I'VE BEEN SCARED OF SLEEPING WITH THE LIGHTS ON ♡ RESCUE RAID

[angelembrace]

The sounds were dizzying, truly, and the longer he went without seeing any of the other children was longer he felt a confusing split of relief that they may have been safe, and concern that something had already happened to them. Of course, all the while he was taking count of who was injured, how badly, and how many deaths were stacking up by the minute. They were getting mauled, which was terrifying and disappointing, already a ruin of a former empire being further crushed by the ones that were just too good at leading raids and revolts. The cub couldn’t fight, sure, but he would not stand and cry like a whelp, dragging those able to be salvaged and treated later behind buildings, pushing over debris for more effective “out of sight out of mind” hiding, hissing at the blood and gore. Hissing at the barbaric behavior of it all. Realizing he hated it. Realizing that he wasn’t meant for this. There had to be another path.

The death of Michael was glorious, however. Sojourn had gone completely mad, like he always had the feeling she would, a sentiment he never did express, he didn’t have the heart. Not since the few genuine moments of her being almost sane, a mother at the least. He felt sympathy for the woman, in a way he couldn’t explain. She had torn out a man’s entrails, dragging them through the mud. Hurt. That’s what it was, right?

He shuddered, but it wasn’t from the violence. He felt cold, legitimately cold. Like the temperature had changed. From behind one of the buildings the cub looked, eyes wide with the fascination of Ruven having manipulated the very blood from Diya’s body, a tactic he had heard whisperings of from, a method the Kingpin had taught her sons, but didn’t have any expeditions to see it in battle just yet. Fascinated enough to not pick up in time the tragedy in the form of ice, the world nearly slowed significantly as the spears of frozen water impaled the body of Ruven, pushing through whatever flesh and bone they crossed. Something touched his cheek, not the paw of another of course but the rapidly cooling blood of the other boy, and he was afraid of touching it to wipe it away. Was saying he was frozen in place a pun? Probably. ”You....you bitch-” The trail itself wasn’t hard to find, and he didn’t recall ever seeing Lumia’s face, not until now of course, and it felt like it had been branded into his subconscious.

”ANGELEMBRACE, WHERE ARE YOU?”

No time. No time to think about his next moves, or any pathetic attempt at vengeance. The voice that split the air was his next priority, there was nothing he could do for Ruven now. Angel moved his ass, bolting as fast as his little legs could carry him, the giant beast not hard to find. Of course, it only got worse, didn’t it? He had missed the attack on Saturn, but the results were obvious and his heart stopped briefly in his chest. Deldrach was ignored, for now, as Angelembrace turned his head back to lock his gaze on the figure of ice and blood once again.

A more sickening sound caused his head to snap back around, feeling immense nausea immediately at the sight of Aphra being torn in two. Damn it all. ”They’ll kill us all.”

your little hands of paradise, give them here and hang on tight

— Reggan