Lilith

Lilith

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Lilith is a young adult, in her early 20's

Her (single?) mother was killed by a mountain lion when she was very young

A few years later and after being left on her own (perhaps she became a street urchin? Spending her time in the woods and on the streets might have had her often surrounded with animals of different types she found herself talking to, as she had nobody else to talk to) Lilith finally tracks down the mountain lion, and kills it, and like your backstory, sees the cub, but when she is about to kill it, she 'feels' the cubs fear and pain. This could be the first time she feels an animal communicate back with her, and forges a special connection between her and the cub, which she raises and trains as her own.

Over the years she lives in the forest and refines her abilities to hunt and communicate with the wildlife. She can't talk with them as people talk to one another, rather it's more mental 'reading' of the animals, and planting her intent and commands into them through her magic, though she'll think it's through her signals and sounds. She just looks like an EXTREMELY competent animal trainer, and can somehow communicate with them.

She's into Girls, and perhaps has a disliking of men in general due to how she's often treated by guards and merchants

-She can communicate very well with wild animals, specifically mammals and birds
Churl the cougar is her closest friend and loyal partner. He of course helps her hunt and protects her while she is in the wild, but gets skittish in large groups of people, so stays out of town during the day, but has no problem staying by her side in cities at night. While Churl is her partner, she does have a few more animals that are her friends. There is a peregrine falcon that she is close with. It helps her track prey from the sky during hunts, watches her back from a high perch when she's in town, and will occasionally deliver messages for her. All just for a few strips of meat when she gets a kill. There is a pack of wolves who aren't really her friends, but they allow her to hunt in their territory. Her relationship with them is less of a friendship, and more a mutual respect for one another. She can understand what their howls mean, and thinks she can howl back, but when she 'howls' like a wolf, she is really sending out a magical signal to all the wolves in the area without realizing it. She will sometimes leave her kills for them to finish eating if she doesn't need food or money from the carcass, but other than that, they don't interact any more than coworkers in a large business.
She has high athletics due to her spending a lot of time in the mountains, giving her a form of high altitude training. In order to keep up a chase if Churl's first ambush fails, she has a relatively lightweight, lean build - well toned, but not ripped. This contrasts with Churl, who is ripped - built for short bursts of overwhelming power rather than endurance. She uses a heavy longbow (70-100 lb draw weight) she made herself from a sturdy tree, possibly oak, cedar, or yew. When unstrung, she disguises it as a walking stick while she's in town so she can keep it with her at all times. While her father is a mystery, she does appear to have a mixed ancestry; Grayden complexion, like her mother, with skin a shade darker than it should be. Maybe from Thunissain or even Faelen Descent. But that doesn't matter as much. Her father was never around and she is not too keen on finding him. This might also contribute to her overall dislike or distrust of men.
Personality wise, she's tough and decisive, but not aggressive or outright rude. She has a quick wit and often thinks on her feet, making up new plans as she executes them. This not only helps her stay one step ahead of prey, but also one step ahead of swindling merchants, or anyone else who thinks they can exploit her. She does have a soft side for animals and children regardless of gender, and often gets along with women of all ages just fine. Although she is implicitly biased against men, she doesn't immediately shut them out at first meeting. It's only when they start to act in unsavory ways that she closes them off, and especially when they try anything resembling a romantic advance.

Freelance ranger - she saved enough money to buy a decent machete-falchion. She also has a coil of rope and a spare dagger on her belt. Her bow was broken by the locals..