Tormented Tarns little monsters

dated for the 14th, any tagged are welcome to join. vague since the other thread has not concluded.

the mud caked monster that was sparrow had continued to trek onwards in search of his mama regardless of who followed along. he'd split off from @Wren, @Shadowpaw and @Phoebe Aquilanera and had wandered off in his own direction. he assumed to still be in earshot of any of them should they send up a howl, but after night had begun to creep upon him and he heard nothing, the hotheaded youth realized he was on his own.

days had passed since he'd last seen any of his family and the fear of never seeing any of them again was beginning to sink in like rot. he didn't realize it'd take this long to find mama, nor did he realized just how far he'd wanderer away from the familiarity of the river.

a grumbling stomach had made for fine company the last few hours, and any attempt at catching a meal was unsuccessful. alone and hungry, sparrow continued his poor planned adventure with a newfound sense of dread as he stumbled his way through the tarns.

the thick rib bone snapped in her jaws with the ease of a beloved tennis racket broken over the knee of an angered parent still fuming over the jagged hole left in the porch window.

gun positioned her intact lip and sucked out the marrow, which had gotten more slimy than was healthy. in fact, most of this carcass had gone bad, but a picky stray was a starved stray. so, she continued going at it, quickly ripping apart the rest of this dead pronghorn before whatever killed it came back for seconds.

sort of a long stretch, hope u don't mind D: 

their lair of shadows suited muskrat well, despite the absence of thick hot air or sluggish waters. young and adaptable, she took to carving new muscles with her frequent climbs, and her longer forays.

crossing the range was unnecessary and ate more days than muskrat had realized. a mild trepidation followed her now, glances behind her as if to assure that the great flat mountain which marked the ridge still stood.

pride compelled the animal woman to complete the final leg of her journey, though it would hopefully not be one she ever needed to make again.

thirst drove her down; hunger made her rest. there was the reek of predator and prey on the still air. her eyes were fixed on the small figure picking its way along the terrain.

the faint smell of anything remotely editable was quick to catch the boy's attention, even if the stench of a rotting corpse lurked in the air. the smell that lured him most though, was the one he could not identify.

he came stumbling upon the odd canine creature with little attempt to hide the confusion and disgust on his face. "hey!" he screeched out like some cursed owl before strolling up a few paces and puffing out his chest in an ill attempt to make himself look larger than what he was.

"you..." he gave a sniff to the air, "ugly woman?" this thing was a woman, right? "ya seen my mama?" he barked out without any thought of sharing what his tripod mother would look like. the presence of any others in the area had gone completely unnoticed.

the little screech sent a ripple of reaction through her wrinkles, until one ear perked. gun rolled an eye rolled to the side.

a twerp.

she didn't the nerve to deal with this. gun grunted, then spat out the bone.

you losht? the mastiff turned her head. that hh- hha--

frustrated growl. fuck.

you losht, kiddo?

children occupied a dichotomous position in the world muskrat had once lived each day. born to the swamp panther clans, they would be reared as matrons, warriors, chieftains, hunters.

born outside the swamp panthers, they would be slaves.

muskrat stole closer. it was one way to grow a clan; once a captive had been fed and ensured safety so long as they submitted, they often chose to stay with the swampwolves.

swiftcurrent creek burned in her mind. but he had not kept her as a slave. always she had been free to leave.

refocused now, she spotted the large muscular beast with the smelly carrion. a narrowed gaze pinpointed the boy, dirtied and worn by travel. lost. he asked after his mother. muskrat thought of arlette even as she shoved the image away and poised to seize him when the other figure's attention was well-held.

lost? he swiveled his head as if utterly bewildered at the thought that he could be lost. no, no, he was exactly where he intended to be, definitely not lost at all. "i ain't lost, my mama's lost," because duh, wasn't that obvious?

"ya seen my mama or no?" he questioned with a puff of hot air. he didn't have time to waste on weird looking ladies, and when she didn't answer him immediately sparrow set on to wandering away from her. his attention trailed off to the side as if expecting silver to materialize before him, but all he saw was the yellow gaze of the panther stalking nearby.

and the shards of citrus watching blinked out, muskrat gathering herself with a breath. she had followed him through the shadows away from the beast, and now as he turned toward her, she exploded from the leaves and grabbed for him with strong jaws.

if successful, muskrat would begin to haul him up, shoulders quite powerful despite her small build.

and so did the panther strike. instincts screamed for both fight and flight, but in the end he simply froze. a blink later and she was upon him. his lips curled upwards while ears flattened against his skull, muscles stiff as he braced for impact. a yelp escaped him as her jaws reached his flesh.

"te patearé el trasero!" he roared as his limbs thrashed wildly for any grasp to flesh or earth. and in the heat of the moment as fear, anger and adrenaline coursed through him, all sparrow could think of was that he really wanted his mothers now.

he was a wildcat's cub, spitting and twisting her jaws painfully to one side. muskrat near lost her hold, teeth tightening on what of him she seized, claws raking furrows of dirt which leaked down the stone ledge.

his last movement wrenched her shoulder painfully; she let him go, let him perhaps tumble, pursuing until the moment of proper stun when she might capture the boy with more success.

shadowland would hold another soul tonight.

freedom was short lived as the escape from the panther's jaws sent the boy stumbling over his own feet and down the path his assailant had managed to drag him along. a poor placement of a paw in an attempt to catch himself resulted in the shrill of a painful yelp as he sprained his left forepaw. his weight continued to to topple him over until came to a jarring halt as he collied with one of the spider infested trees. 

he rebounded quickly enough to his feet, the pain in his ankle masking the slow onset of a throbbing to the side of his temple. "go away," he hissed at the still lingering beast of a woman who dare try and seize him. "i will ki-" but the words never reached their full threat as the darkness abruptly crept from the corners of his vision and took him whole. 

the last strand of consciousness he clung to was the sound of his own body slumping to the floor. 

feel free to pp her dragging him away!

<3

kitten-hissing brought her mouth to curl; she crouched close until insensate mists claimed him, and then she gathered the boy.

across one shoulder and then the other she placed her limp cargo; her going would be much slower now, though no less fleet of foot.

hex, she thought with a purr, he would be proud that his numbers had grown again, clay to be shaped by his great aim.