"Aris had gotten the little fennec with his clever trick, but his opponent wasn't ready to surrender just yet. The fire in its eyes was far from extinguished.
'Damn.'
The beast leapt at his arm in a vicious attempt to bite. Aris yanked it back just in time, narrowly avoiding a potentially fatal wound. There was a part of his armor still protecting his forearm, but he wasn't sure it would hold. Worse, he suspected even a light hit might shatter it entirely.
The fennec landed not far from him, and with an almost uncanny agility, it twisted mid-air and followed with another jump. This time, Aris was ready. With a superhuman reflex, he clamped his hands around the beast's jaws and shut them tight with a snap.
The fennec looked shocked, but didn't have time to react. Aris kneed it hard in mid-air, sending it flying.
He smiled. Victory was almost his. But suddenly, he felt a new presence — something his mind had overlooked but absolutely shouldn't have.
These little monsters rarely hunted alone. It wasn't that they worked in packs or herds — far from it. But it was simply impossible for two fennecs not to cross paths when stalking the same prey. Impossible.
As the first fennec flew through the air, Aris lowered his head. A second one had emerged from behind a rock with a terrifying speed, charging straight at him. And this time, Aris had no shield — not even the wooden sign he had used earlier.
'Damn.'
The grounded fennec was fast. Its speed caught Aris off guard, forcing him to change direction abruptly. Facing it head-on would be unpredictable and dangerous. Still, he wasn't ready to give in.
He grabbed the tail of the first fennec mid-air and, during his supposed retreat, swung the body toward the charging one. Unfortunately, the second beast dodged effortlessly.
'Damn.'
Now crouched low, Aris was in a bad spot. He was too close to the ground. The second fennec didn't hesitate and pounced. Aris pivoted his body, hoping to absorb the impact with his left shoulder — but nothing happened.
The fennec in his grip had somehow lifted its body just in time, and its head collided with the second one mid-leap. They slammed into each other, halting the attack and buying Aris a critical moment.
'Perfect.'
Aris hoisted the first fennec again, this time grabbing the stone with his dominant hand and smashing it directly into the creature's mouth. Black blood sprayed out as the stone sank in.
He wasted no time. Turning to the second fennec on the ground, he delivered a brutal, well-placed kick that sent it flying. But it wasn't over.
The fennec still in his grip thrashed with feral rage. Aris had anticipated this. Without a jaw, it couldn't bite — meaning his only concern now was the claws.
The grounded fennec quickly recovered and charged again. Aris hurled the one in his hands at it, but the second one dodged the airborne body and pressed on.
So Aris charged too. He couldn't afford to be overwhelmed. He needed the upper hand.
Suddenly, he unstrapped his makeshift bag. The sack began to fall — exactly as planned. In an instant, he had a mid-range weapon: a kind of whip with a lump of flesh at the end.
He lashed it violently at the fennec, which couldn't avoid the blow. Then, he sprinted forward and stomped on the creature. It spat up blood and screamed, the sound muffled by the fluid pouring from its mouth. But the nightmare wasn't over. Aris leapt vertically and drove the stone knife into the creature's belly. It slid in like butter.
'Die.'
The beast howled but refused to give up, even as Aris stomped harder and stabbed it repeatedly. Suddenly, the other fennec lunged.
Aris looked up just in time. It was mid-air already. But in an extreme burst of focus, Aris opened his eyes wide and — in a blink — the knife pierced through both of its front paws.
It happened so fast the fennec didn't even realize it right away. Aris released the one he was pinning and grabbed the second by the throat. With no front paws and no jaw, it was much safer to hold it close.
He kicked the eviscerated fennec away, sending it sliding across the wet, grey ground. Then he stabbed the one in his hand — over and over — more than a hundred times.
'Die.'
Aris was overtaken by rage. A sudden fury born of every problem he'd endured. And he chose the fennecs as living punching bags.
'Die.'
Eyes wild with madness, he kept stabbing. Blood flowed in torrents until the fennec finally stopped moving. Aris tossed the lifeless body aside and turned to the next one.
It lay on the ground, mangled, its organs spilling onto the soaked dirt. But still, it stared back with the terrible gaze of a wounded predator.
Aris looked at it for a few seconds, his face now showing pity — then charged. The fennec, too weak to dodge, opened its mouth in a desperate attempt to bite — but it never got the chance.
A knife struck it straight in the skull. It collapsed immediately.
Aris had thrown it with terrifying precision. The fennec twitched once, then its eyes dimmed.
But it wasn't over. Aris turned calmly — and saw three more fennecs watching him, their eyes just as hungry as the others.
It was going to be a long day for the fallen king.