Regulus

Regulus bounced in excitement, but not a little guilt. He expected at any moment to hear his mother tearing after him in all her maternal displeasure. But… He just had to see the beach again! It was really the first time he’d gotten a wild hair and taken off without asking. It was exciting. It was exhilarating! He was going to be in so much trouble if his mother found out that he was gone… But he’d only be a little while…  He scampered a little faster. There they were! The brambles. He remembered them distinctly. More that he’d bumped into his mothers hock the last time he’d come this way. He was almost there! And then he broke through, tumbling head over tail onto the sand. He righted himself quickly, looking around fervently to be sure absolutely no one had seen that. The coast was clear, so he bounced out onto the land bridge with a hearty yap. It wasn’t long before he’d found something that scuttled enticingly, waving its arms in the air with those weird things on the ends of the arms opening and closing. Regulus pounced, then jumped back with a yelp. The thing had pinched him! Oh the nerve! He’d just wanted to play… Regulus was an easily distracted pup, and his attention swiftly turned from the crabby crab to a fact he’d not noticed last time. The sand kept going. Way out. Being a great adventurer, he just could not resist checking it out. He was off with a gallant laugh, down the strip of sparkling sand. It proved to be a lot longer than he’d thought, but he finally hit the other side and looked up to see the land beyond, looming over him. Wow. The world had suddenly grown much, much bigger. So much to explore. So little time. Regulus took on the challenge and dove in. It wasn’t long until he found himself completely turned around. Still, this new development was taken in stride, until he found the end of his own trail at a stream. And he couldn’t remember where he’d started on the other side. It was then that his tail, which had been wagging so happily until now, began to droop. The world suddenly felt so huge, and dark. And dangerous. And suddenly he didn’t feel so very brave anymore.  A soft whimper left his jaws as he looked around. Soon enough, his tail was firmly clamped between his legs, the tip resting firmly against his belly. What had his mother always said about getting lost? Stay put until someone came to help? His stomach flipped. His mother was going to kill him. If he ever saw her again… What if he never saw her again?! Panic. He’d never felt it before. It felt horrible. Like his throat was too tight to breathe or swallow properly.  A sudden snorty noise followed by the squeal of a thousand nightmares was all the warning he had before something crashed into him, sending him rolling and tumbling. The world turned upside down, spinning round and round, and the scream that came out of his jaws was one of complete and abject terror. “Maaama!” He was screaming like a baby, and he didn’t care at all. The monster came at him again, and he tried his best to scramble out of range. Too late! He went flying, tumbling over the creatures bristly back and tumbling to the ground behind it. It was then that he spotted the tiny hole under a tree root. He scrambled into it with a yell and huddled as far back as he could wedge himself, howling as loudly as he could for any kind of help he could get. And outside the monster raged, and squealed that horrible sound.

When the blood curdling scream pierced the air, it was enough to stop in her tracks, startling her. She would frown, noting the childish sound to the strangers voice, but the scream was not a word she recognized. Picking up her pace, she intended to investigate, wanting to make sure that no child was indeed being harmed. A frown continued to mar her features, only deepening when she heard the distinctive squeal of a boar. Toes would splay to absorb the sound of her approach better, her posture immediately becoming defensive. A howl would fill her ears, the fear ringing out loud and clear. She found it odd that the creature was so intent on getting to the child. Without a second thought, she would launch herself forward, a vicious snarl slipping free from her jaws. Ears pulled back as she snapped at the boars legs and back end, sending it only into a further rage. Her hackles lifted as she continued to snap her jaws, darting in and out to avoid its tusks. It was a seemingly never ending game, her darting to and fro, jaws snapping, angry growls leaving her sooty lips as the animal turned its anger on her. But finally, it would flee, storming off in another direction. After a moment, she would relax, listening carefully should it decide to return. But when it did not, her attention would be directed at the hiding child. Lowering herself to the ground, she would peer into the hole, immediately locating him. Even in the dark, she could make him out. And he was red! Bright red! He was unlike anything she had ever seen, and for a moment, she was shocked. "It's ok now." She murmured softly in her native tongue. He would not understand, but perhaps her tone was soothing enough to draw him out. "ọrọ"