[Child, you are a good hunter. Now you must feed not only your sister, but the tribe. Use your new monster as well. Feed it to make it stronger, and to help us all.]
The sabretooth walked beside Fay. On the other side was his daughter, who—as always—looked at him with a touch of reproach. But this time, Fay also noticed a flicker of curiosity in her eyes, a subtle interest in the power he'd begun to show.
"What are we hunting, and how should I help?"
Fay asked, scanning the landscape. There were more creatures than the day before—greater variety, too—but also more danger.
[Little hunter, there are beasts we hunt, and beasts we avoid. Run from the fanged and the clawed—they are dangerous and have mastery over elements. We hunt as a team to defeat the green eaters. We look for the most numerous of their kind. We search for balance and never attack if there are fewer than two—one male, one female.]
"I don't think I know what those are… boy and girl? Can I just follow your lead?"
Fay had never considered such things. The day before, he had hunted without thought of gender or balance. He didn't understand why one of each needed to be spared.
[Then you know little of this world. We will teach you. For now, follow my lead. You see the long necks? We hunted them yesterday, so today, we let them live. We will hunt the small-horned ones. We'll need many, but no more than the fingers on your hand. Now—use your beast. Hunt. Summon only when you have a target. Release it once you've fed.]
"Alright. I'll do that. Now… what exactly are we hunting?"
Fay looked out over the savanna. The wide plain stretched toward the horizon, where jagged mountains pierced the sky in the distance.
[Two groups—one will ambush, the other will lead. Follow the ambush group. We, the fastest, will lead. Work with Kimya, son of Mori and Nahwa. He will lead the ambush.]
Kimya nodded as his name was spoken. He gave Fay a quick, sharp look—assessing him—then nodded again, silently accepting his presence.
[He is strict, but well taught. Follow him and you will succeed.]
The sabretooth gave a low growl from deep in his chest as the group began to move. His daughter remained behind, positioned with four others—the same ones who had first found Fay. They were likely serving as lookouts, watching for predators.
Fay followed Kimya. The young, dark brown panther demi-human had several spots across his fur. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, at least from what Fay could tell. Strong and youthful, yet with a wise gaze that set him apart from the others.
Fay could since he was special in a way.
The others, even those older than him, didn't question his authority. They simply followed, moving in coordination, spreading out when the situation called for it.
[Little hunter… you will follow me. Bring your monster when you hear the leader's roar. Prepare your weapon and hunt only what is driven toward you.]
The voice echoed in Fay's mind—different from the sabretooth's, yet just as clear. He still didn't understand how they could communicate so effortlessly through this strange mental link, but it worked.
His eyes drifted to Kimya's paws, and there he saw it—a piercing similar to the one embedded in his own hand. But unlike his, Kimya's gems gleamed like sapphires. Fay didn't yet know what it meant, but there wasn't time to dwell on it.
Now was the time to hunt.
He moved quickly into position, forming part of a living net, three meters away from Kimya and another hunter. They crouched in the tall grass, forming a human web ready to strike. Only the tips of their spears were visible, each marked with a strip of red or green cloth to signal their presence.
Fay, however, had no such marker. He hadn't thought to ask, and none of the others had given him one. Perhaps they could already track his scent to know his position—he wasn't sure.
Moments later, the roar of a lion rang out, followed by the thundering footsteps of creatures in flight. Gazelles—at least six of them—were charging toward their position at full speed.
[Little hunter, summon your beast. Support him.]
Kimya moved first, releasing his creature. It was the same large panther Fay had seen before—dark fur with green spots, two tails, and a faint fog swirling around its legs.
Fay froze. For a brief second, he forgot everything—including what he was supposed to do.
Another roar echoed across the plains, snapping him back to reality.
He shut his eyes and tried to picture his creature again. Was that how he summoned it?
[No, little hunter. Call out to it.]
Kimya's voice cut in again, calm but firm.
Fay nodded to himself and spoke aloud.
"Jolt!"
The fog surged from Fay's hands, as if drawn out by the red crystals embedded in his palms.
[Good. You've summoned—now get ready!]
Kimya's warning rang clear in his mind. Fay gave a sharp nod and focused on the skill he had envisioned for his beast. Just before the gazelles could overrun them, he commanded his summon to roll forward.
At the same time, he lowered his spear and planted it in front of him. He didn't know if that was the right move—standing directly in the path of stampeding beasts seemed reckless—but none of the demi-humans had warned him prior to this. Perhaps it was something they simply didn't consider.
The demi-humans, though, moved differently—leaping onto the backs of beasts with agile ease. Fay, unable to match them, hunched low into the tall grass and waited.
Jolt, his summon, responded. Crackling sparks of electricity surged around its body and shot forward. One of the impalas leaping toward Fay seized up midair, its limbs locking as it crashed to the ground.
Kimya's panther arrived a moment later. With terrifying speed, it intercepted two more gazelles barreling toward Fay. One was snatched up in its jaws and dragged away in a blur.
[Little hunter, why did you not jump? You were in danger.]
Fay didn't answer right away. He hadn't expected to need to dodge like they did, and he hadn't considered that they might assume he had the same physical abilities.
He would need to talk to them soon, explain what he could and couldn't do.