Rin's Adventures 2

Rin moved slowly through the forest, her Naga senses on full alert as she made her way towards the ravines which ringed Frost Peak. It would take her at least four days to make the journey, and that was if she went in a straight line. She would do no such thing however. Her mother had taught her that going in a straight line was a surefire way to get eaten, so she made random twists and turns, always keeping an ear out for the many dangers of the forest.

It was starting to get dark, and Rin knew she had to find shelter for the night. During the night, the truly deadly predators of Felarya emerged to hunt. Creatures which even Nagas feared roamed in the darkness of the forest; Vortex Tigers, Specter Hunters and other creatures so deadly no one had survived to describe them.

Spying a burrow in the ground which looked about her size, the small Naga slowly approached. Her sensitive nose picked up the scent of Tree Rippers, large toothed herbivores which fed primarily on the bark of trees. Coming right up to the burrow, Rin stuck the end of her tail inside, pulling back when she sensed something nipping at the tip. Summoning her still raw ice magic, Rin blew a freezing wind into the burrow, stopping only when her lungs were empty. Glittering ice crystals slowly drifted to the ground. Entering the now ice crusted burrow, Rin quickly found the frozen body of a male Tree Ripper. Wary in case it had a mate, Rin pusher her frozen food aside and found the den a minute later. Glowing moss cast a dim green light over the chamber. Fortunately it seemed the male had been alone.

After retrieving her frozen dinner from the entrance, Rin quickly gulped it down, relishing the feel of her prey sliding down her throat and into her stomach. The ice coating left a pleasant chill behind. Sighing with contentment, Rin lay down on top of the Tree Ripper’s bed of grass and leaves, wrapping her blanket around her, more for the feeling than for any warmth since she was not affected by cold. It still carried the scent of her mother.

Tears began falling from Rin’s eyes as she thought of her mother. Anyone seeing Rin at that moment would be confused, for it was widely believed that Ice Nagas were cold, cynical creatures. The truth however was that Ice Nagas were simply able to control their emotions to an impressive degree. However the skill was learned, and Rim hadn’t yet mastered it and the tears continued to fall from her eyes. “Mama,” Rin whispered, her throat closing up as she tried to wipe away her tears, but more were always falling.

Eventually blessed sleep claimed Rin, her dreams filled with memories of her mother. She dreamed of her first hunt, only a few days before. Her mother had taken her out to hunt Bush Lurkers. She had made her first kill that day. Her mother had been so proud of her. Even in her dreams the sadness followed her, dimming the light and suddenly Rin saw her mother laying facedown in a pool of blood, a snarling Kensha Beast standing triumphant over her. Its black eyes met hers, filled with malice and hunger. The massive beast lunged at her, jaws open wide.

“NOOOO!!!” Rin cried as she bolted straight up, sweat glistening on the upper half of her body. Her blanket was bunched up around her chest and was also damp. As the memory of her nightmare faded, Rin saw light coming from outside. “It must be morning,” she surmised. Gathering her things, Rin left her temporary home and headed back out. Dew glittered on the leaves of plants and tree leaves. Only a few birds were awake and called to each other. Early morning was the safest time of day in Felarya; when the night predators were retiring and the day stalkers were still sleeping.

Taking advantage of her short window of opportunity, Rin set off at a fast pace, heading straight for Frost Peak. Her stomach grumbled and Rin reluctantly eat the last of her dried food. Satisfied for the moment, Rin looked around for an easy meal. Spying a group of Frill Lizards, Rin built up an icicle in her hands. It was rough and bumpy, but she hurled it with enough force to pierce the hide of one of the dark green creatures, pinning it to a tree. Its companions scattered while Rin slithered over to her capture feeling proud of herself. It may not have been a human or Fox girl, but she had just succeeded in her first solo hunt. Grabbing her prey, she pulled the icicle out and slowly lowered the Lizard into her mouth. It fought back, but Rin numbed it with a Frost Breath. The taste of the Frill’s blood and the feeling of it sliding down her throat elicited a cry of pleasure from the young Naga.

After a few minutes of resting, Rin set off again, this time being more cautious since more predatory creatures would now be waking up, and they would be hungry.

After a few hours of traveling, Rin found herself staring at a massive labyrinth of ravines and canyons, with trees dotting the rocks and Frost Peak glittering in the distance, the snow like diamonds under the sun’s gaze. Rin slowly made her way down into the first ravine, the rocks’ rough edges allowing her to cling to them fairly easily. As soon as she was down she lifted her head and took a deep sniff of the surrounding air. Dozens of scents came to her; pray animals, vegetation and the faint, flavorless scent of cold wind. She followed a long ravine which led towards the peak. Keeping her senses on high alert, the young Naga caught the scent of Gray Jumpers. Following her nose, Rin found a small group of the four legged lizards sunning themselves on the rocks ahead of her.

Moving forward as silently as she could, Rin closed in on her pray. Unfortunately her tail clipped a rock and the Jumpers scattered. Rin fired a barrage of icicles from her hands, but the Jumpers were too quick. Within seconds they had vanished into the rocks. “Blast!” Rin cursed. Her stomach growled at her, as if berating her for her failure. “No, I won’t give up! I promised Mama I’d survive, and I will!” Rin vowed. Continuing down the ravine, she negotiated several forks, her sense of temperature allowing her to feel nearly undetectable gusts of colder wind coming from some of the passages. Still, Rin hoped she wasn’t going around in circles.   

Finally, after traveling for most of the day, Rin found herself in front of a large cave, the skeleton of a Kensha pup at the entrance. More tracks led away, leading Rin to believe the cave’s former residents had been devoured and the place vacated. Entering, Rin slapped a hand over her nose as the scent of decaying flesh washed over her. Near the back of the cave were the bodies of an adult Kensha and two pups. Their bodies were dried and desiccated, as if something had sucked everything out of them.

“Spider Girls,” Rin hissed. Spider Girls were the eternal enemy of the Nagas. Sadistic and evil creatures, they ate not just for sustenance and a bit of fun like Nagas. No, they hunted because they enjoyed torturing their prey; injecting them with venom and waiting hours before sucking out their organs and tissues as slowly as they could. The mere thought of Spider Girls instinctively made Rin’s fists clench and caused her to bare her fangs. “Still, at least nothing will sneak up on me during the night. This smell would drive away even a Carrion Bird.”

Taking up residence as far from the bodies as she could, Rin crammed her body into a small side tunnel. The smell was still making her gag, so Rin placed two fingers up her nose and coated them with a thin sheet of ice. Suddenly the smell was gone and Rin was breathing through her mouth. Sliding her blanket over her and ignoring the bad taste in her mouth from the smell she was thankfully blocking out, Rin quickly fell asleep. Her stomach still gurgled in anger at being empty, but Rin’s snoring overshadowed it by far. Who knew something so small could make such a noise, but at least she was safe, for this night at least.