Bramblepoint This flower is perfect!

@Okeanos!

After his triumphant victory, Black Hat was utterly exhausted. He shambled northwards in the starlight, heading straight for the forest there. Blood dripped from his shoulder for quite some time before it finally trickled to a stop. There was limp in his gait, favoring his injured side. Once the adrenaline had drained from his system, the dull ache really started to set in. The way time seemed to slow at his grueling pace was maddening, but eventually, he made it.

Lightheaded from blood loss and fatigue alike, he collapsed, landing in a heap on the ground with a grunt. Was this forest claimed too? If it was, he couldn't bring himself to care. He was tired, so tired... he couldn't remember the last time the allure of sleep tugged at him so adamantly. Black Hat could feel the world spinning, and he spun with it. Consciousness slipped from his grasp like water through teeth as his body demanded he rest. The darkness got darker, and the world stopped spinning.

Everything as he knew it remained frozen like this through the night and into the early morning. Light returned to him slowly, for he was reluctant to rouse. He became aware of himself again, contracting his muscles to roll over and sit up. But doing so sent wave upon wave of dull yet potent pain up his spine and into his hazy brain, particularly from his mangled shoulder. He groaned again. Nevermind, the ground was comfortable enough. What was the rush?