Frigid water flowed past him like wind. Despite the temperature, it still felt soothing to Hitirus. A moment to himself, with nobody to interrupt.
His thoughts and questions were the only things in his mind at the moment, putting some silence into the other voices. As he continued to think, he overheard somebody walking nearby.
Prompting him to focus solely on the sounds of their feet. Only to realize it belonged to two sets of legs, and a voice sung cheerfully.
"Veshvi, veshvi! Boo va atsu! Veshvi, veshvi, os ana netu!" an innocent voice recited a playful chant.
The longer he listened, the clearer it got who this was. It was a Yonie, an upbeat one. Which meant another Yonie, possibly even a Yomie, was keeping him company.
Strange emotions hijacked Hitirus' train of thought. Almost like they were there to plague something. He glanced down at his body, realizing it was transforming.
Now it was a complete standard female Feral. She tried getting up, only to feel resistance from her body.
Half of her wanted to get up and do what Ferals naturally do when starved, the other half urged her to stop. But her instincts overtook her body after more Ferals stood with her.
Hitirus shot up from the water, making a loud splash as he dashed to shore. The chanting and walking got lower, listening intently for any incoming predators or threats.
Yet they were completely unaware of how much trouble they were in. But Hitirus was. She wanted to stop herself from attacking, but also she yearned for this hunt.
She crossed over a lonely tree that sat atop a hill, right over where the voice came from. The Yomie noticed Hitirus leaping towards them.
Like a second hand instinct, she shoved her Yonie aside. As hard as she could, to make an even wider gap between her and her partner.
"Nah! Vitenski onatis, ceruaru!" she yelled.
The desperation in her face was clear as day when Hitirus pounced on her. But she was ready to hold off the predator for as long as it took.
She locked hands with Hitirus, trying to keep her out of the Yonie's range. The Yomie pushed forward, hoping to knock the stranger down.
Yet the attempt was futile, Hitirus unsheathed her claws and pressed them against the back of the Yomie's hands. It dug into the flesh, causing aching pain.
Power drained from the Yomie's grip, making Hitirus' situation better. While they fought for control, Hitirus overheard the Yonie screaming and crying.
He ran in circles, unsure of what to do next. It felt agonizing to watch his partner get injured, especially to a natural threat.
The worst part was his inability to protect her. He was a Yonie, the weakest of all males. Couldn't even beat a newborn trooper.
Hitirus slowed down on her advances, trying to fight back against the other sub-versions of herself along with the Yomie. She gritted her teeth, trying to push through.
During her struggle, the Yomi tossed Hitirus' hands aside. Then she charged right at her. She opened her mouth, then clamped her teeth around Hitirius' right boob.
"AH! YOU DAMN WRETCHED CREATION!" Hitirus howled in pain.
She unlocked her jaws, then bit down on the Yomie's exposed neck. The dozens of daggers sunk deep into her, nearly killing her instantly.
It wasn't until Hitirus ripped the chunk out that she died. Her head hit the ground, only attached by a small stretch of flesh. It could've even been considered a decapitation.
Then Hitirus bitterly chewed on the piece of spine and flesh. Swallowing it with a mighty gulp.
As expected, the Yonie was frozen in fear. Tears rolling down his gentle cheeks like waterfalls.
"Yomie?! Yomie?!? YOMIE???" he cried out in agonizing pain.
He feebly dropped to his knees, then got to work on making a small tunnel for himself. Yet it was just a desperate attempt to find himself free of the harsh truth.
Hitirus loomed over the Yonie, eyes glaring right at him. He paused, then he glanced up at Hitirus. They locked eyes, seeing the fear in the other.
Then she drove her claws straight through the Yonie's crown, mericlessly piercing his brain. The Yonie laid there, dead on the spot.
"What the f-..." Hitirus murmured. His body transformed back into a strange sort of Variants, regaining control of his usual self. "They're dead... wh - why? They didn't have to."
"Ferals are insecure," the Scaler replied. "All of us. We only partly hunt for our families. The rest of the time, and the reason why we mostly end up dead, is because we do it to make us feel better about ourselves."
A gust of warm wind confirmed what he just went through. The inability to do anything except watch was something new to him.
He didn't know other Variants within himself could take control of his main body. Even if he himself was still active at the time.
Sorrow and frustration came together to make a brand new type of hatred. One that filled him with malice towards himself. But he wasn't going to use it as fuel to attack himself.
Instead, he wanted to use that to fuel a token of sorrow and guilt. He beckoned for the Scaler to take over his body, which he did. Then Hitirus sniffed the bodies.
Taking in as much information as he could from their scents. After sniffing them both over, he followed the trail, leading straight to the woods he came out of.
"I need to bring them back home. It is the least I can do after... this."
"You feel indebted to bring closure to their family, a noble debt to pay. But what will they think when they see us bringing their own kind as corpses?" the Scaler replied.
Hitirus lifted the Yonie onto his shoulder. "I'll... I'll tell the truth, let them know it was me. They deserve to know who killed their beloved members."