[fic] State of Mind - Chapter Nine
Ward’s limbs were heavy and refused to move as he crouched frozen on the banks of the river. He shivered uncontrollably as he warily looked around for some kind of exit, any source of immediate escape and safety, a way out.
<’Hello again, runt.’> The voice hissed from the forest, <’I’ve come for my dinner.’>
The Edward backed up further until the river blocked any more retreat. He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid as to stray this far upstream. He knew the homunculus was around here, yet he’d still kept wandering. Stupid, stupid! He flattened his ears and bared his teeth at the predator. He needed to get out and away, even Ward knew he wasn’t strong enough to take on the Envy, even with his new clap technique.
Eyes narrowed to slits as Envy casually strolled out of the forest towards him, confidence in every step. Ward tensed tighter and tighter with every second as he waited for that one chance to make his escape. He needed to get a head start and maybe he could make it to safety - or help. He gnashed his teeth at that thought, he wanted to make it on his own and it frustrated him that he needed help again.
<’You look so tasty, I will like you squirming in my mouth.’> Envy grinned widely, sharp teeth glimmering. <’With blood everywhere.’>
Ward shuddered but remained silent. He didn’t want to get distracted by words. There was something about the Envy that made his hair stand on end. The smooth way he talked as his eyes glimmered coldly made him want to scream and roll up into a ball. The sharp teeth and liquid movements yelled of a kind of danger Ward could not defend against. His instincts were clambering in the back of his head that this was big, bigger and that he should run away until he was bigger and could stand.
<’Oh? So silent? Homunculus got your tongue?’> the taller chuckled as they raised sharp claws. <’I will make you scream so loud…’>
Envy lunged and Ward moved. He ducked down as low as he could, thankful for his short stature for the one and only time in his life. He pushed forward and shot off. Somewhere in this direction were the Mustang’s lands. The Mustang worried him but the Envy scared him too much to fear. The Envy didn’t just threaten, he wanted to eat the Elric and he wanted to eat him now. Many scenarios of dead and bleeding rabbits that twitched and gasped with death ran through his head and he shuddered at the thought of being in that position.
His heart pounded in his ears as he made a sharp turn towards the river. The pack was across the river, he needed to get across and quickly. Panting as he loped through it, he fought to move against the water as it threatened to slow him down. He made the mistake of casting a quick glance behind. Envy was rushing out towards him, long hair whipping sharply against his face and elongated claws clicking against the ground.
<’Oi runt! Not so fast! I don’t want indigestion.’> The mocking call followed Ward clambered his way out the other side and broke into a full sprint. His lungs laboured hard as he ran blindly, hoping against everything that that crazy bastard or his pack would hear him. Stumbling as he slid his way down a hill, he risked another glance. Sharp claws and teeth were gaining on him and fear gave him an extra burst of speed as he shot through the undergrowth.
<’Damn iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.’> he snarled. Envy was still gaining on him and the Edward was quickly running out of stamina. Fatigue had black spots showing in his eyes as he stumbled around another tree. He managed to right himself only to be knocked down as the homunculus’s hard and heavy body slammed into his side, knocking him right off his feet. Rolling with the blow, he struggled on slower than before. The Envy matched his pace, constantly taunting him with the ways he would be eaten. A cold shudder crawled its way up his spine.
<’I will strip the flesh from your bones. I will crunch your fingers so nicely.’> Teeth gnashed in anticipation as Ward staggered on, fighting against exhaustion. Where was help? He needed help! There, a noise. Someone was marching towards him and the Elric felt himself relax as Sting stepped firmly into view. The Mustang’s face was dark with rage and teeth clenched in a grimace. A growl resonated through the forest as fingers raised and snapped.
<’ENVY!’> The roar followed a burst of flames. <’This is MY territory,’> snarled the pack leader, <’This is MY [subordinate]!’> Another snap and flames shot between the trees. Heavy smells of smoke and burnt wood choked up Ward’s lungs as he edged out of the path between the two greater and experienced predators. He hacked and coughed his way over to a larger tree and slid down, the panic slightly ebbing. It might be time for him to take up the Mustang’s offer…just until he could stand on his own.
Spitting to get the taste of ash out of his mouth, he watched the fight cautiously. It was quickly being obscured by the smoke, but he could see flashes of Envy leaping too fast and Sting twisting out of the way just in time. There were snaps and clicks followed by sparks of light and booms. All around, it was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. Not that he’d tell the bastard that. Ever. He pushed himself more firmly into the rough bark and watched the fight intently. He could learn this. He wanted to be out there dodging and making explosions. The noise numbed his ears, but it felt so right.
Movement out of the corner of his eye and Ward twisted quickly, ready for any new threat.
It was Fons.
With Flash and a newcomer. Probably the Havoc. He relaxed as much as he could again. Fons was safety and Flash was security. He dismissed the Havoc from mind, now wasn’t the time to worry about strangers. As long as there were many around, he had safety in numbers.
<’Ward…’> The Heiderich hissed softly as he daintily edged his way over, wide eyes never leaving the explosions in front of him, <’We have to go.’>
Fons tugged at his pelts urgently, shifting from foot to foot as the Elric frowned back up at him. <’Not yet.’> he murmured back, <’I wanna watch what’s happening.’> He reluctantly admitted to himself that he wanted to make sure the bastard would be fine - that and he really wanted to learn to dodge like that. Maybe if he hung around and provoked Sting into fights, he could learn that way…
The four clustered together as they watched the fight anxiously. It was hard to tell who may be winning or losing as most of the detail was lost in the dust and smoke.
A sudden and sharp noise shot through the air and everything froze into silence. Birds were quiet and nothing moved but for the leaves in the tree as Ward shifted his head quickly side to side, trying to work out the source of the loud noise. Was it another on the Sting’s tricks? What happened? The other three had gone completely still, the Heiderich frozen with eyes wide and the two gunbu crouched low with panicked looks and mutters. Flash had taken some uncertain steps forward before freezing again.
The smoke and dust were settling now with the lack of movement, showing the Mustang standing over the Envy. He is trembling slightly, his face twisted as he stares down at the Homunculus. Envy is twitching and twisting silently on the ground and Ward feels a chill run up his back. In the centre of his head is a perfect hole that blood is trickling out of. Shuffling forward, the Edward shrugs off the Alfons’s hand and rushed whisper to stay still. Something had happened to the Envy and it wasn’t Sting, who was shaking his head and looking around wildly with his teeth bared and that growl growing. Something else had stuck a hole in Envy’s head and made him go still and twitching on the ground, eyes glazed to the world.
Holding his breath, the Elric stepped past the frozen gunbu and slowly made his way over to the alert and tense Mustang. Raised hair on his neck and a sense of wrongness had Ward pick his way around the rubble from the fight with eyes flitting over everything. There was something out there, something that had stopped the dangerous homunculi in his tracks and taken his life with no more than a bang. He came to the side of Sting and looked in the direction he was staring so intently. The Edward didn’t see anything, didn’t know what to look for, didn’t know what had Sting so spooked.
<’What is it?’> he murmured quietly, tugging at the other’s pelts for attention.
Starting slightly, darker eyes flicked down to look at him before flicking back to the forest.
<’It’s-“>
The Mustang never got to finish the sentence as another bang broke the silence and chaos broke out.
= = =
Poaching in National Park, worries for endangered species
With the opening of the hunting season, fears of poaching in the Amestris National Park have increased greatly. Government cuts to the funding of the park has reduced ranger presence in ensuring that hunters remain out of the park. With fewer rangers present, the park has difficulties regulating the hunting near the sanctuary areas.
The Park Manager, Miss Fowell, explains her concerns about the close proximity of the poaching, “We recently gained an endangered Edward in our park and he has been observed to be courting our Alfons. We are worried that nearby poaching and deaths of other subhominids will frighten the Edward away from our Park.”
Other concerns presented by animal liberationists include the fears of illegal Elric poaching for the black market. As an Edward trophy brings a nice price, they are concerned that people will actively bait or shoot the Elric on the borders of the Park.
If you see any suspicious activity around the National Park, it is requested that you phone 1800-A-poach with everything you witnessed.
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