Chapter 19: Vegan in the Abyss - 6
Nyxsha pounced, a blur of black fur and flashing claws.
Her swipe tore through the air, severing the reaching vine in a spray of glowing, golden sap that misted the glade like blood.
The garden shuddered, a low hiss—like wind through hollowed wood—echoing through the trees.
Azareel gasped, his silver eyes snapping open as the vines recoiled, their tips curling like burned fingers.
Nyxsha stood over him, her massive form a shield, her back arched, her fangs bared in a snarl that shook the moss beneath her paws.
"Back off," she growled, her voice a thunderclap in the eerie quiet.
The garden trembled, leaves quivering, roots twitching.
The air grew heavier, the scent of citrus and honey now laced with something sharper, like sap and hunger.
The earth cracked, a jagged line splitting the moss where Azareel sat.
The berry bush he’d leaned against began to rise, its roots uncoiling like legs, its leaves spiraling upward into shapes that defied nature.