CONNECTING TO SERVER. PLEASE WAIT…
CONNECTING…
FINDING INSTANCE…
INSTANCE FOUND.
CONNECTED.
ENJOY YOUR STAY!
Pain. As soon as he connected, that’s all Leon could feel. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his left shoulder in agony. Sky, who had been waiting for him, promptly produced bandages and a bottle of an unknown mixture. “I’m fine,” Leon murmured through gritted teeth, attempting to stifle any moans of pain.
“Dude, you’re covered in scratches” Sky remarked, a grin stretching across his face as he knelt beside Leon.
“Alright, fine. I’m in pain” Leon begrudgingly admitted.
“I need to disinfect every open wound, so take off your clothes where you have any scratches” the rabbit instructed.
Leon furrowed his brow, slowly removing his chest piece. His aching muscles screamed in protest, reminding him that he was indeed injured. As he began to unbutton his pants, the wolf suddenly realized what he had agreed to. Sky quickly averted his gaze, though he couldn’t help but steal a few glances at his partner, who was essentially undressing to his underwear.
“I understand this might come off as lazy, but I am too sore to reach every wound”. Leon said, his tone tinged with shame.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Sky replied, his breath short and his words barely audible. He leaned in closer, taking out a rag soaked in a strange liquid. “This will sting,” he warned, waiting for Leon’s nod before pressing the rag to his left shoulder.
Leon winced but kept his composure. “What is this? Are you trying to poison me?” he quipped.
Sky chuckled, his right hand gently tending to the wound while his left held onto Leon’s arm. “Do I look like a necromancer to you?”.
The wolf ignored the smartass rabbit, his attention drawn to the hands tenderly caressing his arms. “You’re soft,” he murmured.
Sky froze, his mind processing the words he had just heard. “What do you mean? It took me two seconds to knock out the gnoll”. His tone laced with confusion. He knew Leon was most likely talking about something else, but he preferred to play it safe.
The wolf shook his head. “No, you are soft,” he reiterated. Maybe it was the pain or the blows to his head, but before he could stop himself, Leon reached out and took Sky’s free hand in his own. “My hands are rough with calluses,” he murmured, his thumb grazing the soft fur of Sky’s palm. “But you… you’re very soft.”
Sky’s fur might have been soft, but his muscles were as hard as concrete. He stared down at their hands as Leon’s fingers made their way up his wrist and forearm. Finally, the rabbit turned his hand over so that he could feel Leon’s arm as well. “You’re… coarse,” he observed.
Leon’s gaze remained fixed on the soft, white fur of Sky’s hand. He chuckled lightly, “I train in the rough outdoors, swinging swords, while you dwell in libraries, reading books.” The sensation of touching something so soft was exhilarating to him; he had never felt anything like it before. He craved more and wrapped his hand around Sky’s arm, gradually trailing it towards his chest. But then, he stopped.
Sky tried to mimic the wolf’s movements. The fur didn’t feel soft; however, it was still pleasant. He wondered if there were any areas where the fur would feel softer. As his hand travelled Leon’s arm, he became aware of what was happening, and he stopped.
For what felt like an eternity, they exchanged glances before quickly distancing themselves from each other. Leon cleared his throat, “Uh, I apologize”.
Sky blushed profusely, still remembering the sensation of Leon’s fur between his fingers. “For what? You were right. I suppose I am soft”.
The wolf smiled, “Incredibly soft.”
Once again, Sky leaned closer to Leon, cautiously placing the rag on the wolf’s chest. He took extra care to be gentle, trying not to cause any further discomfort. As he wiped away the dirt and blood, he could feel the muscles beneath his hand twitching with pain. Fortunately, Leon managed to stay still this time.
After cleaning and bandaging the wounds on Leon’s front, the rabbit instructed him to turn around so he could examine his back. To Sky’s amazement, there were no scratches on the wolf’s back. Nevertheless, he still ran both hands across the area, inspecting every inch of fur to ensure he hadn’t missed anything. He had to be absolutely certain, no room for error. Double-checking wasn’t enough; he had to triple-check.
“Okay, you’re fine,” the rabbit said, taking a step back to examine his partner.
“I’m fine?” Leon echoed, seeking confirmation.
“You have no idea,” Sky blurted out, then quickly coughed to cover up his slip of tongue.
“What?”
“Huh?”
After hours of walking, the sun had begun to set, casting a warm glow over the landscape. As they strolled, Leon caught sight of some random red flowers hidden away in a nearby thicket. He picked one and held it out to Sky, but the rabbit’s color drained from his face upon seeing it.
“Give me that.” Sky snatched the flower from Leon’s hand. “Fuck.”
Leon was perplexed. “Is it poisonous?”
“Worse. This is a Sanguis Desperato” Sky tried to keep calm, but shaky voice betrayed him. “How far have we walked? We shouldn’t be here when it’s dark!”
Concerned, Leon put both hands on his shoulders to keep him from darting around “You are starting to worry me. I need you to explain what is going on”.
The rabbit took a deep breath and looked straight into the crimson eyes “Sanguis Desperato only grow near a witch’s lair. Once you spot them, you are already too deep into their territory”.
There were a few seconds of silence while the wolf processed what he had just heard “A witch?” he questioned, stifling a chuckle “That’s not very immersive, isn’t it?”.
Sky rolled his eyes “It’s not a green, old lady with a broomstick, dude. Nobody knows exactly what they look like since they are shapeshifters. Some people say they have eight legs and fangs the size of daggers, but I don’t believe that. Still, too few have survived to tell about their encounters”.
As the gravity of the situation dawned on him, Leon realized this was no joking matter. “Ok. I understand. What do we do?”
“Set up camp immediately” Sky brushed off Leon’s hands and began unpacking “We need to stay close to the path in case we need to run. It already knows we are here”.
“I’ll gather some firewood”. The wolf took action, knowing time was running out.
Sky nodded in approval and hastily set up the tent that would give them a false sense of security that night. When Leon returned with more than enough firewood to last them for two nights, the campsite was already almost finished. “You work fast,” he said, impressed as he set the logs down.
“I don’t want to be eaten” Sky forced a smile.
Leon frowned “you never mentioned anything about being eaten”
“What did you think witches do? I told you, they are monsters” The rabbit watched as his partner set up the campfire.
“If we are to survive the night, I need you to tell me everything you know” The comradery in his tone was completely gone. The wolf was not taking this lightly.
“They don’t attack. At least, not in the way you would expect. Those red flowers you see everywhere? They release sleep-inducing pollen at night. It’s not powerful, but enough to put to sleep someone who hiked and battled that day… Like us”. Sky was surprised to see a flame already growing between the twigs and dried leaves.
The rabbit continued, “These are anecdotes, but I’ve heard of people just standing up and walking into the woods never to be seen again. I don’t know if they are sleepwalking or under a spell, but I don’t want to find out”.
Leon nodded, taking in this dire information “Ok, we need to stay awake until the break of dawn”.
The chill in the air was a reminder of their precarious situation, and the rabbit instinctively moved closer to the warmth of the fire. As he sat staring at the flames, lost in thought, the silence was only broken by the occasional crackle of burning wood. Sky’s mind was racing, trying to make sense of everything that had happened that day. The fear of the unknown was creeping up on him, and the lack of a moon in the sky only added to his growing sense of unease. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even hear Leon speaking to him at first. It was only when the wolf shook his shoulder that Sky snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. The intensity of his gaze on the flames had caused his eyes to blur, making it difficult to focus on anything else. In quiet desperation, Sky realized that he had lost track of time and it was already late into the night. Was he under the witch’s spell, or was it simply exhaustion that had caused this? The uncertainty was starting to get to him, and his voice trembled as he apologized to Leon for not hearing him.
“I said we should take turns. You look exhausted already; go to sleep. I’ll wake you up when I get tired” Leon was not asking, this was a command.
Sky was about to protest the leadership dynamic in their party, but he was too exhausted to care. His weariness prevented him from even considering the danger of entrusting his life to someone he had met that day. As his mind filled with thoughts of uncertainty, his eyes grew heavy. With a yawn, he made his way into the tent and quickly passed out.
Leon closed the flap of the tent and slumped back into his spot near the flickering fire. The silence around him felt suffocating, and the once-beautiful red flowers surrounding the campsite now appeared to mock him. He couldn’t believe how they had landed themselves in this dire situation. Was the rabbit really as knowledgeable as he said? How could simple conversation make him not realize they were walking into a death trap?
As the adventures of that day caught up with him, Leon felt as though he hadn’t slept for days. He murmured to himself, “The fire is going out,” using it as an excuse to get up and collect more logs. The wolf knew that as long as he kept moving, he could keep his mind at ease. He pondered practicing his swordsmanship, as it would keep him active until Sky woke up to take over the watch
He grabbed his sword, inhaled deeply, and swung at the air with tremendous force. Had there been anything in front of him, it would have been sliced into pieces. Leon made an effort to appear as intimidating as possible, just in case something was lurking in the shadows.
To his surprise, right after his first swing, he spotted the tent flap opening and the rabbit coming out “Go to sleep, it’s only been minutes” Leon said calmly.
Sky appeared confused.The position of the stars indicated that it had been hours since they had last spoken. This was bad, one of them was wrong and no matter who, it affected both negatively. “I’m pretty sure it’s been hours”.
Leon frowned “I just put more firewood and trained for a minute”.
The rabbit’s dread became even more noticeable. “Dude, you are panting and covered in sweat”. His gaze shifted to the campfire “And the fire is almost out. You’ve been training for hours!” Taking in the dire situation they were in, Sky took command again. “Go into the tent, close it and don’t come out unless I tell you to, ok?”
Leon wanted to protest, but was short of breath. To make matters worse, he now felt the cold sweat all over his body. Not only had it been hours, he was barely able to move. He realized he didn’t even have his sword with him. What the hell was he swinging then?
Seeing the wolf become uneasy, Sky walked closer and guided him into the tent “Sleep,” he said reassuringly. “I’ll keep watch”.
As the watch changed, Sky assumed his position near the weakly flickering fire. His white fur barely glistened in the dim light. He muttered to himself, “Firewood,” as he gathered more logs for the fire. Sky wasn’t sure if the light kept the witch at bay, but it helped him maintain his sanity in the face of danger.
However, as he turned around, his heart sank as he saw the tent flap wide open, with no trace of the black wolf inside.
“No…” The rabbit whispered, inspecting the empty tent with a glimmer of hope the wolf would magically appear from under the covers. But as he realized the reality of the situation, he exclaimed in despair, frantically scanning the campsite for any trace of Leon.
It was no use, the black wolf was nowhere to be found. “Ok, motherfucker. I’ll rescue you” Sky muttered with gritted teeth while grabbing his gear and taking a deep breath before venturing out into the darkness of the night. As he moved through the dense vegetation, he was grateful for the hours of training Leon had done. It had made his scent stronger.
Suddenly, a faint sound caught his attention. It was Leon’s voice, calling for him. The rabbit perked his ears and ran as fast as he could.
“I’m coming!” Sky shouted back, thanking every god imaginable for the full moon casting a soft glow over the landscape, making it easier for him to navigate through the night.
He was getting close. He could smell it. He could hear it. He could see it. There he was. Leon, just standing there in the middle of the road, seemingly under some kind of spell.
“Fuck!” Sky let out in both relief and desperation as he finally approached the black wolf. The moonlight cast eerie shadows on the dirt path, but also illuminated the wolf’s face, revealing details that were more vivid the closer Sky got. He noticed the jagged scars and the bandages wrapped around the wolf’s limbs. All of them in the wrong places. A horrible feeling of dread washed over him as he remembered… There was no moon that night.
—
Leon stirred in his sleep, disturbed by an uneasy feeling in his gut that weighed heavily like a brick. He whispered his partner’s name, hoping for a response. Silence. A sense of anxiety began to grip him, and he called out louder, hoping to catch his attention. Silence. The wolf’s desperation mounted as he tried to call out once more, his voice laced with fear. In a fit of rage, he tore open the tent flap and leaped out, calling out Sky’s name into the darkness.
It was clear. Something deep inside was telling him. This is real, this is not a dream. The blackness of the night enveloped Leon as he ran into the bushes with his sword in hand. The lack of light made it impossible to see, but he relied on his heightened senses to follow Sky’s scent. Leon’s heart raced as he caught the scent of fear on Sky’s trail. His body suddenly became itchy with adrenaline. ‘GO! NOW! RUN!’ his body screamed, so he did just that.
His muscles ached, but he pushed himself harder, ignoring the branches scraping his face and arms. The wolf ran with all his might, knowing that each passing moment would lower the chances of finding Sky alive.
The claws of his feet ripped the ground as he made his way forward. The scent was getting stronger, making him run faster, but also focusing less on what was ahead. Leon failed to see the rock right in front of him. His right leg connected with it, and he was sent hurtling through the air, his face landing first.
The mud in his mouth felt acidic. Leon spat it out and quickly rose to his feet, ignoring the pain. He tried to walk, but his leg gave out. Just as he was about to lose hope, he saw something white out of the corner of his eye. Two white ears.
The wolf spat more dirt and scanned the area, looking for his sword. He spotted a glint of metal protruding from the bushes nearby. As he limped towards it, he realized why his blade was shining. It was reflecting the early morning sun.
His relief was short lived as the unmistakable sound of footsteps approached with alarming speed. Too many steps. Leon spun around, sword in hand, only to be confronted with a terrifying sight of what was about to attack him.
It was a creature out of nightmares, a living embodiment of fear given form. Towering above Leon, it seemed to stretch on forever, all tendons and writhing legs. Its pale skin was pulled tight over a skeletal frame, the bones poking through in grotesque angles. And those eyes. They were everywhere, dozens of them, each one fixed upon the wolf with an unblinking intensity that chilled him to the bone.
Reacting quickly, Leon closed his eyes and simply lounged forwards. By sheer chance, he plunged his sword between the witch’s fangs, provoking a piercing screech that made the wolf drop to the ground and clutch his head.
To his surprise, when he looked up, the creature had vanished without a trace. He scrambled up the tree with his injured leg and gently lowered Sky to the ground. Whatever this rope was, it felt disgusting in his hands; sticky and wet.
Once his partner was free, Leon jumped down and stood protectively over him, his senses on high alert. The creature was scentless, which meant it could launch a surprise attack at any moment.
Time crawled by, and Leon breathed a sigh of relief as the sun’s light penetrated the forest canopy. He was startled by a soft moan and looked down to see bright blue eyes staring up at him.
“Hey…” The rabbit said, forcing a smile.
Overcome with emotion, Leon wrapped his arms around Sky and squeezed him tightly. “I thought I’d lost you forever”.
The white rabbit coughed, his hand patting Leon’s back in an effort to calm him down. “The sun is out,” he said between breaths. “We made it.”
As Leon helped Sky to his feet, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He wrapped his arms around Sky’s body and pulled him into a tight embrace. They held each other, the weight of their shared experience settling in as they took comfort in one another’s presence.
When they finally broke their embrace, they began their journey back to their campsite. They walked it in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The adrenaline rush had worn off, and the pain and exhaustion were starting to set in. But, in that moment, they didn’t care. They were grateful to be alive and have each other.
