8 Chapter 6

For a brief moment, I wanted to complain about the sudden assignment, but quickly I decided that if I was able to get these spawnlings to follow me well I might get a second opportunity to hunt soon. So, instead, I turned to the keelish that, at least for now, had decided to follow my commands. It went against my new instincts to give commands instead of simply charge in headlong and rip the prey to shreds. The more I thought about it, the more appealing it seemed to be… but no. I pulled myself out of my violent delusion and instead began to struggle to force intelligible sounds out of my throat.

"You… get… back… leg." I gestured with my head to my smart follower, or sub-leader as I would think of him from then on. "Take… with." I gestured at one of the other males, who then fell in line behind the sub-leader. 

"Rest… get… front… legs." The other three, following the large female, flared their frills in assent while I worried about if they understood what the difference was between front and back legs. Was I going to embarrass myself trying to hunt these frogs today? Ones I'd killed before I'd been able to utter my first Calling in my previous life? And while I was worrying, why weren't these keelish seeming to count as followers for the Young Alpha evolution?

I couldn't seem to calm myself, but I could feel the rest of my pack beginning to pick up on my nerves the longer I hesitated. So, with a click of my jaws, I led my pack into the arena.

My heart was pumping in my ears, if I even had those. I could feel the blood pumping hard, my hands beginning to jitter as we slowly approached the closest Toothy Bullfrog. It was at least as large as I'd guessed, taller than me and more than three times as broad across the chest. But… it was also a prey animal. And keelish are hunters. The nervousness somehow transitioned into excitement and battle readiness. I noted that the other prey hopped away, trying to escape notice for now, while the one I'd chosen was swelling itself up to look larger. I already knew its size, and didn't care. 

"Go… get… leg… NOW!" I shouted the last word, the shriek seeming to stun the amphibian as my sub-leader and his assistant circled around to the exposed but powerful hind leg of our next meal. As the echoes of my shouted command began to fade from the arena, our prey began to circle around to thwart their approach. I didn't let it, as I myself came close and clacked my jaws threateningly just a couple of inches away from its snout. It spread its large maw in response, and I took just one step back in response, staying threatening.

Suddenly, the frog thrashed and screamed a throaty, croaking cry of surprise and agony as my sub-leader set into its hind leg. Perfect. 

"NOW!" The other three, under the lead of the large female, charged forward and gnashed into the frog's weaker front legs. I heard the grinding of bones as the distressed cries of the frog rose ever higher in panic and volume. Still, though, I waited. I needed to get to its underside without being bitten…

The opportunity arose as our prey lunged for the large female that had lodged her bite into its hand and was grinding her jaws deeper into its flesh. The Toothy Bullfrog's maw spread wide open before me as the teeth sliced into my companion's back. The scent of her blood burst out just inches from my face, and I could feel all the muscles in my body contract, moving before I thought of anything consciously. 

[Skill: Bloodlust has been activated.]

I pitied the large female whose sacrifice would be necessary for my hunt, but that didn't slow my approach. Even before she could react in pain or panic, I was underneath the lower jaw of the frog. Immediately, I began ravaging the soft underbelly with my claws, the soft skin quickly parting beneath my frenzied swipes. I could feel above me that the frog had released the female and was now looking to chomp down on my tail, presumably to drag me out from beneath. Unfortunately for the Toothy Bullfrog, I had teeth of my own, and I could begin to see its ribs.

Instead of allowing any repercussions from my assault, I widened my jaws as much as I possibly could and, with the full force I could muster, snapped them closed. The crunch of bone sounded as my fangs easily ripped through the underdeveloped rib cage of the soft-bodied amphibian. I could feel the frog beginning to collapse above me, either succumbing to its injuries or in sheer agony. I didn't pay it any mind, instead seeking to bite ever deeper as my jaws set into the most important looking gobbet of flesh I could see.

Without slowing myself and ignoring the [System] notification blinking in the corner of my eye, I began to eat, to fill my empty belly. I wasn't sure if the prey remained alive, and I didn't care. I didn't know if the large female had survived. I didn't care. I continued to chomp, to fill my belly. I could hear chewing outside of the body, as the rest of my pack set to the carcass with abandon, filling on the feast and prize of our successful hunt.

Slowly, the Bloodlust faded from my mind, and I extracted myself from under the frog's corpse. I was coated in its viscera and lifeblood, and I realized I didn't really care. Sure, it was a little dirty, but that happened sometimes. However, collecting myself, I looked around to find the large female. I certainly hoped she hadn't been seriously injured, since she could be one of my most reliable hunters in the days to come.

I was happy to see that the large female, though wounded, was seemingly unaffected by the bite she had sustained at the jaws of our prey. She was excitedly tucking in to the rapidly dwindling meal that we had successfully hunted. All along her back were weeping wounds, jagged reminders of the dangers present in our hunt, but she and the other four of my little pack showed no regret nor dissatisfaction in their faces and bearings.

"Good job, little guy." The adult female's voice barely registered with me as she began giving instructions to another group to begin the hunt.

Instead I looked as all five of my pack looked at me with respect, their faces covered in the ichor of victory. The surging emotions again seemed to take control of me as I reared my head back and crowed, "VICTORY!" as the [System] notifications flashed without me paying them any mind.