Kennon almost expected an attack at that very moment. His hand gripped his dagger tighter. But there was nothing. Nothing came. It wouldn’t be long though. An entire region of the forest didn’t go quiet because a single tiger went sniffing around once.

  They needed to be ready.

  He said, “There is a tiger den down stream. I’m certain they are already looking for us.”

  Bev simply nodded and held the halberd tighter.

  He was immensely thankful for the enhanced senses. With a quick look he confirmed there was nothing nearby. Giving Bev a questioning look he pointed downstream. Then upstream to camp. She pointed downstream, and they nodded in unison.

  They came to hunt. They would hunt.

  Kennon clutched the tiger hide cape tighter around him. It was only loosely strapped to him. He wasn’t a great tailor. And he didn’t want to waste the hide. Despite that it should hold up to a few claw strikes. Assuming it was between him and the attacker.

  The irony of using their den mate’s hide as armor to hunt the rest did not escape him.

  They continued downstream. But at a far slower pace than before. All hints of calm exploration and a simple test of powers were gone. They could handle a T1 tiger. They already handled one with no armor, less levels, and without Kennon’s dagger. And that one got the jump on them. But Kennon had been one step away from death. And they had no reason to believe they wouldn’t get surprised again. Perhaps by more than one.

  He was suddenly very happy Bev had a helmet.

  It was weird. He had been hunting before. But mostly with Margie at their side. He had been hunting here. Alone. Without Bev and nothing but a rifle to protect himself. But he was terrified.

  The knowledge that at any moment a powerful beast, something that would have killed them with ease two weeks ago, could attack. Would attack. Unless they found it first. They weren’t going to go back without answers.

  His enhanced ears picked up the beating of his heart like an executioner's drum.

  Even when being chased he wasn’t this wound up.

  The seconds of vigilance turned into minutes. The minutes into hours. They continued their slow march downstream till the sun started to disappear into the trees.

  Should they turn back? Go sleep at camp? Could they sleep soundly knowing they were both the hunter and the hunted.

  Then he saw it. It was only a moment's notice. But it was enough. A stripe of grass that was the wrong color. The wrong texture. It didn’t move in the ever present breeze. It wasn’t grass. It was a tiger.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Golden tiger - predator - T1

  He pulled out his dagger with the speed of a coiled spring let loose. Bev felt his intentions and pointed her weapon towards it.

  Before he had time to aim the tiger leaped towards them. It seemed to cover ground even faster than his spells.

  All fear vanished. The clouds of uncertainty parted and he was left with only conviction. He pointed the tip of his blade at the tiger, already half way to them, and fired.

  The top half of its head seemed to vanish in a spray of blood. And the tiger fell. Dead.

  It was so fast. He almost couldn’t believe it was over.

  Seconds passed in complete silence. Did they do it? Was it over? It was, almost anticlimactic. Hours of tension fled his bones in seconds. A laugh started to slip past his lips as he heard an ear splitting roar!

  Followed by another. From a different direction. He frantically began searching for the enemy as he cast another wind blade into the dagger.

  He couldn’t see them!

  Then a bush rustled, they turned to face it and three tigers the same as they had killed walked out. They weren’t what caught his interest though. It was the big one.

  Sun tiger - predator - T2

  He didn’t think. He just acted. With skill assisted aim he fired straight at one of the smaller golden tigers. Severing a leg and causing it to limp away.

  The other two jumped at him while the sun tiger began to gather mana in its chest.

  Bev started to channel mana into her own chest and charged the sun tiger with speed to match that of the smaller ones.

  Kennon backpedaled while tossing fire bolts at the approaching tigers. He could do it in just a second now. But they merely growled at the hits. Their fur singed. But not burned away.

  A paw came crashing down. He turned his shoulder towards it and it landed on the cape.

  Despite that it sent him stumbling backwards. His shoulder hurt so much it didn’t want to be used. But it didn’t have a say in the matter right now.

  He switched to wind blades. They seemed resistant to fire. While he began to cast Bev swung at the sun tiger.

  It seemed to vanish and reappear a meter to the side. It swung and Bev caught the swing on the half of her weapon. Not content to stay in a bind she stepped back and thrust.

  The tiger flashed again, this time appearing behind her. She did note however that it had drained a considerable amount of its channeled mana.

  Kennon caught a paw with his blade and fired an unempowered wind blade in retaliation. It struck true, carving a long gash across its eye. It wasn’t deep enough to hit brain. But the beast jumped back, crying in pain.

  Bev struck towards the sun tiger with the butt of her halberd while twisting to face it. It ignored the attack and lunged in a bite.

  Kennon fired another wind blade at the last golden tiger, who had taken the other’s place as if it was planned. It hit the neck while he buried the dagger in its eye. Using the injured arm to hold the cape between them.

  It fell on top of him, blood gushing from both wounds. It jumped, and rolled away. Weaving with blood loss and pain.

  Kennon saw Bev’s helmet in the sun tiger’s mouth. And her halberd spike a quarter meter into its brain. Her face was scraped horrifically where the steel was torn off her head. But he could tell through their bond that it would heal.

  The tiger with a hole in its neck fell to the ground. Its breath slowed as its life blood poured out.

  The tiger with a gash in its eye went to the side of the one with a missing leg. They stared at the Vonns for a moment. Then fled for their lives.

  Thank you for sharing my journey. To help me walk it I have a set up. It is 20 chapters ahead and releases at the same time as the Royal Road chapters.

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