Once upon a time, there was a girl named Ella, out of Luceiia by Victoricus. She had excellent genes, an impeccable bloodline, and slender, elegant blades. She was also strong, courageous, and cunning, and sought by all the young men of the pride, and even the Alpha.
Victoricus had an excellent arms-trading business, and the family wanted for nothing. But then Luceiia was cravenly murdered by a traitor who had sold himself to the Drago-Kazov pride, and in avenging her death, so too was Victoricus slain.
Knowing that Ella had been born of Luceiia, Victoricus's second wife Titania wanted to kill the girl, so that her own genetic material, through her daughters Beya and Griselda, would flourish. But Titania was weak, and thought first of her pride, and so only stripped Ella of her identity and made her a personal slave to Beya and Griselda.
Ella bided her time, addressing Beya and Griselda meekly and obediently. But in her dealings with the various merchants who supplied the household, Ella soon demonstrated her superior blood, and by playing to their lust won herself a large, loyal, and secret following.
One day, the Alpha of the pride announced that he sought a bride for his firstborn son, Barbarossa, and would hold three hunts for all comers to demonstrate their desirability. Despite their flaws, Titania, Beya, and Griselda planned to go. So, of course, did Ella. Titania, taunting the girl, told her that she may if she could arrange for her own supplies and finish all chores set her that day.
Without informing them of her intent, Ella called upon her suitors and found herself several kludges to finish her chores. That night, Ella, wielding proficiently in hand a nerve whip, finished her tasks, though she did in the process kill two of the kludges.
The next morning, the Alpha set forth upon a great and glorious hunt, pursuing the fearsome invisible lorghaj, so called because the least of them weighed in the tons, yet were never seen by their prey.
A mysterious woman, beautiful of figure, lithe in motion, and witty in conversation, attached herself to Barbarossa's party. Though she offered neither descent nor family, Barbarossa was intrigued by her tracking skills and by the fact that she stalked arguably the most dangerous game of the planet in a simple sleeping tunic, with no knife save her blades.
By the third day of the hunt, the Alpha discussed his previous hunts with her, the Beta had already arranged her a tragic accident, and only the lack of a genetic sample prevented Barbarossa from bedding her.
On the fourth morning, she led the Alpha to the den of a lorghaj bitch. Asked whether she was insane, to have approached alone a whelping lorghaj's den, she merely flashed a smile and asked, "What should the best hunt, if not the best?" And in the battle, she personally slayed the bitch.
The Alpha presented her with a cub as a gift; she slit its throat. "Thank you, but I do not adopt my enemies," she called over her shoulder as she vanished into a thicket. Neither the Alpha nor Barbarossa could find any trace of her. Barbarossa ordered the lorghaj cub stuffed and mounted above his bed.
Titania, Beya, and Griselda returned chattering of the mysterious woman who had so completely captured Barbarossa's heart that the next two hunts were being seriously questoned. Barbarossa had apparently already made his choice. Ella bore the cruelties tossed upon her back without complaint.
The Alpha did eventually persuade his son to continue with the original plan. Ella reappeared at the second hunt, took a nest of chitterlings single-handedly, and served them to Barbarossa roasted with butter and Earth-pepper. Barbarossa begged her for a name, a blood sample, a game of chess. She granted the last, playing him to four draws, all without once touching her queen, in which Barbarossa had placed an automatic syringe.
At the third hunt, she saved him from a very confused and consequently very irritated earth rattlesnake, apparently escaped from some noble's private collection, then helped him take one of the twenty-foot dragons native to that planet, receiving in the process a deep scratch.
Barbarossa managed to collect a few drops of blood before she fled. He blockaded the system and searched every ship leaving; she was nowhere. He was so depressed he couldn't even pilot his own ship through slipstream.
Back on his homeworld, the blood sample was analyzed. The woman was found to be Ella, out of Luceiia by Victoricus. The Alpha ordered a planet-wide search.
Hearing of this, Ella served Griselda and Beya a very special pie, leaving them to die slow, agonizing deaths watching Arcturian carrion slugs hatch and feast upon their paralyzed flesh. She challenged and killed Titania with her bare hands.
Barbarossa was overjoyed when she presented herself to him. They were married and produced twelve beautiful children.