Ellanie frowned at the ruined city below her. It was certainly big enough to be hiding a nest, but at this time of year it would be dormant. That was little consolation, she'd grown up hearing legends of how a single breath from a single mouse was enough warmth to wake a nest and send the Demons seething outward, searching for food. She shivered at the thought of the Demons, even if she had never seen one, she was terrified. She had seen what they left behind when they raided a settlement: the bodies of fighters torn to shreds, and signs that every other soul had been dragged off to the nest.

Movement caught her eye, and she instinctively flattened herself onto the ground. She relaxed only a bit when she saw the figure step out of the shadows and reveal itself to be an elk. A young cow, she would make quite a meal for the whole settlement, if only it was possible to get all the meat back home. Feeling for the wind, watching pinches of chalk drift lazily, she pulled her rifle off of her back and sighted the elk. Carrying all the legs home would be the most economical, but leaving the hide and the back meat would be a shame. Glancing up at the sun, she guessed that if she hurried home with the legs, came back with a horse, and brought the gutted elk home, she could finish up just after dark. She grinned, pulling the lock back with her thumb, and slowly exhaling as she squeezed the trigger. Her rifle bucked and roared, and the cow elk quivered as the ball struck her. Rearing and turning, she only made it a dozen steps before collapsing, her sides heaving, and then stilling. Ellany waited, if the report of the rifle had drawn any attention, she had to be sure she had the upper hand. Still lying in the snow, she reloaded her rifle. The body of the elk was still there, and nothing moved, not even the scraggly brown grasses sticking out of the snow.

Hurrying down the hill, she kept her head on a swivel. The cities left behind from before the Falling all made her skin crawl. The rotting timbers and crumbling stone reeked of death, and there were certainly a few buildings in this town big enough to have nests in their basements. She shivered again, thinking about the horrors that were found in nests. Human bodies lined the walls, torn apart where the young Demons had feasted on them. They were warm and damp and dark, and most of all, dangerous. She'd never seen a nest, but she's seen drawings made by people who supposedly had, and they'd given her nightmares. She rounded the corner of a building, and stopped short, puzzled. There was the trail of blood, then the spot where her elk had lain, but it was gone. She cocked her rifle as quietly as she could, and approached the spot. The Demons never stole kills, it wasn't their way, but a wanderer sneaking around poaching game could be almost as dangerous to a lone scout.

Looking from the ground, to the surrounding ruins, and back again, her fear changed to frustration. The winters were hard enough, having a stranger skulking around stealing food would only make this season harder. The boot prints in the ankle deep snow were certainly those of a man, but an uncommonly large one. The soles of his shoes were stranger still; they were obviously made before the Falling, but the few relics she had seen were certainly not in any condition to be wearing in the snow. Maybe the wanderer had been a cobbler that had committed some terrible crime and been exiled? That was almost far fetched enough to make her laugh. Exiles were less trouble than bandits, but both would be quick to prey on a girl alone in the snow.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and Ellanie shouldered her weapon, turning in a circle, ready for danger. She held her breath and listened, but heard nothing. Her vision began to pulse with her heartbeat, and she quietly caught her breath. Someone was out there, watching her, and she couldn't stand it. Embracing caution, she fought the urge to call out a challenge and slunk out of the ruined city and back into the forest. She made it back to the settlement long before dark, and asked for an audience with the elders. She had no way of knowing that her story would bring more fear than an entire nest of Demons could have.