Alone

Black Pinnacle

She was living alone. Not for her safety, but the safety of those around her. Rerni had always preferred the peace and quiet. Made an immense contrast against the preferences of her Brood. She knew why her people huddled together, chattered endlessly amongst themselves, as if the noises they made could keep the dark at bay. Or those that stalked it.

She did not miss her life down below, among the twisted swamps that were her homeland. She did not miss the Still Valley and she avoided going down from her mountain fastness as much as she could. Only hunger drove her down now, occasionally. When game became scarce. Even the cold of the winter season did not bother her too much anymore.

Pausing briefly to crack open the thigh bone of the dire bear she had killed just as it had gone into hibernation, she paused to look at the looming black peaks above her cave.

She had often tried to find a path up there, where in her mind she would be even safer, more isolated, but she had failed so far. She thought she had seen the shapes of people once high up, one cold winter night and the small light of a fire but now she was no longer so sure, it had not been simply her imagination.

To the side of the woman was the still bloody dire bear skin, she had been working on. It will make a fine mantle. Dire bear fur doesn't freeze when wet, for some reason, and it will go a long way to keep her warmer than she has ever been since moving up here, away from all the noise. From other people.

She hears a sound nearby, rocks scatter down the jagged slopes, she hears the dull sound of voices and groans. She is constantly reminded that even here she is never truly alone. She scoops the marrow from the cracked bone into her mouth looking towards where the voices are coming from. A group of three men, hunters, bend the corner of the mountain path holding spears and seemed surprise at the scene in front of them.

She looks up at the group, blood covering her face, and begins saying something to herself under her breath. One trains his weapon on her but another stops him with a wicked laugh. Sport is so rare to find in the Black Pinnacles.

Before they can move towards her, she screams. Screams as loud as any of them have ever heard, they take a few steps back, confused, looking at the odd woman before the rumble of the mountain roars from above and a shower of stone comes crashing down from above taking their lives.

She sucks the bone clean hearing their moans and raspy breaths, looking at their dying broken bodies.

She won't have to go down into the Valley this season. Rerni will have enough meat this Winter...