PAW Patrol: Incubus

Chapter 15- Her Piercing Voice

While traversing through the depths of the Aorta tunnels, Chase made note of Everest's exhausted posture dragging behind him. The encounter with the ferox infants was reckless and draining, although the husky made sure to correct her posture every time Chase looked at her.

"You know, you don't have to do that," Chase said, lowering his ears slightly.

Everest pretended to be surprised, "do what?" There was noticeable exhaustion in her voice.

"If you're tired, just tell me."

"I'm not though, I could go on forever, honest."

"Everest, it's better if we rest now instead of passing out later."

"I would hardly call this a safe place, though," she said, looking around the tunnels with a worried look. "All it would take is one ferox walking up on us, and that's it." She emitted a slight grunt of exertion as she moved her tired body along, "there's no good place to sleep here."

"So you do need to rest."

"I don't-" the husky tried to argue, only for her voice to cut off unexpectedly. Her mind had lost all motivation to deny it, "fine... maybe a little, but you need to as well!"

"This isn't about me," Chase deflected. "You already saved me from certain death, I'm not gonna make you trudge the rest of the way."

Coming to a quiet corner of the tunnels, the shepherd observed a clump of bloodied meat and muscle sitting along the edge of the wall, likely left behind from whatever animal was massacred here.

"This would be a good place," he said, pointing it out to his companion.

Everest immediately realized what he was implying, her entire body flattening. "Oh no, fuck that. Fuck everything about that, absolutely not."

"Okay I know it's disgusting, but hear me out-"

"Chase, I am not sleeping there."

"It's warm," Chase began listing off. "The meat smell will mask your own from any warriors passing by, the sheer size of this tunnel network will lessen the chance of anything passing by at all, and your fur is already stained red, so what's the harm?"

"You are seriously telling me to lie down in massacred gore, and actually go to sleep?!"

"There's no other option, and we may not get this chance again!" he argued, baring his teeth slightly but careful not to raise his voice too loud. "Look, what if I uh-" he looked back at the pile, turning the gears in his head. "What if... kept watch? Like I'll stay awake so nothing can creep up on us?"

Everest was still hesitant in the face of such a vile offer, but the pulling hook of fatigue was getting stronger with every step. She looked over at the breathing clump of carrion with a disdainful expression, then back at Chase with a wordless plea.

"You'll really keep watch?" she asked.

"Chase is on the case," said the shepherd, chuckling tiredly.

The husky looked back and forth for a moment, until she finally gave a defeated sigh. "Alright, I... I trust you."

Already dreading the incoming nightmares, Everest walked over to the meat pile and slowly wedged her nose into it, pushing her full head under the bloodied layers. The clump swelled as she climbed in, melting its sogging gore over its new occupant like an unholy blanket.

"Well?" Chase leaned forward at the pile, twitching his ears. "You alive in there? It's not like... digesting you or anything?"

Everest's voice came from the bloodied pile, "not funny. But unlike all the weird shit we've seen today, I think this genuinely is just a giant ball of meat. I should be fine."