[Varali POV]

Varali had left the town well before sunrise that terrible day to ensure that she would get to the ideal hunting ground meadow before noon, when the scaled deer fawn was sure to be alone. The little one was damnably smart, surprisingly so, but it had been seen without its parents for days now, so she could be sure that it was currently trying to survive without others of its kind. Maybe they’d died, maybe it had been thrown aside by its parents for whatever reason, but Varali was sure that it could be a great soulbound companion to her. She’d been sure to step silently through the village, making especially sure not to wake anyone as she began her latest journey to capture this promising scaled deer fawn.

Sure, the other reason she had left so early and quietly was because technically there were restrictions on leaving the town before her parents and the rest of the subjugation squad returned, but Varali needed a companion to help her develop as a Soulspeaker and this fawn was even better than those Thunder Wolfstags would have been. Sure it wasn’t as immediately daunting of a creature as a massive predator, but Varali could feel that this little one needed her, and would be a perfect companion.

Unfortunately, though, Varali was far from the best tracker of her generation. She could more or less guess where the little fawn would end up and had prepared a small snare according to her predictions, but she couldn’t truly guarantee anything about if the fawn would come to this specific clearing now or three days from now, or if it had come here the day before and now was off elsewhere. Beyond that, she was only guessing about where the fawn would appear! She slapped her cheeks and tried to shake the thought from her mind. After all, negativity serves nobody! She was so distracted that she almost missed the subtle sounds and signs of the fawn’s appearance. Fortunately, though, Varali was blessed by the Gran Verat’s own luck and the little fawn wandered into her trap and then screamed loud enough that she realized she needed to go find the little thing.

When Varali arrived at the scene, she saw that her trap had functioned perfectly and the fawn was dangling from the nearby sapling, the rope having caught its back right leg. As it thrashed and bleated piteously, Varali noted it was in fact a she. With a couple of deft and almost practiced movements, Varali cut part of the rope free and then tied the rest of the deer’s legs together before slinging the legs around her neck so she could more easily carry her new companion home.

Varali couldn’t stop the wide smile from cracking across her face as she began her journey back home. Her parents would return and see just how much she had grown, how capable she was. Maybe, if she was fast and strong enough, Varali would be able to contract with the fawn before her parents arrived back! With dreams of competence and amazed parents filling her mind, Varali continued on her path back home. After all, her mother was the strongest Speaker in the village, and she’d never Bound a creature to her, so Varali was sure that she’d be impressed if Varali was able to subdue the fawn without any help!

Another unfortunate turn of events for Varali, however, was not accounting for how much more difficult travel would be whilst lugging a 30 pound struggling creature along. Adding to that, the rain picked up on her way back, and Varali found herself slipping and falling in the mud with what felt like every other step. The poor fawn struggled and bleated with each slip, and on the occasion that they actually fell to the ground, it thrashed wildly in the hopes of escaping its captor. In each of these moments, though, Varali held strong and whispered little comforts to her little companion. After all, if they were going to be bound, they would become the closest of friends!

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Thus, it wasn’t until just after dusk fell that she stumbled her way into the clearing where her village was. Perhaps it was her exhaustion, or maybe her vain hope to somehow remain undiscovered even after a full day’s absence from the village, but she didn’t realize the changes in the environment of the village until the trussed fawn in her arms began again to struggle and pull frantically at its bonds.

Then, finally, Varali was noticed and voices started to ring out, calling for her attention. With a sigh, she put on her best apologetic look and began to explain herself.

“Sorry if I worried you, I was just looking for this little one. You see, I knew where she was going to be, and–”

Varali was shaken from her excuses by a blistering slap, so fast and so strong that it knocked her prone. As she looked up, absolutely speechless, Varali made eye contact with her father’s sister, Kortra.

“How dare you! Disregard everyone’s commands and endanger yourself like that!” Tears welled in Kortra’s eyes as she collapsed to the ground before Varali. Her mother and father had never slapped her, their punishments more emotional in nature, and Varali still remained completely uncomprehending what was being told to her. “We thought you had snuck off to follow your parents and been killed!”

Varali confusedly grinned at her aunt as she forced herself back to her feet. “I… no, I didn’t. I went to catch this little one. I… I would have been safe if I’d followed them anyways. Are they back already?” The little hopes of surprising her mother and father with her Soulspeaking drained from Varali’s mind, being replaced by lectures about safety and maturity as Varali proffered a hand to her aunt to help her rise to her feet.

“We were waiting until morning to verify what Korali sent in that final windword, and wanted to leave you alone just in case… We… You selfish child!” Kortra dissolved into tears, and her eldest son stepped close and offered his shoulder to her, where she immediately leaned and began sobbing in earnest. When Tava, her cousin, began fighting back tears, everything began to make sense to Varali. In a panic, Varali rushed towards her home, unwittingly dropping the fawn onto the packed dirt street. She didn’t hear its cries as she sprinted, mud splashing up her ankles with every step until finally she whirled around a corner and reached her home.

The door was slightly ajar, and Varali slammed through it into her parents’ living room, ready to be rebuked by her mother’s sharp words and her father’s disappointed gaze. She would happily bow her head to them and accept any and all punishments, and before long, her mother would gently lay her hand on Varali’s cheek and kiss her forehead, while her father baked her favorite pastry. They would sit down at the table together and talk about why she shouldn’t have done what she did, and though it would grate her, Varali would know that her parents were correct, as they always were.

The truth, however, wasn’t so. Varali found her father’s corpse laid on the table, a gaping chest wound obvious through his beralt and his eyes closed peacefully. Beside him was laid… what must have been her mother. The head was crushed, with only the bottom of the jaw remaining–Varali couldn’t look any longer, and stepped back outside of the house and vomited across the little flower garden her parents tended together. Again and again Varali heaved, her stomach cramping with the force of her retches as she remembered that sight, her massacred parents.

Falling to her knees and disregarding the puddle of her own sick as she splashed into it, Varali wept as she cursed herself for her self-absorption.