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Ra’as
Ra’as parted the labyrinth and sprinted for the trees.
The lashing rain had already soaked his clothing and the wet grass was slippery beneath his feet.
But each hardship only made him more afraid for Emilia. How could she possibly survive more than a few minutes in those woods?
His Kotenka instinct surged in his veins, begging to begin the hunt. But such a thing would be incredibly dangerous.
He would find her, of course he would.
But then what?
When Ra’as beast side was permitted to take over it was only in order to hunt prey.
His grandmother had begged him to release the Kotenka more often, and learn to control it.
But Ra’as had always kept his animal nature to himself. He preferred to ignore it, and exercise control over repressing it, not encouraging it.
But now, his Kotenka spirit might be the only thing between life and death for the woman he loved.
Loved…
But there was no time to ponder over the feelings unfurling in his heart, not when she was in danger.
Again, the Kotenka rattled the bars of his consciousness, begging to be freed to track the girl.
Track her, please do not harm her, he begged it.
He reached the edge of the trees and stopped running. He closed his eyes and held his arms out, palms upward like his grandmother had shown him.
The Kotenka spirit thundered into him like a hover-freight barreling into Ulfgard Station.
Claws extended from his hands, and he felt his muscles swell, heard his shirt rip to shreds around him.
When he opened his eyes, the dark forest revealed itself to him. He could see perfectly in a dizzying spectrum of grays. The sounds of the animals hiding themselves from the rain were easy to isolate and identify, as well as the sounds of the animals using the rain to hide the sounds of their hunt.
But there was no hunter in the forest that was a match for him. It was all prey.
The juicy beating of so many warm hearts excited the Kotenka’s instincts, and it gathered its muscles, ready to leap after the nearest tasty morsel.
From the back of their shared mind, Ra’as quickly showed the Kotenka his Emilia, recalling her scent.
This is who we need to find. Find her, protect her. I beg you.
The Kotenka shook itself and focused on the girl. Lifting its face to the wind and rain, it searched the index of swirling odors and landed on one.
Emilia’s fragrance was sweet, but thin and reedy, with a whiff of fear the Kotenka savored.
He had a target now. He howled, and then took off through the trees, following a slender green trail that would lead from his heartbeat to hers.
This was Ra’as’s sixth sense - the Kotenka predator sense.
Though it would never be discussed in polite company, especially on a diverse world like Ulfgard, Ra’as knew there were those who secretly feared him for his hidden abilities.
After all, it would be as easy as this for him to hunt anyone or anything. A Kotenka could typically hunt and kill its prey in minutes.
Even those who didn’t know about his Kotenka nature could probably sense the dangerous side of Ra’as, always lurking just under his skin.
