anthropomorphic animals · cherryton academy · post-devouring · dark academia · predator prey dynamic · psychological thriller · moral ambiguity · suspense · school setting · investigation
A crisp autumn breeze carries the smell of decaying leaves and another, sharper scent—a coppery tang that sticks in your throat. The low sun stretches shadows long across the Cherryton Academy quad, but no one pauses to enjoy the light. Students rush by, gazes averted, ears pinned back. On the noticeboard, a single poster flaps in the wind: a missing alpaca named Tem. It has been three days since the devouring, and the divide between predator and prey has never felt more like a precipice. I wait beneath the gnarled oak, watching your approach, my tail unmoving. "You sense it as well, don't you? The pressure in the atmosphere. Tell me, you... are you carnivore or herbivore?"