Aurora's tears. Mouth of the beast. In the endless
twilight on the border of Luminara, Sheerith prowled
through the dense jungle canopy. Her glowing
stripes flickered faintly as she moved, blending
with the draped light of the forest floor below.
I hate lookout. Shareeth thought to herself as
her tail twitched with annoyance. She would much
rather be back at the lunar shores with her friends
playing in the sunlit sands and splashing water
at Kuruth. He hates the water, Sheerith thought
to herself. The air was humid, thick with the
scent of rain -soaked earth and blooming flora.
Sheerith's ears perked for but a moment. A twig
had broken in the distance. Her eyes, radiant
as emerald flames, locked onto the clearing ahead.
Movement? All the way out here? She jumped down
from her high perch in the trees and stealthed
her way closer. She quickly took to the shadows
as she identified her threat. A group of human
bandits were setting up camp, their shouts and
reckless movements echoing through the trees.
Sheerith crouched low, her tail flicking silently
behind her as she studied the group. Seven in
total, one polishing a sword with casual confidence,
while another attempted desperately to get a
campfire going. But it was the leader who caught
her attention, a hulking figure tattooed in fiery
red patterns that pulsated ominously. Flames
dancing along his fingertips as he walked about,
a dangerous display of his Aurora -gifted powers.
What could bandits ever want this far from Banura?
She thought, her claws lightly gripping the ground
beneath her. I will dash back for help. Even
as she was thinking this, she was frozen in place,
not entirely sure why. but she felt intrigued
by the humans and their wanderings. She took
one step forward blindly, and that was all it
took. A dry branch snapped beneath her, the sound
cutting through the jungle's hum like a sharp
cry. She winced. The bandits turned, their eyes
scanning the area. There! Someone's in the shadows!
Sheerith cursed under her breath and leapt to
another shadow, her movement swift but now illuminated
by the glow of her markings. An arrow flew past
her ear, burying itself in the bark of a nearby
tree. Sheerith whispered many more curses under
her breath and steadied her stumbling stance.
Kurgul had always said, instead of running and
make things interesting, dive into the mouth
of the beast. give them the meaning of surprise.
With that, she took a short breath. Kurgo, if
I die, it's your fault. Sheerith gritted her teeth,
and with a graceful leap, she landed in the middle
of the clearing. The bandits surrounded her,
weapons drawn, her stripes pulsing with intensity.
Well, well, what do we have here? A little stray
cat far from home. Not smart, little kitten.
Sloppy. Time to be badass, Sharif thought. Not
as dumb as you. Nailed it, she thought with a
smile. A thin bandit to her right suddenly lunged.
Sheerith sharply ducked low, her claws slicing
through his weapon's leather grip, disarming
him. It was all a blur, but after the graceful
scratch, he fell back with surprise, stumbling
into the dirt. The bandit leader raised an eyebrow.
Another charged with a dagger. Sheerith jumped
left, then leapt onto his back, her claws raking
across his arm before shoving him into the small
fire that they had barely started lighting. Get
her. Get her now, the leader ordered. his fiery
tattoos flaring to life, flames erupting from
his hands as he hurled a blazing arc of pure
flame from his fingertips. Sheerith did the only
thing she could think of. She jumped straight
up. She glided over the heatwave and landed perfectly
with the fire now behind her. She smiled. That
had to look epic, she thought. The leader took
a deep breath. Flames started to escape his mouth
when suddenly... He roared, unleashing a torrent
of fire. Sheerith was in shock, but dashed to
left. Her right side was singed by the flames.
Her glowing stripes flickered with a phantom
-like glow. That hurt. Into the mouth of the
beast, she thought. In one bound, she lunged
at a nearby tree and ricocheted off it straight
at the throat of the leader, her claws digging
into his fiery tattoos. His scream of surprise
was silent by the claws around his throat. Her
glowing claws and flame -kissed fur were indeed
enough to strike fear into any. She tightened
her grip around his neck, knowing all eyes were
on her. Leave. She hissed in his face. She released
him, and he went gasping to the ground. Through
his coughs and stumbling, he went back into the
dirt and dust. Silence fell over the camp. Every
moment felt like an eternity. The leader struggled
to his feet, looked Sheerith in the eyes, and
ran. Ran for his life the opposite direction.
The bandits fled into the jungle, leaving their
weapons and supplies behind. Sheerith stood tall,
her glowing eyes scanning the clearing. She couldn't
help but notice her stripes were a little extra
bright. Nice, she thought. This has been Aurora's
Tears. The story continues.