The next day, Ether got up early and prepared food for him, Jakery, and his Oria. He left Jakery's meal waiting for him on the table outside his door.
But he brought his and Oria's meal to her. He wanted to eat with Oria one more time before going back to Eterra.
"Hey, good morning?" Ether whispered.
Oria suddenly woke up, she chirped as she quickly stood up from her sleep. She tried to talk but a series of mindless chirps flew out of her mouth.
"Yeah... good morning to you too," Ether awkwardly replied.
He sat Oria's plate in front of her. The steam filled the room with the majestic smell of cooked Eteni meat, which Oria really liked.
"Wow, so generous today. Came to keep me company while I ate?" she scoffed.
"Think of it as more of a... 'possibly the last time we see each other again' morning breakfast. Made by yours truly," Ether playfully responded.
They ate their meals and stumbled out the door for the pens.
-An hour later-
The Sky Beast touched down on the platform once again. Ether calmly got off and helped his Feral friend get off as well.
Ferals from the Eterra pack all poked their heads out to see what was happening. Including Kellenas and Deterna. They jumped down to the platform to welcome the duo back.
"Welcome back. I hope you are ready for the challenge, Ether," Kellenas growled.
Ether didn't back down, his eyes sparked courage into his soul. "It is too early to decide if you should be handling yourself in that way. Regardless if you're an Alpha Male or not."
"You got a good talk, and an impressive hunt. Let's get down to the forest floor and see if you got an equal fight?" Kellenas invited Ether.
The duo made their way to the forest floor where the fight was going to take place. The rules were simple, no weapons and armor, everything else is fair.
But despite being simple, these were not the rules Ether was used to. He was used to having armor and limiting his strength.
"Ready for your mighty roar!" Ether called out to Kellenas.
He somehow managed to respond with an even wider smile, shocking Ether as it stretched. Kellenas stomped on the ground and unleashed a deafening roar.
Ether wanted to cover his ears but he knew that was what Kellenas wanted. He wanted Ether to lower his guard.
The Feral quickly closed the large gap between them. It looked like it flew from his spot to Ether's. Kellenas appeared on Ether's left side, surprising him again.
Kellenas kicked the side of his ribs then used his forearm to bash Ether across the face. Which caused Ether to lose balance and fall.
"You're going to adapt on the fly to beat me, Ether. Keep that in mind, little Zegus!" Kellenas taunted him.
Ether was lying in the mud, waiting for Kellenas to make his next move. Kellenas leapt upwards and attempted to stomp on Ether's back.
Just as Kellenas' foot landed on the floor, Ether rolled backwards. Then used his arms and legs to boost himself behind Kellenas.
Ether wrapped Kellenas in a hug, then tightened his grip until it was impossible to continue tightening it. Kellenas furiously fought back by trying to shake Ether off.
Sometimes, he would even attempt to bite Ether's arms. But he still kept his grip on it, he didn't want to let Kellenas go. Until Kellenas forced him.
Kellenas led Ether against a tree, then repeatedly bashed him against it until Ether loosened his grip. He quickly turned around and hit Ether hard enough to make him stumble away.
"That was a good try. You should have adapted!" Kellenas taunted Ether again.
He struck Ether across the head again, then positioned him against a tree. Ether attempted to recover, but as he moved forward, Kellenas kicked him back against the tree.
Ether was aware of his situation and needed to quickly adapt to it. Kellenas charged at him with his fist shut tight, ready to punch Ether. The hit landed on his chest, it being strong enough to send Ether through the tree.
"There it is, you sounded so confidence about proving me wrong. How can you prove someone who is made for survival wrong?" Kellenas chuckled.
He turned away from Ether, a mistake on his end. As Kellenas took in the praise from his pack, he failed to notice the enraged Ether behind him.
Ether leapt up from his spot and charged behind Kellenas. He jumped on his back, then forced all of his weight down on the Feral. Kellenas struggled to keep balance, so he fell onto his knees.
"Kellenas, you're putting up a good fight!" Ether complimented him.
Then he focused on repeatedly beating the side of Kellenas' head. Each hit he landed drove Kellenas further and further away from the thought of going easy on him.
Kellenas' body rocked from side to side, only changing directions whenever Ether grabbed him by his arm and punched the other side of his head.
Eventually, Ether let go of Kellenas. He waited for the Feral to drop defeated in the mud. But instead of dropping defeated, Kellenas was still on his knees.
"Huh..." Ether murmured.
He winded his leg to kick the side of Kellenas' head one more time. The hit landed, and his face planted in the mud.
Oria was watching with her two other sisters, which made it difficult to tell who was who when Ether looked up at the Ferals above. But he still noticed Oria because of her jumpy attitude.
As Ether saw the Ferals cheer, he quickly noticed they werent cheering for him. They were cheering for what was beside him.
Kellenas emerged from the mud, his naked chest made it difficult for the mud to slide down because of the muscles he had. But this wasn't like the Kellenas he was fighting.
This Kellenas was glowing in a forest green color around his shoulders and head. After Ether realizing what Kellenas truly was, he felt the pressure building up.
Ether wasn't fighting a normal Alpha Male Feral, this was an Alpha Male Feral that had unlocked his Third Rule.