TAWOG: Instinct

The Territory

The Territory 

Night had fallen over the forest and Penny was still looking for Gumball, having not wavered from her frantic search for even a moment. Her aching heart still blinded her from making rational decisions, focused solely on finding her boyfriend and nothing more. So consumed was she by the notion that she hardly noticed anything else.

However, she did notice when the sound of frantic stamping headed towards her location, the ground vibrating beneath her. Turning around, Penny saw several rustling figures heading her way through the trees. Remembering what happened the last time she was in the forest, Penny turned and ran before whatever was amongst the trees could catch up to her. She didn't make it far before a broad figure sped out and past her though. Thankfully, it wasn't a predator, like a wolf or a bear; like it had been the last time, it was a deer. However, that didn't mean that the situation was any less dire.

A herd of deer was racing through the trees around Penny, and while she didn't have to worry about them trying to eat her, they could still trample her. With this thought in mind Penny panicked and transformed into her flying squirrel form, using her newly acquired claws to climb the nearest tree. Now out of harm's way, Penny watched the herd of deer as they stampeded into a nearby clearing ahead. She knew for a fact that deer bedded down at night, so why was this herd stampeding through the forest right now? Had they been roused by a predator? If so, what was it? A wolf? A bear?

The answer came in the sound of a familiar roar-cry amongst the trees, but it didn't belong to a bear or a wolf.

In the clearing, Penny's eyes widened in absolute dread as the same massive feline monster from a few days ago burst forth from the trees, smashing several of them down with a hard swipe of its head. Its humongous form crashed down into the clearing, scattering the herd of deer and knocking several of them off their legs. Most managed to scramble to their hooves and flee, but one unfortunate stag was caught in the huge feline's jaws, as it too had managed to get to its feet and bit down on the stag’s back, the stag squealing in pain as he was dragged backwards.

Penny watched this all happening from her branch, her eyes wide with horror, shock and revolution as the massive feline thrashed the stag around, then released him long enough to pin him with its forepaw and then lung forward, latching onto the stag’s back and flank with its teeth and proceeded to tear out a huge chunk of flesh, blood spraying everywhere, which glistened in the moonlight. The stag lay still on the ground now as the massive predator began to gorge itself and Penny found herself unable to watch anymore, scurrying back to the trunk of the tree and into a hole in the wood, where she proceeded to curl up and tremble in terror. Despite being fully aware of the laws of nature, what she had just seen had been the most brutal and animalistical thing she'd ever seen. Like most people of civilized society, Penny had been tempered against how savage such things like feeding could be in the animal kingdom and the sight had been practically too much to bear.

And to make matters worse, that horrible creature was here in the forest, which means there was a real possibility Gumball could come across it, and practically anyone could predict how such an encounter would turn out. Penny's last thought before overwhelming fear and dread practically made her pass out until morning was that she had to find Gumball before that thing did.

—

“Mine! Mine! This is part of my territory now! Mine!” It was next evening in the forest; Sunday evening to be precise, and Gumball was to be found on the cusp of yet another transformation. 

He was currently scratching his claws against a tree, leaving thick gouges in the bark, his eyes glowing yellow and orange as his instincts spiraled out of control, demanding he stake his claim on this area by marking the trees with his claws. An eagle landed in the branches above, and while most people would find the sight a rare privilege, Gumball saw the raptor as nothing but competition. He let loose a horrific growl at the eagle, sending the bird back into the sky in fear.