The forest was a tapestry of shadows and dusky sunlight, the dense canopy above filtering the celestial glow into a patchwork of light and dark. An eerie silence hung over the woodland, broken only by the soft whisper of wind through pine needles and the occasional rustle of unseen creatures scurrying through the underbrush. The approach of nightfall brought with it a heightened sense of danger, as predators both familiar and alien prowled the darkness.

This is almost relaxing. Weird how that works, just flying around at night was terrifying only a few weeks ago. Heh. Glad I didn't have Spooky instincts back then, I wouldn't have known how to deal with the backseat driving attempts.

David perched motionless on a gnarled branch, his leathery wings folded tightly against his body. His keen eyes scanned the forest floor below, while his ears swiveled independently, catching the faintest sounds, and he fired Echolocation's every few seconds reflexively. The Cuddlebugs, once adorable and playful, now hovered around him like living shadows, their purple eyes gleaming with an unsettling intelligence.

A flicker of movement caught David's attention, and the Cuddlebugs instantly landed on whatever was closest to them, dispersing into the trees around him without a sound. Through a gap in the foliage, he spotted his quarry, a deer-like creature with crystalline antlers that seemed to absorb and refract the fading light. Its movements were cautious, each step carefully placed as it picked its way through the shadowy undergrowth. David and his summons had been following it for about 30 minutes, including a lazy chase after he'd shouted a greeting at it just in case.

David's lips curled into a predatory grin, his razor-sharp teeth glinting in the slowly dimming light. With a soft hiss and a mental command, he dispatched the Cuddlebugs, sending them silently gliding through the trees to encircle the prey. He watched as they took up positions, their tiny forms barely discernible against the dark bark and leaves.

The small clearing below was a mosaic of shadow and soft golden light, gnarled roots snaking across the forest floor, to create treacherous dips and hollows. A fallen log, its bark slick with phosphorescent fungi, bisected the space. The air hung heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying vegetation, undercut by the sharp aroma of pine.

David's keen ears picked up the soft crunch of leaves as the deer-creature approached, its crystalline antlers catching slivers of light shining through the canopy, casting prismatic patterns on the forest floor. The beast moved with a grace that belied its size, each step carefully placed to avoid the telltale snap of a twig.

Little bit farther…not yet…still too close to that brush, it'll cut into it for cover and I don't want my wings torn up by it. Sooooooon.

Patiently, David waited for the perfect moment, his muscles coiled tight with anticipation. The cool evening air brushed against his leathery wings, carrying with it myriad scents of bark and soil. He could hear the rapid, excited heartbeats of the Cuddlebugs still nearby in the smothering silence, their usual chirps silenced by the gravity of the hunt.

The deer-creature paused in the clearing, its head rising as its nostrils flared. Its ears swiveled independently, catching the faintest sounds of the forest around it. Something was amiss, and the prey was still on edge from when he startled it a short while ago.

That's when David struck.

With a short hiss and a mental nudge, the Cuddlebugs sprang into action. They swarmed from their hiding spots, no longer cute and playful but a terrifying cloud of shadowy forms. Their eyes glowed an eerie purple, leaving faint trails of light in the darkness as they dove towards the deer.

The Cuddlebugs moved with uncanny coordination, targeting the creature's most vulnerable points. Some latched onto its ears, their tiny claws digging in and causing disorienting pain. Others went for the eyes, their wings beating furiously as they attempted to blind it. A group even attacked the beast's more... sensitive areas, eliciting a particularly high-pitched bleat of distress that made David cringe hugely on his branch.

Oh, that's just brutal, you don't just go for a guy's... crown jewels. Damn. I'm gonna have to teach them not to do that, that just doesn't sit right with me... Spooky, you stop laughing. That ain't right, I'm not going to be known as the guy with summons that fight dirty... okay, let's just get this over with.

As the deer-creature reared and bucked, trying to shake off the assault, David mentally lined up his shot. The chaos below was a symphony of panic, the frantic bleating of the deer, the rustle of disturbed foliage, and the once-cute chirps of the Cuddlebugs; now beginning to sound like ominous whispers as they ravenously swarmed the beast.

David launched himself from the branch, his wings unfurling with a whisper of leathery membrane. The cooling air rushed past him as he glided silently towards his quarry, every muscle taut with predatory focus. As he neared his target, he zeroed in on the creature's hind legs, Spooky's instincts guiding his aim.

With practiced precision, David activated his Corruptor's Touch ability. A glob of acidic venom gathered in his mouth, the acrid taste familiar yet still unpleasant. He spat, the viscous liquid arcing through the air like a silent, deadly arrow.

–Pale Glimmerstag has been afflicted by |Corrosion| |Paralysis| |Sleep|–

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The venom struck true, splattering across the deer's haunches with a sickening hiss. The creature's head jerked up, its eyes wide with sudden, searing pain. A strangled bleat escaped its throat, but it was already too late. The toxins spread rapidly as the acid ate into its flesh, seeping into muscle and sinew. The deer's hind legs began to tremble, then buckle, throwing the once-graceful beast off balance. David's talons sank into the creature's flank a few heartbeats later as it stumbled, struggling to remain upright as he impacted, clutching greedily with his talons and hind claws. He felt the warmth of its body, its frantically pounding heart reverberating through his grip, the scent of fear and confusion rolled off the deer in waves, mingling with the sharp tang of the venom.

Simultaneously, the Cuddlebugs piled in from all directions, their cute facades completely abandoned. The slightly ominous tone of their chirps now a cacophony of discordant, maddening whispers that seemed to scrape against David's psyche. They latched onto the deer's fur and antlers with single-minded determination, tiny claws digging in relentlessly as they hissed and snarled, eyes wide and unblinking. To David's fascination and slight unease, wherever the Cuddlebugs touched, the deer's silvery coat began to dull as if it's vitality was being leeched away. Its movements became even more sluggish as it attempted to flee while it still could, heaving itself forward with difficulty under the extra weight of its attackers.

–Pale Glimmerstag has been afflicted by |Weakness|–

–Bonus: Control Combo | 3 |–

–Gained 9xp!–

Some kind of weakening effect? That should mix well with the Soporalytic. Nice.

The air hung heavy with a potent cocktail of scents: the metallic tang of blood, the acrid bite of venom, and the unmistakable musk of fear. Spooky reveled in the back of David's mind, his prey drive cranked to maximum as the hunt reached its climax.

As the Glimmerstag's struggles weakened, David prepared for the next phase of his attack. With a powerful leap, he disengaged from the creature, wings snapping open to carry him a short distance away. A mental command recalled the swarm, and the Cuddlebugs detached from their victim in a flurry of tiny wings and discordant chirps.

In an instant, the terrifying swarm transformed. As they regrouped around David, perching on his shoulders and hopping around beneath him excitedly, their demeanor shifted dramatically. Gone were the vicious, purple-eyed terrors that had savaged the Glimmerstag. In their place were the adorable, chirping creatures that had first captured David's heart. They gazed up at him with wide, innocent eyes, as if to ask, ‘We do good?’

The jarring transition left David momentarily stunned. He shook his head, marveling at the Cuddlebugs' ability to switch between cute and horrifying at a moment's notice.

His attention snapped back to the Glimmerstag as it made a valiant attempt to escape. Foam frothed around its muzzle, evidence of the cocktail of toxins coursing through its system. Its crystalline antlers scraped against the forest floor as it crashed to the ground, barely a dozen feet from where the ambush had begun. Its hind legs, partially melted from the acid, were cramped beyond use, curled tightly against the beasts body, and leaving the once-majestic creature to drag itself forward in a pitiful crawl.

A pang of sadness flickered through David as he watched the Glimmerstag's futile struggle. He knew what needed to be done, but that didn't make it any easier. With a soft sigh, he turned to the Cuddlebugs, their eager faces awaiting his next command.

"Finish it," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the Glimmerstag's labored breathing. "Make it quick."

As the swarm took flight once more, transforming back into the efficient killers they'd been moments before, David consoled himself with the knowledge that the sedative effects would soon render the Glimmerstag unconscious.

At least the sedative effect is finally kicking in, it'll be out soon and won't have to feel it. Yep, there it goes. Goodnight buddy. Sorry you had to be made out of food, I promise we won't waste any.

He watched as the Cuddlebugs descended upon the Glimmerstag one last time, their actions hidden by the gathering shadows of the forest. The creature twitched a few times in its sleep, then it was over. As silence fell over the clearing once more, David approached his prey, the Cuddlebugs returning to their cute, chirping selves as they settled around him.

–|Corrosion| |Paralysis| |Sleep| |Weakness| has faded on Pale Glimmerstag–

"Good hunt," he murmured, both to his summons and to the fallen Glimmerstag. "Okay cuties, go ahead and eat a bit. Then we'll go get someone to help drag it back. I wish I was, like, just a little bigger so I could carry this.”

David watched in bemused silence as the Cuddlebugs descended upon the Glimmerstag's corpse. What started as cute, almost dainty nibbles quickly escalated into a feeding frenzy that would put piranhas to shame. Tiny jaws worked with astonishing efficiency, stripping flesh from bone at a rate that defied their diminutive size. The sound of their feasting filled the air, a bizarre mix of adorable chirps and unsettling crunches.

David's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the carcass rapidly disappear. "Uh, guys? Maybe save some for... nevermind."

Within minutes, almost half of the once-majestic Glimmerstag was reduced to little more than polished bones and scraps of hide. The Cuddlebugs, their bellies comically distended, lounged around the remains, looking thoroughly satisfied with themselves.

Even Spooky, usually quick with a snarky thought, was momentarily stunned into silence. David could feel a mixture of jealousy and awe radiating from his primal instincts.

That's... that's just not fair. How can something so small eat so much?

David shook his head, torn between laughter and disbelief. "Well," he said to the now food-coma-stricken Cuddlebugs, "I guess we won't need help carrying it back after all. Though explaining this to Claire is going to be... interesting."

As he crunched distastefully through a now gleaming spine to separate the intact front half of the creature from the remains of ‘feeding time’, David couldn't help but wonder if he'd created monsters. Adorable, impossibly ravenous monsters.

"Next time," he muttered to himself, "I'm bringing a doggy bag."