Moving through the forest floor, Adrian thought back to the last time he had scouted the nest.
That day had been calmer. The wind had been weaker, the sky clearer. He had circled the base of the cliff cautiously, careful not to reveal himself. At the time, there had been no obvious sign of the nest's owner. No shadow crossing the sky. No massive wings beating overhead.
However, when he activated his infrared vision and scanned the elevated nest, he had detected several small heat signatures clustered together.
Nestlings.
Almost certainly the offspring of whatever creature owned the nest.
He had retreated then.
Not out of mercy, but out of caution. If the offspring were that large even as juveniles, the parent would be far more dangerous.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Adrian focused on the present.
The forest floor shifted quietly beneath his scales as he slithered forward. His body moved in smooth, controlled waves, barely disturbing the fallen leaves.
The cliff was ahead.
He needed a plan.
After all, the nest was positioned high along the side of a steep cliff face. It jutted outward from a rocky outcrop, making direct access difficult for a creature that could not fly.
Adrian reviewed his memory of the terrain.
The cliff itself was composed of uneven, jagged rock formations. Sharp edges protruded at irregular intervals. There were cracks and crevices large enough for claws to grip.
Or, theoretically, for a serpent to wedge himself into.
At the time, he had considered attempting a slow ascent. By anchoring parts of his body against the rock and carefully shifting upward, he might be able to reach the nest directly.
But the risks were obvious.
Climbing would leave him exposed. His mobility would be reduced. If the bird returned mid-climb, he would be trapped against the stone with limited options.
Worse, fighting on a near-vertical surface would place him at a severe disadvantage.
One miscalculation could result in a fatal fall.
He dismissed the idea again.
No.
That approach relied too heavily on luck.
Adrian continued forward, mind racing through alternatives.
Ambush from above?
Impossible.
Wait until the bird left?
Unreliable. There was no guarantee it would leave tonight, and even then it wouldn't be worth just hunting the children.
Target the nestlings to force it down?
Risky. If the parent returned while he was climbing, the outcome would be worse than before.
For several minutes, he drew nothing but blanks.
The forest seemed to close in around him as he searched for a viable strategy.
Finally, an idea surfaced.
He would attack from the ground.
If he struck the nest directly from below, he could provoke the parent into descending.
This plan had clear advantages.
On the ground, Adrian was faster. More stable. More experienced in combat.
He would be fighting on terrain that favored him.
But there was a cost.
Normally, Adrian initiated combat from concealment. A ranged strike, Dark Needle, followed by rapid immobilization and venom injection. Surprise was central to his method.
With this approach, he would sacrifice that element.
The bird would know exactly where the attack came from before decideing to counter attack.
It would have time to react.
Time to retaliate.
Adrian weighed the pros and cons carefully.
There was no perfect strategy.
Only the least flawed one.
Eventually, he accepted the reality of the situation.
This was the best option available.
Several minutes later, after weaving through the final stretch of trees, Adrian emerged at the base of the cliff.
The structure towered above him, a wall of jagged rock rising into the night sky. Moonlight illuminated the sharp edges, casting long shadows down the stone face.
Adrian lifted his head and activated his infrared vision.
The world shifted.
Heat signatures bloomed into view.
There.
Near the upper right section of the cliff, nestled against a rocky outcrop.
The nest.
And within it,
A large, dominant heat source.
The parent was present tonight.
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
He studied the shape carefully.
The bird stood approximately one and a half meters tall. Its body shape resembled the bald eagle from his previous life, broad chest, powerful wings, hooked beak.
However, this creature was larger. More muscular.
And this was a different world.
He could not assume it was ordinary.
Even from this distance, Adrian could sense the danger radiating from it.
He could not make out intricate details in the darkness, but the size alone confirmed it would be a significant threat.
Good.
That meant more evolution points.
Adrian lowered his body closer to the ground and began preparing for combat.
First, he repositioned himself slightly, scanning the area for the optimal angle of attack. He needed a clear line of sight to the nest while maintaining space to maneuver once the bird descended.
He found a patch of open ground partially concealed by low shrubs.
From here, he could strike upward.
He steadied himself.
Dark energy gathered within him.
[Dark Needle] x3
Three thin projectiles of condensed shadow materialized in front of him, hovering briefly in the air. They were sleek, sharp, and almost invisible against the night.
Adrian reviewed his plan one final time.
Strike.
Provoke.
Force descent.
Counterattack.
He released the needles.
They shot upward instantly, accelerating to high speeds.
From this distance, precision would be limited.
He aimed for center mass.
The first needle streaked past the bird's wing by a narrow margin, missing its target and embedding itself into the stone behind it. A small hole appeared in the cliff face where it struck.
The second needle clipped the bird's wing.
A small spurt of blood began to ooze from the wound.
The third needle struck true.
It pierced into the bird's body, disappearing into its torso.
A shrill cry split the night.
The bird flared its massive wings instinctively, spreading them wide and pulling its offspring beneath them in a protective motion.
Adrian remained motionless below.
After several seconds passed without another projectile striking, the bird cautiously lowered its wings.
Its head snapped from side to side.
Scanning.
Searching.
Its sharp eyes first swept the sky above, looking for an airborne attacker.
Finding none, its gaze shifted downward.
At first, it saw nothing.
Adrian's pitch-black scales blended seamlessly with the darkness of the forest floor.
But the bird strained its vision further.
And then,
It saw him.
A long, black serpent staring up at it from below.
The bird immediately concluded that he was the attacker.
With a furious screech, it launched itself into the air.
Its wings beat powerfully, lifting it high above the cliff. It circled once. Twice.
Then it angled its body downward.
It dove.
The descent was terrifyingly fast.
Air screamed around its body as it accelerated, talons extended, eyes locked onto its target.
Adrian did not panic.
He did not retreat.
He calculated.
The bird closed the distance rapidly.
Three.
Two
It passed the treeline, descending like a spear of fury.
Its shadow swallowed the ground beneath him.
One.
BANG!!!!