A Maquin is a rodent that infests small hamlets. It appears as a purple cat, but they are really parasites. They incubate in human stomachs, eating the food that comes down the osophegus. The host is dead within a week, so the Maquin claws its way out of the host’s withered chest. It then moves on to find a new feeder. They can only slither down your throat when you are perfectly still, which is why they wait till you sleep. The best defence against a Maquin is insomnia.
Princess Binky Lemontwist (LoA) 
H.S. Wift 
Fox amongst wolves