"Cat," Dog whispered suddenly beside me—his voice barely audible yet filled with urgency nonetheless: "Look!"

I followed his gaze towards a nearby alleyway where something moved in darkness—a silhouette shifting against backdrop of shattered glass and twisted metal frames once belonging vendor carts now reduced mere obstacles strewn haphazardly across path ahead.

We approached cautiously, weapons drawn despite knowing full well how useless they'd likely prove should we encounter whatever lurked within shadows cast by towering buildings looming above us like silent sentinels guarding secrets best left undisturbed. As got closer though—we saw it wasn't some monstrous abomination waiting for its chance to pounce upon unsuspecting prey but rather...

A man.

Or what remained of one anyway: his body lay sprawled amidst debris, limbs twisted at unnatural angles while face contorted into mask eternal agony. Yet despite all signs pointing towards violent death—there were no visible wounds anywhere on exposed flesh; instead skin appeared smooth and intact almost as if he'd simply...melted from inside out.

"By the feathers," Raven swore softly above us, his voice filled with horror at sight before our eyes—a grim testament to cosmic entity's power over life itself. "What could do such a thing?"

I shook my head slowly—my mind struggling grasp what we were seeing here amidst remnants of once bustling market square now reduced mere graveyard for the damned.

"Cat," Dog whined softly beside me, his tail drooping low in despair as he nudged corpse gently with paw. "He's...he was one us."

Indeed; there beneath tattered remains what used to be clothing—now stained dark red by blood no longer flowing through veins once filled vital fluid now turned into little more than congealed sludge within lifeless form before our eyes—I recognized familiar insignia marking him as member of resistance group we'd joined forces with briefly during early stages this madness.

"Poor bastard," I muttered under breath, feeling anger rise up inside me like bile burning throat. "He didn't deserve..."

My voice trailed off abruptly when something moved within shadows cast by nearby building—something large and heavy shifting against concrete beneath it as if awakening from long slumber deep down below street level.

We froze instinctively; hearts pounding wildly in chests while breaths hitched painfully inside lungs suddenly constricted with fear. Then came laughter—a sound more terrifying than any scream could ever hope be—as whatever lurked within darkness emerged slowly into light cast by dim moon above us, revealing itself for what it truly was...

A monstrosity defying all laws nature and reason alike: a writhing mass of flesh twisted together in ways no sane mind should even attempt imagine; eyes too many to count glinted malevolently amidst pulsating surface covered thick veins throbbing with dark energy coursing through its being. And at center, where mouth ought've been—there gaped maw filled rows upon row needle-like teeth dripping viscous fluid sizzling against stone beneath us like acid eating away flesh and bone alike.

"By all feathers," Raven gasped above me; his voice barely audible yet laden with dread we felt too deeply to put into words. "It's...it can't be..."

But it was—standing before our horrified gazes now, blocking any chance escape back towards safety offered by rooftops looming high overhead like distant dreams forever out of reach.

"Run," I hissed urgently at Dog beneath me; my voice barely above whisper yet filled with desperation born sheer terror gripping hearts tightly within chests pounding wildly against ribcages too fragile contain them. "Now!"

We turned to flee—only for creature behind us let loose another burst laughter echoing through empty streets around as if mocking futile attempts escape its grasp.

Then came chase: heavy footsteps thundering after, shaking ground beneath paws now scrambling desperately across concrete slick with blood and other fluids best left unmentioned. Above me Raven cried out in pain—his wings beating frantically against air suddenly thickened by unseen force pressing down upon us from all sides as if trying crush very essence life itself.

I glanced back briefly to see him struggling mid-air, feathers falling away like snowflakes melting under sun's gaze while body contorted into unnatural shapes defying gravity and reason alike. Then he was gone—swallowed whole by darkness descending rapidly around our city now reduced mere plaything for cosmic entity reveling in its power over reality itself.

"Cat!" Dog yelped beside me, his voice filled with panic as we rounded another corner leading deeper into heart this madness rather than away from it—as if some unseen force guided us towards inevitable doom awaiting at journey's end. "Where are you going? We need to get outta here!"

"We can't," I snarled back through gritted teeth—my mind racing desperately for any solution whatsoever against overwhelming odds stacked firmly in our favor by something beyond comprehension let alone defeat.

"Then what?" Dog cried hopelessly, his tail drooping low once more as he realized futility resistance. "What do we...what can..."

I had no answer—not when faced with cosmic horror defying all laws nature and reason alike; not while running through streets filled shadows dancing macabrely to unseen force's whim.

But then I saw it—a glimmer hope amidst despair threatening consume us whole: a small, unassuming door set into wall of nearby building—one we'd passed countless times before without so much as second glance. Yet now...now there seemed something almost inviting about its presence here amongst chaos reigning supreme around our city.

"In!" I barked sharply at Dog beneath me; my voice filled with sudden determination born realization perhaps not all was lost just yet afterall—if only we could find way out this madness before it consumed everything including ourselves within grasp of cosmic entity reveling in its power over reality itself.

The city was silent again, but it wasn't the same silence as before. It hummed with an undercurrent, a whisper from the cosmic abyss that now echoed through its empty streets. I sat on the rooftop where this whole nightmare began, my wings wrapped tightly around me against the chill of remembered horrors.

The tower had been rebuilt—some said as a memorial, others claimed it was simply easier to forget if they could pretend nothing had changed. But we knew better, didn't we? The scars ran too deep for that.

Dog lay beside me, his fur ruffling softly in the breeze. He'd grown older, greyer around the muzzle, but his eyes still held that same eternal puppyish curiosity. I envied him sometimes, his ability to find joy in simple things like chasing sunbeams or watching birds fly by.

Cat wasn't with us today. She'd gone off on one of her 'adventures,' as she called them—a euphemism for stalking potential mates through alleyways and back alleys. I couldn't blame her; even after everything, life went on. We had to eat, after all.

I thought about that day often—how we'd found ourselves facing something beyond our comprehension, something ancient and malevolent that should never have been allowed into our world. The entity, now entombed deep beneath the tower's foundation, slept fitfully; its dreams leaked out like toxic fumes, warping reality around us.

Yet here we were, still alive. Still...functional. That was what scared me most—the fact that we'd survived at all when so many others hadn't. The city had been evacuated soon after the incident; only a handful of us remained behind—those who couldn't leave or wouldn't.

A shadow flitted across my vision, and I looked up to see Cat descending from the sky. Her expression was grim, but there was something else too—a spark of defiance in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Raven," she said softly as she landed beside me. "I've been thinking."

I raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt; when Cat started thinking out loud, it usually meant trouble—or at least, something interesting.

"We can't keep living like this," she continued, pacing back and forth across the rooftop. "Hiding in the shadows, afraid of our own shadows...it's not right."

I looked away from her intensity, focusing instead on Dog who watched us with concern. "What do you propose we do?" I asked finally.

Cat stopped pacing, turned to face me. "We fight back," she said simply. "We take control—our city, our world. We show them they can't just...hurt us and expect us to cower."

A bitter laugh escaped my beak before I could stop it. "And how exactly do you propose we do that? With our bare claws?"

She bristled at my sarcasm but pressed on nonetheless. "I don't know yet," she admitted, frustration edging her voice. "But there must be a way. Something we can do—something to make them see us as more than just...meat."

Dog whined softly from his spot beside me, shifting uncomfortably at the thought.

Cat noticed him and sighed, some of her fire dampening. "I'm not saying it'll be easy," she said more gently. "But we have to try, don't we? Otherwise..."

Otherwise, what? I wanted to ask but didn't. Because deep down, I knew exactly what she meant.

Because otherwise, we were already lost—our minds and bodies warped by the cosmic horror that still lingered within us, waiting for another chance to break free and consume everything in its path.

So here we were, standing at the precipice of madness, staring into the abyss and daring it to stare back. For all our bravado, though, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe—just maybe—we'd already fallen too far down that rabbit hole.

But as long as there was breath left in us, we would fight. We had to. Because despite everything, this was still our city. Our world. And no matter how many times the darkness tried to consume it, we wouldn't go down without a fight.

Not again. Not ever again.

And so, under the watchful gaze of the tower that cast its long shadow over us all, I nodded at Cat's determined expression and said simply: "Alright then. Let's make them bleed."

As one, we turned our backs on the past—our wings spread wide against the encroaching darkness—and faced the future together. Hand in claw, side by side, united in purpose if not always in method.

Because even when hope seemed lost, there was still strength to be found—in the bond between friends, in the fire that burned within our hearts, and in the knowledge that we were not alone.

And maybe—just maybe—that would be enough.