Ar’Zul

THE KING OF FANGS

Chapter Thirty-Seven

⸻

The roar rolled across the northern jungle like thunder.

RRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!

Leaves trembled.

Birds exploded from the canopy in terrified flocks.

The stream beside the expedition rippled as though the earth itself had shuddered.

For a heartbeat…

No one moved.

Then every warrior reached for their weapon.

Steel slid from leather.

Stone met wood.

Bowstrings tightened.

The quiet stream became a battlefield before a single enemy was seen.

⸻

Gorak’s remaining hand gripped his war hammer.

His eyes scanned the dense undergrowth.

“Form a circle.”

The six warriors moved without hesitation.

Brakus and Talok stepped to the front.

Riven nocked an arrow.

Eron moved closer to Zahren, spear ready.

Lysa’s golden eyes swept through the trees.

Sena…

Was already gone.

Only the faint movement of a shadow between thick vines revealed where she had disappeared.

⸻

Kaela slowly lowered herself into a crouch.

“It isn’t hunting us by sound.”

She whispered.

“It already knows we’re here.”

Another growl answered from somewhere deeper in the jungle.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr…

Closer.

Much closer.

⸻

Talok looked toward the towering trees.

“I’ll get higher.”

Before anyone could object, he slung his rope over a thick branch and began climbing with astonishing speed.

His hands and feet barely seemed to touch the bark.

Within moments, he disappeared into the upper canopy.

The others waited below in tense silence.

Then Talok’s voice came down, strained and hushed.

“…Gods…”

Gorak looked up.

“What do you see?”

There was a long pause.

Then…

“It isn’t following us…”

Another pause.

“It’s stalking us.”

⸻

Talok slowly climbed onto a higher branch and carefully parted the leaves.

His eyes widened.

“Oh…”

“No…”

“It’s looking right at me.”

⸻

Without warning, Sena emerged silently from the shadows several trees away.

She had slipped ahead unseen.

She crouched atop a thick branch, barely visible beneath her gray cloak.

Following Talok’s gaze…

She saw it.

Her breath caught.

The creature stood almost hidden among the giant ferns.

At first glance…

It resembled a saber-toothed tiger.

But only in shape.

Its shoulders stood nearly as high as an elephant’s back.

Massive muscles rolled beneath thick striped hide the color of dark bronze and black.

Its paws were larger than shields.

Curved ivory fangs stretched nearly three feet beyond its jaws.

Its amber eyes never blinked.

Its tail lashed slowly behind it.

The beast sniffed the air once.

Then lifted its enormous head.

Directly toward the expedition.

Sena whispered into the small communication whistle hanging around her neck.

Three soft notes.

The agreed signal.

Enemy spotted.

Then one final whisper.

“…We’re the prey.”

⸻

The beast roared.

RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!

The jungle erupted.

The gigantic predator burst through the undergrowth with terrifying speed.

Trees bent beneath its weight.

Roots snapped.

Earth exploded beneath its paws.

It charged directly toward the stream.

⸻

“NOW!”

Riven released the first arrow.

THWIP!

The shaft struck the creature squarely in the shoulder.

It shattered.

The beast didn’t even slow down.

Brakus charged with a battle cry.

“HAAAAAA!”

His massive axe crashed against the creature’s foreleg.

CLANG!

The sound echoed like striking solid stone.

Brakus staggered backward.

“My axe…”

A deep crack had split the edge of the blade.

“…Barely scratched it.”

⸻

Talok dropped from the trees, landing beside Gorak.

“I’ve never seen hide like that!”

The beast swung one enormous paw.

WHOOOOM!

A nearby tree exploded into splinters.

Everyone scattered.

Kaela rolled beneath its second swipe, her curved blade slashing across the creature’s side.

Sparks flew.

The blade scraped harmlessly across the hide.

She landed several yards away.

“It can’t penetrate the skin!”

⸻

Lysa circled behind it.

She threw two knives toward its ribs.

THIP! THIP!

Both bounced away.

Even Sena’s perfectly aimed throwing knife struck the neck…

Only to ricochet into the bushes.

For the first time…

Fear entered the warriors’ eyes.

⸻

Zahren stared in disbelief.

“It’s armored…”

“No.”

Eron corrected.

“It’s evolved.”

⸻

The beast lunged again.

Its jaws snapped shut inches from Brakus’ shoulder.

CHOMP!

The sound echoed through the forest.

Brakus stumbled backward.

“If that bites one of us…”

“…there won’t be enough left to bury.”

⸻

Gorak narrowly dodged another charge.

His hammer slammed against the beast’s skull.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact shook the ground.

The beast merely blinked.

Then turned toward him.

Its eyes narrowed.

Now…

It wanted Gorak.

⸻

Kaela slid beside him.

“We’re wasting energy.”

“I know.”

“Our weapons won’t kill it.”

Gorak looked around the clearing.

His eyes moved upward.

Toward the towering trees surrounding the stream.

Then an idea formed.

He smiled.

“I think the jungle will.”

Kaela immediately understood.

Her own smile appeared.

“Bring the forest down.”

⸻

Gorak raised his hammer.

“Everyone!”

The warriors looked toward him.

“Stop attacking!”

“Lead it!”

Brakus frowned.

“Lead it where?”

Gorak pointed toward three enormous ancient trees growing close together.

“There!”

Kaela immediately took command.

“Lysa!”

“Find the weakest roots!”

“Eron!”

“Prepare every rope we brought!”

“Talok!”

“Get above those trees!”

“Riven!”

“Keep its attention!”

“Sena!”

“Stay hidden.”

“When it falls…”

“…its eye is yours.”

The warriors moved instantly.

⸻

Talok climbed faster than anyone thought possible.

Within moments he stood nearly eighty feet above the forest floor.

Using his climbing axe, he began chopping through thick supporting vines holding the ancient trees upright.

Below…

Eron and Brakus tied heavy ropes around weakened trunks.

Kaela darted through the battlefield, slicing exposed roots as she passed.

Riven fired arrow after arrow.

None wounded the beast.

But every shot made it angrier.

Exactly as planned.

⸻

The enormous predator focused entirely on Gorak.

The Gorilla leader stood alone before it.

Hammer resting against one shoulder.

He grinned.

“Come on.”

The beast roared.

Then charged.

⸻

The ground shook beneath every step.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Gorak stood perfectly still.

Twenty yards.

Fifteen.

Ten.

Five.

“NOW!”

⸻

Talok severed the final support.

CRAAAAACK!

Brakus and Eron pulled the ropes with everything they had.

The weakened roots gave way.

Three ancient jungle giants began to fall.

The beast looked up.

Too late.

KRAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

The trees crashed directly onto its back.

The tremendous weight drove the predator into the earth.

It thrashed violently.

Roaring in fury.

But the trunks pinned its shoulders.

Its head twisted desperately.

One eye remained exposed.

⸻

“SENA!”

The Panther assassin appeared as though born from shadow itself.

She sprinted along the fallen trunk.

Leapt.

Flipped through the air.

Raised a long Panther spear.

With both hands…

She drove it downward.

THOOOOOM!

The spear pierced directly through the creature’s eye.

Deep.

Into its skull.

The beast convulsed.

Its roar became a terrible scream.

Then…

Silence.

The enormous body slowly stopped moving.

The jungle became still once more.

⸻

No one spoke for several moments.

Finally…

Brakus laughed.

“We actually did it.”

Talok dropped from the tree, landing beside the carcass.

“I never want to see another one.”

Lysa carefully approached the beast.

“I have a feeling…”

She looked into the endless northern jungle.

“…there are more.”

⸻

As the adrenaline faded…

Gorak placed a respectful hand upon the fallen predator.

“It fought because it was hungry.”

Kaela nodded.

“As we would.”

They observed a brief moment of silence before beginning their work.

⸻

The expedition established camp beside the stream.

For the remainder of the afternoon, they harvested every useful part of the beast.

Eron directed much of the work.

“Waste nothing.”

The thick hide was carefully removed in massive sections.

“It’ll make exceptional armor,” Brakus observed, testing its toughness.

Talok ran a hand over one of the enormous claws.

“These could become climbing hooks—or blades.”

Riven examined the saber-like fangs.

“They’re stronger than bone.”

“We can shape them into spearheads and daggers.”

Eron carefully removed thick tendons.

“Bowstrings.”

“Bindings.”

“Repair cord.”

The dense bones were set aside for tools and reinforcement plates.

Nothing useful was left behind.

⸻

That evening, a great fire burned beside the stream.

The meat, though coarse, roasted slowly over the flames.

Its rich aroma drifted through the trees.

For the first time since entering the northern wilderness…

The expedition ate well.

Laughter slowly returned around the campfire.

Gorak looked around the circle of tired faces.

“We survived our first true trial.”

Kaela smiled.

“And we survived it together.”

Across the fire, Zahren quietly watched the darkness beyond the camp.

His eyes drifted north.

The symbols in the ancient text had led them into a land where even the predators were unlike anything the clans had imagined.

If this was only the edge of the uncharted wilderness…

He wondered what waited deeper within.

Somewhere beyond the glow of the campfire…

Two amber eyes opened silently in the darkness.

They watched the fire.

They watched the people.

Then disappeared without a sound.

The northern jungle was still watching its new visitors.