Almost But Not Quite Human

Bring Them In

Ran and Boo weren't stupid, and they didn't need a heightened sense of empathy to know Niki wasn't okay.

All three of them had killed before, and Ran remembered that Niki was definitely the one that took her first kill the hardest.

He knew she must be feeling guilty, and he wanted to tell her it wasn't her fault. Niki just needed some time to collect her thoughts first.

Maybe it was the tinnitus, or maybe it was the distracting abundance of unsettling thoughts in his mind, but Ran failed to notice the figures appearing ahead of them until they sprang forward in ambush.
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Today was going to be great! Captain Puffy and her squad were going to save that hostage (well, both the hostages she supposed), and get justice for the mutated that was killed.

Even fate blessed her as the sun shone through the trees for the first time that week.

Brimming with confidence, Puffy lead her ducklings through the shadows cast by the greenery in an ambush formation ahead of the humans.

And to think, just a few month ago her squad would have been starting their first training, now they were confronting a group of humans in a hostage situation. Captain Puffy was proud to say the least!

She signaled to four of her ducklings to circle behind and get ready to grab the hostages, while the rest of them would deal with the humans. One of them was badly injured, and Puffy cursed her sympathy towards him.

"Now!" the Captain yelled, and the squadron leapt out of the trees with practiced presicion, startling the humans.

The two mutated were pulled back into the trees and away from the humans. Captain Puffy didn't see what happened to the girl that was next to them.

"Woah hey what's going on?!" one of the humans cried, notching his bow and raising it. Captain Puffy noticed him leaning heavily on one leg - the other was probably injured.

"Don't move," Puffy warned, rasing her own bow. "You have been charged of murder, kidnapping, and trespassing. You will cooperate and come quietly, or we will have to attack."

The humans exchanged glances and worryingly, they look more confused than guilty.
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Sapnap's ability to process the crazy things happening to him broke long ago when he saw his best friend Halo in the form of a demon.

It shattered when a pig man held a knife to his throat while a man with wings confronted George.

It was abso-fucking-lutly smashed to smithereens when a child went inside his head to save him from the virus.

Sapnap didn't know that it could break any further, but now a sheep lady with rainbow hair and a pirate's attire was accusing him of kidnapping and trespassing while one of his best friends was bleeding to death in his other best friends arms.

It was too much.

"What the Fuck are you talking about? We didn't kidnap anyone! And this is the middle of The Fucking Woods! How are we trespassing!?" Sapnap yelled.

The sheep lady was immediately taken aback, and the people surrounding them tensed for action.
Hah, as if Sapnap had enough energy to fight off these bastards after the day he'd had.

Regaining her composure and authority, the sheep lady calmly said,"We have evidence of you attacking a mutated settlement a week ago, and you must've taken the hostage as you fled."

"Oh you have to be kidding me," Sapnap laughed. And then he laughed some more. He was aware of George giving him sideways glances but he didn't care. "We were attacked, we were part of that 'settlement'."

"So you're mutated?" the sheep lady questioned with a piercing stare.

Sapnap stuttered, "W- well no but-"

"But I am," George interrupted, "and Niki is and Dream is, and Ran and Boo are our friends not our hostages."

The sheep lady said nothing.

"Please," George implored, "Niki can prove it to you, or even just ask Ran or Boo! Our friend is dying. Can't you at least help him before you try arresting us?"

"Yeah, what he said!" Sapnap added lamely, noting with some degree of uncomfortable-ness that George was in tears. But something else was wrong... "Wait hold on, where are the others?"

Sure enough, as George turned around expecting to see Niki or Ran or Boo, they weren't there.

"I instructed my squad to get the hostages away from here. If your other friend, 'Niki', interfered... Well they would've stopped her." The sheep lady said sternly.

Sapnap and George blanched.

"Until we have proof of what you say, I won't trust you, but I will help your friend." she added softly.

The sheep lady turned two the two soldiers next to her, and told them to go find the others. It was decided that George, Sapnap, and Dream would be taken back to the city now.

When the others arrived, they would be notified straight away.
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Pufyyyy!!! And her ducklings!!!!! If it wasn't clear the 'ducklings' is just a nickname for her squadron.

And just fyi Puffy would never admit to calling them that but the king toootally knows hehe.

And one more thing, hands down I'm not sure how to get from this point in the story to the end of the story (which I have in mind), so uh yeah, we'll see how it goes I guess.

Sincerely, Mr Sandman (man me a sand)