Utterly Mad

     The scorpion had lived long in the hills north of Prescott, fighting rivals and winning mates. Defending it’s territory and siring generation after generation of little scorpionlings. It knew itself to be larger than it’s usual ilk, which made it the most formidable of it’s kind. Predator or prey, not a single creature could bring it down or evade it for long. It was the apex of this land.

     It’s downfall was not some rival or foe, but little more than an errant spore drifting on the wind. Perhaps the spore simply landed on the scorpion, or maybe it was in something the beast had eaten. Either way, the result was the same: A rapidly growing fungal colony taking up residence in it’s fantastic carapace. The fungus spread from it’s point of entry, finding it’s way into every available space, subverting the flesh, springing forth from it’s body in loose tendrils, converting the toxins in it’s tail to its own purposes, and now… Now it was spreading its tendrils into the scorpions simple brain. Soon, the scorpion would be dead and all that would remain was the fungus puppeted corpse spreading its payload of deadly spores across the desert. The huge scorpion sensed movement and voices. The time of day was all wrong, even the fungal bloom exploding inside it’s body told it the time was wrong, but the scorpion didn’t listen. For the last time, the beast left it’s den and made it’s way towards the building that sat at the western edge of it’s territory.

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     The thing Worrying the vehicle Kyle had retreated into was the largest scorpion Catnip had ever seen. It was also, the first. It raised it’s back end, preparatory to striking, then lowered it again weakly. “Don’t go near it Catnip, it’s infested!” L hissed. Catnip didn’t know what that meant, but she could guess. The scorpion looked unhealthy, with several flexible tendrils poking straight out from creases in its carapace, and the whole creatures coloration had taken on a grey caste. The claws pushed at the truck again, trying to find something it could grip onto so it could wrench the door off and get the ugly morsel inside.