The setting sun cast everything in an orange glow as Eliana worked. With primitive tools fashioned from stones and bones, she methodically skinned the buck and harvested its meat. Her hands, though small, worked deftly from watching others many times. 

With an armful of venison, she ventured further into the forest to find a place to make camp for the night. The trees provided bountiful kindling material and after a few failed attempts, she got a small fire burning using flint rocks. As the flames crackled to life, so did a spark of pride in her chest at her accomplishments so far alone.

Night fell quickly in the forest and with it, the temperature dropped sharply. Eliana crouched by the fire, gnawing on meat to still her rumbling stomach. But tired as she was, she knew sleeping out in the open would be unwise and dangerous. With the remaining daylight, she scouted the area until finding the hollowed out base of a large oak tree. 

Vines and leaf litter provided enough coverage that she crawling inside. Though small, it would do for shelter through the night. As full dark descended, Eliana could not escape her loneliness. Hugging her knees inside her hollow, she gave in to missing her parents. Silent tears fell once more as she grieved all she had lost before exhaustion pulled her into a restless slumber.

In her dreams, the fires still burned and the Beasts' laughing cries echoed endlessly through the forest. But rather than flee, she stood and fought them with all her might, raining down blows of vengeance. Somehow she knew this could only be a dream, for in waking life she was still just a child - alone, small and powerless against such monsters. For now.