Ai didn’t dare go too close to it again. She was ok to stand on her foot, where ok meant she could limp without collapsing or bursting into tears.

The pain felt like a razor through the fog in her head and it helped her think. And think she did.

Eventually she came up with a somewhat dubious plan, the one which was the least likely to get her killed.

She would need to climb the tree to get the gel. She didn’t know how, but she was. She could blame her wrist for her absence but her foot needed to look as good as new. She didn’t need any proof she had been anywhere near a Forest Hunter.

This was all given she managed to survive getting it to the cave, then successfully get it to slaughter a litter of innocent rats. Or, as innocent as they got.

Ai limped forwards, blinking blackness out of her eyes as she bent over. She picked up the carcass of the Fonq, and its intestines trailed down to the dirt floor. The Hunter rolled over, giving half a growl at the girl that dared to steal its food.

When she stepped back, it stepped forwards. They were quite the pair. She was limping, caution to the wind as she waved a Fonq in front of a Forest Hunters face. The Forest Hunter, a young male followed unsteadily behind her, on all fours but still struggling to keep his balance.

She crossed her fingers and hoped that no other animals smelt her blood. They made slow pregress to the cave, but by the time they got there the Forest Hunter had begun to speed up, forcing Ai to limp faster and opening the barely sealed wounds in her foot. She didn’t even hesitate as she slipped through the entrance of the cave.

The Hunter did. He stopped, and sniffed cautiously at the darkness, before pacing back and forth. A hand stuck out, iridescent creature laying limp within. The Hunter sniffed, and was about to bite when the hand disappeared again. He let out a pitiful whine, that reminded Ai of some creature she couldn’t quite place.

“Come on, it’s safe in here. No need to be nervous.” Ai lulled him in, swinging the Fonq back and forth like a pendulum.

The Hunter stuck his nose in, sniffing, then followed it with the rest of his boneless looking body. It was tight, but he fit. He also blocked out the light.

A notification popped up in front of Ai but she dared not even blink, or look away from the silhouette of the Hunter for a moment.

“Thaaat’s right.”

She kept one hand to the wall as she stepped slowly back, rocks digging into the soft flesh of her injured foot. She concentrated on breathing over the pain as the Hunter followed his nose.

It felt like an eternity until she saw the soft blue glow of the rats. It was a lot fainter now, probably because they were asleep. She waved the Fonq daringly in front of the Hunter before tossing it into the huddle of rodents. Immediately she pressed herself up to the cave wall, taking up as little space as she could in the tight quarters of the cave. Irrationally she hoped that by doing so somehow neither the rats nor the Hunter would remember her.

One rat squealed at the others began to stir. The Hunter passed so close to her she could feel the warmth of its skin. Even see the fine hairs on its body as the cave was lit with brighter blue.

They made horrible sounds. A horrendous shriek that sent shudders up her spine and down again. And then there was the hunter, the wet sucking sound he made as he pulled them off his spikes and slurped them into his mouth.

One rat dashed past her, and she didn’t have the heart to stop it. Not while its siblings were being sucked down like tasty snacks, some of them still alive.

She left when there was just one rat left. It’s body broken against the cave wall, chest rising and falling with a wet gurgling sound.

She’d give the Hunter one thing, he did his job well.

She got back to the tree with her stuff stashed in it. It was one of her least graceful moments by far; climbing it. She picked up the bag with her good hand, and rested on the other hand without thinking.

Red. Hot. Agony.

She fell out the tree, but the collision with the ground was secondary to the pain messages her wrist was screaming at her. It took her a moment to realise that her vision was blurry because she was crying.

She had done it, completed the ‘quest’ but it didn’t feel like much of a victory. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but she felt remarkably…hollow.

She gritted her teeth and smeared the red gel on her foot generously. It was a cool and soothing miracle. Her foot healed before her eyes, flesh knitting together and the holes getting smaller and smaller. When she wiped the remaining gel away though, she realised that it wasn’t quite a miracle. The holes were gone, but in their place were raised white scars. An ugly reminder.

She took a breath and set it out of her mind. Time was passing fast, and already dusk was beginning to cast longer shadows over the ground.

Walking back was easy, far far easier than it had been before. Her foot was stiff, but that was nothing. If not for her wrist, she might be skipping.

She pocketed the gel and made up some story about falling out of a tree when she got to the gate. She was 90% sure that people believed her.

She was quickly ushered away and babied by Brandi. It was quite an odd feeling, Ai had never been babied before. Tal stood back and let her mother do the work. One fist pressed to her chest she mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to Ai.

Ai nodded and that was that. It was well and truly over.

Quest: Fix the Problems! Complete!

You had a couple of close calls, but you’ve pulled it off. Nobody found out, and Ermine will never know of your involvement in the murder of his pets as long as you keep quiet. The question is, was it worth it?

Reward: XP, Title, Crafting Materials (open rewards when ready to receive items).