Schizophrenic Fever Dreams

Descending into the depths of the labyrinth, Sephiran decided to take the path to his left which separated him from Aresenn for now. He couldn’t rely on his sense of smell, given the caverns had a thick scent of moist rock, dirt, and coal. Instead, he used his sight and hearing to help guide him, walking slowly along the cavern wall and listening for any indication that he was heading in the right direction. Several minutes ago, he heard Arsenn’s growl off in the distance. But now it was almost silent in the cavern, aside from the sounds his body was making. The rushing of blood in his ears, the pounding of his heart. This hunt was exhilarating.

After what felt like nearly an hour, Sephiran finally heard the echo of his prey. Somewhere deeper in the mines, he could hear her panting as soft, feminine groans escaped her lips. She was likely experiencing pain, nausea, and fatigue, which weakened her to an extent but Sephiran didn’t care. Whether his quarry was able-bodied or ill and dying made no difference to him. All he cared about was the thrill of it all.

He hastened his pace, clacking his jaws together in unison with her groans before a spew of maniacal laughter resonated from inside of him. It echoed down the cavern, in which he heard her gasp and start running. “Little girl, little girl!” He crooned,  almost sing-song-like. “Run, run, run as fast as you can!” Another round of laughter came from him, and it was followed by a yipping sound that was similar to a howl. It was loud and drawn out, and meant to serve as a call to Aresenn.

I’m going to win.

Sephiran loped down the path until it merged into a clearing in the mines, where other tunnels also connected to this common ground. Just as he stepped into it, the girl came into view but so did something else - Aresenn. The former pirate also emerged into the cavern at the same time, but on the opposite side. Sephiran ’s head lowered, ears pinning back as his pelt bristled. A guttural snarl rippled from his throat, and he suddenly lept forward, sinking his fangs into the girl's right hind leg before backpedaling to drag her towards him. She screamed, trying to whip around and face him but given his momentum her legs buckled and she hit the ground, hard.

Hopefully, Aresenn would partake in a little game of tug-o-war.

"Speech"