it rouses her from her mid-day nap, wafting past her nose in tantalising tendrils, working its way past the warm anonymity of sleep to drag her, kicking and flailing, into consciousness. stifling a yawn, Jamie opens a single eye and squints into the shadows of the den, sapphire gaze darting about as she seeks the source of her disturbance. the den is empty, her siblings out playing and her parents tending to pack duties. after a sudden fatigue had struck her, Jamie had come in here to rest, tucking herself up in the large bed she still shares with Mama in search of comfort. but now, as that strange scent hangs thickly in the air, she finds sleep to be the furthest thing from her mind. clambering to her feet, Jamie smoothes down her rumpled pelt with an impatient paw and noses across the den, tracking the scent over its stone floor and out through the doorway. lingering in the mouth of the entrance, she squints into the distance, searching for a hint as to the scent’s direction. she has little experience with tracking, young as she is, and can’t quite gleam anything indicative as to the scent’s origin aside from the instinctual knowledge that it’s close. perhaps if she -
a flash of movement in her peripheral breaks her concentration. head whipping around, Jamie finds a small, fluffy creature staring at her, it’s little pink nose twitching spasmodically. Jamie tenses, torn between excitement and apprehension. the creature tilts its head, the fine tips of its long ears trembling, and Jamie mimics the movement. she’s never seen anything quite like it, something both outwardly disarming but oddly intimidating simultaneously. some deep-seeded part of her is salivating, eager at the sight of prey so blatantly exposing itself, but another part of her blares a warning. instinctively, Jamie takes a step closer, and the creature makes a strange rumbling noise. Jamie blinks. did it just…growl at her?
and then, suddenly, the creature is moving, a blur of tiny paws and coal-dark eyes as it launches itself across the space between them. Jamie squeaks, stumbling backward, her heart beating a hasty staccato against her chest. she snaps at the thing, teeth bared in a poor imitation of a snarl, but the creature seems scarcely deterred. instead, it rears up and swipes at Jamie’s noise, something almost like fury flashing through that wide dark gaze. it's perhaps the most perculiar and frightening thing she's ever encountered in her short life, and it's all Jamie can do to scramble backward and swipe tiny puppy claws through the air, a little growl rumbling at the back of her throat. to her dismay, the creature follows, hopping forward with slow, menacing intent. panicked, Jamie glances over her shoulder at the den behind her, eyeing the rumpled bed where she'd been tucked up mere minutes ago. could she hide from the creature? would it follow her under the covers? evidently, she takes too long to decide, as the creature takes that opportunity to rush her again. there’s a steady thumping of paws across stone as it moves, a light pitter-patter that echoes through the still air, and it’s only that indicated that saves Jamie from being trampled. scrambling out of the way, she makes for the bed and clambers across its downy covers, legs getting tangled up in her haste. releasing a frustrated growl, she twists to find the creature staring at her from a few feet away, malice in its eyes. Jamie scowls and sticks her tongue out. the scent of her parents grounds her, dampening some of her fear and replacing it with new anger. who is this puny creature to threaten her? she’s a Fatalis, daughter of the warlord; she doesn’t cower in the face of her enemies. in fact, if anything, it’s her enemies that should cower before her. emboldened by this knowledge, Jamie climbs from the safety of her bed and shakes herself out, chin lifting at a defiant angle as she stares down her quarry. the creature rumbles, and Jamie growls right back, scraping a clawed foot along the ground. baring her teeth, she lunges forward and snaps at the creature, aiming for that tiny pink nose. to her surprise, however, rather than fight back, her opponent…shrinks back? Jamie lifts a brow, forehead scrunching with confusion as the little beast trembles with apparent fear. “not so brave now, are you?” Jamie taunts, sneering. when the creature only squeaks in response, she feels herself soften. “well, just…don’t do it again. it’s not nice to bully people.”
she turns on her heel, intent on returning to bed - that encounter has tired her out again - when something small pings off the back of her head. Jamie whirls, incredulous, to find her nemesis wearing a mocking smirk. “You!”
wc: 802
"Jamie"
