Hunt Race

The beast didn't charge.

It watched.

Its amber eyes remained fixed on Kael, unblinking.

A low growl rumbled deep within its throat.

Kael tightened his grip on his sword.

His arms were beginning to ache.

His breathing had become uneven.

The cut on the beast's foreleg hadn't slowed it as much as he'd hoped.

If anything...

It had made it more cautious.

Neither moved.

The forest seemed to hold its breath.

Then—

The beast vanished.

Kael's eyes widened.

Fast!

He barely raised his sword before a massive claw crashed into it.

CLANG!

The impact numbed both arms.

His feet dug furrows into the ground as he was driven backward.

Before he could recover, the beast lunged again.

Kael threw himself aside.

Its jaws snapped shut where his shoulder had been.

He rolled to his feet, only to feel a burning pain across his back.

One of the claws had grazed him.

Warm blood soaked through his tunic.

Kael gritted his teeth.

Another inch...

He would have lost his arm.

The beast circled him again.

Its movements had changed.

Gone was the impatience of a predator chasing weak prey.

Now it attacked with purpose.

It had learned.

"So have I," Kael muttered.

The beast growled.

Then rushed forward once more.

Kael didn't retreat immediately.

He waited.

One step.

Two.

Three.

At the last instant, he pivoted to the side.

The beast overshot him by only a fraction.

Kael struck.

His blade carved another shallow line across its shoulder.

The beast spun with frightening speed.

Its tail slammed into Kael's chest.

BAM!

The air exploded from his lungs.

He tumbled across the forest floor before crashing against a moss-covered boulder.

For several seconds...

He couldn't breathe.

His sword slipped from his hand.

The beast advanced.

Slow.

Steady.

Every instinct screamed at Kael to move.

His body refused.

The beast raised one massive paw.

Its claws gleamed in the filtered sunlight.

Move...

Nothing.

Move!

Just as the claws came down—

Kael rolled aside.

The ground erupted beneath the impact.

His fingers closed around the hilt of his sword.

Without thinking, he thrust upward.

The blade sank into the beast's shoulder.

The creature roared in pain, jerking backward and ripping the sword from Kael's hands as it retreated.

Kael scrambled to his feet.

His sword remained lodged in the beast's flesh.

The two stared at each other.

Kael was unarmed.

The beast was wounded.

Blood dripped steadily from its shoulder, staining the leaves beneath it.

It snapped the embedded sword free with a violent shake, sending the weapon spinning into the undergrowth.

Kael's heart sank.

His only weapon...

Gone.

The beast lowered its head once more.

This time...

Kael had nothing left except himself.

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