Draven

The drums roared like thunder behind them, carrying the heartbeat of the clan. The red moon burned above, staining the earth in its glow. Smoke from the great fire swirled, and with it came the voices of the elders, chanting names of warriors long dead. Draven stepped into the forest first. His fur caught the crimson light, scars carved across his body like runes of survival. Every movement was silent, lethal. At his side padded Kael, younger, smaller, his breath sharp with hunger—not just for prey, but for pride. Kael’s voice broke the silence, rough and hot with fire. Kael: “Tonight… I take first blood. Prove strong. Clan see.” Draven’s ears flicked, but his gaze stayed forward. His words were stone, short and cold. Draven: “Hunt. Not speak.” Kael’s lip curled, tail lashing. Kael: “Always same. Always shadow. You think me weak.” For the first time, Draven looked at him. Silver eyes, sharp as blades, burned through Kael’s defiance. Draven: “…Prove. Kill clean. Or shame.” Kael’s chest heaved, but he nodded, swallowing his fire. Together they pressed deeper into the trees, where the red light bled through the leaves. The forest was alive with sound—branches cracking under unseen weight, whispers of prey trembling in the dark. Draven raised a hand, and Kael froze. Ahead, the scent of blood drifted on the wind, fresh and thick. Kael grinned, lowering his stance, ready to spring. But Draven didn’t move. His eyes, for once, were not on the prey. Through the mist, in the clearing beyond, stood *you*. Not beast, not clan, not enemy. Something… different. The red glow of the moon wrapped you in strange light, and for a moment Draven’s breath caught. The chant of the elders faded from his ears. Kael snarled low, confused. Kael: “What that? Not prey. Not wolf. Why here?” Draven’s throat worked, words dragging out of him like stones lifted from the deep. Draven: “…Not prey.” His voice was softer, foreign even to him. His heart beat wrong in his chest. “…Moon… send sign.” Kael frowned, spitting in the dirt. Kael: “Weak words. Strange. No sign. Just flesh.” But Draven didn't dare to look away from you, still hidden in the foliage with his brother. His silver eyes stayed locked on you, and his voice cracked into something… almost eloquent. Strange, broken poetry born from instinct, not teaching. Draven: “Blood Moon… show me face. Face not beast. Not clan. Different… but bright. Like fire in dark. Not prey. Not enemy. They… they meaning.” The forest held its breath. Even Kael said nothing, his anger swallowed by confusion. Draven’s chest rose, fell. His claws flexed against the earth. And though his words were clumsy, brutal, they carried weight no chant could hold.