Deeply Rooted Hearts [Little Bill vs Night Viper; Day 4]

little bill cubs

He sees it over and over as he wanders away, deeper into the heart of a beast that’s already consumed him whole. Sees the red-coated spearhead burst through the other side of the muttation’s neck, sees the strands of ligament and muscle sliding out like worms. Sees its eyes open wide one last time before he lets go of the handle and runs, before he leaves the javelin sticking out its throat like a dead tree limb, before he leaps over his first victim’s remains. Before he’s across the waving bridges and windy heights of the canopy village and out into the trench of risen roots high above running water.

At first he only sees it when he closes his eye, bright splashes of red filling the void; then it permeates his vision, floods into every waking moment, over and over. Over and over.

Before he sees it, he’s struck.

He’s unsure how far he’s traveled - his legs did all the work, carrying him far from the bodies of beings that could’ve been, should’ve been, friends - but he stops when he feels the fangs press through the back of his head. A stream like ice flows from the nape of his neck down to his chest, and he thinks that’s where the real beast lies. There’s something dark and decrepit in him, and though Little Bill has known this for years, has the slashes and pin pricks to prove it, he can’t help but feel afraid of what he is and what he has become.

When he whirls around and faces the purple serpent, the long-necked mutt’s final moments play out in its glow. He hates himself enough to swing.





little bill d8m attacks snacc with javelin [7 cuz he left one in babysitter's neck lol]
d0YyFFys80spear
Stabbed in Stomach -- 9.5 damage

little bill cubs

His spear rips open the belly of the snake but the expected red is flushed with a rush of vibrant violet, its hue overpowering the blood that too seeps down its scales. Little Bill stands aghast - in awe? in fear? in jealousy? - as its hissing fades to a whisper and its beady eyes roll back and forth. He’s done it again. It writhes before him, splashing luminous blood around it, and he’s back at the hut with the long-neck’s body, its gentle face and knowing eyes, with the monkey and its petals and blooms wilting without nutrients; his knuckles are white around the javelin, and he closes his mouth as he decides it is jealousy after all.

He wants exactly what Big Bill has. What the runt he let go has. What those two muttations have and what this one soon will too.

He wants to die.

It flicks its tail at him weakly, and for a moment he presses the tip of his weapon into his palm, presses until his blood meets the serpent’s. Little Bill takes in a deep breath and strikes again.





little bill d8m attacks snacc with javelin [7 cuz he left one in babysitter's neck lol]
azrUDuc4sPspear
Shallow Cut on Left Thigh -- 3.5 damage