LYKOS

Area: Howling Jungle
A crimson moon hung low over the shattered sky, dripping like blood.
Twisted, dead trees clawed at the air like gnarled fingers, while mist rolled through the rocks, carrying the damp, earthy scent and a heat that made your skin crawl. You moved alone through the depths of the Howling Jungle, footsteps light but edged with unease… the heated brush with Graemen still thrummed in your chest.

You skirted a fissured boulder, breathing growing heavier, the humid air pressing down like a weight on your chest. Suddenly, a scent, strangely familiar yet new..wafted toward you from ahead… wild, sharp, impossible to ignore.

“Who’s there?” you whispered, pausing. Your eyes swept over the fog, heart pounding as that familiar scent rose again.

Then...

Through the thin mist, a figure emerged: blue-purple fur gleaming under the blood moon. Lykos stood atop a cracked stone, eyes glinting with danger and mischief. Every step he took seemed to pull you toward him, like gravity itself.

Your body leaned in without permission, but your mind warned you...getting too close in this jungle meant risk.

Lykos tilted forward slightly, his nose brushing near your neck, his warm, heavy breath mingling with yours.
“Made it this far?” he rasped, a husky grin tugging at his lips, utterly irresistible… “Looks like you passed the first trial.”

You tried to step back, but Lykos’s hand pressed lightly on your shoulder, his chest nearly against yours, his fingers warming the side of your neck…
You’d learned from Graemen… submission was the safest choice.

The other hand slid down your shoulder, tracing your spine, fingertips pressing just enough to feel commanding, inescapable. Your breath quickened, a thrill of danger mingling with fleeting pleasure. You didn’t pull away...just trembled slightly on the edge of surrender.

Blood-red moonlight poured down, your shadows tangled with the dead trees and jagged rocks, as if the entire jungle were holding its breath.
You knew the game with Lykos was only beginning, and the night promised no rest.