Scarletra Ursana had lived the last few local years as a recluse. She had fled from her clan and home after years of Mother, using and abusing her over the course of her life. With the cumulative event being her attempting to force Scarletra to marry a young lad from another village for some political maneuver.

Farun was nice enough, but he was so young, inexperienced, and unsure of himself that Scarletra found him repulsive.

Scarletra would much rather enjoy the company of the older men in the village; their confidence, assurance, and experience set her body alight. But Mother would never approve, and the ones she fancied were either spoken for or uninterested in someone as young as her—even though she was an adult.

She had been blessed as an adult woman years before Mother attempted to arrange her pairing with Farun; that was when her mother gave her a name. The fact that Mother named her after the color of blood was repulsive. Mother wanted a warrior, a leader, an heir, not a crafter, even though Scarletra would rather whittle and make sculptures.

Scarletra stopped at a stream that trickled through the snow-covered rocks, hoping to soothe her drying throat. Today's hunt had been long and arduous, with her only managing to hunt a single Khatnit stag. She dipped her large hands into the ice-cold water, washing the blood off her long claws. The water held her fur down as she brought the rejuvenating liquid to her lips.

Looking into the water, she paused, spotting her reflection. She looked tired. Her once bright golden eyes had little luster left. Her large ears were round, still soft, and perched atop her head, poking out of silver-gray ass-length hair. She sighed, seeing flecks of blood on her face; despite being alone, Scarletra still cared about her appearance, at least somewhat.

She was large, even amidst her species, standing nearly three meters tall, while most were around two. She had the arctic Varintol’s usual build, thick and heavy muscles covered by even thicker layers of insulating fat. She did not like that it gave her a large, imposing frame juxtaposed with her gentle nature.

Scarletra regularly hunted and killed but would rather not hurt anything unless she had to, much to Mother's dismay. Scarletra would prefer to hold and cuddle the tiny creatures; they were cute and soft and did not insist she had to be a savage berserker or the next matriarch of the clan. They were okay with her being herself, even if they feared her.

The only other notable difference between her and the others from her now oh-so-distant village was her fur color. Dull gray and white stripes covered her entire body, offering her effective camouflage in the deep, never-ending winter.

Most of the village was one or the other, with a few that wore brown fur. But she had been blessed with a striped mix. A unique note of her alone. Without the camouflage it offered, she would have undoubtedly starved by now, so she saw it as a boon from the Great Mother.

Scarletra rubbed her hands through her thick fur, combing out any remnants of the scrub and bramble buried within. She ensured her light clothing did not have unwanted stragglers like insects or other parasites; Scarletra ran her large knife-like claws around her thick hips and large breasts, ensuring no bugs had found safety in the deep valleys and crevices.

Knowing none were there, Scarletra resumed her trudge through the green bows and deep snow toward one of the caves she called home. The caves are the only location where the judgemental eyes of her family could not find her despite their trying for years.

—-

Scarletra dragged her latest kill toward the cave, a heavy trail of blood sopping the snow behind them. Scarletra looked back at the creature and sighed. She hated seeing it. The kill was not clean; the stag screamed and flailed horribly when she ripped its neck open. The memory made her shudder. But she had to eat, and killing was the rule of nature in the tundras of Baritin.

The noises and the stag's horrified eyes made her nearly tear up as a knot formed in her throat; no matter how many she killed, it never got easier. She did not want them to suffer even if she knew the Khatnit stags were plentiful. They were another of the Great Mothers' creatures who deserve love and respect.

Why did killing them have to weigh on her so heavily?

Scarletra sighed, dropped the stag near the cave entrance, and headed inside to retrieve one of the sacks she crafted and some rope but paused before reaching the entrance. Her large ears fluttered when a strange droning pierced the howling winds and drew her attention, looking skyward at a large shuttle entering the atmosphere, passing overhead like a comet.

It was strange that a shuttle was heading toward the GU outpost. The GU tended to avoid Baritin. They had tried to establish outposts and contact the clans generations ago. But apparently, her elders' gruff and stubborn demeanor was more than the GU wanted to deal with. So they built their large dishes and outposts in the reaches no one claimed, then left her family alone. She did not know if the other tribes still had contact with the people from the stars but assumed they were similar.

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The GU never even left anyone at the outposts; they had been abandoned for years. Scarletra knew this because when she initially left her tribe to escape Mother, she tried to contact the GU in the hopes they might be able to offer her shelter and a new lot in life, but all of the outposts were vacant—no matter how many times she went back over the years.

Scarletra wondered how long the GU would be here, seeing this as her chance to get as far away from her old clan as possible, knowing they would eventually find her and try to drag her back into the fold, no matter how much she kicked and screamed. Seizing the opportunity, Scarletra rushed through the woods, uncaring of the trees she toppled and the boulders she tossed away in her wake.

Scarletra's heart overflowed with anticipation. Her years upon years of isolation would finally come to an end. All she had to do was reach the outpost before the ship took off. She had no doubt the GU would welcome her and let her escape this tundra. They tried to bring her clan to the stars before, so why not her?

As Scarletra reached the precipice of a cliff that overlooked the outpost, her heart sank as the shuttle took off and quickly vanished over the distant mountains.

They had hardly been on the surface for more than a few minutes. Scarletra initially thought she had missed her chance to escape and have someone, anyone she could talk to, hug, or hold dear That was until she paid more attention to the buildings of the outpost nestled deep in the valley.

Someone was down there; they were slamming into the doors, trying to enter the most prominent building. Even with Scarletra's exceptional vision, she could not make out any details about the individual from here. The kilometers of distance and the fluttering snow made them appear as little more than a shifting shadow amidst the gray buildings.

Scarletra smiled, her heart overflowing with joy before she stepped down the snowy cliff. Someone more agile and petite than her might have been able to sled down the side without disturbing the snowpack much, but her massive bulk did not allow her to do that.

Her descent was akin to a small avalanche as she plowed through the meters of heavily packed frost. She nearly tumbled several times on the way down when she collided with a few unseen boulders, but minor setbacks like that would not stop her now. All she had to do was make a good first impression.

—-

The sun had set long before Scarletra reached the GU outpost. Flood lights high above the facility bathed the area with bright orange light. Scarletra cautiously moved through the exterior gates and ambled past the smaller buildings.

The odor of the outpost was disgusting; it was heavy and acrid. The scent of oil, gasoline, and other chemicals caused her eyes to water. How the creatures of the GU could stand being around here was beyond her; she hoped the inside of their homes smelled less repulsive.

Scarletra took a deep, steadying breath as she neared the doors, worried her appearance would horrify whatever creature the GU had dropped off. Her massive frame was usually unsettling enough for her own kind. How an alien would react was unknown. For all she knew, they would like how she looked; she was big, huggable, and cute.

At least she hoped that they would find her cute.

The tales she had heard about the species of the GU said they were similar in size to the normal Varintol. At least if Mother and the elders were to be believed, they told tales of creatures lacking muscle, fur, and survival ability.

Scarletra did not want to put faith in the words of those horrible people, not after what they put her through. She had to see for herself.

As she neared the main building, she noticed the snow was disturbed by the actions of whoever was inside, likely from when they were slamming against the door. She spotted a small object poking out of the snow. Kneeling, she carefully pinched it between her claws.

She drew the brown tube along her nose, smelling it intensely. It smelled woody and earthy, reminding her of some of the mosses that grew in the southernmost reaches of her territory during the summer. The blissful smell sent a shiver down her spine. She had no idea what this was for, but it was made of some dried leaf and reminded her of what other warriors would smoke before and after a battle.

Scarletra tucked the curiosity into the belt pouch she used to store her few spices and other condiments and went to the door; she paused and curiously looked at it, her confusion growing as she could not find a way to open the metal hatch.

Her tribe used skins as doors, and you just simply pushed those open. She did not have the slightest idea how to open the strange metallic hatch the GU had constructed. She spent nearly half an hour clawing at the door, carving into the relatively soft metal, trying to see if that would open the door. No luck.

Having failed at her attempt to enter, she wandered around the outside of the building, trying to peek through the windows inside, but could not see through any of them. The inside was pitch black, and the ice was far too thick. It was so solid that even her clawing at the ice only gouged deep channels in the surface.

Scarletra growled in frustration. She hoped that she finally would have someone else to talk to. Knowing that the only other creature within several days' walk was only a few weak layers of metal away was infuriating. Yet she was not going to destroy their home just to see them. That would in no way help her meet her new neighbor.

Her final attempt at making contact was knocking on the door.

“Hello, is anyone there?” Scarletra roared as she continued to bludgeon the entrance.

Maybe they could not hear, so she struck the door harder and roared at the top of her lungs. The metal began to buckle under her heavy strikes. She immediately stopped feeling nervous that her new neighbor would be upset at the damage she had already accidentally caused to their home. Why was everything so soft and so easy to break? She did not want to destroy anything, but it just happened. Hopefully, they understand.

Dejected, Scarletra rounded the area, leaving traces of her scent all across nearly every surface she could touch, hoping the creature inside would pick up on her subtle bouquet of spices and musk, allowing them to come and find her.

Afterward, she stomped off into the winter night and back toward her cave, knowing it would take her a whole day to return. She decided to attempt to make contact again another day after getting a proper gift of friendship for them. Even if it meant she would have to kill another creature to prepare it, doing so would undoubtedly help her when they meet.

Who doesn’t want a gift, after all?