⑄ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚠'𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 ⑄

『 act III - black skies 』

"Harmony!"

white ears pricked upon catching the sound of footfalls. two pairs - one much lighter than the other, accompanied by the familiar ring of bells -

"good afternoon, kozbi," hummed the wolf, turning to greet her ally. she paused upon noticing the antlered figure, who leaned heavily on kozbi's arm, grasping their hand. he seemed disoriented - or even embarrassed, avoiding eye contact.

she raised an eyebrow. "and...why is he here?"

"irrelevant," the overseer spoke, waving a gloved hand. "I hate to inform you of this so abruptly, but do you recall when I told you that the clan was planning something - I just wasn't sure what?"

she nodded, calmly setting her cup of tea down on the kitchen island. "I assume that something is being put into action very soon?"

a nod, accompanied by the quiet jingling of bells.

"and is that something a war?"

"yes."

a sigh.

"I'll get my axe."

.

.

.

.

.

a sharp pain shot through her spine, vantablack markings rippling across pale skin. she dropped her drink, hissing, collapsing against the side of a concrete building.

"fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck -"

black fingertips tore through striped fabric, clawing at the markings on her chest. her thoughts fell to chaos.

'kill them - no! - pain - it huRTS KILL th - kill kill kill kill sharp sh - no n kill kill no no no n - 

hands flew to her head, shaking violently, "- no no no no, don't - no, no -" 

she gasped, breath trembling, claws digging deep into her temples. black ichor stained her hair, running down her face.

...

"I should - ah - I should get - go? - home ...- home -?"

gloved hands twitched, unsteady, never leaving their place on either temple. ichor continued flowing, dripping off her chin and leaving a foul taste on her trembling lips.

she inhaled deeply all of a sudden, digging her nails down her jaw. her chest felt constricted. she couldn't breathe correctly.

she grit her teeth, shuffling to get up. chunky black boots scraped uncomfortably against cold asphalt, drops of black leaking down and splattering against the sidewalk.

the terrified screams of citizens nearby snapped her out of her conflicted mind.

well.

that, and the way the sun abruptly disappeared, bringing with it a sudden gust of frost that swept the streets.