Pipsqueak

Leaves rustle as we walk a distance away from the waterfalls. Picking an area close to a water source would increase the chances of us encountering prey but being too close might be counterproductive.

I crouched low, trying to scan the underbrush, and next to me was Idris who was moving just as cautiously despite his tall frame.

Noticing fresh imprints on the ground, we decided to set the trap here.

Using my abilities, I hollow out the earth, deep enough to hold down beasts as large as the Hell pig we last encountered.

We work efficiently, indicative of how many times we've done this.

This time the trap wasn't made for intelligent beings, so we need not make it intricate.

With enough coverings to hold the bait up, we line up the leftover meat. Though drained of blood, meat is still meat to the most discerning predators.

We scuttle to an area far enough from the trap, waiting for our prey.

Most would've waited anxiously like this, but I would always prefer dealing with beasts over humans.

Idris interrupted my musings by asking, "What are your plans?"

"For?" I ask as if we've needed plans for something this simple before.

"You know what I mean." giving me a look to just get to the point.

"None," I respond honestly, I really don't have any after all.

"You realize that we're partially at fault for this right?" He pointed it out, exasperated.

"Why else do you think have I been cooperative?" I stress, annoyed at the reminder. Who could forget?

Pausing before he spoke, "Yeah, sorry." Partial guilt is what's making me hold it together.

"Who would have thought that it would take something like this for you to be able to stand cooperating." He chuckles lightly, annoying me even more so I snort back.

"What more do you even want?" I glare at him to stop beating around the bush.

"Nothing, actually. Just wanted to say that I haven't seen you enjoy this much."

"Enjoy, my ass," I mutter a curse. Which he returns with a laugh.

My face sours just thinking about having to take orders from a pipsqueak.

"If not for our involvement in this, I would have been long gone," I tell him.

"Sure, if that is what lets you sleep at night." He brushes me off and just as I am about to throw it down, I feel movement on the ground.

As an Earth Elemental, I am sensitive to such vibrations. My movements are also much easier and faster on land than on water as the ground continuously replenishes my energy.

High-pitched growls and sniffs could be heard, coming from beasts observing the meat. I see three of them, slender and as tall as a human male. They look like pre-historic Velociraptors, but not quite. Probably a Troodon. I squint as I watch them from our spot.

Standing alertly on their two legs, with each foot ending in clawed toes, they circle the trap, probably scouting for other competitors.

We minimize our movement, as eyes like those indicate that they have eyesight similar to humans.

With their serrated teeth, they snap at the bait, and as all three of them close in on the meat, the trap finally crumbles with the weight.

From where we were, we could hear the Troodons thrashing wildly, their screeching seemingly getting louder as they scrambled to get out of the deep ditch.

"Shouldn't you call your girlfriend? She needs to finish the prey hunt, right?" I ask Idris.

"Do you need my girlfriend, or do you want this for your girlfriend?" He pointedly enunciates, to which I respond by throwing a spear over. And he skillfully evades.

They don't even have to honor their engagement anymore, it should be fine if I skewer him.

"Let's just hunt this first, we don't know if other predators are waiting," Idris says seriously this time.

I'm also aware that we can't just leave the cave unattended right now. There are too many things being processed and it would be dangerous if everyone left.

We approach the trap, and I decide to decrease its size, squeezing the Troodons together, making them easier targets for the spears.

At least she can get something right. I tell myself as we stab the Troodons with the well-sharpened spears.

We waited for the screeching and the thrashing to subside, carefully observing the area around us for other predators that their blood may attract.

After ensuring the death of our prey, I use my abilities to fill the trap back up.

Dragging these carcasses tracked a lot of blood so we decided to quit at it.

"Call Rina, we'll end up calling on all the other predators back to the cave if we haul these there." I stopped moving.

Fuck this. I should've just hacked these off. So what if she wanted feathers for pillows?!

Not long after, Idris returns with Rina who was carrying vacuum bags.

"Eli said to bring these so that we can bring those back." she handed over the bags to Idris while preparing to drain the blood off of the carcasses.

It didn't take too long before she managed to drain all three, a clear indication that she'd been doing this even back in Solandis.

The trek back was easier with the carcasses stowed away in bags.

Whisps of smoke were clearly being dispersed close to the cave, but was still rather obvious the closer we got.

"It's probably Rai trying to get rid of the smoke. I left just as Eli was planning on trial smoking some pork slices." Rina was explaining just as we saw them outside.

In front of the makeshift smoker was a very slender girl who was now down to her black sports bra and training shorts.

She pouted as her bangs scattered across her forehead, and her short black bob gathered behind her ears as she attempted to hang a hanger of pork strips onto the smoker racks.

She's on tiptoes because the smoker was elevated to create enough space between the burning wood and the items being smoked.

Her pale complexion was now rather red as if she'd run a marathon, but her gray eyes looked very determined. All this for some barbecue? I wonder as I watch her already tight waist stretch vertically, finally managing to hook the makeshift hanger onto the rack I built.

Then she fell back on her butt, as if very tired. It wasn't anything much until she started tugging at her sports bra, trying to fan herself with her tight top.

This put a lot of focus on her exposed Aether Core, almost exactly like mine, just more brilliant against her pale skin.

It was then that I noticed Rai who was watching her, and now I'm annoyed. Very annoyed.

I sneer as I ask, "What's a pipsqueak like you doing, attempting to hang that, when you're the shortest one here."

Before she could growl back, Rina added, "Why didn't you let Rai hang it up for you?"

This seemed to anger the pipsqueak even more and she says, "He's dispersing the smoke. We made a trial run to see if we liked the smell of this particular wood and ended up facing a smoke attack." She rubbed her nose with her wrist, avoiding her charcoal-covered fingers.

"Is that why you took off your clothes?" Rina asked chuckling at the scene.

"I saw how much soot was starting to disperse and his clothes were white. I had my gym clothes on so I just went for it." clearly still angry about her efforts not being recognized.

"Stop running around naked, no one wants to see that," I tell her, almost close to dragging her to remedy the problem.

Even more enraged she retorts, "Are you blind or what? How am I even running around naked?" She uses her hands to clearly point at her training clothes.

"Also, did you not see the projection of this world? Females walk around literally naked, are you planning on telling them to cover up too?" She's almost snarling. Her cheeks puffed and her face flushed.

"If they aren't unsightly, I wouldn't have to." I quipped and just then the little monkey jumped at me, resorting to bodily harm.

"Why you-!" She's angrily hitting me, so I haul her over my shoulders while she's berating me with a slew of curses.

I'm fending off her scratching when Rai, who seems to hate life, suddenly interjects, "Captain! I swear, I really didn't see anything. I didn't even look."

Now I'm even more annoyed. I glare at him to shut up and he cowers like a mouse muttering to himself that he really didn't look.

It's already like this, so I haul her to the waterfalls while she struggles all the while.