Fragments - A Cookie Run Fanfiction

Chapter Sixteen: Doubts

The Brave Cookie landed on the rock with a firm stance, nodding to himself, before leaping forward, several more time. He took in a deep breath, knowing that if he didn't slow down, he was going to end up hurting himself, mis-stepping, or falling in outright. He can't afford that. Concentrate. Come on... just a few more..

He closed his eyes, and opened them again, before leaping forward three more times.

One more rock left...

'Come on... come on, you got this. Concentrate...' Gingerbrave assured himself, before leaping forward again.

He stumbled as soon as he landed on the rock, his foot went over the smooth top of the stone, which made him slide forward involuntarily.

Quickly turning his body weight, he lifted his legs, making sure they didn't touch the water, that was before even a few inches away from his form. Took a moment to breath, feeling more pain in his wrist, as he noted that more of it had crumbled. He let out a shaking breath, standing up again, before quickly jumping over to the other shore.

He could rest later.

He NEEDED to rest LATER. He needed to get to the forest now. His comfort wasn't what was important. The other's going back to normal, and their safety. He needed to keep thinking about that first, and foremost. He was close. All he needed to do was get to that pedestal. He was sure that if it didn't solve all of their problems, it would solve most of them..

'You amuse me, child.' the voice in his head appeared again, but the boy remained silent this time. He kept running, and running, and running. He needed to constantly go to the left. Right? Go to the left path's.

He could maybe manage to climb a couple trees, but he wasn't sure if he could... his wrist was too jacked up because of escaping those handcuffs.

'You can't ignore me forever. What are you going to do about me when that hound shows up? I am going to sit here, laughing at you while it digs it's claws into you. Because of what is going on in the kingdom, no one is going to notice, and when they do find you, they are too far gone to care.' the voice laughed, which struck Gingerbrave right in the temples, making a headache immediately start to form.

Hound? What hound?

He didn't-

There was the sound of fast moving paws, and barking.

The voice wasn't lying...!

Or... or was it?

Jumping over several logs, and large roots that were sprout from the ground, Gingerbrave tripped, and fell forward- saving himself from outright stopping, but rolling, and getting back on his feet easier, despite a slight aching in his back from rolling over a rock.

The sound of snapping twigs under his feet were so loud, it was making him was to get worked up. His emotions were starting to bubble to the surface, what little bit of adrenaline he had was thin, and was wearing thinner and thinner the more he moved.

He wanted to collapse.

He wanted to stop.

If he stopped, though, he would be a failure. He would be making empty promises to himself, and to the others that he was trying to help. He was being reckless, but he didn't have time. Time wasn't on his side, and the universe made sure to keep reminding him of that. Neither was nature, because as soon as he had started to mentally drift onto something else, cursing his luck, or himself for his current situation, he nearly tripped again.

Come on...

Come on, come on, come on! No one else was with him. He was going to find that pedestal, and-

'And what?' the voice quipped from in his mind. 'Destroy it? Ruin it? Break it, even? What is that going to do? I am right here, witho YOU. If my power was that linked to that pedestal, how have I been inside your measly little mind all this time? Riddle me that.'

Gingerbrave grunted, before narrowing his eyes down to the ground.

He started to consider how he had found the pedestal the first time. He was constantly running. Going to the left almost the whole time, until he turned around. He found that Pedestal by accident. When the others had tried to locate it themselves, they couldn't find it. No matter how hard they might have tried.

Accident....

It's a long shot... but... maybe?

The sound of a dog howling was getting closer. Gingerbrave hoped that he was just hearing that in his head. If a hound really had caught his trail, that meant that he was in even more danger, especially if it was one that was was in the enemies care, then it would KNOW to HUNT him.

The Brave Cookie started ot make random turns, not confident in his idea, but he hoped it would work. If he did this, maybe he could find it...!

'Or, maybe, just maybe, you will get lost and waste even more time than you already have~'

"Shut Up." Gingerbrave hissed out, before taking a quick right turn, then a couple left turns, and another right turn. "I WILL get rid of you. No matter what it takes...!" the boy whispered aggressively under his breath. "That is not a threat.. that is a promise..!"

'How cute. You really think you are all that big, and bad. Seeing is believing, and the only thing I see is some lousy hero, desperately trying to free himself of guilt. You aren't even in this to help anyone else, you are doing this, so you don't have to feel bad. You are doing this, because you want to protect your own ego. You are a selfish little loser. An attention seeker. A praise addict.' the voice talked down to it, seeming both annoyed, and uninterested. 'You're nothing.'

Gingerbrave felt himself get cold.

The voice... it... was... right?

Dammit.. no, he can't afford to have doubt now. Doubt could wait until after he found what he was looking for! He needed to do this! For..! For...

For...

He really was selfish... wasn't he?

Was he... really doing this all for himself...?

He felt bad. Terrible, even. He didn't want to feel terrible forever, for letting all of this happen to the kingdom. He didn't want to live with the feeling that he had caused all of this on them. All of this when they could all be more comfortable, and happy right now...!

Had he been doing all of this for his own benefit all along...?

Disguising it, to himself, and him wanting to help his friends?

If that was the case... that... that was a repulsive, evil, selfish thing to do! The idea that he would be doing that made him sick. It made him want to hide his own face in shame, because of just how selfish it was!

He had barely even noticed that he had stopped moving,

When he did, he slapped himself in the face with his good hand, before lettingout a firm yell to himself to stop getting off task, and to do what he needed to do. As he had this internal argument- he looked over tot he right, and... there... there it was! There was the pedestal!

((To Be Continued))