#Trigger Warning: Violence

[wolven91]

The Predator Café - Chapter 7

(Trigger Warning: Violence, Injury)

Panic, rage, fear and white-hot fury swirled within Natasha's chest.

The outside world began to fade out until all that was within her sight was that remnant of clothing that was unmistakably her friend's as the edges of her vision became a black halo around this tenuous link to Pip.

She could hear naught but the roar of her heartbeat as she began to hyperventilate.

The next thing she was aware of was being inside the Café, standing in front of her boss. She watched herself as if from above near the ceiling; she demanded if he'd seen Pip enter, he was denying this and shaking his head. She could see herself asking if he was certain. The man confirmed that the smaller Prey entrance hadn't been opened since the lunch time rush.

She 'blinked' and was already halfway home in a full sprint.

Their voice, crystal clear, repeated in her head. '...your 'Prey' won't escape...'; her blood boiled and her jaw ached from clenching her teeth.

Bursting into her home she stalked from one dark room to the other, pacing in impotent rage and fear.

She stopped at the kitchen, the cold pasta still sat in a pot on the hob. Her mind cleared instantly; Pip was in danger and she had to protect him. She was getting him back, there was no doubt in her mind for a single second that she'd get him back or she'd pull their god-damned spines out.

She'd have to be smart about this.

The police were as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. If she rang them, they'd turn it into a hostage situation that would leave Pip in even greater danger. Her lawyer had even said that they'd never retrieved any of the previous victims alive...

“...fucking ghouls ate the evidence...” she realised with horror.

Her lawyer though? She was capable; she could call in the cavalry while Natasha bought them time on the inside. Natasha had never been one to sit on the sidelines when someone else was in trouble; especially one of her own. She'd learnt over a long childhood in the slums that sometimes one had to take things into their own hands; to stack the deck in their favour.

Their whispering came back to haunt her from the darkness that surrounded her; 'When you’re ready, go to the sub-station near the park. Knock once.'

“When I'm ready? Oh I'll get ready boys. I'll be good ‘n ready...”

===

Pip woke in a cloying darkness that made it hard to breathe.

When he did try to take a deep breath, pain lanced through his side causing him to flinch which only hurt the mammal further. He tried to remain still and take damp shallow gulps of air as he came to realise that he was contained within a sack of some kind.

He assumed he was on the floor as it was hard and cold beneath him. He thought it would be better for whoever had him to believe he was still unconscious so made a point to remain as still as possible while he tried to listen for voices or a clue as to what was around him.

Panic bubbled just below the surface, it threatened to rise up and drown him if not for the mantra that he repeated to himself that just had to keep calm and he would find an opportunity to escape. His entire childhood had been training him through established methods of how to keep safe in a world that wasn't a Prey's.

Many of them were pointless now; stay in lit areas, stay in communication with people, arm yourself. His best hope now was to find a chance to get distance between his captors and either hide where they couldn't reach him or out run them.

A nasally voice, moving closer to where he lay, broke the silence.

“Do we know if she's coming?”

A gruff voice replied a moment later.

“She'll be coming, sooner rather than later. I don't know much about these Humans but they don't look like the kind to give up on Prey.” A mirthless chuckle escaped the gruff voice. “If I haven't missed my mark, I'm willing to bet she'd chase this meat for forever.”

The nasally voice seemed unconvinced and to Pip struck him as a minion rather than a mastermind.

“Yeah, but what if.. what if she-”

“Shut up.” The gruff voice stated flatly.

“If she does anything stupid then we'll have to react to it. This may be your first time dealing with this, but this is how we recruited before. If these humans are what we think they are, it'll be easier to get them to join Predators like us than anyone else.”

“But boss, they aren't exactly discrete, she's taller than you even?”

Pip had used the term 'feral' before in jest or flippancy, but the growl that came from the gruff voice triggered a primitive part of his brain, it was a deep seated fear that ran through his body.

If he didn't get free, he was going to die.

His thoughts were interrupted by a third voice, this one came from further away as if they weren't in the same room as the other ones that had spoken so far.

“Hey boss! She's coming! She's.. got a pipe?”

“You two, go hide in the other room. You two with me, when she gets in, stand either side of her. I don't care what's she's armed herself with, if she fucks around we'll show her that we're the real Predators here, not this 'equals' nonsense...”

===

Natasha marched with confidence towards the substation that sat just outside the limits of a public park. It was a small structure, no larger than her front room and without a second floor she questioned whether it would be able to hold any more than the group of three that had told her about it in the first place.

There was something she didn't know. Either this wasn't their base or there was something she wasn't seeing yet.

It didn't matter; this was her single lifeline connecting her to Pip, there weren't any other options.

She had prepared herself as best she could, it had taken longer than she had wanted it to, but without a timeline she had hoped they had meant they'd keep Pip 'safe' until she could make it. Hey lawyer had assured her that she would inform the police, but begged her not to do anything rash.

Walking up to the substation door, she knocked a single time and stepped back away from it. A weird 'secret knock', but who in their right mind would knock on a door once? She shrugged to herself, it didn't matter; she just had to get inside.

The door unlocked from within as a bolt slid free.

“Come in, Sister.” A familiar voice said from the shadows, this was definitely the place. She steeled herself as she stepped into the 'lion's den'.

Inside a creature that resembled a Weasel hoped down off a crate that had served as its perch to look out of the small grime encrusted window. Normally Natasha would do her best to recall their correct designations and species names, but it didn't even register. She was appraising him; weighing him up as to how quickly he moved, how heavy he was, did he look like he could handle himself? Her time in the slums had given her enough experience to gauge how dangerous a person actually was.

This was a creature that looked like they used; speed, claws and teeth to win their fights. It gave her a toothy grin which faltered immediately as he noticed her expression and flinched from looking at her directly in the eye. He gestured lamely to the metal bat that she gripped in the middle with one hand while avoiding her gaze.

“You- you can't bring that in here... you can't be armed.”

“Ya’ think I'm gonna’ go into a room of Predators unarmed? Do ya’ think I'm stupid?” She snapped back at him, she'd expected to be challenged, but with just a bat she'd be able to talk her way through. Bluff that they wanted her here, not the other way round.

“But.. you..”

A voice called out from deeper within the structure, further away than what should be possible.

“Let her in, she's one of us...”

She gave the weasel a withering stare as she tapped the bat against her hip impatiently.

He ducked his head and retreated to the end of a grey electrical console. It dominated the single room that was the substation, but when he and Natasha rounded the far corner, a metal bulkhead jutting out of the ground was swung open presenting a ladder down into what Natasha assumed was the sewers.

This was not going to plan; she had no interest in going below ground, especially with what looked like a manhole cover that could be sealed closed between her and the rest of the world.

“Ya’ live in the sewers...?” She said disdainfully as she grabbed the ladder and began to descend before anyone could question her resolve. As she reached the bottom of the ladder, a serious voice, which gave her the impression of the ringleader, greeted her.

“Welcome sister. Yes, we may technically live in the sewers for now, it won't be long before we bring our vision of the galaxy to the wider city and world above. We and now you, are not alone with our desires-”

Natasha tuned him out as he continued to drone on, seemingly loving the sound of his own voice and getting high off his own horseshit. She noted that he was a Canid, black and brown colourings with a body that spoke of time at the gym, but he was small, shorter than normal canids. A runt? Either side of her sat two more, totalling four so far, one a felinoid that looked like she'd seen better days with the scraggly pelt of tawny fur and bald spots in her hide. Her partner on the other side of the room; a draconian, was thin with black for the majority of his scales but with blotches of deep red in a chaotic pattern across his visible flesh.

Natasha continued to observe the room as the ringleader went on about a 'new world order' by talking about how it was 'better in the old days'. She could sincerely feel her brain cells dying as he continued to regurgitate words that must've sounded impressive to him but imparted no actual meaning to anyone paying attention.

The room was a definitely part of the sewer system, but it appeared unused based off the floor and walls being clean of any sign of previous water or sewage, it was however, littered with the signs of usage by people; bottles and empty food packages lined the walls along with various boxes and half burnt candles scattered about haphazardly. The room itself was wide and open, the ceiling was however, almost too close for comfort to Natasha, but she gauged that she would be the tallest here by at least a head; only she would have to worry about hitting head against the humming strip lights. The end of the room, behind the ringleader's chair, had a divot in the floor for sluicing liquids away and a tunnel that cut across the room, leading deeper into the sewer system, it made the room into a 'T' shape, preventing Natasha from seeing around the corners into either direction of the tunnel.

She was in look, these lot looked like dregs, deformed and stunted. Was that their reasoning for eating people? They didn’t have the strengths of their brethren so they attacked anyone weaker?

The canid who was currently sitting at the opposite end of the room to the entrance ladder was occupying an aged leather chair that had somehow been brought down into the space. Saying that the only other visible seating in the room were several crates, it struck Natasha that this canid thought himself above those who followed him. The crates that served as seats were reinforced as such as they were each surrounded by empty bottles of beer or cans. What was interesting is that there were more available and visibly used seats than members present.

'Maybe 6 of them?' Natasha thought to herself as she realised the ringleader was winding his speech up as he was now standing with arms wide as if addressing a grand cheering crowd rather than skulking in the goddamned sewer.

Her bat 'tinked' against the cement floor as she dropped her grip from the middle of it, to the handle end and she flatly began.

“Wow...” struggling and failing to pretend any longer.

The sickly canid brought his gaze from the ceiling down to her, lowering his arms down to his sides lamely. Her lack of applause was disheartening to the man. He genuinely thought he'd improved his delivery of that speech.

“Jin, give us some privacy.” He shouted past her; the metal portal she had climbed through closed with a slam and grating lock.

'So much for their plan; my turn.' She smiled to herself, she hadn't been relying on any back up if she was honest with herself. It was always going to be her versus whatever unfortunately bastard that thought they could take her Pip.

“You fella’s took something from me. I want it back.” She demanded with a stony glare. The canid held his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Peace Sister, we only grabbed it so you could enjoy it without anyone suspecting you and so we could all meet. We're glad their meddling didn't get you arrested properly before you could enjoy its succulent flesh.”

The felinoid piped up in a tone that Natasha assumed she meant in a supporting manner. 

“It smells so sweet, I can understand why you chose it. I can't wait to sink my teeth into it properly...”

Natasha gripped the bat harder, her knuckles turning white.

“I will not 'share' Him in any way, shape or form. Not with y’all or anyone else, do ya’ understand me?”

The canid gave the human an award winning smile as he tried to reassure her.

“Oh you must understand, until we have enough to go around, we all must all share our prey. We each can support each other, we are a fami-”

“Show me him now.” Natasha cut off the canid. She needed to know he was alive. As long as he was alive she would help him live a life even if he wasn't whole.

“You're right, you're right! Of course, we've taken your food from your mouth and are trying to negotiate while you have no evidence we're sincere. Granc! Bring it out here now!”

From one of the blind-corner tunnels, another runt of a canid appeared with a lumpy sack in one hand. Like the felinoid, this one had mange and looked thin or sickly. He handed off the sack to the ringleader who reached in the bag.

A heartbreaking squeak came from within as he grasped and pulled Pip out in one harsh movement. Natasha's ache from her jaw came back, she could feel her bottom left eyelid begin to twitch with the effort of keeping her face neutral.

Pip looked scared and hurt. The Canid held him by the back of his neck, Pip had grabbed the larger creature's fingers in an attempt to ease the pressure on his body. He had dried blood over his face and he wasn't breathing correctly, as if he couldn't draw in a full breath. His fur was bedraggled and damp, he looked awful, but he was alive and awake; that was enough for Natasha. As he blinked in the sudden change of light, his eyes focused on Natasha and his face showed shock, surprise and fear.

Whether fear for himself, fear 'for' her or fear 'of' her, Natasha couldn't tell.

It didn't matter, he was alive and she was keeping it that way.

“Hand him over.” She demanded again.

“No, we've been more than welcoming to you and we've only received hostility in return. It's time you decide to join us or not.”

“As I said before; He. Is. Mine. I will not be sharing him with anyone, let alone pretend Predators such as y’all.”

This got a reaction from them, the two who had been sat either side of Natasha stood and came closer to her, well within range.

Good. Get cocky, get in close.

“Pretenders?!” The ringleader said incredulously.

“Oh, ya’ disagree? Ya’ll not predators, none of ya’ are! And yet ya’ think ya’ll good enough to take what's mine?! Ya’ bottom feeders! Ya’ll haven’t brought down anything that could actually give ya’ a run for ya’ money. At best, ya’ll opportunistic scavengers and ya’ done fucked with the wrong human.”

As the canid breathed in to retort, Natasha didn't wait to hear any more drivel from him.

She grasped the opposite end of her bat in her spare hand and drove the handle into the ribs of the black and red draconian as hard as she could, utilising her whole body to add force into the jab. The dull 'crack' echoed through the room from the bipedal lizard’s torso as he crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut. She let go of the business end of the bat to swing it in a full circuit, so the felinoid received the full brunt of force that swept the bat from down by her feet right up and into her jaw. Her head snapped backwards in a whiplash inducing motion before falling away and clutching at her face, the scream that came from it was more raw emotion than anything coherent.

At a glance the draconian had fared little better as he remained on the floor trying and failing to gulp air that simply wouldn't come.

The spare runt canid came from the front as he grabbed at the bat with both hands, Natasha was pushed back a moment before moving her arms in a violent jerking motion to push the bat squarely into his snarl, breaking his front teeth. He was stunned for a moment allowing Natasha to follow up with a second strike with the middle of the bat with little resistance. The front of his muzzle crumpled slightly as the majority of his front teeth disappeared when they broke in half and blood burst from the ends of his nostrils.

As she pulled the bat clear of his hands, she swung the handle to hit him in the face in a short pivot, it was then that Natasha was blind sided as she was tackled to the floor by a green blur. 

The green blur slashed at her face where her cheek immediately began to burn and ache. The new geckin, previously hidden around the other blind corner, reared back, jaws agape to clamp down on her exposed neck. He was small, but still sharp. As he lunged downwards, the act was arrested by the spiked choker she had donned before her arriving at the substation, preventing him from being able to close his jaws around her throat completely.

Normally she would only wear the spiked collar when going to a concert or other event where she could dress as dramatically as she liked, but she had feared that without something to defend her neck and wrists, she may have been vulnerable to this exact attack. The 'camo' geckin tried to close his teeth around her and pull, but the metal and leather left his attack ineffective and more damaging to himself than Natasha.

As he straddled her, she drove a knee up into his crotch as hard as she could before grabbing the creature and rolling to the side, dragging him beneath her in a reversal. She proceeded to pound into his face with both of her fists; her adrenaline allowing her to wail away into his jaw, cheeks and eye sockets. It wasn't until a kick to her ribs from a new assailant, forced her to roll away with a wince into a low crouch and her fists raised to defend herself.

The Ringleader stalked around his fallen compatriots, the geckin wasn’t moving.

“You idiot! Do you not understand?! We're the only ones in this city that appreciate your desire! You're denying yourself it's flesh!”

Natasha was beyond words at this point, her rage fuelled her onwards; the slight movements of her Pip in the corner of her vision willed her to tear this dog’s head off. 

She reached back to retrieve her 'back-up plans' from her back pockets. Slipping the pair 4-ringed brass knuckles over each of her own she stalked forwards towards the enraged alien.

The wild haymaker he threw out was easily redirected; it was trying to disembowel her, but Natasha gave back a quick jab into his chest rather than a grander response. He was shorter than the average canid by a significant margin, but no less dangerous, to underestimate him would be to defeat herself. He took a step back before pushing forward again, he then threw out a series of clawed slashes that did no more than bounce off Natasha's guard as she allowed his assault uninterrupted. The spiked bracelets that donned her wrists, jabbed and gouged at his own forearms weakening his attack as he could simply flail at her. His assault was feral; strong and violent, but without finesse. He’d been used to being the larger one in past conflicts, his self-assurance was evident in his lack of form or skill.

Her initial plan was to allow him to punch himself out, with his inability to end the fight by numbers or taking advantage of an exposed neck, he could only batter himself against her stalwart defence. He had a moment of inspiration however by throwing out a punch into Natasha’s gut slipping through her guard. She doubled over in a moment before twisting at the hip and using her elbow to slam into the canid’s face. He flinched and stepped backwards blinking away stars as his sensitive muzzle burst in a small geyser of blood.

Natasha’s ‘rope-a-dope’ plan was thrown into disarray however when, as the two circled each other, Pip appeared from behind the Ringleader and drove a screwdriver into the flesh of his calf with a rebel yell. Crying out and collapsing to one knee the canid successfully aimed a sweeping backhand that launched Pip deeper into the room away from the brawl.

Natasha saw red at Pip being struck; defence gave way to pure, livid hatred.

Before the canid could prepare himself, he was attacked by a true ‘Predator', one that dredged an icy dread from deep within him; a feeling he was not aware that he could ever experience, one of a Prey.

The metal covered knuckled came up in a south-paw upper punch that snapped his jaw closed and put the former Predator on his back. Natasha pounced upon him to batter solely into his head and whilst the sieged creature attempted to bring his arms up to defend himself, Natasha simply pulled his arm out of the way to land an uninterrupted hit square into whatever was in the way between her and the floor.

This continued for a time, a cathartic, raged filled therapy for Natasha as she paid him back for the upset and harm he had caused for both the Human and her Pip.

It was only when the creature had stopped moving that the drive to hit it drained from Natasha and a sudden overwhelming need to find and protect Pip returned.

Natasha got off the still breathing but bloodied meat that now laid thoroughly tenderised and scrambled over on all fours to the caramel furred mammal that remained still in a heap. She gingerly picked him up; he was still breathing but limp in her arms. She rushed over to the ladder out and turned the handle that would open the hatch once more, it had been locked from the inside.

When she unlocked it fully, the hatch was opened immediately by the collection of law enforcement officers that had crowded around the entrance to the subterranean lair. They however flinched back at the sight of the haggard and still enraged Human crawling from the depth with her face covered in blood. Whether this was her’s, Pip's or anyone else's, none of them knew, but they retreated to allow her to pass and leave the substation. The officers then climbed down the ladder to arrest the occupants within, they had heard the violence from within and expected the worst. Aside from a variety of heavily injured occupants, they were all still alive, albeit some only just.

===

 As Pip came back to the waking world, his environment had changed significantly for the better.

Beneath him was a soft mattress that supported his body gently, while the bed itself had his upper half slightly raised. The pillows beneath his neck and head were softer than his own back at his dorm, he thought mildly as he opened his eyes and began to blink the burring away.

Before his vision returned he felt a weight over his shins, heavier than the thin sheet that covered the majority of his body. Hovering over him was a fellow Prey dressed in the uniform of a nurse. Her whiskers twitched as she smirked down at him as she adjusted a bag with clear liquid inside that was connected to his arm via a tube.

“Welcome back Mr Warin, so you are aware; you've been asleep for the best part of two days, but should make a full recovery shortly.”

He blinked and croaked in response from his incredibly dry throat. He tried to swallow to refresh himself as the nurse, satisfied with her work, walked around the bottom of the bed where he suddenly noticed the form of Natasha.

The medical ward he was in was obviously designed for creatures smaller than Natasha; the items, fixtures and beds were all a more ‘normal’ size to Pip’s perspective. However, even slouched as she was, Natasha took up an alarming amount of space, practically overtaking the bottom of his bed where the top half of her slept.

‘She must be sat on the floor while hunched over the bed’ Pip thought to himself.

“We moved the other patients once she refused to leave. The others were distressed despite it being on the news.”

“She refused… What... what was on the news?”

“Her rescue of you Mr Warin? Whatever the misunderstanding was the day before, word is she single handedly removed the beginning of another feral Predator ring. The reporters had followed the parade of police and reported it live. When she appeared like an angel of death, but carrying you; people didn’t know what to think.” The nurse shook her head.

“Tokens of praise and apology have been arriving whilst you’ve both been here. They are starting to take up too much room. I would have raised a complaint if not for the fact that everyone is still hesitant to stay in a room with a human…” The nurse continued, gesturing towards the entrance to the room where a pile of gifts, flowers and tokens of various sizes had overtaken one wall.

“Now you’re awake, I doubt there will be any need for you to stay much longer. You were suffering more from sleep deprivation rather than anything physically wrong, aside from some nasty bumps. We have however stitched up the claw marks on your back, although it is likely they will scar, and your fur may not return.”

Pip thanked the nurse before she retreated from the room to follow up on her other patients. Looking down at the blonde beauty, he recalled what he had seen down in the sewers.

He had described her before as a force of nature, when he had laid on top of her chest and listened to her heartbeat. Now he knew this description was too understated. She had been truly terrifying, her speed went beyond what was right for a creature at her size to be able to move.

He had felt the impacts of her hits, the reverberations of the strikes had made him wince with each blow. When she had been taken to the floor and the Saurian that had been hidden away tore at her neck, Pip had feared the worst.

But nothing could stop her, she was a tidal wave of anger, of something primal... feral, even...

Pip winced at his own thought, that he'd put her in the same category as those brutes.

Placing a small hand into her hair he stroked it through the silken mess. She looked tired, the three gouges in her cheek looked deep and were held closed by white stitches. If he had scars on his back, those would absolutely scar and all because he got into a mess he should have avoided.

His heart broke at the idea he had led her to harm.

A wordless groan of being pulled from sleep escaped her throat.

"Morning beautiful..." Pip whispered.

"Pip? Pip!" She exclaimed, waking up fully and rocking the bed in her attempt to straighten up.

"Ya’ awake! Oh I'm so sorry Pip! It's all my fault, if I'd just left ya’ alone ya’ wouldn't have been taken or threatened and everyone-"

The cascade of apologies and worry that spilled forth surprised him, he was expecting to be the one that was to apologise not for his saviour to best him to the punch, so to speak.

"...Natasha." He said simply, stalling her mid-sentence. 

"Sorry." She said meekly.

It didn't suit her. 

Pip hated the idea of her not being herself, but he wanted her to say her piece, it was important to her so it was important to him.

"I don’t believe there's anything for you to apologise for, but if you disagree, I accept your apology and want nothing more than to hear nothing else on the matter..."

Her shoulders slumped, as if he had single handedly removed the weight of the world off her shoulders.

“...its me who should be apologising."

"No, thats not-"

"Let me finish... please." He quietly begged.

She fell silent and waited for him.

"I knew better, you didn't." He began with a sigh. "There are... expectations of what is ‘normal’ of you and me, of a Predator and a Prey. But you weren't aware of these and shouldn't be and won’t be held accountable for them. I was, and I deliberately ignored them so I could selfishly spend time with someone I found exciting... Even when I knew and was duly warned, that it would all end in tears.”

He closed his eyes in confused shame.

"I came back and encouraged you because I found you attractive Natasha, I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, even though I knew it was more than likely that nothing good could have come from us spending time with each other. This whole mess is because I didn’t do what I was supposed to…” He couldn’t look at her right now, he had to tell her the truth, to make her understand that she was free from blame, and he wouldn’t hold anything against her when she defended her social standing by leaving him behind. Especially after he had intentionally undermined hers for his lust.

Humans were new to the whole mess; how could anyone blame them? Not him, he would never blame her.

“What a crock.” Natasha stated flatly, Pip snapped his head up in confusion. “Do I not get a say? Ya’ think I didn’t know what people might say when we waltzed off together? Don’t be making assumptions that I’m jus’ some wallflower who ain’t gonna’ say nothin’. Ya’ people got some ‘expectations’, just like everybody else in this universe. Ya’ think I haven’t had to clash with ‘expectations’ before?”

She ‘huffed’ and shuffled closer to the top of the bed before reaching out a hand to hold his chin between her large fingers.

“If I didn’t want to see ya’, I wouldn’t see ya’. If ya’ want to see me, I want ya’ to come see me. And there ain’t nothing anyone else is gonna’ say or do that’s gonna’ change this.”

She released him after making her point and looked away.

“…’Expectations’ my ass. Thought I got away from all that nonsense...” She mumbled to the empty ward.

“So… we’re, okay?” Pip asked, he was stunned she would not only disregard any issue but made him feel slightly put out for attempting to assume the responsibility over the matter.

“I’m frustrated Hun’, but all this has done is tell me that I need to get ya’ home and teach you properly; just how much ya’ mean to me, ya’ daft thing.” She said with a smile as she gazed back to him, putting an elbow on his bed whilst resting her chin in her hand. Her other hand came round and gently ran over his body over the thin covers.

“I think we need to start addressing things directly, no more beatin’ round the bush. Sound good?”

“Sounds good.” Squeaked Pip.

She leaned forwards, her face now dominated his vision. The soft closing of her eyes prompted Pip to do the same as his arms reached up to cup her face as her fingers curled around the back of his head with her nails scratching through his fur. Her lips touched his and whilst her bottom lip gently pressed against his own, her top lip brushed and pressed against his nose due to the difference in their sizes.

His world was one of softness and peppermint. This is what ‘heaven’ had to be like.

===

The journey back to his dorm was uneventful, but while he packed a bag for a stay away at Natasha’s Geegee was beside himself at the idea that Pip ‘hadn’t learnt his lesson’. Pip rolled his eyes and ignored him.

He understood his opinion, it took a verbal slap from Natasha for Pip to also give up on the social contract himself, he’d just wait for the geckin to come round and begin talking to Pip again. He vowed to be there for him when or if he did.

Once they got back to Natasha’s, Pip’s things were placed on the desk while Natasha whisked him off his feet and landed on the bed; laying on top of him and assaulting him again with wet kisses, some pecks and others lingered. He returned the favour; Natasha could feel the small wet pecks across her skin as he tried to match her ferocity.

“Hun’, I hope ya’ ready; because I’ve been waiting to eat ya’ up whole since ya’ walked into my Café.”

[let-me-love-you-loki]

Yours to Tame--Ch. 7

TRIGGER WARNING: DOMESTIC ABUSE

Chapter 7: After Rampage (Still)

            “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Sammy hissed as he stalked into the room. The sound of my heart monitor beeped with an ever-quickening pace. I felt nauseous. Terror swept through me. I thought I was going to wet myself.

            “What are you doing here? Get out!” Anna shouted as she stepped into the space between me and Sammy. “Go! Before I call the cops.”

            Sammy sneered and reached out. His hand landed hard on Anna’s shoulder, pushing her deftly aside. Her foot caught on the wheel of my IV stand, and she went tumbling. There was a sickening sort of thud as her cheek contacted the side of the chair by the bed. I wanted to look. I wanted to make sure that my best friend was okay, but I was too terrified to look away from Sammy. I knew that if I did, whatever beating he had in mind for me just then would only get a thousand times worse.

            “Get up,” he said through his teeth. His fingers flexed at his side. He wanted to hit me. He wanted to grab me by the hair and drag me out of the hospital. He wanted to yank me from the bed so hard that there were fingerprint bruises on my biceps for weeks. I watched his eyes flash with rage at the knowledge that he couldn’t. Instead, he snatched up the clothes I’d been wearing at the arena and threw them at me. “Get dressed. We have a flight to catch.”

            The sound of the heart monitor was so loud in my ears. It was like I couldn’t hear anything else. It was the only sound left in the whole world. Any moment now my heart would tear straight through my ribs and flop onto the floor. Vomit crawled up the back of my throat and my fingers trembled as I tried to separate out the clothes clutched against my chest.

            “My God, you’re so stupid, Morgan,” Sammy spat as he yanked the clothes from my fingers. Fabric tore as he found the shirt and shorts. “Here. Now get dressed.”

            I watched him take a step backward, and for one brief moment thought that he was going to step outside or at least turn away. Even though I knew better. Even though I knew that there was nothing in Sammy Guevara that would afford me any sense of dignity. I was still stupid enough to have hope.

            “Don’t you dare,” Anna said from the floor. The linoleum squeaked as she pushed herself to her feet. “If you lay one finger on her I will personally rip your guts out.”

            Sammy turned toward Anna, a faint grin spreading over his face as he watched her struggle to regain her balance. A flash of worry burned through me. Had he given her a concussion, too?

            “I’m sick of you always being in our business, Jay.” He took a step toward her before he changed his mind. He shoved my shorts at me. “I thought I told you to get dressed.”

            I could feel my shoulders slump as my body curved in on itself in any attempt to make myself invisible. My fingers shook as I took the shorts from him and pulled them on under the hospital gown. A wave of nausea rolled through me. I clenched my teeth together to keep from puking. The world tilted around me.

            Vice-like fingers gripped my jaw. The pain momentarily jerked me back to reality. Sammy squeezed hard. I knew there would be bruises later.

            “Ahem,” Anna cleared her throat from the doorway. Without either of us knowing, she had slipped away and gotten a nurse. And hospital security.

            Sammy’s face blurred with something between rage and resignation. As if he could sense that there were others behind him besides Anna. Something brutal slipped into his eyes before he turned around.

            “Excuse me, sir, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” the security officer said. I glanced up and fought the urge to cry in gratitude. “Please come with me.”

            Sammy’s voice took on that quality he had when he was trying to make himself look good. “I’m sorry? I’m just here to pick up my girlfriend. She’s being discharged.”

            The nurse crossed her arms and stared him down like she had no fear. “No, she isn’t. She’s staying for several days for observation.”

            I felt the anger as Sammy’s muscles tightened in rage. He hated being challenged, much less by a woman. “I was told she was being discharged. Just a bump on the head.”

            The security officer stepped forward, placing himself square in front of Anna and the nurse. “This is your final warning, sir. Come with me or we will call the police.”

            “Of course,” Sammy said, his voice dripping with false sweetness. He turned back toward me and cradled his hand behind my head, leaning down as if he were going to give me a kiss. His fingers tightened against the spot where he’d cracked my head against the wall. There was venom in his voice when he spoke, low enough the others couldn’t hear. “When you leave here, we’ll have a talk about your behavior, Morgan.”

***

            “Why is it so hard to find a hospital?” Bryan swore from behind the wheel of his rental car. Moxley sat in the passenger seat, head back and eyes closed. “You’re a shit navigator, Jon.”

            Moxley chuckled but didn’t look over. “This thing has a GPS in it. You know that, right?”

            “Fuck off.” The words came out with a razor’s edge of frustration, even if they were a little affectionate. Bryan had a sense of dread in his chest. It had taken them forever to get Doc Sampson to tell him what hospital they’d taken Morgan to. In the end, it had been Bryan basically breaking down about the guilt he felt that convinced the head of AEW medical to spill the location.

            “It’s right there,” Moxley said, pointing in front of them even without opening his eyes. “Next left.”

            Bryan hit the steering wheel with the heel of his hand. “You know where we were going the whole time?”

            “You needed time to cool off. Otherwise, they would have thrown you out.” Moxley stretched out as far as he could in the cramped front seat, reaching out to crack his knuckles. “Now. You’re going to behave in there. And if that little shit is in there, we’re going to say hi to Morgan and turn right back around—”

            “Like hell we are!” Bryan shouted at his friend.

            “—and plan his murder,” Moxley finished, his brow heavy with a hateful frown. “If Tony lets me in the ring with that motherfucker, I’m going to break his neck. Not like Edge neck but break it so he can’t ever walk again. In a wheelchair being spoon fed by an ugly Russian guy for the rest of his life. No coming back from it broken.”

            As they got out of the car and walked toward the entrance of the hospital, Bryan slapped him hard on the shoulder. “I really do like the way you think.”

***

            Anna stretched out on her side in the hospital bed beside me. The nurse had been furious when she’d learned what had happened with Sammy. She’d checked Anna for a concussion or any other injury and then gave me something to calm my nerves. A little while later, the security guard came back and told me that Sammy had been barred from the building.

            “I wish I could make this go away,” Anna said quietly. She reached out and touched the curve of my jaw where Sammy’s fingers had left vivid red marks. I saw her eyes flick up to my hairline, where a series of scars were hidden by my hair. “I wish I could make him go away.”

            It felt like the world was moving slowly. I blinked and it seemed like I’d fallen asleep for years. “He’ll never go away,” I slurred. “It’s going to be like this until he kills me.”

            My head felt heavy and thick. It was so hard to think. “Soon,” I whispered as something like sleep started descending over me. “It’ll happen soon.”

***

            Moxley got to the door first. As furious as he was with Guevara, he knew that Bryan was thermonuclear. It was in both of their best interest for him to be the one to do the recon work to ensure that neither of them ended up in jail. He knocked softly resting his shoulder on the wall beside the door. He stood where he could see inside, ready to block Bryan from jumping Guevara the first chance he had.

            He let out a heavy breath when Anna Jay was the one to answer the door. “What do you think you’re doing here?” she asked incredulously, her voice a low hiss.

            Bryan appeared by Moxley’s shoulder and leveled a look at Anna. Anna stepped aside.

_______________________________________________

Tag List

@spaghetti-hoop

@wardlowsbabydoll

@unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin

[not-wholly-unheroic]

15 and 16?

It took me awhile to think about how I wanted to answer these because they’re pretty deep questions.

(Content warning: Mentions of violence/torture, though nothing super graphic.)

15. Worst thing they’ve ever done

Okay, don’t kill me for this one but…as much as I love Hook, even Disney’s Hook has done some TERRIBLE things. We may not see it all play out on-screen, but within minutes of his first appearance, when Hook is contemplating how to get Tiger Lily to give up Peter’s hideout, he mentions some pretty gruesome possibilities—“boiling in oil…keelhauling…marooning!” If you’ve ever been burned by hot cooking oil, you can imagine how bad BOILING in it might be. As for keelhauling…it involved basically tying a person to ropes and dragging them under the bottom of the ship so that they would scrape against any sharp barnacles there, slicing open their skin. A person who was keelhauled might eventually die from blood loss or infection, assuming they didn’t drown first. A marooned person might starve to death or die of thirst if the little spot of sand they were dropped off on didn’t have much in the way of food or fresh water. And Hook is talking about doing these things to A CHILD. Presumably, if he’s considering such things, he has likely done something similar before. And then, of course, we DO actively see him trying to leave Tiger Lily to drown in the first film and tying Peter to an anchor to be sunk to the bottom of the sea in the sequel. Considering all of that, I suspect Hook has done many terrible things in his past and probably got creative with his torture methods. One of the worst I’ve heard of in legend (and one appropriate for someone with a flying nemesis) is the Blood Eagle of Norse mythology. I won’t describe it here because it’s pretty bad. But you can look it up for yourself. I wouldn’t put it past Hook to do something like that in his villain days…

16. Deepest, darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves

This one depends on where we are in his story. Pre-redemption arc, I think the biggest thing he wouldn’t admit to himself was likely how much he actually NEEDED Peter to give his life a purpose and meaning. If he had actually ever managed to kill Peter…then what? If it happened before Tink dusted the ship, they might not even be able to leave the island. It would likely be more peaceful but I have a feeling the crew would have gotten extremely restless. And even if they COULD leave the island…after a certain point, they would no longer have a place in society. Pirates on wooden ships don’t belong in Wendy’s world. They’re a relic. A bedtime story. Nothing more. A modern ship of the time could have taken them out easily. He would have been happy for awhile but with no real friends or family aside from Smee and nowhere to go…his life would have still been miserable without Pan and he’d have even less of a reason to get up in the morning.

Post-redemption arc, I think the thing he doesn’t want to voice aloud but which really gets to him is the fact that he still struggles with his “old self.” He’d love to say that villain in him is dead and he’s a totally new man, but it doesn’t entirely work that way. The “old self” is still there, dormant but still lurking in the darkest parts of his heart and mind. And what legitimately scares him the most is the question, “What if the better me is just a fraud? What if the REAL me IS that man and I’m just lying to everyone…including myself…that I can be a better man?”

[paperglader]

Just watched the last episode of yellowjackets (2x07).

That shit needed a trigger warning. It was the most fucked up ending by far imo. I don’t know what it was that was so much more disturbing than the other ones. Cause this is the show about cannibalism, I am aware of that. I’m still pretty shocked.

That shit got GRAPHIC. The acting was insane. Courtney and Sophie fucking killed it. Legitimately, I felt sick to my stomach. I’m just- I don’t even know what I’m saying.

Lottie’s fucking doe eyes as she told shauna to let go, her reaching for shauna whilst she was laying BLEEDING on the floor. Shauna fucking rolling her eyes at her. No one doing anything??? That shit was insane. It went on for SO long. That shit was not ok.

[ageless-aislynn]

(Trigger warning for blood and violence)

[thebearthatreads]

Wednesday Prompt Smash: Severed

A/N: Please be advised the following Wednesday Prompt Smash piece is not indicative of my usual writing style and may be upsetting or disturbing for some readers. I’ve provided a list of trigger warnings and tried to allow plenty of space between them and the piece, there may be other triggers I’ve missed if so please let me know and I will add them to the list. Trigger Warnings: Abduction,…

[feralkumiho]

"I got rid of the assassin who was pursuing you. He would have slit your throat, if given the chance." Layla informed her comrade. "I did what I had to in order to keep your hands clean. Time is short; you can thank me later." She pulled a backpack full of stolen artifacts over her shoulders, and headed out the front door. "Everything we need to complete the summoning ritual is in my bag. I'll find my brother, and get out of this Godforsaken place. And then... I'll repay you for your trouble."

[maelihi]

tw abuse/imp rape

laur and gene both have crap mental health so they fight a lot. laurance would cry and scream because he just wants love and gene would hit things (and laur a few time) when he was angry. he most defiently also took advantage of the fact laurance has attcchment issues to get him to do things he normally wouldnt want to

!!TW!!

this is also a big reason. gene is known for being a massive cuck, and he is the type, i feel, to hit things, be overly sensitive, and to take things that perhaps laurence didn’t want to give away,

[asherisawkward]

How come there is little gay representation but many lesbian representation most of the gays are background characters while lesbians usually are the main characters? Is there a bias?

I think there is a bit of a bias about this stuff. And in some ways, a lot about this is sexualized by people who are not members of the community, i.e. straight men thinking lesbians are hot and straight women thinking gay men are attractive. And some of that prevents genuine representation from being noticed or taken seriously.

One show for gay representation that I’d suggest is a show called “Heartstopper.” My sister watches it and likes it a lot. It’s a slice of life style show that focuses on a couple of students in England and their experiences in high school. Trigger warnings for toxic relationships and eating disorders.

For a Webtoon, I’d suggest “Covenant.” It’s a high action and fantasy story involving angels, demons, and servants of the former attempting to protect the mortal world from total obliteration. The main character ends up with a male love interest. Trigger warnings for violence, gore, and nonhuman nudity. (Demons don’t generally wear clothes, but they don’t have genitalia or n*pples.)

[washingmachinegirly]

Final Shift

26 JUNE 2013

Work at Disney World they said. It’ll be magical they said. At first, I was against the idea because I hate kids, but then I was offered a nightguard position. Though being alone at night can be scary, I figured that Disney World, the happiest place in the world, couldn’t be that scary. The man that hired me assured me that this would be a safe, easy job and that my only worries would be some teens trying to sneak in once in a while and the wildlife of Orlando, Florida. What he forgot to mention, was that between the hours of 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM the empty mascot costumes GAINED SENTIENCE AND ROAMED THE PARK. REALLY, WHO FORGETS TO MENTION THAT? Not only is it scary to see hollow suits slump around the parks, but they’re also H O S T I L E!

In my first few nights, nothing really happened. I would find some of the suits ‘misplaced’, and I would simply just report them on my log and let the morning management take care of them. Late into my first week is when I realized what was actually happening. On my fifth night, Goofy finally decided to lay a hand on me. I swear the dog tried to take a bite out of me. I spent the rest of that night running and hiding from him. Luckily, the damn mutt can’t seem to hold back his laughter, so it was pretty easy to figure out where he was. 

A month later, I’m still working at this damn place and it hasn’t gotten any better. Better yet, it’s gotten worse. TEN TIMES WORSE! After Goofy, Donald tried to take me out multiple times, and now they’re both after me. Once in a while, Chip and Dale will come after me, though they’re less hostile and they usually are just a pain in my ass. On days when I’m exceptionally unlucky, Mickey will try to get his paws on me. I’ve never let him get his hands on me, but it’s hard as hell because he’s the quietest out of all the mascots. 

Tonight is another night where Mickey is trying to get his teeth into me. That’s why I’m filming this voice memo for anyone who may find it. I’ve been running and hiding all night, and quite frankly, I don’t think I’ll make it through tonight. I don’t quite know what I want to achieve through this recording, but I’m hoping it’ll help someone, whether it be the next nightguard or a good legal team. As I speak to you tonight, I stand in It’s a Small World in hopes of the louder attraction hiding the noise I’m making. I lost Mickey around the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but I know he’ll find me soon. He always does. Walking around the anamatronic dolls, I get a cold chill down my spine. Something seems up with these dolls, but they aren’t hollow suits, so they can’t be that dangerous, right? 

I hope the higher ups don’t find this recording, because they’ll surely delete it. I always knew Disney hid things all the time and that they were damn good at it, but I had no idea they were hiding something so strange. I mean, what even makes the suits sentient? Once, Goofy got real close to me, and I noticed there was nothing in the suit. Not a thing. So whatever was is happening is happening to the suit itself. The only idea I can come up with is some sort of possession. I heard from word of mouth about a lawsuit in 1976. Apparently, higher ups in Disney World were luring kids to the secret tunnels under the park in order to-

CLUNK

Ughh..

THUMP

Garsh, that seemed like a hard-hit pal. Hyuk!

[stubbornwarlock]

"Yes. I set fire to the Steiner twins' home. What of it?" Chris grumbled out, lighting a cigarette with a small flame he'd conjured on his fingertip. "If you're here to berate me, don't. Keep your mouth shut." He chuckled deviously at the thought of the Werewolves scrambling to make it to safety. "They were both easy targets. So was Danny Mahealani." The Warlock had resorted to using blood magic and performing sacrificial rituals, but he'd only murdered one person so far. Raw power coursed through his veins, just itching to be used. He once pitied his ex girlfriend Violet for turning to the dark arts. He'd been weak then, and he didn't understand how good it felt to harm others. "If you keep hanging around me, I'll corrupt you." He took a long drag off the cancer stick. "We could be like Bonnie and Clyde."

[crawlingdrawing]

Master post to the X-men evolution fan comic The cage

When a mission to find missing mutants goes awry, Nightcrawler ends up separated from the X-men and trapped in the private freak show of one Amos Jardine.

Inspired by Nightcrawler (2004), and Weapon by Name by CNWrites. Takes place after season 4 of X-men Evolution.

Cover

Chapter One: Part One, Part Two

Chapter Two: Part One, Part Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six: Part One, Part Two

Chapter Seven: Part One, Part Two

Chapter Eight: Part One, Part Two

Chapter Nine: Part One, Part Two, Part Three

TW: kidnapping, torture (off-screen), dehumanization, misgendering

[girlgotattitude448]

I don’t usually post personal things here, but I need to empty my brain after the past 24 hours.

Last night and today, my university community experienced a mass shooting that left three students dead and two more injured.

Our community has experienced so much violence in recent years, and each time, old wounds are reopened on top of new ones.

Personally, this is the first time I have been affected by this violence, albeit indirectly. I am still reeling, as I’m sure everyone else in my community is as well. I stayed up until 5 am waiting for any news, until I could barely keep my eyes open. While my university was under a shelter in place order for 12 hours, students barricaded themselves in buildings across campus, fearing for their lives. I was luckily at home in my apartment when we first received the emergency alerts, so my fear felt more removed but nonetheless still real.

I’m writing this on Tumblr because I’ve always appreciated the community and safe space it’s provided me over the years, and I didn’t want to disrupt the grieving process of fellow community members on other social platforms. I also needed a place to express my thoughts and feelings away from the eyes of others, a feeling of anonymity if you will.

That being said, I feel so guilty for feeling awful when other people are grieving the deaths of their children, their friends, their classmates, and their students. I know this is survivor’s guilt, but am I a survivor? Last night, I spent hours glued to my phone, sending out texts and waiting for more information on the suspect who had yet to be apprehended. During all of this, I still felt somewhat safe. And I feel ashamed for saying that when so many people didn’t. I was still able to sleep for 5 hours when others didn’t sleep at all. I woke up and had breakfast and watched a movie with my roommate. As soon as we finished, I was back to my phone retweeting updates and resources as I could not stop thinking about the violence that had visited my community yet again.

I responded to so many text from family and friends. I called my parents. I took a nap. I laid on the floor. I cried as I read the messages and stories shared online. I literally could not make my mind think about anything else. I cried some more. I watched another movie, and the brief suspension of reality was somehow worse than the first time I tried to distract myself. As I lay awake in bed, I’m once again thinking about my community and the lives we lost. I’m still incredibly devastated and feeling and processing and I don’t know if what I’m feeling has words to describe it. But also, I’m now so angry.

I’m angry that I live in a country where mass shootings, especially at schools, is commonplace, where guns are a right. I’m so fucking pissed that I can’t get away from the many posts about who is winning what race in the midterm elections when so many politicians are unwilling to do what it takes to pass comprehensive gun reform laws and to protect us. I’m also mad that I’ll see family and friends again who will think that I’m okay, recovered and continue their lives, voting for people who do not care about gun reform. Friends and family who are all too willing to help normalize this mass violence.

I know this post is nonsensical as I get my thoughts out, but I felt compelled to write it as my school and community disappear from the headlines, the trending lists, and your current thoughts.

We have so much grieving ahead of us. So much work to be done. But I’m still hopeful. If doomscrolling today has taught me one thing, it’s that my community is resilient. Even though we shouldn’t have to be, we are strong and resilient and we will take care of each other in the coming days, weeks, months. However long it takes.

I also wanted to take the time to thank my support circle and my peers. You all are what’s gotten me through this past day and what will continue to get me through the rest of this semester.

As a student journalist, I’m also so grateful for my fellow student and local journalists who continued to provide the university community with crucial updates even as they experienced this tragedy with us. I understand people’s frustrations with news media, but these journalists in the past day have done such important work and they should not be hated for it. While national outlets flooded our town, intruding upon our lives (even publishing an article that recapped tragic events in our community from recent years), local journalists told our stories with care, as only people also experiencing this violence could. I have always admired the work of reporters, and while there are always frustrations and problems with covering mass shootings like this, I’m thankful for our local journalists today.

As the media outlets disperse, onto the next tragedy to fill their 24 hour news cycles, and as we disappear from the trending lists, know that we’re still here, grieving and processing in their wake. It’s unreal to me how my feeds are slowly starting to fill back up with the usual content. People, some of whom I know, have posted their requisite sympathy posts and are returning to their regularly scheduled content. I can’t really say much against this since I’ve likely been in this position during previous tragedies (and it’s awful that this is far from the first).

But a recent post really hit home for me: they really don’t tell you what it’s like as the world moves on around you. How has our school and town disappeared from trending pages? How can you post anything normal? How does the world keep going when ours has frozen? I don’t know. I really don’t know.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read. I love my community and I’m so proud of my peers for coming together during this time. I know we will persevere, but the road ahead is long and the destination fogged.

Take care of each other. 🧡💙

[feralkumiho]

Layla hurried to the window of her prison cell and pressed her head against it, listening. She'd been drained of her powers as a Warlock had beat her-- and figured out how to use her abilities against her. "Minho, if you're out there... come find me. I need you." It was futile to pray for her older sibling's aid, but she held onto that sliver of hope like a lifeline. Suddenly, the guards were in an uproar. They shouted and sprinted towards the entrance of the Hellish place, where an unlikely ally picked them off one by one.

@thelastoftheuchiha

[thecorvidforest]

Today (May 5th) is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness day.

Native American folks continue to have very high rates of homicide and violence against them. Murder is the 3rd-leading cause of death for Native girls and women. More than 4 in 5 Native American people have experienced violence in their lifetimes, more than 90% of these from non-Native perpetrators. Most of these have not seen justice.

I want to uplift some events near me, and I would encourage fellow non-Native folks to look into the Native American communities in your area to find education, events, and fundraisers.

On May 6th, the MMIP Central Oklahoma Chapter is hosting a memorial walk and relevant speakers at the state capitol.

On May 10th, the CPN House of Hope is hosting a remembrance walk in Shawnee, OK.

On May 11th, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is hosting a community 5k/1 mile run in Antlers, OK with Choctaw vendor booths.

Here is a list of some other events for MMIP across the nation.