Interlude 2: Meet the Krangraks
F’rash rose unsteadily from the ground, his limbs trembling slightly as he shook off the disorientation that clung to him like a second pelt. He drew in the unfamiliar scents of this strange land. The air was thick with the tang of new prey. Yet, aside from his pack, there was no trace of other Krangrak—no rival packs, no familiar scents of home.
The blinding light that had brought them here was gone. Wherever was.
The other five members of his pack lay scattered around him, their white fur stark against the alien landscape. They stirred slowly, groaning softly as they regained consciousness.
He looked around. The land was hilly and covered in swathes of reddish-green stuff he could only think was grass, ut it was not the purple of the grass back home. Here, the air was warm, heavy with the promise of rain. For the first time in as long as he could remember, there was no snow.
His gaze lifted to the sky, and he froze. The heavens above were a strange, unsettling shade of greenish-blue, a far cry from the reddish hues he had known all his life. It was as if the substance of the world had shifted, leaving him and his pack adrift.
L’mang, his mate, was the first to rise fully, her growl low and cautious as she shook the dirt from her fur. F’rash moved to her side, nuzzling the soft nape of her neck in a gesture of reassurance. One by one, the others joined them—B’lang, the youngest and most agile; B’lok, his brother; K’rek and his mate L’mook, L’mang’s sister; and finally, the ever-watchful T’ran. Together, they formed a tight circle, their breaths mingling as they took in their new surroundings.
F’rash felt a flicker of relief despite the strangeness of it all. Back home, during the long winter, prey had grown scarce, and the larger packs had become increasingly aggressive, forcing F’rash’s smaller group to the outskirts where the snow lay the heaviest. Here there were no rival packs of Krangrak to compete with. The unfamiliar scents on the wind spoke of new prey, new opportunities. His pack was thin, their ribs visible beneath their fur, but they had a chance to grow strong again here.
Strange notifications appeared in his mind but he ignored them. He was hungry. They all were hungry.
He signaled to B’lang to lead the way. Without hesitation the young Krangrak bounded forward. The pack followed, moving swiftly across the alien terrain.
F’rash was aware of how conspicuous they were here. Their fur, once a perfect camouflage against the snow now made them stand out like beacons. Well speed and cunning would have to replace stealth. The hunt could not wait.
He growled loudly and the others picked up the pace.
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***
It was not long before they spotted their quarry—a group of three lizards basking on one of the taller hills. The creatures with their long snouts and spiny crest were unlike anything F’rash had ever seen. They were not like their usual prey. Back home they had mostly hunted the long-legged long’bak, with their furry hides and slow movements, or the succulent rounded krell’sin, with their venomous spines. These creatures were smaller, their scaled skin a mottled gray and their claws long and sharp. Their heads lifted as the pack approached, their forked tongues flicking out to taste the air.
F’rash hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty passing through him. Were these creatures dangerous? But hunger overruled caution, and with a low growl, he signaled the attack.
B’lang and B’lok slowly stalked directly towards their prey who appeared unconcerned by their presence. K’rek and L’mook moved to approach the creatures from the rear while F’rash and L’mang moved to flank the creatures on either side.
When the pack were within twenty metres the lizards’ heads lifted up again and started to scent the air. They probably have limited eyesight, K’rek thought. Now that he was closer, he could see that the lizards had long sharp claws and, when their mouths opened, long sharp fangs. These were not the herbivores that normally hunted but it was too late to call of the attack.
B’lang and B’lok flashed towards the lizards. The creatures moved slowly to meet the attack. B’lang hit first, his claws scraping against the snout of a lizard releasing a spurt of blood. The creature lunged at B’lang but he had already moved away. B’lok, however, was not so lucky. His attack had harmlessly hit the armoured crest of the lizard and then when retreating he had passed too close to the last lizard who managed to scratch him across his hindquarters.
F’rash growled and the others all sprang into action. He targeted the lizard that had injured B’lok, his powerful jaws closing around the creature’s lower back. His incisors sank deep into the soft flesh, and with a vicious shake of his head, he severed the creature’s spine. It collapsed, lifeless, beneath him. Another notification appeared in F’rash’s mind but the ignored it. The fight was not yet over.
The other two lizards fell quickly under the coordinated assault of the pack, their movements sluggish and clumsy compared to the Krangrak’s speed and precision.
***
The pack rested after feasting. F’rash allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. The hunt had been risky, but they had emerged victorious. The hunt had been blessed. B’lok lay prone on ground but he would recover. He had trouble moving his injured leg but his brother had brought food his share of the kill over to him and he was eating greedily.
F’rash checked his notifications now that his belly was full and he realized just how blessed they were. The creatures, he learned, were called , their claws laced with a neurotoxin designed to immobilize prey. The pack had been fortunate—the lizards were slow, and their numbers had been few..
One of the notifications was telling him about a quest to reach something called an Induction Centre. He ignored it. These open hills offered little protection, and the strange sky was already darkening with the approach of night.
He growled and the others roused from their lethargy. From this vantage he could see the faint shapes of mountains in the distance. Higher ground beckoned, and with it, the hope of finding a cave or some other defensible shelter. As the pack climbed, F’rash cast one last glance at the setting sun, its light casting long shadows across the alien landscape.
There were dangers in this world of which they knew nothing but it held promise. Together, the pack would carve out a place in this world, and they would flourish.
