Things just got personal!
Luke observed the silence and just as he predicted the heavy beast had a considerable advantage against the leaner Antlertaur, but none of that mattered to him since he never planned on fighting the victor of this battle.
Not only was it as heavy as the bear-type beast he struggled to kill a day ago, but it was full of strength even though the fight had gone on for a while. Its antlers were also a major threat, which was capable of instantly ending Luke if he made the slightest mistake against it in battle.
In Luke's mind, this beast was far more dangerous than the bear-type beast he fought previously. Luke quickly pushed these thoughts aside as he decided to focus on the battle going on below. Even if he had no intention of fighting the Antlertaurs, he saw no harm in learning as much as he could about them from the fight going on.
Bam.
The Antlertaurs' battle raged on, as their antlers clashed with a force that resonated through the clearing, the sound echoing like thunder in the dense forest. The multicoloured fur of the combatants became a blur of motion as they circled and lunged, each seeking an opening to strike down the other.
Luke, concealed by the leaves surrounding the branch, could feel the tension on the battlefield with every collision of antlers. Leaves and twigs scattered in their wake, as they charged at each other relentlessly.
As the battle reached a climax, the Antlertaurs showcased their agility, their bodies weaving and contorting in a display of calculated movements. Quick feints and sudden withdrawals kept Luke on the edge of his hiding place, captivated by the ebb and flow of the conflict.
The antlers, equipped with jagged tines, became entwined in a mesmerizing pattern, each creature attempting to outmanoeuvre the other. Luke marveled at the coordination between strength and finesse, as the Antlertaurs pressed against each other with murderous intentions.
Occasionally, the combatants would disengage, but only the chest of the lean Antlertaur heaved with exertion. Nevertheless, the two beasts continued to circle each other like seasoned gladiators, sizing up their opponent. The sharp hooves of the Antlertaurs dug into the soft ground, leaving imprints that marked the battleground of their clash.
The defining moment approached when the heavy Antlertaur, with a burst of strength, gained the upper hand. The victorious creature, with a powerful charge, found its way past the light Antlertaur's defence and stabbed its jagged tines into the skull of its enemy.
The beast let out a painful cry, staggering back, but the heavy Antlertaur was not done. It moved back by a few steps before charging again and smashed into its defenceless opponent at full power.
Luke winced at the impact, the ferocity of the blow left no doubt about the outcome. The defeated Antlertaur crumbled to the ground and lay there lifeless.
Luke was pleased when he saw the battle was over, but what happened next left him disgusted and disturbed. The heavy Antlertaur walked over the corpse of its foe and bit a big chunk off its skin. Luke stood there and watched in horror and disgust as the beast chewed and swallowed before it moved in for another bite.
'You eat your own kind? Disgusting!' Luke yelled out in his mind.
It was like watching a human eat another human. This was something that felt wrong to him, even though the laws of the jungle differed from those of people like him who had spent most of his life in a sheltered and civilized place.
However, Luke didn't really care about the reasons behind the actions of the beat. What truly bothered him the most was that the beast was taking his food!
Luke stood there and watched the beast feed on the corpse, as he rained curses vile enough to wipe out the entire population of the vast forest on the beast. This included the trees, plants, and bugs living in this ecosystem.
Only after eating a sizable portion of the flesh did the heavy Antlertaur leave. As Luke watched it walk away, a smile of elation filled his face as he beamed with the kind of joy he had never experienced ever since he stepped into this forest.
"Finally!" he exclaimed in a low tone but still took his time to scan the vicinity for other beasts that may be hiding and waiting for an opportunity to claim this corpse for themselves.
Only after confirming that the coast was clear that Luke descended the tree as stealthily as possible. He approached the corpse that was half-eaten, and what he saw disgusted him.
Intestines protruded in front of the belly that had been torn open and its stomach fluid mixed with blood poured out. The insides of the belly of the beast were left exposed and flies were beginning to gather.
Luke thought he would have gotten used to this kind of sight after waking up in a clearing filled with corpses just a day ago, however, he felt a warm liquid rising in his throat which he had to suppress with some effort.
"Yuck!" He commented as he got closer.
Luke placed his hand on the body of the beast that had not been eaten, however, something unexpected happened.
Nothing?
Nothing happened!
Luke was left confused since he expected to feel the call of his ability, but it never came. His eyes turned cold as he rained curses not just on the Antlertaur but on its descendants.
"This just got persona!l" Luke said in a dead serious tone as he stared in the direction the heavy Antlertaur ran off to.
It had given him hope in his time of need, just to mess with him. This reminded him of the hope he felt when the empire soldiers arrived at his village. Even if they couldn't bring back his parents, he thought he would be safe with them, only to be used for a deadly experiment that almost cost him his life.
The familiar feeling left Luke seething with anger and rekindled the rage he felt when he awakened in the body bag.
Luke wanted revenge!