Chapter 75: Once in an Aeon
Au’dtair continued to stroll toward his trap, allowing his natural grace to ensure that he didn’t disturb the environment around him. After 340 years of hunting on his own, after he passed all of the trials to determine his fitness to become a male of his tribe at the age of 15, he knew how to make himself invisible in almost any environment.
He knew that the Agkistrodon rhodostoma was out hunting. He had heard a giant explosion not too long ago that signified the giant Zmaj must have found prey. It was either that or it was in the middle of a battle with another one of its kind. Either way, it would be better to stay out of the way.
While Au’dtair was confident that he could take out one of the species honorably on his own, he knew that two would be more difficult than even he could handle. And if that were the case, then he would have to use his lasers to bring down the massive creatures, and that would be cheating as far as he was concerned.
Besides, the tree where his trap was located was nowhere near where the explosion happened, so there was no point in inviting trouble by thinking troublesome thoughts.
There was another alert on his wrist unit, and Au’dtair looked down to see what was going on. Apparently, his net was no longer registering weight, which meant that his prey must have managed to escape on its own.,
But how was that possible? As sharp and deadly the pantroglodytes fangs were, there had never been a case where they managed to cut through the touw. It was purposely created and woven to be the thickest and strongest rope in the universe. So, what could have cut through it?
Well, there was a second option: his trap simply broke on its own and allowed the prey to escape, but the chances of that happening were highly unlikely. In fact, he hadn’t had that happen since he was a youngling just learning how to make nets.
If the pantroglodytes weren’t capable of cutting through the touw, and there was no chance that his trap had failed him. Then just what prey had he trapped?
And that was when he smelled it.
He could feel his hearts start to increase at the pheromones being released into the air. It was a scent that he had never encountered before. But it was causing his body to react in a way that it never had before. His blood started to flow faster through his veins, causing his muscles to become several times its original size.
He didn’t know if it was because the scent held a trace of fear or stress, but whatever it was, his body hated it. He almost had to rip off his helmet to give the fangs protruding from his outer mandibles more room as they got so big he could feel them starting to pierce his flesh.
Keeping on his helmet, he did his best to open his outer mandibles.
That proved to be the worst choice possible because as soon as he did, the ventilation inside his helmet continued to pump the pheromones into the confined space and now into his mouth. He let out a low, rumbling growl as he could taste the scent. It was a mixture of fear, stress, confusion, and the most tantalizing undertone of... something.
His brain went into overtime trying to process the scent, and he sped up closer to where it was coming from, his trap and any other prey long gone from his mind. This was his new target, his new prey, and he wasn’t going to stop until he got his claws into it.
And other parts of him too.
That thought caused him to freeze. He had never had that thought before. The idea that he might actually want to mate never once entered his mind. He was well aware of his duties to his tribe and species and had never once neglected his duties. But never had it been something he looked forward to.
But now, now it was something completely different.
A warning appeared on the inner screen of his helmet. ’Warning, body mass has increased to double its normal size. Please make adjustments to armor immediately.’
Apparently, this was a day for firsts. Never in the Aeons that his species has been around has something like this occurred. Or at least, never to his knowledge. He could ask the Elders, but he didn’t want anyone to know what was going on. He also didn’t know if this change was permanent or only within the presence of that pheromone.
Either way, he needed to track down just what was sending it out. He needed to track down the prey now more than ever.
The scent was becoming stronger, letting him know that he was closing in on it. To his surprise, he was in the same location as his trap. Had the net caught this new prey? He paused and looked up. There was a small heat signature on top of the branch where he had hung his net.
It was too small to be another Saalistaja unless it was an unclaimed youngling. But there were several warnings attached to this planet that no one other than the most seasoned hunter would come here. It also didn’t look like any of the indigenous species that he knew about. And he knew them all.
The scent of fear spiked for a quick second, and he realized that his prey had also spotted him. Not sure how that could happen unless they also had the ability to detect thermal signatures, he reduced his body temperature and jumped into the tree next to him, effectively disappearing from sight.
He knew that it must have worked when he saw the prey’s head turning as if looking for him.
Then it, too, became invisible.
Feeling a rare moment of panic, Au’dtair switched through the different light spectrums available to him thanks to his helmet. He could not let this prey get away.
Realizing that he was still not able to see it, he then ripped off his helmet and took in a deep breath, stretching out both sets of mandibles. The air on the planet made his lungs burn, but he ignored the pain. If he couldn’t see his prey, that was fine. He could still capture the scent and follow it.
By the Dark Lord, he was willing to follow that scent to his death and revel in every moment of the hunt.
