The Libra (Eric Derekson + S̀e̡̛͠p͡ţ͠į͜͡c̸̢ Egos G/T) (One-Shots)

How Did We Get Here (Part 2)

"I can't do this," Eric sighed miserably. "I-I can't, I just can't." Not even a few minutes had passed before the sky decided to start pouring rain, leaving the man with blurred spectacles, and completely cold and numb to the core. At some point or another he lost the trail, but he was too cold to even realize as he shivered his way through a different direction. He couldn't even feel his prosthetics anymore, just stumbling through the wild like a starstruck lamb.

When he did finally make progress, it was by entering a large meadow that he didn't recognize at all. The paths were nowhere to be found, and he couldn't see any buildings with the trees and clouds in the way. Eric shivered and tried to wipe the water off his glasses, but it only made his vision worse. He shambled onward, with no other choice but to keep his legs mechanically chugging along, hunching against the rain as he looked through the camera. Only one bar left. He didn't have much longer before--

His artificial foot hit a rock. He tripped and fell forward with a yelp, and he hit the ground rolling. He tumbled down the slight slope and through the earthy soup, gravity pulling him to the lowest point of the open space until he collided into a wall that halted his fall. Dizzy, Eric rolled over on his stomach and swayed, squinting for the camera's faint glow in the wet grass. There! He spotted it. He crawled close and grabbed it, relieved to see no new cracks despite the rough tumble.

"Oh, good!" He sighed with relief. "I thought it..." He trailed off and frowned; he was hearing something, some kind of wind? He brought the camera to his eyes and turned. And he immediately froze. What he had rolled into wasn't a wall or a rock: It was something big, something alive.

And currently sleeping.

Eric's fear wavered nervously as he listened to the gentle snores. They sounded like a person's, but louder, making Eric wonder just what kind of monster this legend was about. He slowly walked forward, feeling a flash of relief and courage when he spied his handkerchief in the mud. He grabbed it and clutched it tightly as he moved forward, approaching the massive figure and getting a good look at the beast for the first time.

It appeared to be a giant person. Male, with a dark gray shirt and black pants over legs that seemed to stretch on for miles, capped off by black trail boots. Pale skin covered the arms, which were loosely folded over the chest, and over the giant's face was a snapback hat, the visor resting on the nose and covering the closed eyes. Eric stifled a frightened squeak and shook harder, finding little relief in the fact that this huge man was currently sleeping.

But he did feel warm. As Eric slowly came closer, he could feel the body heat emanating from this huge person, and he hesitantly walked up to the massive flank again. He could hear the soft wooshes of air as the giant breathed, his inner workings a surprisingly pleasant change from the pouring rain that had trolled him for the past ten minutes. Huddling under a bent elbow, Eric sighed, glad to be out of the rain and somewhere warm. Actually, he was pretty sure this was the warmest he'd ever felt. He found himself slumping against the warm fabric surface and his eyelids drooping, exhaustion finally hitting at full force, and the camera fell out of his limp hand as he slid down and fell asleep in the shadow of the giant.

"... Just sleeping.. there...?"

"... Idea... Poor thing... Lost..."

"Doubtful... Probably... Ze other humans..."

"... Cute, though... Like him..."

"... Don't think we can... Dangerous..."

"But...leaves, zen ve... Have to move again."

"I know, doc, what do ya want from me? I couldn't just leave him out in a storm there in the middle of nowhere. He was ice cold! And all those scratches... He stank too, I think he might be homeless."