Xiao Xiao stalked forward, following her memories in part, but now, a more primal part guided her as well.
She could feel it.
A challenger approaches. Her. It was not her domain being encroached upon. It was His…
And it felt good to be the hunter. To take a domain from another. To hunt one who is Stronger.
She could feel the little wisps in the air, thicker than before, almost flickering in and out of sight. She didn't notice this last time. Something was different. A wisp of natural energy drifts towards her, as if on a lazy mission to nest in her hair.
The Sky is with her. She wasn't at her peak. And that was good. Her best would make this easy, worthless.
Xiao Xiao felt two clusters of fluffytails ahead, 'juvenile leadtail wolves,' her 'soul' helpfully provided. Her heart-mind Soul, has been changing. It has been giving more detailed stuff when she called for it. Or even when she didn't.
She somehow felt less human now, like the opposite of how she felt when she was doing the nomad stuff. Back before what happened when she punched Mr Mis- 'Master.' She felt more like one of the plants or ‘wolves’ now.
There was a small hill ahead, '50 metres' 'northwest.' There were Four wolves on top. Guarding. '47 metres' to the 'north' there were more wolves. Two of them. Laying by the entrance into the Burrow.
The hill had two more wolves, but it felt dangerous to ignore them.
Then finally.
Like a beating heart, He was there, deep in the Burrow.
[??? Awakening 1/3…]
As Xiao Xiao stared at the Burrow, feeling the Monster within… Her blood began to heat up, her senses sharpening.
She felt something calling to her…
The Hunt Is Long; The Hunter Must Be Patient.
Words echoed through her. She waited, watching.
Time went by, the sun slowly falling.
Her stare was unbroken, even when the four wolves on the hill moved down to the Burrow as well.
As the sun dipped below, and the full moon rose, she felt it.
Long before it reached her ears, a howl reverberated through her.
Strike!
She rushed forward, her steps silent in the drifting winds.
As she ran, her hands shook, her senses pointed at the Wolf within.
Her Blood Sang.
Two in front, four behind them!
K I L L
Xiao Xiao kicked forward with momentum, her leg whipping out towards the closest wolf, the other wolf biting at her hand. Her kick sailed past it, its jaws clamping around her leg. She managed to twist free, leaving her leg bleeding painfully. As she pulled away she tried to kick a few more times, tears welling up in her eyes. None of her kicks were anywhere close to hitting, the wolves keeping their distance.
NOT
ENOUGH
BLOOD
The two at the front circled around her, following her every move, the four beyond moving to join.
More kicking was hard with her leg being hurt…
She’s getting surrounded…
Must Not Be Trapped.
On instinct, Xiao Xiao charged the furthest wolf of the two near, hitting it away before it could nip her, and she broke away.
Trees rushed by as she looked for a chance to something.
Only one could reach her for a few moments.
She turned to attack, this time listening to the call within her…
[??? Awakening 2/3…]
It screamed at her to tear the wolf to shreds. Her blood boiled, her hair growing longer, her teeth extending, nails forming into wild Claws.
The wolf in front of her stopped running at her, its growling ceasing. it began to whine, tail falling.
With a bloody shine to her, Xiao Xiao leapt at it, her new claws raking across it again and again. The wolf's jaw was completely savaged, an eye blinded. A hind leg was entirely torn off. Blood drenched it from head to toe.
Claws dripping, Xiao Xiao watched as it slowly fled, its legs barely carrying it away. The other wolf is almost back to her, the four wolves beyond not far behind either.
Xiao Xiao stared at the bloodied, limping wolf, an immense Hunger gripping her. Despite its pull, she turned her attention to the nearest wolf that wasn’t so injured.
It was almost dead anyway, she should focus on the threats for now.
The other wolves were approaching more hesitantly now.
They would arrive at the same time, if she hadn't begun charging the other close one. She closed with it quickly, her blood singing even deeper than before. Her leg barely bothered her, the pain numbed.
As she got within range, her claws larger than her hands, Xiao Xiao felt her Hunger reignite. It was not satisfied after letting the first wolf go. Her instincts drove her head forward in a vicious bite, long fangs sinking deep.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The wolf whipped around as its life drained, giving Xiao Xiao small scratches from the wolf's own teeth and claws in the struggle.
As her teeth sank ever deeper, its struggles fading, she felt stronger, yet more Hungry.
All warmth drawn from it, she pulled away from the body. Her attention went to her surroundings again. Xiao Xiao noticed the four wolves closing in, her instincts screaming danger as they almost encircled her again.
Xiao Xiao's eyes darted around looking for an escape.
The Burrow.
All the wolves were outside chasing her.
She couldn't afford to be surrounded.
She dashed towards the entrance to the Burrow.
Right as she thought she moved fast enough to be clear, she felt spikes rip into her back, pain blazing through her. Gritting her teeth, she continued her rush through the trees, her back burning.
She could feel the four wolves each leave wounds across her as she passed. As she neared the Burrow, she could feel all four wolves right behind her, nipping and howling. At last, she broke through into the sizeable hole.
She spun on her heels, now only two wolves able to fit in at once, and bared her teeth.
Xiao Xiao lets loose, rage and hunger coating her.
Energy flowed through her body, her wounds healing, her Claws sharpening. She swiped at the closest beast, sending it back yelping without an ear.
In the instant where there was only one enemy in front of her, she pounced on it, claws sinking through it from end to end. She dragged it into the Burrow, trailing blood.
Her other hand swiped blindly out, keeping the other wolves busy while she lunged at her captured prey, sinking her ever longer teeth in.
The last three were shaking now.
She stepped forward.
They ran.
And she stumbled.
Xiao Xiao was as exhausted as she was full of power.
Seeing them run, she felt like resting for a moment with the danger being gone.
Or at least just finishing her hunt for Fluffertons…
[Xiao Xiao Fails to Resist #?#?@$ Influence!]
As she set her sight on Hunting Fluffertons, something inside her reacted violently, and before she could muster any resistance, she was chasing the wolves!
The Hunt Must Be Complete…
She caught up quickly to the first one, dragging it to the ground and Feeding on it. Its whining stopped quickly, and she dropped it to find another. Now a few inches taller.
THREE LEFT
She dropped to all fours, running quicker than ever.
The next one was terrified as she reached it. It shivered and fell, unable to stand before her. She ripped out its intestines first, feeding with even greater speed.
The second to last one died before she even reached it. Its remains were torn to shreds, the only thing still recognisable was its bushy metallic tail.
Stronger…
The last one was laying not far from the fight, slumped and bleeding from its missing hind leg. Clinging to life weakly. It didn't even whimper as she took her due.
For a moment, as she looked at the shredded corpses around her, she gained some clarity.
She needed to rest.
Fluffertons…
HUNT!
This time she was ready for it.
Xiao Xiao NEEDS rest!
As she screamed in her heart, she felt deep inside her a roaring force opposing her!
HUNT
No!
HUNT
NO!
And with a final crash, the Hunger weakened.
Her Claws became nails again.
Her S̶͓̞͇̮̲͐̂̈̉͊̚͝ę̶͕̼̝̩̪͈̗̬͐̍͒ť̷̡̛̮̜̺̺̳̩̯͆̏̃͗̈͐͗́͘͝a̶̢̛̛̯̠͕̙̐̊͆͐͒̎̔͝͠è̶̟̘̹͒̅̔ḍ̸̯͕̬̓̈̓͛͆̇̉̈́ feet became human feet again.
Her Tendrils became hair again.
Her Fangs became teeth again.
She tasted blood in her mouth, and it tasted bad again.
Like, really bad…
She quickly looked around for something to clean her mouth with, but everything was soaked with blood, from her hides to the trees and ground around her.
She quickly ran to a clean patch of dirt away from the carnage and viscera to put in her mouth. It was better than the blood.
She couldn’t help but puke it out, but most of the taste of blood was gone at least.
As she relaxed, a wave of exhaustion unlike anything she has ever felt before hit her… She slumped over in the dirt, unable to resist sleep…
-}-~-|-~->
[Xiao Xiao Has overcome an intense struggle using her will. +1 Spirit: 10>11]
[??? Blood Fugue ended, 6 Unawakened Monstrous Beasts Consumed!]
[Xiao Xiao increases in realm!]
[Spiritual Cultivation: Pseudo-Mortal > Low Qi Condensation!]
[Martial Cultivation: Pseudo-Mortal > Low Qi Condensation!]
[Soul Cultivation: Mortal > Pseudo-Mortal!]
[New Cultivation Realm: Low Qi Condensation!]
[Spirit +1: 11>12]
[Body +1: 15>16]
[New Technique: Unique Grade - Consume (6)]
-}-~-|-~->
Xiao Xiao woke up with an energy unimaginable to her! She felt tougher and stronger and more alert and-! MORE EVERYTHING!
She jumped up in excitement from where she was curled up sleeping!
And finds herself in the leaves of the canopy above her.
How’d she get up here?!
Did she really jum- Pretty wisp lights everywhere!
She reached out to one of the many fairy snakes, and it zoomed toward her hand eagerly!
“Yay, Little Snake is my friend!” She exclaimed in wonder as it tickled her hand. She tried to tickle it back.
And then she felt it rush through her arm, up her shoulder, and then all the way to the pit of her stomach…
Burp
"Noooo, Little Snake!~~ I didn't wanna eat you…"
Her happiness was gone in an instant as she lost her little friend.
Watching her stomach tearfully, she saw a weird stream flowing around. The thing that ate her snake buddy.
Was her stomach always this big and empty? And see through? She was kinda hungry…
As she watched, she noticed the stream moving in a wiggly circle around her stomach before little bits spread throughout her body, turning into-
"Little Snake!~ You're back! And there's so many more of you!"
Tears of happiness falling from her cheeks, she looked around herself and tried to get out of the tree safely. It wasn't the highest she'd climbed, but it reaaaly hurt last time she fell from this high. She knew Mama would be really upset if she knew that Xiao Xiao was up this high.
As she was thinking about Mama again, she grabbed the wrong branch! It snapped under her and she plummeted to the ground screaming!
Until-
She hit the ground painlessly?
"Huh."
The super high jump when she woke up.
The wiggly snake friends.
Not being hurt by the fall.
It all clicks in an instant.
She’s an immortal fairy goddess!
As she stood there revelling in her new invincibility, she thinks that she didn't need stinky Mr Misty afterall! What master? What techniques and silly brain things? She's a Soup-reme Emmpe-roar already out of her own mightiness!
She puffed up in pride, turning her nose up, looking to the sky.
And seeing the full moon in the night sky.
In the centre of the sky.
Really, really big, in the centre of the sky.
And Red.
"Uh oh."
ROOOOOOOOAAAAAARRR
An unnatural howl like no creature she has ever heard splits the night!