Prologue:

Navihm crunched through the blanket of leaves strewn across the forest of his homelands. The trees in the foothills of the Aura Mountains were always the last in the land to shed their leaves. The people of the First held onto summer like a mother to her firstborn. Such poetic thoughts were beyond Navihm at that moment, he was much more concerned with what his mother was cooking for lunch. Young boys tend to be that way. The two wayward girls Navihm was tasked with finding were taking every opportunity to drink in the last rays of summer sun, staying much later than they were allowed, shrieking and dancing through the trees. He could hear their play somewhere ahead. Navihm sighed. His mother was going to be upset if he was late for lunch again.

Hitomi and Kaia were defeating dragons in their favorite clearing when the Aelurus attacked. Catlike and twice the height of the girls, Aeluri were known for taking down fully grown men. What one was doing so far down the mountain is a mystery. Kaia was the first to notice they were being stalked, the birds had gone quiet. She’d peered into the darkness between the trees to see what might have caused it.

“Be quiet,” she hissed at Hitomi, who was still playing, heedless of the danger.  “Tomi, walk towards me slowly”. The younger girl stopped her playing and stared at Kaia. She was acting really strange.

“What’s wrong? I thought I was supposed to flank the dragon while you distracted it.” Hitomi’s mother had told her that girls start changing as they got older. Maybe Kaia was started to become a woman. Grown ups didn’t make much sense and Kaia was certainly acting strangely staring off into the trees like that.

Kaia took a quick step towards her and shoved her till she stood behind her. “Tomi, I need you to get back to the village,” she hissed over her shoulder. “Don’t turn your back on me until you get into the trees. Then run as fast as you can and get help.”

“Is this another game? Are you going to be the distraction again?”  Yes, she was definitely becoming a woman, Hitomi thought, she was bossy like Mother.

“Hitomi, go now.” She did as she was asked, giggling and shuffling backwards until she pressed up against a tree. Kaia was edging her way around to the other side of the clearing, not daring to take her eyes off the prowling cat. Hitomi giggled and watched the older girl for a moment longer, following her terrified gaze into the trees. A flash of sunlight, bouncing off reflecting eyes and the smooth roll of fur wrapped muscle stopped Tomi’s giggling. She took off into the trees, terrified of the beast she only glimpsed at. Kaia, knowing that the cat’s instinct was to chase, presented herself as a much better target, taking off over open ground.

The beast was much more terrifying in the open. The darkness of its fur helped hide its massive size and odd proportions in the shadows of the trees. Aeluri were almost skeletal, with muscles that hugged every rib and dipped in at the stomach to a third of the width of its powerful shoulders. With its short thick head and protruding muzzle, it looked more like a hellhound than a cat but its graceful movements were unmistakably feline.

It yowled and took off after the bigger girl. She presented a much easier target and had more meat than the skinny infant that had taken off into the trees. Hearing the cry of the beast sent Hitomi into a full sprint into the forest, struggling to dodge trees through her tears.

“Help!” she cried desperately. Navihm heard the little girl’s cry and took off running, dodging the trees efficiently. Hitomi called out again and Navihm adjusted his course and sped faster towards the girl. As he rounded a tree he almost charged right into the sobbing child.

“What is it?” Navihm said as he grasped her shoulders desperately.

“Aeluri,” she managed to gasp out between sobs.

Navihm froze.

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“Where is Kaia?” The girl just sobbed louder. Navihm shook her slightly, “Kaia. What happened to her?” At that moment, a shrieking whistle pierced the forest’s quiet. It was Kaia, Navihm knew. He had taught her that whistle. She was still alive, at least for the moment.

“Go get help,” he said to the shaking girl, and he took off into the trees, following the sounds of Kaia’s whistle.

When he arrived in the clearing he saw the Aeluri first. Navihm had only ever seen a dead Alurus. Some men from the village had hunted down one the summer previously and dragged its body back to the village. The cat currently pacing around the base of a tree in the clearing was bigger than the dead one Navihm had seen. Navihm followed the cat’s line of sight and noticed the small figure huddled in one of the lower branches. His heart leapt to his throat. It was Kaia. Kaia had her eyes screwed up and one hand outstretched towards the beast.

“Calm,” she said to the beast. “You are calm. You aren’t hungry, you are tired. You wish to return to your den and sleep.” Kaia was trying to send calming thoughts into the mind of the animal. She had shown great promise in empathy, especially with animals, but it didn't seem as if she was having much success now. The Aeluri kept shaking its stumpy head as if to shake off the intrusion of calm. It snarled and attempted to climb the trunk of the tree. The deep scarring on the trunk suggested that this wasn’t its first attempt. Kaia let out another piercing whistle and the beast shuddered and shied away from the high-pitched noise.

This wasn't going to work forever.

Kaia wasn't in control enough to calm the beast, she was too frightened. Influencing a beast as she was trying to do now required a certain level of concentration and it was difficult to send soothing thoughts without feeling calm yourself. Any minute now the beast would attack in earnest and rip the girl from the tree.

Navihm added his whistle to Kaia’s, sending the Aeluri reeling. That got Kaia’s attention.

“Send it your fear!” Navihm shouted, thinking quickly. She couldn’t make the cat calm, but perhaps she could make it afraid. She certainly looked frightened enough so sending it fear would be much easier than calming it. Kaia nodded and screwed her eyes up again.

Navihm picked up a rock and launched it at the cat. He knew it couldn’t do much damage but maybe, along with the terror Kaia was sending it, it would drive the animal away. He picked up another rock and shouted as he threw it. It bounced off the cat’s thick skull, leaving a small gash. The Aeluri turned to face Navihm as he threw another rock from his end of the clearing.

“Scared. You are scared,” said Kaia. Navihm unsheathed the short knife he carried on his belt and waved it at the beast, shouting and whistling. The cat shook itself and yowled, bewildered by the strange noises and intruding feelings of terror. It took a confused swipe towards Kaia then turned back towards Navihm and snarled, the hairs on its neck rising.

“Run!” Navihm wasn't sure if Kaia was talking to the cat or him. It didn't matter, he wasn't going to leave her. “Get away! Hide.” The cat took a half step back, still growling and then suddenly launched itself towards Navihm. He didn't have time to even move before the cat was on top of him, tearing into his shoulder.

He screamed.

His arms were pinned between his own chest and the beast but he kicked out blindly with his legs. He could hear Kaia’s rising scream and he felt waves of her emotion wash over him as she lashed out with her empathy towards the Aeluri. Her terror fueled his own. He kicked out again and felt a bone in the animal’s hip give. The cat faltered slightly and it gave Navihm just enough room to get one arm unpinned.

He took a shallow breath and plunged his dagger into the beast’s chest.