mindcracklove | Fic: Fangs and Fury, Chapter 2

theropod posting in

Remember that Hybrid Fic I didn't know if it was gonna be in multiple parts? Guess what! Here's a second part!

If you'd like to know more about this Hybrid AU I've cooked up, feel free to check my tag for it on my tumblr, here, or ask me questions :D Please enjoy the fic, many thanks to Sunset for checking it over for me. Less warnings for pain and blood in this one, just mentions of pain instead.

Previous Chapter

-0-

Guude groaned, running his hands through his hair. The cap had been lost somewhere in the run from Doc’s portal and he couldn’t bring himself to care. “Jesus Christ…how could this day get any worse?”

-0-

Elsewhere in the world, someone else was wondering the exact same thing. After going to bed with a killer headache and waking up with the very same headache, Millbee was considering turning to drink just to get through the day because the painkillers he’d been dosing himself on sure as hell weren’t doing their job. Still, reluctant to become an alcoholic just yet, he went to his painkiller supply in the bathroom, reaching for the mirrored medicine cabinet only to stop cold when he spotted his reflection. His hand fell to grip the side of the sink as he leaned in to get a better look at the two grey-brown things sticking out his head near his hairline.

He reached up and winced when he touched the angry, torn skin around the protrusions, watching a drop of blood well up and dribble slowly down his forehead.

“What the fuck.”

-0-

“Jeff? You here? I need a second if you have one to spare.” Avidya called, stepping out the portal and casting a look around the hospital. “Jeff?” he tried again.

There was a crash from upstairs, then – “Avidya? That you?”

“Yeah man, you got a minute?” Avidya was already a little concerned by the crash but this was kind of important. It wasn’t every day a man woke up with a tail and ears after all.

“Yeah okay, but I might need you to help me out a bit too okay?”

“Sure man, whatever you need.” With that confirmation, he could hear Jsano hurry down the nearest flight of stairs. Taking a deep breath, he reached up and tugged off the cap he’d been using to hide the point ginger ears now perched atop his head. They swivelled around, locking onto Jeff’s approach, feeling much more at ease when they weren’t flattened under a cap.

The footsteps stopped somewhere behind him. “…Oh god, you too?”

Eyes widening behind his sunglasses, Avidya spun on the spot to get a look at his friend. Ears and a tail, much the same condition as himself. Only difference was that Jeff’s ears were big and floppy, hanging down. The tail also happened to be wagging.

“Damn.” Avidya murmured, peering over the top of his glasses, ears canted forwards curiously. “Are those spots?”

“Yeah,” Jsano gave a nervous laugh and hopped a little close, tail still wagging. “Far as I can figure out, I’m like some kind of Dalmatian. You…have cat ears. Right?”

Avidya nodded and gestured behind him. “Got the tail too. I had whiskers yesterday before the rest appeared, I plucked them though, though it was just a couple of weird hairs before this. Here was me hoping you might know what caused it all.”

“So far I’ve got nothing.” Jsano sighed, tail drooping behind him. “Come on, I was already writing down all my symptoms and stuff I came into contact with, might as well get yours in before we start calling up the others.”

-0-

Drinks with Rob had been a terrible, terrible idea and Pause had loved every minute of it until he woke up with an ache through his entire body. He whined and dragged the covers up over himself, refusing to budge for anything. The hell had they done last night? His back was absolute agony and his head felt all itchy. All of him hurt, right through to his very bones.

“Goddamnit Rob.” He whined.

“Shut up Poose, it hurts.” Came the groaned response from Rob’s bed. “This is your fault.”

“No way dude, your fault.”

“Don’t care, sore, shut up.”

“Sleep now.” Pause grabbed the hotel pillow, glad for the thickness of it, and pulled it down over the back of his head in the hopes that would magically make it all stop hurting. It didn’t, but the darkness it provided made it a little easier to pass out again. Or maybe that was just the pain.

-0-

Millbee stepped out of the spawn portal and into the Nether, glad that his decision to just rent an apartment above Blame’s flowershop gave him such easy access to the rest of the guys. He turned to go find the right portal room for Jsano’s only to trip over someone sitting by the portal. He went tumbling over them with a surprised yell and landed on his hands and knees, the other person groaning. He recognised that sound. “Guude?” he asked, turning back in surprise and sitting on his butt.

“Ow, hey Millbee.” Guude dragged himself upright again, looking rather unamused.

Millbee’s eyes widened as he caught sight of the furry ears twitching atop Guude’s head. “Uh…Guude? I don’t know if you know this, but you got something on your head…are they real?”

Guude sighed and Millbee watched the ears flatten back. “Yes they’re real, and so’s the damn tail stuck to my ass.”

“You’ve got a tail?” Despite the pain still thumping in his head and the two pointy things jutting out his skull, he leaned forwards, interested.

“Yeah there’s a damn tail, you wanna chase me down too?” Guude scowled.

“What? I weren’t gonna chase you. Why’d you think that?” Millbee finally decided that the floor of the Nether was not a comfortable place to sit and stood up, offering Guude a hand up. Warily, the other man took it.

“Let’s just say I already had Doc try and eat me. He was sporting some new bits too. I think he was like a tiger or something.”

“Wow…things are getting weird around here.” Millbee went to scratch at the back of his head. “I’ve got something growing out my forehead too. Don’t know what it is but I’ll bet it’s related. I was gonna go see Jsano, see if he can do anything for the headache at least.”

“Yeah, maybe he won’t charge roaring at us.” Guude sighed. “Come on guy.”

-0-

Not for the first time that day, Blame wished they had a dentist in their circle of friends. His upper canines had been aching since he’d woken up at dawn to continue work on his minigame as usual and as it was now just after midday, the morning dose of painkillers had worn off. He abandoned his work for the moment, heading home to remedy that. The heat of the nether did little to abate the pain but when he stepped out into the chill of his snowy home, the pain sharpened enough to make him hiss. He hurried inside, one hand massaging his jaw in the hopes that would help. It didn’t, and he reached the bathroom cursing his luck.

Before he could even reach for the medicine cabinet, blinding pain radiated out from the middle of his jaw bone, sending Blame to his knees with a cut off whimper. He barely noticed how he only just avoided hitting his head off the sink, more concerned by the agony and the fact that his jaw seemed to have locked shut. The radiating waves of pain only grew and if he didn’t know better he would have said that his jaw was splitting in two. He tried to reach for the sink, trying to get some support so he could get up, get help, anything at all… but as he tried to rise, nausea swept through him, vision swimming and he crumpled, head thumping off the bathroom tiles. As his world turned dark at the edges, he managed to roll himself onto his side just enough that, hopefully, he wouldn’t choke on his own tongue. Blame passed out, glad for at least the momentary reprieve from the pain if nothing else.

-0-

Jsano was testing out the reflexive moments of Avidya’s ears in fascination when the call of his name from the bottom floor caught his attention. His own floppy ears perked up, tail wagging faintly when he recognised it as Guude. Surely Guude would know what was going on, being the leader and all? He turned tail and hurried down the stairs, almost bouncing.

Avidya watched him go, blinking slowly at his back. He couldn’t help but wonder… That had seemed a little too happy-puppy like for the situation at hand. Is this going to affect our minds as well? Maybe I should keep an eye on myself. If I start chasing mice…

He lifted himself off the seat he’d been sat in for the ear testing and followed the path Jsano had hurried down, moving much more sedately. It only took a glance at the trio standing by the portal to confirm his earlier suspicions. Guude was sporting a tail and ears and Millbee was rubbing at something sticking out his forehead as he watched Guude and Jsano circle each other. Avidya stayed back warily, his own tail twitching. Guude stopped and stood taller, ears pricked and tail jutting out behind him. Jsano responded immediately, tail lowered but still wagging, tilting his head slightly to one side. It seemed enough for Guude, the shorter man relaxing a little, before frowning at himself.

“The hell was that?” he asked, looking more than a little concerned. “What is going on? Jeff tell me you know something ‘cause I feel like I’m losing my goddamn mind.”

“Well, aside from the obvious, I think whatever caused this is affecting our minds a little too.” Avidya stepped out into the room, hoping he wasn’t about to be jumped by whatever kind of canine Guude was. Millbee at least looked safe. Guude didn’t even twitch, though his eyes did widen at the sight of the ginger cat ears atop Avidya’s head. “I mean, I just want to curl up and sleep. You two looked like you were doing some kind of dominance thing. And Millbee…”

Millbee shrugged. “I just wanna know what’s going on, and why my head’s all pointy.”

“Don’t we all.” JSano agreed, turning and leading them upstairs. “Alright. Come on, I was doing some tests on Avidya. Looks like you two are next. Avidya, you wanna see if you can get a hold of the others? I don’t know how far this thing spread, and we might need to quarantine people.”

“Well, I know it hit Doc. He was ready to bit my head off man, I swear to god.” Guude shook his head, ears lowering at the thought. “He had all these markings on him. I think he mighta been some kind of tiger.”

“Huh.” Avidya paused on the steps, frowning. “I think that explains it then. Tigers and wolves are competitors for space and prey, and tigers have been known to kill wolves, so-”

“Wait, wolves? Is that what I am?” Guude reached up and tugged on a thickly furred ear. “…At least it’s not a Chihuahua.”

JSano shook his head, smiling this time. “Makes sense, pack leader. Come on, let’s run some tests. Avidya, start up the calls. MC first, he knows how to help out here in case we need it.”

Avidya nodded and headed for the desk in the corner, taking out his coms device. He’d avoided using it with the new ears but there wasn’t really a choice now. He sighed and dialled up MC, hoping the kid was alright.

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justicetom

This is awesome. More is much wanted! :D

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"isn't much different than the subreddit" -Guude / http://tinyurl.com/l7gbxah

Fic: Fangs and Fury, Chapter 2

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