Perhaps his wishes to experience peace had been ill fated, or maybe just his karma. Whatever the case, he had no clue that he had been the victim of mistaken identity and yet, perhaps it had always been the case. After all, many had been certain he had always been alive and yet, most days he had come to doubt such a thing. He never felt entirely alive. In fact, he often felt as if his paws had been too heavy or too light; too a part of the world or never close enough. Just... never quite right, never quite there. And so, he had the luxury to exist in that unknowing - he squeezes his body together tighter, feeling warmth bloom beneath the fold of his fur and flesh. Comfort, finally. Even the sounds of the world around him went ignored...
That was, until they could not be ignored for any longer. The paws had been silent for so long and yet, suddenly they seemed to create thunder nearby. By the time he had begun to unfurl, he felt a weight above him - the hot breath of another, and yet his heart merely fluttered the once before it steadied. His mind, however, had flashed suddenly with unknown imagery: the sting of hair having been torn from supple skin, the flashing image of fear, the idea that his fate had become suddenly uncertain as he let out a hoarse gasp of both pain and surprise. Still, he had begun to twist and writhe in his crevice and he could not stop. He needed to be out.
It took him several seconds to tumble from the crevice, awkwardly at first before he found his paws beneath him. He had broken free from the bottom of the log, twisting beneath it and between the rocks until he emerged. He stood barely four feet from his would-be assailant, however, and yet he hadn't the energy to turn suddenly. After all, he had managed to still be alive somehow. If they had meant harm... would they have not made it quick?
It only added to his confusion as he turned slowly, his clouded eyes seeking out the stranger. She stood before him now - above him, where he had been once - and yet, she did not seem to hold the aggressive stance he had expected. Instead, she seemed almost... he could not place the emotion. Maybe he had not seen it before. Such a thing hardly seemed unusual. Still, he narrowed his eyes momentarily at her, bracing himself on his narrow, too-long legs. It was all he could do to look prepared, though surely even a child could see he was no fighter. He was but a bluffer - a liar in those moments. For now, words escaped him. He merely had to uncover whether such a startling act had been intentional and if so, what would the outcome be? Despite it all, he was not sure if he was ready to die today or not.
wraith
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