Spoopy

Syanna wasn't paying attention to Ezra to hear his muttered comment, too focused and busy getting the glowing lily out of the ground. She'd come this far, she wasn't about to stop now! Who knows what they could learn from one of these glowing plants? She felt Ezra shift next to her and heard his ferocious growl, acting as big and tough as he could to keep her safe. While she appreciated his attempts to protect her, she doubted any supernatural paranormal horrors would be deterred by a flash of teeth and a snarl. Frantic cream-furred paws were covered in dirt while she dug and dug, carefully extracting the bundle of roots from beneath the stem of the flower. Finally, after what felt like an age, she pried the plant free from the earth with a triumphant laugh.

No sooner had she gotten the lily out of the ground and made sure it was still glowing, Ezra declared that they were leaving. Syanna gingerly set the plant into the pot and began packing soil in around it to protect it during transit, but she only got a couple of pawfuls in before her world was suddenly shifting. Syanna gasped in surprise, finding herself pulled off her paws and slung across Ezra's back rather unceremoniously. "My plant!" she cried out, but Ezra was already snatching up the pot in his teeth. That was when Syanna got her first good look at the spectral saber cat, seeing the blue glow of its empty eyes and the snarl on its misty face. The apparition tensed, ready to lunge. Syanna gasped in fright.

Then there was motion, and Syanna was moving so fast her eyes couldn't make sense of what was going on in the dark. Syanna gripped to the back of Ezra's scruff, holding onto her boyfriend for dear life while he hauled ass across the plains back in the direction of the castle. Behind them, she saw the shadow cat snarl and let out an eerie, distorted version of a leonine roar before giving chase to the two wolves. "Faster, Ezra! Faster!" Ezra was running with all his might, but the ghost didn't seem to be getting further away. Wide, terrified eyes watched as it came closer and closer, pursuing them all the way across the empty plains towards the castle. The sky darkened overhead, stars falling and streaking all over the heavens. A cold wind kicked up around them, seeing to whisper promises of death in her ears. Syanna's blood turned to ice in her veins, yet she couldn't look away from their pursuer. It got closer... closer... so close it could almost nip at Ezra's haunches!

And then the spectral tiger disappeared in a burst of mist. Syanna blinked and stared in bewilderment, trying to figure out what happened when she realized Ezra had brought them across the castle threshold. The moment they had passed the castle walls, they were safe. Syanna gasped for breath, her mind reeling from everything they had just witnessed. Unbeknownst to her, her paws were trembling where she held Ezra's fur, more shaken up than she cared to admit. But she had her glowing flower! The night had ultimately been a success. "Can you bring me to bed, please?" the vixen-like fae asked, speaking softly into Ezra's ear. "I just wanna forget all of this, and I believe I owe you a reward for protecting me."

"Syanna Allurain"