Scarletra was tired and absolutely ran ragged. She had walked straight from the geyser hunting grounds back to the outpost, not even taking a night to stop and sleep at her cave. Not that stopping would have done her any good. The swirling anxiety in her gut would have kept her awake anyway.

　　When she initially crushed the scrub, blocking her path kept her from seeing the outpost; she had little expectations at most, spotting her new neighbor lurking around the exterior of their new home. But what she saw caused her pause.

　　The Outpost was vacant and dark. She wondered if her new neighbor had already left before they had a chance to meet. A tiny sliver of anguish shot through her—she missed her option to meet them.

　　Amidst the cold winds and distant heavy storm clouds, a sound ripped her from any and all thoughts of having lost out. A dull whine, deep and powerful, echoed through the trees. It was so constant and perfect in pitch that Scarletra knew it could not be from anyone other than the Outpost dweller, and luckily, the sound was getting closer and louder by the second.

　　Scarletra barreled down the hillside, hoping she could firmly plant herself in front of their door with her gift laid out before her, being as unimposing and hapless looking as possible. She knows she is scary and intimidating, even to most of her family.

　　Enough so in the past, they would use multiple members of the tribe to ensure she did what the elders and her mother wanted—threatening to hurt her if she resisted.

　　Scarletra was beyond glad she had escaped them. As far as Mother and the elders saw it, she might as well have been a living weapon—not a person.

　　Whenever she stopped and reflected on those times, she broke down, cried, and hated how she was born. Scarletra did not want to be a massive freak. She wanted her mother to treat her like the others, letting her pursue her dreams and happiness, but no. She was Scarletra& Scarletra named of Blood& Scarletra the Warrior&Scarletra the Killer.

　　That all was long in her past; her tribe would likely never find her. They were months away by foot, and there was no good in spending that much effort in finding one defective tribe member. She alone should not be worth the effort to find—at least, she hoped that was the case.

　　By the time She burst through most of the snowpack and reached the multitudes of buildings, the constant whining had died out. She knew the source had made it here. The sound was so loud that it was easy for her to keep track of its rough location even through the thick pine trees, rolling snow drifts, and distant encroaching storms.

　　Kneeling next to one of the trees, Scarletra nervously gripped it hard. The tension of her instincts built inside her, and she felt like she was hunting prey. Scarletra caught herself losing to her ingrained nature. She dropped her spear in the snow and whipped her face free of the focused scowl. Neither would help her make a good impression anyway; you should not go into someone`s house armed.

　　"No& no&no& I am not what she wanted. I`m Scarletra, the crafter, Scarletra, the young lady. Not what mother wanted," Scarletra repeated to herself several times like it was gospel.

　　She growled deeply, not at any creature, but at herself. She was better than that. She was gentle and only wanted someone to fill her empty heart. Not an opponent to slaughter.

　　As she growled at herself, the sound of the forest died beneath the command of the biggest, badest thing. Her species were the lords of the moon, and she was one of the most intimidating of them. That the world fell silent at her threat was not a shock. This whole area was her territory— and it was gut-wrenching that the little creatures still found her scary, even though they had lived under her charge for years.

　　Why did all the cute little birds and fuzzy animals have to find her horrifying? She didn`t want to hurt them. She would rather feed them and make little statues that showed off their adorable faces—but she was just a monster to the tiny critters.

　　Scarletra tried to ignore the slight movement of passing little creatures as she crept closer and closer to the outpost; they wanted nothing to do with her. Hopefully, her new neighbor would be different.

　　 Her head was not quite held low, but a heavy feeling she was all too used to gripped her body like an anchor. With each step, Scarletra tried to push the sounds of their horrified chitters out of her mind and just focus on the next plodding step.

　　Scarletra paused as the area previously covered by the outpost`s exterior walls came into view. Her breath billowed in front of her, heavy steam wafting away on the gentle wind that tickled her fur.

　　Scarletra`s heart sputtered as a giant ray of sunlight breached the clouds high above and illuminated the inhabitant of the outpost as if the Great Mother herself was directing her eye. They dredged through the heavy snow toward the door Scarletra had carved up the previous day. Curiously, the door showed no signs of that damage; had they already repaired it in only two days? That would be an insane speed.

　　It would take her old village`s smiths months to restore that amount of metal if they could even work with a well-refined material. Her village only worked with simple irons and other soft metals; whatever the outpost was made of was soft enough for them to hammer it but was so unbelievably pure she doubted they could even comprehend working with it.

　　Scarletra thought they looked incredible, even with no idea what alien species they were. They had a hefty build, not unlike her species. They carried a massive amount of equipment on their back, so they were obviously hearty and strong.

　　The creature stepped carefully through the snow. Their long beard poked out from a hood covering their head. It resembled the manes of her species` males. But it was a bit more bushy, whereas her species tended to be more stingy and light facial fur. Additionally, they had a set of green eyes that, even at this distance, were as hypnotic as the planet they orbited around.

　　Scarletra tucked herself behind the tree, gripping her sputtering chest and letting her heart calm before she peeked back out at the hypnotic-looking figure.

　　Considering their build, she wondered why they wore so many clothes. If what little of their fur she could see was anything to go by, they should be well equipped for the cold. It could have something to do with the GU. From what she heard from the elders, anyone from the GU would wear clothing designating their rank and role. If only she knew what these heavy blue coverings meant. If she did, she could address them adequately.

　　For now, the friendliest and most open approach would have to do. She would have to make sure she announced her reasons while approaching, so hopefully, her massive bulk would not scare them off.

　　Scarrletra jumped out from behind the tree that offered her meager concealment and rushed toward her hopeful new friend, being as loud as possible, hoping they would welcome her with open arms.

　　"Hi there! Please hold on. I have a gift for you!" Scarletra yelled at the top of her lungs as she rushed forward. Trying to reach them before they entered the outpost buildings proper.

　　The individual made no positive reaction to spotting her; they slammed their fist against some button and whipped around, shaking like a leaf. Scarletra felt somewhat bad about that; she was massive and understood the response, even if she did not enjoy it. But it would be fine; she just had to ensure they knew she meant no harm to them.

　　"Hold on, I swear I am not going to hurt you!" She yelled just as she neared the borders of the outpost. The snow was being tossed up behind her as she plowed through it.

　　The individuals caught sight of her and turned in her direction. She initially hoped they had not overacted like so many others, but once the tool in their hands spewed fire, she knew they completely misunderstood her intentions.

　　Scarletra ducked off to a side, the hellish fire only missing her by a few centimeters, its blazing heat nearly catching her and setting her alight. Luckily for her, moving in waist-deep snow was as natural as breathing and was easy enough for her to do.

　　Thankful to the great mother, she was far faster and more capable than what the other person attempted to use to keep her away. But why someone would use a weapon that spewed fire was beyond her. That seemed downright cruel. Why you would want anything to suffer like that when it dies was a horrible idea; even her claws and fangs would be a faster death. Stolen story; please report.

　　As she sidestepped, the weapon sound overtook the world`s ambient noise, washing away everything else, sounding like the strongest wind. As it wooshed past her, it filled her lungs with a sharp, disgusting scent. Like the odor that generally filled the outpost, acrid chemicals that her body knew instinctively should be avoided.

　　Scarletra quickly stepped out of the arc of the weapon. Too bad for her, she did not understand its full ability. Its flaming arc caused the area nearby where it was aimed to melt unexpectedly quickly, turning the otherwise steady, frozen snow into a slick, snot-like slush, leaving her skidding on ice.

　　As she slipped, her chest tightened and uncontrollably careened toward the man. She gritted her teeth, praying to the great mother that the man was half as stable as he appeared since his and her fate was in the great mother`s control at this point.

　　 When she slammed into the man and fell inside their home, she knew they were. Their new neighbor was undoubtedly the most dense thing they had ever crashed into. It felt more akin to her running into a boulder than any animal. She had no doubt they would weigh nearly double her weight if they were the same size as her. Their density was unbelievable. No creature that small should be this heavy.

　　She grimaced as their body crushed her large breasts. Thankfully, she was as solid as she was and wanted to meet them; otherwise, the jolt of pain might have sent her packing. The speed of the impact was incredibly painful. Massive or not, she was only a girl who loathed violence.

　　Scarletra failed to wrap her arms around them to shield her new neighbor from the fall. The speed and small area of the outpost entryway kept her arms only at their side.

　　"Oh great, mother, I`m sorry. I did not mean to do that. I swear I did not mean to scare you," Scarletra assured

　　She ended up straddling the individual, her hefty thighs squeezing them. If not for the situation at hand, she could think of several reasons she would like to be straddling the pleasant-looking and smelling individual, but that was something she could think of at another time.

　　"Oh, great mother! Are you alright?" Scarletra frantically asked

　　Her question was answered but not how she expected it to be. The alien slammed a fist into her breast. She yelped in shock and pain. For a creature no larger than others of her species, their punch hurt far more than any other she had felt.

　　She gripped their wrist and slammed it into the ground. Luckily, she could overpower them because of their massive size difference, even if it was surprisingly arduous. The male felt nearly as strong as she was; even now, having them beneath her felt like she was fighting someone who was almost her equal in raw physicality.

　　"Don`t punch my tit! That`s rude," Scarletra growled, pinning them in place. "I am sorry I fell and tackled you. I swear that was not what I meant to happen."

　　The man she held down winced, holding their eyes closed. They would not even look at her. Scarletra could hear their thunderous heart slamming in their chest. Undoubtedly, they were horrified of her.

　　"Hello? I`m sorry, but can you please look at me?" Scarletra pleaded as quietly as possible.

　　The man she held down gradually opened their eyes, slowly but surely, like they were peering at their parent, ready to scold them.

　　"See, I`m nice," Scarletra chipperly purred before licking them in greeting.

　　Scarletra looked into their deep emerald eyes and lost herself momentarily in the individual`s details. Now that she was close, she was almost overwhelmed.

　　The fur on their face almost matched hers perfectly in the light whites, and greys that made it up. Their face had just the right amount of age. As far as she was concerned, the light wrinkles on it might be a sign of their experience. They looked nearly flawless; a few tiny freckles here and there did nothing for her—but were not a negative.

　　Their eyes and smell were hypnotic. Their eyes might as well have looked through her; Scarletra just wished they were not looking at her with evident confusion and fear, but she could easily change that once she knew they wouldn`t use their weapon against her again.

　　Their smell was divine. Now that they were inside and away from the scent of poison and chemicals on the outpost`s exterior, she took a deep whiff of their odor—savoring it.

　　They smelled like the little brown tube she had found nearby the other day. Woody and full-bodied, filled with just the right amount of musk and tart natural scent that Scarletra was beside herself. Without thinking she pressed her hips closer to the divine-smelling man, much to his confusion, and uncomfortability.

　　His voice was deep and gravely. Scarletra could not understand a word they were saying, neither speaking the language the other used. The most she could tell was they were not too pleased with her pinning them down. Not that she cared much. Scarletra was over the moon having someone else around, and they were real. She could touch them, talk to them.

　　Scarletra shimmied herself back and sat on the ground. Regrettably, as she sat upright, she slammed her head against the ceiling.

　　"Fuck," Scarletra grumbled as she rubbed the back of her head.

　　The man gradually got up off the ground. He tossed his backpack off the side and said something to her; the language was smooth and flowed well off his lips, but she did not understand it. Few in her village spoke any Galactic Standard, and she was not privy to that knowledge.

　　"Sorry, I can`t understand you," Scarletra grumbled while gesturing at them.

　　They clearly understood that, as they immediately shook their head and let out an exasperated sigh,

　　The man shivered and looked at a screen attached to his wrist. His eyes went wide, and he hurried past Scarletra. Pushing a button next to the door, it quickly closed, sealing them in from the encroaching storm. Not that the cold would bother her, but it did them.

　　He said something once again to her while showing her the screen. The screen showed what looked like the mountains around them but from a bird`s view. Over them, a massive red wave was getting closer. Scarletra wondered if it showed the storm. That makes sense, based on their worry and the sounds of whipping winds growing outside.

　　After the man had closed the door inside the room, he doffed the items he was carrying, leaving his weapons and backpack off to one side of the small entryway. Scarletra watched as he moved; he had a little bit of a limp. That confused her initially because she did not see a limp when they were outside until she realized it likely was because she careened into them.

　　"I`m sorry. Are you going to be alright?" Scarletra asked, tilting her head.

　　The man looked at her, shook his head, and waved her off. He tried to say something to her but quickly remembered that Scarletra could not understand anything he was saying.

　　Scarletra reached down and pulled off her belt the gift she had managed to catch for him. She held it out, and as she did, she realized half of the beautiful golden fur on the creature had been seared off, leaving one side of the Lirit as little more than a smoking black mass.

　　Scarletra grumbled in annoyance that her gift had been ruined. The man looked at her with some amount of confusion evident. He seemed to understand what she was trying to do and gestured for her to follow.

　　Scarletra struggled to Squeeze through the doorway leading deeper into the building. Her wide hips and massive bulk nearly stopped her, but after a few moments of shimmying, she popped through the door and stumbled against the sofa in the center of the room.

　　 Scarltra looked up and expected to see the man staring at her with another judgmental look, but he paid her no mind; even with the somewhat large crash of her entrance, he only glanced at her before doffing his jacket; The heavy scent of wood, and burning got more incense now that Scarletra could see him more clearly.

　　His build was just like that of her species; compared to the others from her old village, he was about the same height and composition, at least regarding muscles. He was lacking in fur, but that was not a big deal, especially since with his jacket off she was given unfettered access to staring at his heavily muscled arms and short salt and pepper colored hair.

　　He gestured around the room and gave her some amount of instructions. She assumed they wanted her to look around the room based on the gesture and short verbiage.

　　The main room was not terribly expansive; it was only about five meters in diameter and just over three meters tall. She still had to duck regularly to avoid slamming her head on low points.

　　 The center of the room had some furnishings. They were plush and soft but were far too tiny to support her build, so she did not try sitting on them. Instead, she lay the Lirit on the table at the center and turned her attention to several rows of items placed on racks against one of the walls.

　　The man went through a nearby door and started to mess with some piece of glowing technology. It looked like some kind of crystal. As he tapped on the rock, the exact things displayed on it changed gradually. His intense stare showed he was reading what was on the technological marvel.

　　Scarletra picked up several of the small objects and sniffed them. They had next to no odor. Something that was not natural; even rocks had some lingering scents, but these had no smell. The oddity of them caused her to recoil, and she quickly put them back on the shelves. Before she could explore other items, the man nearby barked something at her. Upset about something.

　　Should she not have touched his stuff? Was he angry now that he knew he was uninjured? Scarletra turned back around; the man gestured at her gift on the table and spoke sternly. Now that she had the opportunity, she realized how strange his language was. It seemed so wordy; explaining something would only be a growl and gesture away for her, but he was going on and on about whatever his argument was.

　　The man walked closer and stepped around her. He grabbed a small white strip and held it out to her. Scarletra looked at the fetish curiously. It took the man a few times to repeat the exact words over and over again before she reached out and grabbed it.

　　Once in her hand, the man gestured at his neck, mimicking collaring something. Scarletra tilted her head curiously. She looked between him and the item. She squeezed it, nervous she was misunderstanding what the man wanted. She was about to try placing it around her neck, but she did not realize she had already crushed the device.

　　It crumbled to bits as she brought it to her neck.

　　The man yelled something and ripped the remnants out of her hand.

　　Scarletra backed up against the racks as he yelled, accidentally knocking it over. the contents spilling across the ground, and loudly echoed in the small room.

　　"I didn`t mean to," Scarletra pleaded, holding up her massive hands.