Death was not something that Sarin thought they'd ever fear. They were above that, as a Begonia. It was a fact, not a belief. Sarin's paws trembled now, their body beginning to give up on them. They'd lost too much blood. As they looked at the moonlight, their pupils no longer responded to the stimuli... it was an strange, terrifying feeling. It reminded him of headquarters. How he had fought so hard, and so viciously to be at the top. How desperately he yearned to be accepted by the Begonias, while simultaneously pushing them away with his brutality. How he'd agreed to be a test subject, a pawn, a spy for their cause. Why did he attack Ana? Why..? Sarin himself couldn't recall what exactly he had been fighting for now. Maybe Mei. Maybe Karito. Maybe Stuart. Stuart? A familiar voice came from below her as her gaze began to fog, her eyes glazed with a mix of tears as she felt herself slowly begin to fade away. She cradled him in her paws gently, having saved him from her enemy's claws. He seemed urgent, fearful. She couldn't make out his words, because her ears were overwhelmed by the sounds of her heartbeat. Stuart's black eyes dripped with hot tears, the creature's babbling only continuing as Sarin's chest began to rise slowly, and less consistent. "...Stuart?" "̷N̵e̷ ̶m̵e̸ ̷q̸u̶i̸t̴t̶e̷ ̴p̴a̷s̴,̷ ̸S̷a̵r̸i̸n̵.̶"̶ He smiled. "Il est enfin temps." It was becoming harder to breathe as Stuart began to plead, his small, feeble body covered in Sarin's blood. Sarin gave the monster a reassuring smile. After all this time, he would have finally accomplished his mission. After all the experiments, training, and fighting... it would be over soon. Stuart knew what he needed to do next. But he didn't want to. He couldn't. Sarin didn't respond to the creature, distracted by the thousands of thoughts in his mind that were gradually beginning to grow weak. His head slowly dropped to the ground, having no strength to look at Stuart anymore. His senses... were faint. Even so, the dirt felt almost as soft as a pillow. It was comforting. Sarin was tired. Stuart nudged Sarin. Then, once again. Stuart no longer had tears left to cry, his destructive enzymes having only burned a hole in the tom's pelt. Shaking with grief... he did the only the only thing he knew what to do. A nauseating crack rang out across the mountains, as Stuart's teeth tore through flesh, acid breaching through skin and bone. Alongside that... ...was a blood curdling scream. Staggering to his paws, the cat's bones shifted back into place, flesh repairing itself as stitches made of plant-like teeth grew on his flesh. His scars bled once again, the enzymes of the mutant's acid breaching his blood vessels, pumping through his heart. His eyes had rolled into his head, only to re-center back. They were no longer as beautiful as they once were. Now, they glowed a bright, sinister shade of green. The patch of grass and dirt he previously lay was dead, shriveled up as all life had left it. On the bridge between life and death, Sarin precariously stood in-between. Neither a mutt, nor living... he was something... unexplainable. Stuart stared at him. Sarin stared right back. ... Begonia flowers begin to blossom throughout the arena, implanting themselves into tribute's camps. These petals open to a select few: Dakota of District 10. Xander of District 4. Cirrus of District 7. Dakota of District 4. The pollen glows and shimmers, forming and shifting into useful weaponry and tools. May the odds ever be in your favor. --- written/drawn by
