LAUDNA

1. Pink-toned eyes

That morning was inexplicably hot, especially for people in a hurry venturing into dense forests. Erika Volkmenn was one of them. Her feet were already throbbing, and her clothes had never felt so heavy and stifling. However, she was aware that she couldn't stop.

- Wait! Come back here, fur ball! - she shouted, with a worried expression towards the woods.

Erika was an adventurer from the Guild of Drioran – one of the five realms of Lanark – although her job was far too calm to be called an adventure. Nevertheless, work is work, as she likes to say. Besides, she needed to catch that cat and return it to its young owner waiting at the guild.

Before knowing it, she had her spear in hand, following meowing and a white tail. The closer she felt she was getting, the slower her steps became, as she could hear not just one, but two voices, indicating a predator-prey situation. Erika stopped running after reaching a circular area where trees had grown around a larger one. As soon as her eyes landed on that big tree, she spotted the cat, but the relief could only last a few seconds.

Looking a bit lower, she came face to face with an enraged bear trying to climb the tree, probably after the feline. That wasn’t even the worst news.

She was used to encountering some bears, rabbits, and squirrels in that forest, but never saw one like that. It was almost eerie. Its fur was black, its mouth wide open. It kept roaring violently, with fangs sharper than they should be. And most importantly, it had pink-toned eyes with pupils resembling those of a venomous snake.

Despite wanting to deny it, Erika was terrified. Adrenaline rushed through her head, making her body rooted to the ground every second she witnessed that scene, so, simply decided to stop thinking.

In hopes of distracting that thing from the terrified cat, Erika began poking a tree trunk next to her with her spear, creating a loud enough noise to capture the bear's attention. It worked.

- Hey—I thought you preferred wild fruits, but domestic cats? - she shouted in a trembling and high-pitched tone, realizing how much better that line sounded in her head.

But there was little use in lamenting at that moment. The bear quickly left the cat aside, as it ran and growled towards our girl, who was already feeling weak in her knees, fully realizing that the dose of excitement she had wished for had become more than she could handle.

"Think fast, Erika. You were trained for situations like this." Those were the words repeating in her head countless times, but it couldn't compare to the speed of that bear, which had already opened its mouth, ready to pounce on its new priority.
However, victory wasn't surrendered to it. Erika's determination to prevent an irreparable scar on her face, not to mention having her skull crushed, surged ahead. She thrust the spear's handle into the bear's mouth while pushing it aside with difficulty.

Now she could truly perceive the abnormality of those teeth. Erika's wooden spear shaft was more tattered than a dog's toy. It was expected not to last until the end of all this, but there was no other option. She hadn't expected to need better equipment for this place.

Instead of growing tired, the bear seemed even angrier. It was already making its way back to where it had been pushed from, forcing Erika to quickly readjust her position. The bear tried to approach again, but she took advantage of the distance, dodging any irrational attempts at severe bites or claws, while slowly getting closer for a final strike.

The last roar was silenced, thankfully with success. The tip of her spear had struck the side of the creature's head, now lying on the ground, spilling a considerable amount of blood without moving an inch. Even while avoiding the bear's attacks, Erika managed to injure her knee as she slid on the ground.
Another sigh. Of relief this time. She didn't like killing animals with her own hands, despite it being necessary in that situation. She now shook her spear, hoping to somehow clean the blood from its tip. It only resulted in spreading it further on the ground and on the edge of her cape, making her somewhat distressed that the shades of sky blue she liked so much were now stained with red.

But there was no time to dwell on that. She needed the cat, which was still on the branch where she had found it. Perhaps getting it down had been more difficult than dealing with the bear. Erika needed a stick long enough to reach it, and she prayed for the cat to descend on it and step safely on the ground. Which, clearly, wasn't the case. In an instant, the ball of white fur was leaping off the branch, free-falling.

She got extremely irritated, but couldn't help thinking how she would fail in her job returning with an injured cat to the owner who shed tears talking about her missing pet. She started running back and forth with her hands outstretched, speaking more openly, hoping the cat would miraculously fall into her hands.

The feline landed safely. Erika smelled a strong fishy scent and a lot of fur. It jumped right onto her face and didn't stop meowing in an unpleasant tone.

- Get off me, you ungrateful thing! - Erika grumbled as she stood up, then picked up the cat in her hands. Not in the traditional way— she was holding it as if it were rotten leftovers, while it scratched her wrists.

This "distance" was the best option for these two throughout the journey out of the forest; their mutual disdain was evident. There were no unforeseen events on the way back to the city, just a long walk, tolerating each other. Erika was also aware that she had left a bear's body in that forest. Despite that, she couldn't do anything about it.

By midday, finally reaching the city gates, Erika greeted the guards at the entrance, who only noticed her disheveled appearance and a cat meowing disdainfully at them too late. When they realized it and attempted to ask something, she had already dissolved into the crowd.