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Prompt 5: As if the eerie fog isn't enough to deal with, once the sun goes down you must take shelter quickly--or risk the beast of this land. While there is sometimes the sensation of being watched, it worsens when the sun goes down. A shadow can sometimes be seen outside, but if it catches you in the window it will attack. If it senses life in any building, it will batter against the door, scrape against the walls, and clatter at the windows. An overwhelming sensation of dread and fear seems to roll in with the creature. It cannot break into the buildings, but it can damage them--just never enough to get inside. Once a house is damaged, it is not safe to return to unless it is repaired before nightfall. The creature can splinter wood, claw at bricks, and crack or shatter glass. It can wail like a banshee and can linger for moments or hours throughout the night. It is always gone before sunrise.
Having been there and done that the senshi knew the routine by now and it was safe to say it wasn't one he enjoyed. This time however he had been fortunate to get inside before nightfall had truly hit. Granted he hadn't managed to make it 'home' in time but he had found a suitably secure place to hold out until morning. It lacked for amenities and in the grand scheme of things it wouldn't necessarily have been his preference but the walls stood firm and there weren't any lingering gaps that gave him pause. The only thing that had been necessary for him to do was locate discarded rags, cushions and even tablecloths to coil into a tube and slot against the door to serve as a draft protector.
Satisfied that he was safe, he'd been able to finally sit down, affording a moment to regard the door. Hands clasped he then glanced round at the almost pitch black room and the place he would remain for the remainder of the evening. It was just as well that he was comfortable in his own company and had the capacity to settle without discomfort. Or rather it would have been more accurate to imply that he was all right on his own but that didn't mean he was happy at the fact it was cold and he wasn't necessarily in the position to be able to warm the house up.
They had all learned by now that if you gave any indication that something was in the house it attracted the attention of wandering and nefarious creatures. It was important to heat the houses early as a result of this now infamous knowledge and given he hadn't had that opportunity there was certainly a bite in the air he wasn't enjoying. He'd survive though, a little cold wouldn't kill him in a single evening and provided he kept to a more enclosed part of the room the cold that seeped in through slightly weaker spots in the windows should avoid him.
It was with that in mind that he had scoped out the house and once he'd found that 'spot', he'd hunkered down for the evening...conveniently, right at the moment that he heard the faint but familiar sound of a large beast. He had a rough idea of what it 'looked' like, he'd have hazarded it was similar to the visions that plagued him when the fog caught him. Nevertheless the sound still sent a chill rippling down his spine and left him with the challenge of maintaining his composure as it meandered around in search of something.
Food, perhaps?
He'd never quite worked it out, but Athalia maintained his silence as he rested with his back against the wall and closed his eyes. With heavy breaths and footsteps to keep him company, he could track the creature as it moved around the building he was in. Sensing nothing inside (a small blessing on his part), it soon took its leave and moved on to the next building. It was something that would continue throughout the night until something or someone caught its attention and then he would begin to hear the sounds that set his teeth on edge.
The lumbering was fine, even the breathing and lowly growls.
It was the shrieking that always managed to get him and he had no doubt it wouldn't be long before someone unintentionally caught its attention. They were only human and it was safe to say that clumsiness was something they were all prone to in the dark.
He'd brace himself for that moment and provide a silent prayer that whoever happened to be clumsy that evening wasn't one of his little family, but until morning he wouldn't know for sure who it had found or if it had found anyone at all...
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