Darkness had fallen heavily on the forest and the silence that had descended with it was deep and resounding. No nightbirds called out, no insects buzzed or sang, the only sounds were those of the wind blowing through the thick pines and the occasional rustle of the underbrush as small creatures busily went about their tiny lives. Nightfall was a dangerous time in this new world, as the predators stalking through the shadows cast by the moonlit canopy above were far more varied than ever. Every bush, every dip in the earth, every blind corner was something to be wary of and most creatures chose not to take the risk, hunkering down in some hidden den or sanctuary until the world was full of light once more. Some specimens seemed confident enough to move slowly through the brush, however, pausing often and carefully taking each step as they remained alert.

David could respect that, especially since he had been following one such creature for about an hour. He dropped silently from the tree he’d perched on, orienting himself straight down and snapping his wings out early, coasting gently ahead of the beast to land with a whisper of disturbed grass a safe distance past it. David pulsed it with Echolocations again, allowing the ability to saturate the creature, not only building Combat Expertise but also giving him a solid image of its potential abilities. The thing had long spindly legs that took tiny, meticulous steps through the detritus on the forest floor without disturbing it, despite the big and fuzzy body they supported. Its ears were even larger than David’s own, and all four of them swiveled independently as they tracked various tiny sounds.

Looks like a fat rabbit with a llama neck and deer legs. Weird ears, and big eyes, about twice my size, don't look like they can see in the dark as well though. Pretty sure it’s all about speed, probably jumps like a rubber kangaroo. I like them odds, and it’s small enough I can probably drag it back to Claire. That girl needs more food now for sure. Alright, let's try this.

David nodded and began to slink through the forest floor, flowing over a fallen log like dark water, his long armlike wings pulling him quickly into position. He crouched next to the base of one of the pines and watched the lanky creature tiptoe through the darkness towards him steadily, its nose flaring quietly. Large ears continued to swivel like radar dishes as the beast sniffed the air, either catching wind of David or sensing something was off. It froze for a long time, and David held his breath while he froze with it, washing the position of his prey in Echolocations to keep the damage bonus active. It slowly took another step and paused again before resuming its agonizingly slow pace closer and closer to David's ambush.

The instant it was near enough David activated Nocturnal Strike, exploding away from the tree trunk as he used it for leverage, hurling himself through the air at his target. He moved silently, instinct taking over the moment he saw an opportunity to strike, vicious talons on his wings twitching greedily as he lunged.

His hind claws hit barely ahead of the Nocturnal Strike, digging into the flesh of the lanky herbivore's chest while his talons dug deep into the sinewy neck as it bleated in pain. He snapped his head forward to bite at its throat but was forced to abandon the attack as the thing sprang into the air, bucking and twisting desperately. David dug his claws in deeper and shook himself savagely, his talons tearing large wounds into the animal and filling the air with the coppery scent of fresh blood. A dense cloud of silvery powder was shaken loose from his wings where they wrapped his prey, as expected, and their combined touchdown from the panicked leap only served to blast loose another thick haze of Gloom.

David continued to tear into it, only mildly surprised when it suddenly reared back, powerful neck swinging upwards and taking him with it into the air. David took the opportunity to snap his jaws forward, feeling his fangs break through the thick fur and slice cleanly through muscle and hide to clamp down hard. Expecting the creature to attempt to leap away again, he was more than a little surprised when it swung its neck like a hammer straight at the ground, and he was forced to release his hold and flutter away. The creature’s neck and chest crashed into the ground with tremendous force, the solidity of the attack making David realize he was still a good bit lighter than his prey.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Damn, didn’t that hurt? That would suck pretty bad if I’d held on. Pretty sure I can heal it off but let's not test that too much this early. I wonder if it’s-- Yep there it goes. So it can see in the dark a little bit then, it dodged that branch. Let me just…Yep, Nocturnal Strike barely stole anything, not a high Stam build. Well, sorry to say buddy you’re probably not gonna get too far.

–Health: 90/90–

–Stamina: 205/215–

–Nocturnal Strike has leveled up!–

–Gained 3xp!–

–Soporific Mutagen has leveled up!–

–Gained 3xp!–

–Unnerving Mutagen has leveled up!–

–Gained 3xp!–

David watched as his prey threw itself into the air with another bleat of pain, bounding away in an impressive series of acrobatic leaps. He gave it a moment to wear itself out then took off again, surging into the air with only a few powerful wingbeats. His body had grown, almost doubling in size since his Evolution and it had taken him several hours to get used to the sheer length of his new wingspan, but it came naturally to him now. He alternated his own powerful leaps, gliding, a bit of running, and some bursts of frenzied flapping as he followed his nose through the trees to where the doomed creature was walking drunkenly in circles. Its legs shook and its mouth hung open, tiny flecks of blood staining the foam that was beginning to build up at the corners of its muzzle.

David fluttered to the ground a short distance away, draping himself over a large mossy boulder while his talons clicked softly against the stone. He chittered a burst of Echolocations, refreshing his buffs while the thing slowly came to a halt and its eyes began to droop. David continued to chitter Echolocations while he slowly crept off his perch, stalking closer with care to avoid the debilitated creature’s line of sight as he circled it. The creature’s ears swiveled suddenly to focus directly on him as he neared within striking distance again, and its head snapped around with surprising speed to follow. David responded instantly with an ability that he was growing to enjoy more now that he had Stamina to spare for it.

–Glare has leveled up!–

–Gained 3xp!–

–Soporific Mutagen has leveled up!–

–Gained 3xp!–

–Bonus: Control Combo |3|–

–Gained 9xp!–

Yep, looks like it’s a minimum of 3 effects to trigger a combo. Well, that’s nice, I do that by default.

As soon as the Glare had hit, the creature attempted to leap away again but lacked the strength. Its legs gave out from beneath it, and it collapsed to the ground, heavy terrified breathing slowly becoming even and steady as the soporific took effect. David observed it for a few moments, a small part of him pitying the poor thing that was about to be dinosaur food as its chest rose and fell in the faint moonlight that shone through to the forest floor. He felt bad, but he also needed to level his new toolkit and help feed his friend…his really big friend.

Sweet dreams buddy, catch you on the other side. I’ll say hi to Claire for you, she’s gonna love you.

David pounced.