Chapter 1: Death of a Hero
Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery. At least, human slavery. Ever since the discovery of an animal-like bipedal race known as Teraseers, called so because they lived underground. This story is about a Mac McJones. One look at him and you won’t think much. Regular build, very weak, uncontrollable paranoia. Although, one thing may catch your eye. He is a Teraseer. One most associated with foxes. You can usually find him wearing a gray vest over a white dress shirt with a tie, a dark gray fedora, and long, black pants. He is not like most of the Fox Teraseers, as he does not like fish. As a Fox, it is tradition to eat your first fish on your first birthday. Mac was the first one to not even go near the fish. When they finally got him to eat it, he spit it right back up.
Most people who knew Mac knew that he was born into slavery. For a while, that’s what Mac thought too. Those rumors are wrong. He was sold into slavery by his father, who hated him. In slavery, he was treated like any other slave. Poorly. That is why all of his friends, and even the slaves that weren’t his friends, planned their escape.
The week before the escape, the Master found a sword. This was an unusual sword. It was blue, had many runes carved into it, and perhaps the strangest part, it was dull. When he used the sword, it glowed black, and kept Mac close at hand. The master killed his own wife and children, and Mac was a witness. “Our fates are linked, Mac. I feel what you do, you feel what I do. Mac, if you know what’s good for you, don’t tell anyone about this…” As the Master said these words, Mac felt the regret that the Master did. On the day of the escape, all of the other slaves were killed singlehandedly by the Master. Mac almost survived. He almost avoided the blade, but he was sliced in two by the strange blade. Mac McJones is dead.
Most people who knew Mac knew that he was born into slavery. For a while, that’s what Mac thought too. Those rumors are wrong. He was sold into slavery by his father, who hated him. In slavery, he was treated like any other slave. Poorly. That is why all of his friends, and even the slaves that weren’t his friends, planned their escape.
The week before the escape, the Master found a sword. This was an unusual sword. It was blue, had many runes carved into it, and perhaps the strangest part, it was dull. When he used the sword, it glowed black, and kept Mac close at hand. The master killed his own wife and children, and Mac was a witness. “Our fates are linked, Mac. I feel what you do, you feel what I do. Mac, if you know what’s good for you, don’t tell anyone about this…” As the Master said these words, Mac felt the regret that the Master did. On the day of the escape, all of the other slaves were killed singlehandedly by the Master. Mac almost survived. He almost avoided the blade, but he was sliced in two by the strange blade. Mac McJones is dead.
Chapter 2: Second Chances
But what if he didn’t? What if Mac survived? After all, everyone deserves a second chance. So, let’s see… Ah, yes, I know! Mac narrowly dodges the blade. He sprinted on all fours to the forest at the age of seven, where he lived his years into adulthood. But he was no hunter, and he could not live off of other Foxes food for long. Slave Hunters were picking them off and Mac has had way too many close calls. He decided to go deeper into the forest. He found an empty cabin at one point in the forest. There was a sign in front that read “TRESSPASSERS WILL BE SHOT. SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT AGAIN.” But of course, being a slave, Mac couldn’t read. When he entered, he looked for food, but instead found a closet. At the time, Mac thought it wouldn’t hurt to take some clothes. His potato sack shirt, torn pants, and makeshift rope belt were uncomfortable. He replaced those with his iconic clothing. Before he could find the food, he heard someone walk in, so he snuck out. He went even deeper into the forest, only to find a seemingly abandoned campsite.
It seemed abandoned, but Mac smelled someone. “H-hewwo?” Mac could barely manage the words due to his fatigue and the fact that he hadn’t talked for years. There was no response, so he decided to sit on a nearby log. When he sat down, he heard an “Eep!’ that made him quickly stand up.
“Oh… S-sowwy…” Mac hasn’t had to talk for years, so you can imagine how he talked compared to his looks.“Who in the name of Gaia are you?” asked the thing Mac sat on.“Oh, me? I are Mac McJones. Who is you name?” “I’m Crystal…” she said with a puzzled expression. “You don’t talk how the way that you’re dressed suggests.”
“Me were a slave. I runned away and no talked for a long time.”
I heard that there was an escape a few years ago with one young survivor, thought Crystal, a now visible Wolf Teraseer, could this be him?
“What’s wrong, Crystal?” asked Mac.
“Oh, um, nothing. By the way, what brings you here, Mac?”
At that moment, Mac’s stomach rumbled. “Food…” he said, holding his stomach. Crystal giggled.
“Lucky for you, we’ve got plenty of that.” Beamed Crystal.
“We?” asked Mac.
“Yes. My husband Dire. He should actually be here any minute now.”
As if on cue, another Wolf Teraseer walked to the campsite.
“Hello, I’m back! And I brought-” an aroma passed his nose. “Crystal, stand back! There’s an intruder!” his eyes wandered to the side of Crystal, who Mac was using to hide from Dire. “Who the hell is this!?!?”
Mac was shaking with fear. “This is Mac. He’s an escaped slave. He said he ran here from his master’s plantation.” Crystal explained.
Like Crystal, when Dire heard he was a slave, he looked confused. “He doesn’t look like one.”
“He got the clothes from Barnes’ cabin.” Crystal elaborated more.
Mac was still hiding behind Crystal. “Oh, sorry I snapped at you. By the way, how old are you, Mac?”
“Um, me don’t wewy know. But me were seven when me escaped.” Mac was getting used to talking again. He started to get the words right, but didn’t know any large words. “I think that was ten years ago.
As Mac said this, Dire and Crystal’s jaws dropped. An average Fox Teraseer lives up to fourteen. Mac was seventeen, and looked seven.
“Why are you guys looking at me funny?” Asked Mac.
“Nothing… So, Mac, you said you were hungry?” Crystal said, interrupting the awkward silence. “You said you brought something, Honey?”
“Oh, yes, I caught some fish. You want some, Mac?”
“’Fish’? Never tasted it before. I guess I’ll try it… it should be better than starving…” Mac took a large bass and took a bite of it. He quickly spit it out, scraping his tongue to get the flavor out of his mouth. “Bleh! I was wrong! It’s worse than starving!” Mac over-exaggerated.
“Oh… did you bring anything else, honey?”
“I don’t… oh wait! I have a deer! Would you like that, Mac?”
Mac’s tail started wagging. “Deer? I love deer!”
“I guess we know what to feed him now.” Laughed Crystal. Mac attacked (lol, mac attack, amirite?) the deer, not leaving any meat on the bone. That’s when they all smelled something strange. The smell was a group of Fox Teraseers. But something was a little off. Mac’s face flushed, and he became limp.
“Mac, are these friends of yours?” asked Crystal.
“No, actually the opposite…” answered Mac, “They’re feral, outcasts of the foxes. Their eyes are burned out so they’re blind, but their other senses are really good.”
“I guess that rules out friends…”
“What’s the best way to beat them?” asked Dire.
“You can’t. Just stand still…”
At that moment, Crystal sneezed. Mac smelled something familiar. It was his master. Mac froze in fear. Crystal started to panic, and suddenly vanished. Dire smirked. The feral foxes were heading toward them.
“Looks like our only option now is to fight.” Dire whispered to himself. He took out a large sword. Mac’s heart sunk, and he hid behind a tree. Dire fought off most of the ferals with Mac watching from behind a tree. Suddenly, Mac felt like he was being watched. Mac turned around and was suddenly grabbed. He screamed for help, and was answered by Crystal. She jumped at the Master and attacked him with her claws. He suddenly pulled a sword out of nowhere and stabbed her in the stomach. She screamed in pain, and Dire stopped what he was doing and ran to Mac and Crystal. Before he arrived, the Master had vanished.
“Crystal! Are you okay?” asked Dire.
“Yeah, I’m… fine… just a… huge… hole in… my… stomach…”
Dire smiled. “Nothing I can’t fix."
Mac came out of hiding, a solemn look on his face. "This is all my fault..." he was chiking back tears.
"It's okay, Mac, this happens all the time." Than to Crystal, "Lay down on your back." A bright light appeared between between
It seemed abandoned, but Mac smelled someone. “H-hewwo?” Mac could barely manage the words due to his fatigue and the fact that he hadn’t talked for years. There was no response, so he decided to sit on a nearby log. When he sat down, he heard an “Eep!’ that made him quickly stand up.
“Oh… S-sowwy…” Mac hasn’t had to talk for years, so you can imagine how he talked compared to his looks.“Who in the name of Gaia are you?” asked the thing Mac sat on.“Oh, me? I are Mac McJones. Who is you name?” “I’m Crystal…” she said with a puzzled expression. “You don’t talk how the way that you’re dressed suggests.”
“Me were a slave. I runned away and no talked for a long time.”
I heard that there was an escape a few years ago with one young survivor, thought Crystal, a now visible Wolf Teraseer, could this be him?
“What’s wrong, Crystal?” asked Mac.
“Oh, um, nothing. By the way, what brings you here, Mac?”
At that moment, Mac’s stomach rumbled. “Food…” he said, holding his stomach. Crystal giggled.
“Lucky for you, we’ve got plenty of that.” Beamed Crystal.
“We?” asked Mac.
“Yes. My husband Dire. He should actually be here any minute now.”
As if on cue, another Wolf Teraseer walked to the campsite.
“Hello, I’m back! And I brought-” an aroma passed his nose. “Crystal, stand back! There’s an intruder!” his eyes wandered to the side of Crystal, who Mac was using to hide from Dire. “Who the hell is this!?!?”
Mac was shaking with fear. “This is Mac. He’s an escaped slave. He said he ran here from his master’s plantation.” Crystal explained.
Like Crystal, when Dire heard he was a slave, he looked confused. “He doesn’t look like one.”
“He got the clothes from Barnes’ cabin.” Crystal elaborated more.
Mac was still hiding behind Crystal. “Oh, sorry I snapped at you. By the way, how old are you, Mac?”
“Um, me don’t wewy know. But me were seven when me escaped.” Mac was getting used to talking again. He started to get the words right, but didn’t know any large words. “I think that was ten years ago.
As Mac said this, Dire and Crystal’s jaws dropped. An average Fox Teraseer lives up to fourteen. Mac was seventeen, and looked seven.
“Why are you guys looking at me funny?” Asked Mac.
“Nothing… So, Mac, you said you were hungry?” Crystal said, interrupting the awkward silence. “You said you brought something, Honey?”
“Oh, yes, I caught some fish. You want some, Mac?”
“’Fish’? Never tasted it before. I guess I’ll try it… it should be better than starving…” Mac took a large bass and took a bite of it. He quickly spit it out, scraping his tongue to get the flavor out of his mouth. “Bleh! I was wrong! It’s worse than starving!” Mac over-exaggerated.
“Oh… did you bring anything else, honey?”
“I don’t… oh wait! I have a deer! Would you like that, Mac?”
Mac’s tail started wagging. “Deer? I love deer!”
“I guess we know what to feed him now.” Laughed Crystal. Mac attacked (lol, mac attack, amirite?) the deer, not leaving any meat on the bone. That’s when they all smelled something strange. The smell was a group of Fox Teraseers. But something was a little off. Mac’s face flushed, and he became limp.
“Mac, are these friends of yours?” asked Crystal.
“No, actually the opposite…” answered Mac, “They’re feral, outcasts of the foxes. Their eyes are burned out so they’re blind, but their other senses are really good.”
“I guess that rules out friends…”
“What’s the best way to beat them?” asked Dire.
“You can’t. Just stand still…”
At that moment, Crystal sneezed. Mac smelled something familiar. It was his master. Mac froze in fear. Crystal started to panic, and suddenly vanished. Dire smirked. The feral foxes were heading toward them.
“Looks like our only option now is to fight.” Dire whispered to himself. He took out a large sword. Mac’s heart sunk, and he hid behind a tree. Dire fought off most of the ferals with Mac watching from behind a tree. Suddenly, Mac felt like he was being watched. Mac turned around and was suddenly grabbed. He screamed for help, and was answered by Crystal. She jumped at the Master and attacked him with her claws. He suddenly pulled a sword out of nowhere and stabbed her in the stomach. She screamed in pain, and Dire stopped what he was doing and ran to Mac and Crystal. Before he arrived, the Master had vanished.
“Crystal! Are you okay?” asked Dire.
“Yeah, I’m… fine… just a… huge… hole in… my… stomach…”
Dire smiled. “Nothing I can’t fix."
Mac came out of hiding, a solemn look on his face. "This is all my fault..." he was chiking back tears.
"It's okay, Mac, this happens all the time." Than to Crystal, "Lay down on your back." A bright light appeared between between
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