By the stream, a few Winding Rabbits were grazing cautiously, munching grass while keeping their ears perked and eyes scanning their surroundings. Even while eating, they would drop everything and flee at the slightest sign of movement.
They had no choice. As prey animals at the very bottom of the ecosystem, their only survival instinct was to run, whether the danger was real or imagined.
And right now, hidden in the brush, Yuno was drooling as he stared hungrily at the rabbits, slowly and carefully closing the distance between them.
There was no helping it. He was a Rathalos who couldn't fly yet. Unlike the female Rathalos known for their strong legs, his long toes made land movement awkward, forcing him to bend his joints just to walk properly. The closer he got, the higher his chances of success.
Soon, as he stepped forward, the ears of the nearest rabbits suddenly shot up, their alert eyes darting in all directions.
Yuno knew this was it.
In the next instant, he sprang from the brush like an arrow, wings spread wide.
Startled into full panic, the rabbits scattered in all directions, but Yuno locked eyes on the plumpest one and charged after it with unwavering focus.
Under the effect of his trait [Acceleration], his speed surged. Before long, he clamped his jaws around the fleeing rabbit, and slid forward uncontrollably from the momentum, crashing a short distance before skidding to a stop.
The rabbit thrashed wildly, kicking with strength far beyond that of a forest gecko. But with Yuno's jaws locked tight, it eventually fell limp and silent.
Without a second thought, and not bothering to brush off the dirt, Yuno began devouring it on the spot.
Unlike the cold, rubbery flesh of forest geckos, the rabbit's warm, tender meat was unbelievably delicious. It was soft, springy, and just slightly gamey, utterly irresistible.
He couldn't help but gulp it down faster and faster, even letting out a satisfied growl.
"Hrrrgh~"
Just as he was enjoying his feast, a deep, guttural roar echoed in the distance.
Yuno swallowed the last bite and licked his bloodied maw clean before raising his head.
The next moment, his pupils contracted. He instinctively crouched low and let out a tense, quiet growl.
Three adult Great Jagras stepped out from behind a massive boulder, two juveniles trailing behind them. The largest of the adults glared directly at Yuno, its forelimbs pawing at the earth, ready to charge this "low-threat" juvenile dragon at any moment.
Faced with this sudden hostility, Yuno refused to back down. He let out a defiant, if still rather immature, roar in response.
He was a carnivorous wyvern! And not just any carnivore, he was a Rathalos, apex of the meat-eaters! How could he let himself be scared off by a few herbivores?!
...
"HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME!!"
Deep in the jungle, Yuno was flapping his stubby wings in full-blown panic, flailing like a headless chicken as he desperately bolted past trees, rocks, and underbrush.
Behind him, two Great Jagras had gone berserk. Their eyes bloodshot, nostrils flaring, heads lowered, they charged after him like enraged bulls, hellbent on trampling him into the dirt.
And right now, Yuno felt nothing but regret.
Overwhelming, soul-shaking regret.
Why, why, did he have to roar back at them?!
All the Great Jagras had wanted was to drink some water in peace. But now, thanks to that one stupid outburst, he had provoked a full-on chase to the death.
Thankfully, from the very first moment he was targeted, his [Acceleration] trait had activated again. By weaving through the twisted landscape of the Ancient Forest, Yuno endured the most dangerous opening moments. As his speed ramped up over time, the bulky, slower Great Jagras could no longer keep up.
Eventually, they were forced to stop and watch helplessly as the juvenile dragon disappeared into the trees.
The two beasts exchanged confused glances. With their limited brainpower, they simply couldn't understand how a flightless baby Rathalos could run so fast.
...
Elsewhere, having finally shaken off the pursuit, Yuno collapsed in exhaustion, panting heavily.
His stamina drain wasn't the worst part. The real issue was that, now out of combat, the lightness brought by [Acceleration] was rapidly fading. In its place, a sudden heaviness weighed down on his limbs, like he'd been forced into a full suit of armor after running naked.
"Good thing I finished the rabbit. Otherwise, this chase would've cost me big."
Catching his breath, Yuno grumbled to himself. That rabbit had been nice and fat. One good meal had filled his stomach in a way he hadn't felt in days.
But just then, a sharp, putrid stench hit his nose.
Earlier, he'd been too exhausted to notice. Now that he was relaxed, his acute sense of smell returned in full force.
He turned toward the source, and spotted a smear of slimy mucus clinging to a distant rock wall, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.
"Wait... a territory mark?"
In this world, most large creatures had the habit of marking their territory, whether with mucus, claw marks, or scales.
Yuno didn't know which monster left this particular mark. But with the Rathalos' naturally sharp eyesight, he could make out two deep claw gouges beside the slime. From those alone, he could tell, it was definitely a big one.
And he...
Had just wandered into its territory.
The relief he'd felt moments ago vanished instantly. Yuno scanned his surroundings, paranoia flaring, terrified that some massive beast might burst out from behind a tree at any second, jaws wide open and roaring as it charged.
With his tiny body, even outrunning a Great Jagras had been a miracle. Against a true giant, where each of its strides equaled ten of his?
He'd be dead before he even turned around.
Still turning his head cautiously, Yuno suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
That familiar feeling of weightlessness returned, [Acceleration] was activating again.
There were no giants nearby, but...
Standing silently in front of him was a beast the size of a large green iguana. Its body was a dull yellow-green, with black eye-markings that looked like shadowy makeup. Brown spines jutted from its back, and its mouth, slightly open, revealed a row of sharp, jagged teeth like saw blades.
It was staring coldly at Yuno with blank, emotionless eyes.
A Jaggi.
One of the weakest meat-eaters in the entire ecosystem. Aside from their slightly sharp claws and mediocre bite strength, they were unremarkable.
Because of their small bodies and low stamina, Jaggi typically only attacked small creatures. When facing larger prey, they'd often retreat or hide in trees.
They were truly bottom-tier predators.
In terms of threat level, this one Jaggi was even less dangerous than the earlier Great Jagras.
In fact, it was smaller than Yuno was right now.
And yet...
Yuno let out a deep, weary sigh.
Because he knew,
Jaggi always traveled in packs.
Sure enough, two more Jaggi crawled out from the jungle foliage, flanking the first one. Together, they formed a triangle around Yuno, inching closer while casting wary glances toward the sky, trying to spot any adult Rathalos that might be watching over him.
"What cursed luck do I have today?!"
This world was far too cruel to juvenile dragons without protection!
Yuno could only wail internally as he turned to run yet again.
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