The camp was quiet when Vivienne approached, the dying embers of the fire flickering iill night air. Her humanoid form—curvy and pact—was weary but undeniable. Her gait was slow, each step heavy with exhaustion, her bloodied body leaving a trail in the dust behihe st of blood, ichor, and the rich, loamy aether still g to her like a sed skin, but there was something more in the air now, something that buzzed beh her skin and g the back of her mind. Her five eyes, bck as void, flickered with something that had been born from the hunger of the fight.

  She had fought the gretil there was nothi of it but ruin, but even now, as she approached the firelight, she could feel the remnants of the creature's spirit in her, as though its essence was still pulsing through her veins, pushing her forward, urgio feed more.

  The people who’d stayed behind turo look at her as she entered. Rava, always observant, was the first to react, her sharp gaze taking in the sight of Vivienne’s battered form..

  Vivienne didn’t speak. She didn’t o. Her presence was a question in itself, a sileion of the ordeal she’d survived. Her tail, always aension of her will, was stiff, held at an odd angle as though still coiled in the memory of the battle. The st of the grecw’s flesh had followed her bap, and with it, the distant trace of the loam aether—the huhat still roared within her.

  Rava stepped forward, her own weariness softened by . “You’re alive,” she remarked, though it was less of a statement and more of a quiet affirmation with a hint of relief.

  Vivienne’s lips curled in something akin to a grim smile, though it quickly faded as her senses fred, drawn to the campfire’s heat, the low hum of life around her. She felt every movement around her, felt the tug in her chest, that gnawing desire to e—to devour, to feed on the power she had cimed. But she restrained herself, barely. The memories of the grecw still swam ihoughts, taunting her, stirring the huhat had not yet been satisfied.

  She turned away from Rava, stepping closer to the fire. She didn’t , but the warmth was f, even if it didn’t quite reach the deep, hollow ache inside her. She felt a flicker of something—disturbing and familiar—tig the back of her mind. It was almost as if the beast she had sin was not quite gos esseill ced through the air, through the earth, through her very being.

  Her cws trembled as she reached out to steady herself against the fire’s edge. The memories of the beast, its echoes—they wouldn’t leave her alone. She could still taste the loam aether oongue, feel its weight inside her. She needed more. She wanted more. It was a feeling unlike anything she had known before—this insatiable craving, this gnawiiness inside her.

  “Vivienne,” Rava said softly, stepping closer, her tone growing more cautious. “What happened out there?”

  Vivienne didn’t ahe gnawing hunger inside her thrummed louder, a pulse that came from somewhere deep within her chest. She felt it rising, surging, a dark, insatiable hat spread through her veins like wildfire. Her eyes shifted toward Rava, fog on the curve of her throat, the soft, steady rhythm of her pulse. The st of living flesh was like a siren’s call, and it was only by sheer force of will that Vivienne didn’t step forward, didn’t tear into her with all the brutality she had unleashed on the grecw.

  For a fleeting moment, she imagi. The feeling of sinkieeth into Rava’s skin, her aether-rich blood flooding her sehe queng that uing thirst. Just oe—the thought slipped through Vivienne’s mind like a dark whisper, a suggestion that she could end this hunger in an instant.

  She shuddered, a cold, unfortable tremor running through her. She flinched away, blinking rapidly as though to dispel the image, the urge. What was she thinking? The hunger was ing her mind, turning it into something ugly, something twisted. She turned her head sharply, pulling her gaze from Rava, though the pull was still there, tugging at her insides, lingering like a shadow in the back of her mind.

  No. She pressed her palm to her forehead, scolding herself internally. You’re not like that. You’re not an animal. You won’t—

  Her breathing hitched, her cws flexing involuntarily as the huwisted, growing stronger, darker. It art of her now, something that wouldn’t let go. She o feed, to e, to sate the insatiable emptihat cwed at her from the inside.

  But not Rava. Never her.

  Vivieurned sharply, putting distaween herself and the campfire, her tail flig with agitation. The firelight seemed to and distort before her eyes, and she had to fight the urge to look back at Rava. To feel that huugging again.

  "Vivienne..." Rava's voice was quiet now, but there was a hint of uainty. The tension in the air hung thick, palpable, as if the very grouh them was holding its breath. Vivienne’s breath was shallow as she squeezed her eyes shut, f the image of Rava from her mind, but the hunger... it wouldn’t be so easily banished.

  Vivienne didn’t respond, her thoughts spinning too wildly to form words. The air was too thick, too heavy with her internal war. The huhe craving—it cwed at her from every dire, tightening around her chest like a vice. Her mind screamed at her to leave, to escape the temptation, before she lost herself pletely.

  Without a word, she turned on her heel, her tail flig sharply behind her as she stumbled toward the edge of camp. She couldn’t stay here, not wheemptation was so close, so real. She didn’t trust herself to stay in the presence of her panions, not now. Not when the hunger was this raw, this primal.

  The grouh her feet seemed to shift with every step she took, the earth itself humming with the same insatiable hat was burrowing deeper into her soul. She could feel the pull of the night, the darkness surrounding her, as though it was calling her name, beio run, to feed, to lose herself in the wild pces where she could be free from the weight of her own desires.

  She broke into a run, not g where she was going, only that she had to get away from the camp, away from Rava, away from the fire that had burned shtly, but now felt like an unbearable heat. The cold night air bit at her skin, sharp and sing, but it did nothing to quell the fire burning inside her.

  Behind her, she could hear Rava calling her name again, softer now, more frantic, but Vivienne was tooo care. Her feet pouhe earth beh her, and with each step, the distaween her and the camp grew, until the sounds of her panions were swallowed by the night.

  The world seemed to close in arouhe trees and the underbrush pressing in, their twisted limbs and tangled roots barely a blur as she sped through the darkness. She could feel the huhe gnawing, relentless hunger pulling her forward, urgio keep going. The night whispered to her, the shadows around her promising that they would never judge, never question.

  Her breath was ragged as she pushed herself harder, faster, not sure where the night would take her but knowing that she could never return to the camp in this state. The urge to devour—anything—was all-ing, and she didn’t trust herself to stay in the pany of those she cared for while this part of her was still s, so dangerous.

  As she ran, her mind spun, fshes of memories from the grecw's essehose fleeting fragments—tio mix with her own thoughts. But now they were like ghosts, pulling her further away from herself, each step making it harder to remember why she had fought sainst this hunger in the first pce.

  The cool night air cut through her fevered thoughts, and Vivieumbled into a small clearing, her chest heaving with exertion. She paused for a moment, her breaths ing in shallow, frantic gasps. The stars above twinkled brightly, a silent wito her dest.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, her body trembling as the hunger surged within her once more. What was she being? The question was a distant echo, lost in the noise of her gnawing need.

  By the time early m arrived, the first light of dawn was just beginning to creep over the horizon, spilling soft golden hues across the sky. The air was crisp, still, and quiet—save for the faint rustle of the wind through the trees. Vivienne made her way bap, her steps slow but steady.

  She hadn’t veoo far from the camp the night before. The huill g her, but the distance she had put between herself and the others had givehe time she ain some trol. Just enough to fight back the urge to do something... unfivable.

  But she hadn’t stayed far. Not too far. She’d seen the ward go back up as she roamed, watched it shimmer faintly in the distance, and had made sure to stay beyond its reaot because she feared it—no, the ward was no match for her strength. But because she feared herself. Fear of what she might do if she stayed in the close pany of those she cared for.

  Vivienne’s cws had scraped through the earth, a wild, primal urge keeping her moving until the worst of it passed. But even so, she hadn’t abahem. No. She had hunted. Hunted more aetherbeasts that dared approach the camp in the dead of night, their twisted forms prowling at the edge of the ward’s light. The beasts didn’t stand a ce. She had torn through them without hesitation, savaging their flesh and taking whatever energy she could from them before the sun rose. Each beast fed her a little more, quieting the hunger for a time, but nothing could fully sate her.

  Rava and Kivvy had slept through it all, unaware of the danger looming so close, unaware of the silent battle Vivienne fought against her own instincts. Renzia had stayed alert, ever watchful as she kept guard, but the mannequin rayed from the warded zone. Vivienne had ehey were safe, even if she couldn't trust herself to be hem too long.

  The sun’s light grew warmer as Vivienne made her final approach, the camp slowly ing into view. She could see the faint glow of the fire that Kivvy had rekihe remnants of a camp that seemed, to all the world, peaceful. But Vivienne knew better. She knew what lurked withihe primal hunger she couldn't shake.

  As she stepped closer, Rava was the first to spot her. The older woman lifted a hand, a silent signal of wele, but also . Her eyes searched Vivienne's form, the uill palpable in the air between them.

  “Vivienne,” Rava called, her voice soft, yet tinged with something else—an unspokeion. “Are you alright?”

  Vivieopped just short of the camp, her lips twitg into a thin, weary smile. The exhaustion from the night’s events weighed heavily on her, but there was also something else—a deep, unspoken relief. She was back. They were safe. The hunger had not cimed her, not yet.

  “Yeah, Rava. I’m good.”

  Renzia’s gaze so her mistress, and in an instant, the mannequin was moving. She darted forward, a blur of graceful movement, but she stopped just a few meters short of Vivienne. For a moment, Renzia froze, her posture stiff, uain. The mannequin’s head tilted, almost as if she were searg for the right response, unsure of what to do. Her ck of eyes only deepehe oddness of the moment, making the air between them feel charged.

  Vivienne’s heart softe the sight, and she couldn't help the warmth that spread through her. The mannequin, though lost and fused in her own way, still seemed to have some grasp on the bond they shared. Vivieepped forward, her rge, curved form a stark trast to Renzia’s delicate, doll-like appearance, and she gently pced a hand on the mannequin’s head.

  “Sorry, sweetheart,” Vivienne said softly, her voice low and reassuring. “Mama just needed some time to think.”

  Renzia’s body stiffe the touch, but then she leaned into it just a fra, a small gesture that spoke volumes despite her inability to unicate in words. Vivienne could feel the weight of the night’s events, the distaween them, but she was here now. They were all here. Safe.

  Vivienne breathed in deeply, pushing aside the lingering huhat still simmered within her. For the moment, the world felt steady again, and she was back where she belonged—among those who, despite everything, still accepted her.

  And for the first time in what felt like ages, she wasn’t running from herself.

  Vivieood there for a moment, taking in the quiet peace of the m—something she hadn’t allowed herself to fully appreciate in a long time. The huill li the edge of her thoughts, but the gnawing, insatiable craving was quieter now, more manageable. Being here with her panions, feeling their presence, knowing that they were still with her—still trusting her—gave her something to hold onto. For the first time in so long, she didn’t feel the sta of her darker urges. She didn’t feel like a beast.

  With a deep breath, Vivieurned her attention to the camp. The sounds of m stirred as Rava, Kivvy, and Renzia began to move, pag up their belongings, folding the tents and rolling up the bedding with practiced ease. Vivieepped forward to help, her hands moving almost automatically as she assisted in the routine of breaking camp. The simple, physical motions grounded her, a small sense of normalcy amidst the turbulence of her thoughts.

  She wasn’t the leader here—Rava was—but she felt a responsibility to tribute, to ensure everything was in order. It was something small, but it made her feel... human, in a way. As she worked alongside Rava, Kivvy, and Renzia, the camaraderie felt natural. She wasn’t just a monster, she wasn’t just the beast from the wild. She art of something. A family, of sorts, even if it wasn’t as simple as that.

  Vivienne moved with purpose, folding a b with Rava’s help, her movements steady. She gnced occasionally at Renzia, who had already finished with her share of tasks, her mannequin-like form strangely graceful in its efficy. Kivvy, always the chatterbox, hummed quietly as she worked, a slight smile on her face despite the weight of their jourhe boweehough unspoken, was solidifying. Vivienne could feel it. There was something unshakable in the way Rava looked at her now, like she could see past the monstrous nature Vivienne carried, and in Renzia’s silent watchfulness, there was an uanding that went beyond words.

  It was nearly time to leave when Vivienhe familiar ache in her bohe call of her wolf form pulling at her sehe shift was something she had e to rely on, both as a way to get around faster and as a remihat she still had trol. That she could keep her monstrous side in check.

  Rava gnced over, catg Vivienne’s gaze, and nodded in silent uanding. It didn’t take words between them anymore. Vivienne’s form rippled, muscles shifting and expanding, her body adapting with fluid ease into her lupine shape. The ge was fast, almost seamless, her cws digging into the earth as her snout elongated into the familiar, sharp-edged features of the wolf.

  With a low growl, she shook her fur, stretg out the st remnants of her human form before the shift was plete. The power of her wolf shape surged through her, more primal, but at the same time, oddly f. This was who she was, in a way. The beast and the woman were not so different after all, and for now, she could accept that.

  Rava, as always, moved without hesitation. She had the harness ready, the thick leather straps worn from use, and with practiced hands, she fitted it around Vivienne’s broad shoulders and chest. The harness, though simple, was sturdy, built to withstand the strength of Vivienne’s wolf form. As Rava buckled the st strap, she stepped back, her eyes searg Vivienne’s face for a moment before she gave a small, approving nod.

  “Ready?” Rava asked, her voice soft, but with a hint of and.

  Vivienne responded with a low, affirmative growl, her wolf eyes gleaming as she stood tall, feeling the harness settle fortably against her. Rava’s hands brushed against her fur as she attached the cart to the harness, the familiar task a sign of their partnership—ahread in the boween them.

  The cart was light, but it was a reminder of their journey. Of the things they had left behind, and the things that still y ahead. Vivieood still for a moment, her rge, powerful frame poised as she felt the weight of the cart at her back. She was ready to move. Ready to keep going. Even though the huill g her, even though the memories of the past and the darkness withiill threateo rise, Vivienne was here, in this moment. She was holding it together—for now.

  Rava gave her a brief pat on the side, a silent sign of trust.

  Vivienne began to pull the cart forward, her wolf form moving smoothly, muscles ripplih her fur. The familiar weight of the harness was grounding, helpiay focused as the group prepared to leave the camp behind. Renzia moved quickly, taking her position at Vivienne’s side, her movements as graceful as ever despite her ck of real expression. Kivvy chatted happily from beside Rava on the seat of the cart, her youthful energy as tagious as always.

  Vivieook a deep breath, the air filling her lungs, and with o look at the camp, she pushed forward. She wasn’t running anymore. Not from herself. Not from them.

  For now at least.

  SupernovaSymphony