It was a quiet trek through the woods. I didn’t know what I was expecting – an immediate high ranked monster attack? Considering how traumatic it was the last time I was in this forest, it almost felt wrong to have such a peaceful time.

Shiva barely made a sound as she navigated us around the bushes and trees. The farther in we got, the more rocky the terrain became. Cracks splintered the ground revealing the mountain’s reddish-brown dirt and random rock formations that stabbed up in the oddest places. All remnants of the world-wide earthquakes that nearly ripped Earth apart thirty-five years ago. The same earthquakes that reshaped continents and sank islands into the depths of the oceans, leaving behind the broken Earth that I knew today.

Shiva didn’t have trouble with the rocky terrain. She hopped over the rocks like she was a mountain goat, not a deer. Her relaxed manner was like a drug, attempting to dull my anxious nerves. But no matter how calm she was, my back was straight and my ears strained to hear every single sound in the forest. So far, I'd only heard bug noises. It was a good thing, but I still couldn’t relax.

I checked my compass again. We should be getting close to the location. I didn’t have a mile marker with me, but we were going in the right direction. I thought that we would be there by now. We didn’t miss them, did we? I glanced around the forest, peering between the trees. I couldn’t see any movements at all.

Just then, I noticed the smell of burning wood. A jolt of excitement zinged in the back of my mind. One of the first signs of a Fire Marten was a campfire smell. No human would make a campfire in this forest. It was like telling the monsters there was a buffet waiting for them. It had to be the Fire Martens.

I guided Shiva towards the smell. Soon enough, I could make out a musky odor and the smell of cooked meat that accompanied burnt wood scent. It was unpleasant, but I’d smelled worse from the monster kills that Hunters brought to trade at the store.

We didn’t go far before I noticed a break in the treeline. The ground on the other side was scorched black and there were burn scars on the surrounding trees. If I was right, that’s where the Fire Martens lived. Now I just had to kill one without breaking the fire sac, get it away from the other monsters – who knew how many were out there? – and get back to Mist Haven before dark. I had a whole nine hours to accomplish it. Easy, right?

“Yeah, right,” I muttered, and dismounted.

I could shoot while mounted, but I hadn’t practiced that in over a year. Even then, I hadn’t been on a real mount. It was just sitting on a stationary dummy mount to get the feel of the position. I wasn’t confident on being able to get a kill on the back of Shiva right now. Maybe after some training, when we were both more familiar with each other and our movements, but I couldn’t gamble my future anymore than I already had.

Not to mention, I wanted to get a view of the layout.

Shiva blinked her blue eyes at me, but didn’t move.

I patted her shoulder. “Stay here,” I whispered. I didn’t know what commands she had been trained with, but that was one that all mounts were taught. It was like teaching a dog ‘sit.’

Her nostrils flared as she blew a cold breath out, then she bumped my shoulders with her lips. Her ears suddenly perked in alert, then her left ear tilted towards the burnt area ahead. Something – no, more than one ‘something’ – was moving up there.

My heart leapt into my throat then pounded like a hammer, a million miles per hour. Calm down, Ria, I told myself. Just calm down. You’ve got this.

My fingers trembled slightly as I grabbed the bow strapped to my back, but my hold was firm. As soon as the grip fitted into my left palm, my jumping heart settled down a little. Even if it wasn’t my own bow, the weight of a familiar weapon was enough. My right hand brushed against the quiver buckled at my hip, making sure that it was in the right position.

I gave Shiva one last pat, then crouched down and crept towards the charred area. I was careful to keep foliage between me and my target, just like I was taught in Hunter training. Only, in class, I crept up on other students. We never practiced with real monsters – it was too expensive and dangerous. It might be beginner's luck – although I’d like to think I had some skill – but I made it to the largest half-burnt pine tree around the perimeter without any commotion. Right now, I didn’t know which one was worse: getting seen and the monsters running away, or getting seen and monsters attacking me. Both would suck.

Stolen story; please report.

The burnt area was about the size of a football field. Sparse burnt trees, stumps, and boulders littered the blackened earth. In the middle was one of the thickest trees I’d ever seen. Well, it used to be a tree. Now it was half a tree, since the top half had been burned away. A huge den hole had been dug out of the middle of the remaining wood. Even though it was littered in deep scratches, the poor tree must still be alive somehow, given the fresh green leaves hanging on a single enduring branch at the top. There were other trees around it, but they were like black and white skeletons. I couldn’t see a single flower or green bush in the whole area. The campfire smell was so strong, I could almost taste it.

At first, the area seemed deserted. Then something inside the den moved. Like a switch, five Fire Martens appeared around the area, up on the naked trees. The black fur on their long, slinky bodies made them nearly impossible to see when they sat on burned tree limbs. They were the size of a medium dog, had short legs and triangle heads with big round ears. Huge puffy tails, as long as their bodies, curled and twitched as they hummed and squeaked at each other.

They looked really cute … if it weren’t for the four inch fangs that hung out of their mouths. Their claws were nearly just as long. Fire Martens were E monsters, so they weren’t as fast or strong as other monsters, but their bites could still inflict a serious wound on stronger Hunters. But the most concerning part about them was they breathed fire.

Another Fire Marten climbed out of the den. It was at least twenty-five percent larger than all the other monsters. It squawked at the closest Fire Monster then growled. Suddenly, its chest puffed up as it arched backwards. The black fur on its chest separated and a bright red fleshy bubble inflated, glowing and swirling like lava – the fire sac. The smaller Fire Marten squealed in alarm, but it couldn’t move fast enough to fully dodge. The larger Fire Marten opened its mouth and released a stream of fire that shot twenty feet in the blink of an eye.

The orange fire attack hit the tail of the smaller Fire Marten. That monster shrieked and jumped off the now burning tree in a panic. It dropped almost thirty feet to the hard ground, then scurried away, its tail still smoking. The other Fire Martens ducked behind the branches in their barren trees, as if trying to diminish their presence. The larger Fire Marten retreated into the den as if satisfied.

I barely paid attention to those monsters … because the injured Fire Marten was charging right in my direction. I swallowed my gasp – it would give away my position – and ducked closer to the tree I was hiding behind. But the Fire Marten didn’t seem to notice me. It angled sharply to the left and ran up a bare tree thirty feet away like it was defying gravity. It didn’t stop until it was on the top branch. Then it sat down and patted at the singed fur on its fluffy tail.

I was surrounded by fire, but my forehead was covered in cold sweat. Fire Martens were practically immune to fire attacks. Yet the larger monster still lit the smaller one on fire. If that attack hit me … I didn’t even want to think about it. Did I really have the ability to do this? I already had a comfortable future ready for me. I didn’t have to prove myself to anyone. I could just turn around, go back and…

And regret it for the rest of my life.

No. I wouldn’t give up without giving it my all first.

I focused on the injured Fire Marten. Forty feet was an easy shot, especially if I was aiming for its body. But if I hit the body, I’d ruin the fire sac. So I needed a head shot. And I needed to do it without the other Fire Martens noticing. Then I could ride Shiva in there, grab the kill, and get out before their fire caught up with me.

With a plan firmly in place, I nocked an arrow to the bowstring and drew it back. Now that I’d gotten to this point, it almost felt a little odd. I’d shot thousands of arrows in my lifetime, but this was the first time I’d aimed one at a living thing. I couldn’t tell if I was sickened by it, or excited to have my first kill and prove I was a Hunter. Maybe it was both at the same time.

I settled my emotions and focused. I wasn’t just paying attention to my target, I was also keeping track of the other Fire Martens. I wanted to shoot when the others weren’t paying attention. Fire Martens weren’t particularly intelligent creatures. They wouldn’t be able to tell where the arrow came from if they didn’t see it fly. But if they saw where it came from, all bets were off.

I didn’t know how long I waited for them all to look away at the same time. It felt like eternity. My heart jumped with excitement and I loosed the arrow.

The Fire Marten stood on its hind legs at the same instant. The arrow, which was aiming at its head, sank into the Fire Marten’s chest. Then there was a faint ‘chink’ sound. Suddenly its fire sac exploded. The surprisingly large fireball knocked the dead monster right off the branch and it landed on the ground with a thud. A dull sound that echoed through the suddenly silent air.

My mouth dropped open in shock. How could that possibly happen? It, it moved right then? I thought I would feel so accomplished when I got my first kill, but all I felt was disbelief. And horror.

Five pairs of Fire Marten eyes zeroed in on the dead monster. In my direction. Inside the depths of the den, a fire ignited, backlighting the monster inside like a demon.