Chapter 29 - Clash of beasts

There were two giant creatures confronting each other. They were a few hundred meters away from Ulf. Even with his enhanced eyes observing them didn't hold any problem and the morning sun was also rising and beaming brightly.

Behemoth-like beasts were the ones, which caused a huge commotion in the forest. Influence on the surroundings was so strong that it even reached Ulf when he was hunting deer tens of kilometres away. Ulf recalled the loud sounds he had been hearing, after guarding for the first time in the forest. They were also coming from the central part of the southern forest. At that time Ulf had been wondering what kind of beasts could make such terrifying roars and the same kind of apex powerhouses of the forest were in front of him, fighting each other.

On both sides, there were creatures of the same species with around 3,5 - 4 meters (11 - 13 ft) sturdy bodies. They had very long, slender, but also strong legs, and brown skin, which was getting darker on the upper body. The creature had a very thick neck and a long face. The most glorious part was its antlers, they spread across very widely. They gave dangerous vibes to Ulf.

'What magnificent bull moose!' Ulf almost exclaimed loudly.

Perhaps, even if he would yell, it would not alarm anything around him, as the furious beasts' fight could overlay everything.

Most body parts were almost the same as mosses from the earth, if not considered their huge size. However, their antlers were different and on a whole nother level. Looking at those deadly weapons would give anyone fright. Unlike a young moose or elk on the earth, those presented' horns (antlers) weren't covered by any soft skin. That meant both of them were adults or older. The antlers were grown as cylindrical beams projecting on each side of the head at right angles to the midline of the skull and then forks. Ulf didn't know what kind of materials they were made of, but under the sunlight, they were beaming brightly and clearly had several sharp points, which would be a source of death for any reckless predators.

However, what would be the result, if two representatives of this kind would oppose each other.

That type of scenario was developing right before the Ulf. Two peak existences of bull moose were using the entire grassland for their battleground. It wasn't overstated, due to their power level. Both moose were at least late beast stage creatures.

The hunters told him that there were four grades known (early, middle, late and peak grades) for the beast stage and each of them had a large power gap. Usually, warrior-rank hunters couldn't find much difference in them, because any level beast already meant guaranteed death in one on one combat. Only leaders or above-rank hunters could make a prospective view about the beast's exact grade. The main reasons for that were first because they had strength which could rival the beasts and second, on account of their experience as they had fought and had a taste of the prowess of those creatures.

However, Ulf had another method, which was connected to spiritual energy. The point was, as far as he met a few beasts, every one of them had some kind of oppressive, dominant aura around them, especially during the conflicts. Thanks to that dominant aura, no animal stage beings dared come close to them. Ulf remembered that when his team had been hunting mountain rhino, animals always ran without looking back, only after its death did they show the courage for standing against the hunters. The same went for the alpha wolf too, as it commanded the pack of wolfs to attack Ursa's group. Ulf sensed that its aura was weaker than mountain rhino's, but still had a strong effect on the encircling animals in the forest.

For some reason, till this present time, Ulf knew that the beasts' aura never had any influence on the hunters. Moreover, it was unknown yet why, but he had a theory that wild creatures were favoured from birth by nature. As was anticipated, humans were not included in them. Because of the same way of cultivation, the stronger ones could use the aura to suppress the weaker creatures. Only after that, was it possible to explain why every animal cultivated automatically, but humans couldn't do the same. His tribe's cultivation method was naturally different from the wild creatures' way to gain strength. However, each of those opinions needed more time and knowledge to prove its accuracy.

Current situations gave Ulf more credibility in his ideas. The enormous auras produced by the two beast stage moose frighten the animals out of their wits in the surroundings. After sensing their aura, which was way more rich and supreme than alpha wolf's and mountain rhino' aura, the only reasonable solution for this matter must have been the gap in cultivation.

Not even considering divergence in the aura, outstanding power wasn't easy to overcome. Early (beginner) level beasts would court their death if they dared to the middle in or somehow happened to be dragged into the late grade beasts' conflicts. The ongoing battle demonstrated it very well.

The two opponents had already been fighting each other for one hour, but no sign of tiredness could be noticed in their behaviour, the great vigour of the beasts was still there. Both sides, with their heads down, were ready to use any loophole in the rival's defence to cause some grave damages, which could decide the fate of the battle.

In the end, both of them concluded to continue using goat's means - head butting. After distancing again from each other, they began making angry, deep groans.

"BEEE..."

"BEEE"

After hearing the deafening sounds of moose, Ulf even had to use spiritual energy to defend his ears from harm. Any warrior from the village would become deaf if he/she would listen closely.

Observing them from afar, he was provided with information that, On the left side was an old moose and on the right - a young one. Young moose's horns were fresh, majestic and beautiful while old moose's antlers were in a period of decline, lacking high-spirited characters. It seemed, that the difference in appearance made newly matured, but very strong moose transmute to be more courageous.

'It must be a territorial fight.' Thought Ulf.

He had watched many videos in the past life, regarding establishing the dominance hierarchy among the same species. Head butting was the main method for fighting in the deer family, including moose. They were herbivore creatures and this grassland would supply them with huge amounts of food, especially when the winter was coming and resources would reduce.

It took some time to prepare. Soon, the young moose moaned last time and ran toward its foe. The opponent didn't fall behind and dashed forward too. Watching their speed, Ulf understood that even beast stage alpha wolf would be immature next to them.

'Can advantage of one or two levels on the same stage impart the beasts with such superior power?' Facing the fact astonished Ulf more.

To tell the trust, it wasn't running at all. More than a hundred meters (328+ ft) of distance was covered in just a second. It would be more appropriate to say that, both moose disappeared from their spots, emerged right in the centre and...

BOOOOM...

The brutal clash caused the earthquake and violent waves of the wind. Ulf was shaken a bit up on the tree. The grasses and bushes of the epicentre in a radius of ten meters (32 ft) were blasted and destroyed, creating a mini crater. Ulf was bewildered by the show of beast prowess.

In the start, he had been wondering if the antlers would be able to withstand the collision. However, he was very wrong. The antlers suffered less than many others around. Mostly, mother nature was affected. They transformed into a lethal weapons for demolishing every obstacle on the way.

BOOM

BOOM

The moose continued fighting without tiring. The beasts were fleshing all over the grassland. They took a break after every clash to recover, as they were shaken a little and prepared for the next attack. The one, which would have regained the energy faster, would attack first too, in order to not let his foe recoup its focus.

Two moose had almost the same power, but the young moose had youthful stamina and toughness. As a result, it could preserve tiny superiority over the opponent. By pressing down with full power, the younger wanted to make the foe kneel or lose balance. It was arrogant and had the right to be so. At such an early age, the young moose became the beast and also had the same (late) level of strength as its old age rival.

After several clashes and the destruction of land and plants, they still couldn't determine, which was stronger. That must have been, why both sides began to engage in close fights and push each other with their entire might and weight. The ground couldn't withstand physical force and a handful of cracks formed under them, but owing to their large hooves, the possibility of moose' legs falling into them was minimal. If not, it would result in drastic changes.

The beasts weren't going to end their fight anytime soon. Nevertheless, Ulf noticed one big change. The fight of the supernovas scared the animals and made this grassland a forbidden ground for them. Though, it also attracted others, more dangerous and savage beings from the deeper parts of the forest.

Some powerful creatures started lurking among the trees around the grassland. They apparently could conceal themselves very well. Even Ulf couldn't see what kind of beasts they were. But his spiritual energy never failed to detect threats. There were already a few spots in the south, where the spiritual energy was pointing at him and likely bit by bit their number would become more.

Looking at how things were developing, Ulf had to think of some plans not only to guarantee his safety but also to use any possible opportunities. One question was how this conflict of the same species would end, but another matter was the aftermath evolution of the whole picture around the grassland.