Dawn rose, letting Coshire know the Far Fetcher sent the daughters back to their dad. He stood over the horizon for a while longer, watching the world wake.
Hitirus was already on the move, darting across the open paths. Frigid winds tried to push him indoors, only for it to fail. Nothing was going to hold him back.
After their meal, Otres explained how it was crucial for Kings to continue their natural course. No Heir was definitely going to be a King.
Yet there were steps in place to make sure the next King could follow along. Communication was one of those steps. And Hitirus knew that.
He even was aware of King Khantretakhim already waiting for him to claim the throne from her. It was all planned out, but he didn't understand why it was.
Normally one would fight to keep their power, but why would the Noble Minds and their King hand it over with little protest? Let alone even offer to tutor the killer.
It didn't make sense to Hitirus, not yet at least. But someday, it will be clear to him. that is, if he survives to see that day.
While he ran under the bright pink sky, Hitirus noticed several playful chants and laughter. Coming from what sounded like a Yonie.
"Yonie vah! Yonie voh! Yobaba, veshi-tu!" followed by a series of cheerful giggles.
"That way, misisister!" the Yonie ordered.
Hitirus wasn't sure if he should listen, until he looked for the source. The moment he realized he was alone, he understood what was happening.
"Gatruda!" Hitirus called out.
"No! I am Ruda! Shora says I am very respectful Yonie, eeh..?" Ruda giggled. "I am very reeeeespectfuuuul Yooonieeee!"
"Tell the Thresher to shut up," the female Zegus whispered.
Hitirus ignored them, choosing to follow orders. He made a cut through the forest, hoping that would place him a lot closer to Nestres' city.
Branches swished by as he leveled the soil with his mighty stomps. Shaking even the roots. Hitirus struggled to see a few steps ahead of him due to having to push aside greenery.
"Careful, I can sense something big," the Scaler warned Hitirus.
"Listen to that Feral," Gat supported. "You will want to watch your step around these woods, there are some... big predators."
Scaler legs grew in to replace his Zegus ones, allowing him to become semi-airborne. Trunks swayed as he propelled himself off.
Branches came quicker than before, making it more difficult for Hitirus to know where to jump to next. More over, the humid smell of built-up heat made it difficult to detect any possible threats.
Understanding it was best to stop and recollect his thoughts, Hitirus caught himself on the next branch. He thought about it for a moment, wondering if it was possible to tame another Feral on the spot.
"Where are the Wind Rippers?" Hitirus mumbled.
"Don't pick the Wind Rippers, Hitirus. They are going to slow you down. Continue the right path and walk as a Scaler would!" the female Scaler replied.
Only for her to anger the female Wind Ripper.
"Yeah? I can imagine it must be great going the slow route. While I nap and arrive to destinations faster," the Wind Ripper snapped back.
"If only you were that good. Everybody knows Storm Chasers pick you for breakfast. What's more embarrassing? Arriving late or being killed in your sleep?" the female Scaler protested.
Hitirus growled. "Enough! Both of you shut up. I'll continue using what I've got."
His voice and growls caught the attention of a nearby predator. It descended down the trees like a spider, waiting patiently for its meal to arrive.
Except it wasn't hungry. Just craving for mischief. It watched Hitirus through heat-seeking vision, not detecting Gat as she stood beside it, waiting to see what happens.
"Ruda, where are you?" Gat panned around the forest.
"Ruda, Ruda?!" Ruda replied.
Gat jumped, startled after realizing Ruda was right behind her. "Let's see what they can do about a Vinen."
Hitirus jumped on the next trunk, then the next. His reaction time wasn't on the same level as his jumping.Making it difficult for him to adjust on the fly.
When he landed on the next branch, a deafening screech staggered Hitirus. Its pitch was loud enough to cause a mild headache, and to send him pummeling to the ground.
"... As it turns out, they can't do anything about a Vinen. Zeek's pack members were right, their reaction time was slow," Gat told Ruda.
"Are we going to heeelp?" Ruda asked.
"It'll be a lot more fun if we watch. Let us see what he can do and what we can work on," Gat answered.
Ruda giggled, agreeing with Gat. He climbed onto her back, making sure she fastened him well. Then the duo dropped to the forest floor with Hitirus.
Down there, the ground was unstable and recently dug up. Albeit, a large chunk of it. Almost like a massive creature was hiding not too far out of sight.
"Ow, ow! My head, it hurts sosososo muches!" Hitirus said with a Yonie's voice. "... Yeah, no joke. This is... ah..." Hitirus added with his normal voice.
The voices inside of Hitirus' head didn't get any louder, they seemed even in pain. Making it difficult to think about who should do what.
Hitirus stood up, grabbing his crown with the firm hand of a Zegus. His body steadily changed to match another random Variant.
In the end, he became a Mountain Ascent Feral + Zegus hybrid. Making him the perfect hybrid for the larger predator that began to spring.
A Cemtras emerged from the soil, ripping trees out of their roots and toppling many more as its mighty brown body loomed over the stunned Hitirus.
He looked up at it, unsure of what the next step should be. When he considered letting it kill him, he remembered about Gatruda and also his Zegi. Who were recently beginning to like him.
"All right, here we go," Hitirus told himself.