The night came quickly, but seemed to creep up on the young woman who had busied herself with her food. The mornings work had really drained her of energy and the enticing smell of the nearby good carts made her stomach growl louder. Tonight’s cuisine was a special treat; roasted brooke rat with oirio berries. This wasn’t by far the most expensive this she ever bought, but it was more than a days pay for sure.
But tonight was a special night. Tonight was her “birthday”. Or, at least what she remembered of it. Her adoptive family always celebrated her special day with plenty of food and, for her present, a small bell wrapped with a violet ribbon that tied around her wrist. Although there was no present or feast, she at least could fashion herself a decent meal.
The rat was cooked and the woman swiped a piece off its flank, quickly shoving it in her mouth. The taste of flesh and the chewy fat made her salivate and she smiled. It was a small smile, but it was still a smile. Good meat was by far something harder to come by nowadays and she tried to savor every piece she scammed. In fact, as she was buying the rat, she heard from a few merchants nearby that robbers and monsters were stealing and killing people on the road. She passed it off as mere rumor though. She suspected it was just the guards seeding fear into the people of the town. The only people that ever left the town were merchants that had a special document.
Yes, the king of the land had everyone wrapped tightly in his grasp, The woman thought scoffing and downed another piece of the rat. What kind of king destroys his people’s way of life? A terrible one that’s for damn sure.
As she watched the embers fade from the firepit, she removed the rat from the spit, and covered up the meat with a small cloth before dousing it with some of the berry’s juice. Oirio berry juice could be used in hunting to cover up ones scent. The woman had plenty since she was an avid hunter, but she used them sparingly because she wasn’t exactly made of gold. However, they did the job. After the meat was taken care of, the woman reached into her satchel that was next to her and wrapped her fingers around a smooth string. Pulling it out, a small grin grew across her face. The last ribbon her parents ever gave her was dangling from her hands.
The bell was rusted, but still chimed like she had only received it yesterday. The small ball inside then rolled and jingled slightly, causing a small giggle to rise from the girl. The memories that surged back to the woman made tears slowly well up behind her eyes. That familiar burning rose in her throat but she swallowed it. Crying was not the answer and never fixed anything, she told herself, feeling the sting of tears again as her hands shook. She could hear them. She could hear the laughter of her parents, the warm smiles, the gentle pats and kisses from her mother… But then came back the memories if smoke and fire and blood-
“Why?” She choked out through her tears and the overbearing silence. That was the only question she had now. Why. Twenty two winters she was turning, and she still did not know the answer.
She looked up at the broken roof and smiled as tears trickles down her cheeks. No sound came from her lips, but her mind projected screams of agony and pain into the sky. More tears warned to spill from her eyes as the pain was building behind them, but the pain was sharper this time. Much sharper and all too familiar.
The woman hissed as her left eye began the transformation; a red violet glow emanated from the once forest green orb and pulsed softly in the darkness of the room. Then, as suddenly as it came, it was over.
The woman lowered her head as her vision adjusted and the pain ebbed away. When she opened her eyes, she frowned. On her left side, her vision was almost catlike in nature. Darkness was not an obstacle, but merely a trifle to her now in this state. Yet, she still cried. As she laid down on her small bedroll, she wiped the tears from her eyes and held onto the small bell. It chimed softly in the empty night that swallowed everything, even her tears.