James didn't hesitate. Once he moved, he committed everything, his eyes glowing with a cold, predatory light. He lunged from the shadows, swinging a massive paw at the head of a sleeping hyena.
BAM!
The sound was dull and final. The hyena's skull collapsed as if struck by a sledgehammer. Its head caved in, and it died without making a sound.
The heavy impact jolted the second hyena awake. It opened its eyes to see a mud-caked monster standing over the crumpled remains of its companion.
"A-OOO!!"
It shrieked in terror, scrambling to find its footing. James didn't give it a chance. He pounced, pinning the hyena with the sheer weight of his forelimbs. He lunged for the throat, burying his sabers into the back of the neck.
His teeth weren't at the full 13cm length of a mature adult yet, but at 10cm, they were more than enough. The steel-hard sabers sheared through muscle and bone. He ripped a massive hole in its windpipe, and arterial blood sprayed across the dirt, staining the mud on James's paws red.
"Wuuu..."
The hyena opened its jaws to scream, but only a wet gurgle came out. Its life leaked into the soil.
"A-OOO!"
"A-OOO!!"
The commotion drew the attention of the male sentries. Their hoarse howls tore through the night, waking every hyena in the camp.
The new Queen was already on her feet. She hadn't expected an attack so soon after her coronation. When she saw the intruder, she recognized him instantly—the sub-adult Smilodon from the afternoon.
Against a single cat, even an adult, a pack of over a dozen hyenas had the advantage. They could swarm and tear him apart. The Queen's fear vanished, replaced by a surge of aggressive adrenaline. She wanted revenge.
"A-OOO!!"
She barked a command, rallying the remaining dozen hyenas. They charged as a single, snarling wave. James didn't stay to fight. He turned and sprinted, his powerful hind legs driving him into the darkness.
He knew his limits. He could kill four or five of them without taking a scratch, but facing a dozen at once was a risk he wouldn't take. He left the Queen staring at his retreating back.
"A-OOO! A-OOO!!"
The Queen stopped at the edge of the camp, howling in useless rage as James vanished into the night. For this clan, the night was far from over.
James didn't go far. He circled back to the large tree and climbed into the high branches to rest. He watched the camp, letting his stamina recover while the hyenas stayed in a state of frantic alert.
He waited. Three hours passed. It was now the early hours of the morning.
The night was black and silent. James watched the camp settle into a tense, paranoid rhythm. The Queen had forced every male in the pack into sentry duty. They were exhausted, patrolling the perimeter with drooping heads. The females huddled in the center, guarding the cubs.
James's lips curled into a silent snarl. Their caution had only made them more vulnerable by thinning their lines. He locked onto three males patrolling the outer edge.
He descended the tree and moved through the brush, closing the gap in total silence. The three males were flagging. They believed the predator had left hours ago. They were sneaking naps, their eyes glazed with fatigue.
"Sorry guys, I'm back."
James stepped out of the shadows directly in front of them. They didn't even react until it was too late.
BAM!
James unleashed a paw strike with bone-shattering force. The impact hit the first male's head like a heavy mallet. There was a sharp CRACK as its neck snapped. The head was driven into the dirt, and the headless torso remained upright for several seconds before collapsing in a spray of blood.
"A-OOO!!"
The other two jolted awake, staring at the gore in horror. They began to howl, but James was already moving. He swung again, his claws catching the second male across the face and ripping away a massive slab of meat.
The third male realized he couldn't run. He lunged, snapping his jaws at James's chest. James reacted with reflexive speed, twisting his body and counter-striking with a heavy left hook.
BAM!
The hyena was flipped through the air before its teeth could even graze him. It hit the ground hard, dazed and broken. James didn't play with his prey. He moved from one to the other, crushing their throats with two quick, efficient bites.
"A-OOO!! A-OOO!!"
The roar of the Queen and the surviving females echoed through the camp. They were coming fast.
"Five dead. Seven or eight left... time to go."
James didn't wait for the confrontation. He turned and vanished into the darkness once more.
When the Queen arrived, she found three more corpses. The cause of death was the same—crushed skulls and punctured throats. She stared into the dark, her eyes wide with fury and confusion. She couldn't understand why this cat was so obsessed with dismantling her pack.
She didn't know about the points. She only knew that death was stalking them, one by one.