Thalina held Vanora close, her arms wrapped tightly around the small, unmoving body. The pink wolf pup lay limp against her chest, her once vibrant fur now dull and lifeless.
And even now, as Thalina slept, she did not let go.
She wasn't just holding her—she was fighting for her.
—
The air was heavy here. Unnatural. Otherworldly.
A place of shifting shadows and whispering echoes, where time had no meaning, and the line between life and death was as thin as a breath.
Thalina stood in the vast emptiness, her gaze locked on the towering figure before her.
He was monstrous.
Not quite beast. Not quite man.
His form was humanoid but warped, limbs stretched unnaturally long, jagged tattoos of molten gold pulsing across his skin like veins of liquid fire.
His eyes—if they could be called that—were mere slits of endless darkness, depthless and knowing.
She had seen him before.
In the hazy corners of her dreams.
Always watching.
Always just out of reach.
