Moopheus just wanted out of this crazy swamp! He loved Nandi, more then anything! He loved her more then Moofius' cooking, or napping, or playing with the other lucain or the kuhna's pups. He loved it more then messing with Moofius or talking with Olive. He loved his little girl and would do anything for her but why this swamp? It was too dangerous and he should have told her no.
But by Zu'hai's robe it was so hard to tell her no.
Did this make him a bad father? Well, yah, getting your daughter killed by wild creatures in a swamp wasn't exactly near the top of the "#1 Dad" list.
The kirund seemed distracted by something for a moment so Moopheus took this opportunity to trudge forward through the muck to try and get away from the kirund. Unfortunately he didn't stay distracted. Setting the still flailing and grumbling Nandi down (at his side, away from the kirund) he growled:
"I don't know what you want or who you are or what kind of sick game you're playing but leave. Us. Alone!"
Oh man, Moopheus was acting more irritable then usual but with all those thoughts in his head, well, you'd be scared and angry (for being so scared) too.
Nandi was also angry, but more so at her father.
"Daddy he's not hurting anybody!"
But somebody did happen to want to hurt Nandi today, it just wasn't who Mooph was expecting.
The mud blinked one yellow eye. How long had this lump of mud been watching the group? About the time it noticed they were carrying off a tasty morsel of a kuni. So far though the lucain proved to be a bit too defensive of his own food and so the mud had waited, and waited. Then the kirund creature. At first it had become unnerved by the rotting flesh but here, in the swamp, you had to be able to adjust; the only other option was death.
So adjusted the mud waited and waited just for such an occasion. The kuni wasn't far from the lucain but she was far enough; one could sense these things from the mood that the lucain gave off. The kirund was too terrified (a defective kirund, just his luck) to do much of anythiung right now.
The eye disappeared in a wink and did not resurface.
Nandi was fuming and had no idea what to say, besides, her dad was so angry right now; it was a little scary.
"Daddy... I... I ju-Ah?! DAH-!!" And she was gone, like that. It took less then a full moment for his whole world to go out. He heard the distress in her voice as soon as her voice rose the octave but even as quickly as he turned her head she was gone. No sign or trance of her, like she never existed.
"Nandi...? NANDI!?"
(( What a twist! P= ))