...she grabs the gun in case that was the invisible monster.

There are a few more suspicious vague echoes from that direction.

(The kid is being very quiet and watchful.)

She whistles a little to get a clearer bounce.

It's not where the rock fell but about ninety degrees to the right, slinking slowly closer.

Whistle. Aim. Whistle. Fire.

It... 

Suddenly turns to run in a scramble of noise when she turns in its direction to aim. The shot is thunderous and releases rather more smoke than she's used to- She can seehear the thud as bullet impacts flesh, and then seehear a pained yowl and the creature running rapidly away. Seems like she might have hit a leg.

Is it leaving a blood trail?

Bit hard to see that at this distance. If she walks up and checks- Yep. Thin, but there.

"Okay. Hopefully it'll go die somewhere, or be too scared to go after us again."

Or maybe it will get more magical and become a terror of the deep desert and one of the reasons the wilds are yet feared even in the modern days of firepower. That'd make a good novel. ...I'm really glad it's probably gone."

"Me too."

"I guess we'd better get back to walking. Or maybe we should think about hiding the magic."

"Yeah, we can keep an eye out for good cache spots."

"I think you said you're an alien earlier? Are you from Mars? I have NO idea how you got here..."

"We call it Amenta but I doubt you can see it from here without a great telescope, we'd definitely have noticed if you guys were in our system."

"It seems sad that you can't go home. Even if they might take over everything."

"It's not great."

"...If you want to get more magic and go home I'm not gonna try to stop you. Maybe your government is better. I don't know."

"I'm thinking about it. Mostly not because of the government, but because of how if I stay here I won't ever be able to have a baby. I could adopt a human baby, I guess, theoretically, but like who's going to give me one."

"...Prostitutes?"

"...I'll be able to get laid but we're not the same species."

"I heard the ones from Roaring Rachel bar complaining about having babies and having to quit because of it. Between when I ran away and when I got arrested, I mean."

"That might not mean they don't want the babies? It'd be pretty hard to keep a job with a baby if you didn't have a coparent helping."

"...In church they said you have to get a wife and have babies and work hard for enough money for the whole family and your wife will take care of your babies."

"...well, are these prostitutes married, or are they getting pregnant by random clients because there isn't decent birth control?"