Whumpril: Day 12

Whumpril: Day 12

Fandom: The Owl House

Summary: What happens with Hunter after Hollow Mind.

    Hunter ran. Belos would be looking for him now. After everything he just learned there was no way that his uncle would leave a loose end like him alive. Flapjack flew after him. Tears ran down the grimwalker's face. He couldn't really see where he was going.

    The boy knew his creator was a terrible person, but he thought it was in the best interest of the isles. Hunter never would have thought that he was trying to kill everyone.

    Hunter was a clone of Philips brother.  He was made to blindly serve by his side and to eventually die, realizing the peace he had worked for his whole life, that everything he had gone through, would be for nothing. The cruel man had killed every other grimwalker and Hunter would be no exception. 

    Flapjack finally caught up to his owner and started tweeting loudly. Hunter stopped to catch his breath. Behind him Darius grabbed him.

    "No! Get off from me!" Hunter kicked and screamed. The sheer amount of fear in the boy's voice broke the coven head's heart. "Get off from me!"

    "Kid! It's me!" Darius let go of the guard.

    Tears ran down Hunter's face. Flapjack's staff appeared in his hands. "Get away from me!"

    Darius threw his hands into the air. "Alright."

    Eberwolf and Raine emerged from the forest. Hunter swiftly turned towards them, "stay there!" Both stopped.

    "Kid, we aren't going to hurt you." Hunter turned his attention back to Darius. "We aren't here by Belos's order."

    After a moment Hunter put down his staff. He walked over to his father. Darius reached his arms out to comfort him. The kid grabbed him and sank to the ground.

    Raine and Eberwolf stayed near the edge of the forest in case any coven scouts came to look for Hunter.

    Darius, though not very fond of being on the dirty ground, stayed there as long as Hunter needed him to. The two talked very little about what happened. Then Hunter had to go. The two went their ways. Hunter went to Hexside and Darius returned to the castle. They would just have to see what happened next.

Whumpril Day 21: Scars/Fracture

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: Obi-wan and Maul see each other again. It wouldn't end well.

  Obi-wan knew he couldn't outrun Maul forever. Anger was hard to hide from. Now the Jedi ran through the woods; his robes catching on briers. He tripped over a tree root and fell.

    Kenobi's ankle had gotten stuck under the roof. Panicked he pulled at it but it wouldn't budge. "No, no, no" he whispered. With the frantic pulling he broke his ankle, but it was free. He yelled from the pain.

    Maul closed in. Obi-wan tried to stand but fell back to the ground. Tears flowed down his face. He was tired.

    When Maul arrived, Obi-wan readied himself to try to fight. As much as he wanted to just give up, to just stop fighting, he wouldn't; he couldn't.

    "This should be fun" Maul hissed. Obi-wan didn't get a chance to fight back. Maul held him down with the force. He laid there in the dark woods as the Zabrak tore at his skin. He didn't use his lightsaber or a knife; but instead his talents.

    Kenobi was helpless. Never before had he felt so much physical pain. He wished for it to be over. Death would be kinder to him and when Maul left his body in the woods the animals would treat him better.

    Anakin had sensed his brother's panic and had already been looking for him when the sudden rush of pain flooded his mind. Now he ran faster then he thought he could. He couldn't let Obi-wan down.

    As time passes Anakin could feel the hopelessness spread in his masters mind. Horse screaming came into earshot and the man used that to locate the other. He skidded to a stop and drew his lightsaber, "hey Maul!"

    Darth Maul removed his talents from Obi-wan's skin and stood. "Hello Skywalker."

    Anakin rushed Maul. The two's lightsabers clashed. Obi-wan tried to move but pain kept him in place. The younger of the Jedi position himself between the enemies. In the end Maul would be forced to retreat.

    "Obi-wan" Anakin swiftly moved over from the injured jedi. Obi-wan tried to give an answer but couldn't. Then the world went black.

    It had been a few months since this had happened. The scars that littered his body terrified him. Obi-wan couldn't look in the mirror much anymore. Basic things like changing and showering was difficult when he avoided looking at himself. He grew slightly distant from his loved ones. In his eyes the scars made him unattractive and revolting.

    Cody had the combination too Obi-wan's door. It may have been early morning but his general was always up already so he just wanted to make sure he was okay. At this point neither of them saw a point in the commander knocking so he didn't.

    The door slid open. Inside Obi-wan sat at the end of his bed, still in a pair of Cody's blacks in which he wore to sleep. "Hey, are you okay? You're normal up already."

    "Yeah" Obi-wan answered coldly.

    Cody walked over to the bed and sat beside him. "What's going on?"

    After a little bit of dancing around the problem, Obi-wan finally opened up. "I just don't like looking at them."

    Cody looked puzzled.

    "The scars, Cody" Obi-wan sighed."I feel disgusting. I hate them."

    Cody moved his hands to grasp the others, "But you survived and those scars prove it. They tell a story of a strong man who lived. Scars or not, you have always been beautiful." Cody cuffed his lover's face, "okay?"

    Obi-wan paused. "I'll try to see it that way. You always know just what to say."

    "Thanks. Now, you get dressed and we'll go get some breakfast?"

    "Okay." After a moment to mentally prepare himself, the Jedi would undress and then dress for the day. The two would head down for breakfast and then go about their day. For the first time that night Obi-wan showered with the lights on. If Cody could still love him, even with every scar, then maybe he could find a way to love himself again the way he once had. For the first time in a while Obi-wan knew everything was going to be okay.

Whumpril Day 5: Defiance/Dragged/Stifled Scream

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Note: Later parts of season 2 explain the context.

Summary: Crosshair's down with the empire and their experiments.

  Crosshair hated his cell, he hated the doctors, and he hated himself. After all it was his fault he was here. They should have killed him for what he did to that baster of a lieutenant. But no, now he lived in misery.

    Two stormtroopers stood in front of the cell door and after a few seconds they entered. Instead of just getting up to go with them, this time Crosshair decided he was done being compliant. Even if this killed him, he didn't care anymore.

    The clone sat down and stared at the two "What?" He snarled. The troopers looked at each other then shrugged and grabbed him. Crosshair probably should have expected that. He fought back. It hurt but nothing physically hurt more than that damn droid. He kicked at the others feet and thrashed to get out of their grip.

    When they got him to the door he tried to stand so he could fight them better. Almost escaping the left bucket head slammed his gun over Crosshair's head. He fell and the troopers put a pair of handcuffs on him.

    This time the clone didn't fight. He didn't comply either. Instead he just let them drag him. Every now and again he would try to pull his arm to his side but it never worked.

    Crosshair was thrown into the room he hated the most. If he ever had it his way he would blow up this Kriff forsaken facility. Not only for himself but for his imprisoned brothers as well. Why he cared for the regs, the clone didn't know.

    Hemlock entered the room with Emory close behind. "I see you're being defiant again? Bad decision really."

     Crosshair looked over at the man. The hum of the imperial prob came into earshot and Crosshair attempted to stay calm. As the prob got closer he started to panic.

    The droids needle stabbed into his flesh. A cold, poisonous liquid was released into Crosshair's body. It hurt, it hurt like hell. The dose had been increased to show the clone why he better comply. Imperial property can't be fighting against the very thing that owns it after all. 

    The pain took over his body. Screams started to escape Crosshair's mouth but he tried to stop them. Showing the pain he was in would only satisfy the mad scientist. Muffling a scream tears ran from his eyes.

    Hemlock smiled. He was wining; Crosshair was breaking. A while later the torture would end and Crosshair would be dragged back to his cell.

    The other clones on the hall began fighting as well soon after seeing Crosshair defy. Maybe there was hope for them after all. They followed in their brother's footsteps by refusing to leave their cells or by denying Hemlock the pleasure of seeing them express their pain. As irritating as it was the scientist was impressed.

    Time passed and the clones never backed down. They were created to fight so why not fight? If they got dragged down to hell because of it they would go with a smile, waiting to see their lost brothers. That was an ending they could live with.

Whumpril Day 18: Escape Attempt

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: Caleb, two of his men, and Depa are captured. Caleb wants to find a way out.

Caleb paced around the cell. Two of his men, his master and him had been captured. Now he needed to get them out. Thinking of possible escape tactics he sat down in the middle of the room. Maybe a little mediation would help? That's what Depa would tell him to do.

    The child crossed his his legs and closed his eyes. Breathing calmly helped to make him focus. After a moment Caleb got frustrated and stood. He looked at the door. Parts of the wall connected the entrance to the hall. He could hide behind that. The only problem was which side would he need to do this on? If he was wrong his only plan would be foiled.

    "That's what the force is for" he whispered to himself. For a moment he debated just trying to remove the door with the force but a stealth approach would be better.

    Sitting back in the middle of the room, Caleb waited. It wasn't easy but he did it. Time passed and he would stand to the right side of the door. The droids would open it and he would slip right out. While in the movent of leaving he pulled the key card to him.

    Closing it behind them he ran to find his lightsaber. Trying to break the others out without a weapon was stupid. Skidding to a stop Caleb found the door to the room he needed. He hit some buttons and it opened.

    Quickly he grabbed his lightsaber and his masters. He reopened the door and left the room to find his mother and men.

    Caleb slid past the door and fell to the floor. He chuckled to himself and stood up, dusting himself off to feel a little better about his trip up.

    Opening the door with the stolen key card Caleb greeted Dogwood first. "Hey" he said casually.

    "Commander?"

    "Let's get out of here." The two moved through the cellblock and grabbed Blue on their way. Last but not least was Depa's cell.

    Caleb slid the key card into the transmitter. The door opened. Inside Depa laid on her side, injuries scattered across her body. "Mom" Caleb let the truth escape his mouth. He ran to her side. "Are you okay?"

    The women slightly looked towards him. "Caleb?" She whispered.

    "Yeah. Dogwood, grab her. We need to go."

    The four made their way though the facility, grabbing guns for the two clones as they went. Though it went unnoticed Depa slipped unconscious.

    They were already having trouble so when a big group of droids entered the hall Caleb started to think of ways to get the others out, even if it meant he didn't. It didn't take him long to figure out his next move. "Dogwood, Blue, get her out of here! I'll be right behind you!"

    The two men looked at each other then to the boy in front of them. "We aren't gonna leave you here kid!" Blue yelled.

    A door rested open right behind the group. Turning slightly around Caleb faced the others. "You don't have a choice." He said it slowly with hits of sadness in his voice. Pulling his unoccupied arm up he force pushed the others though the door and closed it.

    The three fell to the floor. Depa stirred slightly. Blue stood up quicker than Dogwood. "Kid!" He hit the door. Dogwood stood and grabbed his general gently.

    Fighting through what felt like a fog, Depa opened her eyes. The sight sent fear deep into her heart. As Blue tried to open the door the three watched as  Caleb took his master's saber from hims belt and turned it on. Blue and green light lit up the dark hallway.

    "Blue" Dogwood paused, "we have to go."

    Blue knew he was right. He took one more look at his little commander and turned around. The two men started running through the halls.

    "Caleb, no wait" Depa whispered.

    "I know sir. It's going to be okay." Dogwood comforted her.

    The three escaped. Caleb, now cornered, fought until a bullet hit his right knee. He folded and desired it was time to surrender. The droids listened and took him back to his cell.

    Caleb knew what was waiting now. He already knew torture was inevitable. His future now he wasn't sure, then again he didn't really care. The people who he cared about were safe that's what he wanted. More than the war to end, more than becoming a Jedi Knight or master, more than life itself. All Caleb could do now was wait and see if his sacrifice truly saved them.

Whumpril Day 17: Cry For Help/Self Treatment/"I Can't Do This."

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Warnings: Spoilers for the last episode of season two, character injuries.

Note: If you want more from this story I will write it! Don't hesitate to let me know! No beta reader we die like Mayday

Summary: Tech survives the fall and now he's gotta live past just the fall.

    Tech had calculated the chances of surviving the well over 1,000 foot fall. They were less than 1% but he didn't care. There was no time and he needed his family to make it back alive. They all had bright futures ahead of them and they needed to bring Crosshair home. He didn't hesitate to shoot the remainder of the metal connecting the car. Then he fell. It took around 50 seconds.

    Then he woke up. Tech was in agonizing pain but he was alive. He heard voices around him. Then they were gone. The clone felt like he couldn't move. The slightest movement was simply too much pain to bear. However he needed to.

    Attempting to move his right arm he came to the conclusion he couldn't. The man moved his left fingers, then hand, then wrist. Screaming in pain he pushed himself slowly up to lean against the remainder of the rail car. If it had landed on him he would have been unrecognizable.

    Tears flower down his face and cough in lacerations.  The liquid mixed with blood. Tech forced his head up and looked at his body. His left leg was practically destroyed. His right was salvageable. The bones in his salvageable limbs had multiple breaks in them. Tech could already tell there were multiple breaks in his back as well. However they didn't affect his ability to move so none of them affected the spinal cord.

    Looking at his torso he was overwhelmed. It was hard to see through the blood. He was covered in larger and smaller gashes.

'I can't do this.' the thought flashed through his head. 'I can't do this. It's too much.' Tech's breathing was shaky and uneven. His vision was blurry from a mix of his injuries and the lack of his goggles.

    'You have to it. It is possible' the more logical thought took over his mind. Determination had to beat pain, it had to. His head and heart had to battle his body. 'For them.'

    Tech tugged at the top of his right pouch and opened it. His hissed and grabbed the little medical supplies inside. Looking over at the other legs pouch he decided it was worth a try.

    Nothing was usable from that side. All the supplies were demolished. That was the pouch that he kept little items to comfort his family with. A small, soft piece of fabric, as well as a pair of earplugs for Hunter, tooth picks for Crosshair, a small, 3-D puzzle for Wrecker, a pocket sized reg manual for Echo, and a small clone trooper doll for Omega. He also kept three hair ties; all black, just in case some one needed them.

Wrapping the largest and most threatening wound took a large amount of time and energy. By the end of it Tech was exhausted.

The sun was mostly gone at that point. He started to hear voices from somewhere around him. Unsure of what else to do Tech pushed himself to speak. "Help" he whispered, desperately.

No one heard him. "Help" Tech's voice broke as he spoke at his normal speaking level. He tried again and no real sound came out.

"Help!" He screamed. The voices grew closer. With all his strength Tech called out again, "help!"

A tall, blue Twi'lek walked over cautiously followed by a black Wookiee, a teenage, human boy, a; if Tech had to guess clone, and a rather short Rodian.

"Come on, we have to help him." The human child spoke. He walked beside the injured clone and kneeled down, "he'll die if we don't."

The Twi'lek looked over to the clone beside her, "do you recognize him? You look surprised."

"No, but I know someone's gonna be missing him. Grawarr, grab him." The Wookiee walked over and gently picked up Tech. He screamed in pain as he was being picked up. Grawarr hummer softly, as if to apologize.

The six made their way back to the village that was around an hour away. The pain forced tears out of Tech's eyes. He slipped unconscious about ten minutes into the journey. He was safe for now. He would need to heal and then find his way back to them and he wouldn't stop until he did.

@whumpril

Whumpril Day 3: Rope Burn/"Hold Still."

Fandom: Sta Wars The Bad Batch

Note: Spoilers for season 2 episode 16. This story will make more sense if you have watched it.

Summary: The remaining members of the batch go on a mission on a mountain. Wrecker ends up on a ledge below the other two.

  Tech had insisted that the Bad Batch kept rope on board the Marauder. At first they never understood why. Their cables should be enough right?

    Now Wrecker stood on a tiny, week ledge. They had lost the cables earlier during their mission. Echo had gotten the other two to help with rebel missions while they searched for Omega and Crosshair. The Rebels may be able to aid in finding them and they needed the help.

    The rope had been tried around Wrecker's waist so he couldn't fall. As the ridge started to crumble Hunter prepared to pull him up. However the rocks gave way before any of them excepted them to and Wrecker was dangling.

    Rope slid quickly through Hunter's hands. "Echo!"

    Echo slid in and grabbed the rope and dug his feet into the edge of the ledge the other two stood on. "Hold on Wrecker! Don't look down!"

    "I don't plan on it!" Wrecker responded. The two started to pull Wrecker up. Echo noted that hits of red appeared on the light tan of the rope.

    Hunter was so focused on saving Wrecker that he didn't hear the cracking of their own ledge until it was too late. Now all three fell. They landed on a another part of the mountain below them.

    Hunter woke up first. He sat up slowly and quickly moved over to Wrecker. He was closer to him. The leader assessed the other's injuries and then moved to check on Echo.

    When Echo woke up the first thing he saw was the sky. The blue that previously filled the canvas was painted over by black. The white dots of light looked beautiful. Then the pain from the fall hit him.

    Hunter came into view. The cyborg tried to sit up but was pushed softly back to the ground. "Hold still."

    Hold still? Why did he need to hold still? What was wrong? "What's going on?" Asked Echo.

    "You're alright. Just stay still." A shard of rock rested in the man's side. Unsure if Echo would panic Hunter reframed from telling him. He grabbed some bandages and started to wrap the rock in place. Taking it out right now was a terrible idea. None of them knew what to do for this kind of injury. Tech typically handled this stuff.

     Echo held still. He hated every second of it. "How's Wrecker?"

    "He's alright."

    "And how are you?" It was the first time Echo had finally really looked to see if Hunter was okay. Blood had flowed from some injury on his head. The crimson liquid mixed with hair and made in stick to the side of his face. His eyes and face relayed the message that he was in pain, even if Hunter's voice hid it well.

    "I'm fine." 

    As Hunter finished attending to Echo's injuries he heard Wrecker stir. Once finished he walked back over to Wrecker and asked if he needed anything. He responded with "no" and sat up.

    Hunter sat between the two and finally looked at his own injuries. Looking at his hands he understood why treating his brothers wounds hurt so much. The man's hands had been torn up by the rope; his thin, cloth gloves tattered. Moving them hurt more than he realized. Luckily other then his head the clone had no other major injuries. The brothers stayed the night on the ledge.

    In the morning Wrecker would take Echo back to the Marauder and meet Hunter back at the ridge they rested on with medical supplies and a rag. Gently the large man cleaned his brothers face off and got some of the blood out of his hair. After that, despite Hunter's protest, he would clean and wrap his hands.

    The men finished the mission in spite of their condition. In the back of all of their heads stabbed the question of why they survived the fall while Tech never stood a chance. It was a shorter way down and they all knew it but I just didn't seem fair.

    Back on the Marauder that three set off with a new piece of information for the Rebels and for themselves. Now they were one step closer to finding Omega and Crosshair.

   @whumpril