The Land of Monsters was harsh. It was a place you could only survive if you were strong – or if your loved ones were strong. There were the rival packs to contend with, and roving malforms too strong to need a pack, or too vicious to get along with one.

Or traitors to their kind.

Even without the malforms, there were storms, heatwaves, and insects. Few natural animals could survive here, but the insects thrived – biting, stinging, poisoning. They concentrated around the Lake of Plagues, but nowhere was free of them. At least they were something to eat. She imagined Lili chiding her about the etiquette of stuffing her face with locusts. A cheap laugh to cheer herself up.

For all the dangers, for all the suffering, this place was home, and Thyssa loved it. She was brave, because she knew she had her pack to protect her.

Until now.

Without a pack, Thyssa was as defenseless as she was lonely. She ran and hid from place to place. She barely had time to catch her breath before someone else came hunting her. She slept on rocks covered in shaggy algae, trying to recreate the feeling of her mother’s hair.

One day, she was just finishing off the fruits of her hunt when she heard shrieks. A malform, chased by a pair of Stormwatch troops. What were they doing all the way out here…? Whatever it was, they weren’t getting away with this. Thyssa drew her scissors and chased them.

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Soon, they managed to corner the malform. Its many eyes darted around, looking for a safe place and finding none.

“Mercy!” cried the malform. “Don’t want to die.”

“You should have thought about that before eating our potatoes!” shouted one of the Stormwatch, full of righteous fury.

“Die for your crimes!” shouted the other.

They raised their spears.

From above, Thyssa leapt down on one and slit his throat.

The other lunged for her, but was suddenly impaled from behind. The malform shook him off its frontmost horn. Even the most fearful malform could be dangerous if frightened.

And frightened it was. All its eyes watched Thyssa as its body trembled.

“I’m not Stormwatch,” said Thyssa. “You’re safe now.”

“No. Not safe.”

“I’m not with them.”

“I know what you are.”

“Then you know I’m their enemy too. They’re dangerous, but so are we. If we work together, we can push them back.”

“We have nothing to push them back from. Everything good. Everything strong. They kept it. All we have. All we are. Nothing.”

“That’s what they tell us. But we can prove them wrong.”

“We cannot defeat the humans.” Its gaze focused on her. “But I can defeat you.”

“No, you can’t,” said Thyssa. “Don’t throw your life away.”

“My life is worth nothing. And it’s not going to be anything, either. Not without the Benevolent Heart.”

“It’s a trick! They’re just trying to get us all killed!”

“Then why do you keep it?”

Thyssa had no clever answer, and the malform didn’t wait for one. It charged at Thyssa. She leapt away. It turned sharply, grinding the dirt with its hooves, and charged again. This time, Thyssa managed to get around it. She jumped on it. It tried to shake her off, but she held on tight. With one hand, she dashed its head open with a rock.

Thyssa looked at the corpses littering the ground.

Was this her life now? Just endless slaughter? Was that what it meant to be a human?