The rest of the previous day was set on making sure everyone knew what they were doing. Ferals were quick learners, which made it easy for Ether to direct what was going to happen and where.
But there was one thing he couldn't direct, that being when the scouts were coming. So he imagined the whole scene play in his mind. Thoughts broke down decisions and outcomes.
Off in the distance, someone else was reading these breakdowns. It interested him how much Ether wanted this entire encounter to go down. Which motivated the entity.
Demon's body broke down to Syndicate Dust, allowing the wind to sweep the creation away. He emerged inside the Light Legion, behind Vildix.
The elite stood in the middle of his training grounds. Several warriors from all Variants trained with each other and with beasts.
It was enough to make him happy. Seeing those he commands preparing for their next encounter before it even was brought up was an excellent thing. But unbeknownst to him, Demon was there to kick it off.
"Attention!" Vildix and Demon said at the exact same time. "Let's increase our ranks within the Legion once again. That stronghold we lost to Infinus has nothing but Ferals to defend it."
The elite and Distorted took a couple slow steps forward, allowing everyone around them to get a better look at Vildix. "Tonight, I will send some scouts and warriors to go claim it. Step behind me if you wish to join the assault."
Demon stood behind the towering elite. No one could see the phantasmal, black figure standing behind him. It remained that way as warriors lined up behind them.
Vildix turned around, now Demon was facing them. "Prepare your equipment, sundown is not far from now."
The group disbanded, hurrying out the training grounds. As they left, Demon allowed small amounts of Syndicate Dust to flow off his body. Specs of the dust found their way to a host and consumed them.
He broke the chain between him and Vildix. Allowing the elite to continue with his plans before it was time to dismiss the team.
Demon formed a black sphere in his hand. It swirled with corruption as thoughts flooded through, the thoughts of those who wanted to go.
[Little, little pawns. Kiss your wife goodbye, hug your husband goodnight. Shackles made of deep space and supernovas hold us chained. With your life, I'll see us all free.]
In the blink of an eye, Demon found himself standing over the highest point of the stronghold. Gentle breezes rocked him in place as he watched, pleased with his actions.
Now it was time to wait for sundown.
***
Ferals got into positions.
Mare Ferals stood across Murmosa. The two packs chirped and roared at one another, trying to familiarize themselves with each other.
Murmosa laughed and giggled. They tried to get closer to Mare, an invitation for them to interact. Which worked. Soon, both packs were tackling each other and nibbling on the other's hairs.
"Two packs from two origins interacting like this, great to see it," Ether interrupted. "It's that time. Goodnight, and good luck."
All interactions between the two packs ceased. They turned towards the wide open gates, then got into positions.
Murmosa was up first. Their Ferals lined up in the messiest example of a line. All while clicking their tongues and shifting into their nocturnal predator instincts.
Every Feral's eyes began to faintly glow a yellowish color. As well as their vocal cords easing up, making it more difficult for them to speak or interact with one another.
Once they were in place, Mare joined in. They unsheathed claws and loosened up jaws. Nocturnal instincts took their toll on them, making them seem vicious and unrelenting.
After confirming they were ready to go, Murmosa took off. Their sprint woke up the hills as Ferals stampeded everything below them.
Mare chased after them. Their unforgiving stomps and menacing leaps threatened everyone who was and wasn't there. Even those that were in between realities.
Ether watched them practice. He saw their silhouettes quickly dash out of sight. It impressed him how much they've learned after their first night of runs. But something stuck out to him.
From where they were running, he noticed several plates of armors kneeling down. It confused him because he didn't order anyone to visit them during their practices.
Until it hit him. Those warriors didn't belong to the now-Infinus Ophus or Encur. They were Light Legion. His eyes narrowed in anger, they were there thinking this stronghold was there for the taking.
He watched them wait for the Ferals to go out of earshot before running towards the open gates. It was obvious they thought it was empty now.
"Brace and return, Light," Ether thought to himself.
They flooded the stronghold, weapons drawn. Despite it looking empty, they knew Ferals were cunning creatures. Capable of recreating situations to lure meals in.
Ether got on his knees as he stood over the gates. Not wanting the moonlight to expose his shadow, but also wanting to see the action.
After the last warriors walked through, he knew they were doomed. They closed the gates, stopping anything from coming in, but also stopping them from coming out.
The ground below the warriors that closed the gates broke apart as Ferals climbed out of the ground. Their claws already razor in their hands made it easy for them to snatch quick kills.
Males climbed out, their smaller bodies confused those around them. The warriors couldn't tell if they were still maturing Ferals or aggressive Yonies.
But they lashed out nonetheless. Weapons descended upon them, injuring many males. While those warriors combated the aggressors, the others took off looking for more Ferals.
Although some came back. They nonchalantly walked to the group, looking at them as they fought the Ferals.
"HEY! ARE YOU GOING TO HELP US OR STAND THERE?!" One warrior cried out.
In unison, the group smiled. Revealing jaws lined with sharp teeth, ready to bite through flesh and bone.
They collapsed on the warriors, helping their fellow Ferals take them out before anyone else could get injured or even killed.
Somewhere on the east side of the stronghold, a large group of warriors continued their search. They were confident those they left behind took care of the problem.
After inspecting the entire area closely, a small amount of them lowered their guard to place down campfires and other signals to mark down this area was searched.
While they were doing that, Ferals from the Sivro pack rained down on them. Males used their body weight to crush victims while using their brute strength to disable them with a quick bite to the back of their necks.
Females dug their claws into the top of the warrior's heads. Digging through their armors and entering their skulls where they would take brain out.
Each time a warrior tried to swing their weapon, a Feral would simply catch it. Blade, blunt, handle, it didn't matter to them. The object would swung right into their hands where it would remain until the heartbeats of their owners ceased.
But the exchange wasn't a silent one. Screaming alerted the other warriors of more Ferals. They rallied their shield bearers up front, where they would guide the rest of the group towards the screams.
Other packs heard the screams as well. The hybrid and lurking packs split up. One dug underground to reach the location while the other leapt up to the rooftops.
Upon reaching where the screaming came from, the warriors looked around in horror. The remains of their allies all piled on top of each other in a bloody mess stood between the stronghold's walls and the closest storage room.
The sight sickened them for various reasons. First being because of who they lost. Each warrior knew the other had connections with other Variants and healthy relationships with those around them.
But the lurking predators didn't care. All they wanted was to complete a hunt and hang their trophies high.
The second reason why they felt sick was because of the movement inside the pile of remains. a gauntlet's finger kept twitching, it tried tapping its index finger with its middle finger in hopes of attracting help.
Once it tried and failed and tried again, the tapping ceased and continued to twitch. Just by looking at the movement the warriors could tell this warrior was not dead yet.
It knew what it was doing, and what its going was. So they got to work in helping them.
Two warriors got to work in freeing their ally, while the others lined up behind them. Their purpose was to look for Ferals as they approached.
After freeing the battered warrior, they realized something. That warrior was just a female Feral wearing a gauntlet. She smiled, revealing her murderous teeth.
She unleashed a horrible roar, stunning everyone there. Allowing the hybrid Ferals to attack, while Sivro rained down once again.
And that decoy remained there, watching the entire encounter play out. With every attack, she smiled wider and winder. Until there was only a handful of warriors left.
Per Ether's orders, they allowed them to survive. But from that point onward, they would answer to his orders.