they come at night- STRANGER DANGER!!

Through the bamboo, Tate can hear it. Something in the boy's bones said that they were coming. Something in his bones, something on the breeze. The whispers. Tate could hear them all, he could see them, he'd been able to damn near sense it. It had driven him closer to home, left him hanging around a bit more than usual. Tense. Watching. Waiting. There was something coming for them, and he would be there to make sure that his family stayed safe when it did.

And it did.

And he would

The boy sprung to action, racing to close the short distance between them and stand beside his mother. Beside his sisters. It's without second thought that he throws himself into the attackers, teeth shining brilliantly against the moonlight. Snapping and snarling-- this is near as unhinged as he was during the first raid. Still, there's something different this time. These are no mere raiders. These are something different, something worse. They'd come for blood and Tate can't understand why. Though he reeled, though he ached, though all he could smell was blood and sweat and spit, he reveled in it.

Though there was far more on the line than usual, Tate fights as he always has. Practiced, wild, and a little unhinged.

"Potato"