The little beetle was tickling my forearm as it crawled along it.

Studying the little blue thing, I wondered just how many different bugs there were. I’d never seen one like this before. It had a little horn and everything. It looked like an antler, the way it branched.

Luckily father didn’t seem to notice, or care, that I was distracted. I shifted just enough to make sure the bug crawled from my right forearm to my left, and not off it. I wanted to study it further.

It was about the size of my thumb, and felt oddly heavy for a bug. But it didn’t seem to be in much a hurry, or have any intent to sting or bite me… if it even had such an ability to do so. I didn’t see any mouth or stinger on it… though maybe its horn could sting somehow? It looked more flat than pointy at the ends, though.

While I studied the little bug, a leaf landed on my head. I flicked my ears to get it off, and my father finally noticed my actions because of it.

“Leave fallen leaves and stuff on you if you’re not moving. Lets you blend in easier,” he grumbled at me.

Right. Right…

I nodded lightly, afraid to say anything. If I did he’d probably just growl at me for talking when we were supposed to be silently laying in wait for our prey.

We were both laying on the ground, on our bellies, in-between two very big trees. Their roots were coiled around each other, and us, which helped further hide us from sight. Plus this area was on a sharp hill, allowing us to overlook the whole area below. Winding through the area, passing through trees and heading away from our home and off into the world I’d never gone to, was a path. One made by animals. Deer, elk, bear and even us cats too. We were able to take it all in, while remaining hidden… so it was the perfect spot to lay in wait.

We’d been laying here for the better part of the morning. Ever since meeting up with my father at the spring, all he’s really done is tell me that it was time… and that although he’d watch, to verify I did the deed, he’d not help me.

Which was funny, since I really thought grandfather’s rule was that no one was supposed to help or watch either.

But I wasn’t going to complain. Since all it would do was incur his wrath.

The little blue bug finally found a spot to leave my arm, and fall to the ground. I resisted the urge to shift and pick the thing up as I watched it slowly crawl away from me.

Darn. Now I’d be bored again.

What now…? Should I go back to counting the fallen leaves? They were falling often enough to do so, but they still fell so rarely and infrequently…

Keeping a sigh from escaping, I focused on my tail. I had to move it slowly, as to not let father hear it doing so, but about half way down my tail I had a small itch. One I could ignore when I had something to focus on, but when bored it became unbearable.

I scanned the forest around us as I slowly moved my tail along my thigh, near where my pants seam was located. It was just rough enough to get through my tail’s fur and scratch it.

“Rennalee,” my father’s voice made me flinch, and I closed my eyes for a moment in expectation.

But no thunk on the head came.

Slowly opening my eyes, I found the reason why.

There were people. In the distance, on the path.

Frowning, I squinted my eyes and tried to see past the rays of sunlight. They were bright enough, and full of dust and other stuff, to make it a little difficult to make them out.

“Who’s that…?” I asked softly.

My siblings? Surely not. They would know better than to risk father’s wrath by showing up like this. Especially when on the trail our prey would soon be coming from and…!

“What…?” father sounded upset.

Great. Now I was going to have to watch father beat my siblings half to death.

I didn’t like any of them, really, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed watching such a scene. Especially since it usually meant I got beat too, inevitably. Even if I wasn’t part of the cause.

“Those are your prey, girl,” father then said with a harsh tone.

“Huh…!” I just nearly sat up in shock, but luckily didn’t move.

“Those are the humans,” he whispered with a snarl.

My whole body suddenly went cold, and I noticed out of the corner of my eyes a bunch of goose bumps form on my forearms. I ignored them though as I studied the…

“Humans…?” I asked with a whisper. That was what they were? That’s what they meant by humans?

But…

That meant we were humans, right? Or…

“Those aren’t people, daughter. Those are humans. You’re weak but I hadn’t thought you stupid too,” father scoffed at me, and then slowly moved his arm closer, as to point at something for me to see.

I followed his point, and found the spot. About half way down the trail from where they were at now, was a small bend. One with a bunch of trees and heavy bushes.

“The only help I’ll give you. Come back with their eyes or don’t come back at all,” he said… then slid back.

My hear thumped wildly as I listened to my father roll away. He crawled behind us, between two roots, and then left me behind.

For the first time in a long time, I debated enduring my father’s wrath. To anger him, if at least to get a few answers or at least… to somehow…

Understand what…

I blinked wildly as the… humans… rounded a tree and got closer. They were still a distance from me, but I could now make out that they did indeed look like what I had assumed they were.

They were like us.

They stood on two legs. Had two arms. They were even wearing clothes like us and…

Were those tools? That looked like a bow on the back of the one in the middle. Surely not, right…?

My mouth felt weird and fuzzy as I gulped a dry mouthful of nothing.

Humans…

Focusing, I tried to see what their tails or ears looked like. Maybe they had different types? Maybe that’s why they were called something else?

But from here I just couldn’t see any of their tails, or their ears. But one was wearing a hat, and they were all bundled up a little oddly. Weren’t they hot in all that stuff? It was nearing winter, but the wind wasn't chilling to the bone just yet.

Nevertheless…

Taking a deep breath, I groaned at myself and what I was about to do.

Sliding forward, I did my best to stay as low to the ground as possible as I went to a crouched position and began to quickly descend the small hill I was on. I was aiming for the bend my father had pointed out to me. It was still far enough away that I should reach it long before they did, but…

I’d need to be careful. If they were like us, as they seemed to be, then they’d be able to not only see and hear for a far distance…

They’d be able to smell me too.

And I was currently upwind from them. The wind had been rolling down the hill for a few hours now, which was why the leaves had been falling on us and not away from us.

What to do…? I could round them, and ambush them on the other side of the bend. To keep myself downwind… but I’d still be near. If they could smell as good as my parents, or even worse as well as my grandparents or uncle… then the only way to keep them from smelling me would be to hide in water. There was a creek nearby, but there was no guarantee they’d even go near it. It was off the game path a small distance. Far enough away I couldn't even hear the running water.

Though it wasn’t like hiding was completely required.

I only needed to hunt them… even if they smelled me, and knew I was here, it didn’t matter.

I just needed to surprise them. To pounce on them quickly enough, without being noticed, to do enough damage and harm as to win.

Though that was easier said than done most of the time…

Reaching the end of the hill, I slowed to a stop as I went to hiding behind and halfway inside a bush. I stayed there until the humans came back into view, and I was able to study them for a moment to ensure they still weren’t aware of my presence.

They didn’t seem to be. In fact…

Yes. I was starting to hear them.

Wait. They were talking?

My jaw clenched, and my teeth grounded loudly as I twisted my ears and tried to focus. Through the rustle of leaves and branches, through my own heartbeat and thoughts…

Yes. I could hear them. They were actually talking.

I couldn’t make out what was being said, if they were even speaking words at all, but…

It was obvious they were.

Had grandmother or grandfather ever said they could speak…?

They had spoken of these humans like they did other common beasts. Never as if they were… like us or…

It had been why I had never paid much attention to when they spoke of them. I had thought they had simply just been talking about another forest animal. One of countless.

Leaving the safety of the bush, I kept low to the ground and crawled closer to the bend that was my goal.

Looking away from the humans, I studied the bend I was approaching and wondered where I’d choose to hide.

It was covered in grass, and surrounded by thick bushes. The type that were so full of leaves even during the season when leaves fell, they didn't lose all of them. And around the path, clumped together, were a bunch of trees. Larger ones, with full treetops and branches.

One of the trees looked like something I’d favor. It was angled between two others, and its branches were thick and coiled around not just each other but the other tree's branches too. The perfect type of tree to hide in and not be seen. Yet also in a spot that even if I hide a little deeper into the tree’s branches and leaves than normal, I’d still able to leap out and attack one of them on the path with ease.

Location was everything. Placement was just as important…

“Then patience…” I whispered ever so softly, as I repeated my grandmother’s teachings.

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Reaching the bend took a few minutes, but I accomplished it. I sat up against one of the larger tree trunks, out of sight of the humans, and studied the branches and treetops for a moment.

Yes. That one tree really was the perfect choice.

But that choice wouldn’t let me study the humans as they approached.

I’d only be able to get a clear view of them once they were in range of my claws.

The tree opposing it, on the other side of the path however…

It had a section of branches that was nearly just as perfect in placement. They’d let me perform my ambush. They were also thick enough to hide me, even from the eyes of the most timid prey. But…

They weren’t near any other large branches. All of the branches surrounding it were thin, little things. Things that'd not be able to support my weight. Which meant if I did get seen and noticed… I’d either have to immediately jump out and attack, or flee away without cover.

I wouldn’t be able to leap from that tree to another, and use the thick trees and branches for cover. I'd have to fall to the ground and run away from there.

Usually that wasn’t that big a deal. Even when hunting another predator…

But one of those men had been carrying a bow.

Something I’d never considered before.

Being chased, one needed to either zig-zag or get onto a path or perch your pursuer couldn't get to. If you were being followed by a creature in the sky, you kept low and under the densest forestry you could find. Yet...

How did one fight a bow?

For that matter, how did one even make a bow?

Uncle had one. But although I’ve seen him use it many times, I’d never found out where he got it or how to use it…

I knew the arrow could be shot outward quickly, and it could hurt and kill with ease. But I also knew it was difficult to fire too many of them too quickly. It was why uncle only used it occasionally. It was easier to just hunt with our own two hands.

Speed was of the factor here… so…

Rounding the bend, and then crossing it where the bushes and trees were thickest and not in the line of sight of the humans who were still approaching, I carefully went to the tree I had in mind of using.

Climbing it was easy enough. It like most of the trees around here had thick and hard bark. The kind that was easy to sink nails into. The kind that was sturdy enough to not break from my weight, as long as I moved carefully and slowly.

Reaching the first layer of branches, I paused a moment to reconsider the tree again. I verified it was what I wanted, and thought it was, and then continued up to the upper branches.

Finding the perfect branch, I carefully crawled up onto it… and then stepped a few feet out and away from the tree itself. I stopped in front of the largest clump of leaves and smaller branches, and took a deep breath.

There was a weird stink in the air. And not from the birds nest that was nearby, a few branches over.

Is this what humans smelled like?

They smelled like old leather. Old leather and… something else. Something other than just their clothes and lack of bathing. Something worse than just being dirty.

My nose scrunched up as I realized what that smell was.

Gross.

As I sat in a half crouched position, I studied the spot down the path where they’d be coming from. They were still out of sight, but here at least I’d be able to study them for a bit before they reached me.

It was a little dangerous, to be in their view for so long… but I didn’t feel safe trying to attack them without knowing a little more about them.

My brother was a bastard, but when it came to hunting he had a lot of pride. If he said these humans could be dangerous or troublesome depending on the situation, then that likely meant what I thought it did.

They could be dangerous, depending on what kind of weapons they had.

Right…?

I sniffed again, to make sure I didn’t smell anything weird.

I didn’t. I didn’t even smell my father, but that was likely because he was far away still.

He’d watch… but as he had said, he’d not intervene.

Even if I died. He’d not save me.

But that was simply life.

You had to hunt to eat. To survive.

If you couldn’t hunt then… well…

I sighed as I lowered my head and ears a little. I was covered by the tree’s leaves and branches, but the humans were starting to get loud. They were drawing near.

Peering through the leaves, I found a good spot to use. I had to angle my head a little oddly, to properly see through the leaves, but it worked great. Pretty much the whole path was visible, and I didn’t have to leave my head or ears in view.

As I stared through the leaves, I realized I was a little… tense.

Not a surprise. I always got anxious when I was hunting. I wasn’t like my siblings who seemingly could do it without even a worry.

Even little Fellisee, as gentle and kind as she was, didn’t hesitate to hunt. She could kill anything without a blink of the eye… at least until she did it accidentally.

Me however…?

A voice carried through the rustling of leaves, and my back shivered. The shiver ran all the way to the tip of my tail, and my heartbeat suddenly got real loud.

What the… Why had that actually sounded… kind of…?

Staring apprehensively at the path, I waited… and waited… and the voices grew louder and louder. A part of me was very happy to hear them talking so loudly, and openly. It meant they didn’t feel there were any threats around. But…

But…

The voices said something. And I started to recognize the four different voices. I heard… men. Like my brothers and father. Yet not as deep or strong as my grandfather, or uncle.

Yet although I could hear words, and their tones…

I couldn’t understand them.

Frowning as I tried to understand what one of them was saying, I wondered if it was because they were still so far away… or if they weren’t people at all.

Maybe my father and brother had been right. Maybe they weren’t people, but only looked like it. It would make sense, honestly. There were many animals that looked very similar to others, yet were not the same at all. Different types of deer for instance could appear to be the same at a distance, but once you were close their differences became obvious and glaring and...

A twig snapped loudly, and my ears flinched. Had that been on purpose...? I held my breath for a moment, but decided it hadn't been. They were being noisy. And not because they were trying to alarm one another over a possible threat.

They sounded like they were talking, but maybe… maybe they were just making noises randomly. Like some animals did. Like prey did.

Or even, maybe they were just trying to mimic us. Somehow.

But if they were that mindless, why then would they be wearing clothes and carrying stuff…? Tools especially…?

Then they came into view.

My heartbeat tripled, and I could barely contain myself as I watched three men… and a woman come into view.

I didn’t know where to look or what to study first.

Their clothes? The weird bags on their backs, two of which were towering over them oddly?

The bow? Or the weird looking arrows next to it? Why did he have the pointed ends sticking out? Uncle always made his arrows point the other way. Who was doing it right? Or were those not the arrows at all?

They had weird looking shoes. Even weirder things on their hands. Like clothes for their fingers. The woman had long hair and…

Frowning, I blinked as I realized something very important. Something I hadn’t noticed yet should have.

They didn’t have any ears.

“Impossible…” I whispered the word, and regretted it. Quickly lowering my head, I closed my eyes as I went silent… and tried to control my heart. To get it to slow its quick beating.

Please… please tell me they hadn’t heard…

A few moments passed… and I realized they hadn’t. They had kept talking in their weird language.

Language…!

Perking up, I returned to staring at them through the leaves.

Yes. That was it. They weren’t just making noises. They were talking. They were just… not talking like me. Not like us. Grandmother had called it language before. She had described it when talking about the gods we had hunted for. How they had spoken in their own language. One we hadn’t understood, but had obeyed anyway.

I really… really wish my family wasn’t so strange.

They should have taught me more about these things. These… humans.

I almost didn’t want to kill them. Just so I could learn from them. To study them.

Would father get angry if I took their clothes? That woman looked to be a bit bigger than me, but maybe I could fashion them into something I could wear. At least those shoes… they looked so much better than the leather wraps I was wearing…

One then said something, and the others went to laughing as they slowed down.

Uh oh.

Watching them intently, I realized something was wrong. Though likely not my doing. They had stopped about half way down the path to me, and one of them was walking off the path. Heading between some trees.

I quickly lost sight of the man, and for a moment I panicked.

Did… did they notice me?

Was he rounding me? As to catch me unawares?

If so why him? Why not the man with the bow? The one with the bow was still with the rest. He was now talking deeply with the woman about something.

But as they talked, and I panicked… I eventually came to realize my panic was unfounded. A nasty smell in the air told me what had been the issue, and although it bothered me, it also made me calm down.

The man had simply needed to relieve himself.

Letting out a tiny breath of relief, I relaxed as I watched the man re-emerge onto the path. He said something that made the rest laugh, and then they returned to walking.

Thanks to how leisurely they were walking, and how… calm and even-natured their voices sounded, I felt oddly comfortable with what I was about to do.

They didn’t seem to be aware of my presence at all.

Only one of the men had a bow. The others had other tools, but none seemed too dangerous.

Plus they all looked heavily burdened. Two of their packs were so big; they looked as if they would topple over and make them fall over from weight alone.

I’d be able to do this.

Although there were four of them… they’d be easier than a bear.

Easier than another predator.

Easier than my family.

I’d go for the one with the bow first. I’d either bite or claw his throat, depending on how I land on him when I jump off the branch.

Then I’d grab those arrows. Just a handful. I’d not grab the bow… but I’d use them all the same.

My next target would be the man with the smaller pack. Not just because that smaller pack would make him more nimble, but because he was the biggest of all of them. He was bigger than my brothers. I’ll need to jump up a little as to stab him with the pointed arrow ends.

The other two I’d be able to deal with either immediately after, or one at a time later. If they panic or don’t attack me right away… I might just run off. And then slowly pick at them from a distance, over the next few days. The same way I'd chase and hunt a small herd if alone.

Maybe I’ll get lucky and as I ran off, I’d be able to injure or maim one of them. Maybe I’d be able to save one of the arrows, and nick a leg or something.

Wait…

Hesitating, I wondered if…

Quickly going through my memories, I tried to recall all the stories of these humans. The ones given to me by my grandparents, and the few given to me by mother.

Had any of them… ever said they had our healing?

Our strength?

We had hunted them. For our gods. And it seemed we hunt them even now… so…

But that didn’t mean they hadn’t been blessed by their gods as we had. It doesn’t mean…

Shoot…

I cursed myself as I realized I had probably just horribly underestimated these things.

Although not us… and even though they didn’t have our ears, or speak our language… they still looked eerily similar.

These things could be more like me than I think.

What if they were more like my siblings? More like them, than me?

Stronger. Faster. Smarter…

The new realization made me terrified, but I didn’t know what to do about it.

If I didn’t… kill these humans…

My father would kill me.

He had said I shouldn’t go home if I failed. And the rest of my family had hinted, and always said similar… but I knew the truth.

My father would not hesitate to end my life if he deemed me unsuitable.

If he thought my blood would taint and bring the rest of the family down. If he thought my weakness might get spread… he’d cull it.

As he had done before. To his other family.

He had killed his previous wife and children. For that very reason. Because they had been too weak. Too…

The humans beneath me laughed as they neared. I was moments away from being able to leap out and attack. The man with the bow, the one I wanted to attack first, was even walking right where I wanted him.

Pushing all my thoughts and worries away, I focused on him.

His neck. His body. His bow.

His voice…

Flinching at the man, I realized he really did look like us.

He didn’t have our ears. His eyes weren’t very bright, and his teeth oddly flat… but…

With a heavy heart, and a painful head, I firmed myself.

My tail became stiff. My ears focused. My eyes narrowed.

Then, with a deep breath… my heart slowed.

The world grew oddly quiet, evened though it wasn’t.

The wind seemed to stop, even though it kept blowing.

The whole world continued, as I froze in time.

Then the man laughed. Closing his eyes. His laugh echoed loudly. It felt happy. Honest. It came from his belly. I’d never heard a laugh like that before.

Never.

Yet that laugh, although somehow neat and interesting… precious even… did what I needed. It made him unaware. It made him open to attacks, and defenseless.

He laughed, becoming the perfect target. And because of it, my heart returned to beating.

And then I jumped.