Swiftcurrent Creek Down the rabbit hole

I'm vaguely PPing Paarthurnax here, since nobody else can pop in here to help, lulz.

The dog concurred with him, though the way he said the word struck fear into little Relonikiv's heart—his first real taste of it. He trembled, still unable to move. When the beast leaped at him again, he cowered close to the earth, clapping his paws over his eyes as if doing so might make his assailant disappear. It didn't, of course, and he whimpered loudly when something—a paw, perhaps, or the beast's muzzle—struck his bony shoulder.

The pup then tapped into his instincts and did what any self-preserving and helpless babe ought to do: he whipped back his little head and issued a desperate cry of distress into the air. It was short-lived but shrill. Anyone within a mile's radius would surely hear and come running to his aid.

Relonikiv hiccuped then, eyes wide and fearful as he regarded his attacker again. This definitely wasn't play. Would someone come help him in time, or would the dog finish the job before anybody could get here? He shivered again, his lower lip quivering now, though it stiffened suddenly when he heard a fearsome snarl and footfalls pounding their way...