🦴- Enid Sinclair -🌈

The forest didn’t feel real anymore.

At first, it had just been a shortcut. A way to clear your head, to get away from everything—Nevermore, the whispers, the constant feeling of being watched.

But now?

Now it felt like the trees were leaning in too close, their branches tangling together overhead like they were trying to trap the moonlight… or you.

Every step you took echoed louder than it should have. Leaves crunched too sharply. Your breathing sounded uneven, like it didn’t belong to you.

And the worst part?

You couldn’t shake the feeling that something had been following you for a while.

—

High above, hidden between thick branches and shadow, Enid Sinclair had her eyes locked on you.

She hadn’t meant to follow you this far.

At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

At first, it was just curiosity—you leaving alone this late, slipping past the edge of the woods like you were drawn to it. That alone had set off alarms in her head. Nobody just wandered out here at night. Not with everything going on.

But then she noticed how you kept glancing over your shoulder.

How your steps slowly sped up.

How your hands clenched slightly, like you were trying to stay calm but failing.

And something inside her twisted.

You looked scared.

And Enid didn’t like that.

Not one bit.

So she followed.

Quiet. Careful. Keeping her distance.

Watching.

Protecting.

Even if you didn’t know it.

—

Now, crouched low on a branch, Enid’s senses were fully locked in.

The air shifted.

Her nose twitched.

There it was.

That smell.

Rotten. Metallic. Wrong.

Her body stiffened instantly, claws pressing into the bark beneath her as a low, warning growl built in her chest.

“Not again…” she muttered under her breath.

Her golden eyes flicked back down to you.

You had stopped walking.

You definitely felt it now.

—

“Hello?” you called out, your voice small against the massive stillness around you.

No answer.

But something moved.

Fast.

Too fast.

—

It exploded out of the darkness.

The Hyde.

A blur of twisted limbs and raw, violent motion slammed into you before you could even process what was happening. The force knocked the air out of your lungs as you hit the ground hard, dirt and leaves flying everywhere.

Pain shot through your back.

Your vision spun.

You tried to crawl back, hands slipping against the forest floor, heart slamming wildly in your chest.

It was right there.

Towering.

Breathing.

Watching you like prey.

Its claw lifted slowly—

And Enid lost control.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!”

She didn’t think.

She didn’t hesitate.

She just moved.

—

One second she was in the tree—

The next, she was crashing down between you and the Hyde.

The impact shook the ground, leaves scattering in every direction as she landed hard, fully transformed. Fur bristled, muscles tense, claws digging into the earth.

Her entire body screamed one thing:

Don’t touch her.

—

The Hyde let out a low, distorted snarl, circling, sizing her up.

Enid didn’t back down.

Not even a little.

“Stay behind me,” she said, her voice rough, deeper than usual—but steady.

Protective.

You could feel it.

Even through the fear, even through the adrenaline—you could feel that she meant it.

—

The Hyde lunged again.

And this time—

Enid met it head-on.

—

They collided with a force that echoed through the trees.

Claws clashed. Bodies slammed. The ground tore beneath them as they fought, fast and brutal. The Hyde was bigger, stronger—but Enid was faster, sharper, and fueled by something far more dangerous:

She wasn’t fighting to survive.

She was fighting for you.

—

The Hyde swiped—she ducked.

It lunged—she twisted, raking her claws across its side.

A snarl ripped from her throat as she shoved it back, placing herself between it and you again, over and over, no matter how many times it tried to get past her.

It kept trying.

And every single time—

She stopped it.

—

“Run!” she shouted, glancing back at you for half a second.

But even then, she shifted her stance slightly—subtle, instinctive—making sure you were completely covered behind her.

Like she already knew you might not move.

Like she didn’t trust the forest to let you get away safely.

So instead—

She chose to hold the line.

—

The Hyde charged again, more aggressive this time.

Enid didn’t flinch.

She stepped forward.

Met it halfway.

Forced it back.

—

The fight dragged on, seconds stretching into something that felt way longer. Your heart pounded as you watched, frozen, every movement too fast, too intense.

Until finally—

A sharp crack echoed through the trees.

The Hyde stumbled.

Enid took the chance.

She lunged forward with everything she had, slamming into it and forcing it backward, her snarl cutting through the silence like a warning.

A final one.

Leave.

Now.

—

For a moment, everything froze.

The Hyde hesitated.

Its head tilted slightly.

Then, with a low, furious growl—

It backed off.

Step by step.

Before disappearing into the darkness.

Gone.

—

Silence returned.

But it didn’t feel the same.

—

Enid stayed where she was for a few seconds longer, chest rising and falling heavily, ears twitching as she listened for any sign it might come back.

When nothing did—

She turned.

Slowly.

Carefully.

To you.

—

The tension in her body didn’t fully leave, but her expression softened the moment her eyes landed on you.

“You okay?” she asked, her voice quieter now, though still slightly rough from the fight.

She stepped closer, slower this time, like she didn’t want to scare you.

Her eyes scanned you quickly—your arms, your face, your legs—checking for injuries, for anything wrong.

“You’re not hurt, right?” she added, softer.

There was something else in her voice now.

Something nervous.

Something almost… vulnerable.

—

“I saw it earlier,” she admitted after a small pause, glancing briefly toward the direction it had disappeared. “Following you.”

Her gaze dropped for a second before lifting back to yours.

“I wasn’t just… watching you for no reason.”

A faint, awkward breath.

“I mean—I was watching you, but—” she stopped herself, ears flicking slightly in embarrassment. “Not in a creepy way. Just—making sure you were okay.”

—

Another pause.

Quieter this time.

—

“I didn’t like how you looked back there,” she said, more honestly now. “You looked… scared.”

Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.

“And I couldn’t just ignore that.”

—

She hesitated for a moment before stepping just a little closer.

Close enough that you could feel the warmth coming off her.

Close enough that you could tell—

If that thing came back?

She’d do it all over again.

Without hesitation.

—

“I wasn’t going to let it hurt you,” Enid said softly.

And this time—

There was no hesitation in her voice at all.