The mother's struggle, Part 2


The fight between the Bukriny and the two Rumliks was seen by the mother and her children, who now realized the dangers of these new feeding grounds.

All of the Eittan children got underneath them. Even Gnev, the bravest and most aggressive of the bunch, was terrified by the Bukriny display of power. All animals in this world, with the exception of the Bukriny itself, had a natural fear of fire as a powerful destructive force.

Knowing the dangers of these hunters on the loose in the open fields, the mother moves further in the forest, alongside her cubs. Meanwhile, Pechal seems even weaker than before, despite the feeding. Radost remains on her side anyway, trying to get her to keep up the pace.

Prior to now, no other creature in this universe had its children caring so much of their siblings. What now it's just a strategy in order to allow the sickly ones to reach adulthood, in the future elder siblings will be even more protective. This could cause backfire. But right now, its' not an issue.

The walk in the forest is easy for the family. The snow is not as much present as in the open fields, allowing the young to walk normally. This is a blessing for Pechal, who can finally walk normally after hours of jumping, which wasn't something she enjoyed.

The mother senses, however, cause her to stop midway her march. She looks around. She stomps the ground, trying to intimidate her invisible opponent. Crashing noises could be heard from behind her, but she doesn't really know where the attackers are.

Her babies get between her legs for protection. Only Gnev seems not afraid. They look around alongside their mother to spot the menace, but to no avail. The trees offer a good cover.

Thinking she saw movement, she charges a nearby tree, knocking it out. But behind it there was nothing. Her babies get beneath her once again, trying to spot the opponent.

Thanks to her good eyesight, however, she's able to locate the predator. A female Finliceritsa, one of the deadliest predators around.

She's five meters high and 12 meters long, smaller compared to the Eittan. But what she lacks in sizes, she compensates in equipment. She has a long, whip like tail which helps her moving around by balancing her robust body. Its legs are long and slender, helping her moving around at a fast pace. They were equipped with three powerful claws. On the heel, there was a small, pointless claw-like structure. Its arms are long and equipped with three sharp claws, capable to rip off flesh. Its neck was relatively long and robust, and spotted a large head armed with sharp teeth and large eyes.

The mother charged at the carnivore with all of its might and speed. Eittan's long legs allow to have similar velocity to the Finliceritsa, but do not give the same agility as the hunter. As such, by the time the mother was near the female, she jumped off the way, only to jump on the side of her body.

She started slashing her sides with her claws, injecting many superficial injuries, nothing that the mother couldn't handle. Her babies, safe inside the tree she knocked out, watch the scene.

The Eittan shook off the carnivore, who felt on the hard floor, definitely not un-hurt. By the time she got up, the mother charged at her with her head, causing to fall down once again. Its most likely she barely managed to keep her ribs safe from the impact.

When the female charged again, however, something big jumped at her flank. Something bigger and stronger than the female Finliceritsa. She nearly felt on the ground if it wasn't for her legs. She tried to shook off the attacker, but this time, it remained attached.

It was the male Finliceritsa.

These hunters, one they have mated, form couples, allowing them to hunt fairly larger games that normally they couldn't hunt. One example were Eittans. This is one of the few hunters this giants needs to be wary of.

With a height of six meters and a length of 13, he's larger and more robust than the female. One of the main difference is, in fact, its bulk. While the female was slender-like, the male was muscular, equipped with two small crests near the eyes forming horns.

He slashed, bit and hit the mother with everything he got, this time causing bigger damages to the body than the female did. Despite his strength, however, when the female charged a tree in order to have it hit the male, he felt on the ground.

The female tried to charge the mother, who hit her with her head, sending her flying for a few meters. The male tried to attack again, but was hit by the head of the Eittan, while also being tail whipped.

When the mother, however, attempted to finish off the male, a sharp pain hit her on the leg.

The female, who recovered from the attack, bit her leg and was shaking her head in order to amplify the damage. The male Finliceritsa took this opportunity to try to bit the neck of the Eittan. The mother managed to fend off the attack.

As he realized than that technique could not work, he tried to help his mate to make the female fall down. One wrestled on the ground, she could not defend her most vital areas.

The male charged and bit the flank of the mother, but to no avail. The mother remained strong. She tried to tail whip her opponent, but they were too distant to be hit.

A strong crashing sound, however, could be heard. The female Finliceritsa recognized it. It was the time to abandon the hunt. The couple ran away from the scene as fast as possible. Soon, the mother realized why.

A herd of six Eittans walked in. Three of them were females with young, justifying the panic of the hunters. A single Eittan was deadly enough. An entire herd is impossible to tackle.

The fight left the mother injured, but she can manage. With the exception of the male surprise attack, most of the injuries were superficial. In this world, it would be weird if you didn't have any scars.

The female waited for her young to came out of their hiding spot, and then followed the herd. Despite these animals not being very social, small herds are sometime formed in order to counter the attacks of large predators such as Finliceritsa.

After half an hour of walking, the herd stopped to eat. They reached a small glade to eat some leaves and fruits. The young ones, instead, focused on hunting small preys. They were not alone in the glade, however. Alongside them there was a huge Dunarisoparla, a giant low-leaf eater who inhabited the plains, but who moved inward the forest in search of food.

This 12,2 meters long, four meters high giant had a long, muscular tail, equipped with four thick spikes. It was also at the tail than large plaque-like structures started. They ended at the base of the head, and the largest where set in the back, near the hip. The body was large, barrel-like. Its legs were long and muscular, with four hoofed fingers. Its arms had similar length, where just as muscular but had five hoofed fingers. Its neck was long and strong, supporting a triangular head. Its eyes and nostrils were large, while the mouth was small.

The giant feed on ferns and other low vegetation, while the little Eittans played around the giant, circling its long legs. Gnev played around the giant alongside other pups and Strakh, who seems braver than before.

Alongside some of its small comrades, Strakh and Gnev even started bulling a juvenile Dunarisoparla, who put a small fight. He wasn't trying too much, as he seemed more interested in eating plants that the juvenile Eittans could not yet eat.

Sometime he swung its tail, which had only two spikes, but he rarely hit the target. And when he did, the babies were largely unhurt by the herbivore. However, when Strakh got a little to cocky, he was hit hard by the juvenile. He luckily avoided the spikes, but he was still hurt.

Radost response was quick and violent, as she charged at the opponent with an incredible speed, causing him almost to fall down. After the female charge, the juvenile ran away as fast as possible, terrified by the display of strength of the elder sibling.

Alongside here there was Pechal, who was always near her big sister. The joyful female sometime stroked her with her nose, and always seemed protective over her.

Something that surprised Radost, alongside the other young, was however the fact that the baby Dunarisoparla ran back to them. He also ran past them, terrified. The baby was confused. Then, everything became clear.

When Radost smelled the air, she realized what was wrong.

Fire.

A fight between two Bukrinys caused them to use their fire vomit. In the open fields, this would not be a problem. But in a forest, where there are several dead leaves, a wildfire can spread in an instant.

Soon the rest of the herd senses the danger. A wild fire is something not even a herd of Eittans can stop.

A panicking stampede occurs, with all the members running left and right. The mother calls for her children, who arrive at her side in an instant. Pechal, however, had remained breathless because of the running, and the stampede turned the young escape into a obstacle course.

Radost remains on her side to protect her, but the violent swing of the tail of a panicking male cause them to fall down a small river nearby. The mother, terrified by the incoming fire, does not realize about the two children disappearing, and instead keeps running.

Radost and Pechal are desperately trying to fight the current. Although the river is not that large for an adult Eittan, for such small animals it can be a true challenge.

Some of the herd members are now trapped into the fire. Others, like many other creatures in the forest, are burnt alive.

The mother, thanks to her reflexes, manages to find a safe point: a dried up river, with the remaining water turned into ice. If the family manages to run alongside the dried up river, they can exit the forest unharmed.

And they ran. For three hours, until they exited the forest. Very soon, there will be little to nothing remaining in it.

When the family managed to escape the fire hell, the mother realizes that two of her children, Radost and Pechal are missing. Eittan's mothers can feel extremely attached to their children, but know when it's the time to let go. Especially if one of them dies from a predator attack or other reasons.

With some desperation for the loss of the two females, the mother realizes that it's time to walk away, alongside the remaining children.

Half an hour had passed since the fire had stopped. The once beautiful forest is almost completely demolished. It will take decades in order to recover. Grass and other plant forms, in the meantime, will colonize the area.

What once was the forest floor was littered with the corpses of the ones who did not make it in time.

The death of someone in this world, however, is the opportunity of someone else. A large carcass, probably belonging to a Eittan, had become the target of three scavengers.

This are the Kazub, the vultures of this world.

They stand upright, with an height of four meters and a wingspan of nine.

They have powerful legs equipped with four eagle-like fingers, armed with sharp talons. They have a short, stubby tail, but a muscular body. Their wings are elongated and have a triangular shape, and have a bat-like structure. In the position where the hand is, there are three fingers armed with sharp claws, used to defend themselves from predators. Their neck is short, supporting a triangular head with a toothless beak. Its eyes are extremely large, and are located near the nostrils. On the back of the head there is a large crest-like structure.

The three scavengers look around the carcass to inspect if it is safe. Soon, other members of their specie arrive to consume the carcass. Soon, the whole flock start to feast on the once living herbivore.

By using their claws they inflict injuries to the carcass, allowing the creatures to use their beaks and move in for the feast.

Soon, hundreds of them had reached the carrion, all of them fighting for the better pieces of meat remaining. The prey was large, but competition was still strong. The whole carcass was covered in Kazubs, with some of them inflicting heavy injuries on their feeding mates with their sharp claws.

The feast, however, was interrupted by a pack of some of the biggest dogs to have ever existed. The Elbakas.

This almost eight meters long, five meters high dogs formed some of the most feared gangs in the planet, using their strength and numbers to impose fear on many of the creatures inhabiting the cold lands.

They have long tails covered in long fur, just like their robust body. Their legs are long, armed with four fingers with short claws, perfect for running. Their neck is short, but strong, and the males had a long mane that ended at the shoulders. They had long ears, a big nose and small eyes, which still gave a good frontal eyesight. Their jaws were long and armed with sharp teeth.

The gang in question was composed by three members: two females and a male. Not caring about the obvious numerical disadvantage, the three of them charged at the flock, causing the scavengers to fly away. They did not go too far, however, knowing that these dogs will not eat the entirety of the carcass.

Some juicy pieces will be left alone, as the Elbakas are not able to reach them. They start from the belly, using their powerful jaws to rip to shred the carcass.

Too focused on eating, they do not notice that the flock had returned and even started to feed of the limbs of the Eittan.

Some of the Kazubs even dared to challenge the trio, hitting them with their wings and hissing at them.

Some of the risked to get their wings crippled by the jaws of the scavengers, who had managed to get into the intestines of the giant.

One of the Elbakas had half of his entire body inside of the carcass, in order to reach the intestines, one of the most energizing source of food in the planet, for a carnivore at least. Some Kazubs took advantage of the situation to rip off some flesh from the belly of the giant.

Soon, the ribcage was basically done, with the lungs and the heart being completely consumed. Even the pieces of meat between the rib bones were being dealt with by the Kazubs. The shoulder bone was rip to shred by the Elbakas jaws, who did not care about being covered in blood.

There was a small fight between the two females, but because of the sizes of the bounty, they managed to settle the question down.

More clashes between the Elbakas and the Kazubs occurred, with several of the latter trying to surround one of the dogs, to no avail.

One of the scavengers was grabbed by the wing and swung around like a ragdoll. For that Kazub, its flying days are over and, as such, much of its probability of survival.

The injured Kazub walked away from the feeding ground, realizing its too weak to compete for the spots. He, instead, starts looking for other meals.

In the distance, he spots movement.

Radost and Pechal have recovered from their experience in the river, and walk aimlessly through the desolated forest. They are terrified of the current situation: without their mother, they are easy picking for many predators in the region.

Even scavengers can look at them and take them as an easy meal. Radost, being the largest of the two, shows a protective side even in this moment, looking vigilant every second.

The injured Kazub has its eyes locked on the target: its long legs can still allow him to perform a quick charge. With its claws, it can kill the cubs, and satisfy himself for today.

Its large eyes are locked at the target: the creature is focused. The scavengers is gonna turn into a hunter.

However, even such large killers can turn into a prey, if they are not careful enough. Its wing, still bleeding, has attracted the unwanted attention of a local scavenger, who locked its eyes on him.

As the Kazub gets closer, so does the stalker. The injured is at striking distance between him and the two cubs. Radost gets herself distracted for a second, attracted by the movement of a small lizard.

Enough time for the Kazub to charge in and grab Pechal with its claws. The young one struggles and wiggle, but the grasp is too strong. Luckily for her Radost, despite being smaller than the opponent, can still pack a punch.

She charged at the opponent, knocking him out. Despite the larger sizes, the Kazub has a light constitution to help him flying.

This is the moment the stalker had been waiting for. Rushing in at an incredible speed, he grabs the neck of the Kazub with its powerful jaws.

The attacker is no other than a male Ladkon.

Although being smaller, being two meters high and barely reaching the height of Radost(although being seven meters long), what he lacks in size he compensate in power.

Its tail is long and muscular, but ends in a whip like structure. It has a long, slender body supported by four short, strong legs equipped with five clawed fingers. Its strong short neck support a large head with small eyes and sharp teeth.

Once the Kazub has realized the situation he's in, he gets on his feet and tries to fight back. Its clawed arms are pointless, because the opponent is much smaller. He tries to use its claws, but the opponent seems to persistent and quick to be hit.

While still holding the neck, the Ladkon circles around the prey, shaking its head in order to maximize the damage. He intends to decapitate the victim. The Kazub tries to hit him with its legs and beak, but every time he misses.

After a while, the Kazub is on the ground, still trying to fight back. The Ladkon uses its claws to further injury the scavenger, which at this point is underneath him.

The scavenger tries to get on his feet, but his strengths are abandoning him. The hunter, to accelerate the process, shakes his head even more violently.

Half an hour has passed, and the Kazub, although still alive, does not fight back anymore. He lost consciousness; the hunter rips a large chucks of meat from the neck, killing the victim on the spot. Then, he moves on the rear to devour the back and the intestines.

It wasn't a pleasant sight. Its entire head and neck were inside his prey.

While the Ladkon consume its victim, Radost and Pechal ran away as quickly as possible in order to not become part of the menu for the lizard.

Life without their mother is going to be tough. Without her, they're just an easy meal.


I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review so I can learn your opinion. I'm willing to accept suggestions, so stay tuned. Also remember to like and follow. See you on the next chapter.