Lighting struck through the sky, the wind and thunder rumbling overhead as America raced through the forest, trying his best to follow the trail of the beast he had seen.

Footsteps and marks were still visible in the mud, but the rain was already beginning to drown them out, the mud almost starting to slide and swirl around over the remaining tracks. But America continued to try his best to follow them, the brim of his hat shielding his face a little from the pouring rain.
He squinted his eyes, running and doing his best to keep his footsteps hard and heavy in the attempt to avoid slipping and making a mess of his uniform. After all, he liked this outfit a lot, especially the colours- not that it really mattered in the moment.

As he made his way through the thick brush, the rain began to get heavier, and America focused on the sounds that echoed through the forest, trying to pick up any sort of cry or something out of the ordinary.
And that's exactly what he heard.

Screaming in the distance. Full of pain and terror and so many other things America couldn't dare to name.
But all he knew, was that death was exactly where he was headed.

The pine trees began to grow heavier and America started to push through the low branches of trees and tall shrubs that grew around in the forest, shivering at the cold remains of snow and icy rain that soaked his hands.
He had never grown used to the cold, especially the low temperatures of Russia's territory. Back at his old home in the calmer forest, temperatures always seemed to stay constant, hardly ever getting too hot or cold apart from the odd silent frosts that would leave America shivering in the morning whenever he went out for a hunt.
But this place seemed almost deathly cold and America couldn't understand how Russia and his family were even able to put up with the variety of low temperatures that swept across their land.

America gritted his teeth, shoving himself through a cluster of branches that blocked his way, stopping and looking around.
He listened closely, closing his eyes to focus.

Another cry of pain and America leapt into a sprint after the sound which began to grow louder with every passing second and step.
Rocks began to stick out of the ground, wet with rain. Bearberry clumps began to appear, growing amongst the thorns and heather America ran by, their red berries almost glowing in the low light of the boreal forest.

All the sounds around him began to get louder and louder except the rain which almost started to become inaudible to the young country. He pushed himself up a small slope, having to grip onto a few rocks to pull himself up, heading towards the screaming.
And as he scrambled up through the mud and rocks, the cries and shrieks of pain began to get quieter, weaker, and America pushed himself as hard as he could until he fell over the top of the hill, wincing as he landed on his hands. Mud splattered across his cheeks and the cuffs of his uniform, his cloak a little ruined, splotches and bits of dirt stuck to the rich fabric.

He hissed a little but soon pushed himself back up, stumbling and squinting his eyes as he approached a load of thick shrubs and brambles.
There were a few thuds and rustling of leaves and what America presumed was fabric, and then two heavier thuds which sent chills down his spine, causing him to swallow hard and contemplate his decisions.

Reaching out he grabbed a clump of leaves, moving them out of the way so that he could peek through to see what was happening beyond.
He squinted a little, small streams of rain running down his face and uniform before he flinched at the sight.

Blood was... everywhere.
Multiple crossbows, daggers and a few swords discarded in the mud, splattered with crimson as they alongside the few bodies of what America assumed were soldiers. Wounds had been raked across their bodies and America almost gagged and hurled when he caught sight of a dead soldier who had a mutilated eye.
It was hard for him to keep down his breakfast and he slowly stepped over the large shrubs before freezing, clapping a hand over his mouth roughly as he watched as a large bushy tail waved about to his right, and he only just somehow noticed the massive monster he had seen mere minutes ago.

It had a large form, black inky fur soaked by the rain, blood running through. It had two sets of massive horns and it wasn't long until America realized it was the same beast he had seen before at the doors with Ukraine. The rings on its horns glowed gently and if it hadn't been for the rain, America may have been able to hear the soft humming noise the rings emitted.
The beast slowly straightened it's posture as it looked down at something, letting out something that sounded like a mix between a grumble and a growl.

America swallowed hard, not knowing what to do.
He was frozen with fear and even though he could have probably turned back and ran back to the safety of the castle... a voice in his head mumbled to him, telling him to go closer, pulling him towards the massive creature.
It was a strange voice, not his own, something he recognized but...-


The beast jolted slightly, its large ears flicking before it slowly turned, America staring up at it with widened eyes, a hand still over his mouth.
It gazed down at him silently, it's golden eyes shining and glowing as they had done so before.
Blood was dripping from its jaws, running through its fur and coating its massive claws, clumps of it still visible on its body. It narrowed its eyes a little as the rain began to lighten, the clouds overhead clearing slightly to let in a few rare rays of sunlight which ran through the forest and over the beast and America who continued to watch each other.
And even though America was terrified in the moment, he felt a strange sensation of relief and confidence wash over him.

It slowly moved, tail swaying and sliding through a load of mud and blood, arching a little before it grumbled. It turned and looked down at what it had been dealing with and then looked to America.
The monster had no emotion to show towards the young country, only shaking off some rain and blood and heading back towards the castle, it's movements heavy but strong.
America followed it with his eyes, frowning a little before looking over to see what it had been looking at, cringing immediately when he saw it was just another body.



A cluster of bushes rustled gently and America recoiled, perking up, his breath hitching when two large wolves padded out from the brush, hardly reacting when they saw him.
Their eyes glowed unnaturally and America took it as his queue to leave, turning and hastily hurrying after the monster that had just left.

It seemed like it had been waiting for the cleanup crew to arrive.



He didn't bother glancing back to see what the wolves were doing with the mutilated remains.

The rain stopped as America slowly approached the monster which continued to walk back, staring forwards blankly, emotionless and frightening.
Whatever it was, it was horrific, something America had never seen before... but he recognized it from something he had read, the illustrations that had been in a book he had stolen from a merchant years ago.
Which was now discarded somewhere, lost in his old home which he would probably never see again...

He rubbed at his arm, staring down at the muddy path they were taking, not too sure on what to do.
Who or what even was this thing?
The question was beginning to take over his thoughts and he looked towards the monster, his eyes gliding up its tail and back, and then to the back of its head.

America bit his lip, quickening his pace slightly so that he walked beside it. He fidgeted.

"Who are you?"The question came out a little shakily and he waited for an answer, looking up to gaze at it's cold and blank face. Staring at its golden eyes; the colour so pure and majestic that he soon caught himself staring a little too long.
But it did nothing to reply. Its jaws stayed tightly clamped together, blood still running down, not even twitching. Its eyes never seemed to land on America and America frowned a little when he looked it up and down.

Getting a straight-up answer around here seemed to never be a thing that would come true.
So he gave up, tucking his hands into the underside of his cloak to keep warm, awkwardly staying silent as he began to think.

His thoughts trailed back to the sight of the soldiers, and he swallowed the lump that had begun to form in the back of his throat.
The uniform they had worn... The colours, the patterns... The style was so familiar to America that it made him feel nauseous. And he knew exactly where they had come from.
The thought was horrible... The memories too.
But America inhaled sharply and bit the inside of his cheek, gripping his sides from under his cloak, staring ahead while attempting to put on a neutral face. Although his mouth kept twitching, his eyes watering a little.



The monster walked, glancing down at the smaller, saying nothing and doing nothing.
Its lack of visible pupils was an advantage, although it was hardly very useful in quick situations. But if it meant easily being able to watch a strange country, it may have been worth it.

It noticed America's change in facial expressions, noting down how he forced himself to look calm, the glassiness of his eyes.

Even if he had felt some sort of sympathy for the younger, he wouldn't have been able to do anything. This form, although strong and intimidating, had its disadvantages. Such as not being able to fit through certain doors and the stupid inability to speak. Impossible with the massive jaws, long tongue, massive canines and the ability to only roar and make animalistic sounds.
All he did was let out a low, quiet grumble.

And he walked, claws stretching a little as he tried his hardest not to cringe at the almost bitter taste of blood that was still in his mouth.

Mortal blood was disgusting.

Sour and putrid.

Luckily it didn't smell too bad; okay enough that it was a fairly easy smell that could be ignored.

There was a break in the trees overhead, small, shaky rays of sunlight running through the gaps as the sky slowly began to clear up. The grey clouds were beginning to pass and lighten, and the monster slowly looked up to watch.
The sunlight ran through his fur, reflecting off the blood and inky substance that seemed to begin to drip off of its body, almost renewing its coat of black fur.

There was a flash of gold and even America snapped his head up to watch as Kazakhstan shot down through the clouds, wings and feathers shimmering beautifully. Full of strength and unimaginable power that had been brought upon them over years and years of non-stop training.
He slowly yet smoothly brought himself down through the trees, landing in front of the two, wearing his usual uniform, the buttons and charms clinking gently among the breast of his blazer. The hybrid was quick to pull off his cloak, rushing over to America as his wings began to fold into his back before he pulled the cloak over America's shoulders, looking the young country over quickly.

America shivered, calming slightly at the new warmth, closing his eyes a little while Kazakhstan looked up at the monster with what looked like a bit of a cold glare.
"What in the fucking stars happened," the hybrid snarled a little, cursing for once as he bared his elongated canines with little regrets.
A sharp sigh escaped him and he turned away, "oh wait. You can't speak like this," he muttered, wings twitching in irritation as the monster hesitantly stumbled over to him, opening its jaws and waving its claws about. As if it was trying to explain itself, but to no avail, the attempt pretty pointless.

So that was why it hadn't answered his questions... America thought, watching it curiously, gripping onto the cloak.

Kazakhstan sighed, rolling his eyes, his one blue pupil glowing softly along with the gold. "Come on. We should head back," he huffed, crossing his arms and walking off.


The monster stared after him, tail swaying before it pushed itself forward, following after the hybrid, eyes fixated on the gap between his wings.
America frowned and sighed, trying his best not to ruin Kazakhstan's cloak as he moved and began to hurry after the two.

The walk back was silent, rainwater still dripping from the overhanging trees, the path muddy until they reached the cobblestone roads which they walked down.
The stone beneath them was cracked with age, moss growing between the crevices, flowers too.
The younger country sped up a little so that he was soon walking beside Kazakhstan, looking down a little awkwardly.
"Uhm..." America started, glancing over his shoulder for a moment, "who or what is that...?"He mumbled quietly, loud enough for the other to hear.

Kazakhstan looked down at him for a moment, raising his brow slightly, "you seriously don't know who that is?"He asked, blinking and earning nothing more than a confused shrug from the other.
He chuckled and looked ahead, "I'll tell you once we get back and get you cleaned and warmed up."
America sighed and nodded, "okay..."He mumbled, looking back to stare up at the monster who watched him intently.

Golden eyes glowing.

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Ultimately, the most boring and dullest chapter I have ever written lmao

I was going to draw some scenes from this chapter but my depression has really begun to get worse and so has my lack of motivation, so have the sketch I did weeks ago

I was finally able to redraw the cover for the story after 6 months because the old one looked like ultimate sh*t. But after redrawing it, I've finally realized just how much I've improved!!

This is the old one-

*cringe* if you must throw up, then I understand, I hate it too

and here's the new one c:

I'm very proud of it c: