Firefly Glen [M] stop, don't save yourself

Through the blood and sweat West was not oblivious to the sounds. The groaning and the sickening sound of bones crunching as fresh blood hung in the air with its metallic taste. The stench was overwhelming, enough so to make his eyes water and choke him like poison. From the corners of his vision, he saw a body fly, another limp at the beast's forelegs. Every fiber of his being screamed to look, to check and ensure that they were alive. That his sister would be ok, that his soon-to-be brother would be ok, but instead, he swallowed the lump that suffocated him.

There was no need to look, for there was a part of him deep down that already knew.

They were gone. They were gone like everyone else. Like Clay. Like their father. Like Newt. They were all gone. Once he had been told that it was just a part of life. Everyone dies eventually, born from blood and bone just to return to the earth. It was all meant to be. Once he had believed that, but now? Now it was wrong. Now it was just an excuse, one they could tell themselves to make the pain just a bit better, but the pain wasn't better. It hadn't been for a long time.

All that remained was a deeply rooted seed of pain and anger that squeeze him like a threat looking to break him further every day. Whatever forces were out there had NO RIGHT, taking freely as they pleased without a care for who they hurt in their wake. There was no meaning to this. There was no purpose. Tears clouded his vision, hand in hand with the fog that threatened to consume him. Something whispered in his ear, a soft voice to give in. That they couldn't win.

They should be running.

How would that be fair though? Why should he get the chance, over and over to run when others had not. Why was the option always to run or die? Why was it never to live? What stroke of luck had he hit to survive time after time again only to watch the death of his loved ones. What curse did he have to watch them all be stripped away?

Everything they did seemed to have no effect. Even as blood and flesh and sight were stripped from the beast it raged on. Bellows of anger and hate roaring from its maw as it stepped away from the crumpled body of his sister. It was only once he saw how small she looked now, broken and red amongst pure white that he felt the bear slip from his jaws once more.

In a moment's passing the beast and Polaris raced off leaving him and Leta alone. As if time had stopped he lingered, his eyes burning as he choked out a sob. West grit his teeth holding back his cries as if it might make things right or bring forth the power to will her back to life, but it wasn't possible. There wasn't time to even try. Life did not just stop, especially now in the heart of battle. Polaris needed him, Osiris needed him. 

As West turned to run in pursuit he saw Polaris tumble over Osiris' fallen body. It was hard to say what his status was, but either way, it didn't look good. They needed to get both bodies out of here. They needed to get out of here. Death be damned, he wasn't dying here. Not now. Maybe it was cowardly, but he would hunt this fucker down to the edges of the world another day, just not now. Not when they had already lost so much. He couldn't risk Polaris now and he was certain she would kill him if they pushed their luck further and the bear didn't.

Unfortunately, though, they did not seem to fall on the same page. As he neared he saw her turn, the same fire in her eyes that made him fall in love with her from the start as she screeched in the face of the oncoming bear.

"YOU'RE GONNA DIE"

No. No no no no no— she was right, but it wouldn't be the bear that would fall. Polaris would die if she fought here. Filled with newfound energy, West pushed himself to his limit, feet barely touching the ground as he raced time. He just had to make it. He couldn't let her get hurt, he wouldn't. There was no time to stop, no time to drag them both away, so instead, he collided with her, shoving his dove into the snow and out of scraping claws reach as a fire roared to life along his side. Something burned, probably a fresh wound from claws that cut like knives, but he wouldn't be felled so easily.

RUN DAMMNIT.

He couldn't look at her now. He knew if their eyes met she would never leave. He just needed to give her hope that he had things handled, that they could both get out with their lives. Truthfully, he had every intention of doing just that. They could outrun his lumbering bleeding body, but he wanted to ensure that she had a headstart. West lunged for the bear's chest hoping to grab near its neck. It wasn't safe, he knew that, but the rest of its body was so damn thick. He had to chance somewhere vulnerable, somewhere that could end it all.