"Where the hell did this damn thing go..."

My breath misted in the frigid air as I struggled to maintain my balance in the deep snow. Each step sank me knee-deep into the endless drifts, the silence broken only by my labored breathing and the soft crunch beneath my feet. My fingers, numb despite my thick gloves, tightened around the rifle's familiar weight.

The paw prints ahead were still fresh, visible even as new snow tried to erase them. I was tracking a Furrot - a massive, four-legged predator with pale fur and three obsidian eyes. These beasts were the smallest predators of Esperia, but their thick hides and keen senses still made them one hell of a catch. More importantly, they could feed a family for weeks.

The wind picked up, whipping through the crystalline trees and sending a flurry of snowflakes dancing around me. A strand of dark hair escaped my hood, and I brushed it aside, trying to refocus on the task at hand. We needed this hunt to succeed. With Father's condition worsening and the cost of his medicines rising, we couldn't afford to return empty-handed again.

My brother's words echoed in my mind: "Steady now, Yvette. Don't rush it, or it'll shatter. Remember what happened last time?" I winced at the memory of my last attempt, when the unstable shard had exploded in my hands, leaving me with burns that had taken weeks to heal. Ives had been patient, teaching me again and again, but I still struggled with the basics that came so naturally to him.

I began to conjure a condensed shard of arcane flux in my trembling hand. The effort pulled at my energy like a vacuum drawing the warmth from my body. I gritted my teeth, struggling to maintain its shape as the crystalline form wavered, shimmering with an uncertain light. Sweat beaded on my forehead despite the cold.

"Come on..." I hissed, watching the shard flicker dangerously. "Hold together. Please hold together." I thought of Aime's face this morning, how she'd hugged me before I left, her blue eyes bright with hope. "Sissy will bring us dinner!" she'd declared to Father, who had smiled weakly from his bed. I couldn't let them down. Not again.

Finally, after what felt like hours but must have been mere minutes, the shard solidified. 

It wasn't perfect - the edges were rough where they should have been smooth, and the core pulsed unevenly - but it would have to do. 

I carefully loaded it into the chamber of my rifle, a weapon designed to shoot these massive creations of arcane flux. When I pulled the bolt back, the mechanism slammed into place with a satisfying click that echoed through the stillness.

This rifle was our lifeline in the outskirts of Valenor. 

Built to withstand the relentless cold, it used arcane flux to fire shards at incredible speeds, capable of piercing even a furrot's thick hide. 

The intricate arcane circuitry within the rifle would energize the shard, propelling it with a force that could shatter stone. 

It had been our father’s once, before the accident. 

Now it's mine, though I'd never quite mastered it the way he had.

I'd tracked furrots before, but never alone. 

Ives usually came with me, but he'd needed to stay behind today to tend to Father. 

The thought of my father's worsening condition made my chest tight. 

The medicines from Valenor barely seemed to help anymore, and each day his cough grew worse, the blood on his handkerchief more frequent.

The wind shifted, carrying with it a faint, musky scent. 

My instincts screamed danger. I scanned the tree line, where the endless snow blurred the edges of the forest. 

Then, I saw it.

The furrot moved between the trees, its massive frame barely visible against the snow. 

Only its three obsidian eyes stood out.

It was watching me, and for a moment, I felt like prey rather than hunter.

I crouched, trying to steady my breathing as I brought the rifle up. 

The barrel wavered slightly as I aimed at the creature's broad chest. 

My finger brushed the trigger. 

"Steady..."

 I whispered to myself. 

"Just like how Ives taught you..."

I squeezed the trigger. 

The rifle bucked in my hands as it fired, the arcane mechanisms within propelling my imperfect flux shard at an impossible speed. 

A crack like thunder split the air, and I watched as the shard left a visible trail of distorted air in its wake, its uneven edges causing it to wobble slightly.

The furrot's eyes widened a fraction of a second before impact. 

The shard struck true, its arcane energy violently dispersing on contact. 

The beast staggered, letting out a bone-chilling roar that shook the very ground. 

As it collapsed, I approached cautiously, my heart pounding. 

Pride and relief flooded through me in equal measure.

"I did it!" 

I breathed, hardly daring to believe it. 

"I finally caught a Furrot." 

I could already imagine Aime's eyes lighting up when I brought home this prize. 

She'd been eating nothing but preserved vegetables and the occasional really small Furrots for weeks now. 

"Just wait till I tell her." 

I chuckled to myself.

 "She'll be bouncing off of the walls."

Gripping the Furrot's massive hind leg, I began the long walk home, each step a reminder of how far I still had to go to match my mother's skill. 

But for now, this was enough. 

My family would eat well tonight.

Each step crunched beneath me, the weight of my catch pulling at my shoulders.

As I approached our cabin, I spotted Aime sitting on the steps, playing with her wooden dolls. 

Her black hair cascaded around her shoulders, held back by a delicate hairclip adorned with small crystals that caught the light. 

The crystals sparkled softly, adding a touch of beauty to her otherwise simple appearance. 

Her blue eyes, clear and vibrant, were focused on her dolls.

"Aime!"

I called out, lifting the furrot slightly.

"Look what I caught!"

Her head snapped up, eyes widening in delight.

"Sissy!"

she squealed, rushing over.

"You got a furrot?"

"Yes!"

I replied, grinning. "

“It's for dinner tonight."

Aime clapped her hands, her laughter ringing out like music. "We can have a feast! I can help cook!"

Without another word, she dashed inside to tell Ives.

I followed, the warmth of the cabin a stark contrast to the biting cold outside.

"Ives! Sissy caught a furrot!"

Aime exclaimed.

Ives looked up from the table, surprise and pride mixing on his face.

"Really? You finally did it? I knew you'd get the hang of that rifle eventually."

As I set the rifle down, Aime rushed past me into our father's room.

I nodded, wiping the sweat from my brow. 

"Yeah, but before we start celebrating, Aime smells like she’s been rolling around something."

 I said, wrinkling my nose as she bolted into our father’s room. 

"She needs a bath—badly."

Ives chuckled, shaking his head. 

"I'll take care of it after dinner. Poor thing's probably too wound up to sit still right now."

I didn’t argue, instead following Aime’s footsteps into our father’s room. 

The familiar scent of herbs and the faint crackle of the fire greeted me as I stepped inside. 

Aime was already at his bedside, her small hands clutching his blanket.

"Father! Father! Sissy caught a furrot!"

I stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her. 

"Aime."

 I called softly.

"don't lean on him too much. He's still resting."

Our father turned to us, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"You did? That's wonderful, Yvette…"

I settled onto the edge of the bed beside him, a sense of calm washing over me.

"I'm proud of you, Yvette. You've always had a knack for that thing."

Once Aime left to help Ives in the kitchen, I noticed my father's hand trembling as he brought a cloth to his lips.

He coughed violently into it, and my heart sank as I saw the red stain blooming on the fabric.

"How much worse has it gotten?"

I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He sighed heavily.

"It seems I probably have less than a year left."

A chill ran through me at his words.

"Shit…" 

He reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You won't lose me completely. I'll always be with you, in everything you do. Just remember that your mother would be proud of you..."

His words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill.

"I... I understand, Father. I'll do my best to make you both proud."

He smiled weakly, his hand falling away as another coughing fit overtook him. 

I helped him lie back down, my heart aching at how frail he seemed.

"Rest now…"

 I said softly. 

"I'll go help Ives and Aime with dinner."

As I turned to leave, a flicker caught my eye. 

The emberstone in the fireplace, our lifeline against the bitter cold, was dimming. Its usual warm, pulsing glow was barely visible.

"Father."

 I said, my voice tight with concern, 

"The emberstone is fading."

He struggled to sit up, alarm clear in his eyes. 

"Already? But Ives just replaced it last month."

I moved to the hearth, examining the stone closely. Its surface was dull, the intricate patterns of energy barely visible. 

"It's nearly spent. We won't make it through the night without it."

"You'll have to go to the Valenor" 

my father said, his voice grave. 

"We can't risk losing our heat source, not with winter deepening."

I nodded, already calculating the journey in my mind. 

Valenor, the heart of Esperia, was infamous for one thing.

 its people hated our guts.

"I'll go now."

 I said, moving to gather my gear.

 "If I leave immediately, I might make it back before the stone fails completely."

"Yvette…"

 my father called as I reached the door. 

I turned back to him, seeing the worry etched on his face. 

"Be careful. The forest is unforgiving, with all of the Velkhorns moving around in this area at this time of year I don't want you to get caught by one."

I managed a small smile. 

"I will, Father. I promise."

I turned and walked towards the door of my father's room, my heart heavy with the weight of his words. 

As I reached for the handle of the front door, a small voice piped up behind me.

"Where are you going, Sissy?"

I paused, my hand on the door, and turned to see Aime peering out from behind a tapestry. 

I hadn't realized she was there. A smile tugged at my lips despite my troubled thoughts.

"I need to get some emberstone."

 I said gently. 

"I'll be back in a little while."

Aime's eyes widened with that endless curiosity of hers.

 "Can I come?"

"Not this time…"

 I replied, my voice soft. 

An idea struck me, a way to ease the guilt of leaving her behind.

 "But I'll tell you what – when I return, I'll bring you a present from Valenor. How about a stuffed toy? Would you like that?"

The way Aime's face lit up warmed my heart.

 "Yes, please! Can it be a Kaldrith toy?" 

she asked excitedly.

I couldn't help but chuckle. 

"We'll see what they have. Now, be good while I'm gone.?"

I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. 

Before I closed it, I cast one last glance at my little sister, trying to etch her eager face into my memory.

“I hope Mrs Madeline has more emberstone in stock for us.”

Nivosa’s Notes

—

Furrot (pronounced: Fur-r-ot)

Rank: 5 Beast

Description: The Furrot is a unique rabbit-like creature distinguished by its three eyes and razor-sharp claws. Its eerie appearance belies its agility and cunning, making it a formidable foe in the wild.

Origin: The Furrot emerged following the War of Roses.

Class: Carnivore