Echoes Of Ascended Sorrows (RAIN WORLD AU)

2

TW: GORE AND MURDER

About a week later, i continue my routine and walk the long distance i need to, to reach the lantern mouse field. It's a beautiful day today. The skies are a soft blue and a flock of batflies passes through, chittering and following the direction of the breeze. I'm tempted to reach out and grab one, but it's rude to not wait till supper, which is when everyone gathers into the burrow during the sandstorms.

On my way to my left, i spot monk and some others gathering fruit and piling batflies into baskets next to the batfruits. He spots me and waves, as cheerful as he always is. I wave back and he goes back to his work, which he  enjoys a lot by the looks of it. I guess my job isn't so bad either.

I'm getting used to it, and getting called mouse boy IS annoying, yeah, but i like the mice. Walking the long path is scary though. It's quite the distance from the burrows and if i was in danger, it would be hard to put the sheep in their burrow and then run back. What if i encountered an ancient Slugcat? Would it be bad? I guess i could never know. Maybe they aren't THAT bad, and they're just misunderstood.

Once i arrive, i sigh and sit down on the rock in front of the small field, planting my staff into the ground and leaning to the side on it. For my job i always have to wake up early, which means directly after the sandstorm is over. So do the fruit and batfly harvesters, which must be exhausting. Luckily for them, they have two groups which they switch every two cycles.

Behind the field, i spot hunter's hunting group and i turn around so my back is facing them, which doesn't hide me, I'm just embarrassed to be seen by them.
"Hey, mouse boy!" One of the boys calls, but it doesn't sound rude or anything although the name IS meant to bully me (which doesn't bother me at all. I AM a mouse boy, so they're just pointing out the obvious.)

I don't reply.

When I'm sure they've passed by, i turn back around. It's only been about five minutes and as i watch the sheep, they all run into the burrow as the ground starts to rumble. "What the..." I mumble. Didn't the cycle just start? And sand storms don't rumble the ground... The rumbling stops, and I close off the burrow and pick up my staff, exiting the field and walking around it to look off into the distance of the path where the rumbling was coming from. When i see and hear nothing, i furrow my eyebrows and turn back around. It was probably nothing. But when I'm about to take a step, screams are heard from the direction i just turned away from, and a "HOLY SHIT!!"

Hunter's hunting group comes running back in a panic with blood on their cloaks and hands. The sight makes my heart drop into my stomach, and i look back behind me to see a body of one of the kids from the group being thrown against a rock which pierces them through the stomach and between the fight, flight or freeze, i freeze and drop my staff. I can't bring myself to move, and I'm staring in pure fear as i watch a tall figure emerge from where the body was thrown. The boy whose stomach was pierced is still alive and squirming a little. (Pierce the veil reference?! /j)

The tall slugcat takes the squirming boy and picks him up, biting his neck and ripping it out. His horns aren't just one pair. He has about three on each side pointing in different directions, and one horn on the right side of his head. He's a light blue-ish green with pitch black eyes and he's wearing a khaki brown scarf around his neck that flows in the wind gently, making him seem elegant despite the scene being displayed before Survivor's eyes.

When the tall slugcat turns his head to look at Survivor, that's when his legs force him to move, and he turns his head back around and sprints off, not even bothering to go back for my staff.

When i get back, i see the boys panting and some are sobbing. The only ones who are barely injured are Hunter and one of his friends Nightcat. Rufus rushes out of the burrow with one of the boys who fetched him to tell him what's going on, and he orders one of the many civilians who are gathering around the group of boys in concern to call over the medical group.

"What's going on, where are your leaders?" Rufus asks them, trying to keep the ones with the worst wounds stable as they wait for the medical group to arrive "the- they're a-all de-dead!" Nightcat, the only female of the group, sobs. "Dead? That can't be. was there..." Rufus begins, but trails off. I rush through the crowd and over to rufus "i saw it! I saw everything," i pant, still out of breath from running, "there was an ancient-" I'm cut off by Rufus angrily yelling out: "WHAT?"

the medical group arrives and begins treating the boys on the spot. I watch as rufus angrily storms off to the co-leaders of the clan, and they begin discussing. I discreetly follow along and eavesdrop from behind a rock to listen "The area where we live is extremely secluded and hard to find. Even the hunters stay in the area to hunt, which means there's someone here who must have some sort of business with the ancient Slugcats." One of them says. After a few moments of them discussing, rufus turns back to everyone outside and waits for the boys to get bandaged up.
"Everyone retreat to the burrows now and stay there until we figure out a solution!" He orders, and everyone, including me, rushes obediently to all the different burrow entrances, closing the metal scrapped doors behind them.