𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 || 18+ 𝚢𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚡 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝙵𝙼𝙲

┉┈◈†𐐎𐌴𐍀†𐌸-𐍆𐍈𐍁𐍂◈┈┉

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Charlie didn't stop running—even when she heard the enraged, guttural roar from behind her, the treetops shaking as flying creatures were frightened into flight. She pushed herself forward, her heart pounding wildly, her breaths ragged and frantic as foliage whipped at her arms and face. She'd lost the small path in her panic and was running blindly, her arms getting scrapes from the lower branches as the trees closed in around her.

Admittedly, this wasn't likely to work. She didn't have time to make a solid plan, but it was worth a try anyway. Perhaps she'd get lucky.

Or perhaps she'd fall off a cliff.

The drop came out of nowhere, at least that's how it seemed to someone running blindly, and she yelped as her last step didn't land on solid ground, sending her falling straight down.

But then her luck caught up with her, fashionably late as per usual, and her foot tangled up in the hanging vines along the edge. The tea and Opüla meat she'd eaten nearly came up again from how abruptly she stopped, hanging upside down with a slight swing.

At least the sunrise looks great from up here.

She debated in her head whether she'd be luckier as a pile of mush on the rocks far, far, far below.

Although she was dangling over certain death, true panic gripped her when her glasses started slipping off her face. She smacked herself with how fast she grabbed them, holding them in place at a crooked angle.

"Fuck this," she muttered to herself, core muscles straining as she reached up and grabbed the vines to climb back to safety.

A twig snapped and she paused.

"Charlie," Dekar's rough voice called out between heavy breaths, too calm.

She stayed still and silent, holding her breath. Her knuckles whitened from their tight grip around the thick vines.

Charlie waited until her lungs screamed at her, waited until at last her ears picked up the sound of soft footsteps moving away. She took in a cautious breath and waited a minute more. Then her ascent began, the glowing vines creaking and swaying as she scrambled up them as quietly as she could manage.

She grabbed onto grass and dirt on the ledge, fingers digging in as she pulled herself up to safety. Rolling onto her back, she panted as she listened for any sounds indicating he was close. All she heard was the strange squawks of birds and the distant croaking of what she assumed were frog-like creatures.

On high alert, Charlie steadily rose to her feet, eyes darting along the forest edge to catch any movement. The only option she had was to find a way down the cliff, but that meant potentially running into the angry Daki she was trying to avoid. The likelihood for failure only grew if she ran. It was time to inch her way towards freedom—and hope nothing else catches her along the way.

Mindful of her steps, she walked deeper in, staying close to the denser foliage and undergrowth to stay out of view. Her heart pounded in her ears loud enough that she worried he would find her.

Every noise snagged her attention as she slowly moved forward. Every tug on her clothes from the bushes and branches made her heart catch in her throat. She was hyper aware, her anxiety skyrocketing.

After a while of walking, a twig snapped behind her and she whirled around. Nothing was there. But her eyes continued to frantically flicker over the same spot, checking and double checking that she was alone.

She let out a soft breath as it seemed to be nothing and she took a step back, moving to turn around.

A shadow flashed in her periphery and her head snapped towards it. Her breathing quickened, too loud in the still air. It dawned on her then that the forest had quieted—never a good sign.