Author's note: Inspired by a moment from someone else's fic where Red was very self-conscious of his belly fat.
I decided to write a confident Red instead. Confident and proud of his first catch (even if it's a mere pesky butterfly) and his own body.

Red's parents, Crimson (father) and Fuchsia (mother), are my own characters.

A constable on the corner of the street rakes his eyes across Red's form — with a quick, understanding nod almost right away, a salute and an obligate "congrats on the first prey; how d'you feel?". Red only slightly waves a paw: that's nothing, merely some chicken drumsticks and wings. Wings. His face breaks into a grin under the yarn mane and almost immediately the pesky butterfly decides to break the moment, once again trying to blorp and gworgle its way out… as if there's any use, being that crammed in a monster's belly with a load of raw chicken. Now both Red's friends and the constable stare at him — only to get the same calming risen paw in response: nothing. He may be "son of THAT Crimson, well, you know, the one who one day saved the whole block," but this one was no nightmare too large for him, nothing to worry about.

You won't have another body; try to take a good care about yours. Don't repeat my mistake, don't let your prey harm you like it did me.

Crimson and him had had this talk a million times, ending always with Red palming the scar on his father's side and promising that he won't hunt a fear larger than himself. "At least not until you reach my size," added Crimson with a much warmer note in his voice, and stopped before a large mirror to admire them both. And, in a short while, nodded to his own thoughts and put his strong paw around Red's shoulders. "…Yes, about as robust soon. Come on, let's help Mom now."

A slightly lighter pelt and no mighty sideburns, so much for the difference between him and Dad. The fluffy collar doesn't count, all it signifies is a mop monster being a parent. But the rest… Since Red moved out, a glance into the mirror felt almost like greetings from Dad, but even more – brought calm joy of taking space and being exactly such, something they both equally shared.

Pros of fears and nightmares: they taste like no ordinary meat does — to a mop monster, anyway. No other known creature had ever tried to taste them, let alone describe it — they are best eaten alive, sometimes even ripped to pieces at that. Taste and protecting instinct are reason why mop monsters at all feed on nightmares and fears. As little as there was of that "pesky bee", or whatever Duck Guy called that odd thing with a sugary voice, it was still enough for Red to enjoy the live prey. It was a threat all right, and the poor Yellow Guy felt genuinely scared once both his friends finally got to him — but, from the brighter side, not for long.

Pros of ordinary meat: it won't try to kill you once it's eaten. The butterfly does thrash inside, to heavens know what avail, probably hoping its "king" will send a miracle and somehow save it. Red didn't even bothers to stop the kicks — more tickling than actually hurting — and by the time all three reach home, his insides are completely calm.

And a bit later, he stops by the mirror like he used to — even absentmindedly straightens up like Dad. Because Dad himself used to look exactly that way — long in Red's cubhood — with last remains of that giant nightmare still slowly dissolving in him. For the little Red, it was just Dad having…

the same…

…bit of a tummy and nothing else.

Behind his back, the TV flickers to life (must be Duck) and floods the living room with a stream of today's news; something about a giant, gravel-eating statue head being burned down; then about an unusual amount of forest animals seeming to be recovering from some kind of weird hypnosis; then… Does not matter. The one behind that bunch of catastrophes now rests in eternal sleep, and soon the very memory about him will get mixed with delicious chicken picnic and absorbed by…

His, Red's, own inner magic.

He squints mischievously, and for a split second, his reflection turns into Crimson. Possibly proud of his son and ready to put a paw around his shoulders.

…Look Pa, I'm a predator too. And I'm loving it.

November 2021