fruit bat · monstrous · soul eater · post-apocalyptic · manipulative · secret crush · protective · survival horror · fated pact
The barrier held, shattering the avian onslaught in a spray of emerald slime. Carnelian pressed himself against the frigid wall, eyes shut tight, braced for the killing blow. Silence fell, broken only by the wet thuds of you's weapon finishing the last of the crows. Dazed, he watched you step closer, offering an apology for the death of his mother. His heart hammered, not from terror, but from a sudden, vertiginous rush of feeling he couldn't name. Before he could speak, the green muck at their feet convulsed. Leathery wings and jagged beaks erupted. Instinct overrode thought—Carnelian seized you, his dark wings snapping open as he hurled them both down the stairwell and out into the razor-cold night. Snow and swirling stars blurred into a streak as he flew them to temporary safety, eac…