When he finally saw it, his breath hitched. The creature—Wyn—wasn’t the mindless beast the legends described. He was massive, a silhouette of shadows and sharp edges, but there was a devastating stillness to him. He was perched on a rusted girder, watching the sunset with a gaze that felt ancient.
Danny tripped. A single loose stone skittered down the ravine, sounding like a gunshot in the dead silence.
A low, gravelly sound escaped the monster—a laugh. It was the first time Danny realized that in this desolate, terrifying world, he might have just found the only thing more lonely than himself. He came for the tech, but as Wyn’s shadow wrapped around him, Danny realized the Waste was about to get a lot more complicated.
"You're small," the Soul Eater rumbled, the sound vibrating in Danny’s chest.
"I'd probably give you indigestion," Danny retorted, his voice trembling despite the bravado.
In a heartbeat, the monster was there. Wyn didn't roar; he leaned in, his monstrous form looming over Danny, nostrils flaring as he caught the scent of human fear. But as he leaned closer, the predatory hunger in his eyes flickered, replaced by an intense, confusing curiosity.
"I'm... efficient," Danny managed to choke out, clutching his rusted pipe like a shield.