The storm outside the secluded cave wasn't going to let up anytime soon that much was obvious. Not that it was much better within the heart of the cave as every misguided gust of snow and wind threatened to extinguish the almost pitifully sized flame attempting to take shape in the fire. The single occupant of the cave had half the mind to crawl inside the still warm corpse of her prey..but the thought of ruining her clothes made her grimace. A silk cloak curled about the woman's body as a soft sigh escaped her. The massive corpse beside her was a wolf-like beast with the irritating talent of spewing ice shard from it's maw..it almost wasn't worth the frostbite..but Areem managed to bring down the beast. It's fur would make a lovely coat and if she could manage to unlock the beast's icy talent through careful dissection..well it's a possible weapon in the making.
You see, Areem was a hunter..of all sorts of prey..something that driven her since her 'childhood'. Feathered, furred or scaled..any new beast was just a chance to find out more about this strange world. Few would have guessed that was the quiet woman's profession..but it was the truth. Even fewer souls saw her in action..as it was a private affair and Areem wasn't one to be watched like some show. Unconsciously her fingertips traced the scarred flesh about her wrists and her expression hardened until a squeaking sound made her return to reality. The knife's wooden handle in her other hand was dangerously close to snapping..it was one of her better craving knives. A hiss escaped her as she couldn't afford to be so carelessly..soon the rhythmic process of skinning the large beast soothed the violence in her mind..even as the blood and gore began coating to her pale hands..it was a task she was happy to do.
It wasn't man-made weaponry that had brought down the beast, as it's killing blow had been having it's internal guts pulled from it's body after a crude gash had been sliced on it's stomach. Disembowelment was choice of tactics by many scavengers as it kept the prey alive just long enough for choice bits to be collected..or behaviors observed in Areem's case. The beast had snarled at it's hunter, but howled in pain at each futile twitch as Areem had written down her experience and had begun a few crude sketches of the beast's visible organs. At the present, the most interesting part of this dissection has been the beast's tongue as it was rough like a feline's..but one could sense the magic beneath it. This was the source of it's icy breath. Fascinating..
Soon the pitiful fire began to grow as Areem silently worked over the corpse. Ebony hair fell to her waist as she became captivated with her work, never minding the gore that was staining the snow-white cloak about her figure. This was her passion and she knew it ever since she had won her first prize from her first hunt..a make-shift headdress of silk and two curled horns. That was enough to catch a stranger's eye as she walked through a town here and there..it didn't stop the laughter when she told them of her profession. A woman of her size..impossible. If only it didn't cause a hidden smile come to her lips..a woman was a kind word for her..it took a monster to bring down other monsters.
You see, Areem was a hunter..of all sorts of prey..something that driven her since her 'childhood'. Feathered, furred or scaled..any new beast was just a chance to find out more about this strange world. Few would have guessed that was the quiet woman's profession..but it was the truth. Even fewer souls saw her in action..as it was a private affair and Areem wasn't one to be watched like some show. Unconsciously her fingertips traced the scarred flesh about her wrists and her expression hardened until a squeaking sound made her return to reality. The knife's wooden handle in her other hand was dangerously close to snapping..it was one of her better craving knives. A hiss escaped her as she couldn't afford to be so carelessly..soon the rhythmic process of skinning the large beast soothed the violence in her mind..even as the blood and gore began coating to her pale hands..it was a task she was happy to do.
It wasn't man-made weaponry that had brought down the beast, as it's killing blow had been having it's internal guts pulled from it's body after a crude gash had been sliced on it's stomach. Disembowelment was choice of tactics by many scavengers as it kept the prey alive just long enough for choice bits to be collected..or behaviors observed in Areem's case. The beast had snarled at it's hunter, but howled in pain at each futile twitch as Areem had written down her experience and had begun a few crude sketches of the beast's visible organs. At the present, the most interesting part of this dissection has been the beast's tongue as it was rough like a feline's..but one could sense the magic beneath it. This was the source of it's icy breath. Fascinating..
Soon the pitiful fire began to grow as Areem silently worked over the corpse. Ebony hair fell to her waist as she became captivated with her work, never minding the gore that was staining the snow-white cloak about her figure. This was her passion and she knew it ever since she had won her first prize from her first hunt..a make-shift headdress of silk and two curled horns. That was enough to catch a stranger's eye as she walked through a town here and there..it didn't stop the laughter when she told them of her profession. A woman of her size..impossible. If only it didn't cause a hidden smile come to her lips..a woman was a kind word for her..it took a monster to bring down other monsters.