Ahead trees rise to the sky as Jason slows down to a jog. Despite what he expected the view shocks him. Copses of trees are growing close together yet none of them have grown together. A tree or more of space separates them from one another As Jason approaches he catches glimpses deep in as the gaps line up. To the side a glimpse of blue draws his eye but a single step closes off his view. A Snarltail is close.

Jason moves into the closest copse of trees before he sets Lily down. Until now she had been on his shoulder or being held. Jason pats her on the head and starts talking to her, “So I haven’t really done anything with you until now. You’ve been satisfied with nibbling my greens during meals and scarfing down Energy berries. I don’t expect you to understand me but a decision needs to be made right now. There is not a good way for me to carry you into battle. Sadly, I lack any red and white balls at the moment so we have to figure out what to do about you. My style of fighting is to be jumping around all crazy like so I can’t even just place you behind me. As luck would have it though this area has only one predator and we are here to hunt it. They are solitary creatures so as long as I am fighting one you should be safe but it worries me. It has only been a few days but I must admit petting you before going to bed is incredible for stress release. Maybe with a few levels under your belt we can see what your capable of outside of being fluffy. Though, I guess in a roundabout way I talked myself into what to do with you. I can’t keep you with me nor just set you on the sidelines. The only thing left I can think of is have you hid nearby. Good talk Lily!” Lily nuzzles his hand as he pets her some more.

Jason picks up Lily and continues into the trees. When he gets to the meadow Jason follows the edge until he can enter the next set of trees. While the meadows in between the copses would be easier to travel, he does not want to risk being found. The farther in he gets the trees change. They grow thicker and taller. Expected with older trees but what gets to Jason is each stand of trees is bigger than the last. However still there is the gap between them. The hair on the back of his neck stands up. A forest grows bigger and smaller naturally. However the areas should have grown together. Besides that Jason has seen no smaller animals. Some boars off to the side but that is it. The animals only get bigger from there.

With these realizations Jason slows down. He has been in here for about half an hour at this point and each copse of trees is now taking over a minute to travel through. He stops and holds his breath. Silence is all he hears. Jason stalks over to a tree. With Lily in one hand he makes his way up into the branches and hides among the leaves. Moments later the sound of leaves being stepped come from the side. Below him a short distance in the direction he would have traveled a blue cat crosses. Along its side are deeper blue stripes and on its head are a series of thick tendrils below the eyes. The stand out feature however was the tail. Swaying back and forth it looks normal enough. Every few steps though the illusion is broken. The tail flexes and what looked like another stripe parts. Going down about a third of the tail is a mouth. Between each jagged tooth is a joint which causes the mouth to flex in ways that looked uncomfortable and disturbing. Everything about it appears designed to rip apart meat and devour it.

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Not ready to encounter it Jason stayed still. Luck is with him as the Snarltail saunters off, either not noticing him or just not caring. Jason waits a minute longer before he climbs down. The hunt was on. From tree to tree he moves. If the monster is out, it is hunting. They might eat without letting their guard down but there should be a chance when focused on the hunt itself.

Jason is not trained to track creatures but the Snarltail doesn’t sneak around. The beast’s trail is obvious though how deep the prints are worries him. A couple hops to check and he knows the ground is not that loose. The Snarltail is heavier than he expected. While mass is not strength, it is a form of protection. He won’t be knocking this beast back and the solid muscles will protect the vitals. Jason sighs, he can’t do anything about it except try his more penetrating attacks. A smile forms as he realizes this might be the thing to push his Blast Punch to completion. Just two more levels in it and the skill will rank up, being completed in the System. After he reaches level 10 the skill should provide a tiny stream of passive income.

Then Jason stops and ducks behind the nearest tree. Ahead is the Snarltail, now moving with some stealth. Beyond it Jason can just make out a small herd of deer. Things were about to go down and Jason had to be ready. He grabs a low branch and hauls himself up. With care he works his way up into the crown of the tree and hides Lily among the leaves. A final pat on the head and he moves back down to the ground. The Snarltail is now behind a tree a few paces away from its prey. With the monster so focused on the hunt Jason stealths up to the tree just behind it. Things were ready to blow up.