They ventured deeper into Jurra Forest, their steps muffled by the mossy earth, eyes scanning every shadow for signs of the creature they'd been sent to find. El led the group—calm, focused—while Matthew and Leo followed a few paces behind.
Matt quickened his pace to walk beside her.
"So… what does this monster look like, anyway?" he asked, brushing aside a low-hanging branch.
El glanced over her shoulder. "Have you seen a cat?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"Triple its size. Make its fangs longer—much longer."
Matt grimaced. "Definitely not the kind of cat I'd want in my house."
"Exactly," El said. "Not that kind."
As their voices faded into the foliage, Leo slowed. Something to the west caught his eye through a narrow break in the trees. He came to a halt.
"Uh… is it supposed to look like that?"
El and Matt turned as Leo pointed.
In a clearing beyond the thicket, a hulking beast hunched over a fresh kill. Its pale, shaggy fur shimmered under the morning sun—like a monstrous Persian cat, only the size of a small horse. Claws dug deep into flesh, fangs tearing at the carcass with methodical brutality.
The Saberfang.
All three dropped low, ducking behind bushes and gnarled trunks.
"What's the plan?" Leo whispered.
"Ambush. Attack. Kill," Matthew replied, far too eager.
Leo gave him a look. "No, seriously. We need a plan. Remember what happened last time? We almost died—Old Man Tavon had to save us."
"That was different!" Matt hissed. "That was a beast! This is just a lesser monster!"
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Still nearly killed us."
Beside them, El remained silent, eyes locked on the Saberfang. She knelt, drawing in the dirt with a stick. "Leo's right. Charging in would be suicide. Saberfangs don't always hunt alone. Sometimes they move in packs. Even if this one's alone, they're known for their speed."
"So what do you suggest?" Leo asked.
El sketched a rough diagram in the soil—something in the center surrounded by trees, and... a fish?
Matt squinted. "A fish? What does that have to do with anything?"
A chill trickled down Leo's spine. He understood.
The Saberfang tore another chunk from its prey, bone snapping beneath its teeth. Blood dripped from its jaw. Then—snap—a branch cracked behind it.
Its head whipped toward the sound. Yellow eyes narrowed, fangs slick with gore.
Leo stood a few meters away, sword drawn.
The Saberfang growled low, a warning rumble that made the leaves tremble. It didn't lunge—not yet. Maybe it expected him to retreat.
But Leo didn't come to retreat.
He advanced, stance firm. Then he lunged. The Saberfang did the same.
It moved in a blur.
The first swipe—a vertical slash—came too fast. Leo barely raised his sword in time. Steel met claws in a jarring clang. The blow shoved him sideways, his boots skidding through dirt.
The Saberfang pivoted, swiping again. Leo shifted, gripping his blade with both hands and angling low to deflect. The impact sent shockwaves up his arms, pain vibrating into his shoulders.
Still, he didn't back down.
He surged forward, slashing clean and fast. The blade struck true.
The Saberfang reeled, a snarl tearing from its throat as blood streamed from a gash above its eye. It staggered, half-blinded and furious.
Leo's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
"Crap… now it's mad. Really mad."
Before he could brace, the creature vanished—gone from sight.
His heart skipped.
A shadow.
He looked down, then up just in time.
THUMP!
The beast slammed down from above. Leo managed to block, but the sheer weight flattened him. The Saberfang's claws crashed against his sword, grinding the blade toward his face. One paw pinned his thigh—its claws buried deep.
Leo groaned through gritted teeth. Blood pooled beneath him.
Damnation… why did I agree to this?
Before that moment...
"A bait?" Matt whispered. "And who's supposed to be the bait?"
He followed El's gaze. She wasn't looking at him.
She was looking at Leo.
Leo felt both stares drill into him. "Me?!" he hissed, too loudly. He slapped a hand over his mouth, praying the Saberfang hadn't heard. "Why me?!"
"Three reasons," El said evenly, as though reciting a checklist. "First, you're weak."
Ouch.
"Second, your endurance is terrible."
Leo scowled. "Are we planning a strategy or just listing my insecurities?"
"But," she continued, eyes narrowing with intent, "you're fast. And you think fast. Combine that with your agility—"
"That doesn't explain anything," Leo whispered. "You two are stronger. More experienced. Why me?"
El stepped close and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Because we need time, Leo. And you can buy it."
Matt frowned. "I don't get it."
"Same," Leo said, wiping sweat from his brow.
El met their eyes. "Remember what I said earlier? Saberfangs don't hunt alone."
They both nodded.
"They don't need large packs. Four's enough. Efficient. Quiet. Deadly."
A knot tightened in Leo's gut.
"So here's the plan. You distract that one" she pointed to the feasting beast "while Matt and I find and kill its packmates before they regroup."
"Wait—why not kill this one first?" Leo protested. "Or scout them all before attacking?"
She shook her head. "It's already separated. Feeding. If we strike now, quietly, the others won't be alerted. But if we attack all at once, the pack hears and then we're the ones being hunted."
She crouched again, drawing a hasty formation in the dirt. "See what it's eating? That's a Blackravenger. Beast type. Hazard rank, judging by the markings."
"So the Saberfang's Hazard too?" Matt asked, peering through the leaves.
"No," El said, dusting her hands. "It's a Menace a rank lower. But with its pack? They become coordinated. Lethal."
She gestured toward the mangled carcass.
"The fact that it helped kill a Hazard-class Blackravenger tells us one thing—this isn't an ordinary monster."
Leo stared at the corpse. His stomach twisted. That meant... it hadn't killed it alone.
"And if a pack can kill something like that," El finished, "then fighting them all at once isn't just reckless, it's suicide."
Leo swallowed hard. "So your plan… is for me to go one-on-one with that thing? Just to buy time?"
"Exactly," El said with a nod.
"So, the plan," he muttered, "is me being the chew toy."
El smirked. "Only temporarily."
Matt clapped him on the back. "Cheer up. If you die, I promise to say something nice at your funeral."
"Thanks. That helps a ton."
El rose to her feet, brushing dirt from her palms with infuriating calm.
"Wait—wait," Leo called, voice sharp but quiet. "What if another Saberfang jumps us while we're all split up? You'll be fighting one, Matt too, and I'll be—what?—dodging for my life?"
El's lips curved into a faint, chilling smile.
"Who said I'll only fight one?"