Splatoon Manga: NightRoad

Chapter 46: Slumber

⭐️Chapter 46: Slumber

Emperor had a weird dream that someone had picked him up and put him on a motorbike. Dunno why, but t didn't matter, really. He had slowly opened his eyes...only to find out he was tied to a tree. He shot awake some, as he was still kind of tired. Where was he?! Why was he bound to a tree?! Where was everyone?! Who did this?! He looked around, but couldn't see squat in the night, except for what he thought might be someone else tied up in the moonlight.

"H...hello? Is anyone there?" he asked quietly.

"Mmmh...why can't you all just let me sleep...." a small voice responded.

Wait.

He recognized that voice.

At least, he thought he did.

It was that smaller shadowling that Prince had talked to, perhaps his counterpart? Who was it...Ebony, right?

"Why am I tied up against a tree?" Emperor asked quickly, concerned.

"We're sleeping" Ebony mumbled back.

"We?!"

Emperor was worried. Did that mean the other shadowlings were here?! Why had they captured him?! Or did Ebony capture the rest of the squidbeak? Or any at all? Hundreds of questions flooded his head. He wanted to belt them all out at once, but...Ebony seemed grumpy. Maybe he could make do with only asking a few at a time?

"I can't do this...I have to explain in the morning, just let me sleep..." Ebony whined.

Okay, grumpy, upset, and tired were all confirmed. He would have to be careful. In the meantime though, Emperor struggled to get out of the shadow bindings. Of course, it didn't work, and they held. Not tightly, they didn't constrict, they were just kinda...there. He was desperate. He couldn't get to his swords to cut them.

"No! I need to know! Listen, I don't know what you're up to or where my brother is, but-"

"He's sleeping too" Ebony said, yawning after.

Emperor paused. He still wasn't sure if this was a trick. Was...was Prince actually here? I mean, yeah he was glad to have found his brother, but...like this...well. It was kinda awkward.

"In...in a tree?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Yes..." Ebony groaned. He understood that Emperor was worried, but now was not the time.

"Tied up?!" Emperor continued, now getting more anxious by the minute.

"Well, do you wanna fall off and be eaten by monsters or not?" Ebony responded.

I mean, he made a good point, but...still. He was suspicious. Sure, maybe Noir attacking them had gotten everyone off to a bad start, but. You could never be too safe, or sure. Heck, if Prince had trusted Ebony before then surely he must be good, right?

"Who else is here?" Emperor asked.

Ebony had just had enough for today. He wanted his sleep now that it was nighttime. Yes, even shadowlings needed their sleep. Night was just a better fighting condition for them. Heck, even after the one party raid they had had, Ebony had went to bed as soon as he could. But now...

"If I answer, will you stop asking me questions and just let me sleep?"

Emperor hesitated. He needed answers, but he hated to admit that he too, was also still tired. If he said yes, he would only get the one answer. If he said no...well, Ebony might not answer any more of his questions, and worse, might try and fall asleep on him so he didn't have to. So, one or none I guess.

"Fiiiine" Emperor grumbled.

"Goggles, Rider, Flip, and Nana. We don't know where the others went. Now leave me alone."

And with that, Ebony went back to trying to sleep.
Emperor stared, at...well, nothing really. At least they had the majority of the group here. But in the meantime, where had Hachi and Gloves gone? Weren't they with Nana and Flip? How did they get separated? Did everyone get food? Would he need to share his food? Or had it gone bad? He needed to find out all this stuff in the morning.

As of now though, he did need to sleep. He was somehow still tired. It was hard for him to try and sleep in a tree. He was too used to actual comfort that when it came to discomfort, even the slightest amount of it felt horrible. He knew they couldn't afford proper comfort with their current situation, but...still. Blankets would be nice.

He tried to go to sleep. It was only just a branch. The bark of the tree wasn't even that smooth. 'Come on Emperor, move past your wanting of comfort, it won't happen!' he tried to tell himself. It...sort of worked. Maybe...he needed to be calmer. He steadied out his breathing from the panic earlier, making sure he was calm. He then sat still, trying to move as little as possible. However, it took a while to find the right sleeping position. After all, he was bound to a tree via shadows, so. Once he had finally given up on finding a decent position, he just stayed still in the one he was in and gently closed his eyes.

Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.

-----

Hachi was still on the ground, fast asleep. The winds around him gently blew, and the rustling of trees kept him asleep. Nothing had come to mess with him yet.

Yet.

As if on cue, a strange creature came up to him. It looked similar to creature we've seen before. It had spotted him in the moonlight and had come over to investigate. It sniffed him. It had smelled a scent like this before, but from where?

Maybe...it could use this scent to find out where the other scent came from? It gently picked Hachi up in its jaws, careful not to hurt him, as that might make him awaken. It didn't really matter anyway, since Hachi was fast asleep, but it never hurt to be careful. Slowly, it walked back onto the path it had been sniffing for a while...

And it took off with him.