Ruby slowly got up from the spot she had been in taking a look at her body, seeing that her muscles had changed and became more compact.
Slowly she moved forward only taking a few steps before noticing a scent of blood assault her nose. Following it slowly she looked up the tree she was under, not seeing anything in the dark tree top.
Using her heat sensitive vision she focused and notice two creatures in the top limp, one laying on the branch while the other was hung from it.
Slowly she focused more seeing a panther and dead pig. Looking upon the panther she noticed the heat signature slightly shimmer almost as if the creature's body was shivering in fear. She did realize that when she had smelled the blood her maw had opened, revealing her rows and rows of jagged bone teeth.
Ruby turned away and headed into the forest, the panther not knowing that because of herself the creature she had seen would now learn to climb just as swift and cleanly as a panther.
Day's passed slowly as ruby hunted, dug a small cave for herself and slowly trained her body to climb, swim and balance her weight on anything that could hold it.
From the surface the humans had sent word and got a bounty started on the creature that attacked the surface. Even though the guard was first to attack it mattered not, because humans are a race that would get rid of anything the did not understand or could threaten them.
Groups gathered in numbers of four to five members. They made their way into the cave and searched the forest slowly the funal forest became dyed in red from the blood of humans and creatures alike. This started happening a week after the monster attacked.
In a lonely cave, in the fungel forest, under the small light of the huge cave ecosystem.
One creature lay sleeping and alone. This creature was Ruby, tired out from all the training and practice to survive, the building, decorating and reinforcing of her cave had taken a lot out of her. But slowly it came to resemble a much to large hobit hovel.
Stirring from her sleep she awoke and stretched before heading into a space big enough for her body to not be seen, pushing her ass in first before her body followed. After a few minutes the sound of stones dropping in water echoed through the hovel.
The color of her skin slowly flushed pink before she moved out from the small room. Ruby although a monster is still a lady so one most have privacy and some form of hygiene. She'd dug out a stream under her havel to get rid of any waste she excreted.
She had hoped much like a game everything she ate would just disappear, but no it wasn't that easy and one must still rid the body of leftover food and drink. After taking care of herself and stepping out into the forest she moved around by climbing into the tree and jumping to another.
She learned to hunt much like a panther, stalking prey from the trees before pouncing down on them. Doing it this way made catching food easier and faster because most animals could easily move at the same speed she could.
Today she was stalking her favorite food, a giant boar easily the size of a small car. Sitting in the tree she looked down at the bait she'd set, a cluster of poison mushrooms the boars favorite food. Hours past but she stayed still with eyes open in a predatory gaze.
This was a way to train her mind to wait for the best opportunities and chances to make a move and attack. She knew that on the surface if she had been more knowledgeable she might not have been cut so much in her panic to fight. But this training was not only for her mind but her eyes It taught her to pick up all details not just the ones in front but all around her and even behind her.
(Five hour, five god damn hours I've been in this tree and not a scent of food has even come close ..... Where The Hell Is My Food)
Thinking to herself she almost didn't notice that in a tree almost 50 feet away, on a branch lower than her own sat the figure of a person. If not for training her mind and eyes she may not have ever noticed it.
(Now why the hell is a human in the forest i thou-)
Her thoughts where cut short when she noticed maybe 200-300 feet away from the what was assumed archer or assasin, was a make shift camp with about four human shapes moving about.
Knowing humans all to well, Ruby knew that were there are a few humans there are many. She studied the group and took in every detail.
(They are hunting something, maybe they need resources from the cave just as much as me)
She thought, little did she know just how right and wrong she was, because this group was non other than a hunting party for her. She sat in the tree watching them for a few hours before she heard a noise coming from the direction of her home.
Just like a squirrel she jumped from tree to tree with a silents that was very much unnatural for a beast her size. If not for the hollow bones perhaps she might not have even been able to be in the trees. Making back to the huge tree that hung over the entrance to her home she took everything in.
The big round wood door had been destroyed.
Foot prints tracked to the hovel in the cave wall, her heat sence could still pick up the faint trail of warm air coming from the prints.
Around the tree she was in, traps lay in the grass and so did bait. Rage slowly built in her chest as it tightened.
(THESE BASTARDS WANT TO HUNT ME)
Heat rose up from her skin as she screamed in her mind, pure rage and disgust bubbled up in her. These humans had tracked her back here, went through her house and things, even tried to trap her.
She may have been a monster but she was still a woman and god help anyone who went through a woman's things without permission.
Thoughts flooded her mind as she planned to get rid of these pests that poked around her privacy. No. No. This would not be stood for these little creatures wanted to kill her maybe worse so she would do what was needed, she was a monster after all.
Laying on the branch she slowly started putting together a plan.