The other hunts were rather unremarkable. The last two packs had the most hatchlings, so they simply all rushed in and mobbed their assigned frog until it died, which didn’t take long. The only slightly noteworthy approach was from the final group, the largest pack with three intelligent hatchlings–they had a couple of members of the pack, under the direct supervision of one of the two intelligent females, circle around the upper edge of the arena until they were directly above the Toothy Bullfrogs. Once there, they had jumped down and onto the amphibian, keeping it from jumping, which was an acceptable enough way of keeping them from jumping, if inelegant, I supposed. Relied too much on their massive number advantage. We did hunt as packs, but twenty four to one? That isn’t a disparity I would imagine happens frequently.
Anyway, there were still two Toothy Bullfrogs left living after the final pack finished their… hunt wasn’t really the right word for it. Extermination, I supposed? Maybe a butchery… My mind wandered, as I realized it had more frequently since my reincarnation. Maybe a consequence of my reduced Intelligence? Again, I shook myself out of my distraction and returned to my thought. Regardless of how much, if any, of my self remained upset or revolted by my killing of the lamed hatchling, I wanted the opportunity to kill more of the frogs. That was, after all, the path of progress I’d solidly chosen. To find that answer, I looked up to the large female and awaited further instructions.
It didn’t take long before she began to speak. “Look, you generally did pretty ok. That little… issue with the leg for that one was simply unfortunate. Otherwise, no casualties in this first try, so that’s ok. If you decide to stay in your packs as they are now, you’re free to, but if you didn’t end up a leader and you’re mad about that, you can try to change it. I won’t stand in your way. Just so you know, though, being second in command is better than being in charge, if you ask me.” She tilted her head in amusement. “In case you wanted my advice.”
“Now, the two packs whose performance was the most impressive was you,” she pointed at me, “ and you.” She pointed at the largest group. “You both realized that the most pressing threat, more than the teeth or bite, was the prey being able to move and hop. They’re a lot bigger than you, and the weight will hurt you worse than the bite, as you saw.
“You just got on top of it, which works for how many of you there were, but you,” Again, pointing at me and my pack, “knew where those hops were going to come from.” Her tone shifted to a more severe timbre. “But all you have horrendous battle sense. Truly embarrassing. Maybe someday you’ll learn not to shame the keelish name, but it won’t be any time soon, I can guarantee it.” She shook her head, maybe in derision or dismissal. “Anyways. You two packs can hunt one more. I won’t stick around to watch.” With a flick of her tail, the adult female was about to disappear, before she circled back and again lowered herself to speak with me.
“Now, you have potential. If you make it to adulthood, I’d like to teach you something about how to really kill and hunt.” All along, with this female, there hadn’t been the presence of what I was coming to think of as genetic suppression, she was too easygoing. But now, when I truly bore the full brunt of her interest and focus, I could feel something burning behind her eyes, a focus, an absolute frenzy that was tightly leashed and dominated, and I couldn’t help but recoil in fear and submission. Regardless of her ability to keep herself from lashing out constantly, that dominance was still present, still burning, still potent.
“Wisterl. Remember my name.” Then, finally, Wisterl was gone.
“We… go… now.” I spoke, and my pack followed. I couldn’t imagine that any of us were particularly hungry, considering that we had all eaten so much compared to the rest of the packs, but it was an opportunity to improve our teamwork and for me to acquire another kill, so off we walked.
“Wait!” The male leader of the massive pack stepped forward. I turned, squared my shoulders, and prepared myself.
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“What?”
“We… need… more.”
“You… have… other. Us… first.”
“Need… more. Need… all.”
I stepped forward and clicked my fangs threateningly as rage began to build within me. No, it was mine by right and by rite. “No. Is… mine.”
The other male glanced to both sides, noted that his two sub-leaders stood in support, and didn’t back down from my refusal, instead stepping close, into my range. “We… need.”
This mere hatchling thought he could force me? I didn’t need support from others to get what I wanted. Not bothering to continue posturing and struggling to talk, instead I rushed forward one step and seized his left arm in both of my hands. While slightly surprised, my foe had been at least somewhat expecting this turn of events and began to lower his jaws to my hands on his arm. I didn’t let him, and instead yanked down with all my strength. His knees buckled at the sudden movement, and for the briefest moment, his torso was lowered enough for him to have to catch himself on his right arm on the ground.
With the fool’s body lowered, I was able to dart forward and seize the back of his skull in my jaws and hiss threateningly. His two sub-leaders stopped in their tracks, about to begin their own attacks on me. Only a moment had passed since my sudden violence, and already it was concluded, the life of their leader was in my hands, or jaws. I bit down just hard enough for the defeated hatchling to begin to thrash, then I loosed my jaws and let him flop loosely to the ground.
“My… prey. Us… first.”
The hatchling that would be my opponent didn’t do anything more than slink back to his feet and retreat, leaving my pack to reenter the arena as his pack looked at him, disillusioned. Heh, that was what they got for choosing the weaker leader.
“Same… attack.” Around me, I saw my pack ready themselves for the same approach that we had recently taken to hunt the first Toothy Bullfrog, Oncli and Vefir to the back leg to hobble it before the rest of us took care of completely immobilizing it. This second time was even more successful than the first, with Took understanding how to keep herself out of range of the frog’s reach and instead wrenching the arm of the frog back so as to limit its head’s mobility. Quickly, I was able to dart under the jaw once again, but this time, instead of succumbing to the [Bloodlust]’s primal and undirected savagery, I directly pushed my arm up through the soft flesh of the frog’s throat until I could seize on its spine. Then, with a rictus of a grin beginning to paint my face, I sliced with my sharp claws until the whole body of the Toothy Bullfrog went limp above me.
As my pack began to glory in our second successful kill, even more streamlined and efficient than the first, my voice cut through their initial cheers.
“Again.”
I began to stalk towards the final prey in the arena. My pack was initially confused, but began to follow me as I began to lose myself to the [Bloodlust] with the ichor of the frog coating my face and soaking my nostrils. I charged forward, nearly mindless as I screamed my challenge to the remaining prey. MY prey. I noted Oncli and Vefir circling around to the hindquarters of the creature that was to be the recipient of my insensate rage, but I couldn’t be bothered to go the safe, secure, and slow way. Instead, I feinted low, and as the frog lowered its jaws to intercept me, I leapt on top with the full force of my legs and lost myself to the all-consuming lust for violence.
Only sensations and impressions remained, of pushing my claws deep into something soft that popped with the pressure, of maintaining my balance as the ground below me writhed, and of doggedly gnawing on something hard until it snapped. I came to myself as I stood, jaws wide open and screaming in victory to whatever could hear me. Surrounding the second corpse of the Toothy Bullfrog, my pack cried out similarly in victory, in elation, in superiority.
“Grab… one.” I commanded Oncli as I walked back up to the packs we had left spectating our brutal destruction of the remaining prey.
“Take… other. Our… prey.” I could feel blood, viscera, and my own saliva drop from my face as I faced down the cowed leaders of the other packs. My pack followed, dragging our trophy and leaving the cooling carcass of the final frog in the arena as I dared any of the pack leaders to try something again.
None dared.