Tundra was smiling the entire time Gavta was flying toward a Mota. It felt wonderful having his ego stroked like this, and even though he knew that he was no god, that didn't mean he wouldn't accept the title.
Soon, they landed near a large volcano. Although Tundra couldn't help but think about how inhospitable this planet was, he could see at least one volcano from any point on the planet.
But his curiosity about how they survived wasn't greater than his curiosity about the Mota.
And he could feel it. Inside the volcano, it was no weaker than Gavta, perhaps dozens of times stronger.
Tundra asked Gavta a simple question, curious about how they could roam the same world as these beasts.
"These... Mota... how did your kind survive with them around? I'm sure such a large body would make it have to eat a lot, and I don't exactly see any vegetation nearby."
Gavta gazed upon the volcano before responding.
"The Mota are docile. They feed on the magma of these mountains."
Tundra stared at the lava inside. He couldn't see the creature, but he had a hunch that this creature was responsible for the planet having life at all.
"Eating magma... what a natural way of stopping eruptions. We just release the pressure when needed."
Gavta nodded, recognizing the need to depressurize volcanoes.
"I truly apologize that I cannot show you the Mota. Their mating season usually starts around this date, so I had some hope of showing them to you. I hope you can understand."
Tundra listened quietly. He understood Gavta's pride in such a species.
"There is no need to apologize. I can estimate how great it is from here. You have a reason to be proud. Do not diminish yourself."
Gavta smiled. It knew that Tundra wasn't the same as those from so long ago from the very start, but to hear something like this was incredibly pleasant.
Looking around for any animal to show Tundra, Gavta eventually saw a large, bright blue creature in the distance.
"Please come with me. I have spotted one of the animals we frequently butcher."
With that, Gavta began flying toward the creature.
Tundra followed without complaint. He might as well see something if he wasn't going to see a Mota.
Gavta swiftly shot down at the large creature, grabbing it so it wouldn't run.
The creature was feline in appearance, except it didn't have any fur. Its skin was a bright blue with hypnotic patterns, and its eyes were a deep black, as if they were stones. It was large as well, its body reaching up to Tundra's waist.
Tundra had an idea as he looked upon the creature, opening his mouth with a smirk.
"Release it."
Gavta looked at the creature for a moment before releasing it, letting it run off.
Before the creature got far, Tundra took the bow into his hands, adjusting his grip slightly to make it more comfortable before drawing the string back.
The arrow that formed was weak and unstable, cracks of energy coming out from it as Tundra aimed at the retreating creature.
With a smirk, Tundra let go of the string. The arrow traveled toward the creature, though just as it was about to be hit, the creature swiftly changed direction, making the arrow miss.
Tundra flew up, tracking the creature with his eyes, a smile on his face as he fired arrow after arrow, progressively using more ki as the creature dodged.
He followed slowly so that the creature never got out of his sight.
Eventually, he saw a hole in the path of the creature and charged a particularly powerful arrow, making it hit the ground right in front of the creature to make it turn away.
He wasn't going to give it a way out just like that.
He kept firing arrow after arrow, the arrows breaking the ground they hit like small bombs.
"This reminds me, I should probably get to controlling my ki completely, right?"
Tundra spoke to Gavta without turning to face it, his focus on the creature running, breaking every rock it attempted to hide behind with a precise shot.
Gavta simply watched Tundra's very unnecessary cruelty with an empty look.
"Ki... as in energy? Then yes, your will should move exactly as you want it to, even if you have to force it for the first few times."
Tundra nodded in agreement before vanishing from his spot in the air, grabbing the creature by its collar as it attempted to run.
He was about to simply crush its neck when he saw its ki start plummeting, the creature's body going limp.
A bit confused, Tundra let go of the creature, looking at the approaching Gavta.
"Do these creatures die this easily?"
Gavta shook its head as it stared at the creature.
"These creatures, the Tsala, as the name may suggest, 'fake death,' do not die easily."
Tundra looked back at the Tsala, noticing that it had visibly moved. He was amused and intrigued.
"Ki suppression? What a rich world."
Without another word, Tundra swiped his arm down, severing the Tsala's head cleanly and picking it up.
"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a pet. I'll take the head if you don't mind."
Gavta took the body with it as it watched Tundra fly off, wondering if it should follow before realizing he was going to his ship. It started flying toward one of the meat processing plants to dispose of the body.