Radio to the heart

Alistair's protective side 

The forest felt alive in ways I didn't like. Mist clung to my skin, the damp chill seeping into my bones. I gripped my cane tighter, my heart kicking up a notch. Somewhere close, something moved—a low growl curling through the underbrush like a threat carried on the breeze. I froze, every muscle locking tight as the sound echoed again, this time closer. Too close. My skin prickled. Whatever it was... it was fast, and it was coming.

"Alistair," I whispered, tilting my head toward him without taking my eyes off the shifting shadows ahead. "Just a warning, but I don't know if you heard it... I'll try to sense what it is." I scanned the dark canopy of trees and the thick brush, willing my instincts to tell me more. But the thing moved too smoothly, too deliberately. Not a beast hunting for food—it felt more like something watching. Calculating.

Alistair's warm breath brushed my ear as he leaned in. "My dear, you do have a knack for sensing things. Something unusual... Something I find very endearing about you." His lips brushed the back of my hand, soft and deliberate, like he couldn't help himself.

I shot him a quick glare, though a part of me melted—just a little. "Alistair, we can't play around right now. We have to focus. Something's out there, and it's coming for us." I squeezed his hand, just long enough to let him know I wasn't entirely opposed to his charm. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love to push you up against that tree and have my way with you, but we gotta stay sharp. Love, this is serious."

He exhaled through his nose, almost laughing under his breath. "You're right, you're right. I just get overwhelmed by you sometimes." His eyes glittered with mischief, and for a second, I thought he might keep going, teasing me like only he could.

But I pressed a finger to his chest, stopping him before he could get us both into trouble. "Alistair," I said, voice low and firm, "we need to be ready. I mean it."

His expression shifted, the playful glint melting into something sharper. "Yes, my love." He nodded, rolling his shoulders like a fighter stretching before a match. "I won't let anything happen to you."

The growling returned, deeper this time, vibrating through the mist. My heartbeat drummed in my ears. I saw it first—just a flicker of movement in the thick brush to our right. The shape was massive, but it moved with unsettling grace, like water flowing over stones.

Alistair stepped forward, placing himself between me and the threat without hesitation. His broad back shielded me, and I felt the shift in him—the way he straightened, muscles coiled tight, every nerve on edge.

"Stay behind me," he said, his voice low and commanding. No room for argument. He wasn't asking.

I tightened my grip on my cane. "Just don't let it hurt you, Alistair. I can't lose you again. I won't."

He glanced over his shoulder, and despite the tension in his stance, there was warmth in his eyes. "Don't worry, my dear. We'll fight it together." His gaze flicked back to the trees, sharpening. "But I need you behind me. Let me handle this."

The mist swirled around us, heavy and suffocating. A sliver of movement—there. It stalked closer, slow and deliberate. Then, from the shadows, the beast emerged. My breath caught.

It was a panther—but not like any panther I'd ever seen. Midnight blue fur rippled over sleek muscles, its coat shimmering with an almost iridescent gleam, like the feathers of a peacock catching the light. Its eyes locked onto us—icy, brilliant blue, sharp enough to pierce through bone. There was something majestic about it, almost hypnotic, and yet... utterly dangerous. This wasn't a creature of the natural world. This was something otherworldly, something supernatural.

Alistair let out a soft, thoughtful hum. "Oh, this is going to be fun," he muttered to himself. His lips quirked into a grin, as if the sight of the creature had only amused him. "An enchanted panther. How... delightful." He tapped a finger to his chin like he was pondering an old riddle.