Prime/Cavewoman Amy - oriented. Ooga Booga Amy.

(This is because my dear friend AioleSauce keeps holding me at gun-point. Help.)

(:)

There was a creature revenging the land near Amy's village. It had been around for a quarter of a moon cycle, and had stolen several of the crops they had managed to cultivate. The creature was too big of a menace to allow it to live, and there was no way Amy was going to let some of the… lesser warriors in her village go on the dangerous mission of hunting it down.

This particular endeavor warranted much more than just intimidation and some slathered on mud to serve as war paint. Amy's best hunting staff had been sharpened just the night before, and her necklace was decorated with the sharpest teeth and claws from the deadliest animals. Amy double checked the impregnability of her weapons, then set off into the underbrush.

Judging from the silence that the tribe's healer and chief basked in as they watched her go, they were confident she would survive. Amy's spirits lifted considerably at that realization, ignoring the obvious signs that the healer was packing up on herbs for when she returned. It appeared he wasn't overly confident about her ability to come back unharmed.

Rude.

Amy's first stop was the pastures and fields, the young warrior inspecting their livestock and produce fondly as she traversed the land. She was proud of what her tribe had accomplished. Two years previously a terrible famine had shook the land, and what little they did have was pillaged by the south tribe. They barely pulled through that year, but they came back at it full-force in no time thanks to the east tribe, and now they were thriving.

Except…

Lately, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and even a few of the pieces of meat they had left out to dry had mysteriously vanished during the nights. Whatever the creature was, it needed to eat, but it wasn't stealing by dragging a live pig out into the undergrowth like they were used to with such beasts. It stole already harvested food bits, almost like it hoped not to be noticed. The creature was smarter than expected, if not for the fact that it had been noticed.

Half-washed out footprints, howls in the night, and screams at dusk were sure-footed ways to gain attention. Not to mention some of the warriors that patrolled the border between Amy's tribe and the south tribe often saw the silhouette of the beast creeping nearby. Stalking, maybe, in hopes of snagging them as prey? Or biding its time until they inevitably left something behind.

The creature was smart, but consistent stealth did not appear to be its strong suit. Amy couldn't help but wonder if it purposely abandoned being furtive for the twisted purpose of frightening her people. She hoped not, but she wouldn't be surprised.

Amy pushed her way out of the tall grass bordering their farmland, freezing when her eyes fell on a footprint plastered in the still-soft mud, fossilized in place.

It's recent. It was probably made last night, and it's much clearer than any other footprint we've discovered. Amy mused thoughtfully, running her fingers gently along the outline, noting with great curiosity that whatever the creature was, it certainly wore shoes. Bigger shoes than even the chief wore - perhaps twice as big as his. It looked as though the shoe had tiny spear points along the bottom, a dozen clear puncture marks around the print.

As Amy studied the print, she looked further along at the surrounding area, mildly surprised to find that despite the mud spreading on for three more spear-lengths, there was a surprising lack of footprints. Just one, firmly engraved, then no others. Either the rumors about a creature with impossibly big feet were real, or this thing could suddenly just… suspend itself in the air. Like a bird, or monkey with a near enough tree branch.

Amy instinctively looked up, scrunching her brows at the foliage up above. …she wasn't exactly excited about the possibilities that were opening up the more she thought about the beast. Ugh, maybe bringing along one or two extra warriors - even if they are rookies - isn't such a bad idea.

To her relief, no creature peered down at her, but she did spot a tuft of fur caught on some tree bark far above. Amy tucked the hunting spear into her dress, and ground her hands tightly into the tree trunk.

Amy shimmied all the way up to the fur, freeing it from its prison as she rubbed it between her fingers. Soft fur, not built for defense. Interesting. She grunted aloud in victory, gaze wandering off to search the next ringlet of trees for clues.

A footprint and fur already? If she kept the pace up, she'd be done in no time.

(:)

Any other clear hints evaded Amy, but while she found enough to keep her moving, she didn't discover any obvious giveaways to what she was facing.

Even though she had originally set out at dawn, Amy noticed the sun was setting, orange streaking the sky, interrupted only by the leaves obscuring her view. Night. The only time when the beast had been spotted.

Amy's day had been slow enough that she wasn't overall tired. Whatever she faced during the night, she'd be ready. All she really needed was a good vantage point to survey as much ground as she could, so she scaled the nearest tree, crouching on one of the branches halfway up.

That's when she saw it.

Not the beast itself, but a large opening in the earth, near invisible from the ground due to heavy foliage and mounds of earth surrounding it. The opening was big enough to fit one village hut through, if breaking it down could be avoided, and something clicked in Amy's head.

There. The beast would come out of there once the sun completely set.

Amy swung her way over to a tree closer to the hole, mentally calculating how far she'd have to jump in any given direction depending on which way the creature chose to go. Her position was optimal, and she clenched her hunting spear tight. Surprise attack was the most optimal choice - there was no way to tell if the creature was asleep or not. So she waited.

It didn't take long for the sun to fully set. As the last glow of the sun started to fade, the twilight heavens fleeing the sky and the moon shone above, a scream rose in horrifying rivets from the cave.

A gurgle sound, like someone swallowing back a tremendous amount of liquid, followed shortly after, then a muffle cry arose, shattering penetrating what was otherwise a peaceful night's atmosphere. Something tearing, liquid splashing, screeches of agony followed in quick succession, and Amy felt a crawl in her stomach. Oh, nonononono… if the beast was-

The scream wasn't of a helpless animal, it was of a person. A real person.

It had dragged someone down there, and-and… no, nonononono… It was eating them piece by piece. It could be a friend, or someone from another tribe, it could be-

She had to-to get down there, help whoever it was, she had to move, and then-

Everything went silent, and Amy froze. Claws appeared on the edge of the entrance, sharper and larger than any she had seen before, and she couldn't help but be envious, reaching up to tap her necklace. She watched in suspenseful anticipation as a strange bending noise reached her ear, almost like releasing a vine after pulling it tight and it snaps, but this time it sounded more fleshy, and-

A split second later, the claws retracted and a dark mass streaked a few meters into the air. Amy bit down on her lip hard in an effort not to scream, eyes going wide in shock.

Dark he was - Amy was able to tell he was blue in the fleeting light, and the fur she had located definitely fit the bill. His teeth sparkled in the moonlight, razor sharp claws glistening. The fur on the back of his head was groomed back similarly to a hedgehog, but everything else - even the point of his ears - illustrated that he was something else. Not to mention Amy had seen other male hedgehogs before - albeit rarely - and they were only half the creature's size.

Amy took a large breath, calming her nerves. All her efforts to soothe herself were shattered when the creature landed on all four limbs, heavy enough that the tree Amy was perched on trembled. Her grip tightened, and her eyes narrowed. No time for peace, she reminded herself stiffly, it's up to me to take him down…

As she braced herself she couldn't help but wonder if the chief and healer were wrong about their faith in her. But no, she had to trust in them. They didn't get promoted to the top positions in the tribe for nothing. They knew everyone's capabilities, and so what if they don't know anything about this creature? It was fine. Everything was fiiine…

She hoped.

Amy pounced down at the creature, swallowing down a war cry as she rushed through the air, landing squarely on the beast's back, spear driving home. The beast let out a grutile roar, throwing its entire body back, rising up on its hind feet in agony, slamming its spine against a tree. Amy managed to twist her body to the side to avoid the collision, yanking her spear along with her but kept a tight grip in its fur.

The creature snarled, it's front paws - which Amy realized were indeed arms and hands - reaching up to snag her, yanking her off her perch on its back and slamming her into the ground.

Amy barely allowed herself to be stunned, rolling away from the beast rapidly as its arms slammed where she had been but a second before. She managed to flip to her feet, breaking into a run at the creature again immediately.

The beast's arms whipped out, stretching twice as long as they realistically could, and snagged Amy's foot, tripping her up and dragging her toward him.

Amy muffled a groan of pain, lifting her spear as a guard against her face, barely avoiding the creature's fangs as they crashed down at her.

Jaws clamped tightly onto her spear, and she shuddered under the weight, clasping her teeth together in a snarl, doing her best to snap the spear from its grip. Their eyes met, and Amy found herself staring at his face. His glare was piercing, terrible, and Amy struggled best as she was able against its body.

She lashed out a kick against his stomach, barely daring to breathe a sigh of relief when it body recioled and it let go, stumbling back a step or two, before once more lowering into an angry crouch, its devilish green eyes shining back.

She rose best as she was able, snarling, feeling the teeth marks etched into the spear. "I don't know what you are," she thundered down at the beast, summoning all her strength against him. "But you're not going to live past tonight."

The beast then did a particular thing. It straightened, sat down on its haunches like one of the wolves her tribe had, tilted its head at her, and gave her the biggest, most loving gaze she had ever seen. Then, it's maw opened, and "Amy?"