“Stop!”
Andres freezes mid-step, and a brief moment later, he hears it. A soft sniffling, almost like a dog, coming from around the passage bend. He glances at Pilgrim, but the ghost has floated all the way to the ceiling, and is using his shadowy body to conceal his skull. There’s no place to hide, except for a small alcove in the wall which is coated in tar-like residue. The sniffling comes closer, and he can hear the tap of claws against the stone floor; he’s running out of time to make a decision.
With a shudder, he crawls into the alcove, and presses his body against the wall. Shade residue clings to him, staining his feathers even further; but it doesn’t disguise him enough, his true white coloration still shines through. Andres grabs a handful of the residue, and begins coating his hide, until he matches the wall itself. His movements slow, and then freeze, as the tapping of claws against stone gets closer.
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The Last Sunset, Progress Report