It's Xavier's voice, just apparently taking out the middleman of sound to nest that negative in David's soft animal brain. It sounds like him, a calmer version of him, an echo around the edges that has nothing to do with soundwaves bouncing off anything. Behind him, David can, in turn, sense that Charles has halted properly, remaining still.
The idea of running is only received with a touch of ordinary dismay, even if he can feel his own physiological response warming to the notion, ready to turn and flee at a moment's notice.
Nature has other ideas.
As jungle brush shifts and dances with movement, captured in David's sharp, attentive stare, another sound rustles through the rest of the foresty ambiance -- a sudden shift of plantlife, a thump, rotting wood shattered under something coming down heavy on it. The second creature in the vicinity comes barrelling over a felled tree, crashing through branches; it is the size of a black bear, but made bigger for the mutated, bony protrusions breaking through its flesh, jagged spikes and ridges along its spine and heavy on its already dense, plated body, the battering ram of its face.
They hunt in packs of two to three, and apparently, still do, even as they bleed and grow and become mad with whatever is changing them, and this one opts to go for the smaller one. Charles only has a second to react, whirling around and bringing stick up that would not otherwise feel flimsy against most things, but nevertheless, splits and breaks as the creature drives into them, disappearing them both into the thick green, Charles startled yell swiftly escalating into something more frightened.
Not a second later, the first one comes charging out of its hiding place, looking to crash through the ruined construction, and David in the midst of it.
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The idea of running is only received with a touch of ordinary dismay, even if he can feel his own physiological response warming to the notion, ready to turn and flee at a moment's notice.
Nature has other ideas.
As jungle brush shifts and dances with movement, captured in David's sharp, attentive stare, another sound rustles through the rest of the foresty ambiance -- a sudden shift of plantlife, a thump, rotting wood shattered under something coming down heavy on it. The second creature in the vicinity comes barrelling over a felled tree, crashing through branches; it is the size of a black bear, but made bigger for the mutated, bony protrusions breaking through its flesh, jagged spikes and ridges along its spine and heavy on its already dense, plated body, the battering ram of its face.
They hunt in packs of two to three, and apparently, still do, even as they bleed and grow and become mad with whatever is changing them, and this one opts to go for the smaller one. Charles only has a second to react, whirling around and bringing stick up that would not otherwise feel flimsy against most things, but nevertheless, splits and breaks as the creature drives into them, disappearing them both into the thick green, Charles startled yell swiftly escalating into something more frightened.
Not a second later, the first one comes charging out of its hiding place, looking to crash through the ruined construction, and David in the midst of it.