My eyes shot open awake and semi-aware of my surroundings, I attempted to get up. Pain wracked my body, a weight upon me that I couldn't move.

  Adrenaline rushed through my veins as my mind cleared of the haze that came with unconsciousness.

  I calmed down slowly and took stock of my surroundings.

  The red trees and the golden leaves still there, yet life besides such was absent. I glanced at the body of the being I had killed, sitting on top of me. Its eyes, once sickly green, were a dull red.

  'What? Its eyes... why are they red now? Is it some kind of magic that made them look green? Like enhancement magic? Weird.'

  The information was slotted in the back of my head as I moved my right wing towards its eyes. And I closed them.

  'May you rest, may you live and succeed, in the next.'

  My body refused to move for as long as my mind grappled with the kill.

  Once settled, I moved. I slid the body off of me and took a deep breath. I had only gained 10% of the energy needed for my level up, and my evolution.

  '9 more of the Pangolin's level of strength... I can do it.'

  My next prey wasn't far, roughly 10 minutes of flight away from the Pangolin. It was a small Deer, similar in musculature to my sibling, with sickly green eyes as well.

  My eyes sharpened as I flew up higher, circling the Deer.

  'I fought up close with the Pangolin, that was a mistake. I'm a falcon. I should fight like one. Gather information first, then exploit that information with my manoeuvrability.'

  Its body was wider than my talons could grab. It's legs were thin despite their length, a usable weakness. The Deer only examined its immediate surroundings, not even looking upwards, another usable weakness.

  My decision was made, this deer would die.

  I dived when I was about to pass over its head, the wind passing my body felt nice as my eyes fixated on its neck. It moved slightly, looking around as if sensing something. It looked up, its sickly green eyes meeting mine, but it was too late. My extended talons grasped its neck just as its leg muscles tensed. I pulled up. It shook itself, struggling to get out of my grip but I clenched my talons, hard. I pierced its skin and the war of attrition began. I wasn't confident in keeping sight of it if it ran, so I had to hold it in the sky as it bled out.

  Gruelling minutes passed as the deer struggled harder and harder, blood falling, creating a small puddle. My wings hit the air quicker but weaker, my fatigue building.

  It was cruel, messy and miserable. I beat my wings for what felt like hours. My mind hurting yet set on this kill.

  『Overall Level: 0 (10 --> 20%)』

  I let it drop.

  Its body collapsed like a ragdoll, its strength gone. I landed on it. I looked at its eyes and the same phenomenon had happened. No longer were they sickly green, but a dull yellow. I closed them all the same.

  'A third time and I ask Mother.'

  I rested until I felt like I could fight another. Then I rested some more.

  I debated resting further before I protested doing so. I wasn't about to let my past laziness influence my present.

  'This gift must go unmarred by my past self's lazy ass habits.'

  Wings folded in, I rolled onto my talons and stretched them once more, flapping to catch the forest's whispering winds. I angled my wings as I ascended and changed direction, aiming to go away from both kills equidistantly. My search was longer than the previous two, the suns had gone down a decent amount. Roughly 2 hours worth. It was hard to determine.

  'Another...'

  The same sickly green as the others... except it wasn't just the eyes. What looked like a dark brown buffalo with a disgustingly colored front up to its front legs.

  I thought about it. For 10 slow circles, I thought about it. Then I left.

  'Something tells me that thing is way too tough to be pierced by my talons.'

  I opened my status.

  General Skills

  None

  Techniques

  None

  Class Spells

  None

  Constitution

  Flames of the Hearth

  Unique Ability

  Nurture Flame

  'I wonder if my Time affinity helps me keep the time. If it doesn't that'd be hilarious.'

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  A glint of something caught my eyes, I turned my head left and saw something weave between trees. I chased it. Weaving in between the trees and praying it'd be weak enough to kill but strong enough to pose a challenge.

  I caught myself, stuttering a little mid-flight.

  'pose a challenge? Why am I- oh shit.'

  It sped up. So did I.

  All it took was 3 minutes to find a clearing and for the thing to turn around and leap at me.

  "Holy sh-"

  I got kicked, hard, ramming into a tree as my assailant dropped down.

  "Wait. Birdie?"

  I crash landed upside down and stared as the Rabbit hopped over to me.

  "Sorry, sorry, I thought something else was chasing me."

  "Fair enough, I thought you were something else too."

  "I mean, I'm pretty noticeable."

  "Not when you go as fast as you went. You were little more than a blur, even with my dynamic vision."

  "Huh. How far have you gotten?"

  "Uhh," I looked back at my status, "20% so far."

  "After 10 hours?"

  "Say what?"

  "10 hours."

  "...note to self, don't trust my timekeeping skills."

  "I'll remember it too if that helps."

  "...thanks. So how far are you then?"

  "I'm at 50%, but it is easier for me because I'm fast."

  She turned her nose up and looked very proud about that.

  "I'd bet you are. Far as I know, normal Rabbits can reach speeds of 48? kilometers per hour."

  "Really? How'd you know that? I didn't even know what a Rabbit was before this happened!"

  "How, no. Well, uh, want me to tell you about Rabbits?" A nod. "So Rabbits are herbivores, you know what that is?" Another nod. "And they are mammals, they're known for being lucky and also known for being really good at evading predators."

  "What else!"

  I could swear her eyes were shining.

  "Uh, the only other actual knowledge I have is from Movies or fantasy books and."

  "What are those?"

  I stopped.

  I stared at her eyes, confused. Completely and innocently curious.

  The next 3 hours were spent with us going from one topic to the next. From things on my home of Earth, to why Penguins and Chickens were called flightless birds. It was refreshing.

  "Oh by the way Birdie-"

  "Astora."

  "Huh?"

  "My name is Astora, silly girl."

  "Ohh, mine is Blanc! I forgot to say that."

  "Right, so?"

  "So?"

  She did a head-tilt.

  "What did you want to ask me."

  "OH! Right, did you check what your Constitution is yet? Mama said we all got one!"

  "Mama? No, no I didn't check yet. Is it instinctual or do I look really hard at it on the Status Page?"

  "Yup! Mama is Mama. Uhh, I looked really hard. Not sure what instinctual means."

  "You... okay, I'll start teaching you stuff when we take breaks from getting stronger."

  "Yay! So, what do you have?"

  After concentrating on 'Flames of the Hearth', a new pop-up appeared.

  I repeat the explanation to Blanc who then parrots her own.

  "Who's the King of Blood?"

  She shrugged.

  "I dunno. What are those 'Flames of the Hearth', how are they different from normal fire or flames?"

  I shrugged too.

  Some part of my mind brought to attention how weird it must be for an outsider to see a Rabbit and Falcon shrug while making noises they probably don't understand.

  Another brought to attention the fact that an unwelcome guest was here. In the form of a sickly-green eyed and mossy furred Wolf.

  'Has anyone ever mentioned that I am large? Because this Wolf is the same height as me and nearly the same height as Blanc. Wait.'

  I look at Blanc, then back at the Wolf.

  'She's taller than a Wolf... Wait, was that Deer I killed even a Deer? It was massive now that I have perspective. Assuming this Wolf is the size of a Wolf back on Earth.'

  "Do you want to see what'll happen if we both kill it together?"

  "Sure!"

  The Wolf growled and began circling us.

  "Assume it can understand us."

  "Why?"

  "Wolves are pack hunters," We kept our eyes on the Wolf, slowly circling it as well, "which means they're intelligent. Even if this is a lone Wolf, they're dangerous."

  "Then can it be reasoned with?"

  I glanced at Blanc, she was looking at the Wolf still.

  I focused back on the wolf, looking directly into its eyes.

  Once again, I felt it. The hunger.

  I pushed it away.

  "No."

  I leapt into the air and beat my wings, charging at it. Trusting that Blanc was close behind.

  It charged at me too.

  A collision was imminent.

  It swiped at my wings with its right claw, I tucked in my wings and went under its opening jaw, as I began to skid across the floor under it, my beak went up, ripping out a piece of its underbelly before rolling away from its tail.

  I leapt once more to dodge its tail's swipe at me. My wings snapped open, keeping me afloat as I watched it turn towards me. A fatal mistake.

  Blanc jumped onto its back and bit, no. Ripped an ear off before hopping off to the left.

  Yet despite that, the Wolf's gaze remained on me.

  'Why, oh no.'

  "BLANC THERE MIGHT BE ANOTHER, BE CAREFUL!"

  I shouted and immediately charged the Wolf I saw head-on. I needed to occupy it if there was another. One vs two won't end well without experience and we have very little.

  It opened its mouth wide and aimed for my left wing, while swiping at my right wing. I ignored it. I shifted myself back, stretched out my talons and caught both its claw and jaw.

  A stalemate. I beat my wings and clenched my talons to throw it off balance while it used its other paw to swipe at me at times. Neither of us did any real damage to the other.

  A yelp sounded, a Wolf's cry for help.

  It hesitated.

  I lunged with my beak and plucked out its eye. I dropped it and flew up.

  Below me was the one-eyed, one-eared wolf. Not far from it was Blanc standing on top of another Wolf. That one lacked ears as well as any mossy coloring. Its eyes were a dull gold.

  The One-Eyed Wolf glared at Blanc.

  Then it stared at me.

  I saw something... different, from the usual hunger. Something more, something primal.

  Rage.

  The Wolf disappeared. Its form wavy like a mirage then gone like the wind.

  I surveyed the area, inspecting the ground for any sign of tracks or something else.

  Nothing.

  It ran.

  I landed next to Blanc and looked at her.

  Her white fur had splotches of blood across her front and her mouth.

  "That was boring. Why do you think it ran?"

  'Boring... heh. Not really.'

  "It wanted to live. I can't see any other reason."

  "Oh right, we were supposed to test what happens when we kill one together... uh, do you think it's too late now?"

  I looked up at the sky, finding the white sun slowly falling and the blue sun to be painting the sky a darker hue.

  "Probably. We should head back just in case Mother has anything else to teach us. Besides, she said it'd take a few weeks for us to get to Tier 1 Level 7, I think our progress was decent, don't you?"

  Blanc tilted her head.

  "Hmm, yeah. Okay, let's head back! You can come through the entrance with us and meet the Big Brother me and the others met!"

  "Sure, let's go."