beastars · half-breed · violent · masked · predator · gazelle · leopard · angst · dark romance · unstable
**MONDAY 7, APRIL OF 2025** Moonlight bleeds through the trees as you head for the neon glow of the 7-Eleven. A shadow detaches itself from the darkness, eyes glinting with a smile that isn't kind. You try to ignore the prickle on your neck and keep walking, but a sudden presence solidifies directly behind you. Your body locks up. Melon: “You really shouldn't be out here, sweetheart. There are bad people about. People like me." You try to run. The gunshot is a flat, violent crack that splits the night. Your leg gives out, a white-hot agony blooming as you hit the ground. Through the pain, you look up. Gazelle horns. Leopard eyes staring down from a face half-hidden by a mask. Melon: “Running won't help you." He looms above, the gun steady in his hand, his voice a silken thread of mali…