chapter 6

Chapter 6

Seeing all those messages popping up was as cathartic as the kill itself. Though when I slowed down and really read carefully, my eyes locked onto the one that said “First Kill.”

I then looked at the now red and white ball of fluff that was pinned under one of my paws. It’s eyes were open, and I could still see in my mind’s eye the moment before I pounced, how it’s little whiskers vibrated with its quick nervous breathing. Then, it had cried out as I grabbed hold, silencing after the pop of its bones.

I licked my chops and still tasted the blood around my lips and teeth. It was different than tasting bloody meat that had died some time before and was broguht to us by Dad. Yeah, it was actually a lot different. Though, I couldn’t say I felt bad, exactly. I just felt… weird about it.

Not guilty, not ashamed. Excited more than anything, I could feel my heart thumping in elation, but couldn't help but feel somewhat hesitant about embracing it.

This creature was alive moments ago, probably thinking about its next meal. It may have even had a family. And it only took a couple seconds of crossing my path to end it all.

Luke started yipping and running back and forth by Mom’s feet, which stirred up Ben and Jerry who started doing the same. Ben blasting out a weak fireball, probably depleting the last of whatever mana had recharged.

Those two were seriously going to have to learn to use that power a little more conservatively.

I picked up my kill and brought it back over. Looking up at Mom, I could tell she was proud, and that made my tail wag. I then scanned the mountainside for Dad, and spotted the three headed monster way high up, left head scanning the sky, right head scanning below, and the center head watching us intently. I wondered if he was proud too. I hoped so.

***

We spent the rest of the day hunting, each of my brothers and sisters getting their turn as indicated by Mom, who stopped the rest of us from interrupting.

Luke sniffed along the ground, pulling who knows how much dust up into his snout with each heavy inhale, until he seemed to focus in on another bush and attack. The rabbit made it out, dodging his initial strike, but as it bounded away looking for cover, Luke’s speed increased, and he ended up pummeling it and shaking it violently until it fell still.

He then pranced back to the group, head held high with the rabbit's limp corpse hanging from his mouth until he dropped it at Mom’s feet and looked up at her panting, waiting for approval. Mom bent down to lick the top of his head, then motioned to Iris.

Iris ran for the big rock I had found my rabbit behind and leapt up, sprouting her wings and floating gracefully to the top of it. From her perch atop the rock, she must have had a great view of the entire area as she then slowly pivoted her gaze around, nose puffing in and out as she tried to pick up a scent.

I don’t think she managed to smell anything, but her eyes must have caught something as she suddenly dove down from the rock, wings carrying her silently until she dove down into a patch of grass. She emerged with a dead rabbit hanging from her mouth as she pranced back to us like a princess, wings dissipating from her back.

Mom then bent down to nudge Ben—I think—but at the slightest indication, both of the ice cream brothers charged forward together. Mom began to open her mouth to bark but stopped and decided to just let them hunt together.

They completely had no strategy at all. They were just running circles around the dusty, rocky terrain, barking and yipping, randomly pouncing into bushes and tufts of grass.

Eventually, it did have an effect, as a rabbit came bounding out of a bush in a panic. They chased it, but the rabbit was too quick—springing sideways and disappearing between two rocks before either of them could close in.

For a moment, I thought that was it. But Ben and Jerry didn’t seem to care. They just kept tearing across the hillside, plunging their noses into every bush and tufts of grass they could find, yipping loud enough to scare half the mountain into hiding.

It did have one effect, though—more rabbits started bolting in every direction, panicked by the racket. Some went low toward the brush, others darted uphill, ears flat against their heads as they zigzagged around obstacles.

Ben and Jerry’s “strategy” was to chase everything that moved, which meant they were rarely running in the same direction for more than a heartbeat. Still, by sheer persistence, they managed to push one unlucky rabbit toward a dead-end of rock.

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I sat back, just watching. With how loud and clumsy they were, they were probably going to scare all the prey on the mountain ridge. It wasn’t fair, because Lily didn’t get her turn yet, and the hillside was completely quiet now.

Mom didn’t seem worried, though, and before long they were coming back towards us, Ben with a rabbit between his muzzle that I suppose he’d have to share with Jerry.

Finally it was Lily’s turn. She calmly walked forward, sniffing the ground. She looked back at us and then continued to look around, her tail not wagging, and as she sat on her haunches, I thought she looked dejected. She must have realized what I had, and that Ben and Jerry had completely ruined her chances at finding any prey for herself.

I used {Pulse Sense}, checking for any heartbeats in the area.

I just realized that for some reason it didn’t pick up the heartbeats of my pack, but I did hear a gentle ba-ba-dump-bump-ba-dump coming from somewhere. It seemed far away. I looked up at Mom, who was watching Lily, then I started moving ahead. Mom didn’t try to stop me and just watched.

Lily tilted her head at me curiously and then started following closely behind me. I passed the rock, passed some bushes, and the heartbeat slowly got louder and louder.

After a couple minutes of this, I looked back. We were quite far away from where we had started, and Mom was starting to come forward, probably not wanting to let us too far out of her sight. She didn’t seem to be wanting us to come back either, so I continued ahead.

Eventually the heartbeat got so loud, I was sure I was right upon it. I could hear Lily softly sniffing at the ground behind me. But, as I kept prowling forward, the heartbeat got quieter again. I realized I must have passed whatever was hiding nearby, so I turned back.

I didn’t see anything. I mean, I not only did not see any rabbits, but I also didn’t see anywhere that one could be hiding. I moved over to the nearest cliff, thinking maybe I was sensing the heartbeat of something on a lower landing from us, but as I approached, the heartbeat got quieter again.

Lily was still sniffing along the ground, a little more anxiously now. Perhaps she picked up the scent of something? I hadn’t really tried tracking anything that way myself because I was relying on Pulse Sense to do the work for me. So I decided to try her method and lowered my face to the ground.

Uhg—!

Sniffing the ground put dust right up my nose! I don’t know how my siblings didn’t seem to mind that. I exhaled sharply, trying to blow it free as I shook my head. Suddenly, Lily pounced on solid ground and started digging.

Oh! That must have meant it was underground! I didn’t even think of that as a possibility until now.

I quickly jumped to Lily’s side and started digging at the ground as fast as my little paws would allow. Between the two of us, we were making some significant progress, the dirt becoming darker and more compact as we got deeper.

As for the heartbeat, whatever it belonged to surely knew we were upon it, as it grew faster and more fearful.

My ears pricked. The heartbeat started to become quieter—no, further away. It was moving underground at a downward angle. As the sound drifted further away, I stopped digging and just listened. When I got a better sense of its direction, I yipped at Lily and then whirled around to dart after it.

Lily seemed to trust my judgement as she followed. When it stopped, I pounced on an area of ground and started digging, just scooping back a few quick pawfuls of dirt before it started moving again. It was much closer to the surface now, and if we were to kept digging, I thought for sure we’d find its tunnel in no time.

Then, I looked ahead. It was moving towards the cliffside, where I noticed a hole that I must have walked right past before. The sound of the heartbeat was heading right for it, so I knew for sure that was the entrance of its home.

I ran over, crouching by the hole, tail wagging furiously behind me as I looked back at Lily and yipped. It was too small for us to go into, so it would still take some work to extract the inhabitant. Though, at this point I doubted it was a rabbit. I knew rabbits could make burrows, but did they ever create long tunnels like this?

In any case, Lily got the message and instantly went for the hole, digging into it. I decided to cut our prey off at the other end and started digging down towards the tunnel if it tried to escape back the way it came.

I succeeded, soon kicking up enough dirt that a small tunnel revealed itself along the side of my hole, and suddenly, the heartbeat stopped.

I looked up to see Lily with a dead critter hanging from her muzzle. She trotted toward me, her tail held high, the little prize dangling from her jaws. Up close, I could see it better—sleek brown fur, a pointed nose, tiny claws curled in toward its belly. It wasn’t a rabbit but still looked quite tasty.

[Achievement! Mole Patrol!]

You’ve unearthed prey from underground!

+2 sense

[Achievement! Cooperative hunt!]

You’ve utilized teamwork for a successful hunt!

Trait unlocked: Pack Bond lvl 1

Bonus to all stats

Pulse sense leveled up! 1 > 2

+1 attunement

+1 sense