“Everyone, eat your fill! Don’t eat so much you get sluggish, we got more hunting to do! Leave the bodies, then follow me!” My voice filled the area as I stepped close, cut a leg off the nearest body, and began to eat it as I walked towards the wolfstags’ den. The plan was to ambush them before they reached the corpses of their fellows, so we needed to be there and ready before they were. Beyond that, the rain was beginning to thin, to our detriment. The ambush went best with our greater ability to see, but we’d had that further element of surprise on our first ambush.
Sybil trotted up closer to me and fell into step beside me. Even before I needed to ask, she answered me, “No casualties. A couple of wounds, but nothing that needed Vefir’s magic.” Then, without me thinking so far about it, she continued, “Morale is high. It seems that Criit and Khaa doubted you would be able to deliver on your promise so quickly and completely, so they and their packs have changed their view of the hunt. Mrat and those of his pack are already beginning to demonstrate a willingness to follow you further.”
“Thanks, Sybil.” I gently nudged her as we continued to walk. “By the way—there was some conversation between Criit and Mrat before I came the other day. What were they fighting about?”
“Mrat was the brood Alpha of their brood, and Criit was always envious of him. Criit always wanted to be Alpha, but was never strong enough as a spawnling. Eventually, he left his initial pack with those willing to follow him and created his current pack. He has found himself somewhat backed into a corner, since those who followed him were promised prosperity and power but have yet to receive either.”
I flared my frills in acknowledgement of the answer. “Are you ready for this? This next fight will be even more dangerous than all others you’ve been in.”
Sybil leveled her eyes at me. “There is always a threat of danger. Do you think me ignorant? I know that our prey wishes for our demise.”
For a moment I felt flustered. Of course she knew that just… “You simply aren’t one of the hunters.” For a moment I fumbled with whatever I could say next, but before I could come up with something eloquent, Sybil responded.
“No, I am not. That is why I keep myself safe by surrounding myself with the competent.” Her tone was flat and unimpressed. Then, with a nod of her head, she slowed and let me continue forward, alone. I forced myself to stop thinking about it, instead finding the ideal location for our next ambush. After maybe a quarter mile, we found a grove of sorts that Foire thought the wolfstags would pass through, and while the roots of the burlraizes didn’t have sufficient cover for all 100 of us keelish, they did provide enough cover for us to have an initial assault that could potentially slow their response for long enough that the rest could arrive from relatively nearby hiding places.
I gathered Took, Treel, Khaa, and Criit’s packs, and set them to ready nearby, with the rest waiting a small ways off. Without saying so or acknowledging it, I deliberately set Khaa and Criit’s packs to the potentially most dangerous locations, near the front and furthest away from the inbound backup. Additionally, if the wolfstags became aware of their hiding place, they could very well ambush the ambushers, as my pack was well aware of. Ideally, the wolves wouldn’t know of our presence, but if they did, those were they I was most willing to sacrifice for our victory. I hid myself closest to Khaa and Criit’s packs, readying myself to engage with the most dangerous of the wolfstags that appeared. I tried to tell myself that it was to keep the others safe, but I knew that there was a part of me that wanted to engage in the struggle, to test myself against the strong.
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The waiting was, as always, the most difficult. To calm myself, I, for just a moment, activated [Combatant’s Bloodlust]. My vision bleached in color until there was nothing but grays and red spots, and the keelish around me. Looking forward, I could see the wolfstags beginning to enter where the ambush would be triggered, maybe 100 feet in front of me. Once they all entered the grove, we would spring the trap and set into them.
And that was when the wind whipped around us and began to blow in the opposite direction.
Immediately, I could see the leading wolfstags’ ears perk up, and they stood tall while looking around before settling on the nearest hiding spot of our ambushers. The wolfstags’ leading members were a mere couple of feet away from Khaa and Criit’s packs, and they immediately rushed towards the unprepared keelish. I began to rush out of our cover and towards the wolfstags, and I watched as the keelish tried to engage with the enraged wolfstags. The screams of wolves and keelish alike filled the air as the outnumbered keelish tried to defend themselves and began to be literally torn apart.
I sent my magic thrumming to my throat and yelled out, “Furry fools! Fight me! You’re weak, cowards!” There was a flash of a [System] notification, and I disregarded it as I subtly changed the flow of my magic and called out to all keelish in earshot, “VICTORY! VICTORY BY FANG AND BLOOD!” The effect of [Innervating Address] was immediate, and all keelish rushed forward ever faster while the assailed packs gathered together more tightly while protecting themselves.
The pounding of our feet filled the air while I could hear only the rushing of my own blood in my ears while I set my claws to vibrating with [Quaking Claw]. The first wolfstag I came in contact with was weak, and with a single swipe of my hand, it was crippled. I left it to be finished by another behind me while I laid about with my claws in every direction. The ease with which I could tear through flesh and bone was startling, but I didn’t hesitate. These wolves were a threat, and I didn’t allow them to rip entirely through Khaa and Criit’s packs.
I struck out two more times, then there was a subtle feeling or message from [Combatant’s Bloodlust] that I instinctively understood as I subconsciously turned and blocked a lunging strike from a wolfstag, hitting the side of its mouth with my forearm. Before I could truly take it in, my assailant bit in at me two more times, and both times I knocked the attack aside with my armored forearms and hands, but the sheer strength of this creature took me by surprise. This wolfstag was massive, over five feet tall at the shoulder, and its head was easily past six feet. I’d never heard of a wolfstag so large, much less seen one, and as its antlers loomed over me, sparks of electricity danced over its whole body.
The thrill of the fight came over me, and I cried out my challenge to the wolfstag as we both rushed back at each other.