smoke. so much smoke. not heavy like fire , light as air. nowhere to go , nowhere to belong. run. run , run , run.
the further they ran , the denser the forest grew. trees pressed closer together , their branches twisting overhead like a cage , and the fog thickened until they couldn't see their hand reached out in front of them. every breath came sharp and cold , scraping their throat as they pushed forward. they heard howling.
their feet barely carried their weight anymore , raw, aching, worn down from years of rough treatment. the ground beneath them was uneven , slick with moss and roots that seemed to reach up just to trip them. still , they ran. not because they had the strength to , but because stopping felt worse. the silence behind them was too heavy , too expectant , as if the forest itself was holding its breath. and they knew what was hiding in the forest if they stopped for too long.
they ran. it felt like days. felt like years. just as their legs were about to give out , to let her succumb to the fatigue , the forest opened up and she stumbled out on a cobbled street. they couldn't remember the first time they'd felt smooth stones underneath their feet and she slowed her pace into unsteady steps as she took in her surroundings. the houses looked unfamiliar , nothing like they used to.
one of them , the biggest one , caught her attention and almost drew them in like a moth to a flame. the front door opened easily , like the person living there trusted their surroundings and they tracked in dirt and grime without thought. they lost time in there , moving from room to room before finally entering a kitchen. she crawled up on the counter , pulling down whatever food she could find , and inhaled.
footsteps.
a low growl built in their throat and all they knew was that whatever was on the other side of that door could kill her. all her attention was on the thin piece of wood that stood between her and the stranger. they had enough strength to fight them off. probably.
the door opened, and something within her clicked. an instinct older than thought, sharper than fear. standing in the doorway was a vampire, pale and still as carved marble, his presence filling the air like the hush before a storm. the sight of him should have sent her running. it should have chilled her blood.
but instead, it was as if the world exhaled and settled into place. her pulse slowed, her breath caught. something beneath her ribs ached with a strange, quiet certainty. she couldn’t name it, couldn’t explain it, but every part of her knew — this man was hers to keep. not in the sense of possession, but in the way gravity claims the falling star. as if their paths had been drawn together long before either of them had a say in it.
they only had one thought running through their mind. protect.
it was followed quickly by a second word. it was a strange one. one that kanda hadn't felt in a long time.
safe.
