//------------------------------// // Clans Meet a Sky-God // Story: Buggy System // by Dedion //------------------------------// RootFur was stunned. He had just witnessed a ryton, a creature that was twice as big as he was, be killed by a creature that was no taller than he was. The power it had used to crush the ryton was frightening, to say the least. Not to mention the terror with how easy it was for the creature to sever its meal's limbs and head. Fighting this creature would be impossible. With its strength, it could possibly tear them all apart with little to no effort. With its aura, they'd be dead before they could scream for help. All he could do now was order a retreat. They may have lost a hunt today, but there would always be another chance come tomorrow. That was what he wanted to do. However, today the Under Gods wanted to play a cruel game with him. There was a single thwang as an arrow was sent soaring through the air. RootFur's heart fell into his stomach as he saw the arrow bounce off the black creature's armored neck. A shimmer of green light appeared where the arrow had struck before quickly fading away. The creature stopped its feast and turned its attention towards the direction the arrow was sent from. Rootfur's blood ran cold as the creature's blood-covered muzzle curled into a snarl. Its horn ignited again. A ball of light floated above its horn as it reared back on its hind legs. "SCATTER!!" yelled Rootfur. His hunt mates wasted no time in running from their positions as fast as possible. The ball of light the creature summoned was launched at incredible speed towards the direction of whoever shot the arrow at it. A deafening boom echoed out through the forest as the ball collided with a tree. If Rootfur and his hunt mates were still close to that area, they would have seen the giant crater where the tree stood. After what seemed like ages, RootFur began to slow down. He took in large gulps of air as he looked around him. His hunt mates that had followed him were few. RootFur did not worry for his other hunt mates in terms of returning home. They knew this forest like the back of their paws. He was terrified, however, of that creature hunting them down. He whispered a prayer to the Sky Gods that the beast would be satisfied by its current meal and not want a snack or two. "Brother RootFur," said one of his hunt-mates. RootFur turned to see SoftFoot walking towards him. Her skinning knife twirling in her hand. It was a nervous habit of her's that many hunters of the clan knew about. "What was that creature?" "I don't know Sister SoftFoot," Rootfur answered, "That thing could be an intalla from The Under for all we know. It ripped apart that ryton so easily enough to be one. Not to mention-" Rootfur's gaze shifted towards his hunt-mates. "Did any of you see who shot that arrow?" There was a slight murmur across that group. "I believe it was one of the new-bloods," BlurTail, a slender hunt-mate said, "I believe their name was DirtFell or DirtFur. Something along those lines." "I swear to the Sky Gods that I will kill that new-blood when we get back!" "We're gonna have to worry about getting back home first before we do that. If that thing is anything like an intalla there are bound to be more of them somewhere." "Yeah, you're right. Alright everyone, let's head on ho-" Rootfur was cut off by a dart flying by his head and embedding itself in a tree. His hunt-mates readied their weapons as they all turned to meet their attacker. "Care to explain why you're here?" A deep voice boomed. Rootfur felt his teeth grind as he saw who came out of the dense bushes. Eight members of the Hyso clan emerged from the bushes. Their smooth skin was hidden in a cloak of leaves and sticks. With a quick glance of the group, the tallest of them were a few heads shorter than Rootfur and his hunt-mates. A memory came to Rootfur as the two groups stared at each other for a brief moment. There was a time he witnessed a creature from another clan try to fight a member of the Hyso. The art of poison is this clan's specialty and, as that poor creature found out, they aren't afraid to use it. "We're not in Hyso territory," Softfoot started, "There is no need to be hostile." "Yes, you're not in our territory. But you're mighty close to being in it," the deep voice from before returned. Now that Rootfur could get a good look at him, he could barely see the black skin hidden underneath all of the leaves the guy was wearing. "Has the Biha clan grown a pair and is deciding to start pushing its luck? Or maybe your clan is running on hard times and you're desperate enough to try and hunt in our lands? Speak, before I choose the reason myself." "We were hunting a ryton not too long ago. Just as we were about to kill it, something else came in and stole our prey," Rootfur admitted. "So, because you all suck at hunting, you thought it would be a good idea to take from us to reduce your losses?!" a female of the Hyso spoke out. "No!" exclaimed Rootfur, "We were merely trying to escape for the thing that stole our kill! We had new-blood in the hunt today and they aggravated the creature into using its power. It can tear apart a ryton with its power as easily as fire burns through dry grass. Retreating from that beast was the safest option for us. In our hurry, we didn't pay attention to where we were going." The Hyso began to whisper amongst themselves at the mention of the creature Rootfur and his group had met. "This... creature... what does it look like?" the guy with the deep voice from before asked. "Its skin is as black as fire rocks. It has a horn that is long and jagged. It looked like it could fly as it had wings like a balgoma." "When it uses its power, does its horn shine green?" "Y-yes, how did you know?" replied a shocked Rootfur. The deep-voiced Hyso scuffed before he continued. "Our clan has witnessed a lot of activity from the tree-dwellers. They scamper from tree to tree chattering about 'a trio of Sky-Gods that have recently fallen from the star ocean.'" he said, "Normally we trust their words as far as we can throw them. However, one of them was described almost exactly as this creature you saw." "That was a Sky-God?" whispered one of Rootfur's hunt-mates. A few more whispers were shared amongst the hunt-mates before they were silenced by a faint whistling sound right about them. Rootfur's heart dropped as he heard that sound. His hunt-mates' had their ears nearly flattened to their heads in fear as the sound became louder and louder with each passing moment. Both groups barely had time to avoid what crashed down in-between them. As the dust settled, the Hyso stood in confusion at the creature that now stood in the newly made crater while the Biha shook in fright of it. Chrysalis climbed out of the crater that her fall had made. She thanked her armor for absorbing the impact. She was even surprised to see that there wasn't even a crack in her chitin shell. However, her amusement at her own body quickly soured as she returned her attention to the beast that had dared to touch her. Three large insectoids buzzed around in the sky. Her half-eaten meal was held in one of their grasps. Their gaze met Chrysalis' for a few moments. Chrysalis' horn ignited in emerald light. She should have done this from the start instead of chasing them down. The bugs that flew in the sky had their wings crushed and ripped from their bodies. A shrill cry echoed throughout the sky as they fell to the ground. However, their descent was stopped for a few brief moments as Chrysalis held them in her flux field. She quickly pulled them closer to her at incredible speed. They approached her faster than she expected as they flew past her and created three more craters behind her. A couple of thrills of pain escaped from the insects as they died in their craters. The light around Chrysalis' horn dispersed as she looked at her prize. Her hunger returned at nearly full force as she looked over the corpses, drool escaped from her blood-covered maw every few seconds. The only thing that was ruining her experience was the presence of two groups. Chrysalis turned to her right and found a group that felt similar to the presence she felt earlier. The creature was canine-like and possessed four arms. Each of them wore some type of clothing that covered their privates as well as possessed some kind of wooden or bone weapon. Now that Chrysalis tuned in on them more, she practically drowned in the fear radiating off of them. Their eyes were focused on her for any sign that her fury would be turned on them. Their muscles were tense as they prepared to run at the first chance they had. Seeing as to how they already knew not to interfere with her feeding and that they were already scared out of their wits, Chrysalis decided to let them go. She gestured to the group that they could leave before turning away. It took a few moments, but the creatures soon understood and quickly left. Their footsteps faded into the distance sooner than Chrysalis assumed they would. 'Speedy little rascals aren't they?' Chrysalis thought to herself. Her attention descended upon the second group. She couldn't see much behind the camouflage of leaves, but that did not matter. The emotions that came from this group told her all she needed to know. They were confused and scared, but unlike the first group, they wouldn't back away that easily. She had already used her magic a bit too much already, but a little more wouldn't hurt. Besides, she could probably swing by the river on her way back. While she wasn't a big fan of seafood, she had heard from Ge-Foli that the reptiles that live there were quite big. Emerald light ignited from Chrysalis' horn once again. The group flinched as they watched Chrysalis advance towards them. Some of them brought up their weapons while others seemed ready to bolt already. Chrysalis smiled, revealing her sharp teeth. Her flux field clutched the creatures' heads tightly. Each of them felt as if their heads would pop at any moment. "Leave or be my meal," Chrysalis commanded. The words echoed in the creatures' heads as they stared at Chrysalis. Her grip on their heads disappeared. While they may have not understood her words, they understood what they meant. The creatures quickly ran away into the distance. The shuffling of grass soon faded away as well. Chrysalis' stomach growled in protest. She grimaced at herself as she turned to continue her meal. Maybe she was going to have to stop by the river after all.