Masked (A Hat In Time)

Only a Husk

The prince is the best boi and deserves a wholesome friendship with Bow. Well, not just with Bow, but with everyone.

It almost makes me feel bad...

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Hat Kid had to walk at a brisk pace to keep up with Snatcher. It wasn't a problem, though. She was strong and had a lot of stamina. It was also pretty cool to actually walk side-by-side with him for the first time.

It'd certainly be a lot cooler if it weren't for the grim look on his face.

And she couldn't get what he said out of her head.

Have you ever felt like you were being watched here?

What a weird question. Hattie knew that there were a lot of beings in this forest. Minions, Dwellers, spiders, weird eyeball things, and statues. And yeah, they watched her. The minions were mainly there to make sure she and Bow completed the contracts. She knew that the Dwellers always kept a cautious eye on them. The spiders jumped down at the most inconvenient moment with their freaky body and actual faces. The eyeball things never really watched the girls...they had other items to look after. And the statues may not have had heads, but they certainly seemed to target the girls without trouble.

And she didn't even want to get started on the nooses.

Despite all this, she and Bow had never felt watched here. Feeling watched was a creepy, hair-raising feeling. Feeling watched made you shudder and hold your umbrella a little closer. Feeling watched suddenly made you want to get your timepiece as quickly as possible and leave.

Subcon may have a creepy atmosphere, but they'd never experienced that feeling.

As they passed a group of trees, a shudder ran through Hat Kid.

Until now.

What had changed?

Snatcher noticed Hat Kid shudder and paused for a moment. He gave the group of trees a suspicious look, then moved away. She kept following him. "Didn't you say you had a minion problem?" she asked.

"Yeah," Snatcher replied gruffly.

"Why don't you tell me what's going on there?" Hattie pressed. "You know, so I can help you with your problem?"

He frowned at her. Then he sighed and stopped. Hat Kid stopped with him. "I hate to say it, but you have a point," he grumbled. Hat Kid grinned.

"It started about a day ago," Snatcher said. "It hasn't been going on that long, but it's concerning. The feel of this forest hasn't changed for so long that it's almost jarring if it ever does change." He had a dark look on his face. "I noticed that I had a sudden lack of minions-"

"Don't you have, like, a lot of minions, though?" Hattie couldn't help but ask.

He glared at her, obviously annoyed that she interrupted him. "Yes, but I keep track of them. I'm not heartless," Snatcher replied testily. Hat Kid was starting to conclude that he cared about his minions but would never admit it. Maybe he felt the same way about her and Bow, too.

"Anyway." Snatcher thought a moment before picking up his train of thought. "I started to find the soulless husks of those missing minions throughout the forest. They were always just out of the open- partially hidden in bushes, sticking out of the swamp, lying in the fires in the burning part of the forest."

Oh. Oh, that was horrible to imagine. Hat Kid shuddered again.

"I assumed it was Moonjumper," Snatcher continued, tapping a claw to his lips. "But no, he can't eat souls, can he?" It sounded like he was talking to himself more than anyone else. "And he wouldn't do this after creating them, would he?"