Redemption

There was a reason that Amphisbaena made the difficult journey to Isla Kela so long ago. He left behind both friends and family on Isla Pera to flee from the horrors of Doomsday–and he originally had no plans of returning, until the loneliness he found on the sister isle settled into his core and depressed his moods. The weather was certainly no help, either, as the cold did its best to work its way under his dense feathers and chill the acrocanthosaurus’s skin. He spent many nights making his way hesitantly across the island, purposefully avoidant of the eastern shores and the Alpha Labs where it came from. It had no business existing, no right to wreak such havoc on the island and tear families apart as it did with the losses by its teeth. Amphisbaena had left behind many in his fear; he wasn’t strong enough to save her, and he couldn’t face the pain of disappointed looks from those he loved. Many nights were spent on Isla Kela in solitude, staring at the stars above while he wondered how he could’ve done differently, if she would’ve survived had he not been wounded in his headstrong attempt to distract the beast and buy them all a little more time. He was left with scars and an empty hole in his heart that’d been carved out just for his firstborn. His little star. She hadn’t deserved the brutal fate that was wrought upon her by Nidhogg. 

So he’d strayed far, fled his shame, and thought he’d manage to avoid it forever. Fate didn’t quite work that way; his redemption wasn’t in the cards, nor was forgiveness. Instead, it was acceptance. Amphisbaena travelled along the eastern edge of Isla Pera, heading towards the spot in the woodlands where he’d abandoned everything. He knew it’d be a bad idea to stray too close to the Alpha Labs, but in his grief and remorse, the acrocanthosaurus ended up on a route that led him directly into the dangerous zone that had claimed his beloved daughter. The forest thinned as he neared the site he’d come to mourn, and a rotting, chemical scent drifted across the harsh wind and assaulted his senses. Every feather on his body stood at attention, hackles raised at the aggressive, familiar scent. Shortly after, he heard a sharp cry followed by the viscous roar that’d haunted his nightmares for moons on end. 

Everything in his body told him to flee. For an apex predator, the feeling was more than unsettling and grated against his instincts. Against his better judgement, Amphisbaena charged onward to the source. In a clearing, only a few yards from where his daughter had died, the beast itself was facing off with two therizinosaurs who looked more than enraged at Nidhogg’s presence. One was smaller and light brown, with various scars scattered across a feathered body, while the other was hulking and blended with the shadows of the woodlands. The red star on his chest stood out the most, and Amphisbaena would recognize the formidable opponent he made any day: Antares, a therizinosaurus whose claws had left scars on Amphisbaena–whose claws were currently being slashed with confidence towards Nidhogg. The smaller therizinosaurus darted around and swiped at Nidhogg’s legs, causing him to snap and snarl while stepping back from the duo. Amphisbaena rallied himself to broadcast a challenging roar towards the monstrosity, and he saw the glimmer of recognition within Nidhogg’s eyes the same way the other would see hatred and anger swimming in his own. 

The therizinosaurus pair expertly took advantage of the distraction, charging to slash at Nidhogg’s snout and neck with the intent of more than just drawing blood. Amphisbaena circled before moving in and biting onto its scarred tail, teeth shredding flesh as he ripped his head back with his jaws still locked down. Nidhogg roared in pain, his focus split in too many directions to properly fend off the attackers at every angle. 

“Leave!” Amphisbaena roared, snapping at and ramming into Nidhogg’s side. Nidhogg staggered before turning to bite and shove at the other acrocanthosaurus, making the mistake of ignoring the twelve sharp points that had aimed for various tender spots on his body. The smaller therizinosaurus–Amphisbaena had vaguely overheard Antares call to her as “Biscuit”–moved in once more and began to slash at Nidhogg’s legs while Antares dealt with the face of snarling teeth that whirled back around to frantically defend his front. Amphisbaena continued to shove and bully the larger creature, succeeding in pushing Nidhogg back and slightly off balance with every new distraction the therizinosaurs provided. In his rage, Nidhogg caught the larger therizinosaur’s wrist and ground his teeth down, eliciting a pained shriek from Antares. This spurred Amphisbaena to bite and tear at any flesh he could reach, causing Nidhogg in turn to release Antares and shift his focus back onto his carnivorous adversary. Antares staggered back with a hiss and groan while Biscuit continued her assault, ducking and weaving around Nidhogg’s misplaced attacks in time with Amphisbaena’s distractions and gnashing teeth. Blood spattered across the foliage of the forest floor, painting a vibrant picture of violence and anger on a canvas of overturned grasses and churned mud. 

Nidhogg staggered back from the two foes, turning to flee with a limp in his hurried steps. Amphisbaena gave chase while Biscuit moved to tend to Antares’ wound on his wrist. It was relieving, to shed blood of the one who’d taken everything from him. Amphisbaena slowed only when exhaustion caught the better of him, with Nidhogg trampling away and disappearing into the undergrowth. He slowly made his way back to the clearing, where the therizinosaurs eyed him warily from where they sat, preening feathers and cleaning each other’s wounds. Recognition flashed within Antares’ eyes, yet no resentment showed.

“Thank you,” Biscuit sighed softly. “I thought that thing had been driven away for good. If it weren’t for you, one of us might not have made it out.”

Amphisbaena settled into the packed grass on the other side of the clearing and nodded. His heart felt lighter, and as he looked through the trees to the starry night sky above, Amphisbaena could almost feel his daughter’s pride and forgiveness warming the void in his chest.