Kaelen tightened his grip on the ridge of Kali's neck as the ash-laden air pressed against his skin. Every muscle in his body was coiled like a spring, ready to explode into action at the slightest provocation. His gaze darted back toward his companions, lying crumpled on the ground just beyond Kali's tail.
Thane, Morgan, and Seline weren't moving, but as Kaelen focused, he could still sense faint traces of their astral resonance. Weak, but there.
'Thank god...'
Sense of relief flooding through him for a brief moment. They weren't dead. Unconscious, maybe, but alive.
His relief was short-lived as a deep, guttural snarl echoed from above. Kaelen's head snapped up, his sharp eyes locking onto the grotesque creature circling them in the darkened sky like a vulture. Its glowing yellow eyes burned with predatory intent, its jagged spines pulsing faintly as it prepared to strike again.
"Focus, Kaelen."
