PoV: Luna

  The moment Luna crossed the treeline, the air changed.

  It was cooler between the trees.

  And the air felt… thicker?

  Sap-heavy and damp enough that each breath tasted green.

  She paused for exactly half a heartbeat.

  It was weird!

  Not like old pack home.

  It felt more like–

  Luna inhaled deeply, her chest expanding wide as her boots skimmed over exposed roots.

  The scent of churned soil layered beneath sharp ant-pheromones. Bark carried invisible trails, sticky and weird. Moss had been stripped in wide swathes.

  The forest floor looked ruffled, churned all up in places and combed through by far too many legs.

  Luna’s nose twitched.

  It all smelled of hurt!

  A wound upon the forest.

  “Clickies are messy,” she declared softly.

  She chewed on a strip of jerky while walking forward. Spice burned pleasantly on her tongue.

  Mhm!

  Jerky best!

  And it gave Luna strength!

  After all–

  Important wolf business required proper fuel!

  Luna swallowed the last piece, happily licking up the rest.

  Yes!

  All ready now!

  She burst forward.

  The first cluster of ants scattered before she even reached them.

  Cowards!

  Luna didn’t chase after them immediately.

  Instead she curved wide, letting the nearest soldiers orient themselves and give chase. Their legs skittered over bark and broken roots. Mandibles clicky-clacked.

  The sound vibrated through the tree trunks around her.

  She let them come!

  Momentum built naturally beneath her boots.

  One stride. Two. Three.

  And Swipe!

  Her finger-claws sliced through chitin without driving much weight into it.

  Efficient and minimal!

  Exactly as Luna intended!

  The Ant fell just as she slipped between two trunks without breaking rhythm.

  Her Maw swallowed the crunchy mid-step.

  Better.

  And cleaner!

  Her grin widened.

  “Efficient attacks,” she decided. “Mean less splat on face!”

  Before long, another group reacted to the noise.

  And another!

  She wove between them, deliberately letting small clusters spot her before darting away.

  It wasn’t the time to be fighting–

  But it didn’t mean Luna couldn’t play around!

  She pushed into a longer stretch of open ground and triggered Reaper’s Pass deliberately.

  Then took off into a long long run!

  Long enough for the feeling of strain to build behind her ribs.

  And then–

  She swerved at the end instead of driving straight!

  Her body protested. Muscles pulled. Mana tugged at her spine–

  –and she shot two full strides sideways beyond where her weight should have carried her!

  Ehehe!

  That was awoomazing!

  She skidded, laughed, and bounced upright again.

  Two strides farther meant two strides freer!

  And while a little hard to do… Luna could choose direction at the very last instant!

  Harder to predict. Harder to pin.

  Powerful!

  And very Apex Predator!

  The Ants caught up, clacky-skittering!

  But Luna was ready, and launched into another test!

  Over a mossy ridge. Overshot on purpose!

  Twisted at the end.

  Strain!

  And then–

  Release!

  Luna landed clean!

  Though her balance faltered–

  She managed to adjust at the last second!

  【Reaper’s Pass Lv. 2 → Lv. 3】

  Ohh!

  Testing new things always meant big gains!

  Very proper!

  A flanking trio attempted to cut her left.

  Luna pivoted, and let her body’s Momentum carry her naturally, slicing through two legs! She ducked under the third, away before the attackers could hope to chase!

  It was a delicate maneuver, one Luna didn’t really try before.

  And yet–!

  【Momentum Claw Lv.11 → Lv.12】

  It worked!

  Luna froze for a fraction of a second.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Then preened mid-sprint!

  “Impawsive!” she informed the forest solemnly.

  The revelation that Luna could gather enough Momentum to matter, with so little movement was great!

  Awoo worthy!

  Perfect for weak prey like Ants!

  She landed lightly.

  Straightened up, and took a deep breath.

  Hrm, still wrong!

  The smells of the hurt forest were bad enough.

  But the sights made things look bleh too!

  Wide gaps where undergrowth used to be. Moss ripped up. Sap bleeding thick from fresh gouges. Entire patches churned into raw dirt, while others were left untouched.

  Everything looked so ruffled up.

  Damaged.

  And yet–

  Birds still cried overhead.

  Small prey darted in the distance.

  Insects buzzed defiantly in sunlit gaps.

  The forest resisted!

  Tenacious.

  Luna liked that.

  A soldier lunged from beneath a broken fern.

  But Luna was ready!

  A Shadow Step, to the side, and the big dummy Ant missed!

  “Silly Ant,” she chirped. “Luna is two steps ahead!”

  The cluster behind her grew louder. Click-clacks layered into a rising chorus.

  Oh, she stayed in one place too long!

  The Ants caught up.

  But that was good!

  It was time to lead the clicky presents back!

  She twisted through trunks one last time, deliberately passing near another patrol to add to her tail of outraged followers.

  More ants joined.

  More legs thundered.

  Her grin sharpened.

  “Come on, clickies,” she called sweetly. “Big pack is waiting!”

  And she sprinted toward the forest edge, rhythm smooth, skills cleaner than they had ever felt before, shadows stretching eagerly at her heels.

  And when she reached the plains, it made for a tremendous sight–

  A tiny wolf girl, grinning madly, chased by dozens of Ants.

  And she couldn’t look any happier!

  ***

  Huh.

  Guildmaster Ferric was right!

  …There were still a lot of Ants out there.

  Hiding.

  Everywhere!

  Luna had learned that the long way.

  Hours long!

  Run around. Find Ants. Poke Ants! Then poke nest too! Get chased. Lead clicky-clacky parade back to big pack place.

  Then loop back. Hunt down stragglers. Peel off!

  Repeat.

  Again!

  And again.

  And again…

  By the time she stood before the nest entrance once more, her patience was wearing thin!

  There really were too many of those buggers!

  The opening still gaped in the earth like a wound.

  Dark, and breathing faint heat. The air that rolled from it was thick with layered pheromones – sharp and invasive.

  It clung to her tongue and stung her nose.

  “Bleh,” she muttered, scrunching her face. “Smells like angry feet.”

  But did that stop her?

  Nope!

  Luna darted into the darkness all the same!

  And immediately ran into a Soldier mid-click as soon as she rounded a bend.

  Lucky Luna, unlucky Ant!

  She snipped three of its legs off in passing and veered into a side tunnel instead of committing to the big tunnel beyond!

  There were still a lot of ants inside.

  Possibly more than before!

  Did they return and not know what to do without their Queen?

  She could just imagine them skittering in frantic circles!

  “Wut happen! Where da qwueen?!” she whispered in a tiny, outraged voice, then giggled.

  So silly!

  But Luna forged on!

  The tunnel narrowed ahead, antennae scraping dirt walls as soldiers converged. And very soon she found herself dodging more than moving.

  Annoying!

  She surged back out.

  Of course they followed.

  They always followed!

  But only bringing that many felt like a waste!

  She led them in a big long teasing loop instead!

  Then zoomed back towards the nest to poke more of them out!

  Before leading both groups toward the plains.

  She cut two stragglers mid-run without even looking back.

  Yes, much more efficient!

  Luna was a genius!

  Aaand plains!

  And big pack ready to receive the crunchy presents!

  Luna did her job!

  She peeled sharply behind a moss-heavy trunk and vanished from sight with a series of Shadow skills.

  The ants thundered past her hiding spot.

  But there were still more hiding in the nest!

  Luna huffed, hands on hips.

  “Luna wants explore,” she grumbled. “Not babysit clickies!”

  Still!

  Luna was a responsible Apex Predator!

  And would never allow her pack to get stuck here for days!

  Days!

  That was too scary a thought.

  So Luna zoomed back to the nest!

  With most of the outer defenders drawn outward and the rest scrambling in messy confusion, she angled inward again and slipped through the main entrance.

  This time–

  No parade.

  Just Luna!

  The tunnels swallowed all sound.

  Packed earth walls smoothed by endless passage. Roots punched through ceilings like ribs. The pheromone scent layered thick enough to taste.

  Luna moved slower now.

  Not because she was tired!

  She just wanted–

  To take a look!

  And explore where all those side tunnels lead to!

  So she hid among the shadows, Shadow Stepping past any pesky Ants.

  The first chamber she entered was piled high with stripped bark and shredded leaves. Uneven mounds. Compressed in places.

  Storage!

  She nudged one pile with her boot.

  Dry. Fibrous.

  She bent, sniffed deeply, chewed on a few interesting looking pieces.

  …And tasteless.

  “Boring.”

  Moving on!

  The next few chambers had nothing much in them, but then!

  It hit her nose before her eyes.

  Meat!

  And lots of it!

  Luna drooled.

  The most awoomazing of all treasure!

  And there was a whole chamber of it!

  Only some of it smelled rotten and bleh.

  Carcasses lay stacked and half-consumed – deer, boar, frog, some weird thing with too many legs, another horned, scaly, and cracked open. Bones split for marrow. Flesh torn in uneven patches.

  Her mouth flooded instantly.

  She crouched low, nose twitching carefully.

  Which ones were wrong?

  A few reeked metallic-sour. Spoiled or Corruption-touched. She wrinkled her nose and avoided those.

  But the rest?

  With all the many different weird thingies in there Luna never saw before?

  Acceptable!

  More than acceptable!

  Her Maw opened.

  Shadows slid forward with soft, eager fingers.

  The darkness of the chamber helping them reach a little further.

  One carcass vanished.

  Then another.

  And more and more! Big and smoll!

  【Devourer’s Maw Lv. 4 → Lv. 5】

  Her eyes gleamed.

  So many flavors were waiting!

  For Luna to explore!

  Her drool hit the ground in a tiny splat.

  “Later,” she whispered reverently. “Victory snack pile.”

  Her Maw felt pleasantly heavy now.

  A promise of a feast to come!

  Luna gulped just thinking about it!

  This chamber…

  She left it nearly empty!

  Then straightened up and padded over to the next side tunnel.

  This one… was curved very sharply downward!

  And as Luna descended–

  The scent shifted.

  Metallic smells dominated.

  But it wasn’t blood, or meat!

  More… stone-like?

  She followed.

  The chamber that opened before her glittered faintly, even in the dark!

  Grey rock streaked with dull silver veins. Some surfaces caught even the faintest light and reflected it strangely.

  She tilted her head.

  Stone that smelled like metal.

  Weird!

  She pressed her nose against one vein and sniffed.

  Cold.

  Sharp scent.

  She licked.

  Metallic.

  She bit.

  Crunch!

  A small flake broke free. It scraped unpleasantly across her teeth. She chewed twice.

  Hmph!

  This wasn’t spice!

  Or even food.

  But it was a little crunchy–

  Not good crunchy though!

  She spat it out and wiped her tongue on her sleeve, scowling.

  “Rude rock!”

  Still–

  She scraped a chunk loose and slipped it into her Maw.

  Ray liked weird shiny thingies!

  And humies collected the strangest of things.

  So might as well gift them some!

  For the tiny tiny price of jerky!

  Ehehe!

  Luna would get all the jerky!

  And–

  She idly wondered…

  What else were the silly Ants hiding?

  Luna was eager to find out!