Irithel

Hunters finally discovered the fatal weakness of these creatures. As elusive as they were, smilodons were always drawn to the cries of an infant because it sounded so similar to the cries of their own young. Hunters were quick to exploit this weakness. They kidnapped the infants of other races to use as bait and ambushed unsuspecting smilodons. Irithel had once been one of those babies. Born under a menacing red moon, the forsaken elf entered the world with strange crimson markings on her skin and was feared from her first breath. Those around her considered her existence a bad omen and rejected her without hesitation. Greed and wickedness had almost swallowed her up. Yet, in the end, she managed to survive.

The smilodon that followed her cries happened to be the Primary Matriarch who had recently lost her young. This little one had fallen into the hands of hunters not long before. The sight of such a crude trap sent the matriarch into a frenzy, baring her fangs. But the smell of milk on the matriarch attracted the hungry child to the smilodon. Little Irithel crawled towards her, staggering. At this moment, the smilodon's rage weakened. Looking at the little elf, maternal instinct began to take over. But the hunters had already lost patience. They approached from all sides, determined to take the bones of the smilodon for themselves. They understood the power of a smilodon, but knew nothing of the ferocity of a mother. Keeping little Irithel at her side, the matriarch rushed forward and roared at every hunter who dared to approach. The hunters were completely disoriented by his attacks and, when failure seemed imminent, they fled the forest in panic.

Irithel had a mother that day. She was not a graceful elf. The matriarch gave her everything a mother could: milk to feed her, shelter under the wild canopy, the skills to hunt and survive... and a dear companion, her only surviving cub. Irithel returned this love in kind. As the matriarch had hoped, Irithel grew up alongside the cub and learned to chase away intruders from the forest. Bow in hand and barely able to stand, she climbed on the little one's back and sent arrows into every corner of the forest. Over time, Irithel came to understand the truth about her own origins. Having endured such cruelty herself, she could not calm her distrust of outsiders, especially humans.

This only began to change after meeting Nana, a kind-hearted Leonine girl. Irithel didn't understand his words, but she could feel the warmth of Nana's smile. Even though Irithel could only respond with grunts, little Leonine happily took both of his hands in hers. Only heat could melt the ice to such a depth, and little by little, Nana's perseverance began to change it. Proudly calling herself Irithel's "little teacher", she set about teaching her the language of humans. Unable to refuse such kindness, Irithel followed Nana's patient advice and, for the first time, managed to clumsily reconstruct her first word: "F-nothing." Together they named Irithel's companion Leo, and they walked the forest paths laughing and singing. But this simple happiness ended too soon with Nana's departure.

Irithel had to learn and grow on her own. Before Irithel knew it, her mother had aged. Increasingly, the matriarch looked at her daughter with quiet expectation in her eyes. When her fangs could no longer protect what she loved, she led Irithel to one last place. They arrived deep in the forest, where countless white bones lay silently. This was the graveyard of the smilodons, the place these hunters had been searching for for a long time. Before Irithel knew what was happening, her mother gently lay down on the bed of bones. Like any mother, she wanted to leave a gift for her child when Irithel reached the age of majority. But the matriarch had no treasure to pass on. The only gift she could leave her child was... her own bones. Under Irithel's gaze, the matriarch slowly closed her eyes. The proud head that had never bowed in her life rested on her daughter's knees, and in that final calm, Irithel understood the secret of the smilodons: when they died, their spirit bones released their immense magic into the forest, nourishing the earth and continuing the endless cycle of life.

The matriarch's breathing gradually weakened and Irithel's vision blurred from tears. When those tears finally fell, a glow crossed her mother's translucent, weathered bones, as if urging her not to stop there. Irithel therefore set off in search of the Tree of Life in the Moonlight Forest. With the gentle blessing of Estes and Miya, she forged her weapon from one of her strong silver branches and her mother's bones, shaping them into the crossbow she now carried. It was proof that his mother would always be with them. From that day on, any hunter who dared to set foot in the forest would learn to fear the roar of Leo and the fierce elf on his back with the magic crossbow. Together, they would chase away all intruders from the forest.

Irithel watched the hunters flee in panic as she gently placed her hand on her crossbow. Leo leaned against her, the feeling warm and familiar. Under his fingers, his crossbow gave off the same warmth, as if the years had never passed and his mother was still there at their side.