The first day of Kaara’s new life as a huntress had to start by skipping the morning and sleeping. She had stayed up all night talking with Tulos even after Arik and Rorik had left for bed. When the sun crested over the horizon, she felt the first muggy heat of the summer hit her.

Bugs came alive, chirping and whining as they awoke to the sun. Kaara took the opportunity before bed to give Tulos a quick tour of the camp.

She showed him the butcher’s tent, the nursery where they kept the newborns while their parents hunted, and the training grounds where Rorik could often be found.

“Rorik goes both ways if you’re curious.” Kaara said, cheekily elbowing Tulos in the ribs.

A grin spread across his face, “Duly noted my good partner in crime. Duly noted.”

Kaara yawned, “And uh, let’s see what else is there? There’s leatherworking, skinning, weapon smithy…”

“Could you show me the weapon smithy next?”

“Yeah, why you interested in crafting weapons?”

“Well I am a metal born,” He said with pride.

“Oh, that’s a pretty rare element! You’ll definitely be a big help. And I’m sure Festux would take you in as an apprentice.”

“Festux? Is he your blacksmith?”

Kaara nodded, “He crafts the hunter’s weapons. Not just swords and spears, but bows too!”

“Is he also a metal user?”

Kaara shook her head, “He uses earth, but that’s still useful for finding resources he needs. Though he might as well be a metal user because he’s real good at what he does. There’s also a few others in the shop with the fire element who help out too.”

Tulos grinned, “Well I’m sure they will have more than a few reasons to make use of me. I can craft a sword within an hour and I’ve no doubt I’ll progress my understanding of magic working under such a masterful craftsman.”

“Y’know it’s kinda surprising that you’re so willing. Normally I think of nobles as being above that sorta thing. All pretend-shee-us and whatnot.”

“Surely not! Learning new things is one of my favorite things. One of my favorite tutors was no more than a peasant who had worked his way up through the rungs of society by his sheer wit. The xio was a fox down to the bone! Taught me a great many things about the world. I’ll let Sancta worry about all the boring details and math. I’m more concerned with people and meaning. He taught me my love of pranks, you know.”

“Then-” Kaara yawned again, “Festux would love to take you under his wing. Just don’t be too mischievous, he’s a real stickler.”

“I’ll have to tread carefully, then. No matter, I know how to be polite. Lead me to him!”

Kaara was half awake, “He won’t be awake util the afternoon and I won’t be able to last that long. I’m gonna go to sleep.”

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Tulos nodded, “I suppose that’s fair, we have been up all night.” He pointed, “Look.”

Kaara noticed a small black lump crawling about in the grass. She knew it by the orange patch of fur on its head, “What’s that pup doing all the way out here?”

She trotted over to it. The blind pup raised its head, sniffing the air and crawling towards her. It climbed onto her foot and wagged its tiny tail, letting out the most adorable squeak.

That sound alone could’ve mended Kaara’s soul a thousand times over. She sat on her heels, not daring to touch it for fear the mother might be around, “Where’s your momma huh? Why’re you out here?”

“Looks like adventurous spirits flock together.” Tiksu said, jogging over to them, “I see you found the pup. That one’s been crawling away on its own quite often lately.”

The pup let out more squeaks, digging its feet in the dirt and bumping its head into Kaara’s shins. It even tried to nibble at her.

“He really likes you, huh?” Tiksu chuckled.

“Yeah, I wonder why.” Kaara said to herself.

“It’s said that Wulviir choose their masters. This one seems to have made its decision pretty early. You’ll need a Wulviir if you’re going to be a huntress, so why don’t you give that one a name? It’ll join you when it’s older.”

“Really? Is it okay?”

Tiksu nodded.

Kaara thought for a moment, “Ragna.”

Tiksu picked Ragna up by the scruff of its neck, “Ragna it is. I’m gonna take it back to its momma. You should get to your own momma soon. You’ve been up all night.”

“Yeah I’m real tired, but I’ll be up all night from now on anyways right?”

Tiksu nodded, “You’ll have a chance to learn quite a bit from your mother. But if there’s a Malaki in the area we’ll have you working in the camp on those nights. I’ll teach you how to use the bow and your mother can definitely teach you a thing or two about javelins.”

Kaara pumped her fist in the air with all the enthusiasm of a sloth, “Hooray.”

“Get some sleep.”

Kaara only remembered hitting her bed of furs that morning. In truth, she had been afraid to go to sleep after the nightmare she’d had the previous morning. Tonight, at least, she rested easy without the void overtaking her once again.

Kaara didn’t wake up until she felt her mother moving out of bed. It felt weird to wake up with shorter hair. At least she didn’t need to wrestle with it as much.

“Goodness Kara, what did you do to your hair?” her mother said.

“Oh you’re not gonna like the story,” Kaara said with a smug grin.

Her mother sighed, shaking her head, “Come along and tell it to me. I’ll cut your hair properly. It’s probably better if it's short. It won’t get in in your way when you’re hunting.”

“But you don’t cut your hair short.”

“My prey needs a handicap. Otherwise it’s not fun. Now come, tell me about your trip.”

Kaara told her everything that had happened, expecting her to be mad, but feeling something entirely different this time.

“What you did for that boy was a good thing. Don’t put yourself at risk like that, of course, but I’m proud you saved him. I see a lot of myself in that boy’s mother.”

“How so?” Kaara asked.

“We both fight harder to protect our children and make sure they’re safe. I know how I would feel if I lost you, so in a way you spared another person’s mother from having to deal with what I dread most.”

Kaara fiddled with her hands, unable to hide her blush. Her mother hugged her tightly, “I’m done. You wanna make a mirror to see?”

Kaara pooled water into a dish nearby and looked into its reflection. Her hair was shaved along the sides and around the back, she still had longer hair around the top which had chopped into multiple rectangular strands and braided up.

“Looks kinda weird.”

“When it grows out, it’ll be more manageable if it gets long. You’ll look less like a bloody urchin.”

“Hey! It doesn’t get that spikey!”

Her mother laughed, “Come along now, we’ve got quite a bit to do tonight. I’ll take you on your first hunt.”