by Lupine King
“Come on!”
EVERYTHING WAS READY. The antelope were upwind of them grazing peacefully on the tall grass. Each of them had sandy, short coats and horns. The females were smaller and possessed short, small, tightly spiralled horns. The males, however, were quite large; a full metre and a half at the withers and their horns were large spiralled weapons more than half a metre long with wicked ends. There was even one, an old male, with a much darker coat that had metre long horns.
Valerian knew that the horns were largely decorative and were there mostly as a show of dominance, but he also knew that the males fought with them. Thinking about those sharp ends filled him with worry especially when he realised the old male was a daemon.
Luckily, he was not the one hunting but rather his grandmother as part of an example. He just stayed at her side in the shield spell, eyes peeled to make sure nothing escaped him. Gulsalma was in the grass waiting for his grandmother's signal.
Had you told Valerian before today that the giant leopard was so skilled at hiding, he would likely not have believed you. Sure, it was a leopard, so it was likely a stealthy animal. But its size and indomitable presence did not imply stealth. Seeing it in action was different. He knew its general location thanks to his grandmother's directions, but he could not see the beast with his own eyes. It was frightening.
For his benefit, his grandmother raised a hand and dropped it as the signal, and then, the hunt began. Gulsalma burst out of hiding right beside the herd. The alert beasts panicked immediately and took off like they had been shot from a cannon. Led by the old buck they ran off but they were unable to lose the leopard on their tail. Valerian had never seen anything like it.
Each of the beasts had to be running at speeds exceeding a hundred kilometres per hour. They moved through the grassland like they were not actually touching it. The antelopes with huge leaping bounds carrying them both forward and up. They barely touched the ground for a quarter of a second before they were off again, throwing themselves dozens of metres forward and four high. It was like an acrobatic dance. A very deadly dance where any who missed a step was sure to die.
It only took a few seconds for them to move four hundred meters from their previous positions. The herd began to split up. They were taking so many bends and turns that those who could not keep up were being left behind. They had no choice but to keep going in the hopes of either catching up with the herd or losing their pursuer. Then, the unthinkable happened.
Gulsalma just disappeared from her place behind the animals and appeared right next to them again, this time from the right. The antelopes were stunned and completely confused. The previously harmonic dance of leaping beasts was thrown into disarray. They scattered but Gulsalma continued running now chasing a rather good sized young male in their direction.
The change in the direction their predator was coming from had so rattled the beasts they fell into the hunters' trap. The young male and a few others were now headed in their direction. Quickly noticing that the large leopard seemed to be after their friend, the others did the smart thing and abandoned him.
Breathing out visibly in relief when their pursuer remained focused on their colleague, they joined the animals around in watching how the chase would end. To Valerian, the outcome was already clear. The handsome young buck was being led into their trap.
However, the young buck seemed to notice as well. Antelopes were naturally very alert, observant beasts. That was how they survived when they were on the menus of just about every large predator. Also, this one carried the blood of a daemon. Daemons were special beasts which were just as smart as humans.
It had probably dawned on this one that he was been corralled somehow. This made him try to deviate from the course being laid out for him. Still, Valerian did not think that he had figured out what they were up to. He probably thought there was another leopard lying in wait ahead, or realised that his movements would be restricted where he was headed.
He was not completely mistaken, but no matter what he did, he was led towards the small strand of trees. Desperate, he did something that Valerian was not expecting. Just as he was to pass between the two trees where their spell was anchored he gathered his strength and made to leap to the side, out of the copse of trees.
Valerian's heart leapt into his throat. Was all their work going to be for nothing?
Thankfully, Gulsalma was still on the buck's heels. All it took was a momentary burst of speed and a swipe to his back legs and the antelope tripped. He fell with great force and momentum causing him to roll between the trees, activating the anchored spell.
Cyan coloured streams of light sprang into existence around the tumbling beast, ensnaring him in a trap he would never escape from. He hung there, a third of a metre from the ground helpless, unable to even kick in protest. From the very beginning, this was the goal that had been set.
Valerian's grandmother had anchored the wind spell [Wind Ties] in that space and set to activate if anything crossed the assigned perimeter. Gulsalma was more than capable of snatching up any of the antelope without trouble. However, she chased one into the trap for the demonstration. Valerian took several deep breaths only now realising that he had been holding his breath.
The whole thing had barely taken half a minute! Just watching was exciting and exhilarating. He was now relying on his deep breaths to calm down his racing heart. He turned to ask his grandmother a question, only to find out that she was no longer at his side. Spinning around he saw her standing in front of the bound antelope, a dagger in one hand, a horn in another.
She gestured for him get closer and he did. Once he did, Valerian could more clearly make out their captive. He was a tawny brown male. He was an excellent specimen weighing at least three hundred and twenty kilograms with massive V-shaped spiralling horns about eighty centimetres long. However, Valerian could also make out its psychological condition in addition to its physical one.
The beast was scared. That much was clear to see. Its eyes were both frightened and wide open. The mouth was open, panting and bleating. Or at least it would have been if the spell did not restrict sound as well. Seeing its panic made him hesitant to come close. He looked at his grandmother and saw her bright eyes trained on him.
“This is one of the things you must observe on a hunt. Kill swiftly and cleanly. Do not leave your prey to suffer or cause unnecessary pain or wounds”, she said to him. “The best thing to do is to kill immediately, after capturing, if you do not plan to keep the beast alive. Just pull back the head...”
Valerian watched as his grandmother pulled the hand holding the horn to the side pulling the head back and exposing the neck in his direction. Then lifting her other hand she placed the knife clutched in it, a knife identical to the one she gave him, on the exposed flesh. His breath caught; knowing what was coming next but staying silent and watchful.
“Cut deep and swiftly, making sure to sever both the oesophagus and all the blood vessels. Then, just hold on and let the blood drain away”.
Valerian watched as the buck's neck was severed and it bled out right before him. There was no sound but he knew that the animal was not bleating anymore. It never would again. He watched impassively as it died, surprised that there was not more to it than that. He had dreaded this moment but now it felt a bit anticlimactic.
As he watched the deer, his grandmother watched him. She nearly smiled, proud of the fact that he had not looked away, vomited or cried. Many reacted adversely when they first encountered death. there were only a few, like herself and now her grandson, who could maintain a sense of presence, disconnecting themselves from the act.
No pride, no enjoyment, nothing but an act and an actor, performing one of nature's plays. A harvester, not a killer.
It might seem callous and it was, but the mindset was invaluable in battle and other parts of life. That combined with a natural instinct for battle like Valerian had reportedly displayed in the courtyard both confirmed something to her and pleased her
. He was definitely her grandson.
Valiant had been his father's son through and through but she had always known that if she and Valan were to have another child, he or she would take after her. Her grandson was a welcome surprise. He already displayed many of Valan's features and mannerisms, but she could see what others could not.
There was a predatory aura that swirled around Valerian. It was an aura that matched her own. It slumbered within and rose to the surface when needed or called upon. She was pleased because it told her that he would always be the hunter and never the hunted.
TWENTY
Hunting with Daemons
“ARE WE DONE?” VALERIAN asked.
He was a bit relieved. It had not been as bad as he thought. Journey and prep work aside, the whole hunt had barely taken a minute. His grandmother responded with a smile.
“Actually, we are just starting. The whole point of today is to teach you how to hunt. That was just one approach. We still have three more to go”, she told him.
“Three more?” Valerian asked in astonishment.
“Yes, three!” his grandmother said in an amused tone. “However, for the remaining three, I think it would be best to get some help”.
As if the last word was a trigger of some sort, the space beside her suddenly trembled and broke open. It was like someone had noticed that a section of the world was made out of glass and had taken a pick to it. Valerian could barely keep his tongue in his mouth as a hole in space opened up before his eyes.
It expanded as quickly as it appeared becoming a glowing vortex four metres in diameter. His eyes flicked towards his grandmother who stood there delighting in his reactions. Without warning, a form shot out of the newly opened vortex. It was dark and fast, a blur before even his sight. Quickly, he took several steps back, the dagger at his hip unsheathing itself and flying into the air but it ignored him, heading straight for his grandmother.
He could barely make out the blur leaping onto her outstretched arm and scurrying up to her shoulders where it took a seat, its true form finally becoming visible when it stopped, revealing it to be a scaly four-legged reptile. Valerian breathed out in relief when he recognised the form of Fuooh, one of his grandmother's contracted beasts. The little thing ignored him.
Valerian was not surprised. Most days, Fuooh did not even glance in his direction. The damned thing was spoiled rotten. She spent all her time perched or draped on his grandmother's shoulders. An impressive feat considering that the lizard was a meter long, tail excluded. Fuooh was a Jadeite scaled Gecko. An arboreal lizard famed for its defensive scales which were the colour and hardness of actual jadeite. She was also a Daemon Lord.
Another figure walked out of the vortex, this one taking its time. It was Pan, his grandmother's Mountain Devil Ape. Pan was an unbelievably large beast. He was three metres tall when slouched forward and knuckle-walking. He also possessed an impressive physique with huge fists and massive muscles that rippled when he moved.
He had the biggest hands Valerian had ever seen. Each palm had a width of close to thirty centimetres. They were tougher than stone and backed by those massive muscles. In fact, his forearms were noticeably disproportionate but that was just how his kind was built. He was also covered in coarse dark coloured hair with a large silver coloured patch over his saddle shaped back.
His large size, massive arms and fierce looks made Pan on par with Sela as the most fear-inducing of his grandmother's beasts. That's because Pan was a male Devil Ape.
Most apes were shy, gentle individuals if not provoked. Devil Apes on the other hand, especially the males, were different. The males had in addition to their silver backs a bony, red crest over their heads. It was hard, bright and made their heads look more conical. They were easily recognised and everyone, beasts included thanked the immortals for that.
Devil Apes did not need to be provoked before they attacked. They were fiercely territorial and the “unlanded males” actually roamed the mountainsides looking for adversaries to battle. They did this to temper themselves and grow stronger, increasing their chances of obtaining more territory and attracting females. For them, strength and combat were all that mattered.
Luckily, Pan was a rather laid back individual. Valerian had never seen him get truly violent. He had sparred with Uncle Richard a few times but those were always contests of strength. Contests Pan always lost. However, Valerian had never seen him grow angry or enter into the feared “devil's rage”. He was told that it was because of his grandmother's training and the fact that Pan himself had mellowed over the years. Perhaps that was a good thing. He could only guess the damage he would cause otherwise.
Pan strode out of the vortex and out onto the plains at the foot of the mountain. For a moment the Dire Daemon looked wistfully at the mountains before getting out of the way and letting Sela through. The winged snake did not waste any time. Like Fuooh, she sped out, only she coiled around Valerian to tickle him with her tongue.
Just like that, all of his grandmother's contracted beasts were out on the plain. Three females and a male. Two Daemon Lords and two Dire Daemons. It was a remarkable lineup and one that he looked forward to seeing in action. Then a thought struck his mind.
Daemons were essentially the cultivators among beasts. They too had tiers of power just like human cultivators did. Their tiers in ascending order of power were, Daemons, Daemon Lords, Dire Daemons, Profound Daemons, Mystic Daemons, Bestial Ascendants and Primal Divinities. This meant that power wise, Pan and Gulsalma were the most powerful in the household. For both of them, in fact, all the beasts in the house to be gathered for one hunt...
Were they going after a Profound Daemon or heavens forbid it, something higher? He made his thoughts known to his grandmother immediately letting her know that he did not think he was ready to face a beast of that tier but she just stared at him and laughed.
“You really worry too much dear. The reason everyone is here is to help with the hunt, true but they are not here to hunt one beast in a horde style. They can but I would not put you in that kind of danger on your first day. They are just here to help demonstrate different methods that you can use when hunting”, she clarified.
Valerian felt foolish. He should have known better. There was no way his grandmother would do such a thing especially when her little boy was with her. The part about such a hunt not happening on his first day completely went over his head, unnoticed. He apologised and holding her hand allowed himself to be led to another site.
A FLOCK OF CROWNED cranes roamed the area around an old oxbow lake and its parent river a few kilometres from the foot of the mountain. They were elegant, regal beasts that stood a full two metres high with stiff, spiny feathers that stood up on the top of their heads to give them their eponymous crown.
Graceful and beautiful, they walked around like they were at a pageant or feast, eating plants, frogs, small fish and other delicacies that could be found in the waters and marsh.
There were also a few in the air, their fabulous four-metre wingspans outspread as they made beautiful aerial displays. It was an idyllic sight. The kind you would find on depicted on the canvas of a master. Indeed, Valerian would be disappointed if there were not numerous depictions of such scenes. It was that good. Sadly, it did not last.
A massive serpentine form fell out of the sky wreathed in lightning. Like a javelin thrown from the heavens, it struck a particularly acrobatic crane who was giving a spectacular mid-air dance that was being appreciated by the other cranes and creatures below. That serpent, of course, was Sela, displaying an expertly executed ambush.
Winged Cloudvipers, like all vipers, were ambush predators. They lurked in the sky, floating aloft until suitable prey came within strike distance. When that happened, they folded their wings against their bodies and channelled lightning essence for both speed and power. They struck their prey before they could even react, electrocuting them and sinking their long hollow fangs into their bodies then unfurling their wings to keep
them both from crashing into the ground.
If the impact did not kill their target, the poison definitely would. Their poison worked on the flesh and nerves of their prey. It broke down muscle and made the meat easier for them to digest. However, their attacks had a small problem. Being aerial predators they could not strike, envenom and let go like many other snakes. They had to hold on or risk having their prey fall and be lost to them. The problem was that the prey often fought back. No one wanted to be eaten after all.
This was where their lightning attribute came in handy. Apart from increasing their speed and striking power, it had a third beneficial effect. It paralysed their prey, making it very difficult for most animals of a similar or even higher tier to fight back. Once their victim had ceased struggling, they would then fly off to a nice quiet place and swallow their prey.
Valerian watched the literal bolt from the blue make her kill. The shock factor and the speed of the attack made it such that by the time the other cranes had calmed down and marshalled themselves to rescue their flock member, it was clear that he was dead and Sela was already making her exit. With a burst of lightning and a flap of her wings, she was gone nearly as swiftly as she came.
PAN WALKED UP TO AN enormous Long-tusked Hog. The beast was scavenging in a thicket. It had just succeeded in chasing away a couple of hyenas from their kill by scaring them with its bulk and a half-hearted charge. Now it was happily gorging itself on the carcass of an antelope.
The hog was gigantic. It was actually the same size as Gulsalma making it at least five metres long and two high, but it far surpassed her in bulk. From the side, it looked like a very large carriage. Valerian could tell that six of him could fit inside it with no problem. The beast was mean and ferocious with long sharp tusks over a metre long jutting out from the sides of its snout. It was also a Daemon Lord.