Scarletra stalked the verdant pines of the forests a day's journey north of her cave. She wanted to reach a particular section of her territory because of the animals there. The location was in one of the more harsh regions, with jagged cliffs and stronger than usual winds. But it was the only place her intended gift dwelled, the Lirit. A small furry creature enjoyed this area because there was a cave system and thermal springs underneath the mountains.

Scarletra also enjoyed the caves and thermal springs; they helped her keep clean and lounge about in utter bliss, a reprieve from the bitter cold.

Though she would never admit it to anyone, the warmth of the water reminded her of the large communal sleeping areas in her old village. She missed the tender care of that skinship. Yet, with how she ran off in the middle of the night and shirked her apparent destiny, it was doubtful she would ever have that kind of closeness again, even though the desire to have it gnawed at her soul like a pack of ravenous Purtirlin hounds.

Scarletra paused and looked down into the pit below her, taking a steadying breath to prepare for the jump. She dropped into the large hole, gritting her teeth to brace for impact in the deep snow surrounding the geyser in its center. She stumbled when her heavy frame landed in the shallow snow at the crater's base, sinking almost to her knees.

Steadying herself, she looked down at the scalding water contained in the pool just centimeters from her snout; a wave of relief filled her, knowing falling inside very well would have given her severe burns or killed her. Plenty of animals in her territory fell victim to that horrendous fate; the remnants of those unfortunate creatures were visible inside the scalding water.

Sacrletra picked up her spear and checked to ensure its stone tip had not been damaged; luckily, it was as sharp as ever, and only one of the back-facing barbs had broken off.

She sighed and looked at the several caverns carved by the geyser's flow. Any could be used as a hunting ground for the day since she could fit inside them, but the one she chose had the most green moss clinging to its walls. It would undoubtedly house the most life.

Stepping inside, Scarletra took a deep breath of the cooling air; the cave was far colder than when she was within arm's reach of the geyser. She was glad because the horrible heat and hot steam made her fur heavy, weighing her down like she was walking through chest-deep snow.

Scarletra followed the deep greens and light yellows of the mosses and other short reeds that thrived in the relative warmth of the caves. Thick steam rose from the water, making each step filled with hesitance, knowing she was several hundred meters away from the water being safe to touch and that the ground was slick from the plant growth.

She slowly worked into the deeper chambers one by one, her ears constantly flicking back and forth, keenly attuned to any sounds from the gift she wanted to present to the GU representative. At the same time, she kept her eyes peeled, her vision skirting the lowest portions of the walls, searching for any of the small nooks and crannies the Lirit liked to use for their dens.

Skarletra had to rely on sight and sound instead of scent because the steamy water filled the air with the rotted egg-like scent of sulfur. She hated it when she lost all sense of smell; it felt like she was walking around nearly blind, causing her to constantly check over her shoulder to try and cover that blind spot.

Although relying on sight and going this slow was not all bad. She could bask in the glow of the bioluminescent flowers that thrived in the cave, giving the area a wan, yellow light.

Scarletra made it into one of the deeper sections of the cave complex, and the smallest skitter of movement across the flowing water drew her eye. Her head snapped to it, following her ears.

A small creature dove into a tight tunnel; it was so fast she only saw the telltale sign of the beast: its long, fluffy tail. She smiled, glad she had found the target she wanted and not some other random animal. Now, all Scarletra had to do was lure it out of the hole and run it through with her spear.

Scarletra lumbered through the waist-deep water, warmth pushing into her skin, soothing her aching muscles. She thought it was a shame she was here hunting today; otherwise, she would happily strip and lounge in the soothing oasis for hours. Like she did once a month or so to ensure her thick fur was clean and well-groomed.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Once on the other side of the water, Sacrletra leaned close to the hole and pressed her ear into it. After a few moments, the sound of the adorable little fuzzball chirping and moving around became clear. Looking in, she sighed; the creature's burrow was too deep and had a turn in it. She hoped she could stab the beast from the entrance if it were short enough, but that would not work. Time for a new plan.

Scarletra kneeled into the squelching moss, reached into one of her pouches, and pulled out tinder and flint. Smoking the little creature out should work well enough; all the wet greenery on the walls would quickly create a large amount of smoke.

She carefully prepared her materials, made a small tinder nest, and pulled plenty of the grass and moss off the walls, placing it nearby, ready for when she lit the fire. After a few hard strikes and flying sparks, her tinder burned, and she pulled on the rest of the material. The greenery smoldered and gradually caught fire. A thick, heavy smoke flowed and filled the area.

Scarletra coughed, the acrid odor stinging her throat and nose. She quickly started to waft the smoke into the sett with one hand, holding her spear in a tense grip over her head, waiting for her prey.

After a few minutes of forcing the heavy smoke into the hole, the little creature inside began to squeal and cry in fright as the oxygen was sucked out of its home.

Scarletra listened carefully for the creature's movement toward the exit, the Lirit’s only salvation. After a few moments, tiny claws scraped against the stone. She clenched her spear tightly as it got closer, waiting for the Lirit to come into view.

The Lirit burst out of the tunnel and barreled through her smoke fire, tossing hot embers and smoke back at Scarletra’s face.

Scareltra squinted as the burning materials battered her face. She could barely see as her eyes watered, but she could see just enough to spot the Lirit’s movement. She screamed in defiance and thrust the spear down; the creature cried in pain as the barbed points collided with its tender flesh.

Scarletra dropped the meter and a half-long spear, panicking to wipe the burning feeling from her eyes.

“Ahh, it burns,” she groaned, rubbing the thick fur of her forearms against her eyes.

As she frantically tried to soothe the searing in her eyes, the small Lirit continued to scream and cry. Guilt grew inside her, spreading like a vile infection with each horrendous cry. She had hoped she got a clean kill, but regrettably, in her panic, she failed to do so.

Scarletra’s eyes fluttered open, the wan light of the oasis coming into focus. Her heart cracked upon seeing the Lirit. The tiny creature's beautiful and soft golden fur was matted by its blood as it desperately tried to crawl away with the spear shoved through its mid back, its hind legs limp, dragging through the slick blood.

“Oh no,” Scarletra said, quickly rushing to the Lirit.

She tried to grab the creature, but it growled and nipped, twisting out of her grasp. The pitiful animal fell into the pool of water and thrashed violently, trying to escape the gargantuan predator looming over it.

Scarletra dipped her furred hand into the water and grabbed the writhing creature by the neck. She put her thumb beneath the Litrits chin and quickly pressed hard. A shiver ran down her spine as the beast's vertebrae turned to dust under the pressure. All of its fight and life left its body in an instant. Its fluttering round ears stopped moving, and the fear in its vibrant brown eyes vanished. Sarletra felt a weight like a million tons crush her heart like a bug.

“I’m sorry, little one; I need something to give them,” Scarletra sniffled, setting the limp body on the ground. She stared at the body, blood pouring from the wound, trailing away and dripping into the water.

She fell into an odd fugue state, hating herself for hurting the adorable little beast. She could not think of the last time she killed anything other than for her to eat, taking little solace in that she would hopefully feed her new friend with it.

Scarletra sighed after a few minutes and ripped her spear from the creature. She gently took the Lirit in her hands and dunked it in the water, ensuring its body was empty of blood and that the beautiful golden fur was pristine.

“Great Mother, I hope this was worth it,” Sacrletra muttered as she draped the limp corpse off a rope loop on her clothes.

Scarletra worked her way out of the caves, trying to ignore the feeling of the Lirit’s body rubbing against her thigh. She reached the entrance just as the geyser started to erupt. She tucked in cover and watched the grand display of nature.

The geyser roared like the largest animal on the small moon, accosting her for taking one of the creatures that called it home. She tried to ignore the baleful roars as incomprehensible amounts of steam and water erupted from the moon's surface.

After the geyser had settled, she smiled, seeing a giant rainbow in the steam. Her cracked heart mended slightly, seeing a sign from the Great Mother that she approved of her actions.

“Thank you, Great Mother,” Scarletra said before she walked over to the slope and hoisted herself up to return to the outpost—and the person she hoped could fill the void in her soul.