31.3ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ/sᴛʀᴀᴛᴏᴛʜʀᴀx

"There, do you see it? It's called a Panthara in Common."

Rain peered over the edge. A yellow, white, and black-spotted furred creature was moving below the treetops, tall enough to push aside branches. It took Rain a minute to figure out what he was looking at. It was like a giant sized leopard, except, like a centaur, where the head would normally be there was the upper body of a humanoid leopard. Two six foot long scaled tentacle barbels emerged from its muzzle and floated behind its head. It's four feet and two hands weren't like a normal leopard's, instead transitioning from fur to scale with large eagle-like talons on each digit. Its eyes were a solid flat blue that glowed eerily in the pollen filled air.

"That looks… Dangerous."

"Yeah… Don't worry though, I have something in mind."

She walked along the cliff edge until she came to a large rock. She rested a palm on it, it was nearly as tall as Rain and looked immensely heavy.

"We're going to drop this on it."

Rain eyed the rock and then eyed the Panthara a fair distance away and definitely not directly below the cliff.

"You know I can't pick that up and throw it right?"

"We just need to get it over here and then you push the rock over the edge."

"How?"

Opal let slip an evil grin and her eyes slid over to the Kobold.

"W-wait, why are you looking at me? What's with that look? H-hold on now," said the Kobold slowly backing away.

Opal tossed the end of the chain to Rain and lunged at the Kobold who let out a high pitched scream. After a moment of struggle the Kobold stumbled forward and Opal dodged to the side, she cackled and a foot impacted with his rear. He yelped and then to his horror he went over the cliff, his eyes wide and mouth open he fell until with a choked gargle he hit the limit of the chain hanging ten feet or so above the ground. He scrabbled at the collar and chain and managed to get enough of a grip to hold himself up.

"You ASSHOLE! You tried to hang me!" he yelled up at them.

"Oh hush, you're a Kobold, as tough as an old boot."

"I could have died!"

"Yes, keep making noises like that, you're attracting the Panthara."

"I- Damn you!"

"Oh, it's looking over here now!"

The Kobold made a choked off scream of rage and stilled himself trying to avoid attention.

Too late, the Panthara was prowling through the trees, shifting branches aside to peer at the dangling Kobold. Its barbels twitched and snaked in the air as it narrowed its eyes.

The Kobold who was frozen in fright began to bounce up and down, he looked up in horror to see Rain dangling him around like bait on a hook.

"S-Stop damn you!" he furiously whisper hissed.

"Wiggle around more you scaly worm!" yelled down Opal with her hand cupped to the side of her mouth.

"Nuuuu!" he cried, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

Opal sighed and glared at the Panthara that remained watching with idle interest from the trees.

"Is this really not enough? Fine."

She turned around and dropped her shorts and with a whip crack slapped her rear.

"Come and get me you ugly shitty pussy cat!"

The Panthara glared up at her from the trees and let out a snarl of irritation. It parted the branches and rushed straight toward the Kobold who proceeded to freak out.

"It's coming!"

Rain dropped the chain and the Kobold fell with a scream, he then leapt behind the rock and rammed into it, his feet scouring the ground and his claws tearing up the earth as he torqued forward with all his strength, straining to his utmost limit. For a moment he feared he didn't have it in him to move it, but with a grinding sound it began to shift, tip, and then fall over the edge of the cliff. The rock plummeted downward, amazingly on target with the Panthara who was standing over the Kobold who had curled up on the ground in the fetal position. Unfortunately, the creature seemed far more aware of the situation than they had given credit and when the rock began to fall the Panthara simply took a step backwards. The rock landed with a boom, spraying dirt in all directions along with a screaming Kobold. The Kobold's sudden flight came to an abrupt halt as the chain now trapped under the rock choked him off.

The Panthara held its arm up to protect its eyes from the dust, then once it had settled scowled up at Rain and Opal who were peering over the edge.

"Shit."

"What now?"

"Nothing. Things too smart to fall for such basic traps it seems." She sighed. "It's fine," she said, turning away from the edge.

A distant voice from below pleaded "Don't leave meeeee!"

"I know some other place we could try I-"

The swift sound of claw on stone came from below. Opal's eyes widened and she whipped around as a huge taloned hand came over the edge of the cliff and the Panthara hauled itself up.