8. First Hunt in a New Body

Gavin marveled at the crisp bite of the cold wind signaling the approach of winter. Each step of his paws echoed faintly against the rocky ground of the narrow mountain passage. The chill nipped at him, invigorating his senses as he moved forward. Moments later, the constricted path gave way, and he burst out into the open, his feet landing firmly on the soft earth beyond.

Ahead lay the sprawling expanse of the forest, its dense canopy silhouetted under the pale glow of the night sky. Raising his snout, he drew in a deep breath, the scent of pine, damp earth, and the musky aroma of woodland creatures flooding his senses. The forest was alive with the faint cries of nocturnal beasts and the constant hum of unseen insects—a symphony of life under the moonlit heavens.

However, Gavin had a task in mind. Before exploring further, he needed to test the limits of the clone's connection to the main body. Without hesitation, he leaped into the forest, his lithe form weaving through the trees with effortless precision. His singular focus kept him running in a straight line, ignoring the forest's beauty and dangers alike.

After roughly ten minutes, he felt it—the severance. The connection to the main body faded like a broken thread. He stopped abruptly, his breathing steady despite the distance he had covered. For a moment, he stood still, assessing the implications. Then, turning on his heels, he retraced his steps.

Within a few feet, the connection was restored. Relief flickered in him, but it was tempered by the potential danger this severance posed. When disconnected from the main body, the clone remained functional, but prolonged disconnection could lead to unforeseen consequences. 

The clone's spirit, a blend of his essence and the wolf's was not entirely his to control. While the sheer quality of his spirit—over a hundred times stronger than the wolf's—allowed him to suppress the wolf's consciousness, the imbalance did not erase the risk of the clone developing a new personality entirely on its own.

Such an outcome was unacceptable. A rogue clone, imbued with his memories and knowledge, could become his worst enemy—a living weapon turned against him. Determined to prevent that possibility, Gavin resolved to remain vigilant. His experiment revealed the range of his influence.

He would not allow the clone to stray beyond the boundaries of his control unless necessary. If such a situation arose, he would impose strict limits on the duration it could remain outside his influence. The specifics could be worked out later. For now, his focus shifted to a more immediate need—hunting.

With that thought, he took off running again. Hours passed as he paused intermittently to sniff the air, catching the faint scents of small prey. Each time, he stopped to investigate but found only minor beasts unworthy of pursuit. This pattern repeated several times until he reached a particular spot where the air was thick with a new scent. It was distinct and overpowering, dominating the area.

He also heard the distant rush of a waterfall. Following the scent, Gavin emerged from the forest to survey the surroundings. Before him stretched a rugged terrain with the WinterMoon mountain range looming to his left. A waterfall cascaded down the rocks, feeding a river that snaked along the landscape. To his right, another waterfall tumbled into a vast lake below.

The scent led his gaze downward, where he spotted a herd of deer grazing by the lake's edge. Each deer stood an impressive 50 inches tall and measured about 65 inches in length. The sight of the herd, unaware of his presence, ignited the predator within him.

Gavin retreated into the cover of the forest, moving stealthily along the slope until he found an advantageous position. Settling in, he fixed his sharp gaze on the herd, waiting for the perfect moment. With a sudden burst of energy, he sprang from the shadows, leaping directly onto the neck of one deer.

The herd erupted into panic, scattering in all directions. But Gavin held firm, his jaws locked onto his target's neck. Even as the frightened deer fled, he summoned his power. Around his wolf-like form, multiple stone bullets materialized, hovering briefly before launching toward the herd with deadly precision. The projectiles struck indiscriminately, causing chaos.

When the dust settled, three deer lay lifeless on the ground, while the rest of the herd vanished into the distance. Gavin released his hold on the first deer, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings to ensure no threat lingered.

His clone cannot bring four deer bodies alone, leaving any deer to be eaten by other deer. So, he will order the elder to send some tribe members to bring the deer bodies back. For that, he will wait here but he will not do it now, because it is still dark and they do not have the vision to see in the darkness. 

He knows there are only a few hours for the sun to rise, so he will eat one of the deer and wait for them, guarding the three deer bodies. Before starts eating the deer under his feet and walks toward the three deer bodies and starts pulling them and gathering them in one place.

And then glancing around anything that can pose a danger to him, he takes a bite on the deer. And then comes to him, he is eating raw meat and this, was not the first time, a few hours ago, he wolfed down half the body of a bear. 

That time, he was starving, so he did not pay much attention, with the body of the clone also affecting the clone's senses. And main body's main concern was how to advance and become a magic beast. So, the thought of raw meat did not come into his mind.

This time also when he chewed the raw deer meat, he did not mind the new taste as it is a normal taste of meat for a wolf. So his senses did not alert him, as he finished chewing and took another bite, he noticed the missing chunk of flesh on the deer's body.

" The clone's body now is a wolf. So, sometimes when I hunt in the forest, I will not be able to return to the tribe with the hunt."

" Then, If not today, I will have to eat raw meat and it is normal for a eat fresh meat of their hunt. And he had already eaten raw meat and he did not find the taste terrible instead it was ok." 

So, without wasting any time, he started to eat the deer from which he had already taken a bite. 

As the sun starts to rise and the sun's ray falls on him, he with his tongue scraps the meat from the bone of the deer. After that, he started to drink the water from the lake.

Finish this, he lay on the ground by the lake to rest, with one of his paws on the three deer bodies. Closing his eyes, he waits for the tribe members to come and carry back the three deers. The main body already informed the elder and a hunting party led by Al and Ajis is coming to his location.

He is not trying to fall asleep, even in his wildest dream he will not fall asleep inside a forest with three dead bodies near him. 

He is alert to his surroundings, and he starts thinking about how to advance a small realm. The magic beast realm is divided into six small realms- Entry, Initial, Intermediate, Late, Peak, and Limit.

This realm is also called the magic bone realm- in this realm, the newly derived magic energy to forge the bones into magic bones.

Before, walking out of the valley to hunt, he tried to create a bronze rank stone. So, that his magic energy will advance to the magic energy of a bronze-rank beast. Then it will be easier and in a very short time with the advanced energy the bones will transformed into magic bones.

While waiting for the tribe members, he decided to start the process of bone transformation. The main body cannot help him in the process but can calculate the process and give him accurate data for how to transform the bones into magic bones.

While Gavin was occupied, the tribe members emerged from the mountain passage. Al and Ajis led the way, with six other tribe members following closely behind in a loose formation. Al paused at the edge of the passage, taking a moment to survey their surroundings. Breaking the silence, he asked, "Teacher, where did Elder tell us to go?"

Ajis replied thoughtfully, "To the giant lake below the place where you fought the bear."

Without further delay, they began their journey toward the lake, maintaining a steady pace. Despite their movement, the group continued their conversation, as their purpose was not hunting. At dawn, the most aggressive and powerful beasts usually rested in their dens, making travel relatively safer.

One of the hunters, Zaan, broke the quiet chatter with a question. "Chief, do you know why the Elder instructed us to go to the giant lake?"

Al, deep in thought, replied, "The Elder said we'll understand once we reach the place." Then, with confidence in his voice, he added, "And remember, the Elder received this command from the totem."

Another hunter chimed in, "Chief, can you ask the Elder to request a practice exercise from the totem for us? Something that might help us awaken our blood."

Hearing this, Al nodded. "I will try. If not, when spring arrives, we'll visit the market with more resources to buy a practice exercise that can help you awaken your blood."

The six tribe members cheered softly, their spirits lifted by the promise. Al understood the reason for their enthusiasm. Many tribe members had been stuck at their current strength for a long time, unable to break through and awaken their blood. Awakening their blood would not only boost their strength but also extend their lifespans.

For the hunters, however, longer lifespans were not their primary concern. Most didn't live out their natural years, often falling to the dangers of hunting or succumbing to injuries sustained in their perilous lives. Instead, increased strength was vital for survival—whether it was to fend off extraordinary beasts or hostile tribes in this unforgiving world.

Al recalled their last trip to the market, hosted by the Silver Sword race. Though they had attended with hopes of acquiring valuable resources, their supplies at the time had been insufficient to exchange for practice exercises or combat techniques. The exercises sold in the market only reached the level of awakening the blood realm, but for their tribe, even that was invaluable.

Al then to Ajis," Teacher, Elder told he will advance to great shaman realm before the winter season end. If it happens the Snake tribe will stop making trouble for us but If you can brook through the Spirit blood realm then we can teach the Snake tribe a lesson. With the increase of our strength, we can also extend our hunting ground."

Ajis hears the long talk from Al but he figures out the important point," You greedy for the purple bamboo hunting ground of butterfly tribe."

Al with a hand rubbing back his head, laughs foolishly," Teacher, you know me, the purple bamboo forest is filled with beasts, and with bamboo, we can also create weapons or other items."

As they walked out of the forest, the tribe members noticed the clues of their previous battle with the bear still visible. Scattered signs of the struggle marked the area, undisturbed by time. Their path led them toward the side where the river cascaded into the giant lake below. Reaching the edge of the waterfall, they spotted a massive wolf lying down with one paw resting atop three Iron Horn deer.

The wolf noticed them almost immediately, rising to its feet and signaling for them to approach.

Al froze, a look of confusion crossing his face as he stared at the creature. Something about it seemed familiar. "Teacher," he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty, "is that the same wolf we fed last night?"

Ajis narrowed his eyes, observing the massive beast. "It looks like it," he replied. "But its size is completely different... it may have become a magic beast."

One of the hunters couldn't hold back his curiosity and blurted out, "How did the Elder know, without even leaving the valley, that the wolf hunted these beasts and would be by the lake?"

Before anyone could answer, Al slapped the hunter, the force of the blow sending him tumbling into the lake below. Without hesitation, the rest of the group jumped in after him, laughing and splashing in the water.

When the hunter finally climbed onto the riverbank, dripping wet, he glared at Al. "Chief, why did you push me?"

Before Al could respond, Zaan climbed out behind him and answered with a smirk. "Because you're a fool. The totem must have told the Elder."

Their laughter echoed across the lake as they shook off the water, their trust in the totem evident in their carefree demeanor. The presence of the huge magic wolf didn't frighten them; instead, it reassured them, a symbol of the totem's guidance and protection.

Gavin, however, paid little attention to their antics. His gaze was fixed across the lake, his instincts on high alert. From the opposite side, a massive tiger—slightly larger than him—emerged from the forest. Its fiery orange fur rippled under the sunlight as it locked eyes with him, an unmistakable challenge in its stance.

The tribe members followed Gavin's gaze and soon spotted the tiger. They froze, their playful cheer dissipating as they took in the sheer size of the beast. A sudden glow drew their attention to the tiger's head, where multiple fireballs materialized, hovering ominously.

Before they could fully process what was happening, the fireballs launched across the lake, streaking toward them with deadly speed. The air grew tense as the fireballs neared, and the tribe members scrambled to react.