Rising panic had blinded me to my surroundings, failing to recognize the throat-closingly sweet smell that came in on the breeze until it was too late. A rhythm of paw steps portended the projectile body flung my way out of the trees, catching me completely off guard. A svelte ebony physique melted in and out of the shadows, snarling and snapping teeth at my back until she’d dragged me to the ground. I thrashed as Catrina pinned me with her body weight and grabbed a hold of anything she could—my ear, my muzzle, my paws—and then clamped down and shredded. Agony budded everywhere her teeth punctured my skin. My thick fur protected my neck, but she wasn’t trying to kill me. I realized while defending myself on my back that Catrina wanted to make me suffer. She wanted to make me bleed.
I bar
