Titan Turn; A TDS Story

Chapter 30

The plan was put into action at the crack of dawn. Just as the sun was barely visible over the horizon, hidden behind a huge mountain range and the ever green pines surrounding their every step. Gravedigger, Scout and Krampus set off down the barely accessible path through the trees, slowly ascending up the mountain. Only the motor of the jeep rang out into the vast white field. Fallen watched them disappear into the snowy tundra, feeling a pinch of fear in the back of his chest. Air caught up into his throat, he wasn't exactly pleased with seeing his son and brother leave again. Especially not so soon after everything that happened. But he knew he had to suck it up, fearing the circumstances they were in didn't help solve them. And if they wanted to leave this place they needed to know where the portal was. Even if it means separating another time.

He turned back from the cabin's door, closing it gently. Fallen could hear the steps of Commander walking around the bedroom. The situation between them was rather odd...Not necessarily tense...More so akward..
The Titan could tell the Commander was feeling somewhat guilty about what had happened to them... How he didn't listen to his warning... Before the avalanche hit them.. How Fallen almost died in the aftermath...
The man talked more with his brother than with him which is weird considering they went on this journey together to find their children.
And yet they barely knew a thing about one another. Their roles in their socities was all there was to know about each other. Fallen King pushed the thoughts away, there was no time to wonder about such trivial things..
He trudged to the kitchen, unconsciously griping his side as his wound flared up a little from the movement. He held onto the counter for some support. Krampus was right, he wouldn't have survived the trip up the mountain, not with this pain at least. And they weren't even exactly sure the portal was there to begin with. For all they knew it could be on the other side of this land. How he would make it there, should the time come for them to leave, he didn't know. He probably couldn't, not now with the injury still fresh.. It had only been a couple of days since...the avalanche... Creator, that snow storm was terrifying... The sudden current pushing them down the hill rapidly... Waking up in the middle of the night to see the tent being blown away by the massive amount of snow... He closed his eyes; just thinking about it made his heart race. How the ground beneath him moved, swiping him up and throwing him down into the valley... He could feel branches scrape at his jacket, stones hitting his arms and legs... He halted to a mere stop after being slammed into what he could only make out to be a tree trunk. That was when reality started fading, he couldn't feel his body... his eyes closing...only for him to drift into an agonising slumber, feeling the walls of his snowy prison engulf him further as everything stopped.

"Fallen?... Fallen! HEY!"

Fallen snapped his eyes open, taking in a sharp gulp of air. He hadn't realised he was holding his breath.. His hands were white knuckled holding onto the counter top. He looked over his shoulder to see who had grabbed him... It was the Commander... The man's face bearing a shocked expression behind his slightly crooked sunglasses.
Fallen could feel his heart thud into his chest as he sat there silently.

"Are.. Are you ok?" offered the Commander as he brushed off his concerned tone with a meekly smile.

The Titan didn't respond.. He still felt like this wasn't real... Like he was pulled out of some sort of nightmare. He just continued staring at the smaller Tower, who cowered under his gaze despite it not being unkind just... dismaid.

Commander opened his mouth to say something but no words came out the first time.. Eyes still locked with the Titan as he spoke, "I just umm... I-uh came in here to get... S-some water... Uhh.. And you looked really well... Scared? Umm... Are you alright?"