mammoth, who lost his wife and son thousands of years ago in the Ice Age, Loona had to spend most of her life in an orphanage, which was so bad that she was near the brink of total starvation when Blitzø adopted her, as evidenced by one of the pictures on his phone.
A small shiver runs down Loona's spine as she feels Manny's trunk gently touch her head, the contact feeling foreign to her despite the fact that she's often affectionate with Octavia, Blitzø and even Moxxie occasionally. Despite this, Loona can't help but feel a sense of comfort wash over her at the contact, her mind slowly beginning to register just how much she yearns for affection. Despite her tough exterior, Loona has always craved the love and affection she was so deprived of in her past, and she swallows nervously as the tears come unbidden to her eyes.
"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" Manny says as he feels Loona's tears starting to soak against his furry trunk, prompting to hug her tighter with it. Loona bites her lip to hold in the sob that's threatening to tear out of her throat as she feels Manny's trunk wrap tighter around her, and she lets out a shaky breath.
"N-Nothing... I... I just...I'm just... feeling a little emotional... That's all..." Loona says, her voice hoarse and emotional as she speaks.
"Sssshhh. I'm here." Manny says, keeping his trunk wrapped around the hellhound.
Loona squeezes her eyes shut as her lower lip quivers slightly, a shaky breath escaping her at Manny's words. She takes a few deep, shuddery breaths, desperately trying to calm herself, but as the realization of just how much she wants this comfort washes over her, her emotions and the wall she'd made around her emotions come crumbling down, and she starts to break. Loona starts crying, tears streaming down her cheeks as she lets out a quiet whimper, finally letting her guard down.
Manny hugs the physically and mentally hurt hellhound comfortingly and tightly with his trunk. Loona grips onto Manny's trunk tightly, her body trembling with emotion as she continues to cry. She buries her face into his trunk, her tears streaming down her bruised cheeks, the pain she feels from her injuries temporarily forgotten as she lets herself cry and feel vulnerable for the first time in forever.
"I'm... I'm sorry... I just... I've been so alone... for... so long..." Loona says, her words coming out between sobs and shaky breaths. Her shoulders shake and her breathing is ragged.
"You don't have to apologize. I feel your pain. You're not alone anymore. Ssssshhhhh." Manny shushes, continuing to hug the gothic hellhound with his trunk tightly.
Loona lets out a quiet sob as Manny speaks, the sincerity and understanding in his words sinking into her as he speaks. She clings onto him tighter, her tears staining his trunk, as she continues to cry, unable to hold back the flood of emotions that threaten to drown her,.
"I've... I've never had anyone before... I... I've never had this before... I just want... someone to care... I just want to be loved..." Loona says, her words coming out between sobs and hiccupped breaths, her voice shaky as she speaks.
"I thought so. Don't worry, I like you." Manny says, hearing the sheer sadness in the hellhound's voice.
Loona lets out a broken sob at Manny's words, the honesty and reassurance in his tone making her eyes water even more, and she presses her face into his trunk, her body shaking with emotion.
"You... You really do...?" Loona says, her voice shaky and broken.
"Yes." Manny says quietly, hearing her tearful voice.
Loona takes a shaky breath, her heart beating loudly in her chest, and she swallows nervously, her mind racing as she processes Manny's words, a small, hopeful smile rising on her face as she dares to feel like maybe her life is looking up again.
"...P-Promise...?" Loona says timidly.
"Promise." Manny says, hugging the hellhound tighter with his trunk, understanding the timid tone in her voice as the tip of his trunk begins to rub the top of Loona's head soothingly.
Loona lets out a shaky exhale as she feels Manny's trunk wrap more tightly around her, and a small shiver is sent down her spine as she feels his trunk rubbing her head, the soothing touch making her relax for the first time in forever. She grips onto him tighter, her body trembling slightly as she tries to suppress another sob.
"...Okay... I... I believe you..." Loona says, her voice coming out as a soft, tearful whisper.
She lets out a shaky breath, her body trembling as she hugs Manny's trunk tight, a small gasp escaping her as another wave of emotion washes over her. She can feel tears burning her eyes again, and she lets out a choked sob, burying her face into the trunk so the sound is somewhat muffled. Her body shakes as tears begin to spill down her bruised cheeks, and she lets out a quiet, pained whimper.
"...I... I'm... I'm sorry..." Loona struggles to say, her voice coming out in broken sobs.
"Ssssshhhh. It's OK." Manny says gently as he shakes Loona with his trunk a bit, like how a parent would to a crying child.
Loona lets out a quiet whimper as Manny continues to comfort her, the soothing movements sending a wave of comfort through her for the first time in forever. She hugs onto him tighter, tears still streaming down her face as she buries her face into his trunk, her lower lip trembling as she tries to keep her tears in, but she can't help the sob that tears out of her throat as she speaks, her voice quiet and broken.
"I... I just feel... so broken..."
"I know." Manny says as he continues shaking Loona comfortingly with his trunk as she continues her breakdown, clinging onto his trunk tightly. Loona lets out a choked sob as Manny shakes her, a shiver running through her body at the soothing motion, and her eyes water further as another wave of emotion washes over her her body trembling slightly.
"I... I'm... I'm just so... tired..." Loona sobs, her voice coming out broken and shaky.
"I know. Sssssshhhhh." Manny shushes gently. The heartbreaking sound of Loona's anguished voice and sobs spark a strong sense of remorse in the woolly mammoth, prompting him to just want to hug her tight with his trunk.
Loona shakes as another choked sob tears out of her throat, the emotions pouring out of her like a flood, and she buries her face into Manny's trunk to muffle the sound, her body trembling as she clings to him tighter, desperate for the comfort he's bringing her.
"I... I just feel so... alone..." Loona says. Her words come out as broken, quiet whispers, the pain and emotion behind them audible as she speaks.
"Don't worry. You're not alone anymore." Manny reassures.
Since Millie and Moxxie, as well as Manny's herd members Sid and Diego are still restoring the I.M.P HQ and looking after Blitzø, who had passed out because he was drunk this entire day, the giant woolly mammoth lays down onto his side and awkwardly tried his best to hug Loona like a human despite having four legs. His thick front legs hug the hellhound tightly, pressing her against his woolly body, all for Loona to bury her face into his chest as she is so heartbroken that she just needs a hug as he begins to doze off.
Loona lets out a shaky exhale as Manny tells her she's not alone anymore, her head spinning at the words she longed to hear for so long, and she buries her face in his woolly chest, inhaling shakily as she feels his front legs wrapping around her, the contact causing a shiver of relief to run through her. She grips onto Manny tight, hugging his woolly body as she buries her face into his chest, desperate for the warmth and contact of someone who cares about her. She closes her eyes, her mind slowly beginning to relax as she lets his breathing coax her into a doze.
Manny, in this highly unusual sleeping position he tried his best to assume, rocks his body back and forth, cradling Loona soothingly as she hugs what she can of the massive woolly elephant, nuzzling her muzzle against his throat as the mammoth continues to sleep on the street of Pride Ring.
Loona clings onto Manny, burying her face into him as the motions he makes while dozing off begin to soothe her. She inhales his scent, a deep wave of comfort washing through her as she feels the warm wool of his body and his breath against her own. She lets her body relax and leans into him, feeling safe with him holding her, so much so that she doesn't even care if someone sees them in this vulnerable moment. Finally, Loona slowly begins to drop off into sleep, her eyes drooping and her breathing becoming steady and slow.
1 month later, the I.M.P HQ is finally restored by Blitzø, Moxxie, Millie and Manny's sidekicks Sid the sloth and Diego the sabertooth.
Manny opens his eyes and sees the I.M.P HQ in perfect condition. He releases his grip on Loona and rolls onto his side to get back up on his four legs, allowing the gothic hellhound to see the restored HQ in front of her as they wake up. The hellhound has regrown her long silky gray hair and her wounds have healed, although her clothes are still torn.
Loona slowly blinks her eyes open as the movement of Manny rolling on to his side wakes her up from sleep. She lets out a quiet yawn and shakes her head, the tuft of her hair moving along with the motion and her mind still a bit groggy from sleep as her eyes widen as she sees the fully restored HQ in front of her. She lets out an exhale of surprise and runs a hand through her hair, feeling a wave of relief wash over her as she sees the building in good condition.
"Damn…" she says.
"Ok, I thought I should finally get my chance to say this. I'm sorry for intervening and yelling at you for arguing with the mammoth last month and saying cum like "That is enough, Loona" and "I'VE EXPECTED SO MUCH BETTER FROM YOU! YOU ARE GROUNDED!". I was drunk at the time and passed out shortly after, OK, Loonie?" Blitzø says, coming over to apologize for yelling at his adopted daughter last month.
Loona's eyes go wide as Blitzø approaches her, and she listens to him with surprise and a hint of embarrassment. She's taken off guard as he apologizes and admits he was drunk, and she takes a moment to process what he said before responding. She gives a slight nod, unable to meet his eyes
"..Oh. Um... It... it's fine, really. I... I shouldn't have been so rude… ...I was... I was a jerk." Loona says, her voice soft and sincere.
Blitzø, being incompetent and finally starting to remember, lets tears fall out out of his eyes and climbs onto his adoptive hellhound daughter, forgetting to cry at the anguish she felt last month as if he heard Loona break down crying when she hugged Manny's trunk, he would have felt so bad that he would have been crying as well, along with Moxxie and Millie if they heard her.
Loona lets out a noise of surprise as Blitzø climbs up onto her, her eyes widening as she sees tears stream down his face. Despite his lighter mood, she feels a rush of guilt and shame wash over her as he begins to cry, and she bites her lip, hesitating before gently placing a hand on his back to try and comfort him.
"...Hey… don't cry. Please." she says softly.
"Alright, fine. I missed you, OK?" Blitzø says, stopping his crying instantly. He continues to hug Loona as Millie joins in, hugging one of Loona's legs, both imps being glad that she is alright.
Loona allows a slight smile to form on her face at Blitzø's words, her eyes widening as Millie joins in the hug. She shifts her weight awkwardly, feeling a tiny bit of discomfort at the attention, but she doesn't pull away, secretly craving the contact and affection.
"...I... I missed you too." Loona mumbles quietly, her voice coming out soft and vulnerable.
"Sorry we weren't able to comfort you. We were busy rebuildin' the HQ. At least you had the big hairy elephant by your side while ah was workin' ma fat legs on restorin' our place." Millie says.
Loona's eyes widen as she hears Millie bring up Manny. She pauses for a moment, a bit taken off guard, before responding, her voice quiet and almost sheepish as she glances away slightly.
"Uh... yeah..."
She looks back down at Blitzø and Millie, her mind returning to the memories of being hugged by Manny, the way he held her, and the feeling of safety and comfort she got from leaning against his big, fuzzy body. A shiver runs through her, and she swallows.
"Yeah... I guess I did."
"Yeah. That guy. He was the one you fought with before I intervened last month and said "I'VE EXPECTED SO MUCH BETTER FROM YOU! YOU ARE GROUNDED!" Blitzø says.
Loona winces as Blitzø brings up the moment, a bolt of embarrassment shooting through her at the reminder of her rude behavior, her jaw clenching slightly as she nods in response.
"...Y-Yeah. That was a pretty shitty day." she says glumly.
Millie, feeling like the hellhound needs some further consolation, gives Loona a Manny plush toy, as the imp thinks it will help the hellhound send her goodbye to Manny as she leads her to the doorway of the HQ where the woolly mammoth is still around.
Loona's eyes widen as Millie hands her a plushie. She takes it, glancing down at the toy. As Millie leads her to the entrance of the building, Loona looks up, her expression going slightly tense as she sees Manny waiting outside. She takes a slow, deep breath, her heart fluttering slightly and a lump forming in her throat. She tries to maintain composure, but a hint of nervousness is evident in her voice.
"...M-Manny?" Loona says timidly.
"Yes?" Manny says.
Loona hesitates for a moment, a feeling of trepidation in the pit of her stomach, her thoughts spinning as she scrambles for what to say. She takes a few steps forward, holding the Manny plushie tightly at her side, the woolly toy a tangible reminder of the past month. She swallows and glances up at Manny, her expression almost shy as she speaks.
"Um... I... I just... wanted to say... Thank you. For... y'know, letting me stay with you, and... and listening to me..."
"You're always welcome." Manny says as he uses his trunk to stroke Loona's silky gray hair on her head, and also lifts a bit of the tuft that covers her left eye as he did find the gothic hellhound cute after all as she continues holding the Manny plushie in her hands.
Loona stiffens slightly as Manny's trunk brushes through her hair, her heart skipping a beat as he gently lifts her hair out of her face. She can feel a warm, fuzzy sensation spread through her chest in response to the affectionate gesture, and her eyes widen as she gazes up at the mammoth. She swallows, a hint of a blush rising to her cheeks as she speaks, her voice quieter than before.
"...D-Do you... do you like the plushie?" Loona timidly says, looking up at the woolly mammoth with her big red puppy eyes.
"I think it's fine." Manny says as he uses his trunk to give Loona a few headpats as he finds her cute and the meek, timid tone of voice she used added to that. He wants to encourage the hellhound as she gets prepared to say goodbye to him while she keeps the plushie to remember him through her life.
Loona's eyes flutter slightly as Manny continues to run his trunk through her hair, a pleasant shiver traveling through her body as he pats her head. She lets out a soft exhale, savoring the feeling of his gentle touch, and she leans slightly into his trunk. She clutches the Manny plushie closer to her, her expression torn between happiness and regret as she realizes that she hasn't fully appreciated his presence in the past month.
"...I... I don't… I don't want to say goodbye." Loona says, her voice soft and shaky.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go now." Manny says somberly as Blitzø, being Loona's adoptive imp father even though he is shorter than her, uses his Asmodean Crystal on his glove to open a portal to the Ice Age world whenever Manny is ready to. Millie takes the plushie from Loona so the hellhound can wrap her arms around the mammoth's trunk to give him one last hug.
Loona's expression falters slightly as Manny mentions leaving, a mixture of sadness and helplessness welling up inside her. She can't bring herself to move yet, her heart feeling like it's being torn in two. When she sees Blitzø open a portal, she closes her eyes for a moment, her grip instinctively tightening around Manny's trunk.
"..Please... don't go." Loona pleads, her voice quavering with emotion as she nudges her head against his trunk.
"Ssssshhhhhh. Hold my trunk tighter. It will be alright. The little red demon has the plushie for you when I leave." Manny says gently.
Loona nods, her throat feeling tight as her eyes well up with tears. She tightens her grip on Manny's trunk, taking a shaky breath as if trying to memorize his smell. She swallows the lump in her throat.
"...I... I'm going to miss you." Loona says, her voice strained with heartache and desperation.
"I will t- Aw don't cry." Manny says, holding Loona in his trunk tightly.
Loona bites her lip, trying to hold back the tears that threaten to spill over. She buries her face in Manny's trunk, her body shaking slightly as she chokes back a sob.
"T-That's easier said than done. I… I don't want you to go." Loona says, her voice cracking as she speaks.
"I'm sorry. I have to go back to the Ice Age. My peers want me. I have a family to protect. All these red things, they're like your family." Manny says. As the hellhound continues hugging the mammoth's trunk, Blitzø, Moxxie and Millie start crying as well, feeling sorry for Loona, who just appears to be so miserable and saddened.
Loona can feel her tears streaming down her cheeks as Manny gently reminds her of the importance of his return to the Ice Age. She lets out a small whimper as she tightens her grip around his trunk, her body trembling as she does so.
"I… I know. I know... I shouldn't be so selfish…" Loona cries, her voice laced with anguish and barely above a whisper as she responds.
"Ssssshhhhhh. Not everyone's perfect. I'm known to be selfish, but I forgive you for everything. I promise. You'll always have me as a plushie toy as I go back to my home." Manny says as Loona continues to cry against his trunk.
Loona sniffles, looking at the Manny plushie that Millie holds. She reaches out a quaking hand, her fingers brushing gently against the soft wool of the toy. She hugs the plushie to her chest, a feeling of both reassurance and sadness washing over her at the touch of it. She glances up at Manny, her eyes clouded with tears.
"...I'll... I'll take good care of it. I promise." Loona says, her voice wavering with emotion.
"Don't worry. I know you will. This plushie is the closest thing you have to me. This means I will be in your heart forever." Manny reassures gently.
As Loona continues holding the plushie in her hands, Manny uses his trunk again to stroke the silky gray hair on the gothic hellhound's head as she looks at him with her big, teary red puppy dog eyes with white irises. A small tear escapes from Manny's eye as he sees the sheer sadness in the hellhound's face, feeling bad for someone who he thinks is cute beyond his words.
Loona closes her eyes, her heart aching as she savors the sensations of Manny's trunk brushing through her hair and the touch of the plushie against her chest. Fresh tears stream down her face as she takes a shaky breath.
"Just... just promise me one thing..." Loona says, her voice quivering as she speaks.
"What." Manny says gently, the tears not reappearing in his eyes as the mammoth rarely ever cries.
Loona looks up at Manny, her expression a mixture of sadness and desperation as she clings tightly to the plushie. She takes a shaky breath, her voice barely above a whisper as she continues, a hint of pleading in her tone.
"...Promise you won't... forget me." Loona says.
"I won't. Goodbye. Be safe. Your heart will go on forever." Manny says.
As honest as the mammoth is, the front of his trunk is noticeably soaked in Loona's tears but the gothic hellhound is too saddened to notice or care as she holds the plushie in her hands. The mammoth stoically and slowly turns back and heads into the portal to the Ice Age, which Blitzø tearfully closes.
Loona watches as the portal slowly closes, her heart feeling like it's slowly being torn to pieces. She clutches the plushie tightly to her chest, her body shaking with sobs as she stares at the spot where the portal once was, her eyes filled with tears as she desperately tries to hold back her wails
"...Goodbye, Manny." she whispers.
Moxxie, the imp that Loona picks on the most, cries into his wife Millie's shoulder, as he can't bear to look at the grief the hellhound is suffering because he just wants to give her a hug and that he misses Manny too. Blitzø tearfully heads back to the IMP HQ, with Loona, Moxxie, and Millie following. Soon, they reach up to the office, where Loona can go into her bedroom and cuddle with her Manny plushie as much and for as long as she wants.
Loona slowly enters her bedroom, her eyes still puffy from crying. She closes the door behind her, collapsing onto her bed and clutching the Manny plushie to her chest like a lifeline. She buries her face in the soft wool of the toy, her body shaking with silent sobs as the full weight of Manny's departure hits her like a ton of bricks. She curls up on the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around the plushie, taking comfort in its shape and feeling as if it's the only thing in the world that can soothe her heartbreak.
Blitzø, Moxxie and Millie, doubtful that the plush itself is able to provide enough consolation, go into Loona's bedroom and cuddle up with the gothic hellhound tightly as she continues crying in her bed, hugging the Manny plushie to her chest.
Loona looks up from the plushie as her coworkers enter her bedroom and sit down next to her on the bed. Despite her initial surprise at their presence, she finds herself feeling oddly comforted by the sudden closeness and hugs from the three imps. She buries her face against Blitzø's shoulder, her tears staining his clothes as she clings to the plushie tightly, feeling a sense of warmth and familiarity in the presence of her coworkers. Though the Manny plushie still cannot replace Manny himself, Loona appreciates the solidarity and companionship provided by the imp trio.
Blitzø, wanting to provide enough consolation, reaches his arm out and turns on the radio, which turns on a lullaby played on a music box as a soother for the hellhound as she continues hugging her Manny plushie with Moxxie and Millie hugging the hellhound tightly. Despite being 22 years old, Loona is the youngest member of I.M.P, with Moxxie and Millie being 5 years older than her and Blitzø being 30 years old, so she clings onto the Manny plushie like a child would to a lost toy.
Loona's tears start to subside slightly as the soothing lullaby from the radio filling the room. She sniffs, rubbing her face against the plushie as she leans into the imp trio's embrace. She doesn't want to let go of the Manny plushie, nor the comfort it provides. She closes her eyes and listens to the music, feeling a sense of peace wash over her as she is hugged by her coworkers.
With that, Blitzø, who is hugging Loona from behind, nuzzles his head against the silky gray hair on her head, his large, curved horns brushing through as Millie and Moxxie continue hugging tightly around the hellhound's waist as she continues hugging the plushie, just wanting to be loved.
Loona's heart swells with warmth as she feels Blitzø rest his head against her own, his horns brushing gently through her silky hair. She can't help but smile slightly at the unexpected moment of tenderness from the Imp, and her grip on the Manny plushie relaxes a bit, her arms dropping to her sides. She leans back against Blitzø, feeling the imp duo's arms wrapped tightly around her waist, their hugs firm and comforting. Despite the pain of Manny's departure, Loona feels a small sense of solace and companionship in this moment, a realization that she is not alone in her grief. Moxxie, who is hugging Loona from the front, nudges the Manny plushie up a bit for the gothic hellhound to continue hugging the plushie as tightly as she wants, since she did spend a rough life in the orphanage until she was adopted by Blitzø at the age of 17 although she was underfed by the time she was adopted.
Blitzø, being Loona's adoptive imp father, nudges his head tightly against her neck lovingly as he hugs her from behind, his horns continuing to brush against the gothic hellhound's silky hair on her head. Millie, who has her arms wrapped around Loona's svelte abdomen, proceeds to squeeze around it tightly with her arms as the hellhound continues hugging the Manny plushie tightly, the little imp nudging her soft, squishy head against her back.
Loona's eyes open slightly, feeling a mixture of surprise and comfort from the trio's continued embrace. Despite the tears still staining her cheeks, a small smile forms on her face as each imp nuzzles against her in their own way. She lets out a shaky breath, feeling the warmth and solidness of their hugs, the touch of Blitzø's horns brushing gently through her hair, Moxxie's nudge to keep holding the plushie, and Millie's head nuzzling against her back. She leans her head back against Blitzø, feeling a sense of safety and belonging in their presence. Millie, who finds Loona cute, proceeds to wrap her arms around Loona's slender abdomen even tighter and squeeze it, the imp affectionately pressing her cheek against the hellhound's back as Loona continues holding the Manny plushie tightly.
Loona's eyes widen slightly as she feels Millie's arms around her abdomen tighten even more, feeling the imp rub her cheek affectionately against her back. She lets out a little squeak, surprised by the unexpected display of affection from the imp. She blushes, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and warmth at the imp's actions. Despite the pain of still hurting over Manny, Loona can't help but smile at the gesture, touched by the imp's obvious affection towards her.
Blitzø, finding that high-pitched girly little squeak from his adopted hellhound daughter extremely adorable, nudges his head against Loona's tufted cheeks and nuzzles it into her neck tightly and lovingly, feeling absolutely touched by the impossibly cute sound Loona just made as he thinks she just deserves his love after all those years of her life in the orphanage as she continues hugging the mammoth plushie tightly like a child.
Loona's face heats up as Blitzø nuzzles his head into her neck, his affection evident in his touch. A small sound of surprise escapes her lips as she feels his head brush against her cheek, causing her to blush even more. She leans into his head as he continues to nuzzle against her neck, feeling a sense of comfort and security in her adoptive father's actions. She closes her eyes and hugs the Manny plushie even more tightly, as if seeking comfort from its comforting presence and from the love of her adoptive father and her two imp teammates.
Millie, who is hugging Loona's abdomen tightly, starts using her nails to scratch the hellhound's midriff, which is naturally exposed by her usual goth attire of a crop-top and shorts. The little imp scratches continuously and gives it a few pats, as Loona squirms, caught off guard by the sudden scratching and patting on her midriff. A small gasp escapes her mouth as the imp's nails make contact with her exposed stomach. Millie even gives it a slight tickle as she continues scratching and patting the hellhound's belly with one hand while using the other arm to wrap around Loona's abdomen tightly as Blitzø keeps nuzzling his head into her neck.
Loona's façade of toughness is crumbling away as the sensations of being scratched and tickled on her belly become impossible to ignore. She lets out a small squeak, her smile on her muzzle widening involuntarily as the tickling causes her body to shudder. The imp's tight grip around her abdomen, combined with Blitzø's nuzzling, leaves her with a sense of comfort as her large, fluffy tail slowly wags behind her.
As Loona lets out that squeak while she continues hugging the Manny plushie, Blitzø, Moxxie and Millie, finding her absolutely adorable with her innocence and her girly little squeaks, all proceed to hug her tight, making sure to pamper the gothic hellhound thoroughly.
Loona feels the trio's tight embrace surrounding her, completely enveloped in a wave of comfort and affection. She can't help but let out a few more small squeaks, feeling suddenly small and vulnerable, her tough facade slowly melting away to reveal her more soft and vulnerable side. Her tail wags slightly faster, betraying her attempts to maintain her usual aloof demeanor. Despite herself, Loona leans into their embrace, feeling a strange sense of safety as they pamper her, enjoying the attention and affection.
Millie and Moxxie, finding the way Loona holds her Manny plushie and her cute, girly little squeaks absolutely adorable, proceed to hug her abdomen as tight as possible, nudging their heads as the hellhound hugs her Manny plushie tightly like a little child despite being 22 years old. Blitzø, finding Loona cute for the same reasons and especially because she is the imp's adopted daughter, nuzzles his head tightly into her neck as lovingly as possible as they sleep together in her bed, as today had been a rough day for them.
Loona's face flushes as the trio continues to shower her with affection, their tight embrace and nuzzling leaving her feeling both flustered and oddly comfortable. The gothic hellhound continues clutching her Manny plushie like a little child, her tail wagging slightly. Despite her usually tough and aloof demeanor, Loona melts into the imp's affection, letting out another high-pitched, girly squeak as Blitzø nuzzles his head tightly into her neck. Even though she's 22, she still can't help but feel like a little puppy being pampered and loved by her adoptive father and her two imp teammates.
Moxxie, Millie and Blitzø, feeling touched by Loona's cute, needy-sounding squeaks of ecstasy and her genuine love for her plushie toy as she misses Manny, just proceed to hug the hellhound tightly, cuddling up with her and pampering her as they sleep together in her bed.
Loona feels completely enveloped by the trio's embrace, their tight hold and warm cuddles leaving her feeling vulnerable yet utterly safe. Despite the aching pain in her heart from missing Manny, she finds herself enjoying the comfort and intimacy of their touch. Her tail begins to wag faster as they cuddle up with her, making quiet little happy sounds as she leans into their embrace, feeling a rare sense of peace and security. Despite being 22 years old, Loona finds herself craving the love and attention usually reserved for a tiny puppy being coddled by its owners.
The three imps continue hugging the hellhound as tighly as possible, with Blitzø's head perched into her neck, his horns in her silky gray hair on her head and both Moxxie and Millie tightly wrapping their arms around Loona's belly, giving it some pats and scratches as well. As Loona just wanted to be loved and cried a lot when Manny left, this is the first time all three imps have shown the hellhound genuine love, consolation and comfort as she continues squeezing the Manny plushie in her arms desperately and lovingly like a little child.
Loona's usual tough, stoic façade is completely discarded as she melts into the embrace of the three imps. She lets out small, contented sighs as they hug her tightly, their arms around her belly and their touch on her silky hair and tail bringing her a surprising amount of comfort. Loona's eyes are half-lidded as the trio showers her with love and affection, something she has rarely experienced before. Somehow, these three imps have managed to tear down her defenses and reach the vulnerable, lonely hellhound inside as they continue sleeping for the day.
THE END
