04-12-2021, 04:52 AM
[align=center][div style="width: 370px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.4; color: black;"]— Colt stood back up, his heartbeat finally starting to slow back down as it set in that the threat was really gone. He watched Eddie draw a knife to gut the beast, unphased by the blood and guts. He nodded along to the older man's explanation of proper hunting technique, though he was struggling to pay attention, his mind still reeling. The guilt felt like a heavy weight, pressing down on his chest, suffocating him. He did his best to steady his breathing as Eddie radioed for Tommy, sitting down on a nearby tree stump.
"You kill, or you are killed." Colt lifted his head as Eddie spoke these words, now acutely aware of what he was saying. Survival of the fittest, abandoning emotions to get the job done - these were concepts that had been drilled into his head by the Ring since infancy. Over and over and over. And yet, when it had come down to it, he couldn't do it. For whatever reason, he could never justify making things so black and white - no matter how much he had been told to do so. When Eddie had taken him in without question after he wound up on Flintlock's doorstep, he couldn't turn a blind eye to that kindness and betray him. He just couldn't.
As Colt's mind raced, he barely noticed that Eddie had switched subjects back to the bear. He swallowed, blinking a few times, trying to dismiss all of his feelings. "Oh... r-right. It's good we can put it to use." He hesitated, wringing his hands together as silence settled briefly over the pair. "Do you ever think that it's better to do the opposite?" he would blurt out before realizing he probably sounded crazy. His face grew warm. "I-I mean, when it comes to 'kill or be killed' jobs. The guy who raised me told me the same thing all the time. Do you ever think there's any situations where it's better to let your emotions decide? I've always wondered that myself." He had to keep his language vague. He absolutely could not give away his secret.
"You kill, or you are killed." Colt lifted his head as Eddie spoke these words, now acutely aware of what he was saying. Survival of the fittest, abandoning emotions to get the job done - these were concepts that had been drilled into his head by the Ring since infancy. Over and over and over. And yet, when it had come down to it, he couldn't do it. For whatever reason, he could never justify making things so black and white - no matter how much he had been told to do so. When Eddie had taken him in without question after he wound up on Flintlock's doorstep, he couldn't turn a blind eye to that kindness and betray him. He just couldn't.
As Colt's mind raced, he barely noticed that Eddie had switched subjects back to the bear. He swallowed, blinking a few times, trying to dismiss all of his feelings. "Oh... r-right. It's good we can put it to use." He hesitated, wringing his hands together as silence settled briefly over the pair. "Do you ever think that it's better to do the opposite?" he would blurt out before realizing he probably sounded crazy. His face grew warm. "I-I mean, when it comes to 'kill or be killed' jobs. The guy who raised me told me the same thing all the time. Do you ever think there's any situations where it's better to let your emotions decide? I've always wondered that myself." He had to keep his language vague. He absolutely could not give away his secret.
━━━━━━━ THE BOY WHO FELL INTO THE SKY
HAD NO ONE THERE TO WATCH HIM CRY *:・ﾟ✧*:・ﾟ✧