Reset - Chapter Two
Title: Reset
Fandom: Jak and Daxter
Rating: PG13
Summary: Sometimes all it takes is an off-course machine to change the course of time. Jak never made it to the future of his birth. Instead Damas came to the past.
Spoilers: Jak 1, Jak 2, and Jak 3
Chapter One
Next chapter
-Chapter Two-
The jungle was far too silent. That was the first thing Jak noticed when he stepped off the wood plank bridge. He took another cautious step forward, scanning the foliage around him, but there wasn't even the slightest rustle of movement to indicate a jungle snake or toad. Even the water in the small stream was clear of any of the aggressive piranha. Whatever had come here before them, it had all the animals scared. That was enough to worry Jak. Even the average Lurker didn't get this kind of reaction.
"Hey, uh, Jak?" Daxter whispered. He had obviously picked up on the lack of forest sounds as well. His ears were slicked back with nervousness. "You sure the old lady's still up here? Maybe she already, y'know, flew the coop, so to speak."
Jak's expression tightened fractionally, but he just shook his head and started crossing the stream. He knew that Daxter knew he wouldn't give up before they reached the temple. Daxter just hated the silence and was trying to fill it up.
The farther they traveled, the eerier the unnatural silence became, until Jak's ears twitched at even the creak of the old wood bridges and the rope of the Lurker's traps. The boy ducked past one of the swinging spiked logs, eyes and ears alert for any sign of the Lurkers who had set it up, but even the Lurkers seemed to have been spooked. He frowned. What would have scared a Lurker?
Farmer Zeb hadn't been able to shed much light on the matter. He'd been dozing on his porch when the creatures had shown up and hadn't realized what was going on until the yakows had started bellowing in alarm. The farmer's eyes weren't what they used to be, but he swore he saw three giant dragonflies lifting one of his yakows clear into the sky. Jak doubted he was making it up. The description was close enough to the creatures he'd seen, and if the yakow had only been scared away, it would have been lingering somewhere nearby.
So. They were powerful fliers at least.
They were getting close now. He could see the temple just up ahead, the warm, coppery stone of its walls dappled with shadows and afternoon light. Its only real entrance was closed up tight, and he knew that it would only open for someone who was channeling blue eco. Except for the Blue Sage, Jak had never met anyone besides himself with that particular talent, so he doubted he'd need to check inside the building itself.
Still, he crouched down and shrugged the shoulder Daxter was sitting on, indicating he wanted his best friend off. The ottsel obliged, then turned only long enough to catch Jak's next gesture, a sweeping motion across the ground. Help me look for footprints. If the bird lady had come this way, there should be traces of her path.
Daxter nodded and started off, only to stop a few steps away. He frowned and sniffed the air. "You smell that, Jak?"
He could, though only because Daxter had drawn his attention to it. The ottsel's sense of smell had sharpened since the accident on Misty Island and was a good deal better than Jak's. Jak lifted his head and turned it as he tried to scent the air, trying to identify the smell as well as the direction is was coming from. It smelled vaguely familiar. Then it hit him.
Blood. Yakow blood. Every once in a while the farmer had to slaughter one of his yakows, and that was the smell of the butcher's area he always had to set up. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant. The yakow the creatures had stolen was somewhere nearby. Probably dead.
Jak hesitated for only a moment before he made up his mind. If those creatures were still around, they needed to be found and dealt with. Something that could carry off a yakow could easily snatch up a villager, and these things had already proven more bold and aggressive than even the forest Lurkers. Not only that, but if the bird lady wandered into the path of any of these creatures...
He looked at Daxter and pointed in the general direction of the thicker part of the forest, where the smell of the yakow seemed to be coming from. Daxter, we need to find that yakow.
Daxter grimaced as soon as he realized what Jak wanted. "Why is it," he asked, voice thick with annoyance, "that whenever something bad happens, we always gotta get involved?"
The question was rhetorical. They both knew the answer. It was because they cared about their home and could do something to protect it.
With a sigh of resignation, the ottsel sniffed the air again, then started off in the direction of the nearby blue eco vent. "Fine, fine, let's go be heroes and save the village from giant Lurker bugs or whatever. Just make sure you keep up with me, Jak. You gotta start pulling your weight on these quests, or I swear I'm ditching you as a sidekick." Still grousing under his breath, he started searching the edge of the clearing for the easiest way up the cliff.
Knowing better than to take any of his friend's grumbling to heart, Jak followed behind him, absently letting his fingers pass through the rising stream of blue eco as he passed right next to the vent. Energy rushed through his body, swirling around him as he pulled it inside. He didn't know if he'd need before it faded on its own, but it couldn't hurt. Besides, he liked the feel of eco, and blue eco especially appealed to him. It prickled under his skin and made his heart race with adrenaline. He could run faster, jump farther, and with the launch pads the Precursors had built, he could leap high enough he almost felt like he could fly. Wind and speed and energy. It made him feel alive.
Anyone watching Daxter now would have found it hard to believe he was once a clumsy child. He still wasn't the most graceful of beings by any stretch of the imagination, but having four feet instead of two made him a lot more nimble when it came to scaling the cluster of trees that grew next to the cliff. He was also a lot smaller, which meant he didn't need as much to grab onto and didn't need to worry so much about what would support his weight. Jak, on the other hand...
Jak crouched down next to one of the trees and gathered himself, preparing himself for a jump. There weren't any easy limbs within reach, but the huge, gnarled roots and the twisting trunks offered plenty of surface to kick off of to boost himself higher up. It took him three more jumps to reach the top of the cliff, and even then, he was only able to grab onto the edge. Grunting with effort, he hauled himself up the rest of the way, ignoring the bits of dirt and moss that clung to his blue tunic and off-white pants.
As soon as he was up, he immediately dropped down next to a shrub, scanning the area around him. The smell of the yakow was stronger now, laced with something else that made his nose itch. Gently rubbing his nose, he waited until Daxter joined him before carefully creeping forward. This time there was no grumbling from the ottsel, who hopped back up on Jak's left shoulder and took his customary perch. For all his loudmouthed bravado, his friend knew better than to attract attention when they knew an enemy could be right over...
There.
There was a clearing here at the top of the cliff, and hovering on the other side was a very large wasp-like creature, though with a skinnier, longer tail than Jak was used to seeing. Something gleamed on the creature's forehead, but Jak couldn't tell what it was from this side of the clearing. His eyes narrowed as he studied it, trying to guess what it was capable of. He'd definitely want to avoid its wicked-looking stinger, and it might be able to bite, but its two arms were short enough that he doubted they were used as a primary form of attack. It also made him wonder how it had managed to lift a whole yakow, even with help from others.
It might not be the only type here. He frowned, trying to recall the different types of these creatures that had flown out of the ring. It had all happened so fast, though, and then his attention had been caught by the monster in the ring. He couldn't pick out any clear memories of what the other creatures had looked like. He shook his head. I'll deal with them when I find them.
He crouched down to pick up a rock, eyes tracking the lazy flight of the creature. It would have been nice if he'd had yellow eco on hand, but he could make do without it. Taking a moment to get the feel for the weight and shape of the stone, he carefully judged the trajectory he would need. The creature, which he mentally dubbed a wumpjacket, hovered and turned, paused, then flew a few more feet. Jak pulled his arm back and waited for it to pause again, then let the rock fly. The rock flew straight and true, crashing into the wumpjacket's shoulder. The thing screeched as it tumbled and righted itself.
Then faster than Jak could blink, the wumpjacket whirled on him with another angry shriek and whipped its tail around, and suddenly there was dark eco flying through the air. Jak's eyes widened and he barely threw himself to the side in time to avoid the attack.
"Holy smokes!" Daxter yelped. "Jak! Be careful! That thing can shoot dark eco!"
Yeah, no kidding! Jak had to scramble to avoid another blast of dark energy, lobbed from the wumpjacket's tail. Heart pounding in his chest, he darted behind the trunk of a tree, the blue eco in his veins lending him some extra speed. He waited until he felt the next blast slam into the trunk, then reached down and scooped up another rock before ducking out and throwing it at the dark eco creature.
He missed this time, but he didn't care. The rock had the desired effect of making the wumpjacket dodge, interrupting its next attack. The thing hissed and buzzed its wings in frustration, but it was already starting to charge its tail again.
Jak didn't intend to give it the time to shoot. Channeling every ounce of blue eco he had, he threw himself into a dead run, weaving just enough to throw off the wumpjacket's aim. Daxter let out a startled yell and had to dig his claws into Jak's shoulder to keep from falling off. Despite this, Jak didn't dare slow down. He had maybe only one shot at this before the blue eco faded out.
The wumpjacket jerked back in surprise, but at the speed Jak was going, it wasn't fast enough. He grabbed its tail well above the stinger, then spun and slammed it into the ground. This close its screech of pain was almost deafening, but still it didn't die. It writhed and tried to whip itself up, snapping at his hands. Jak gritted his teeth against the nails-on-chalkboard sound of its angry screech, but before it could bite him, he whipped it around and smashed it against a tree.
This time he was rewarded with a sickening crunch of carapace caving in, then something small and yellow popped out of the wumpjacket's head. As soon as the creature went limp, Jak dropped it and sagged forward, hands on his knees. The last of the blue eco flickered out and disappeared.
"Oh yeah!" Daxter crowed, dropping down from Jak's shoulder once the thing was dead. "We sure showed that Lurker bug, didn't we, Jak?" Sauntering over to the body, he nudged it with one toe, shifting it so he could get a good look up close. "Man, sure is ugly!"
Jak watched just long enough to make sure the wumpjacket wasn't going to move, then straightened up, having caught his breath. His heart was still pounding a little in his chest, mostly from adrenaline that would fade soon enough, he shuffled over to the yellow gleam he could see in the dirt and leaves. It was a gem of some kind, smooth and almost translucent, and it seemed to glow with an inner light. Turning it over in his hands, he glanced at the wumpjacket's head. Sure enough, there was an empty hole in its forehead just the right size for the fist-sized gem to have rested. Strange... He slipped it into his pocket. Maybe Samos would know something about it.
Done with his examination of the wumpjacket, Daxter strolled back to his friend. "C'mon, Jak," he said. "Let's go back down. We still gotta-"
Whsshoom!
With a startled squawk, the ottsel half-jumped, half-tumbled as dark eco blasted into the dirt right beside him.
Daxter! Jak's head snapped up and immediately tracked the attack back to another hovering wumpjacket who must have come in from the sea. Unfortunately, it wasn't alone. Two more screeched as they flew in from the right. Jak's heart thudded and skipped a beat. The first one had been bad enough. Now he was faced with three, and without any blue eco to help him.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Daxter pick himself up off the ground. That was a relief. For a moment, Jak had worried that his friend had been hurt in the blast. Now wasn't the time to celebrate, though. One of the wumpjackets screeched again before lobbing another attack. This time it wasn't so easy to dodge.
"Jak!" Daxter wailed. "Let's get outta here!"
Jak reached down to snatch his friend up. He needed no second prompting to realize that they were badly outnumbered here. Once Daxter was in his hands, he bolted-
Shoom-FWOOM!
The second blast grazed the side of his leg, sending him stumbling with a brief cry of pain. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though, because it stalled him just before another creature shot up from below the cliff. This one was different from the others, bulkier and with longer arms and what almost looked like thrusters built into the wings. Its forehead still held the same glowing gem, and instead of feet or a tail...
Instinct threw Jak to the side just as dark eco blasted from those feet. The shots were smaller than the wumpjacket's attacks, but he had no doubt that they'd prove just as deadly. He certainly didn't want to stick around to find out!
With one path of escape cut off, he darted into the trees instead. He could only hope that would slow the creatures down, because if it didn't...
Still clutching Daxter tightly, ignoring his friend's panicked shouts, the Sandover teen skidded down a slope - then promptly tripped over something soft and brown at the bottom. The breath rushed out of him as he hit the ground hard, then promptly left him again as he realized what it was.
The yakow - or what was left of it. Huge chunks had been torn out of its flesh and its eyes were gaping sockets. That wasn't what horrified Jak the most, though. Huddled next to the yakow's remains...
A yellow bird hat. A bright blue feather. Streaked crimson stains on an age-creased face.
Jak's heart felt like it stopped in his chest.
No.
He lurched forward, letting go of Daxter so he could check for a pulse.
No!
Something buzzed harshly in the background.
"Jak! Look out!"
Daxter threw himself into Jak's side just in time to shove him out of the way of another dark eco blast. Jolted out of his shock, Jak quickly scrambled to his feet. It sickened him to think of leaving old Mrs. Perch, but there wasn't anything he could do for her, not with her killers on top of his head. He spared only a glance for the three wumpjackets before taking off in another mad dash.
"Jak! Wait up!"
Crap! Daxter! The teen slowed and turned and extended his arm. Gratefully, Daxter reached out to grab hold.
The two never saw the scorpion rise from the ground until it had already sunk its razor-sharp tail deep into Daxter's side.
-End Chapter Two-
Next chapter.
Note: I tentatively used some of the character names given in the game guides, but I may take them out later on, once I have a chance to write Damas interacting with various other people and can see whether or not using names will fit.
Fandom: Jak and Daxter
Rating: PG13
Summary: Sometimes all it takes is an off-course machine to change the course of time. Jak never made it to the future of his birth. Instead Damas came to the past.
Spoilers: Jak 1, Jak 2, and Jak 3
Chapter One
Next chapter
-Chapter Two-
The jungle was far too silent. That was the first thing Jak noticed when he stepped off the wood plank bridge. He took another cautious step forward, scanning the foliage around him, but there wasn't even the slightest rustle of movement to indicate a jungle snake or toad. Even the water in the small stream was clear of any of the aggressive piranha. Whatever had come here before them, it had all the animals scared. That was enough to worry Jak. Even the average Lurker didn't get this kind of reaction.
"Hey, uh, Jak?" Daxter whispered. He had obviously picked up on the lack of forest sounds as well. His ears were slicked back with nervousness. "You sure the old lady's still up here? Maybe she already, y'know, flew the coop, so to speak."
Jak's expression tightened fractionally, but he just shook his head and started crossing the stream. He knew that Daxter knew he wouldn't give up before they reached the temple. Daxter just hated the silence and was trying to fill it up.
The farther they traveled, the eerier the unnatural silence became, until Jak's ears twitched at even the creak of the old wood bridges and the rope of the Lurker's traps. The boy ducked past one of the swinging spiked logs, eyes and ears alert for any sign of the Lurkers who had set it up, but even the Lurkers seemed to have been spooked. He frowned. What would have scared a Lurker?
Farmer Zeb hadn't been able to shed much light on the matter. He'd been dozing on his porch when the creatures had shown up and hadn't realized what was going on until the yakows had started bellowing in alarm. The farmer's eyes weren't what they used to be, but he swore he saw three giant dragonflies lifting one of his yakows clear into the sky. Jak doubted he was making it up. The description was close enough to the creatures he'd seen, and if the yakow had only been scared away, it would have been lingering somewhere nearby.
So. They were powerful fliers at least.
They were getting close now. He could see the temple just up ahead, the warm, coppery stone of its walls dappled with shadows and afternoon light. Its only real entrance was closed up tight, and he knew that it would only open for someone who was channeling blue eco. Except for the Blue Sage, Jak had never met anyone besides himself with that particular talent, so he doubted he'd need to check inside the building itself.
Still, he crouched down and shrugged the shoulder Daxter was sitting on, indicating he wanted his best friend off. The ottsel obliged, then turned only long enough to catch Jak's next gesture, a sweeping motion across the ground. Help me look for footprints. If the bird lady had come this way, there should be traces of her path.
Daxter nodded and started off, only to stop a few steps away. He frowned and sniffed the air. "You smell that, Jak?"
He could, though only because Daxter had drawn his attention to it. The ottsel's sense of smell had sharpened since the accident on Misty Island and was a good deal better than Jak's. Jak lifted his head and turned it as he tried to scent the air, trying to identify the smell as well as the direction is was coming from. It smelled vaguely familiar. Then it hit him.
Blood. Yakow blood. Every once in a while the farmer had to slaughter one of his yakows, and that was the smell of the butcher's area he always had to set up. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant. The yakow the creatures had stolen was somewhere nearby. Probably dead.
Jak hesitated for only a moment before he made up his mind. If those creatures were still around, they needed to be found and dealt with. Something that could carry off a yakow could easily snatch up a villager, and these things had already proven more bold and aggressive than even the forest Lurkers. Not only that, but if the bird lady wandered into the path of any of these creatures...
He looked at Daxter and pointed in the general direction of the thicker part of the forest, where the smell of the yakow seemed to be coming from. Daxter, we need to find that yakow.
Daxter grimaced as soon as he realized what Jak wanted. "Why is it," he asked, voice thick with annoyance, "that whenever something bad happens, we always gotta get involved?"
The question was rhetorical. They both knew the answer. It was because they cared about their home and could do something to protect it.
With a sigh of resignation, the ottsel sniffed the air again, then started off in the direction of the nearby blue eco vent. "Fine, fine, let's go be heroes and save the village from giant Lurker bugs or whatever. Just make sure you keep up with me, Jak. You gotta start pulling your weight on these quests, or I swear I'm ditching you as a sidekick." Still grousing under his breath, he started searching the edge of the clearing for the easiest way up the cliff.
Knowing better than to take any of his friend's grumbling to heart, Jak followed behind him, absently letting his fingers pass through the rising stream of blue eco as he passed right next to the vent. Energy rushed through his body, swirling around him as he pulled it inside. He didn't know if he'd need before it faded on its own, but it couldn't hurt. Besides, he liked the feel of eco, and blue eco especially appealed to him. It prickled under his skin and made his heart race with adrenaline. He could run faster, jump farther, and with the launch pads the Precursors had built, he could leap high enough he almost felt like he could fly. Wind and speed and energy. It made him feel alive.
Anyone watching Daxter now would have found it hard to believe he was once a clumsy child. He still wasn't the most graceful of beings by any stretch of the imagination, but having four feet instead of two made him a lot more nimble when it came to scaling the cluster of trees that grew next to the cliff. He was also a lot smaller, which meant he didn't need as much to grab onto and didn't need to worry so much about what would support his weight. Jak, on the other hand...
Jak crouched down next to one of the trees and gathered himself, preparing himself for a jump. There weren't any easy limbs within reach, but the huge, gnarled roots and the twisting trunks offered plenty of surface to kick off of to boost himself higher up. It took him three more jumps to reach the top of the cliff, and even then, he was only able to grab onto the edge. Grunting with effort, he hauled himself up the rest of the way, ignoring the bits of dirt and moss that clung to his blue tunic and off-white pants.
As soon as he was up, he immediately dropped down next to a shrub, scanning the area around him. The smell of the yakow was stronger now, laced with something else that made his nose itch. Gently rubbing his nose, he waited until Daxter joined him before carefully creeping forward. This time there was no grumbling from the ottsel, who hopped back up on Jak's left shoulder and took his customary perch. For all his loudmouthed bravado, his friend knew better than to attract attention when they knew an enemy could be right over...
There.
There was a clearing here at the top of the cliff, and hovering on the other side was a very large wasp-like creature, though with a skinnier, longer tail than Jak was used to seeing. Something gleamed on the creature's forehead, but Jak couldn't tell what it was from this side of the clearing. His eyes narrowed as he studied it, trying to guess what it was capable of. He'd definitely want to avoid its wicked-looking stinger, and it might be able to bite, but its two arms were short enough that he doubted they were used as a primary form of attack. It also made him wonder how it had managed to lift a whole yakow, even with help from others.
It might not be the only type here. He frowned, trying to recall the different types of these creatures that had flown out of the ring. It had all happened so fast, though, and then his attention had been caught by the monster in the ring. He couldn't pick out any clear memories of what the other creatures had looked like. He shook his head. I'll deal with them when I find them.
He crouched down to pick up a rock, eyes tracking the lazy flight of the creature. It would have been nice if he'd had yellow eco on hand, but he could make do without it. Taking a moment to get the feel for the weight and shape of the stone, he carefully judged the trajectory he would need. The creature, which he mentally dubbed a wumpjacket, hovered and turned, paused, then flew a few more feet. Jak pulled his arm back and waited for it to pause again, then let the rock fly. The rock flew straight and true, crashing into the wumpjacket's shoulder. The thing screeched as it tumbled and righted itself.
Then faster than Jak could blink, the wumpjacket whirled on him with another angry shriek and whipped its tail around, and suddenly there was dark eco flying through the air. Jak's eyes widened and he barely threw himself to the side in time to avoid the attack.
"Holy smokes!" Daxter yelped. "Jak! Be careful! That thing can shoot dark eco!"
Yeah, no kidding! Jak had to scramble to avoid another blast of dark energy, lobbed from the wumpjacket's tail. Heart pounding in his chest, he darted behind the trunk of a tree, the blue eco in his veins lending him some extra speed. He waited until he felt the next blast slam into the trunk, then reached down and scooped up another rock before ducking out and throwing it at the dark eco creature.
He missed this time, but he didn't care. The rock had the desired effect of making the wumpjacket dodge, interrupting its next attack. The thing hissed and buzzed its wings in frustration, but it was already starting to charge its tail again.
Jak didn't intend to give it the time to shoot. Channeling every ounce of blue eco he had, he threw himself into a dead run, weaving just enough to throw off the wumpjacket's aim. Daxter let out a startled yell and had to dig his claws into Jak's shoulder to keep from falling off. Despite this, Jak didn't dare slow down. He had maybe only one shot at this before the blue eco faded out.
The wumpjacket jerked back in surprise, but at the speed Jak was going, it wasn't fast enough. He grabbed its tail well above the stinger, then spun and slammed it into the ground. This close its screech of pain was almost deafening, but still it didn't die. It writhed and tried to whip itself up, snapping at his hands. Jak gritted his teeth against the nails-on-chalkboard sound of its angry screech, but before it could bite him, he whipped it around and smashed it against a tree.
This time he was rewarded with a sickening crunch of carapace caving in, then something small and yellow popped out of the wumpjacket's head. As soon as the creature went limp, Jak dropped it and sagged forward, hands on his knees. The last of the blue eco flickered out and disappeared.
"Oh yeah!" Daxter crowed, dropping down from Jak's shoulder once the thing was dead. "We sure showed that Lurker bug, didn't we, Jak?" Sauntering over to the body, he nudged it with one toe, shifting it so he could get a good look up close. "Man, sure is ugly!"
Jak watched just long enough to make sure the wumpjacket wasn't going to move, then straightened up, having caught his breath. His heart was still pounding a little in his chest, mostly from adrenaline that would fade soon enough, he shuffled over to the yellow gleam he could see in the dirt and leaves. It was a gem of some kind, smooth and almost translucent, and it seemed to glow with an inner light. Turning it over in his hands, he glanced at the wumpjacket's head. Sure enough, there was an empty hole in its forehead just the right size for the fist-sized gem to have rested. Strange... He slipped it into his pocket. Maybe Samos would know something about it.
Done with his examination of the wumpjacket, Daxter strolled back to his friend. "C'mon, Jak," he said. "Let's go back down. We still gotta-"
Whsshoom!
With a startled squawk, the ottsel half-jumped, half-tumbled as dark eco blasted into the dirt right beside him.
Daxter! Jak's head snapped up and immediately tracked the attack back to another hovering wumpjacket who must have come in from the sea. Unfortunately, it wasn't alone. Two more screeched as they flew in from the right. Jak's heart thudded and skipped a beat. The first one had been bad enough. Now he was faced with three, and without any blue eco to help him.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Daxter pick himself up off the ground. That was a relief. For a moment, Jak had worried that his friend had been hurt in the blast. Now wasn't the time to celebrate, though. One of the wumpjackets screeched again before lobbing another attack. This time it wasn't so easy to dodge.
"Jak!" Daxter wailed. "Let's get outta here!"
Jak reached down to snatch his friend up. He needed no second prompting to realize that they were badly outnumbered here. Once Daxter was in his hands, he bolted-
Shoom-FWOOM!
The second blast grazed the side of his leg, sending him stumbling with a brief cry of pain. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though, because it stalled him just before another creature shot up from below the cliff. This one was different from the others, bulkier and with longer arms and what almost looked like thrusters built into the wings. Its forehead still held the same glowing gem, and instead of feet or a tail...
Instinct threw Jak to the side just as dark eco blasted from those feet. The shots were smaller than the wumpjacket's attacks, but he had no doubt that they'd prove just as deadly. He certainly didn't want to stick around to find out!
With one path of escape cut off, he darted into the trees instead. He could only hope that would slow the creatures down, because if it didn't...
Still clutching Daxter tightly, ignoring his friend's panicked shouts, the Sandover teen skidded down a slope - then promptly tripped over something soft and brown at the bottom. The breath rushed out of him as he hit the ground hard, then promptly left him again as he realized what it was.
The yakow - or what was left of it. Huge chunks had been torn out of its flesh and its eyes were gaping sockets. That wasn't what horrified Jak the most, though. Huddled next to the yakow's remains...
A yellow bird hat. A bright blue feather. Streaked crimson stains on an age-creased face.
Jak's heart felt like it stopped in his chest.
No.
He lurched forward, letting go of Daxter so he could check for a pulse.
No!
Something buzzed harshly in the background.
"Jak! Look out!"
Daxter threw himself into Jak's side just in time to shove him out of the way of another dark eco blast. Jolted out of his shock, Jak quickly scrambled to his feet. It sickened him to think of leaving old Mrs. Perch, but there wasn't anything he could do for her, not with her killers on top of his head. He spared only a glance for the three wumpjackets before taking off in another mad dash.
"Jak! Wait up!"
Crap! Daxter! The teen slowed and turned and extended his arm. Gratefully, Daxter reached out to grab hold.
The two never saw the scorpion rise from the ground until it had already sunk its razor-sharp tail deep into Daxter's side.
-End Chapter Two-
Next chapter.
Note: I tentatively used some of the character names given in the game guides, but I may take them out later on, once I have a chance to write Damas interacting with various other people and can see whether or not using names will fit.