Chapter 5: Ambush and Changes

In a certain part of the gloomy park, a home to shadows of differing identities, bushes shook as Tynofast crawled though them.

Proceeding past them, he made a mental note never to attempt stealth like that again. Tynofast could thankfully begin to make out the dome of the training compound though. He placed his hopes on that place for strength to prevent that-that...fiasco.

"Soon...," his blood raced due to the excitement at the thought of what was to come.

Tynofast swiftly calmed down and trained his attention on the treacherous habitat of the park. A big enough mistake or circumstance here could very easily be the end of him.

Sadly for Tynofast, a 'scentless' snake bobbed in ambush wrapped around a swaying branch of the tree he was passing under. This denizen of the convoluted park was not a pushover like the rodent.

When Tynofast reached targettable zones, his fate was sealed. The experienced snake had wrapped him to his chest by the time his struggle had been mounted.

The red snake's mood was so good that it let him to struggle for a while, allowing the tumble to approach a nearby pond. Sensing conspiracy from years of experience in this mad place, it decided to stop playing with food.

Tynofast POV:

.....

I was at the fringes of the pool area that connected to the compound. The excitement rolled off of me in pheromones.

With no danger in sight or on scent, I decided to go at it boldly. No sooner had I relaxed, when panic flared through my being. My parietal eye was affected a while longer than it took for branches around here to swing backand forth.

Before I knew it, I was wrapped by a scaled adversary. I motioned for grappling and tearing with my claws but my limbs where incapacitated. Panic spread at my lack of options...then gave way to anger from my weakness.

After thrashing around for too long, I felt dizzy. My need for oxygen was denied by my captor and continuously depleted by effort. My bones, squeezed so tightly together that it felt like they were pieces of stone jamming into themselves at discomfiting angles.

Thankfully I had taken this fight to waterside because I knew of a life-saving advantage that I had over this snake. It was my only chance out of this bind, literally.

Unfortunately, it was wizened unlike the rodent, and had an intuition. Wasting no time, it struck to bite.

Tynofast's reflexes kicked in as he swiveled his head away and delivered a deadly bite of his own at the base of its head and lower jaw.

Tynofast launched a vice-grip after bite-swallowing the struggling serpentine head. All in a bid to prevent it from breathing, put it in a panic and make it to water.

Here, he had to win..., nay he could only win. With the last of his air, he rolled into the pond soon falling deeper than his length. In the water, gills he had never used started working relieving his asphyxiation and tipping the scales of the fight.

Pain from the pressure exerted by the murderous snake did not ease. Only after ten minutes did it gradually lose strength. It tried for an escape, but with just its neck peaking out from Tynofast's mouth, it wasn't having such luck.

After ten more minutes, Tynofast was sure it had drowned and HE, HAD, WON! Soon, he threw his 18 inch adversary onto the the embankment of the pond.

He wouldn't be greeting the training compound with excitement anymore, especially after he had fought for his life twice trying to reach here.

He had seen much of the history of komodo dragons courtesy of his AI and in his opinion, non were as pitiful as him even though they took much longer to venture out.

What his arrogance didn't account for, was the fact he was still alive under the circumstances. Neither did he fully understand what privileges came with being an alpha variant.

There would also be the fact that though indispensable, the journey was his choice.

Thus, Tynofast decided to rest and recover, for the night.

He considering leaving the carcass where it was, as though Tynofast was a day old, he wasn't wet enough behind the ears to leave a trail to his frail self. Such a thought was scrapped when a hunger like no other assaulted him.

More hungry than Confused, he tore the snake apart little piece from shredded part. In no time, Tynofast devoured all eighteen inches of muscle and bone save for some entrails.

Strangely, flesh and bone suffered a quick destruction at the hands of his now empty stomach. Most of the energy from his feast(s) went towards transforming his heart with an uncomfortable heat, the rest went into his ostentatiously dark scales...