As days continued to pass, the hunts remained rather unremarkable, Vefir continued to try his best to heal my arm, and I tried to experiment with my magic, to some success. The third growth period passed, and I grew taller, broader, and stronger again, and then the fourth passed, and I finally began to feel as if I was making some headway with my magic. My [Stats] had continued to swell with these benchmarks passed, and I could feel their influence in every aspect of my life. My [Status] had grown, and I was happy to see some growth, even if I remained frustrated by the lack of progress on my [Quests].

[Stats:

-Constitution: 23+2+2=27

-Strength: 30+2+3=35

-Agility: 31+3+3=37

-Intelligence: 25+2+2=29

-Magic: 16+3+3=22

Skills:

Bloodlust: 1/2

Exceptional Individual (Cannot Evolve)

Innate Leadership (Cannot Evolve)

Pack Tactics: 0/10

Dominance: 29/100

Sonilphon: 10/50

Evolutionary Guide: (Cannot Evolve)

Evolutionary foresight (Cannot Evolve)

-Adult Sonic Magicblood Alpha: Survive 60 days. Progress: 24/60

Other evolutions possible, but not currently foreseen. Progress further, and such possibilities will be presented to you.]

My [Stats] growth was reassuring, knowing that there would be six more before I’d officially reached “adult” size and my free growth would be cut off, but that I hadn’t had any progress on my [Quests] nor additional evolutions had me beginning to worry. More correctly, it had me only barely keeping myself from pacing the den or running into the jungle to find something new to slaughter. I was slowly working on figuring out how to use my sonilphon and how to evolve it, and I finally felt that I had some sort of idea of what I could do beyond let out an explosion of sound. That progress still didn’t slake my need for progress and violence.

There was a way I could let a trickle of the magic from my sonilphon continuously flow as I spoke, and there was some effect on those listening. I couldn’t yet ensure what the result would be, but I could feel that I was making progress in finding something new to do. Additionally, with Vefir’s constant ministrations, I wasn’t at perfect form, but I had recovered over half of my mobility in my right arm without pain. I wouldn’t be lifting or stabbing with that arm any time soon, but I finally felt ready to lead a pack on a hunt. A hunt for the one hunter we had yet to return the favor to.

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“Took.” My voice rang out in the den as every keelish in my pack prepared for their work of the day. I’d subconsciously drawn on a hint of my sonilphon’s magic as I’d called for her, and everyone’s attention was immediately on me. She approached, confident and excited for the summons.

“Alpha.” Even as she had become more capable of speech, Took remained taciturn and serious. She had continued to grow taller and broader with every evolution and growth spurt, and I estimated that one or two growth spurts from now, barring my own evolution or something similar, she would be notably taller than I. As I’d come to think of it, she was built like Rulac, just packing more and more mass on at every opportunity, while I was more like Redael, my body being molded into more and more of a weapon.

“Took, gather our ten strongest hunters, not counting Foire and yourself. Today, we hunt the terrorbird.”

With nothing more than a swift flare of her frills, Took turned and began to gather hunters according to my command. Foire and Sybil approached me, and Foire immediately ceded to Sybil, who spoke up.

“With this, can I assume that you are ready for this hunt?”

“Would I have made this announcement if I wasn’t?”

“Then, may Nievtala guide you.” I’d taken to using Nievtala’s name at occasions, and it was beginning to spread through the brood. Sybil had eventually pried the meaning of the word from me, and though she seemed at best skeptical of the existence of a greater being, she seemed to appreciate the emphasis a “god’s” name granted her speech. After her brief blessing, Sybil continued, “I will keep Vefir ready to help however he can upon your return.” I noted Vefir standing nearby, and he nodded his agreement.

Vefir had continued to grow into this new position as a healer or supporter of the rest, and his popularity had very nearly surpassed my own since he had gained the ability to heal others. In the past 10 days, he had spent time every day healing my arm, attempting to help me regain mobility, but the rest of the time he spent making rounds among the hunters after their return and administering to their wounds. Not a single hunter had not yet received healing from Vefir, and every one of them nearly worshipped him for the relief that he could bring.

With Sybil’s brief conversation having finished, Foire walked close to me before speaking quietly under his breath. “Are you sure we’re ready? We have grown, but we couldn’t do anything to it when it took Oncli.”

I reached down, both hands on Foire’s shoulders. With each successive growth spurt, I had grown ever taller, now at 40 inches or so, while Foire’s growth had been markedly more gradual, having only grown to 30 inches tall at most.

“You cannot fear those any longer. You must be keelish. Trust in the strength of your scales and the sharpness of your fangs.” I tried to let my sonilphon influence my words, and I felt a faint tremor shake the air with my words. Something inside Foire seemed to stiffen up at my words, and I could feel the confidence swell within him.

“Right. Victory by fang and blood.”

“Forged in battle and tempered in blood.”

Vefir finished my statement without hesitation, “I follow.”

As Vefir turned to go speak with his pack briefly before we left to begin the hunt, I noted the flashing [System] notification.

[New Skill acquired.]

Excited, I looked into my [Status] and saw it.

[Skill: Innervating Address acquired. a skill granted to those whose mastery of sonic magic has grown to allow them to use their words laced with magic to grant greater energy and confidence in the listener.]

Finally. I felt a grin spread across my face and knew that this time would be different.