Chapter Twelve: Night in the Rainforest (Part Two)

The velociraptor that lunged out was nearly three meters long, standing about a meter tall when upright. Its broad back and perfectly streamlined tail remained straight during its rapid movement, providing balance to its every action. Its massive, powerful hind legs alternated swiftly, with each step revealing taut tendons bulging outwards. A slender neck connected to a fierce head, and even though its mouth was tightly shut, a dozen sharp teeth protruded, reflecting the cold moonlight and making it appear even more menacing.

The velociraptor’s acceleration was astonishing; from launching its attack twenty meters away from the unicorn forest sheep to closing in on its prey, it took less than a second—a perfect embodiment of a lightning strike, swift beyond comprehension. Catherine had never witnessed such a close-range hunt between magical beasts, and the sight nearly caused her to cry out.

Yet, the unicorn forest sheep were not defenseless. The nursing female sheep sensed the danger first; she rose from her kneeling position in a movement so quick it seemed to leave an afterimage. The lamb, still suckling and its eyes not fully open, leapt with its mother’s motion, landing nimbly on her back. In that same moment, the adult female’s four hooves glowed with a faint radiance, and she leapt in place, shifting three feet to the right and back in a manner that defied the laws of physics.

Those three feet caused the velociraptor’s deadly bite, jaws stretched to their limit, to miss its target. The snap of its jaws was a sharp, metallic sound, like the clash of steel. After shifting, the female sheep adjusted into the perfect stance for sprinting. Instead of retreating, she charged toward the velociraptor, darting past its muscular form to make a flawless escape.

This was a battle-hardened female sheep. Catherine couldn’t help but admire its combat instincts. If it had run towards its flock, it would have needed to turn, and that brief instant could mean the difference between life and death. By running behind the velociraptor, the need to turn now shifted to the predator, inevitably widening the distance between them.

Such a near-perfect ambush failed to catch even a single unicorn forest sheep? Catherine felt somewhat disheartened. If she herself attempted such a surprise attack, she knew she could never match the velociraptor’s suddenness or speed. Did this mean she had no chance of success?

At that moment, a dull “thump” sounded, and Catherine saw something entirely unexpected. The female sheep, which should have escaped, was struck on the hind leg by the velociraptor’s muscular tail, producing a heavy, whip-like sound. The female sheep staggered, nearly collapsing, and the lamb on her back was flung off, crashing against a nearby tree trunk, its fate uncertain.

The tail strike was executed with exquisite precision. Catherine clearly witnessed the velociraptor channeling force from its spine, through each vertebra, finally reaching the tip of its tail to deliver the blow. Having succeeded, the velociraptor showed no greed for other prey; it turned, its triangular eyes flashing with cruelty, and moved toward the struggling, incapacitated female sheep.

Meanwhile, the leading male unicorn forest sheep let out a mournful cry. The black horn on its forehead glowed with azure light, which enveloped its body in an instant. Wind magic surged, and it lowered its head, the sharp horn pointed straight at the velociraptor, charging at it.

The charging male sheep exuded an unstoppable aura. In Catherine’s eyes, it seemed like a larger wind blade: the horn, neck, and forelegs formed a perfect crescent shape. Catherine believed that even the velociraptor, if struck head-on, would be gutted. She eagerly awaited the velociraptor’s response, but to her surprise, the creature didn’t even attempt to dodge, continuing leisurely toward the faltering female sheep.

What was happening? Before Catherine could even form a question, a burst of fire illuminated the night. A pitch-black gorilla descended from the sky, roaring fiercely. Its right hand clenched into a fist, flames blazing on its knuckles. It landed directly above the charging male sheep, avoiding the wind blade, and slammed its fiery fist into the sheep’s vulnerable back.

A sharp crack echoed, bones shattering, and the air was filled with the stench of scorched flesh. The male sheep let out a final cry, unable to maintain its charge, its body bending at an unnatural angle as the gorilla pinned it down, rendering it motionless.

Damn it! Catherine cursed herself inwardly. She had become so absorbed in watching the two predators hunt that she forgot her own purpose. The dozens of unicorn forest sheep had already scattered, some vanishing deep into the dark forest. The predators lurking nearby had locked onto their prey and were in hot pursuit. Amidst the chaos, Catherine narrowed her eyes and quickly targeted a medium-sized forest sheep.

Behind it, a tawny leopard was chasing relentlessly. The sheep’s four hooves glowed with a bluish-gray light, and though the leopard was swift, its glowing mouth suggested its innate skill was related to biting. Unable to catch up, the distance only widened.

This sheep was fleeing straight toward Catherine’s hiding place. It had clearly spotted her, yet still sped toward her, not changing direction. Catherine was momentarily confused, then realized: the sheep had never encountered a human before—at least, it had never been hunted by one. To it, Catherine was not a predator.

A heaven-sent opportunity! Catherine was overjoyed. She sprang from her hiding spot, gripping the dagger Ling Mo had given her, slashing downwards with all her strength, aiming straight at the sheep’s neck.

The sheep was startled. Though it didn’t know what creature stood before it, the dark gleam of the dagger resembled the sharp claws of predators. It realized it had made a grave mistake. In a split second, it twisted its neck dramatically to the right, dodging Catherine’s sure strike.

The cold blade grazed its neck without leaving a mark. Catherine’s face was a mix of surprise and frustration at her failed attack. Even the leopard behind her showed a hint of disappointment. At that moment, inspiration struck Catherine. She recalled the velociraptor’s perfect tail strike—the movement from spine to tail replayed in her mind. She instinctively mimicked the velociraptor, channeling force through her spine, arching and snapping, sending power through her right arm and hand. The dagger, like the tip of a velociraptor’s tail, slashed at the sheep as it passed by.

There was no sound. The blade sliced silently across the sheep’s belly, meeting almost no resistance, making Catherine doubt whether she had even hit it. The sheep ran several steps forward, then a fountain—no, a curtain—of blood erupted from its left side. A narrow wound nearly a foot long sprayed hot blood in every direction within five meters. The wound was torn wider by the sheep’s movement, becoming a gaping gash from which a torrent of blood and a jumble of strange organs spilled onto the ground.

The unicorn forest sheep collapsed heavily. Catherine didn’t rush forward but reversed her grip on the dagger, eyes fixed on the tawny leopard trailing behind, her mouth issuing a low, threatening growl.

The leopard stopped, looked at the fallen sheep greedily, then at Catherine, lingering especially on her dagger and the sheep’s massive wound. Hesitation flashed across its feline face; it had no experience fighting upright creatures. Ultimately, it feared Catherine’s destructive power and turned away, chasing after other fleeing sheep.

Catherine was on edge. She had been bluffing; though her strike had succeeded, she had overestimated her body, recklessly mimicking the velociraptor’s attack. Now her spine and right arm felt torn and out of place. If the leopard had been more determined to fight, she would have had to flee, dragging her injured arm.

But now she needn’t worry. The sheep’s carcass belonged to her. Remembering Ling Mo’s warning about the rapid dissipation of magical beast energy, she hurried to the sheep, pondering where to begin when a thunderous roar erupted from the depths of the dark forest.

The roar was deep and resonant, saturated with a bloody, violent energy. As it sounded, the velociraptor, gorilla, and other predators froze momentarily, then moved with frantic urgency.

The velociraptor abandoned its leisurely pace, leaping forward to snap the female sheep’s neck, then tossing the carcass onto its back and fleeing at full speed, leaving even the lamb behind, disappearing into the depths of the forest in a few bounds. The gorilla grabbed the male sheep leader’s neck with one hand, pulled a tree trunk with the other, and alternated its legs in a bid to climb a towering tree nearby.

But it failed. A massive brown claw swung out, gripping the sheep leader’s hind leg. Only then did Catherine see that a gigantic brown bear, five meters tall and standing upright, had appeared, wrestling over the sheep leader’s corpse with the gorilla.

Rip! The sheep leader’s body was torn apart like a rag doll. Everything above the neck remained with the gorilla, which growled in frustration and climbed higher, clutching the half-corpse. The bear claimed the rest, satisfied, dropping to all fours and then turning to face Catherine. It opened its bloody maw and unleashed another deafening roar in her direction.