Witch's Marsh Ascend

One of the strangers snapped at her. Instinctively she ducked away from his teeth, diving under him if she had to in order to get to the baby. Fear finally found her then, and Mae realized she was in way over her head — right around the time her mouth closed around slimy newborn baby fur. Ugh. Gross!

She darted away, clutching the baby. Freedom. For a moment.

Whether it was the sound of her movement or perhaps a glimpse of her shadow, Mae sensed the coyote in the heartbeat before the woman descended on her. She flinched hard, sending herself stumbling backward, and the woman's shoulder hit her and spun her right around. Somehow, she held on to the baby.

Was that blood she smelled?

Or maybe it was just Moss. She couldn't tell.

Mae ran. She shifted her tongue a little even as she did, panicked, thinking she must have bitten the baby. But there was no blood in her mouth. She didn't know what to do. So she just kept running, as fast as she could.

She didn't even know where.