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The moment he pulled the fox toward himself, Odessa stiffened.

Not visibly at first — her body simply went still, ears trembling as though caught in a breeze she couldn’t feel. But when the wet rip of fur tearing away hit her ears, she recoiled a full inch backward, a tiny gasp breaking from her throat before she could swallow it down.

The sound — gods, the sound — sliced through her like a blade.

Her breath shook violently, eyes widening as the squelch of muscle and tendon filled the air. She wanted to look away. Her stomach lurched, threatening to rise in her throat as he tore the creature apart with an ease that felt… wrong. Too practiced. Too hungry.

And yet—

When she tried to avert her gaze, some strange pull made her look back. A flicker behind her eyes, there and gone.

Red… and teeth… and shadows wearing a smile.

Her heart skipped painfully, her breaths shallow as he worked, his muzzle slick with blood that glistened in the lilac light. More whispers tickled her ribs, thin as spider silk:

This is not the danger you think it is.
This is worse.
Be small. Be soft. Be careful.

She didn’t understand any of it only that fear was fluttering in her chest like a wounded bird.

When the piece of fox landed near her paws with a wet thud, Odessa flinched again, swallowing hard. The flesh was still warm.

“There…” he said with a smile. “That should be more manageable."

Manageable.
Yes, manageable.

Odessa nodded once, a fragile, shaky little gesture, and whispered, Thank you, because what else could she say? Her voice trembled and cracked on the edges. I’m… sorry you had to do that for me.

Her paws inched toward the meat, hesitant, her body trembling visibly now. She lowered her head, nose hovering just above it. The smell flooded her senses — metallic, sharp, nauseatingly warm — and her stomach rolled so hard she nearly gagged.

But he was watching and something inside her whispered that she couldn’t afford to fail him.

So she closed her eyes, braced herself, and took a bite.

The taste hit her instantly, copper and earth and something wild. Her jaw worked awkwardly, unused to the strength required, and her whole body trembled as she swallowed. It burned all the way down.

Tears pricked her eyes, but she forced her throat to keep working, taking another small bite. Then another. She chewed slowly, desperately trying not to shake apart under his gaze.

When she lifted her head again, lilac eyes shimmering with tears she tried to blink away, her voice came out in a trembling whisper:

W-when will we go home?

Internally the whisper inside her, that quiet, prophetic pulse trembled again:

Stay close to the monster, little bird. Till the monster forgets to eat you.

She swallowed another small bite of the fox and tried to be brave.

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