Beats jumped awake, hands scrabbling at his headphones as the shriek pierced his skull. The tent was dimly lit with the faint glow of his shining eyelights, bright in their sudden wakefulness and terror. Green light joined the purple as Kin woke as well, brought out of his slumber by Beats' panting. A hand rested on his shoulder knowingly. "What did you hear?"

"The scream I heard before." He gasped, shaking as he clung to his headset. "It's looking for something, a bunch of somethings. And it's not nice. It's.. hungry. And angry. I.. we have to warn them. Kin, we need to warn the humans!" He begged, gazing into Kin's soft green lights. He studied the younger quietly.
"Fine. I'll get the other two up." He stood, leaning on his tail as he helped Beats to his feet. Then they teleported into a separate tent.
Dance yelped in surprise. "Geez! My Soul, ack. Don't scare me like that. Why are you two awake?"

"Something's coming." Beats explained, eyesockets wide. Dance froze. "You can feel it?" He whispered, nudging Alter with a bone attack.
"No, I can hear it. I think it wants the humans. It's big."
Dance frowned, Alter shifting around, groaning.
"Go look for Roran, I think he might be on watch duty right now. Tell him what you know and warn everyone you come across. I'll help as soon as this lug gets up. Go." He waved them out of the tent. His violet eyelights flicked between their faces. "Hurry." He vanished back inside, whispering to Alter as the other presumably woke up.

"Damnit." Kin muttered. He did not want to talk to any humans, least of all that haunted man. "Come on!" Beats urged him, taking him by the hand and leading him away.
Something made him look up.
There was some thing blotting out the moon, huge leathery wings faintly illuminated by the pale light. It was enormous and terrible, a wicked beak parting to emit a single, hellish cry.

The wail sent the pair of skeletons to their kneecaps, gripping their skulls in agony as animals everywhere burst into a cacophony of alarm.
"Stars Almighty." Kin whispered fervently when the shriek abated, his own voice muted in the wake of the ululation. A few tears slicked down Beats' face as the younger recovered from the noise, much more sensitive to sound than even he.
"You alright?" He immediately asked, tail curling around Beats' legs.
"F-fine. J-just need to get u-up." His teeth chattered as he stared up at sky in sheer terror.

Kin didn't hesitate, he felt Determination flood his cracked Soul, standing and scooping the smaller up in his arms. He saw humans all around, getting up and looking scared and confused, but it didn't matter.
They were prey to the beast above them all, rabbits scampering beneath a hunting eagle.

He spotted someone come yelling out of a tent, snarling as the idiot threatened to give away their position only for a dark figure to tackle them to the ground. Roran.
Kin teleported over. "Predator." He stated, sockets wide, eyelights small. "The animals are too loud." Beats clung to him, staring at the humans in equal fear.
"I know, we need to silence them." Roran groaned, standing as the other followed suit.

Steeling his nerves, Kin reached forward and grabbed Roran's good shoulder, tail wrapping around the other's leg before teleporting again.
They immediately went to calm the animals, not even reacting to the abrupt change in scenery with anything more than a blink, Kin setting Beats beside him so both could help. He kept glancing up at the vile thing just hanging in the sky, drifting in wide circles as it searched. His Soul hammered, and he felt weak with the fear as the crack in his core sent pulses of pain throughout his bones. He gritted his teeth and hummed softly at the sheep before him, who were afraid of him.
Understandable given his bloodline- but he needed them to shut up.

He smelt a new wave of fear from the humans, scrunching up his face as he peered up at the sky and saw why.
The damned thing was coming closer.
Twitching, he used his tail to help soothe the stupid animals as he tried to calm down. Roran worked beside him, despite an old wound bothering his shoulder.

The creatures' racket had quieted by the time the beasts were floating above them. Kin was terrified, there was one ass that literally refused to shut it, braying loudly.
"Damnit." He hissed, seeing Roran raise his bow. One raised hand later and the animal was dead before he could fit an arrow in the string. A single bone protruded from it's ribs.
Kin didn't care, he was busy staring at the predator with blank sockets.

It was diving, heading for the source of the sound with claws out. He choked on his breath, feeling cold as everyone readied their weapons.
He flinched at a distant branch snapping, snatching Beats close and holding the smaller, who buried his face in his jacket.

Deer were suddenly swarming out of the forest, galloping in a single mindless desire to escape, a frantic herd breezing past them. Kin was breathless, sockets wide open as he took in the prey animals rushing past them. Beats even snuck a glimpse at the herd, staring as they ran.

When they finally left, the creature was no longer in a dive, instead circling one last time before heading south, only a void shadow across the starlit sky.
"Is it go-" Kin clamped a hand over Beats' teeth, the smaller muting as the meadow silenced, waiting to see if the coast was clear. The echoes of a distant shriek from that monstrosity reached them, then no more.
They sat for hours, waiting. Terrible, cramped, tense expectation of ambush.
Nothing.

Only when the moon was about to set did they dare get up. All exhausted, they retired to their beds.

The next morning, Beats woke first, letting his friend sleep in a little as he watched Roran leave for Narda, sockets wide like a child's.
Dance joined him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "S'alright. Look at it this way: we're about to go on a boat and go sailing on that water. Have you ever been at sea?"
"I'm not a sailor, Dance!" He gasped. "I've hardly ever seen the ocean. I don't know if I can swim. I've never stopped breathing for longer than five minutes, I don't know if I can drown.."
"You'll be fine. There's very little chance you'll go overboard, and even then any one of us will catch you."
Beats faced Dance, hope gleaming in his eyelights. "Thank you."

A feral snarl cut through the air nearby, Dance jumping at the sudden noise in fear. "What the-" Beats froze, staring at the tent. There were humans all around; none of which knew or understood the condition.

"Dance?" "Don't worry, I'll check it out-" "No." The darker purple themed skeleton glanced at him, confused. "What?" Beats shook his skull as someone approached a tent with a spear. "It's Kin." He raced over, waving his arms.
Arriving, he pushed the spear away. "What are you doing?!" The owner snapped.
"Don't! It's my fault I wasn't watching, it's only Kin." He peered at the tent as Dance teleported beside him. "What?" He questioned.

"He has a condition." Beats explained, not letting his eyelights off the entrance flap. "What condition? Why wasn't this mentioned before?" Dance interrogated, tense.
"He doesn't like talking about it." Beats went on, trying to stay calm. "But please, let him get over it. He gets violent if you mess with him during a fit. It takes everything not to give in to the hunger, okay?"
A reddish magenta light flared from inside the tent.

"Are you saying he's a threat?" The human asked suspiciously. "He's constantly afraid of you humans. I don't think he'd ever consciously hurt one of us, but if he's in.. a bad way, there's no telling how he'd react to a human. Listen to Beats, he knows Kin best." Dance advised.
A familiar voice groaned within the tent, a growl on the tail end of it. Dance blinked, stepping back as Beats backed up.
The human reached the spear forward.
"Don't." Beats begged.
"I really don't think that's a good idea, buddy." Dance warned, seeing Beats' reaction.

The sharp point of the spear lifted up the corner of the flap. Magenta light flashed, then a wild snarl sounded. A blur suddenly lunged at him, knocking the human over and attacking, kept back only by the shaft of the weapon. Kin was a wild animal, tail swinging angrily as he gripped the wood, jaws snapping repeatedly, on top as he kept the other pinned to the ground.

"Kin!" Beats cried out desperately, terrified that someone would get hurt or worse, he'd get himself killed. The feral skeleton paused, a relief long enough for the human to toss him off and leapt to their feet, brandishing the spear. There was a whole group gathering by now, scared humans spectating as they readied weapons. Kin was crouching, tail high, skull low as a viscous rumble escaped him, wild magenta eyelights zeroing in on Beats.
Specifically his shirt… or under that shirt.

"Kin, please, this isn't you. Snap out of it. You're going to get hurt, and I'd be hurt, and I don't want you hurt, please." He held his hands out appeasingly, trying to get the ring of bodies to stay back as he spoke. Those feral eyelights flickered green for a moment, fear and horror flashing across Kin's face as he started glaring at the ground, twitching as he tried to regain control.
"Kin." He begged once again, praying that his voice was doing good.
It seemed to be working, because Kin let out a high-pitched whine, scrabbling at his skull while magenta eyelights razed over everything.
"I.." He slurred. "Can't.. get away from me." He hissed in Wingdings.

Dance understood, immediately telling everyone to back off as Kin writhed in the dirt, tail smacking the floor as he whimpered. Beats crouched down himself, reaching out to pet his skull. "It's okay. It's okay. No one's hurt." Kin grunted, jerking his skull side to side as he whimpered again, muttering under his breath as he curled up, trembling. Most of it was in Wingdings, but there were some oddball words that made Beats shiver.
"Letta." Was among one.
"Eddyr."
"Finna."
"Vrangr."
"Rauthr."
"Fyrn."
"Wyrda.." He finally wheezed, mumbling a phrase in Wingdings too low for anyone else to hear. Beats flinched when he realized Alter was behind Kin, rubbing his shoulder soothingly with a stricken face.

Kin's eyelights were flickering between animalistic magenta and cognizant green. "Consume." He whispered in Wingdings, weak from the emotional whiplash of fighting against his own violent instincts. Alter gazed at Beats in concern. "What is this?" He whispered.
"It's just a condition he has. He gets hungry and goes crazy. He ran away from home because of it and something else. It's a bad instinct." Beats explained as well as he could.
"So we just need to feed him?" Alter asked.
Beats shook his skull. Without a word, he pointed to his sternum meaningfully. "He would just eat if it were that simple. He has to stop himself."

Alter still looked confused. Beats sighed, looking away as he summoned several bone attacks in the shape of a monster Soul. The royal skeleton stared at it before the realization struck him, his eyelights vanishing in horror.
"You poor dear…" He whispered, hugging Kin softly. The crowd had dispersed by now, only a few humans lingering before hurrying away. Dance was explaining what happened to those in charge while Roran was absent.

"Has he ever lost his control entirely?" Alter asked as Kin passed out from the stress. Beats stared at his friend awhile, debating what to say, before gazing up at Alter quietly. The other studied his drawn face before gasping, regarding Kin with pity and most importantly, sorrow.

"Thank you for telling me this." He murmured, standing. Beats stood, tears in his sockets as he clung to Alter's clothes. "Please don't hurt him."
"I would never. He meant no harm, and he cannot help these fits. I only regret not being able to help him. Now please, can you help Dance? I'll be caring for Kin today."
Beats hesitated.
"Thanks."

Kin was out for the entire trip to the beach, whereupon he then awoke and stayed quiet, not wanting to talk.

Alter was standing in the water, grinning madly as the waves pushed him back and forth, cloak discarded on the beach as Kin sat on it sleepily, tail thumping lazily.
"You should come out here." Alter called out. "The salt feels wonderful!"
Kin blinked at him, shrugging as he huddled in his coat. "No thank you." Horst walked up and sat down beside him, unaware of Kin's glare as he did so.

Both human and skeleton flinched at the sound of a summoned Blaster, staring at Dance a little further up the beach as he stood on the laser skull. Alter glanced at him. "What are you doing?"
Dance grinned, now hovering above the water. He was wearing only shorts, ribs gleaming in the sun.
"You telling me you haven't thought of this?"
"Of what?"
"Cannonball!" He flung himself off the Blaster and tackled Alter, who yelped before both crashed into the waves.

Beats' jovial laughter rang out across the water, the childlike skeleton walking in the water. Alter and Dance resurfaced, laughing as well.
"It's so salty." Dance gagged through his giggles, over exaggerating.
"Oh no it'sinmysocketsaagghh-" Alter panicked, trying to get it out.
A few kids were warming up to the beach, coming up to touch the wet sand before running when a wave came in.
"It's cold!" One yelled.

Kin grunted, peering at the child cautiously. "It's too far north for warm beaches. But down south it's probably good."
"Is that why you don't want to join?" Beats asked, feet sinking in the white sand.
"Kinda." He sank deeper in his coat and glared at the water.

"Are they not worried about catching the ague?" Horst finally spoke up. Beats furrowed his non-existent eyebrows. "What's that?"
"Sickness? Borne of getting too cold? Have you never heard of it?"
Both Kin and Beats shook their skulls. "We're skeletons anyway, it's not likely we can catch the same stuff humans do." Beats smiled. Kin grunted in affirmation.

Suddenly, Horst was staring out across the water. A few shouts rang out among the village before the skeletons all turned and faced what was being looked at.
Three boats were coming around the corner, barges, bright red contrasting sharply with the green of the sea and blue of the sky. Dance and Alter teleported ashore, taller grabbing his cloak and putting it on. "Why did I have to get drenched." He sighed, dripping beneath the fabric.

The village was now roaring on the beachfront, cheering as the vessels approached the beach. Beats hugged Kin suddenly, caught up in the excitement. Dance high-fived Alter, who chuckled as they all concealed themselves.

The barges ground ashore, Roran among the first to step off, others disembarking only to race onboard the one Roran left. The leader quickly took Horst aside, speaking to him quietly as Beats and Dance went about helping villagers get ready.

It wasn't long until things were running smoothly, the skeletons hid their faces well from the sailors as they moved supplies on board.
That is, until Alter tripped over and landed on his injured arm. There was a snap, and he cried out in sudden agony.

Two humans approached him first as he cradled his arm, Delwin and one of the sailors. "Are you alright? I heard something break."
"Just the splint." Alter spoke through gritted teeth. "The bone's sensitive, but unbroken. Ow."
"Ya sure there? Yer skin's lookin' bone white!"
That made Alter snicker. "I'm.. fine, thank you."
Delwin tried to urge him away, only for the sailor to swear and say, "I can't have no injured folks go untreated on a voyage, lemme see." He was suddenly pulling back Alter's sleeve, only to notice that he was made of bone.

The other made a choking sound as he fell back. Alter jerked his arm away. "Please." He was worried the other would question what was happening. The stranger stared hard at him, Alter's Soul speeding up as he imagined he saw shadows and eyelights. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation.
Alter froze as his hood was flicked off.
The human went white.
"What are you?"

Running footsteps made him jump, but he didn't dare look away from the human. "Omigosh- Alter, are you okay?!" Beats' voice rang out. "I'm fine."
"Am I harboring a demon on my ship?"
"I am not-" "Stronghammer! Where be you?"
Roran was suddenly there, Dance's hooded figure beside him as Kin walked up behind him. The sailor was on the defense, gesturing wildly at Alter, who flinched. "How many more secrets have you, Roran? What is this undead mimicry of life? Necromancy? I won't have it on my ship. I won't have dark magics on any of my barges."
"They are born without flesh. They're a new race in Alagaësia." Roran argued coolly. "They know not of any evil magic, and have helped us through and through since I rescued the very one you accuse to be evil. They only wish to escape Galbatorix as we do."

"And how do you know this? They tell you? And you are gullible enough to believe that without question? They could be agents of Galbatorix!"
"Excuse me?!" Dance suddenly shouted, hood falling off as his eyelights flared.
"Calm down!" Alter begged, Beats helping him stand.
"No, I won't! Those soldiers kidnapped you, tortured you, abused you, and raped you repeatedly and this human accuses you of working with them?" He whirled around and poked a hard phalange into the man's chest with each of his next words. "You. Know. Nothing. About us." His left eyelight was blazing. "We didn't ask to be here, but here we are. So now we have to deal with your shitty Empire or get to Surda. The only good humans I've seen so far has been the people of Carvahall. I sure hope you're a good guy, too, because I'd hate to be stabbed the moment I turn around, really."

Alter placed his hands on Dance's shoulders. "Please calm down. It does no good antagonizing the humans."
Roran waved his hands at them. "Alter has the kindest heart out of any I've known in my life. He knows magic, yes, but has exclusively used it for good. Dance nearly killed himself fighting our enemy when no one else dared attack, which led to Alter sacrificing his health healing him for three days. He has healed our injured non-stop while Dance has protected our children and animals with a steadfast resolve. You question their loyalty, Clovis?"

The sailor, now known as Clovis, regarded them critically. His gaze landed on Kin, who stared back blankly. "This one looks trustworthy to you?"
"I don't care about your trust. You hurt any of my friends and I'll kill you." Kin replied roughly.
"Kin!" Alter gasped. The green-clad skeleton faced him. "Do you want me to lie?" He asked, raising a non-existent eyebrow.
"Well, no, but," Alter sputtered. "That's a little severe!"

Kin grunted before Roran regarded him. "You're here because your friends are. You won't harm us. Will you?"
His tail twitched. "You don't hurt them, I don't hurt you." But he glanced at the sky before blinking. "You're good enough, though." He nodded at Roran.

He turned and walked down the gangplank, sidestepping villagers passing through. Beats hesitated, then took off after him.
Clovis sighed, eyeing Alter and Dance as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine. They come. But only if I can keep a close eye on these creatures."
"Skeletons. We are skeletons." Alter explained gently.
"Skeletons." Clovis corrected. Roran nodded. "Fair enough." He glanced at Alter and Dance, taller shrugging. "It is fair, given the circumstances. We've given him no reason to trust us."
"Alter, he accused you of working with-" "And he's supposed to know our history? He knows nothing but his own prejudice and fear." Alter explained, walking away with Dance beside him. "I'm grateful his reaction was so tame. He could have attacked or abandoned Carvahall on the spot, but chose not to."

They suddenly bumped into someone carrying a bag up the gangplank. They started falling backwards. "Oh! My dear." Alter grabbed him and helped him to his feet. "Are you alright?"
The human just stared with wide eyes.
Both skeletons realized he didn't look like one of the villagers; he must be one of the sailors.
"Shit." Dance swore, staring at the human as they backed away, gaping.
"Language!" Alter admonished.
"What? I forgot about the others!"
"Monsters!"
"See, now he's just offensive."
"He doesn't know better."
"Oi!" Clovis came charging up.

"Calm yourself, lad. They mean no harm." He spoke to the sailor, who stuttered. "Evil! Monsters, unholy creatures of the Spine!"
"Yeah, we're the evil ones here." Dance scoffed. "Let's ignore the sins of humans. Hey, isn't Galbatorix a human?"
"Dance, that's rude. Please, we really do mean no harm. We only want to get to Surda, as do the other humans with us." Alter explained as calmly as he could. He held out a hand. "My name is Alter. My friend here is Dance. I wouldn't be opposed to getting to know one another during this voyage."

The sailor backed away distrustfully. "What magic allows you to live without flesh?"
Alter sighed as Dance facepalmed. Then the shorter stated what everyone must have been thinking.
"It's gonna be a long day."