:)))

PoV: Scar

Cannonshot. 

Terror fills me. 

The figure. 

The person I saw in the bushes. 

They got Cub. 

Because I was too scared to protect him...

'HEY!'

I freeze, looking over to see Joel. Tears streak his face, anger and sadness filling his expression. A sword hangs from his hand.

'H...hey, Joel... we don't mean you any harm... we'll just leave you alone and...'

He runs at me, screaming. I sprint away. My only hope is if I'm wrong. The cannon can't have been Cub. The person I saw might not've even been dangerous... it could be someone nice. Like... Jimmy. No, Jimmy's dead. Who else is here? Who else could it've...

'GET BACK HERE YOU BLOODY THIEF!' Joel howls. 

'CUB HELP!' No reply. 'CUB!' 

Completely lost, I take a tight corner... I need to shake Joel off. Distract him... get him away from me. I don't know where Etho is. Or Cub... if he's alive.

No. 

Cub has to be alive.

I skid to a stop as I reach a familiar clearing. Joel and Etho's base. Their tree, with a notch cut into it from where the sword hit it. Writing etched into it.

HISTORICAL LANDMARK TREE - DO NOT TOUCH

Perfect.

I dig into my pockets for the matches I hid on me. I pull them out, looking for Joel. He's not here, until he crashes into view, just in time to see...

I light the tree on fire. Joel's eyes widen, fury filling them.

'ETHO- YOU- BLOODY- SCAR BURNT YOUR TREE!'

'WHAT?!' 

I start running again. My leg hurts as bad as ever, every step more of a stumble than a run. Joel's steps are only growing closer and closer and...

A shove. I hit the ground, rolling to stop at least some of the impact... Joel pounces as I land on my back, holding a sword against my neck. I choke for breath, kicking, fighting, trying to push him out the way...

'You're going to die, nerd.' He spits. I finally gain enough leverage to force him away, twisting onto my front, scrambling to my feet and continuing on. Joel yells again behind. Someone's following from the side. Etho. It has to be Etho... 

'SCAR!'

CUB.

He bursts through the trees, tackling Joel to the ground.  I keep on running, making sure I'm a safe way away before skidding to a stop, turning and aiming an arrow. Cub's still got Joel pinned. Etho's a little way off. I see smoke rising from the tree I burnt down. 

'SCAR KEEP RUNNING!' Cub yells as Joel fights his way free. I fire at him instantly. Miss. I fire again. Joel's already running for me, Cub close behind, sword swinging. 

'ETHO! ETHO HE'S GETTING AWAY!'

'MY TREE'S ON FIRE!' Etho yells back. 

'SCAR BURNT DOWN YOUR BLOODY TREE AND NOW... NOW HE'S GOING TO ESCAPE!' I don't know what direction mine and Cub's base is. I don't know where anything is so I just climb the nearest tree, looking down as Cub reaches Joel again. A scream as his sword hits, and the pair start swordfighting. 

'SCAR, RUN!' Cub calls again. I don't. I can't. I'm safe in the tree, staring out... I aim another arrow towards Joel... too risky. I'll hit Cub. I can't risk that. 

I don't have any other weapons on me. My leg still hurts...

All I can do is watch as Cub and Joel fight, sword clashing. Both are bleeding already, both hiding the pain remarkably well... I can't see who's going to win. I don't know what's going to happen...

A twig snaps under me. 

And Joel knows where I am.

'HEY!'

Joel runs for me. Cub swears, running after. I try to climb higher, clawing my way up thinning branches...

Crack.

I yell as the branch I'm holding snaps, falling through a layer of scratches and pain, and onto the ground, hard. 

I struggle for breath, struggle to stand... It'll take too long just to roll onto my stomach, stand that way... time I don't have with Joel...

'NO!' A thud, and the next moment Cub's staring over me, hand out for me to take. I do and he pulls me to my feet. I stagger forwards, barely keeping balance, falling into a hug. Cub hugs back.

'I'm sorry...' I mumble. 'I should've run... I just panicked and... and I didn't want to leave you behind...'

'It's ok... how hurt are you?'

It feels like every inch of me is scratched and bleeding. I can barely put pressure on my hurt leg. My back hurts from landing on it...

'I'm fine.'

'If you keep going the way you were... we're not far from our base... I need to stop Joel getting us when he wakes up...'

'Wakes up?'

'I shoved him against a tree and knocked him out... but he could wake up any minute. There's healing supplies with the rest of our stuff... I know you're lying about how 'fine' you are, Scar. Just... get to the base and stay there.'

'You're not going to sacrifice yourself for me, Cub...'

'What's... HEY!'

Cub pushes me away as the sounds of Joel waking up reach us. 

'RUN!' 

There's nothing else I can do.

Barely faster than a walk, I stumble through the last few trees. Cub's... no, he's going to be fine. Joel's more hurt than he is. And Cub wouldn't just...

Cannonshot. 

I barely catch the yell that follows, freezing. My heart races in my ears... either of them... no, no, Cub just killed Joel. Cub beat Joel, and accidentally killed him. Or not even accidentally because it's JOEL. JOEL who wouldn't have stopped hunting us down until we were dead...

'CUB?' I call his name. No reply. But no sounds of Joel celebrating or taunting me... I creep back the way I came. Cub killed Joel, but fainted. I need to get him to the base. I can't just leave him to die. 

I reach where they are, neither conscious. And, yep. There's Joel, dead. And... Cub. 

I crouch next to where he lies. I can't see any breath... he must've been hurt worse than I thought. I didn't grab any bandages... why didn't I grab anything to help him?!

My hands shake as I search for a pulse, see how long he has left. 

Nothing.

Why is there nothing?!

A groan.

My heart stops beating. 

Joel groans again.

No.

No no no.

This isn't happening.

THIS ISN'T HAPPENING.

'Cub wake up.' I mutter. 'Cub wake up please.' I keep looking for a pulse. Breath. Anything. Joel's not alive. Joel's the one that died. Cub killed Joel. Not... 'CUB WAKE UP!' I sob, and can't stop, as the only feasible possibility rises in my mind.

Cub's dead.

:)