The damp spring wind blew through the mouth of your cave. That was good. Damp and windy meant rain might come soon, and rain meant animals looking for shelter, and animals in your cave meant food. And you were so hungry. 

You had been strong, once, living in a lake near your family, feeding on the abundant deer who drank there. But the war had made you an exile, and the harsh winter had made short work of your usual rabbits and squirrels. You were barely finding enough food to stay alive these days. It was easiest to creep along the ground as a mid-sized puddle, eating little bugs and lizards along the way, hoping a stray critter would wander close to you seeking a drink. 

There was a loud crash in the underbrush, and a series of thumps. You tensed; a wolf? A lost deer? You didn’t have the body mass for a serious fight, but something this big could feed you for weeks. You quickly sprawled out across the floor of the cave, doing your best to look like a clean, safe, shining, blue-tinted puddle to drink from. 

Okay, creature. Come on. Come in here and have a nice drink. 

Please.

The clamor drew closer, and you quivered in despair as a human huntress staggered in.

She was massive. Nearly six feet tall, you figured, and muscled. Dark hair, all in a tangled cloud, and brown eyes hard and sharp as flint. Blood ran out of a deep, dirt-smeared gash on her shoulder, staining her animal-hide tunic. A wooden bow, a canvas pouch, and a quiver of arrows sat perched on her back – her things were plain, but well-kept, the bow’s wood polished to a gleam. She didn’t look magical. But she was too big for you to eat, and you knew you wouldn’t win. 

She’s…scaring off the animals. No, no, no. Please no. Please leave. So hungry. Please leave. Leave.

She muttered something as she staggered into your cave, leaning hard on the wall. 

“...hell. To hell with it all. Damned boar. Damned rock.”

She clutched her shoulder and hissed. Her eyes crinkled in despair as she looked down to assess her wound. 

“Have to clean this out.” 

She reached into her canvas bag, and took a few hesitant steps toward your pool. You were frozen in fear, your surface smooth as glass. And, moments too late, you realized what she was going to do. 

Her fingers plunged into you, expecting a handful of clean water. 

GLORP

Her eyes widened, and you shivered in terror. With what remained of your strength, you reformed into a humanoid - so much smaller than you were used to, you were so hungry, but right now you needed speed, maneuverability, you needed to get OUT - and made a beeline for the back of the cave.

Nothing to hide behind, no big rocks, any cracks in the wall, please, no no no!

You turned, in a panic, to see the huntress leveling a beaten-looking Wand of Fireball at you, and you did the only thing you could do. 

You threw your translucent hands up and sunk to your knees. 

“No! Please! Please don’t hurt me! I won’t do anything, I swear!”