Battle

Although the mantid was blankly staring at the ratted Zi Xiang the wolves were not still, they continued their onslaught against the creature. As the wolves bit down on the mantid's limbs a hollow cracking could be heard as the wolves' teeth began to sink into the joints of the mantid.

The white exoskeleton showed visible cracks and punctures on the joints, the wolves seeming exited from their progress and the mantid's inactivity seemed to become more and more ferocious their massive maws filled with razor-sharp teeth glistening with saliva crunched down on the mantid's exoskeleton.

Awooo Arrarrgh Crunch

Seemingly snapped out of its daze the mantid seemed enraged its let out a horrific cry as it started to attack again its massive claws swiping down to reap the wolves' lives. The pack leader charged towards the mantid ready to pounce, Though before it could close the distance the claws were swung down at it, sensing the danger the wolf curled its legs as soon as the claw came near it pushed with all the strength in its legs jumping to the side narrowly avoiding the claw.

Though a second claw was already in motion ready to cleave the wolf apart, quickly responding the wolf slammed down its legs and jolted forward just as the strike arrived clipping off the tip of the wolf's left ear. On its next step, the wolf stumbled from the action offsetting its balance though it quickly recovered, as it revealed a sneer of hatred it suddenly brought out a speed much faster than before quickly cutting the distance between the two to nearly nothing the wolf pounced upwards grabbing the retracting claw right on the joint.

With a violent tug of its neck muscles and adjustment of its body weight, the wolf pulled off the claw dislocating it at the joint white flesh stretched between the joint and the claw as the claw loosely dangled in the air. Before the rest of the white stringy flesh slid out of the joint letting the claw drop to the ground with a thud.

Suddenly the mantid completely froze before suddenly stamping its legs around it sunk its legs into the ground and kicked them up again throwing dirt into the air. Utterly enraged it prepped its body to attack. It poised itself and moved its limbs into a full draw even its smaller claws which had been still from the battle had pulled back ready to attack.

Some of the faster wolves quickly pulled back dashing away from the mantid while others couldn't escape in time.

Then with the smooth movements of a natural killer, it swept its claws through the air in quick seamless slashes striking at the wolves.

One claw chopped through the air hitting a wolf diagonally across the face cleaving through its head partially slicing through an eye. Completing its motion it rested its claw for a split second before rapidly retracting is claw whipping it back through the slice it had made through the wolf's head.

As the wolf died its body went limp collapsing on the ground the eye which had been split in two fell out of its eye socket along with gore from the new rift made in the wolf's head. Though the attack didn't just end with one wolf as the claw pulled back ready to attack again the others were creating carnage through the battlefield. Many wolves were being cut through like meat under a cleaver.

Some were killed quickly under just one attack others weren't so lucky a particularly large wolf with scars covering its body was able to hold on through many fatal attacks. Its body was coved in cuts and its skull was completely pierced through at one point. A claw sunk directly into its head cutting through the soft brain matter within. After the fatal wound, the wolf ceased all actions merely standing idly in the middle of the battlefield another claw came in and sliced through its throat but it just still stood around just audibly wheezing as blood flowed through the cut, its eyes vacant and unaware its mouth dripping bloody saliva until after a few moments it collapsed to the ground.

Another wolf which pounced through the air to evade was split down the middle its body still carrying velocity it moved through the air before the two halves dropped to the ground splattering thick yellowish fat mixed with blood and organs all over the ground. Its organs that had loosened from the cut were jostled out from the drop intestines spilled and a purplish fleshy bean-shaped organ slid out with the intestines along with a split liver just poking out under the mass of flesh.

Many more wolves were slain under the near cathartic movements of the claws each with incredible smoothness and naturalness nearly none missing their mark each achieved a critical strike or a wound that would bring the wolves closer to death. Even the ones that missed played a role in helping the next one hit each movent connected with each other even in the chaotic battlefield two attacks that were directed at two targets with little cohesion between each other could play a vital role in assisting each other. There was no waste in the movements each maximized their velocity and momentum striking the weakest points and easily cleaving through the wolves cleanly, quickly sliding in and out without hitting bone.

Many wolves had already been slain and the rest seemed to be ready to flee keeping their eyes not only on the mantid but their leader waiting for the perfect moment to desert and escape. A smaller wolf in the crowed kept its eyes carefully on the others it tensed and relaxed its muscles growling and holding its tail high in the air showing signs of aggression though it never directly attacked it moved around the rear of the group. It waited around for a perfect moment seeing the leader moving in to attack with the other wolves seemingly focused on the defensive it had found its perfect moment.

It scanned around confirming the safety of its plan relaxing its body and putting its head into the air looking around as its ears perked up. It found a direction and wanted to run but it felt a bit of apprehension looking around. The other wolves seemed to realize, it started to run but halfway through the motion another wolf pounced at it already noticing the wolf, it was too late to escape it was caught by another wolf which seemed to look at the smaller wolf below it in disdain.

Sneering it bit and growled at the wolf below it demoralizing it before driving it towards the mantid. The smaller wolf looked behind it hopelessly and whimpered as it was forced towards the mantid its eyes begged for help. Quickly attacks were directed at it from the mantid, though seemingly answering the call for help the leader howled and ran towards the smaller wolf. Its body tilted down for speed it rushed to get to the smaller wolf.

It arrived just as the smaller wolf was met by an attack, the hope in its eyes showed as it was hopeful ready to be saved looking into the leader's eyes which shone. Just before the attack, the leader tackled the wolf into the air the precise attack landed on the smaller wolf but hit its ribcage losing momentum quickly it only buried itself halfway into the wolf. The other wolves soon arrive by the leader's side they pulled the smaller wolf sideways and pushed it forward in front of them as they charged at the mantid. Though the smaller wolf's body was enough to cover the leader and two other wolves the rest didn't have room. Quickly a wolf near the middle was pressured forward and dragged along in front of them.

Both wolves acted as shields for the rest. Whenever an attack came from the mantid they would move the bodies to block the attack. Soon the bodies were almost completely decimated the entrails and blood spilled forward as an entire side of the wolves were missing from all the attacks. Though the bodies were destroyed they had already served their purpose as the wolves were right in front of the mantid. Attacking they began grabbing the joints between the mantid's legs again and pulling at them trying to pull them off.

The wolves desperately forced all their strength into ripping off the legs. Soon a leg popped off dazing the mantid then another one came off with the assistance of two wolves.

The mantid didn't idle and tried to stab at its sides bringing down its claws at the wolves, some were able to dodge while others weren't fewer attacks hit as the mantid lost the element of surprise the wolves were starting to adapt to the attacks.

A watchful pair of eyes hid under the gore, the leader had hidden under the corpses of the unfortunate wolves used to the mantid. Taking on a watchful eye it analyzed the situation waiting for a moment to attack. Although cowardly a wolf only lived once, in a situation where a single mistake could lead to death the opportunist was often the best survivor.

Finding the perfect moment It lept from the gore and attacked the mantid springing through the air it let out a growl of hatred as it opened its maw the teeth inside could be seen as its mouth opened to the widest it possibly could in preparation to attack. Abruptly and suddenly the mantid stretched out its largest pincer-like claws which hadn't been used yet and reached out towards the wolf. The wolf flailed its legs through the air turning its head back staring right at Zi Xiang who was still crouched quietly watching in pure terror. It seemed to look right at Zi Xiang with a look of hatred and blame in a human manner it resented Zi Xiang for living while he died. It was a selfish twisted thought though in the mind of the wolf it made more sense than anything in the world.

"Why do I die when the prey that I hunt still lives?"

Splat

The pincers had grabbed the wolf and crushed it with a horrible snap its body went limp its neck twisted down the head hanging upside down it still looked at Zi Xiang with a look of resentment and injustice.

Seeing such a horrifying thing happen Zi Xiang's expression twisted into one of pure horror his mouth pulled inward and his eyes opened in fear. Keeping their eyes locked as the body dropped Zi Xiang started to scream but no sound came out it felt like his muscles were locked in ice he couldn't move his eyes locked onto the dark lifeless eyes of the wolf keeping direct eye contact as it fell, the wolf that had once hunted him down was now dead there was nothing else to it. The wolf had died and the rest would too.