Extinction

The sounds were muffled at first. Small muffled sounds from things in the distance. Odd enough to pull him out of a deep sleep but not enough to pull him out of his doze. Not right away at least… but then it happened. The odd sound came louder, and it was a roaring crash that made the earth shake and pull him out of that final bit of sleep, suddenly wide awake and shooting up to a sitting position. 

He met Vergors gaze, both of them reflecting the same confused, fearful looks, even as there was another loud crash that shook their very home, things crashing to the ground from the force of the shaking. "Sprog!" 

The both of them were shouting at the same time, struggling out of bed, telling the pup to run, to flee, to find somewhere safe. They would be behind them. It only paused a moment to look at its adopted parents before taking off out the door as the two got out of bed, leaning into each other and bracing one another as another impact shook the ground, both cursing as they stumbled towards the door, watching as their pup fled for the swamp, only for a large something to slam into the trees at the same time as the pup made it into him. 

The resounding scream of 'no' loud in his ears, mixed with both his own and Vergors voices both bolting for the door. Erebos was out first, running forward a few steps before pausing. He couldn't help it. He couldn't help but stare up into the sky in silent shock and surprise. The world was fire. Filled with smoke, and the sky… by the moon! The sky and the stars themselves seemed to be falling, intent on destroying this world. The fallen meteors reflected ting in his eyes as he stared in horror. 

And then a star was coming right for him. He had to duck to miss it, still stumbled from the wind it made from the sheer force of its passing, felt his mane singing from the heat it gave off as it fell. He took one stumbling step before there was a loud crash, the home behind him smashing and bursting into a thousand splinters, the force knocking him off his feet and sending him flying, his head knocking into a tree so hard the world was spinning. Pain wracking every part of him. Struggling to try and push himself up. To say something. But his mouth wouldn't form the words, couldn't say anything but a pitiful, sort of frustrated slur of fear. Then he fell to the ground completely limp, unconscious. 

He didn't know how long he'd been out for. Or when the small bangs had stopped… when the sky had stopped falling… was there even anything left? What if there was nothing now? What if… 

His thoughts were stopped as he began to feel and notice the pain that radiated through him. First a dull thump in his head. To pain raining down all the way through his body. No part of him didn't hurt… and breathing… this must be what it was like to swallow fire. Painfully coughs starting to go through him as he pushed himself up, ash and debris that had settled on top of him sifting to the ground as he coughed and coughed, spitting up blood and ashe. 

He coughed harder and harder, and suddenly it was impossible to breathe. He couldn't get a breath in. He could only keep coughing out, out, out. He struggled as panic set in as his body continued to keep out, taking all his breath away, his air… how was be still coughing? There was no more air to expel and he still couldn't take in a breath. Was going to die like this? Unable to take in a breath, coughing out black? Colors dancing around the corner of his vision as he forced himself to sit up, to will the breath that wouldn't come as the panic and need for air overwhelmed him. 

Then it happened. Just as he thought he was going to pass out again. That he was going to suffocate on his own coughs, he gave a great, heaving breath and forced the air into his lungs that he so desperately needed. But only made the coughs happen again, though at least this time he could pull in the breaths he needed. Not that it mattered that much. His chest heaved and burned from the force of the coughs. Aching like every other bit of him. His limbs shaking and barely holding him up as he coughed and heaved and wretched, unable to do anything else as his body tried to expel all the dirt and filth that he had breathed in. 

It felt like an eternity before it was finally over. Breathing heavy and exhausted and in pain, throat raw and chest aching. But at least it was all over. It was done… no, wait. There was something…

A something fell into the pit of his stomach as he pushed himself up, ignoring the pain that radiated off of him. Burns and cuts and gashes littered his body. But he didn't care. Sprog, Vergor… "Vergor." He tried to yell it, to call out, but the word was little more then a hoarse whisper that set him into coughs once more. But he didn't have time to stand still anymore. He had to move. To find them. 

He stepped forward, only for new pain to go through him, falling to his knees and an uncontrolled scream of pain leaving him as pure agony radiated from his leg. It finally made him look down at himself for the first time, and it made his insides writhe in horror. 

He was covered in soot, his white fur darkened and his black fur lightened with the gray of the ashe. Dark blood mixed and streaked in with him. Pieces of wood and twigs stuck out of him like pinpricks. A thousand little daggers thrown into his flesh. A large one pierced heep into his side, as big as a dagger. And his leg… by the moon his leg. Bent oddly and in the wrong direction. His foot mangled and bones sticking out of his flesh in different directions. It was a horrifying sight, but he couldn't focus on that. Not right now. He needed to find them. Vergor. Sprog. 

He forced himself up, heaving and in pure torture with every movement. But he had to look. Had to find them. Dragging himself to what was left of their home. Of what was supposed to be sanctuary. Safety… now crumpled into nothing. Despite the hoarse pain, he still called out weakly for the both of them. Looking for them desperately. 

He wasn't sure how long he had been searching. The sky too dark and full of smoke and ashe for the sun to penetrate even if it wanted to. But it felt like an eternity, the dread growing and making him cold… or maybe that was from the loss of blood… he wasn't quite sure if he was honest. But he couldn't stop now. He couldn't stop. 

And then he found it. A small tuft of black sticking out from the rubble of their home. And suddenly he was digging. Not caring that more wood stabbed into and s raped at his hands. Now he barely noticed the pain, all that mattered was getting him out. Was freeing him. "Vergor." He rasped, repeating the name, calling to him, letting him know he was there. He was getting to him… and then his hands stilled and his breath hitched. 

Blank eyes stared up at him… empty, wrong eyes that should never have Vergors face. His hand shook as he gave the shoulder a gentle nudge, only for him to jump back as Vergors head lolled to one side unnaturally in return. Limp… dead. 

Erebos' eyes welled and heart filled with something he couldn't yet recognize as he worked on uncovering the rest of him. Stopping again when he found it. The large splinter of wood thick with Vergor's blood on it… huge and sharp and taking up too much space in his chest. The sky had fallen, their home had betrayed them and taken the life of the one that had mattered most to him. 

"Vergor." He whispered once more. Shaking him again, trying to wake him. To make those eyes brighten once more. For him to wake up and give some sarcastic remark. Are those tears? You idiot. How could he think for a moment that he was dead? He was too stubborn to die. The both of them were. Now help him up so they can find Sprog and find a healer. Don't want this wood in his chest all day you know! At least those damn smokes were gone. At least something good came out of this… but there was nothing. No movement. No voice, no remark came, no sarcastic grin. Just blood and stillness. 

It was wrong… so, very, very wrong. He was too still, too quiet. The damn asshole had never been so still or quiet in his life… but he supposed that was the point. He wasn't anymore. He wasn't…. Alive. Not anymore. His hands wrung into the others fur and his head bowed, his breathing becoming heavy as he tried to control himself. But he couldn't. All he could do was shake him. Harder and harder he shook him. "Wake up." He insisted. "Wake up. Wake up. Wake up! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" he didn't care that it tore his throat. That his body wracked with coughs. He screamed it, louder and louder. With everything he had. Like if he screamed it loud enough, he would. That life would come back into those eyes. He just had to get him to hear him. To get him to come back to him. To them. 

Rage filled him, his eyes blackening and bleeding as he shook him harder and harder, screaming and coughing and screaming again. Louder and louder. Slamming a hand on Vergors shoulder. Letting the anger and the rage take him. The asshole was taking this far enough. And it was enough! It was enough, do you hear him?! He needed to get his ass up. Get to his feet and wake up because he'd had enough of this game! 

… But there was nothing. No stirring. No breath. No nothing… he was just… 

Gone. 

The rage and anger that went through him disappeared. It wasn't a game… and he couldn't scream loud enough to make Vergor hear him. Couldn't do anything to make him hear him…. He couldn't make him come back to him. 

Erebos' head bowed, his shoulders sagged, shaking suddenly as the first sob finally left him. Dark tears mixed with the blood dripping from his face falling onto the face of his fallen mate. Reaching out a hand to close those eyes. Eyes he couldn't bare to see, because Vergor was no longer in them. The pain and devastation filling everything he was. Filling his very being. He never felt anything like it before. He had never felt such a pain as he did now. The fear of the cough, the pain in his body. It was nothing. It wasn't anything compared to the pain that was in his heart. His soul, his very being. No doubt Vergor would laugh at him for his tears. Tease him. He could almost hear it. 'Awww, I didn't know cared so much squidget.' A small snort left him and shook his head some. "Course I did, stupid." He whispered, bending forward and putting his forehead against Vergors and just staying that way as he sobbed. 

He jumped when he felt a hand on his side, looking over to see a pup just as covered in ashe as he was, but there was no doubt of who it was. An arm reaching out and scooping her up. "Sprog." He whispered quietly. "Sprog, thank the moon." He whispered to her. "I thought I'd lost you too." He told her, swallowing thickly, rocking with her in silence for a while, letting her deal with Vergors death the way she needed to before finally speaking. "Y'gotta go squeaker." He told her quietly. "I'm not doin' too good either." He told her quietly. "I need ya t'go find a healer… someone who can help." He told her, putting a hand to her shoulder before she left. "Be careful." He warned lightly. "Not everyone will be kind, n' I don't want you gettin hurt." He told her quietly. Too emotionally raw and open to hide or fancy things up. Not right now. He was too broken in too many ways. 

He watched her go in silence, watching as she disappeared into the forest. By the moon he was tired. So tired. He felt drained and empty… he would just rest. Close his eyes for just a moment until Sprog came back. He shifted, slow and painful, resting his head on his mates shoulder, an arm wrapped around his stomach and closing his, drifting off.