un bout de fauve mouillé

11:38 Feb 12, 2011 

I would combine Philippa's and Tony's answers: a bedraggled little beast. It's unfortunate that the points can't be split. I certainly read it as the dog howling or yelping and "Un bout de fauve mouillé** se dechainait en ville" as author's description.

00:09 Feb 12, 2011 

While in a zoo fauves DOES refer to the (big) cats, the word is, as Tony says, used more widely for any (wild, large) beast (or its smell - Ca sent le fauve). Together with hurler and déchaîner here it could certainly evoke something big and ferocious, albeit small and soggy (?) in this instance. As Tony says, it's difficult to capture it (the right expression, not the fauve).
On the other hand, mouillé makes me think of poule mouillée or "scaredy-cat", and on thinking about it, hurler could be "yelp" (in fear) rather than "roar" or "howl".
We really need to know more ...

16:34 Feb 11, 2011 

Who's who? What's what? First of all, is the last sentence an utterance? Or is it a reflection by the narrator (no open-quote mark in the excerpt). And if it is the narrator, does "elle" refer to "l'un des enfants" or does it refer to the "bête" reacting to what may have become threatening behavior on the part of the child?