Bearclaw Valley the conqueror worm

she's at the mouth of the den so technically AW. . .but @Astara may chomp if you get too close? >:) up to y'all tho

whatever it is. . .it moves.

the pinkish-brown slender thing writhes in the dirt, slowly—looking much like Avicus herself once had, as a blind-deaf milk grub. though, the resemblance escapes her; she sees nothing of the familiar in the creature, about the length of one of her stubby forelegs.

the world outside the den is bright. she will soon know this as high-sun time. all she knows now is that she squints as she stares up and out, and feels more comfortable just inside the den, hidden in the shadows. looking at the dirt.

looking at the. . .thing.

slowly, she reaches out a paw. she touches it—the thing moves a little faster, startled, and she startles too, ripping her limb away. but curiosity is too much her master, and she finds herself moving forward again. down goes the paw, an slow but inexorable force—

Avicus wrinkles her nose as a quarter of the creature's lithe form flattens under her paw; a gooey substance seeps out beneath it, and there's a sharp odor. she takes a step back. the thing is no longer writhing.