The roars didn't just echo—they hit.
The trees shuddered with every gut wrenching cry, their branches twitching like nerves under a blade.
Leaves trembled and the ground shook with new waves of vibrations, sharper now, like something clawing beneath the surface had finally broken through.
Trixie crouched slightly on her branch, eyes scanning fast.
Elle didn't move. She was still near the base of the tree, not more than five feet from one of the nearest sinkholes. Her eyes only narrowed. Nothing more.
Then—**crunch**.
The dirt in front of her exploded.
A massive claw slammed into the soil, digging deep. Four thick fingers, each claw as long and wide as a baseball bat, curled and crushed the ground like wet paper. The skin—if you could call it that—was stretched bone, thin and grey and splintered in places like it had grown wrong. Patches of red muscle pulsed underneath, wet and twitching.
Then it pulled.
**SKRRRCHHHK**
The creature dragged itself out with unnatural speed.
