A flurry of shadows darted around the moonlit forest. The various shapes blotted out the ground as they jumped from tree to tree.

The speed they moved was blinding to every creature that they barreled around.

Animals scattered in their wake as the chase ensued. The figure of a toad became more and more noticeable as the moon grew higher in the sky.

Limbs shattered as the larger figure in front of him barreled through the trees with increasingly careless fervor. Large intakes of air were followed by billowing exhales.

The beast Egosum chased after was losing the endurance contest handily and the longer the chase lasted, the better shaped he would be in for the actual confrontation.

Small splashes of blood covered the ground where the beast made contact between leaps.

The blue glow and wild nature of the forest made the leisure chase much more calming than he was expecting. The monster had lost its overwhelming speed and strength since the last time they met.

The gulf in ability that had once been present between them had been readily crossed and eclipsed by the amphibian.

A particularly loud crash saw the beast appear in his sight. He changed from long leaps to small hops as he grew closer and closer to his target.

A deep and guttural growl filled the landscape. The monster before him had pure hatred in his eyes as Egosum paused just out of its range

The previously indomitable beast had lost its full and healthy complexion. Its ribs were fully visible and a few new wounds covered its dark pelt.

Egosum crept even closer to it in an attempt to bait an attack.

Its single healthy hand lashed at him, followed by a vicious hiss. The strike missed him by the smallest of margins thanks to the last few weeks of effort.

It had been twenty days since his group had rescued the villagers and reunited the men with their families.

During the lull in activity, he had launched himself head first into consolidating his foundation with small and taste before moving on to hearing.

His species' intimate relationship with sound had lent itself readily to his understanding and utilization with mastering the realm.

That newly enhanced sense allowed him to easily locate and track the monster.

The pantherus before him was much worse for wear than he was expecting.

The hubris of apex predators often saw them fall from the top to the lowest level of danger.

Egosum bated the attack once again, only to batter the weak strike into the ground and force it deep into his trap.

The large cat hissed as it struggled for freedom with the toad watching with a disinterested gave from nearby.

He almost refused to believe it was the same beast that had so easily threatened to end their lives as a group. The only thing that certified the animal as the right beast was the hook still firmly lodged in it shaking paw.

The cat had its back pushed against a metaphorical wall in more ways than one.

Without the full use of its main weapons, it had struggled to cope with the disability.

‘How pitiful.’

Egosum shook the thought from his mind as he watched it try and batter him back with the injured claws.

It met the same fate as the first.

Their earlier confrontation had humbled it greatly and put the fear of the toad deep within its heart and he was about to free it from its suffering.

The core such a strong beast would hold would undoubtedly offer him enough benefits to make it all worth his trouble.

It was like child's play as he forced its back legs into the earth, trapping it deep within his Qi’s hold.

He reached for the hand speared with the sharp hook and inspected it for damage.

Deep scratches covered the handle where it had undoubtedly gnawed away for hours on end in hopes of freeing itself of the nuisance. The skin was a deep flushed red from the irritation and it smelt vaguely of rot.

Egosum used his enhanced grip and empowered strength to firmly grab the hook and yanked it free from the wound.

Blood leaked from it in warm drops as the beast redoubled its efforts for freedom.

The toad looked up to the trapped monster with the hook dangling from his hand to avoid the grime that had caked into the surface.

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Its eyes were filled with fear and glanced around for any way to escape. The hatred that filled it earlier was gone and all it wanted was to flee as far away as possible.

The stare-down lasted longer than he was happy to admit but Egosum finally turned his back to the creature and began hopping away.

‘I really am getting more sensitive. Letting a cat go? Really? Whatever. It's just a lot of butchering that I don’t feel like doing. Yeah, that's it.” He felt his legs grow with power. The skin tightened around his muscles as they rippled with energy.

All of his power rocketed him high above the massive treetops and into the sky above.

More precise and active utilization of his Qi had allowed for more impactful usage that coalesced into new attacks, movements, and tricks he had only just begun to explore in his free time.

Each leap took him closer and closer to his temporary base.

The clearing that had once been the beastmen’s only place of safety had expanded further into the woods nearby.

The area they lived in had nearly doubled in size as the fear of wild animals had diminished with the new addition of the hunters.

He landed near one of the smaller tents around the edge, home to one of the hunters that had lost their family while fleeing from the humans. Another tragedy, but one he had come to realize was far too common in both directions. Childless fathers and fatherless families.

Another hop and he was near the tent he came to accept as his momentary home.

Full families idled around the clearing with smiles permanently plastered on their faces.

Not everything could always be happy but that was equally true the other way around.

The village was bustling more than he could remember ever before as everyone settled into their roles.

A young beastman trotted over to him as they made eye contact.

“Egosum, I see you finally got it. Was it still with the pantherus?”

The toad looked down at the filthy hook before turning to Thunkar.

“Yeah, it was. The beast was much worse for the wear. Any longer and it wouldn’t be kicking for much more.”

The young man took a closer look at the hook and held his hand out for it.

“I can get it cleaned for you. Do you need any help butchering it? I could get a few of the men to go out with you.”

“No, I already handled it. If you could, leave the scratches. It makes it a little nicer to hold.” His tone wasn’t as light as the man was expected. The happy toad was hidden behind a sad filter.

“Okay. I will have it done by tonight if things go well. Just saying, if you wanted to talk, then I am sure Granny would love to offer her sagely advice.” He turned from the amphibian and head off.

Egosum hopped into his tent and closed his eyes.

Intense gasps and moans filled his ears. His face turned down into a frown as he willed his enhanced hearing away from the forefront and tried to go numb to his surroundings to think.

‘I get you are happy to see your loved ones, but it is the middle of the day. Do something other than just having sex.’

His frustration died back before it could bubble up to the surface.

A few thoughts that had been weighing on him for the last week ran rampant in his mind.

He needed to do something. The village was nice, the people were kind, and the appreciation was nice, but without anything left to do he could feel the gnawing worms of doubt creeping in.

He felt his time wasting away with each passing day.

Soft vibrations startled him from his musings as the tent opened up and Erooka peaked through with her hands tucked behind her back. The girl who had guided him back to the village on the day of the assault had grown comfortable with the amphibians since their first meeting.

She had quickly become good friends with Cinera and often disappeared to loiter around with Coyotl.

“Yes?” He asked as his eyes fully adjusted to the stream of light arcing in from around her.

“Tada!” She held out a glistening object he struggled to place before offering to hand it off.

“The hook? Ah, very nice. Did you help?”

She nodded her head before looking down to the ground.

“What is it?” He could tell something was eating away at him from the way she fidgeted and the sound of her heart picking up speed.

“I heard that you want to leave the village soon.” She whispered, taking quick glances up to gauge his expression.

He fought back a sigh before talking again.

“I am. We have been hanging around too long. I need to do something that can’t be accomplished in the village.” His face puckered at the confirmation.

“I want to come along!” She yelled in his direction, causing him to flinch at the loud noise.

“No.”

The quick denial caused tears to well up before she turned and ran outside.

‘A bunt refusal is for the best. She is stubborn as can be and any chance she sees will be picked apart with gusto.’

He let his heart rest as his body relaxed once again.

“Meep.” The call startled him so much he launched off the ground and flew into the hide walls of the tent before turning to address the speaker.

“How do you always manage to sneak up on me like that? Were you there the whole time?” The dull eyed creature sat comfortably in the spot he had grown accustomed to lounging in.

“Of course. I will hear your voice one day. Mark my words.” He turned from his froggy friend and made up his mind. We will be leaving tomorrow. I am going to go tell Cinera.”

Without waiting for a nonsensical reply, he leap out of his tent and traveled for the salamander. He could hear her soft murmurs of pleasure as she basked in the warm coals of a cooking fire.

“I am glad you are enjoying yourself. I have something to talk to you about.” He waited for her to stretch out and turn to him before continuing. “I have decided that we will be going to search for a natural swamp.”

She raised her brow line before speaking up.

“I’ve told you before. I follow where you lead. You just need to find out what direction we will start heading towards first cause I don’t want to end up in the human or the dwarf lands. I want to live long enough to see this partnership through.”

He huffed in response.

“I know. I want to go talk with the parasites to see if they know anything. They absorbed the human's knowledge of the surroundings so they should know where even the humans refuse to go.”

She nodded her head and closed her eyes once again to enjoy the smoldering coals.

“This is going to be much more awkward than the elf kingdom’s departure.”

Egosum turned from the salamander and made his way back to his tent to rest for the night. Coyotl had retired to his own tent, leaving him to drift off to his dreamscape.

“Welcome back! Are you ready to begin?” The harsh voice drew his attention as he came to within his soul core.

“Here we go again.”