Bendy Bites 8: Hunting
Guess who's back with another fluffy siblinks idea?
So, after Audrey and Bendy escape the Ink Machine world, adjusting to this new life is going to be especially hard for Bendy in his Ink Demon form. Is it worth it? Absolutely yes. But he’s still going from a world where he can basically do and kill whatever he wants to a functioning society with rules that are very, very different from what he’s used to. I have another post planned I’m going to make about how Audrey goes about teaching him those rules, but that’s a story for another day.
One of his main struggles is going to be with his kill drive. He really enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and lording his power over weaker ink creatures. When he leaves that world, he’s going to miss it.
Audrey knows this and again, worries that someday he’s going to end up snapping. She’s made back-up plan after back-up plan just in case that happens, but she would prefer to prevent it if possible. (Quick side note: Audrey is completely ride or die for Bendy at this point, and several of her back-up plans include covering up murders)
One thing she tries to do is get him outside as much as possible. This is challenging for many obvious reasons. Eventually, after she learns how to do it, accumulates some supplies, and possibly steals a car, she takes Bendy on regular camping trips. They have to go to some fairly remote locations because the whole point is to get Bendy out into the world in a place he can safely be himself in both forms without worrying about the Gent corporation finding them.
While they’re camping, at one point Audrey catches the Ink Demon right as he kills something (a bird or a deer or a raccoon idk). Insert image of Ink Demon looking super ashamed like a dog caught with something they know they shouldn't have while he waits for Audrey to scold him.
Initially, Audrey is upset but after some deep thinking she realizes this could be a good thing and lays out some ground rules.
At least once a year, they’ll go on a hunting trip (this rule is more for Audrey to incentivize him to follow the rest of the rules)
Bendy can only kill what he and Audrey can eat on that trip. No killing just for sport.
If there are any hunting rules for the area they're camping in, such as no killing doe or avoiding certain animals during certain seasons, he has to follow them.
(this one is already a rule but she says it again just to hammer it in) No showing himself to anyone, even if he's mid-hunt. If some rando shows up, he's gotta abandon his prey and leave the area.
Despite rule #4, Audrey knows someone is gonna see him eventually no matter how careful he is but she figures they can get away with some Ink Demon sightings because the woods have a long history of cryptid sightings and she doesn’t think they could get back to the Gent corporation.
((Quick disclaimer: I’m not a fan of hunting. I won’t judge anyone if that's their interest but if someone offered to take me hunting I would decline. I do think in this specific scenario it would be really good for the Ink Demon to have some sort of outlet for his craving for violence. ))
Anyways, these trips quickly become a tradition and something they both look forward to all year. Audrey didn't really use her time off before this but now she uses every day she can for these vacations. She probably still draws but would change her focus to more nature-oriented things. I could also see her packing paints and mini canvases so she and Bendy can paint nature scenes while they're out there (If you've never done that while camping, I highly recommend it).
Bendy in his toon form is enchanted with nature and spends a lot of time doing little kid things like playing in creeks, running through the trees, staring at weird bugs and bringing them to Audrey so she can scream at them (He probably didn't mean to scare her the first time, but he quickly challenges himself to see what bugs will freak her out the most. Little brother things, yanno?).
When he's in his Ink Demon form he revels in the open spaces. He can run as far and as fast as he wants and he relishes in the freedom. At first, he would be frustrated with the hunting limits Audrey put on him, thinking he should be allowed to kill whatever he pleases, but eventually he develops a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature and only taking what you need. He probably starts watching nature documentaries at home and is like, huh, maybe I shouldn't just kill everything I see just because I can. Life is hard for animals too.
He takes a break from killing deer after watching Bambi for the first time. Audrey ate a lot of weird things that year.
IMAGINE: Audrey buys a book about edible things in nature just for some light reading. Bendy asks her to read it to him and/or reads over her shoulder so when he's out hunting he starts recognizing those things and brings them back to the campsite. Suddenly, he's bringing back less and less fresh kills and more and more roots, berries, and mushrooms. GIVE ME A HUNTER/GATHERER INK DEMON
Okay, this post is getting long so I might need to make a part two for this Bendy Bite lol
Feel free to share any other Siblink camping ideas y'all might have and I might expand on/include them in the next post.