The moons hung high in the sky as Delila locked the door to the bakery. It had been a long day and she found herself nodding off as she walked down the deserted streets to her home. Not really paying attention to where she was going, she was suddenly jolted awake when she tripped on a lose cobblestone. A sharp pain shot through her ankle and she nearly fell flat on her face, barely catching herself on the wall of a nearby building. “Ouch.” She complained, as she looked down at her foot. It didn’t seem as if it were broken, probably just twisted it the wrong way. She sighed, “What a way to end a day. At least I made some good business.”
She glanced up at the full Masser. As the clouds that had been covering Secunda from view moved aside, she spotted a strange silhouette atop a building ahead. She couldn’t make out much, except that the shape looked somehow bestial. Then suddenly, it moved. What seemed to be its head turned to face her and she heard a faint sniffing sound. That was enough for her and she ducked into a nearby alley as quickly as the pain in her leg would allow her.
She leaned against the wall, her heart racing. “Ok, calm down, Delila, that was nothing, you’re just hallucinating from overwork. That’s right, you’re just….going insane…” she shook her head, “Ahg, I need sleep.” She pushed off the wall and started limping down the alley, despite her rationalizations she couldn’t bring herself to step back out into the main street. Suddenly she heard it, it was just a whisper, yet somehow she could make out the words. “…hunger…” She stopped again and looked around, but she saw nothing. Shaking her head, she continued onward, reaching the end of the alley. Clouds had once again covered the moons as she peaked out onto another large street, looking both ways before stepping out of the alleyway. Just then, she heard a sound behind and above her, and she quickly looked in the direction. There, poking over the edge of the roof of the building behind her was a massive, furred head, with large ears, and eyes that glowed with an eerie white light.
That was when Delila panicked. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she broke into a run. Ignoring the agony in her left ankle, she dashed for the alley across the street, after this, it was only one more block until the gate out of the Market District. “If only I can make it that far-” her thoughts were cut short when a massive shape flew over her head, bounced off the right wall of the alley, and landed in front of her. She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the creature, though she found that in the dark she could make out nothing other than the shape of a large head, those glowing eyes, and pearly white, six inch long fangs coming from its mouth. It had in fact opened its mouth, and it uttered in a deep, growling voice; “Hungry.” Delila stood frozen with fear, despite a small voice in the back of her head, screaming at her to run, to do something, she was no warrior, or mage, just a baker’s assistant. She felt a strange sensation, and heard a rushing in her ears, as the world seemed to dim, and her legs started to shake. As darkness claimed her, she saw the face moving towards her.
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