Scarletra stalked the verdant pines of the forests several kilometers north of her cave. This area was well off and away from the GU outpost and her den. It took her most of the day and their previous night after she departed the outpost to reach here.

　　She wanted to reach the section of the region she had claimed as her territory because of the animals that dwelled within, even though almost all of the area she called hers took several days to traverse—even at her faster-than-normal speeds.

　　Her goal gift for her new neighbor was a Lirit. The Lirit are small furred creatures that enjoyed this area because there was a cave complex underneath the mountains. The little beasts liked the caves due to the extensive amount of thermal springs.

　　Scarletra also enjoyed the caves and thermal springs they helped her keep clean and lounge about in utter bliss, a deep reprieve from the otherwise cold climate. Though she would never admit it to anyone, the warmth of lounging in the waters reminded her of the large communal sleeping areas in her old village.

　　She somewhat missed the tender care of that skinship. But with how everything had gone, she doubted 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 in a steadying breath to prepare herself for the jump. She dropped into a 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, her feet sinking almost to her knees.

　　Steadying herself, she looked down at the scalding hot water centimeters from her snout around the pool in the center; a wave of relief filled her. She knew falling inside very well would have given her severe burns, having seen enough of the small animals in her territory fall victim to that horrendous fate, the remnants of those unfortunate creatures left floating inside the scalding water.

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

　　She sighed and looked down at one of the several caverns carved by the geyser`s flow. She could use several as a hunting ground for the day because 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, but not much. She was glad for that because the horrible heat and hot steam made her fur heavy, and so heavy she might as well be 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. A thick steam rose from the water, filling each step 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 ducked low and slowly worked her way into the deeper chambers, 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, looking 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.

　　Scarletra smiled and basked in the glow of the bioluminescent flowers that thrived in the cave. They glowed in a light yellow—-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. Now, all Scarletra had to do was lure it out of the hole and stab it through. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author`s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

　　Scarletra trodded through the water, the 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.

　　Once on the other side of the water, Sacrletra leaned close to the hole and pressed her ear into it. After a few moments, she heard the sound of the adorable little fuzzball chirping and moving around. 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.

　　Scarletra kneeled into the squelching moss, reached into one of her pouches, and pulled out her tinder and flint. Smoking the little creature out should work well enough; with all the wet greenery on the walls, she could 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 wafted out.

　　Scarletra coughed on the acrid odor as it singed 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, she heard tiny claws scraping 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 singed her eyes and fur. She could barely see as her eyes watered, but she could see just enough to spot the Lirit`s movement.

　　Scarletra screamed 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. Scarletra felt guilt growing, 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 when she caught sight of the Lirit. The tiny creature`s beautiful and soft golden fur was matted by its blood as it tried to crawl away with the spear shoved through its mid back, its hind legs limp behind the beast as it desperately attempted to flee.

　　"Oh no," Scarletra said as she quickly rushed to the Litrit.

　　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. 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 fight 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 as she set the limp body on the ground.

　　She stared down at the body as blood poured 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 back out of the caves, trying to ignore the feeling of the Lirit rubbing against her thighs. 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 Gyser 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, she dropped down and reached up, hoisting herself up to return to the outpost—and who she hoped could fill the void in her soul.