Accompanying a pack on the hunt without actively participating was uniquely frustrating. I watched as my subordinates found various creatures and began the hunt. There was a Martanimis Python, much smaller than the one that I’d hunted before, and it was quickly killed then devoured in its entirety. I was off put by how naturally the pack turned to allow me the first bites of the food, and how easily I accepted it. This feeling of superiority came so naturally to me that it was often only after I had acted in accordance to it that I even realized that my actions had been out of character, at least in comparison to my old self.
The hunt was generally unremarkable, except in Foire’s ability to sniff things out earlier than the rest of us could manage. He noted a hultzi nest, where three of the hunters were able to take down the two adults. They offered me the eggs, and they were surprisingly tasty. Then, Foire noted some sign of a creature he thought he might recognize, yet hadn’t ever encountered before. As he called me forward and I examined it, I could tell that the tracks were those of a Scaled Deer.
Foire looked to me for confirmation.
“It’s your hunt, I’m just here to watch.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Foire nodded then, with a low whistle, the pack closed in and began to tread as quietly as they could. He hadn’t spoken, so it seemed that Foire had established some sort of nonverbal commands, and the pack had listened and learned. I’d need to take those for myself. Vefir, being Foire’s main support within the pack, was walking through the packed bodies, making sure that there weren’t any small injuries or problems that might develop into something more or worse down the line. I was surprised to see that, the care with which he observed the rest of the pack, and I decided to try to speak with him after we finished the hunt.
Foire led the way, the rest of us following close and quiet. Ahead, the jungle remained choked with brush and general growth, but Foire was able to find swift, quiet passage through it all, leading the rest of us to pass where the path was the quietest it could be. Before long, Foire, without turning around, tapped the closest keelish behind him with his tail, who promptly did the same. The tail taps passed back seamlessly, except my own brief confusion then clunky attempt at replication. My tail had healed at this point from the bite being taken out of it, but I still didn’t consciously use it for much.
With the tap, four of the largest members of the pack slowly passed into the front of the group, where they received soundless commands from Foire. He seemed to be gesturing to the far side of a nearby tree, the roots of the burlraiz fully obscuring what was there from my view. The three slowly began to circle around the tree, giving it a wide berth and staying hidden within the surrounding brush. If I hadn’t known they were there, I never would have been able to guess where the stealthy hunters could be, and after several minutes of waiting, Foire whistled three times, sharp.
Somewhere on the other side of the tree I heard movement, and then, all around me, the pack swarmed into motion. I found myself swept up in it, nearly sprinting forward but keeping pace with the rest as they approached the goal. As we rounded the roots, I saw the initial four keelish sent around engaged with two scaled deer.
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The deer stood at a bit more than four feet tall at the shoulder, and they both were lashing out wildly with their hooves, trying to knock the attackers away, but those first there weren’t concerned with bringing the deer down. Instead, their focus was simply on keeping the deer from fleeing, and before the prey could realize what was happening, Foire and the rest of his pack rounded the tree’s roots.
The hunt under Foire’s direction was almost clinical. With the prey distracted, the group of over a dozen keelish closed in and, as one, swarmed the scaled deer. They succumbed quickly to the attack, and as the smell of blood wafted over me, I felt [Bloodlust] trigger. Immediately, I needed to fight the urge to rush in headlong and begin tearing into the prey. My prey. Those inferior to me were killing! I… pulled myself back, my chest still heaving with heavy breath and I tried to master myself. The need to shed blood, to kill, to vent my frustrations was overwhelming, but I was barely able to hold myself back as I lifted my right arm a little and focused on the immediate shock of pain that nearly brought me to my knees.
Still, [Bloodlust] threatened to force me to take some sort of action, but as the hunt was completed, I was finally able to dull my need to act enough to calmly approach the bodies of the two felled deer. I hadn’t actively participated in the hunt, not really, but I wondered if it would still count as if I had. Nothing in my [Status] let me know either in confirmation or not, so I could only find out later. I was also disappointed to note that my attempt at self control hadn’t counted for the evolution of [Bloodlust], spurring greater frustration.
Again, Foire and the rest of the pack gestured for me to be the first to partake, and again I did so without conscious thought. I simply ripped one of the hind legs off and carried it away, letting the rest ravenously set to the corpses. I watched, the happy squeaks and jealous snapping from the keelish bringing a smile to my face as I ate. This pack was closer than I would have expected, but there was something about Foire’s quiet, gentle leadership that drew in the rest of the keelish.
As I swallowed the last of the meat and began to snap through the bones for the marrow, Foire and Vefir approached me. I watched them, and they shifted slightly, seeming to be uncomfortable. I continued to watch, curious, as the two shifted from foot to foot before I finally realized why they had approached me.
“Foire, you’re a good tracker. Good leader too, your pack follows you without question, and they hunt well with you.”
He ducked his head in thanks. Suddenly, a brief flash of inspiration crossed my mind. “Foire. There’s something you’re trying to do. Something… about climbing? You just need to keep trying. You’re on the right track.”
Foire startled, then looked at me for a solid couple of seconds. “Thank you. I will.” I didn’t know what he was doing, or how it was going, but somehow I knew that he just needed to try a couple more times and then he would succeed. The first time I’d ever felt the influence of [Evolutionary Guide], I was sure. Great. I, excited with this success, turned to Vefir, hoping to find or feel something to give him advice about. Frankly, he was the most unremarkable of my earliest followers. Took, Treel, and Brutus were all large and strong, Oncli a good mix of strong, fast, and smart, Sybil immensely intelligent, and Foire had grown into a formidable scout. And Vefir… tried his best.
So, as I looked at him and felt the trust and hope from him, I was astounded by what I felt.