Varali woke early that morning. It was Midsummer's eve, and she had heard tell of a nearby Thunder Wolfstag den, so she wanted to scout it out and see if there was a suitable pup for her there. They made wonderful companions, and grew in strength alongside their masters, so she quite looked forward to her new, cute friend.

Varali quickly dressed in the Veushten's traditional protective clothing--thick cotton that covered the wearer head to toe. The muted greenish brown suit was purposefully stuffy, and didn't breathe anywhere. The only ventilation a wearer of the beralt got was around the eyes, and, technically, that was supposed to have a light gauze covering it any time the wearer was outside the town boundaries. She sighed and left her room.

Varali's father was readying the home for the day as she left the room. He looked up, and smiled at her tenderly.

"Viili vaata, carin (today's blessed by the gods, sweetheart)."

"Viili vaata. I smell bread, is it yours?"

"Yes, carin, I knew you would be leaving early today, so I made sure it would be ready before you left. Marata got home late last night, so forgive her rest today. The council is almost done preparing for tomorrow, so she's been quite busy."

Varali smiled. "I know, I must make her proud tomorrow--I have been practicing my Words, and I think I can rank among the top 5 of my cohort tomorrow, Eemeli willing."

Her father, Korali, dipped his head in amusement. "Vaatan (if the gods will it)." He then got serious, "There have been some signs of serious conflict in the forest lately, be careful, eh?" His chocolate skin shone and his verdant green eyes stared deep into Varali's.

"Ehhh, you worry too much. I'm careful." Varali grabbed the fresh loaf of dark brown bread, ripped it in half, gently bunted her head against her father's, then grinned and rushed out the door.

The town they lived in was on the smaller side, and much smaller than Viertaal, the capital to the west. Varali had heard that her mother Marata had spent several years there before deciding to retire to this frontier village. The capital was huge, with people proficient in the Words on every corner, and white, wheat bread everywhere. There were paved roads, much better than the packed dirt ones here in this nameless town, and people who didn't know your name... and freedom, she supposed.

As she caught herself in her reverie, Varali shook herself and focused on the here and now, nodding occasionally to the people she passed and smiling now and then, but without letting herself be distracted once again. The mud brick walls around her and small herb gardens didn't catch her eyes, and, as she reached the town boundaries, Varali lifted the hood of the beralt and lowered the gauze eye covering.

...

Varali loved being in the forest--the deep greens mirrored the green of her father's eyes, and the smell of nature surrounding her put her at ease. She settled lower into her stance and began taking note of any and all of the signs around her. It was nearing the end of the Toothy Bullfrog mating season, so there weren't rutting males everywhere she looked, which was good. Varali had curiously stretched a finger out to one when she was a child, and had nearly lost said finger. She still had the scar to show for it. Regardless, ever since then, they had made her uncomfortable, with their too wide mouths and rows of nasty teeth just raring to dig into her. No thank you.

Varali did see one male doing his mating dance in the distance, but couldn't be bothered to deal with it. They bred like the vermin they were, and killing one male wouldn't do anything to the population of the menaces. And anyways, Varali wasn't about to let herself be distracted from finding her soon-to-be companion.

She looked away from the bulbous creature and began searching for the typical signs of a Thunder Wolfstag den--burnt foliage, horn marks on tree trunks and the odor of their peculiar urine. It was a particularly pungent thing, typically used to mark territory, so if you knew where to look... or smell, as the case may be, you could conceivably find your way to a wolfstag den.

Varali caught herself; this little internal monologue was taken almost exactly from Mirelia, her cohort's teacher. Shaking herself, Varali kept her nose and eyes peeled as she continued forwards in a low crouch.

It was the work of several hours for her to catch a whiff of the sour smell she was looking for. It was an unpleasant smell, but Varali was excited that she finally was getting close enough to begin trying to select her future friend. She skulked forwards, and, the further she went, the more signs she saw, and the more excited she got. The smell, however, began to sour in a different way than the urine--instead, it began to reek of charcoal and rot.

Confused, Varali continued.

It wasn't long before she found the source of the smell.

She first came upon a hidden den entrance from which a rancid smell pulsated, so strong she nearly gagged. Varali pulled back, and immediately took in another entrance. This one was no longer hidden as the first was--its entrance was blackened by smoke, and, upon stepping close, it reeked of burnt flesh and hair. Or, fur, in this case.

Poking her head in, she saw the horrendous scene--shredded, desiccated corpses littered the space. All the skinless faces seemed to be screaming in pain, teeth bared in rigor mortis. The originally brown dirt floors and walls were splattered rust brown with dried blood, and she saw dried sections of flesh scattered across the hallway. The walls were cracked by the immense heat that seemed to have consumed the area, and, looking deeper, the scene continued. Varali, however, could not.

She felt the bread from this morning begin to rise up her throat, and she quickly rushed out. It didn't stay down, and, as the mixture of the smells and her new memories washed over her, Varali vomited painfully against a nearby tree. Several times, she thought that she had recovered but was interrupted by a resurgence of memory, which swiftly incapacitated her once again.

After what felt like hours but was likely only minutes, Varali felt comfortable enough to reach for her water canteen and wash her mouth out. The water tasted like ash in her mouth, a strange sensation, but anything was better than continuing to taste bile. A moment later, she was finished and reaffixed the headpiece of her beralt. Little did she know, she was just in time--she heard a rustling in the bushes nearby, and, as she hurriedly and stealthily crouched down near the tree, she took in a bone-chilling sight.

A large bipedal reptile came through, flanked by at least a dozen more of the monsters. Even if she was a model of destruction and wanton... destruction, she could have been called amazing. She was over 1m tall, and had a mottled green and brown complexion. She was broad, with a thick tail and powerful foreclaws, and she was hauling an entire Scaled Deer buck with the help of two others of her kind while the rest scouted around her. The thing must have weighed over 400kg, but the three creatures seemed to be having no issue with their trek.

Varali felt a bead of sweat run down her spine, and began praying internally for mercy and guidance.

There was a keelish swarm here.