You're gonna need a body bag

Lucette had been unable to stay asleep. Tossing and turning, she dreamed… dreams of her father, dreams of her son. Not all of them were bad, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t mean they didn’t hurt. The woman cursed herself, leaving the responsibility of getting news of her son upon her younger sister’s shoulders. Guilt gnawed at her. Hay was trying so hard for everyone, and what had she been doing? Apart from keeping the rest of her little ones under a watchful eye, Lucette had been withdrawn into herself. She had been keeping a steady supply of lavender for both herself and Bae-Syl. Where was that fire she had felt before? Had her father’s death shaken her so much that she’d lost her spark? Lucette rose to her paws and drew in a breath.

No. She had been shaken, but she would rekindle the ember within her soul. Her green eyes shifted to her little ones… not so little now, however. They were all growing, and before long they would need to be mentored. Be taught more about the world around them. Lucette drew in a breath and quickly exhaled it. They would be ready, she swore it. They weren’t going to lose anyone else. Her gaze then flicked to Ink and Rush, her companions snoozing away as well. Good, let them stay with the children. It seemed Bae hadn’t come back from his patrol… and Lucy had decided that she was going out to find him. Divinities forbid if the rainbow man had found trouble. She knew how Bae could be when it came to protecting her. Hopefully she wouldn’t come across any bodies at the borders.

And so Lucette left the safety of the caves behind the falls. She would take a slow course through the lands of the Falls down to Cattail Creek. It was cold, the chill in the air freezing her breath the moment it passed her lips in a puff of white smoke. Thankfully she had slipped on the vest Bae had gifted her and with it carried the dirk from her mother. Not that she expected to find danger within their home. Not after the tiger that her mother had torn to shreds to defend her sister. A predator would have to be quite foolish to step over the borders now. But winter was a harsh time, and many creatures would become desperate… especially other predators.

Lying in wait within the trees above the creek, bright green eyes had fixed on the tiny form of the pixie. He thought that he was in the perfect position for an easy meal. The little femme was tiny, a little scrap of a thing that might as well have been a pup. It licked its lips, whiskers twitching as Lucy stepped closer.

Lucette’s ears twitched as her pace slowed further. Something wasn’t right. Even though it was winter things were far too quiet. She stopped, gaze scanning the horizon. She didn’t see anything, her ears flicking back as she drew in a deep breath. She picked up his scent, the musk of a male jaguar. Her gaze snapped up as the beast jumped down from the branches and made for her.

Lucy snarled in response, nimbly dodging the larger creature. “Oh piss off!” The fur on the back of her neck bristled and the pixie barred her teeth. This skinny cat wanted to try and make a meal out of her? No way. Her ears pinned back as the girl widened her stance. She might have chosen to walk her path as a healer, but that didn’t mean she had neglected learning some defensive tactics. She had Bae to thank for that. She kept out of reach of the jaguar’s paws as he swept toward her. Dumb cat. Didn’t they learn not to mess with wolves?

Around the pair the weather was quickly turning. Dark clouds had been rolling in from the moment Lucette had stepped into Ethne’s secondary land. Alongside it the wind suddenly whipped, smacking Lucette with snow and ice from the branches above. This caused her to yelp, a moment of distraction breaking her focus. She stepped back, the shift in environment something she hadn’t accounted for. The last time she had been out in rough weather she had almost died. The cat lunged again, this time knocking the shewolf off her paws.

Before it could go for a killing bite, however, Lucette thrust her forepaws up and clicked its jaws shut with an audible snap. Her heart leapt into her throat as she tilted her head  around and grabbed her dirk. This time when the can tried again it met steel across its nose, earning Lucette first blood as the cat stumbled back in rage and pain. It was all the distraction that Lucy needed as she scrambled to her paws. By the time it lunged again she had slipped out of the way once more, heading into the trees. Fighting it in the open was going to be stupid if she was alone. She needed to get it in an area where its big size would be a hindrance… and her smaller size would aid her in attacks where she could slip away and avoid injury.

The cat roared after her, as if swearing to take her life. ’Go ahead and try, fleabag!’ She would slip between a couple trees as she heard it thundering after her across the snow, more of the snow, ice, and twigs battering them both as it was shaken loose from the wind. She squinted her eyes, refusing to accept any thought other than the fact she was going to walk away from this encounter.

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Word Count: 951 words
Total Word Count: 951 words

"Speech," 'Thought.'