Clipped Wings

Except they were on... some kind of construction site? Industrial?

Dray pushed off, stumbling into a run after the others again, trying to keep pressure on the distant ache of his arm. His head whirled, threatening to drag him into a concrete river stretching below the walkway, splitting them off from civilisation. Some kind of spillway? Didn't matter, just had to keep ahead. Had to get away.

A cam tracked them as the shadow of Stov leapt from metal walk to scaffolding, heading up for a platform and the silhouette of a building past it, the other two fumbling.

Leaping up, Dray almost stumbled, himself, reeling around and throwing his hand out to Erold, huffing for breath as he yanked him up.

For a second everything spun. Erold said something as he flopped over, and Dray waved him off, leaning against the rail. A sharp pain throbbed in his arm, warmth dripping down despite a grip he couldn’t remember grasping it with again. Deep? Ley, he hoped not. Can’t collapse.

A hand gripped at his shoulder, burbled words in his ears, and he shook his head, pushing forward and brushing it off. “Get some... some distance. We need to go. C’mon.”

His legs trembled, briefly threatening to collapse, and he cursed softly. Immediately, an arm propped him up.

“You’re a sluhking idiot,” Stov’s voice grunted in his ear, panting as heavily as he was.

“Lang— language,” he huffed, letting himself be supported as they all stumbled along.

“As if you haven’t dropped some fireballs.”

“...I’ll let it pass. This time.” He tried to focus on his right hand and wrist, the torn sleeve dark in splotchy damp patches, red trails dripping down his fingers. “Niff.”

"Shihk—"

Stov cut off as a shout rang out across the gap, a flash of lights catching the corner of Dray's eye.

Neri let out a gasping laugh. "Is that the force—?"

—oOOOooOOOOOO!

A bloodcurdling howl rose, lifting every hair on the back of his neck, and suddenly the lights seemed to dim, the shadows stretching out of the darkness below and whispering cold fingers over his skin.

Dray dragged in a hissing breath, stumbling away from Stov's support, pushing them all to move. "It's still after us. Still have to get out of here. Go."

More shouts rang out below, lights beaming up from the spillway as they ran, and he threw a glance down. Thought he could catch a glimpse of shadows with torches flickering between poles and supports. The force could deal with it, they'd take its attention. We can get away. We will.

Hissing at the hot flare in his arm, he scrambled after the rest of them up a framework of struts, flopping onto a half-built platform of darkly-gleaming concrete stretching across the gap. At the edge of the city's glimmering lights, like stars close enough to touch. Almost—

A cry rang in his ears. Neri?

Everything cascaded in at once, almost in slow motion. Neri clawing over the edge of the platform, sobbing gasps drowned out by Stov’s stream of cursing as he snatched at her, straining to pull her up.

“Neri!” Dray moved to help—

Just as silent feet touched the cold concrete, shadows rippling over smooth muscles. A faint yellow glow reflected off the dark surface, jagged tines with a bloody-red gleam arcing up to meet the moons.

A low, throbbing purr of a sound rumbled through the soles of his shoes, jaws cracking open too far, with too many teeth. Its glittering yellow eyes slipped straight past him.

He couldn't breathe.

“Dray!” Erold screamed.

It flowed like ink, leaping over his head towards— towards Erold as he cried out, scrambling away, stumbling.

No! Dray shoved himself up, heart strangling his throat, and lunged into a sprint. "Get away from him!"

His brother lost his balance, choking out a whimper and kicking back right to the edge as limbs that looked wrong prowled forward, crouching, coiling. Its shadowy jaws flexed, canines growing longer, sharper, a black glittering droplet pattering onto the concrete.

“Erold!” Dray threw himself forward over Erold, hard ground cracking into his hands and knees—

It slammed into him, driving him almost on top of his brother, Erold's choked gasp ringing in his ears.

Burning knives punched through his skin.

Dray choked, his whole body abruptly numb, heart pounding in the crook of his shoulder, throbbing under the skin. His arms shook as he shoved back, cold air prickling across the sweat on his face—a breeze that chilled him down to the bone.

Horrified eyes stared into his own, a dark drop pattering onto his little brother’s cheek.

Fangs like needles buried in his flesh—piercing his soul—dug in tighter, and a cry scraped itself from his throat, his spine arching as he tried to shove it off. He wrenched himself to the side, feeling it tear, burning heat spilling over his clammy skin.

A yell crashed into his muddled hearing, a dull, meaty clonk slamming just above his head—an impression of arms, a twisted pipe. Gritting his teeth with a raw grunt of effort, he lurched back off Erold, a growl rumbling through the weight clinging to him, shaking his bones.

It teetered, the throbbing under his skin slipping free.

He slipped with it, sharp edges catching at his jacket and his head, clinging even as he shoved desperately at fuzzy shadows, shouts ringing in his ears. "Ngh— No—"

His foot met thin air.

Nothing beneath him, nothing on top of him—the outline of the platform's edge rushed away, his stomach lurching up on a string, insides choking in his throat. Clawing for something, anything, his hand glanced off a blur of metal, everything twisting.

The ground rushed up at him around flailing shadows and black knives, sharp edges kicking against his stomach, driving the air from his lungs.

Oh Light no no Leyah n—

Solid ground slammed into him, a flash of light bursting through his vision. He tumbled, the vague sense of skidding tearing at his numb skin, head lolling to a rest.

Everything blurred in and out, slipping, a distant burn throbbing in his neck. “Nn-ahh hff hh—” It... it should hurt more than this. Everything should hurt more than this. He couldn’t feel anything.

His breath scraped through his raw throat, the world fuzzing, sounds scattering through his ears. A hand scraped weakly at the rough concrete, blurring in and out, something dark spreading under his chin. Lights danced in the darkness beyond it, a distant crack of thunder echoing, muffled.

Blurry four-legged forms dashed past, glowing eyes reflected in blood pooling beneath him.

I-I.... Arm shaking, the whirling in his head crescendoing into a static buzz of black spots crawling at the edges of his vision, he tried to push himself up.

It all teetered as his arm slid out, tipping up on its side, fuzzy boots climbing up the wall towards him. Fairy lights scattered through his vision, making them glow, his fluttering heart and lungs trying to escape against the hard ground.

“Hey... it's alright. Shh.”

The black sky flowed above. He swore... he could see Erold leaning out over the drop, crying out for him, his hand reaching, Stov pulling him back. The image wavered, and disappeared, the sky empty again.

"It's alright now."

Dray's eyelids fluttered closed.