Crowned

Arc 3, Chapter 73: Knife to the Skull.

//TW\\

DEATH

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Gelatin's head was rested on a rock covered in a thick moss. His eyes tiredly rested on the grass beneath him. He wished he was back in his bed. Comfortable... Breakfast waiting... Was this how his mom and dad felt? Before they died? He frowned and shivered. Sleep was lacking, but not entirely. He managed to doze off every now and again—but it was so difficult to stay beneath consciousness. He didn't bother. His metal skin long vanished. Pain seeped into his joints and skull. A pounding headache jabbed at his mind. He tried to ignore it. Everyone else was sleeping after all.

Leafy was holding Bow... who seemed to have long fallen unconscious due to her wounds she sustained from her thorny prison. Leafy was—and had been—dead a while. There was no point in describing her ghostly appearance. And Taco was asleep on the bush nearby.

Gelatin whined to himself. He wished to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. Discomfort. Chilling cold. He felt like someone knew this feeling. Someone unfamiliar. He sat up. Finally. He needed to clear his head. If not for a fleeting moment, pretend this was fine. He took a shaky step forward into the forest. Crinkling beneath his feet as he travelled into the thicket. Cool morning air blew past his face.

One foot after the other.

The crinkling beneath his feet soon turned into a painful squelch. He grimaced and lifted his foot. He remembered this... all too well. His eyes widened as the turned to the ground covered in a red blanket. He took a step back, recognizing a trail of it. But... This wasn't the way beck to the village... His nerves raised, he could feel the heart pounding at the back of his throat. He sighed shakily, looking into the darkened thick forest ahead, and decided to step further. He walked past the lush leaved shrubs and greenery. Mossy dampness at the base of each tree as he followed the coppery scent the blood left. It was a paste like texture, nearly dry, but not quite. Not yet.

He was always too curious for his own good.

Gelatin ignored the thought of this being that... Creature again. Back to finish the job. Each step more uneven and shakier than the last. He grabbed a stick from the ground. It wasn't nearly as big as the one he'd used to attack Leafy before—In fact—this one was more flimsy too. But... A weapon was a weapon. He clutched the branch, his white knuckles clenching around the rough bark, scratching against the skin beneath.

He eventually caught sight of a cave, a creepy one at that. He didn't exactly think it was a good idea to go in, but, what could you possibly have expected from him? His foot collided with stone, rather than the dried corpses of leaves. He swallowed the pounding heartbeat and walked in. His eyes directed on the blood trail below—

He heard the huff of an animal.

Shit.

He froze, both hands clutched the stick. It sounded like the chuff of a tiger. But more guttural, and low. He looked back. This was a mistake. Gelatin took an uneasy step back—only for the stick to snap in his hands and clatter to the ground. His breath hitched and only his eyes shot down to look. His head not bothering to follow as all his shaking ceased in an instant.

Adrenaline. His eyes darted up to the beast, which had long woken. He was frozen. Entirely still. The creature gave a low growl, and gained a defensive stance. It bore teeth aggressively. Gelatin noticed this, his legs felt like they were made of lead. He tried to take a step back, but his left leg only vibrated in response. "Nice doggy...?" He smiled awkwardly, a squeaky nervous voice was the only thing he could manage. Of course, the creature looked nothing like a dog. More like bear-sized-raccoon.