No Such Thing as Super-Heroes

[midst_of_threads]

There is someone in her forest.

Flynn runs her hand over her creature's back, and then sends it fluttering away into the trees with a flick of her wrist.


Her first creation, her guardian, lets out a small growl.
"I know," Flynn says.
"Go. Get rid of them."

It slinks into the forest, feline features molded from broken glass.
It quickly vanishes from site and Flynn pushes down a flash of loneliness.

Comments

[unadalturedstrength]

The someone in her forest shouldn't be too hard to find, being so feverish that "go out in the woods by myself to reach civilization" sounds like a good idea, is hardly a good state to escape any sort of creature.

Even less when that someone miss a step and falls down a hill, managing to cause a small landslide that gets both of his legs crushed and stuck. That guy is not in any position to escape.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

There is another someone, following the first, armed with only a rifle and the motivation to find his cousin. He hears the distant sound of the landslide and decides to go in that direction, but he is so far away.

[midst_of_threads]

Intruder
Protect
Attack

Flynn's creature leaps for his throat, sinking in it's teeth.

Blood

[unadalturedstrength]

Yes, blood, the intruder is more surprised with the blood's warmth than he is with the impossible thing biting his neck. He barely had any time to notice the things in the first place and he didn't trust his own eyes.

Two beings, or a multitude of beings, or beings that are multitudes. Creatures so large that the entire world pales in comparison. For a moment he thinks of them as nesting dolls that don't get smaller, but he soon realizes this is wrong, the layers aren't inside each other, they are something else impossible for him to grasp.

There is something else he notices, they are powerful, and their power is impossible to understand as well.

It all pass and fades as soon and fast as it came, the jaws of the creature never left his neck and the blood pours from eat leaving him lightheaded. All that is left from his vision is the notion that only monsters have real power.

In the next moment he thinks that the creature's grip is getting tighter, but soon realizes it isn't true. His neck is larger now, his entire body is larger, covered in fur, all his limbs have claws and there are horns on his head. All his wounds are healed and he isn't sick anymore.

But mostly important of all he is a much bigger monster than the creatures that attacked him and he is not one bit afraid.

[midst_of_threads]

The creature lets go, jumping back into a crouch.
It growls.

[unadalturedstrength]

It gets a swat in the face by a paw the size of a bear's but with claws much bigger and sharper, it also gets a stomp and it is easily defeated.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

All of this makes a lot of noise and draws attention of a certain another who gets closer

"Gabe?" he shouts.

[unadalturedstrength]

Gabe reacts to his name and he... staggers, whatever happened he finds himself normal shaped again, except without injuries and no longer sick.

"Henry!" He responds and rushes to his cousin direction.

Despite the poor lighting condition it isn't hard for them to find each other again.

"You are not going to believe what just happened!" Gabe says with a smile.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

"Are you fucking out of your mind?" Henry shouts cutting him off "We need to get back right now!"

[unadalturedstrength]

"You don't understand there was this monster!" Gabe says "it killed me and then I turned into a bigger monsters, the corpse is right-"

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

Henry rubbed his temple with his left hand (his right was holding the rifle)

"Sure," Henry said sarcastically "Gabe this is the fever talking, at worst you saw a wolf, which still means we need to get back!"

He turned to leave, grabbing Gabe's hand and pulling.

[midst_of_threads]

A young woman bursts out of the trees behind them.
"What did you do?" She screams, "What did you do?!"

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

Henry is startled, he takes a step back, but then interposes himself between the woman and Gabe, who is equally speechless.

"Gabe got lost and I am taking him back," Henry says "he is sick and not himself."

Of course Gabe is very likely to find problems while being himself, but no need to tell her that.

[midst_of_threads]

Flynn kneels down by her creation and gently touches it's shattered form.
It is still, no trace of life remains.
Flynn looks up.
"You killed him. You bastard."

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

That looks like a pile of glass shards.

"Gabe broke your statue?" Henry asks "I am sure it was an accident..."

[midst_of_threads]

Flynn stands up and the shards of glass rise with her.

Stone from the landslide joins the shards and a monster forms.

What it is, exactly, is unclear. It is possibly feline, but only barely. Every surface is sharp, lined with blades and points.
What might be a mouth opens, revealing far too many teeth for any natural creature.

"Get them," Flynn says.

[unadalturedstrength]

Gabe is not even sure how he does, but he simply thinks how he wants to be strong enough to fight that thing.

In a moment he is much larger than he was during his first transformation, the form is different too, larger but slender, his forelimbs have long scythes for claws and his a long flat tail provides balance.

Gabe throws himself at the other bizarre creature and starts fighting.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

Henry falls on his knees, he watched several things that made the world fall apart, on several levels.

He doesn't know what is happening, he doesn't know how to control it, whatever reality really is, it is beyond Henry's influence.

Two beings transverse the empty space, moving through mechanisms and forces beyond his grasp.

One being sent a message, simply and absolute beyond the limitations of words: Trajectory

The other replied: Agreement

they approached a planet and the first entity observed its multiple variations, picking one so it and it's partner could land.

Henry blinked, his mind tried to grasp the memories, but it is like catching smoke with bare hands.

He observed that Gabe and the strange woman also are recovering from... whatever he was recovering from. The woman creation didn't suffer any ill effect, in fact it was clawing Henry's form while his target was distracted.

"No!" Henry shouted raising his hand.

A clear translucent beam emerges from his palm and strikes the creature, leaving a hole in it.

[midst_of_threads]

Flynn shouts and rushes to her creature.
It's alive and shifts to put it's body between Flynn and Henry.
Flynn reaches out to touch it, but stops herself.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

Gabe's giant form is curled up in a ball and bleeding.

For a fraction of a moment, Henry is just quiet and then it is like his mouth is acting on his own.

"I told you," Henry said "Gabe was sick and got lost in the woods, I came here to find him... and I am certain that Gabe didn't attack first. We never meant you any harm. Fuck, we three have... powers, we should try figuring them out or something."

Henry is has no idea were all that came from.

[midst_of_threads]

"I just wanted you to leave. I thought it would scare you away," Flynn hesitates. "I'm sorry."

[unadalturedstrength]

Gabe makes several sounds, too canine to be understood, then he changes back.

Several glass shards, debris and even some blood falls around him, but Gabe himself looks alright and unharmed.

"That thing almost bit my head off!" he says pointing accusingly at Flynn.

[there_is_no_such_thing_as]

"Everyone calm down," Henry says not taking his eyes away from Flynn "She did? What happened?"

[midst_of_threads]

"I didn't bite you," Flynn snapped.

[unadalturedstrength]

"Your monster or whatever!" Gabe said "I fell down a hill and got my legs broken, then that thing attacked and almost killed me... then I changed into a thing. It was self-defense."