I have something interesting coming out in my one shots book sometime soon, it’ll be a story prototype for a new original story of mine, here’s a small teaser:
The narrow alleys of the slums twisted like the veins of a dying beast, pulsing with the life of those who had been cast aside. Rusted pipes dripped murky water onto the cracked cobblestones, and the distant hum of the city’s wealthier districts barely reached this forsaken place. Shadows flickered between the ramshackle buildings, where the forgotten and the desperate huddled in the cold.
Cinnamon pressed her back against the rough brick wall, her orange fur blending into the dim light of the setting sun. Her ears twitched, picking up the distant sounds of laughter, footsteps, and hushed voices. Her eyes, sharp and wary, scanned the alley ahead, searching for any sign of movement. The slums were a labyrinth of dangers, and she couldn’t afford to let her guard down—not even for a moment.
She shifted her weight, feeling the worn leather of her boots against the cobblestones, and adjusted the threadbare cloak that covered her small frame. It wasn’t much protection against the chill in the air, but it was all she had. Two months ago, she had left behind the life of warmth and safety, but also one of pain and fear. She had run far from that place, far from the man who had once called her his pet.
Her stomach growled, a reminder of the scant meals she’d managed to scrounge together. There was no mercy in the slums, only survival. And she had learned that the hard way. At twelve years old, she had seen more cruelty than most humans would in a lifetime. But humans didn’t understand. They couldn’t. Not like she could.