Luneshale Pass pantano

The jaws that throttled him would see him discarded, off to join the fray. 

Nokht hit the marble, and his shrieks fell silent. Most he could do was gape at the open air, hoping some of it would find his airways. It'd be a long, choked moment before that would happen, and then he'd blackout. Least he was still alive. His paws twitched. Spasmed.

Pale belly was smeared with red, stained on the tips of wet fur. The hurt was everywhere and he felt himself become so, so heavy. His vision came back slowly, spinning the world, and for a moment he was deaf to it. 

For just a moment, he was not here, but instead nestled in Nazli's fur, where it was warm and quiet. His coyish ears were always sound sensitive, so when the ringing ceased, the world came back that much louder. 

He wasn't a fighter even before. So maybe it was biology that made him try to stand. If he could just run.. just hide.. nobody could hurt him anymore. He'd go away from the noise, the angry voices, the screaming and the splattering of blood across the sand. 

Whether it was body, or just his soul that escaped this place, he knew he had to try. Osiris couldn't protect his sisters alone. 

This one act of defiance, the first he'd ever made. Like ripping a band-aid off. Just get up. Do it in one. He couldn't feel the break in his leg, and when he finally peeled himself from his grave of marble and blood, he tried to run as hard as he could despite it. Flat ears. Don't look back.