Emmanuel_Capricorn
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TLK : Chapter 31
🕑 Added 2025-05-27 15:53:20 +0000 UTC[1st POV]
There was strength in numbers.
A group will thrive when individuals fail. This was a known fact even among the dumbest animal in the savannah.
I had almost never struggled with other animals of a different species in my life. A lion was feared and respected. Not just that, a lion almost always belonged to a bigger pride.
But when the safety of the pride was gone and other predators knew that I was alone, they were more daring than I could ever believe. Even if I were an apex predator, the fact that I was alone seemed like a glaring weakness.
So around midnight, the hyenas began making their move again. The sound of their creepy laughter and broken howls made it impossible to sleep through.
I opened my eyes in the dark. Lions had incredible night vision, so I was able to see almost as clear as day.
The six or seven hyenas that lingered around me had multiplied many times over. I did not know exactly how many they were since some were behind me, but I would assume they reached thirty in total.
I slowly rose from my sleep and released a low, rumbling growl to show that I was alert and ready.
The sound of my growl was easily below the edge of human hearing, meaning they wouldn't even hear the sound. Low vibrations travel for longer distances, so my boiling growl, which seemed insignificant compared to a full roar, could still reach up to a mile.
It was a vibration that sent a message through the literal bones of the hyenas. The last warning before I lose patience.
The hyenas were scared, and some trembled. But when they looked at the numerical advantage they had, they wanted to try their luck still.
It seemed I had not only underestimated the animals of the outside world, but I also underestimated how hard life was outside of the Pride Lands.
Serengeti and the Pride Lands were almost identical, but due to many other factors, life and prey were vastly more abundant back home. Surviving was not easy here in this region, and a half-eaten zebra was more than worth risking their life for.
A fight broke out in the middle of the night, and I welcomed it with open jaws and bared teeth.
I believe it was my first fight over a carcass. I would learn later on that a predator of one species stealing the kills of another was all too common in this land, so it was no surprise I was attacked.
They surged forward in waves, looking like demons that broke through the night. But the situation was all too familiar to me. I was in an almost similar situation, but worse, just the week prior.
And since then, I have been thinking about ways I could've fought better. Kinda like how you came up with better replies during a shower when the argument was already over.
Only this time, these new hyenas were giving me the golden opportunity to test my replies.
The sounds we made were nature at its most violent. The silence of the night seemed to amplify the sound of the battle.
The whole fight did not last long, not even half an hour. I did not suffer any injury as well. I was designed to bear the bite of bigger teeth and win against stronger foes.
A stronger bite force was useless when they did not have the power to bite and pull with raw violence like lions do. A jaw that could snap bones was nothing when they could never land a clean bite. In the end, even the small advantage they had was for chewing the leftover bones on my rotting waste.
A few hyenas went to sleep that night, only to never wake up again.
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(The next morning)
I released a big yawn under the warm light of the rising sun. Although there was a small scuffle with the hyenas last night, I would say I had a proper rest.
I looked around at the similar yet unfamiliar environment I found myself in. The vulture was nowhere to be found, so I was alone. The zebra carcass was still in front of me, but the meat was no longer fresh.
There were hundreds of flies buzzing around the carcass, and I could see some insects like a colony of ants trying to scavenge on my food.
I looked further and saw three dead hyenas at a distance. They were nearly dead when I left them, but it seemed they had crawled even further away from me with their dying breath.
The battle was not grave, and I suffered almost no consequences, but it made me learn a few things about Serengeti. The predators here were more aggressive and desperate than one would expect, which hints at prey being more scarce or at least harder to hunt.
I would confirm the latter when I go out to hunt myself.
At the same time, I wonder if such fights could be beneficial for me in the future. I had been training myself most of my life, but the number of times I've been in battle could be counted with one hand.
So perhaps this kind of conflict could be good to gather battle experience. There was no risk of death, but much to learn. I said there was risk because the hyenas never tried to kill me last night.
Although they attacked, their aim was to steal my food. If I had lost the fight, I could run away, and they would be content with their success of driving me away from my food. They wouldn't come after me like Scar's lion did because there was no command or personal issues. It was just survival.
Maybe I could seek such conflict as a part of my training.
I spent the morning having such thoughts and eating the zebra again. I ate as much as I could and left the rest for the savannah. The zebra was around 300 kg, but that was accounting for their bones, guts, skin and every other part that was not meat.
I ate most of the good chunk of meat and organs and abandoned the rest to the savannah.
The food in my belly should last me a few days. So in the meantime, I was going to explore the Serengeti landscape and get myself familiar with my new home.
The sun was slowly climbing in the sky as I roamed.
..
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Author : This and the previous chapter were both one before I lost the original. its why both are so small.
