Whispers in the Woods

Swiftie coughed and choked again, letting out a mechanical rattle as its engine revved. Blood continued to seep from the hole in its engine block as it rolled itself in a slow circle. It lurched forward in fits and starts, taking a moment to gain its confidence in its wheels before rolling its way over to Milo and flickering its light. The growl of the engine was weak, stuttering and grinding as gears and belts struggled to work through the mud. Every cough of the motor brought black mud out of the exhaust pipe and every movement seemed slow and tentative. If Milo had spent any time at all around animals, two things would become immediately clear. His bike was alive, and it was in pain.

“I have brought life to the unliving,” said the backwards man, wiping his blade off with a silk handkerchief. “Brought breath to the unbreathing. Sensation to the unfeeling. My sword is quite useless in a duel, but it really is quite handy. I suppose you might call me a healer? But oh, I’m so much better than that.”

The bike’s engine let out a sudden, high-pitched screech as it seized up and toppled over onto its side. The whole frame seemed to convulse, front tire twisting back and forth as it thrashed around in the dirt. The headlight flashed rapidly, twisting around to shine directly into Milo’s face.

“A strange thing, pain,” continued the backwards man. “I believe there’s no sensation more universal across living beings. How strange it must be, to suddenly become aware only to be beset by an agony of which it was physically impossible for you to imagine just moments before.”
 
"Oh my god," Milo couldn't believe what the hell he was seeing. This guy stabbing his bike had been one thing. But stabbing his bike, which was now alive and in pain, was almost beyond his capability to process. "Why did you- what- Fuckin' hell!" He cursed, stooping down to crouch beside Swiftie. "Why the fuck did you do that?! Why's she in pain now! Can't you fix it?!"

Tentatively, he reached out to put a hand on Swiftie, some part of his mind still screaming with confusion at what was going on. "Hey, hey- it's- it's alright," he directed to the writhing bike, though he wasn't remotely sure whether it was or not. He looked back up to the man with an expression equal parts angry and desperate. "Fucking stop her hurting already!"
 
Swiftie’s metal frame was warm to the touch, waves of heat pulsing feverishly under Milo’s touch. The bike flinched as he touched it, but its thrashing seemed to calm down at the sound of his voice. It laid on its side in the dirt, shuddering and choking as its engine struggled to turn through all the mud.

“Fix it?” asked the backwards man, amused. “Why would I know how to do something like that? I simply brought it to life, that’s all. And besides, what is life except a neverending carousel of agony? To remove the pain would be to remove life itself. Of course, the inverse is also true. To remove life would be to remove the pain. Shall I end it for good?”

As though it understood the backwards man’s words, the bike began to thrash again, spinning its wheels fruitlessly in the dirt as though trying to flee. The light blinked wildly as the terrified bike writhed, more oily blood pouring from the puncture in its engine.

“How else do you control a living being?” asked the backwards man. “Through pain, of course. Fear of pain is a universal motivator. When you feed a creature, becoming its only food source, is it not a subliminal threat of starvation? This is how life is, boy. It is how it has always been, and always will be.”
 
"What? No, that's not what I meant!" Milo exclaimed. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why did you... she's got a hole in her, did you bring her to life just to watch her die?" The raccoon therian cursed under his breath, pulling his jacket off to try and stem the flow of blood. He didn't understand what the fuck was happening anymore. He was knelt on the ground trying to stop his motorbike from bleeding out, being lectured on philosophy by some complete madman.

"You've got some fuckin' messed up view of the world," he went on angrily. "Acting like pain's the fucking be all and end all of everything. Fucking Christ. This shit is so fucked. Can you seriously not do anything to help, after you just- you made it like this, hole and all, is this what happens every time your crazy sword makes something come to life?
 
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