Chapter Text
Faster, that’s all Cole could make up in their mind, ground rumbling against their hurried footsteps. The world moved slowly around them, limbs barely able to keep up with the simple command, and Cole found themselves lacking.
Not fast enough, not swift enough, simply just not enough.
Claws, scraping across the ground with a steady, agonizing pace, swiped at their feet. Faster, pleaded the Leveret. Yet, where their steps were many, behind them trailed few–paitently waiting. They couldn’t breathe, couldn’t stop, couldn’t do anything. The futility of their situation seeped deep in their bones, aching and craving for release, but Cole Seymour could only run fast, faster, faster.
It was dark. Far too dark for their eyes to follow. Branches appeared like brief flashes, streaks of shadows darker than what their eyes could perceive. They scraped against the rabbit’s legs, creating trails of blood that only served to excite the hound that slowly creeped behind them. The smell of burnt pine wafted through the air, large booming explosions creating pockets of heat. The leveret’s skin felt like it was boiling.
They felt the warm, sickly breath of the grinning hound behind them, teeth so close to their nape yet just barely far enough. The ground below them blew dust, rusty clouds that did little to stop the drooling hound behind them. If they turned around, Cole wondered if those eyes were as piercing as they felt, daggers digging onto their back as the harsh screeches of the canine’s claws rang in their ears. It was getting closer, step after step, the hound’s breath grew warmer, moist with hunger.
Cole forced their legs to run faster, hearing the clacks of jaws missing them by another, far too close, inch.
Their heart thumped and rattled against their chest, entrapped by the overgrown vines and branches that the leveret tripped and stumbled over. Stopping was not an option, but Cole felt their lungs starving, shuddering inside of them.
The trees twisted and morphed around them, blurs of faces marked in the corners of their vision. Branches extended like hands and snares, grabbing at Cole’s legs with no purchase. With each weave growing more and more careless, more rivers of blood ran through their sluggish limbs. With each drop of blood, the pants of the hound grew harsher, snout raised and pointed directly at the leveret. Vines threatened to tangle around their legs, to ensnare what the branches hadn’t already touched.
Cole desperately wanted to cry out for help, but their voice was silent, screams growing hoarse and unheard. There was no help, and vines grew to their throat, tightening and squeezing around the leveret until…
They fell for the last time, and the hound howled, lunging with a sweeping motion.
Cole heard their own screams, a final cry left unheard by all but the hound who tore through the rabbit, its gaping jaw revealing blood-filled, dagger-like teeth, pure white against the darkness in their vision. In a blink, knives would enter their body, chunk after chunk being removed as Cole felt their body growing still, numb and stunned.
Had they focused enough, there would be pain blossoming through their chest with each rip of their chest. There was a strange mercy in not being able to feel anything more than a pulling motion through their body despite the fear coursing through Cole’s veins.
Fur was pulled apart with skin, spat out as a slimy tongue lapped up copper wafting through air. In the corner of their vision, pools of red, warm and sticky clung to exposed entrails, soaking what fur remained on Cole’s torn, moribund body. Their lungs brushed against the ground, sloshing with whatever breath it could take amidst the tainted blood that flooded each rattling inhale they took. The hound’s eyes shone in the forest, beady yet dulled against the shimmering copper that dripped from its maw.
The fire that burned throughout the forest, carved through the leveret’s body, seeping deeper and deeper into exposed flesh as any light became extinguished by the grand plumes of smoke that threatened to suffocate Cole. The hound cared not for the rampage that roared around the two, only to savor what it could from the child beneath it.
Cole willed their body to move, to twitch. Their limbs were leadened, sore and pulsing. With one small movement, the hound chose to further mock the child, heavy claws pushing their skull further into the red-stained ground before tearing away another piece of flesh with a wet snap.
The leveret tried to move, to wriggle in the grasps of the hound, but each attempt was met with more pressure, threatening to break their skull onto the ground itself. Blood had reached Cole’s throat, coating it with the sickly taste of brass as the child tried to scream again to no avail. The hound turned to Cole, eyes digging into them as it approached slowly, sardonic and callous with each intentional step before it paused in front of Cole’s face.
The child froze, breath stilling as it felt the cool puffs of air from the hound’s muzzle. A flash of teeth was all they saw before they felt the hound lift them up, neck in a tight, tighter and tighter grasp.
Cole tried to shout, to move. The pain was too much, their body charred and torn as the hound briefly relished in the rabbit’s weak struggles.
Their jaws moved, choking Cole slower and slower. They felt their neck bending against the force, twisting and meshing with the teeth that encompassed them. Cole let out a retching breath, mouth gaping widely in a wild search for air.
With a final resounding snap ringing through their ears, Cole woke up in a stupor, gasping and choking as their eyes darted across their room. A stiff figure stood at the doorway, shrouded by the night, and Cole scrambled off their bed, voice mum save a startled whimper.
“Cole–” The voice called out, closing the door quickly before they knelt down to the panic-stricken blonde. “Cole, it’s just me.”
Cole clung to a nearby wall, curled up while their hands gripped at their hair as they tried to will away the voice and the shadows that encompassed them. Moist breath still clung to their neck, their stomach aching and hollowed at the same time. Oh, they felt sick, a swarm growing stronger and stronger in their stomach, sending a flood of spit through their mouth that caused them to curl up. The voice never left to the leveret’s dismay, instead talking more, slower and quieter.
“I heard you…I thought you were spouting about your lyrics again, but…” Shuffling grew muffled in their ears, something heavy plopped onto the ground. “You started crying and muttering weird things.”
“I..I’m—” Cole couldn’t control their voice, unstable with each tremble against the leveret’s mouth.
“Just…Just focus on breathing. You look a bit pale.” The figure shuffled against, now closer to Cole. They felt warm, sturdy as the weight in the floorboards creaked for a brief moment. “Do you want some water?”
Cole shook their head with a sniff, their heart continued to pound against their chest, but their breath came easier as whoever sat beside them continued to stay near them, listing off various objects in Cole’s room that the leveret couldn’t bother to pay attention to. Eventually, the list of objects ran dry, so the voice, growing more familiar in Cole’s ears, started talking about anything and everything, no rhythm in the topics.
It sounded like…
Cole wiped at their face, grimacing at the sweat and tears that clung to their hands, and turned to the eldest who stopped talking immediately. “Perry?”
“Hi.” Peregrine greeted, stiffly before they cringed at their own words. “Sorry, was I talking too much?”
Cole shook their head, “No…You helped. Sorry for waking you.”
“Do you…” Peregrine averted their gaze briefly, hands tangling around their sleep-mussed hair. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I don’t know how to explain it.” Cole muttered, stretching their oddly tender legs. “It…It was bad.”
Peregrine tilted their head, leaning closer to Cole. “Try me.”
“I…” Cole took a deep breath, eyes pointed forward with an unsteady determination. “I felt a breath behind me. I couldn’t see what was there, but it was large–and really gross now that I think back on it. I was running, but…not really going anywhere.”
Peregrine winced in sympathy, nodding as Cole continued with a waning tone.
“I kept on running, but…nothing worked. There was something behind me, with large teeth and these weird eyes. It was waiting for me to mess up, to trip up, I think, and…And I did—” Cole felt their throat tightened, trapping the rest of their words as they tried to compose their thoughts.
Peregrine waited patiently, arms opening up with an offer that neither of the lark could refuse, and Cole practically dove into the eldest’s arms, burying their head into Peregrine’s chest as Cole continued, voice continuing to break and stagger with each word.
“I felt everything…Their teeth against my bones, my blood and the ground beneath me… everything.”
“I’m sorry.” Peregrine’s embrace tightened briefly, their voice vibrating through the crown of Cole’s head. “That sounds really bad.”
“It was.” Cole nodded, clutching further to Peregrine’s night gown. “I was scared.”
“You don’t need to be scared anymore, Coleton.” Peregrine practically cooed, “Not if I can help it.”
Cole huffed, a light laughter that carried no weight. They pulled away, wiping away the remnants of the dream from their eyes. Their body still shook, too aware of what laid outside their room. Their ears picked up the crickets chirping outside, grass brushing against creatures that laid in the grove beyond their sight and the sounds of beds groaning through the walls.
Cole felt guilt pooling in their stomach, sour and heavy through their body. “You should go back to sleep, Perry. I’m sorry for waking you.”
Peregrine shook their head, “Don’t apologize. I don’t mind staying up with you. Honest to all the cradles, I was having a dull dream with Kingsley snoring about.”
Cole snorted, covering their mouth as Peregrine grinned widely. “You can’t hear them from your room, can you?”
“Of course I can.” Peregrine rolled their eyes. “I could hear them from every room. It’s Kinglsey we’re talking about.”
Cole giggled, shoulders lowering slightly as their eyes trailed the room. Shadows that snaked in their vision returned to corners of their tidy room. Cole sighed, ensuring everything was in its place. Peregrine allowed the moment of silence, if only to lean back against the wall and quietly calm their own heightened nerves.
Cole let out a final exhale before allowing their body to relax, certain that any threats laid where no one could be reached. They leaned against Peregrine who wrapped an arm around the blonde, giving a reassuring squeeze.
“I haven’t had a nightmare in a while.” Cole admitted, voice softened and wary. “Ever since…Ever since I got here, they’d been going away.”
Peregrine nodded, “I had nightmares for days in a row when I got here, but they’d gone away too. I’ve no clue why they came or why they went.”
“Maybe you got comfortable?” Cole shrugged.
“Does that mean you got uncomfortable here?” Peregrine gave a chary glance, a question within a question in their eyes.
Cole shook their head. “Nothing here’s been bothering me. Mx. Playwright says memories can cause nightmares to resurface. I believe that’s what happened.”
“Makes sense,” Peregrine hummed, eyes scanning the room idly. “Do you feel better?”
Cole nodded easily, giving Peregrine a soft smile. “Thank you, by the way. I think I needed the company tonight.”
Peregrine yawned, stretching their arms with a sigh. “Do you plan on going back to sleep? I could stay here and make sure nothing invades your dreams again.”
“Ah–” Cole scrunched up, face flushing. “I don’t—I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to sleep…”
Peregrine winced, patting Cole’s back. “That’s alright. I’ll stay up as long as I can with you then.”
“Are you sure? Won’t Mx. Playwright be cross with us staying up like this?”
“They can be cross with me all they want.” Peregrine huffed, pointing to Cole with conviction. “You deserve to not be alone, especially not after a nightmare like yours. If they have a problem with that, I’ll handle it.”
Cole hummed worryingly, feet tapping along the floor before they conceded with a barely audible sigh. “Fine, but I’m not waking you if you end up sleeping.”
“Deal.” Peregrine gave a brazen smile, almost challenging the very notion of sleep itself. “But, you’ll be the one snoring before me.”
“Perrine, you fall asleep better than anyone else in this house.” Cole sighed, a playful glare to Peregrine. “Of all the lark, I believe you’re second to none in that regard.”
Peregrine smiled proudly, chest puffing out with no real intent behind it. “And I’ll be second to none in staying up. I sleep better than anyone, yes? That means I have enough sleep in my system to get me through a single night of staying awake.”
“Are you really going to stay up with me?”
“Is that a dare?”