In the Ashen Expanse.
The moonlight stretched pale silver over the expanse, where silence never truly meant safety.
For two days, a sleek, shadow-black panther darted across the wastes with a small but regal rider perched between its shoulder blades.
The panther bounded like a child let loose, every flick of its muscles a burst of reckless glee.
They rarely found any other corrupt beasts, but whenever the faint scent of another corrupted beast touched the panther's nose, it would veer off the trail in a blur, pouncing, biting, and tossing—apparently playing.
Unfortunately, the panther's idea of "play" left nothing alive. Bones cracked, flesh split, and even the most feral of monsters were reduced to toys discarded in pools of blackened ichor.
They weren't Graye, as that girl was the only person who could survive this panther's play.
Upon its back, Cluckles the Sage sighed. The snow-white chicken's red scarf fluttered in the wind as his beady eyes narrowed.
