The Fall of Falcon Scott (56)

'Tired… so tired…'

Sunny smashed through the nearest beetles and jumped back, sliding a few dozens of meters across the ground as his claws left deep grooves in the frozen soil to slow him down.

In front of him… the river of darkness was falling apart. The dark beetles, who had been acting like a single organism before, were now aimless and sluggish. Some grew lethargic or started burrowing into the ground, while others were wandering away. A few hundred were still pursuing him… with a thought, Sunny deactivated the Dying Wish and watched the small creatures dash away in fear.

The swarm ceased its purposeful advance and instead flowed outward, losing the shape of a giant tentacle of darkness. It was as though a tank of water had been broken, water spilling to the sides.