Maddened Wanderer [DE]

[Tsubasa Musume]

Six years. Six years lost, wandering the woods and plains. Six years of torment after having followed the signs she believed to be given by her gods. Starving. So very hungry. Most of her gear had been lost along the way. Now she lived only on what bushes and trees bore fruit and nuts. But it wasn't enough. She hunted, when she could find the strength, but the meat spoiled. She hadn't seen another person in a very long time.
She still saw them from time to time. Symbols, where most would just see nonsensical patterns. She scorned them now. She turned away from them, from what she believed to be her gods. They had drawn her to those two people. They had told her to follow in their footsteps and yet cruel fate had let her lose track of them along the way. She was certain they'd done it on purpose. Their faces were nothing more than a hazy memory now. As was life in the city.

The sound of a squeal nearby snapped her from trying to remember. Something injured? Easy food if she could catch it before it runs away, or before whatever else might be hunting it catches her too. It was worth the risk to her, right now, though. Dashing forward, she began tracking her prey, eyes scanning the area for any sign of her new quarry.

[Tsubasa Musume]

There it was, a just a short sprint away. Near a clump of trees but otherwise out in the open. A large rabbit, bleeding on one leg, moving slowly. She scanned the area briefly for any signs of other life, but nothing of note showed itself. Thinking little more on the issue, she started running full speed, eyes on target.

One. Two. Three. It was in hand. The squealing morsel didn't even see her coming, and now it was as simple as breaking the neck and she would have food for another day. But it wasn't that easy, of course. The rabbit's last dying noises had attracted its original hunter. Kiara, still concentrating on her new meal, didn't hear the sound of something approach from behind her. Perhaps it was the length of time she had spent around such noises that had desensitized her to them, or perhaps the rush of the hunt merely blinded her to her surroundings, but by the time she realized something was wrong it was upon her.

A large prairie cat with long teeth and yellowed eyes pinned her down from behind, causing her grip on her last victory to go loose. She tried to twist out of its grip, but hunger left her muscles weak. She didn't even have her sword to fight it off. In her mind, the signs around her gave warnings, the bend of the grass, the breeze on the air. It all spoke a single word. 'Death'.

The feeling of pressure on her neck was the last thing she felt. A deafening crunch as it tore through flesh and cracked bone with its powerful jaws. Six years of wandering, six years of madness... ended in a flash by a single hungry beast. One better suited to the hunt than she had been.

[Skulking Shinzu]

At least Kiara made a great meal. Death approved!