The Most Dangerous Murder Cats

are the ones you don't see coming (Sylvan Sketches)

It’s time. The moment you’ve been waiting for. This edition of Sylvan Sketches attracted a lot of attention. Maybe it’s because people enjoy drawing monsters. Maybe it’s because the Bog Creep or “murder cat” is especially popular. After all, these are some of the most vicious little beasts in Sylvan Woods.

Whatever the case, now we’ve got a lineup of murder cat mugshots to help you identify these hateful creatures if you ever come across something unexpected out in the trees. Of course, that would be unusual, since the Unified Wilderness Alliance works tirelessly to keep the borders secure. But every once in a while, a monster or two sneaks through…

Here’s the original clue our artists had to work with.

And here’s our lineup of original Bog Creeps.

Leading off, this creep by Gwendolyn is deceptively calm and soft-looking. Then you look in its eyes, and yikes—that diabolical stare gives the whole game away. This creep is hoping you’ll try to pet it so it can take your hand off.

Martin did an impressive, horrifying job capturing the creep’s voracious nature. This one would sell its own mother for a late night snack. Since the average Bog Creep is orange and black, I’d say this is a rare variant with extra black pigments. A Midnight Creep is what you’d call that. Or maybe it stuck its head down a chimney to sniff the people below.

Flannery’s murder cat has learned subterfuge. You can see the outlines in the air of its size when fully fluffed out. This creep sensed it was being watched and shrunk as small as possible. Next, it will start purring to lure you closer to its tree. That would be a big mistake. Look at those angry eyes!

This creep by Hunter has stopped trying to be sneaky. Its bare claws, bristling fur and rageful face tell you something bad is about to go down. This is how the monster would’ve looked right before it jumped at Casey and Gloria their first time in Sylvan Woods.

Thea’s monster seems to have a little magic of its own. It makes me think of an evil Cheshire Cat. You get the idea it might close its fiery eyes and float into the shadows—only to reappear in a tree right over your head. No wonder that stick figure is freaked out!

This picture from Ezra puts the monster in a fully-realized fantasy landscape. For a second, you might think you were looking at a big house cat like Casey did—then the horrible truth hits you. This creature is three times too big and it has a devilish expression. Plus there’s a broken sword on the edge of a murky swamp where tree branches reach for you with twisted fingers…

Kaiya blurs the lines between the real and the imagined with those flaming eyes. It’s a magical touch that makes this creep more sinister. If you weren’t ready, seeing this face appear out of the forest darkness would have you running through the marsh like an olympic sprinter.

Elena turned the creep project into a mixed media comic strip, which is pretty fantastic. The monster flying in from outside the frame is cool, and gives you some idea how horrifying a murder cat attack would be if you were careless enough to leave your sword at home. As Luci might say, This is why Preparedness is a big deal!

This creep by Levi seems normal enough—until you study its stuck-up, sour mouth and the unearthly color of its eyes. This monster feels wronged by the world. It has spent a long time nursing its grievances and it is ready to take all that anger out on someone else. Beware!

Miles does a good job capturing the monster in its natural habitat. In fact, this could be the moment when Casey and Gloria spot the murder cat for the first time. There’s the hollow log and the marshy ground. Any second now, the creep will start stalking closer…

Some Bog Creeps love secrecy. They’ll sneak along in the shadows, edging closer to unwary kids. Some will even pretend to be cats. This monster by Evie has decided it just doesn’t care. Fangs out, all the time. It’ll take all comers. Hopefully whoever runs into this one will see it coming!

When you first look at this creep by Aisalyn, it strikes you as a noble creature. Look at its great posture, chin up, shoulders back. And it’s made an effort with its fur too. Then you remember the whole thing is only a facade, an act to hide the molten rage burning inside. So deceitful!

This creep actually looks happy. And no wonder, with its jagged razor teeth and the fat blind mouse wandering toward it, the beast knows it’s about to eat. Ruby captured this murder cat in a split-second of joy. Of course, once it devours that mouse, it'll be back to resentful rage as usual.

Asher does a lot of computer drawing, but here he shows that with just a pencil he can create a monster that will haunt your dreams. The hatefulness of this creep is unmatched…look at that face, smoking shrieks. This thing would be at home in the BeastWoods, but you could also see it making a cameo in some alien thriller film.

Finally, here’s a mentally unhinged creep from yours truly. I’ve always felt there’s an element of madness in these beasts, and here, the crazy got the upper hand. This creep won’t back down from anyone, not even Robert Pierce, which is what you’d call a fatal flaw. But good luck wiping away that terrible grin.

We did it! Now you’re prepared for the full spectrum of Bog Creeps. To everyone who joined in, thank you. Hope you’ll draw again next time. And speaking of next time…here’s the sketch clue. This is a wintry one: Casey and Gloria’s treeway, the one that stretches into the woods from the back of their Sylvan house.

It’s not long on detail, so illustrators will get a chance to use their knowledge of treeways from the books.

Feel free to send your sketch along anytime. When we collect enough, the Casey and Gloria’s Treeway edition of Sylvan Sketches will go live.