I'm not an R.I.P. I'm not another sick, sad tragedy

Escape! Freedom! New things! The boy took his first steps outside, breathing in the air that felt quite a bit more fresh, more fulfilling than the stifling atmosphere of the den. It was about time he could venture out, sneaking off while Umber was paying attention to another sibling who was playing a bit too roughly with another. Most likely SawBone. He grinned to himself, the naivety of puppyhood filling him with a courageous spirit to run off and see what he could see on his own.

Redrum was a boy of extreme shades of red, some darker, some brighter. But the most interesting aspect? His ears. Much longer than what should have been normal, standing upright atop his head where once they fell slack at birth. He was an oddity, but not so much of one next to his family. He fit right in with the bright colorations and other such strangeness of his kin. As he clumsily ventured further and further away from the den, a bounce in his step he couldn’t help but feel amazed at the expanse of his mothers territory. And it was supposed to be bigger than what just his eyes could see at once! “Red happy!” The boy shouted to no one in particular, his speech closely mimicking his mothers as it was the most familiar manner of speaking to him; though he did not truly have the same quirk. He’d been reminded of this, no, no- it was I am happy. I am. I. Me. Flicking his long ears in self-assurance as he mentally corrected himself, casting a glance back the way he had come in worry that he’d given himself away. But nothing. No Umber. No mother. Hehe. Red perked right back up, nose to the ground he trotted a puppy trot until he saw something weird. Really weird. There was something ahead of him, like a… rock? But it looked fuzzy, and it was moving. It was in a section of taller grass, and it stopped him in his tracks. Huh? huh! The boy raised his tail in a bid for confidence, puffing out his chest thinking perhaps if he made himself bigger than he was he would scare off whatever that was. But it was to no avail. The boy had no clue how much danger he was really in. That being in his mothers territory alone meant nothing to the circle of life.

“Hey! Away! Red- I - I am red, for danger- you thing!” Stumbling over his speech, a chaotic stringing of words that actually meant: ‘Go away! I am the color Red because I am dangerous, intruder!’ Though, it was severely lost in translation due to the stress of uncertainty he was feeling. Redrum was just a child. He didn’t know what he was facing. Nor if anyone was near to help him. This had been the greatest warning of leaving the den- the danger. And he’d ignored it. Shock flashed across his face as the thing stalked closer, slowly revealing tan fur as it emerged from the grass. Now he could see it clearly. Huge, predatory- a cougar like what his mother kept around. But this was different. There was no care in its eyes, no familiarity, only something to fear. The primal sort. Redrum took a step back, his heart racing. A shudder ran down his spine as his fur stood on edge. Everything within him told him to run. Go. Run. But… Running was the worst thing to do in front of a cat! Even he knew that!

His tail tucked under himself, golden eyes stricken and glued to the cougar- and he, like a fool, ran. But oh, how could you blame a child for being afraid? His flight response kicked in far too well, so he did not scream to alert his family of the danger he was in. Too focused on running to yell for help. He made it a few paces before the thundering footfalls reached his ears and he was seized with a fury. All at once the boy screamed a blood curdling cry. His tiny body slammed into the ground with a force enough to knock the air from his lungs- cutting his scream off. Teeth bit down hard into his back, blood immediately drawn from the cat's incisors breaking his skin with ease. His ears were ringing, his own scream and lack of air rendering him deaf and mute for many moments. This was pain. Nothing he had ever felt before- nothing like the puppy spats he and his sibling got into with their needle-like teeth. No. This was true agony for a child of his age. ”HURTS! Hu-rt-s!!!” Redrum’s skull whipped around when he registered that he was still capable of fighting back. Attempts to bite at his attacker, desperately nipping at the face of the cat wherever he could find purchase. He released a rapid assault of yelps and growls which were the best a young child could do in his situation. It was the only thing he could do.

The cougar would wrap its jaws around the boy, picking him up with a terrible squeeze of teeth. Blood dripping down its chin onto the ground as it hastily took off toward the border of the territory, the feline was intensely satisfied. All the while Redrum continued to scream, words failing him; limbs flailing to flee to no avail.

It was then he heard the shriek from his mother’s companion, coming at last after hearing the initial cry. Redrum was losing strength, his body not meant for such exertion. Nor should it have had to lose so much blood at once. Umbra fiercely caught up with great speed, barreling into the slower attacker and snatching a piercing hold on the male cougar's shoulder. However, in a fit of rage for being caught red handed, the male cougar threw Redrum with a vengeance- the vermillion boy flying and squarely hitting his head on a rock with a resounding crack-thud. Even thwarted, he wanted to kill the wolfchild. It didn’t matter if he would be able to eat the boy. It was good enough if he could take the whelps life.