Cerberus glowered at the vixen with a deadly growl as he clutched the tail between his teeth like the prize it was: a symbol of his victory and earned freedom from the skinwalker.
But as she turned tail to run, he did not pursue her. He was a guardian, a defender. But now he guarded something so much more precious to him than a gate, or even territory. He guarded HIS foals.
He spat the tail to the ground and shouted after her retreating figure before it disappeared into the thick woods, "Show your face in MY territory again, Kumiho -and I WILL Kill you!"
And then... it was over. In a flash of blood, fur, and hatred. He was free.
Achingly, Cerberus circled his baskets three times before laying down protectively around them.
They would never know their mother... nothing but a piece of severed tail... and they would be all the better for it.
