Chapter 38

Kuma P.O.V.

Tracking the herd takes about an hour and leads us to a dead end valley. The dead end being a cliff over five hundred feet tall.

I lift my snout to the wind and can tell that the herd is all the way toward the back of the valley near the cliff walls, so I rub my head against Wendy's leg and walk over to a tree. I leap up and point my nose up to the branches and she gets the idea, quickly climbing the tree.

Then I turn back to Natsu and I walk to the other side of the game trail and set my paws on another tree. I only wait long enough for them to be settled in the branches then make my way to the herd, being careful to stay down wind.

Five minutes later I'm edging around the back of the pack, hugging the cliff walls as I do. Nearly silent paw steps ahead of me alerts me to Crystal's whereabouts.

I move until I'm crouching next to her and see that we have a clear sight of the herd in the meadow.

It's a medium size herd, like we thought, but it's of cows and their calves, meaning two for one deal. I lick my chops and she whimpers.

"I've picked out my choice, what about you?"

Looking over the herd I see a young cow, only about two years old from the size of her rack with a calf hanging near the game trail where Natsu and Wendy hide, and I nod.

"On the count of three?"

She nods in reply and my tail thumps quietly counting down to one where we dash from the bushes causing the herd to stand still. I shift into my grizzly form and the herd stampedes allowing Crystal to pull away her choice as I shift again and race after the mother and fawn balking near the game trail.

When they refuse to move down the game trail I dash forward and nip the mother's leg, causing her to kick out and I flinch when I hear a crack from my ribs.

Thankfully, though she takes off down the trail, the calf on her heels and I jog close behind pushing them on until we're under Natsu's tree where he falls and grabs the mother's antlers steering her to Wendy's tree.

Wendy drops down and the two of them bring the mother down, leaving me to finish the calf off.

Panting, I sink to my haunches as the mother finally goes down and I grimace at the pain that flares in my side with each breath.

Once Natsu and Wendy catch their breath from fighting the mother they look at me and I inwardly grimace as I shift to Clydesdale so they can sling the kills over my back.

The weight of kills doesn't bother me but the fact that I can't take deep breaths without some pain makes it harder for me to push ahead like normal, meaning whereas it took us an hour to find the herd, it takes us almost an hour and a half to return to where the exceeds set up camp.

We walk into the clearing and I see Gajeel and Laxus sitting on the other side of the fire cleaning their kills while Crystal carries firewood with the exceeds. I stop next to the fire and wait long enough for Wendy and Natsu to grab our kills before shifting and walking over to lay at the bottom of a tree.

Laying on my left side I turn back, running my tongue over my fur to smooth it over and I grimace when I run over the bruised skin. After a few more minutes, and fighting with a few burrs, my fur is smooth and shiny again.

Just in time for Crystal to walk up.

I tilt my head to her as she walks up and she huffs. "I always thought you cats were born to live in the treetops, didn't think I'd ever see one with their feet on the ground."

I roll my eyes and huff in return. "Please, a cat is as comfortable on the ground as she is in the trees." Then my gaze pins her in place and I smirk. "Unlike you mangy mutts, can't even get higher in a tree then what you can jump."

"Alright then, cat, if you think you're truly comfortable on the ground, fight this mangy mutt." My smirk widens at her growled challenge and I rise, my bruised ribs forgotten.

Almost immediately she starts circling, her scruff on end, and her tail low to the ground. Copying her movements my scruff rises as well to make myself look bigger, which isn't much of a challenge seeing as in my panther form my shoulders are several inches higher than hers and I have about a hundred pounds more on me. In all she's built for speed and stamina, while this form is built for strength and brutality. In terms of weapons, her canines are longer but thinner, made for ripping and tearing while mine are made for gripping and causing more damage.

A pretty even fight in all, but I will never tell her that. Not that she doesn't know it already.

She jumps first causing me to step back, avoiding her teeth and knocking me out of my observations as I retaliate with a paw slap to her jaw, claws sheathed of course.

Taking advantage of the space gained I press my attack, forcing her to step back until her back is to the tree and she ducks avoiding my next paw slap. She reaches up and grabs my paw between her teeth, not hard enough to break the skin but also not gentle enough for me to pull it away as she swings her head around and knocks me back a few steps.

I crouch waiting for her to make her next move, and when she charges I pounce leaping clear over her and flipping so that I land facing her. This time she crouches, observing me and my posture even as I watch her.

By now I'm panting and I cringe, when I take too deep a breath and feel the pain flare in my side. I turn to my left, keeping my bruised side away from her.

Ok, so maybe, just maybe, my ribs are broken.

I'm too lost in my thoughts that I miss her charge until it's too late. I'm slammed against the tree behind me and I hear a crunch from my side.

Oh yeah, they're broke now.

The fact that I can't take a deep breath without searing pain confirming it, but still I refuse to back down. When she backs off I stand up, squaring my shoulders as I do, and I can feel my alpha instincts start to take over.

She may be an alpha in her own right, but I hold the power. She starts crouching and I bare my teeth, ready to take this fight up a notch.

I take a step forward, pushing past the pain and leap.


Grizzly out for the night.