I know some things should just stay broken

i'm well aware this should remain unspoken

An explosion threw Sterling off of his feet, his body twisted in midair in a desperate attempt to save the bird tucked safely within his arms. His back slammed into the ground, prompting a groan from his lips as stars fluttered across his gaze. The breath was knocked from his lungs, leaving the warlock gasping in the wake of the explosion. The Dark Hunters were keen to use those moments afforded to them, quickly closing the distance even in spite of Sterling's feeble efforts to crawl backward. How utterly terrifying that moment was, as the warlock looked upon the face of what he was certain could finally be his own death. He was hardly prepared for the mass of ebony that sailed over his head - the black blob landed gracefully in front of him, placing itself purposefully between Sterling and his assailants. It took him a moment, admittedly, for his mind to even acknowledge the shape of the creature in front of him - that low, threatening growl, however, was a sound that Sterling could never forget. How that sound had haunted him in his nightmares for months, even if he had been steadfast in his belief that Henry was not to blame for what had happened to him.

Quickly, Sterling scooted backwards and away from the fight that was sure to break out in front of him - that was, as far as the debris that surrounded him would allow him. He clutched Fiducia to his chest, the bright blue of his gaze never once left the ebony feline in front of him as the cat leapt towards the Dark Hunters that had been following him, his claws slicing through clothing and flesh as if it was nothing but butter. The mere sight of it was enough to cause Sterling to flinch away, those memories replaying upon his mind far more vividly then he would have liked them to. Though he had a chance to meet Henry's panther once since that evening - petting a docile panther was completely different then seeing one in action all over again. The very last thing he was prepared for was the sudden darkness that seemed to encroach upon the alleyway, sending them all into the very thing Sterling still feared the most.

How his heart seemed to flutter rapidly within his chest as Sterling began to panic - the bird within his arms began to chirp in some vain effort to calm the boy who's breaths seemed all the more frequent and shallow in his fear. Every sound seemed all the louder with his eyesight no longer there - the haunting sounds of screams and tearing of claws filled his ears. It was several paralyzing moments that felt like an eternity before the alley began to brighten - revealing one fallen Hunter with the rest of the alley blissfully empty...that is, aside from the large feline. His wide eyes near immediately fell upon the familiar sight of those blue eyes and immediately, Sterling knew exactly who the were-cat in front of him was. For several moments, the warlock was frozen in place, unable to move as he stared, terrified, at the man that had once been his lover. "Hen -- Henry?!" That singular word finally left his lips in a near choked sob - this was far, far too much for the poor traumatized warlock, those tears so quickly beginning to stream down his cheeks.

Sterling

I'm on the ledge while you're so
God damn polite and composed