KaiaThe metallic sting of blood was the first thing to hit me. It coated my tongue, thick and heavy like honey but with a sharp iron kick that made my stomach lurch.'Kaia.'The voice was a ghost of a memory. Soft. Safe. Like a mother’s hug before the world went to hell."Mom?" I tried to ask. My jaw felt unhinged, too heavy to move. No words came."Kaia, I said wake up!"The softness shattered. The voice was loud now, vibrating against the concrete walls. I blinked, the overhead lights searing into my retinas. I went to rub my eyes, but I didn't have hands.I had paws. They were huge, heavy, and matted with white fur. Only the white was gone. It was replaced by a deep, crusty crimson that bled into black. I looked down. A goat lay in a heap of shredded meat and white bone. My stomach did a sick flip, even as my nose twitched, craving more of that earthy, raw scent.I licked a patch of red off my fur. It tasted like life. It tasted like the best thing I’d ever had."Kaia," the voice
Last Updated : 2026-03-07 Read more