Hhelo

Dang... I was so stuck on what to do next that I just... couldn't get myself to write Snowball aaa.

Pls enjoy my suffering

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RECAP

     Steve blinked, glancing over his shoulder as he searched for an old pack of cards Jake stowed away, "Hm?"

     Herobrine's wide eyes met his, and Jake continued, "Well, jus' look at him. Same dark hair, same stubble kinda. Your noses both look roughly similar, both have the same jaw shape. All Brine is missing are some muscles."

     Steve smirked, shaking his head as he located the cards, bringing them over to their small group, "Hopefully the muscle issue will mend itself eventually, eh Brine?"

     Their slender guest scooted closer, inspecting the cards Steve now shuffled with wide-eyed curiosity, "I do like... how strong you look."

     "Food will help with that, bud... now how's about some cards?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comb the Mountain

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     The sleet left everything glittering with a thin sheet of ice.

       Every pine needle on every tree stood out sharp and glittering like metal. The bark of the trees, too, shone like crystal in the early sun. The snow had all but washed away, revealing dark, barren earth and stones. These too, glittered and winked with reflections of the sun and sky.

      Herobrine was content to stare in awe at it as his two companions spoke in low tones behind him, preparing food. Before this, he'd have been too concerned with how cold and miserable he was to truly appreciate the beauty around him. Now... he was grateful for every chance he got to admire in safety.

       "...and we need more wheat. That leak spoiled a good lot of what I'd already purchased."

      "Jake, you yourself said it was dangerous to travel after a sleet storm, due to the ice."

      "I'm experienced. And I can just put on those ice shoes. Why don't you and Hero stay here and repair that leak in my shed?"

      A moment of silence, a huff.

       "Fine... just be back by dark."

      "It's my house."

      "I'll still lock you out of it!"

      "Nuh-uh."

      Herobrine sighed, leaning on the windowsill with a grin. The noise of voices was so comforting to him, now. Voices now meant kindness and care... what an amazing thing.

       The Enderbaby popped up beside him, startling Brine. It licked the window, right on schedule, and settled against Brine's side. It had grown so much... now standing taller than Steve's hip. It used this height to reach over the counter and steal honey.

      Herobrine gave it a pat, smiling. The creature would grow up to be a loyal friend... once it got a bit smarter, that is. Hopefully, he could be a good, loyal friend, too. Then he could finally thank his new friends properly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      It was noon when Jake finally set out. the ice had melted a little, giving him a bit more sure footing. He still wore the iron horseshoe-like ice spikes, as he called them. They fastened on the outside of his boots with leather buckles, and had sharp iron spikes on the bottom, giving him perfect grip. Herobrine stood with Steven at the front door, both dressed in their warmest clothes, watching their blond-haired companion saunter off into the light mists.

      As Jake vanished into the trees, Steven's large hand settled on Herobrine's shoulder, "Alright bud, let's start fixin' that leak and see what we can scrape together for dinner... then we can go for a nice walk 'n check Jake's traps, alright?"

       Herobrine gave an eager nod, following Steven out to the shed to retrieve tools and lumber.

      Today would be a good day... he could just feel it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      The town was busier than Jake had expected.

      There were people moving about, many huddled before their homes and speaking amongst themselves. Jake gave each a friendly nod as he passed, heading for the merchant's store. Strange... normally only the men would be about, clearing ice from the roads for the wagons, but he saw several women and children looking out from windows and doorways, or even beside the men, speaking to them.

      Jake understood why the moment he'd turned down the road leading to the main store.

      There was a large huddle of men and... oh, some were women, just outside it, many of them bearing ugly scars and frightening scowls. They held weapons, real weapons, meant for great battles, not ice picks or axes for chopping trees.

      They were crowded around the owner of the store, who stood before the doorway to his small building, as though he was barring the way inside. One of the taller fellows was questioning him, it seemed, his voice getting louder and rougher with every fresh sentence.

      "...'aven't seen anyone new eh? Just what lives in this town?? Useless..."

      If they were bothering the old man and the townsfolk... Jake huffed, knowing he'd be quite useless in a fight. However, he didn't stop his slow trudge towards the store, as many of the rough men were now eyeing him. Deviating from his path would only warrant undesired attention...

      The store clerk noticed him, "Ah, Jake my boy."

Instantly, many more eyes were on him. Jake paused in his tracks, putting on an easy grin, "Thias, my friend... are you closed today?"

      "Only to those who would come in and harm my wares," The old man shot the strangers a glare, but many ignored him.

      Jake chuckled awkwardly, "I see... mind if I squeeze by all this and collect what I need?"

       "If you can," Thais answered curtly.

      The trapper tried to ignore all the glares sent his way, shifting through what gaps there were. The men refused to move out of his way, forcing Jake to duck and slip between them, being very mindful of his spiked footwear.

      He set his foot on the first step to the store, and a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

      Jake jumped, turning, finding himself faced with the man who had been arguing with the store clerk earlier. He was tall, and intimidating, with a dark beard.

      But it was his eyes, those cold, searching eyes that caught Jake's attention, and sent a thread of fear down his spine.

      "Who're you," The question was short, voice gruff and demanding.

      "...simply an ice collector in need of fresh food supplies."

      Those eyes flashed, and Jake realized the man was leaning closer, towering over him.

      Breath fogged before Jake's face, then the man was... smelling him??

     Jake's face took on a look of disgust, and he tried to take a step back, nearly slipping off the step he was on. The hand on his shoulder clamped down tighter, and the eyes before him narrowed dangerously.

      "H-hey, hey, I'm not into sniffing people I've just met–"

      "He knows where it is."

     The blood in Jake's veins turned to ice.

     A man elbowed his way forward, his face no less cruel than the others, though he was quite shorter and thinner than them, "You're certain??"

     "Aye."

     "Now hold on just a second, what's going on?? Release me, I need t' get back home before dark–"

     "Silence!!"

     The command thundered before his ears, making them all but ring from the intensity. In the muffled confusion, Jake heard Thias protesting, then a retort. He tried to lift an arm and shove the hand off his shoulder, but before he could even move, he'd been yanked off the stairs and his back slammed into the wall of the store.

      "Agh! Hey!! S-stop this, let me go!!"

     He was ignored, then forcefully turned, his chest now shoved against the wall. His hands were being grasped, jerked behind his back. No matter how hard he thrashed and kicked, his strength was useless against theirs. His gloves were torn off, shoved into a pocket, and rough rope bit into his wrists.

A hand grasped his hair, hands were holding his arms, and he was all but dragged away. In the rush of fear and adrenaline, he could just make out the rest of those cruel-looking people surrounding them, yelling and brandishing weapons at the townsfolk, warning them to stay back.

     "L-let me go!!"

     His mouth was struck, pain flared up in his lip, and he tasted blood.

     Jake could barely see where he was being taken, as his head was being forced back, keeping him staring at a clouded sky. It was all he could do to keep his feet under him, these people moved with focused direction, never slowing or stopping.

     It seemed like an eternity of walking, but it couldn't have been more than an hour before he was released, only to be violently shoved to the ground.

     Jake grunted, gasping softly as his face pressed into freezing snow. His hands ached with cold from having no gloves, and they tingled from the pressure of the ropes.

     Heavy boots appeared in front of his face, and a large, gloved hand encircled his throat.

     He was hauled up by his neck and kept on his feet from the grip. He found he was staring into the eyes of the man who had... smelled him earlier. Bewildered, and just beginning to acknowledge the terror coursing through his body, Jake stared right back, eyes flicking briefly to the shorter man from earlier as he came up behind the giant barbarian.

     "I hope you realize what could happen to us if you're wrong about this one," The shorter man muttered, and Jake winced at his rough, dull voice.

     "I am never wrong," the taller growled, thumb now pressing into the side of Jake's throat, making the hunter dizzy.

     The last time he spoke, he'd been struck...

     ...but he couldn't help his utter confusion.

     "W-what are you doing??" Jake hissed, barely able to speak from the hand pressing to his airway.

     Both sets of eyes turned on him, and Jake shivered at the hunger he saw there.

     "We are searching... for this," The taller rumbled, and the shorter man pulled out... a rolled-up piece of paper. Unfurling it, the thing was held up before Jake.

     And his heart all but stopped beating.

     There, on the poster... was his little friend. Drawn in a crude fashion, with cruel fangs peeking from a wide-open, grinning mouth... it almost didn't look like him in the slightest. However, the empty eyes were unmistakable. WANTED was written across the top, and Jake felt sick at the amount written below... along with a message.

     'Dead or alive'.

     The taller man chuckled, though it almost sounded painful to make that sort of noise, "He knows all right..."

      "Knows what," Jake fired back, "You know nothing of me. I've been kidnapped and struck and had a random picture shoved in my face, what is there to know??"

     "Where is he."

     "Who?? That poster thing? I've never seen anyone like that here."

     Jake almost regretted the spite with which he fired back, as the breath was soon torn from his lungs as the taller man drove a fist into his stomach.

     A wretched noise escaped him, and he was shoved harshly, causing him to stumble, landing on his back hard.

     Staring up at tree branches and gray sky, Jake fought for breath. If... if these men would do such things to a normal person... just what were they planning to do to little Brine??

     The men appeared over him again, and this time, the taller had a wicked dagger in one fist.

      "You reek of his scent, your eyes shift and your skin is pale at his every mention," the taller one grins, "...you know of what we speak... and you will tell us through your pain."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Jake was certain he hadn't said a word.

      But in the haze he now found himself in... perhaps he was wrong in this certainty.

      After his warm clothes had been taken, leaving his body exposed to the cold, the bloodletting started. The man administering them had been... efficient. He knew the softest places to open, how to press the blade against sensitive flesh to make him writhe.

       He was sure he'd only cried out and protested... but after nearly half an hour, the taller man had stood up, wiping his knife as he confidently muttered that he had been given all he needed.

      Now... Jake was stumbling along the road to his house, still bound. They'd hastily bandaged his wounds - if only to get more information from him later, and redressed him in warmth, completely concealing what they'd done to his body.

      Even through the pain, the hunter could feel terror, dread, crushing his very lungs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Steven chuckled as he watched Herobrine fumble with a hatchet, "You've got the grip right! Now all you have to do is hold it tight and swing it onto that bit of wood."

       Herobrine gave him a small huff, and Steve scoffed, "I know it's harder than it looks, but I know you've got this."

      Thunk-crack!

       The wood fell into two bits, and Steve tossed up his hands, "There you go! Look at that, not too hard! You've got some strength in those limbs."

      Herobrine released the smallest of giggles when Steven reached out to poke his bicep, swatting at the larger man.

      "Not... as good as you."

     "Tch, you will be after years of practice. And you'll probably be even more muscular."

     Herorbine rolled his eyes, bending down to pick up the two log halves. Even when he was terrible at things, Steven and Jake always praised what he'd done, saying it was very good for a first try.

     Steven's body hit the ground, accompanied by a cry.

       Herobrine jerked upright, his mouth opening in a silent sound. Steven - he was half-slumped over the stump chopping-block, gasping, moving.

      There was a knife buried in his lower back.

      Herobrine almost screamed aloud, but he choked, throwing himself to the side just in time to avoid another knife, then an arrow.

      The hail of weapons forced him to teleport behind the cabin, taking cover from the danger. No, no he couldn't leave Steven there!!

       Thankfully, nearly all the arrows and knives had missed, as they were obviously heading for him. A few arrows had struck near Steven, likely grazing him, but he remained alive.

      What... what was happening??? Who had found them, why were they attacking!?

      Rough voices shouted commands, and Herobrine began to panic. His friends, his friends were getting hurt, these people were after him–

      "...brine!"

      Someone... calling.

      Herobrine's eyes flashed up, locking on Steven's face.

      "H-Hero... run–"

      Two huge men were now standing over him, hands landing on his defenseless body.

      "RUN!!"

      Fear was pounding through him once more, fear he'd prayed he'd never feel again. More men were coming around the corner, shouting and drawing weapons–

      Herobrine teleported, appearing in a silent clearing.

       It was here that he allowed his shriek to escape, as he fell to his knees, hands shooting up to grasp his hair. Steven... Jake, where was Jake?? Was he dead??

      And he'd run... he'd saved himself, like a coward!!

      Anguish laced his next cry, and his face bowed to the freezing earth.

      They were suffering for him again... because of him...

      ...surely it was only right that he fix it.

      The thought had Herobrine sitting upright again, tears threatening to escape. Rescue... yes, he'd done that before, he needed to do it again. But... he'd have to wait, wait until those men thought they were safe...

       Oh but what if Steven and Jake were hurting as he waited selfishly??

      Hands beginning to tremble, Herobrine staggered up, forcing himself to calm, to think.

      Humans couldn't see well in the dark, it was common to attack after sundown... but was it too common that they would predict it? Hmm...

      Perhaps... if they tried to take Jake and Steven somewhere else, he could sneak in and grab them, teleport away.

     Herobrine took a breath, shuddering, forced it out again. He needed to think... if he dashed in recklessly, he'd get Jake and Steven hurt more.

       So... he would think, and he would observe. Then, when the moment was right, he would take his friends away from them.

      With a determined look now replacing the earlier terror, Herobrine lifted his head. A few more controlled breaths, then he vanished...

     ...leaving the clearing as silent as it had been before his cries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Desperately didn't wanna leave u guys on a bad cliffie but... I was losing focus aaaghh and I didn't really proofread

All characters is gonna be JUST FINE pls everyone will be so fine in the end you'll be sick of the fine ok <3

Gimme a vote to encourage my writing lmao