Essence of Demise | ThirdUnion

30: Tempering Storm

Germany sat in his room, using a small mirror he had as he attempted to clean up his face.

There were still scratch marks. Stuck in his skin from Finland's hands.

Nothing seemed to work to get them off, at least Germany could hide the cut on his shoulder. But on his face? While he was right in front of his father? How was he going to do that?

The German sighed and sat up from his desk, knowing he'd just have to come up with an excuse. He couldn't tell his father he had been out.. he couldn't.

The young German waddled his way down stairs, after his father had called him for dinner.

Reich was humming some soft tunes to himself as he stood in the kitchen, doing some final touches on a dish before moving it to the table.

"Ah, Hallo Deutschland!" Reich chirped as he looked towards his son but when he paused suddenly, Germany looked away, knowing exactly why.

"Darling, what happened to your face?" The German stepped closer to the other, his thumb rubbing over his son's yellow skin.

"It's nothing Vater.. I was just uh-" Germany paused trying to think, "fighting off some squirrels..? Yeah."

Reich raised an eyebrow but Germany just continued, "In the garden, they were going for your strawberries Vater."

Reich gasped suddenly, glaring off to the side. "Those damn squirrels." He sighed before looking back at Germany, "Well make sure you clean it very well, we don't want it to become any worse."

Germany nodded, feeling the sweat down his neck running cold. He sighed silently as Reich turned away, thankfully his father did not question any further.

After dinner Germany headed back out to their garden, his father reminding him to be careful of squirrels as he left, and to be inside before the night fell.

The German just needed to check up on some things, he should have done this yesterday but he had been sneaking out again. He hummed as he got onto his knees, pulling at some weeds he had found as he had ventured through the garden.

Until he stopped moving for whatever reason, absolutely frozen as he sat in the weeds. The hairs on his neck were almost frozen.

Germany turned his head ever so slowly as the forest around him began to go quiet.

He felt like he was being watched.

Standing up again, Germany took a deep breath and glanced around slowly, eyeing every piece of greenery around him. But he didn't see anything, and stayed still until his head snapped behind him quickly, hearing the smallest of branches crack.

Germany almost wanted to, but did not speak as he stood partially frozen, watching his surroundings and every moving thing around him.

He heard another twig snap, glancing to that side of the forest he could have sworn that he had seen something, maybe someone. But how would anyone have found him out here?

Unless he was followed.

Germany gulped worriedly, and kept his eyes searching around for any creatures. The forest's silence was a concerning thing. Very concerning.

If the animals were quiet, then that meant they were hiding from something. Hiding from the hunter to their own kind of prey. But what could have made the whole forest go silent, what could have made their little part of the world freeze?

Germany looked around once more, his eyes darting in absolute silence as he could have sworn his brain was playing tricks on him.

Seeing a shadow, then a hand behind a tree, then a shuffle in the bushes, then a person, then some black eyes watching him, then a sinister smile that made his bones feel cold.