In the heartless dawn, Raven perched atop our crumbling cityscape, his eyes reflecting a world gone mad below us—no longer just ours to claim or destroy at will but now tainted by something ancient and malevolent. The tower that once pierced heaven had been reduced to rubble in an instant; its steel bones lay twisted like matchsticks amidst the smoldering wreckage of what was meant as a symbol, not our doom.

"By all feathers," Raven croaked softly beside me on my rooftop vantage point. "What kind of madness is this?"

I turned to him with an arched brow—my feline curiosity piqued by his unusual solemnity—and replied dryly despite the grim scene before us, "The human variety? They seem quite fond of it."

Raven ignored me; he always did when I got sarcastic. His gaze remained fixed on our city's disfigured skyline.

"Cat," Dog whined from below where we'd left him pacing nervously around my abandoned apartment building—his tail thumping against the wall in anxious rhythm, "what do you think happened? It was like...like something just tore it apart."

I sighed internally. Here comes another round of 'let's analyze human behavior' with Dog at its helm.

"Well," I began cautiously as if explaining quantum physics to a toddler—because sometimes talking down to him felt necessary, "it seems our feathered friend here might be onto something about humans being mad."

Raven glanced sideways but said nothing. His silence was almost approval for my attempt at seriousness; rare indeed.

"An airplane," Dog offered suddenly from below us again after a moment of thought—his voice filled with newfound excitement, "I saw it! It came outta nowhere and just...boom!"

"Yes." Raven nodded gravely without taking his eyes off the devastation. His feathers ruffled slightly in an unseen breeze—a sign he was troubled by more than mere curiosity now.

"And then," Dog continued eagerly—oblivious to our somber mood, "the tower started screaming! I mean really loud and long like...like it didn't want them doing whatever they did."

I blinked at him. Screaming towers? Now that sounded interesting—or rather terrifying—in a way only cosmic horror could be.

"Dog," Raven said softly but firmly enough to cut through Dog's excited ramblings, "that wasn't the tower screaming." He paused before adding quietly yet ominously—his voice barely above an audible whisper even for our keen ears: "...It was something else."

A shiver ran down my spine despite myself. I'd heard that tone from Raven only once or twice in all these years we've known each other—and never without good reason.

"Something...else?" Dog echoed uncertainly, his tail suddenly still as he caught the gravity of our conversation for perhaps one brief moment before shaking off whatever dread had begun to creep into him. "But what could—"

Raven silenced us both with a sharp gesture; then we heard it too—the faint yet distinct sound echoing through empty streets below: footsteps, slow and deliberate.

We exchanged glances silently agreeing on caution as I leaped down from the rooftop onto Dog's back without making so much noise. Raven took flight above while keeping low enough to avoid detection—his silhouette barely visible against dark clouds gathering overhead like an ominous storm front ready for release upon our city already drowning in chaos.

As we moved stealthily towards ground level, I couldn't help but notice how eerily quiet everything had become despite the destruction. No sirens blared; no voices cried out—only that rhythmic ticking of footsteps against concrete echoed through desolate alleys now filled with shadows dancing macabrely to some unseen force's whim.

Suddenly Dog stopped abruptly, his ears flattening back as he growled low in warning: "Smell something...bad."

I sniffed the air cautiously. He was right; there it was—a faint yet unmistakable scent of decay mixed with an underlying metallic tang that could only mean one thing...

Blood—fresh and copious.

We crept forward slowly, our senses heightened by instinct honing in on potential danger lurking ahead like a predator stalked its prey. The stench grew stronger as we rounded another corner leading into what once was bustling market square now reduced to twisted metal frames of vendor carts scattered haphazardly amidst shattered glass and debris.

And then, there it stood—an unnatural figure looming over the carnage: a man—or rather something wearing his skin like an ill-fitting suit. His eyes were milky white orbs staring blankly ahead while tendrils wriggled obscenely from within him as if trying to escape their fleshy prison.

"By all feathers," Raven whispered above us, voicing our collective horror at this abomination defiling the very essence of life itself with its presence alone. "What is that thing?"

I had no answer for my feathered friend; instead I found myself asking another question entirely: How could such a creature exist without driving anyone mad just by looking upon it?

"Cat," Dog whimpered beside me, his body trembling slightly despite himself—his fear palpable even through our mental link. "What do we...what should..."

Before either of us managed to formulate any sort of response or plan whatsoever—and certainly before I could muster up some witty remark meant more for my own benefit than anything else—the creature moved.

It turned towards the sound coming from above—Raven's soft whisper echoing through empty air. As it did so, its head tilted back revealing a gaping maw filled with rows upon row of needle-like teeth dripping viscous fluid that sizzled against stone beneath us like acid eating away at flesh and bone alike.

Then came laughter—a sound more chilling than any scream could ever hope to be—echoed through the square as if mocking our futile attempts at stealth. The creature's body convulsed with each burst of mirth, sending waves rippling across its surface while those writhing tendrils lashed out wildly in all directions.

"Run!" I hissed urgently without taking my eyes off this monstrosity before us—my heart pounding furiously against ribcage as adrenaline surged through me. "Now!"

We didn't need further encouragement; Dog bolted away from there faster than thought itself could travel, leaving behind a cloud of dust and debris in our wake while Raven took flight once more above.

But it wasn’t fast enough—none of us were prepared for what happened next...

As we fled desperately through narrow alleys barely wide enough to accommodate even my lithe form let alone Dog's bulk beneath me—the creature appeared suddenly ahead, blocking off any chance at escape. Its milky eyes seemed almost sadistic in their amusement now as it watched our futile attempts.

"Trapped," Raven called down from above—his voice laced with despair and resignation already knowing there was no way out of this mess we'd found ourselves trapped within against all odds...

And then, without warning or mercy whatsoever—the creature attacked.

I woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling, my head throbbing like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it during my sleep—if such things were possible in dreams or whatever state consciousness occupies when we're not awake. Groaning softly as I sat upright on the cold stone floor of...wherever this was.

"Ah," came that voice again—the one from before, echoing around me like whispers carried by an unseen wind through empty halls filled with shadows dancing macabrely to some silent tune only they could hear—only it sounded closer now. "You're finally awake."

I turned towards the sound but saw nothing save for more darkness and those ever-moving shapes flitting just beyond my peripheral vision.

"Who are you?" I demanded, trying hard not let fear creep into either voice or expression despite feeling utterly exposed in this strange place—this...reality? "Where am I?"

A chuckle resonated through the void—a sound both mocking and eerily familiar. Then came a reply: "'I' is such an interesting concept for your kind, isn't it?" The entity seemed almost playful now as if enjoying our little game of cat-and-mouse—though which one was meant to be me remained unclear.

"Fine," I snapped back defiantly despite knowing full well how futile resistance might prove against something like this. "Then tell 'me' what you want."

Silence stretched between us for a moment before the entity spoke again, its voice laced with hunger: "'Want.' Such an...insignificant word to describe my existence." It paused briefly as if considering whether or not it should continue—then did so anyway in that same chilling tone. "But very well; I shall indulge you."

I felt something shift around me then—a subtle change like pressure building before a storm breaks—but couldn't pinpoint its exact source.

"You see," the entity began, each word dripping with malice as if tasting them for size first—"there are things in this universe far older and more powerful than your puny minds could ever comprehend. Things that feed on...certain energies."

My heart pounded wildly against my ribcage now; I knew instinctively what was coming next.

"And right here," it continued, its voice growing louder with each syllable—closer too as if closing in for the kill—the "right HERE is where one such creature resides!"

Suddenly everything went black—not just dark but utterly devoid of light or sound save only that maddening laughter echoing inside my skull. Then came pain—a searing agony unlike anything I'd ever experienced before, tearing through every fiber of being as if someone had reached into me and started pulling out all the vital bits piece by bloody piece.

I screamed—or tried to; no noise escaped lips frozen solid with terror while something else moved them instead: tendrils writhing obscenely from within my mouth like worms squirming free after rain. They lashed about wildly, tasting air before snapping back into place as if eager for more—more of whatever it was that fed this monstrosity.

"Stop!" I managed to gasp out finally between ragged breaths laced with blood and bile rising up my throat like acid burning away flesh from bone. "Please...stop!"

But the entity only laughed harder, its voice now echoing inside me too—inside every cell of body turned traitor against will: "'Stop'? Why would I do that when you taste so divine?"

I felt something cold and hard press into my back then—a sensation barely registering amidst all-consuming agony but enough to make me realize we weren't alone here afterall. Someone else had joined our little party—someone who didn't share the entity's enthusiasm for torment.

"Let him go," came a voice like thunder rumbling through distant mountains, deep and resonant yet filled with an underlying tremor betraying its owner’s fear despite outward bravado: "Now."

The laughter ceased abruptly; silence hung heavy between us once more. Then slowly—agonizingly so—the pain began to ebb away until only dull ache remained behind.

"Who are you?" the entity demanded, all traces of playfulness gone now replaced by something far darker and infinitely worse than mere anger: curiosity mixed with hunger for new prey perhaps?

"I am...a friend," replied that same voice—closer still this time as if its owner had stepped forward into whatever light existed here. "And I've come to take him away from you."

More silence followed before the entity spoke again, each word dripping venom like poisoned darts aimed straight at our hearts: "'Friend'? You dare claim kinship with these...things?"

"Better than being one of them," came another voice—this time female and laced heavily sarcasm despite underlying tension. "Or did you forget what happened last night when we found your little 'feast,' Raven?" She paused briefly before adding mockingly: "'Oh, wait—that was just a dream wasn't it?'"

Raven? I thought vaguely through haze of pain still clouding mind—who's...?

"Enough," snapped the first voice sharply cutting off further banter between them. "We're here to rescue him—not argue semantics."

Rescue me?, echoed inside my head as realization dawned slowly but surely: They knew each other—and they'd come for ME!

But why? And how did we end up in this...place together?

Before I could voice any of these questions aloud, however—before anyone else had a chance to speak—the entity let out another one those maddening laughs.

"Rescue him?" it echoed mockingly. "From me?"

Then came silence once more—but only briefly before all hell broke loose around us as if someone had flipped switch plunging everything into chaos: screaming, roaring...things tearing apart flesh and bone alike while darkness itself seemed to writhe alive with unseen horrors.

I tried desperately not let fear overwhelm senses already reeling from earlier ordeal but failed miserably; panic surged through veins like wildfire burning away rational thought until only primal instinct remained: survive!

Somehow, amidst that maelstrom of madness—amidst screams echoing around me and sounds worse than any nightmare could conjure—I managed to stumble forward blindly towards where I'd last heard Raven's voice. Maybe he knew a way out; maybe we still had chance...

But then something grabbed hold my ankle—a cold, clammy grip that sent shivers racing up spine despite heat radiating off nearby carnage.

"No!" screamed the female—her cry filled with anguish and despair as if knowing what was about to happen next. "Don't take him too!"

Too late; tendrils already snaked around legs pulling me down into abyss below while laughter echoed once more inside skull: "'Rescue' indeed," it taunted mercilessly.

And then everything went black again—this time for good as I felt myself being consumed whole by whatever monstrosity lurked within that endless void.

I woke up to a world that didn’t want me awake—my head pounding like someone had taken residence inside my skull with nothing but hammers for company, and every inch of skin felt raw as if I'd been dragged through thorns. But it was the silence more than anything else which screamed at me; no birdsong pierced this unnatural quietude enveloping our city now reduced to a graveyard under an oppressive sky.

"Cat?" Dog's voice echoed in my mind, laced with worry and relief all rolled into one—his mental touch gentle yet insistent against the throbbing pain behind my eyes. "You're finally awake! We've been trying...I mean I tried..."

His words trailed off as he realized how much information needed conveying at once; instead of attempting another clumsy explanation, Dog simply shared his memories from when we'd last parted ways—images flooding into me like a dam bursting open.