Huuwwuuwuu, or Alva by the Master’s , walked through the forest, her joints creaking with every step. Hunched over, she tasted the air for bloodroot, when she heard a faint cry piercing the air. Cocking her head, she froze and twisted her ears, listening again for the noise. She heard it again, it was unmistakably a little master, she had raised enough in her life that she could recognize it anywhere. Wondering what they could be doing so far from the settlement, she began walking in the direction of the noise.Eventually,she found the little master wrapped up in strange cloth, and lying on a moss covered stone. They were screaming like they were trying to wake the entire forest, which could be deadly this far from the settlement.

As she stood over him, their cries grew even louder somehow, making Huuwwuuwuu shut her ears. He was very pale, more than any Master she had ever seen, and had a harsh smell that burned her nostrils. Taking a closer look, she found the master was a male, probably just a month or two old. As she picked him up, careful not to pinch the delicate skin, she had a brief impulse to drain him. 

How many of her children had the masters culled, how many of her daughters dreaded the day of giving birth. She was reaching the end of her life, one way or another she would not live to see the end of the harvest. She could drain his infant soul of all its vitality with touch, smash him against the rock, or simply leave him to denizens of the forest. 

But this was more of an abstract thought than anything else, and in her core she knew it. A lifetime of absolute servitude had instilled obedience deep in her being, and even in this corner of the woods, her fear was greater than her anger. 

Placing the babe in her pouch, she began walking back towards the settlement. Already, guilt began to eat away at her for her wayward thoughts. Ideally, she sent psi feelers to check on the baby's well being, like she had for dozens of newborn Masters and People. Upon her feelers making contact, she began panicking as she realized that the baby did not have a single vin of vitality.In that moment, she was convinced in her moment of weakness that she has drained him without meaning to. Hurriedly, she tried to push vitality into the baby, only to realize it didn't have room for any. 

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Using her PSI more carefully, she discovered he had about as much of a soul as a pebble, without any psi or stamina. Babies born with low stamina and psi usually didn't make it, but anything without vitality should already be dead. And yet the Master still seemed very energetic.

She didn't have long to ponder this, as the wind shifted, and she noticed a new scent, Nashiu. She picked up her pace. Even though She had never seen a Nashui, she recognized the scent from the trophies and wounds that the Masters brought back with them from each raid. From what she knew of them, they were monstrous, canablastic, and always hungry, with the claws and teeth designed to tear through flesh.

She heard the faint snap of a twig behind her, and already nervous, her body jumped into overdrive. 

 Hurriedly, she began running back at full speed. The baby started giggling, at least he wasn't screaming anymore. Through the corner of her eye she saw something running after her. Increasing her speed, she felt stamina begin to burn in her veins. Dashing through the underbrush, she dared not look behind her, every ounce of energy dedicated towards running forward. Already though she could feel her stamina start to deplete. 

Something impacted her back, and she instinctively threw a kick behind her. She felt it hit something hard before she stumbled a bit, then kept running. She could feel it behind her again, and had the presence of mind to glance at it as it made its next look lunge. This time she quickly pivoted and the Nashui went flying past her. She felt a brief moment of elation before a root sent her to the ground. 

The Nashui followed up almost instantly, and it was on her, clawing; she could feel it biting into her arm, it was eating her! She screamed, and something cracked. She furiously tried to kick at her, attacking her, before succumbing to the pain and curling up into a ball, at the edge of consciousness.