Two nights later, the shadow cat struck again.

  Arin woke to the sound of panicked squawking from the chicken coop, followed by abrupt silence. He flowed from his hollow instantly, arriving at the coop in seconds to find three more chickens dead, their bodies shredded with surgical precision.

  But it was the message that made his core pulse with cold understanding.

  Claw marks, deep and deliberate, carved into the wooden support beam. Not random damage from a feeding frenzy. These were purposeful, methodical. A signature.

  I was here. I can come whenever I want. You cannot stop me.

  It was different from the wolves he had faced. This creature seemed to enjoy playing with its prey beforehand.

  Gareth emerged from his structure, bow in hand, eyes scanning the darkness. "Again?"

  Y E S T H R E E M O R

  "It's escalating." Gareth approached the coop carefully, studying the scene. "Getting bolder. Testing how close it can get before we react."

  The shadow cat was smart. Too smart. It knew the camp's rhythms now, knew when guards changed shifts, knew the blind spots in their defenses. And it was playing with them.

  K I L I T T O N I T

  Gareth looked at Arin, his expression grim. "You sure? These things are patient hunters. It might be watching us right now, waiting for you to make a mistake."

  Arin scanned the forest edge with his 360° vision, searching for any shimmer in the darkness, any distortion that might betray the predator's position. Nothing. But that didn't mean it wasn't there.

  Y E S N O C H O I S

  "Alright." Gareth straightened. "But we do this smart. You know where the eastern trail is? The one we use for lumber?"

  Arin bobbed his mass. He'd followed the woodcutters often enough to know their routes.

  "We set rabbit snares along that trail. Three of them, placed on the game paths where deer and smaller prey travel. If you can lead the shadow cat there, maybe you can use those traps against it."

  Arin considered. The snares weren't designed for something as large as a shadow cat, but they might slow it down, give him an opening. And anything was better than trying to fight it in an open forest where it could vanish into shadows at will.

  Y E S G O O D P L A N

  "One more thing." Gareth pulled a small cloth pouch from his belt. "Dried meat. Not for bait, but if you need to mark a trail or distract it, it might help. You can carry this, right?"

  Arin extended a tendril, wrapping it around the pouch and pulling it into his mass, holding it near his surface where he could access it quickly. The weight was minimal, barely noticeable.

  T H A N K

  "Be smart, Arin. If it looks like you can't win, retreat. We'll find another way."

  But they both knew there wasn't another way. The shadow cat had chosen them as prey. It would keep coming until it was driven off or killed. And Arin had seen enough hunters to know this one wouldn't be driven off by anything short of death.

  He flowed toward the forest edge, Gareth's voice following him.

  "Come back safe. The children would be devastated if anything happened to you."

  Arin didn't respond. He was already moving into the darkness, darkvision active, every sense alert for the predator he knew was out there somewhere.

  ***

  The forest was alive with the sounds of the night. Crickets chirped, an owl hooted somewhere in the distance, and small creatures rustled through the undergrowth. All normal sounds that should have been reassuring.

  But Arin knew better. The shadow cat was here. He couldn't see it, couldn't hear it, but he felt its presence like a weight on his awareness. The way prey must feel when a predator's eyes lock onto them.

  He moved through the canopy, flowing from branch to branch, heading toward the eastern trail where the snares waited. His plan was simple. Make himself visible. Make himself look vulnerable. Draw the shadow cat into pursuing him, then lead it straight into the traps.

  Simple plans were often the most effective. They were also the most dangerous.

  Arin reached a thick branch overlooking a small clearing and deliberately made himself obvious. He formed his mass into a more compact shape, sitting still in plain view. Waiting.

  The forest sounds continued for several minutes. Then, gradually, they began to fade. The crickets went silent. The owl stopped hooting. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

  The shadow cat was moving.

  Arin's vision swept the clearing below, searching for any hint of movement. Nothing. But the absence of sound told him everything he needed to know. The predator was close.

  There. A shimmer in the darkness at the clearing's edge. Barely visible, like heat distortion over warm stones, but unmistakable once you knew what to look for. The shadow cat was circling, studying him, deciding if he was worth the effort.

  Arin remained perfectly still. Bait didn't move. Bait looked helpless.

  The shimmer moved closer. Then closer still. The shadow cat was confident now, certain of its prey. Arin could almost feel its anticipation, the moment before the strike when a hunter knew victory was inevitable.

  Then it lunged.

  The shadow cat burst from the darkness with terrifying speed, claws extended, aiming for the branch where Arin sat. But he was already moving, launching himself toward the next tree with a burst of motion.

  He felt claws rake through the spot where he'd been a heartbeat before. Arin heard the shadow cat screech in frustration as it realized its prey had escaped.

  The game of cat and slime began.

  Arin flowed through the canopy, moving as fast as his gelatinous body could manage. Behind him, the shadow cat followed, leaping from branch to branch with supernatural grace. It was faster than him in short bursts, but Arin had an advantage. He could flow around obstacles, through gaps too small for a solid body, and his 360° vision meant he never lost track of his pursuer.

  He angled toward the eastern trail, counting the landmarks he'd memorized. The old lightning-struck pine. The fallen maple with the hollow trunk. The boulder shaped like a turtle's shell.

  The shadow cat was gaining. Arin could hear it now, the soft pad of paws on wood, the rustle of leaves as it closed the distance. It wanted him to hear. Wanted him to panic and make a mistake.

  Instead, Arin did something the shadow cat didn't expect. He deliberately slowed down.

  Not much. Just enough to make it seem like he was tiring, like the chase was taking its toll. The shadow cat sensed weakness and pushed harder, claws tearing gouges in the branches as it accelerated.

  Fifteen more seconds. That's all Arin needed. Just fifteen seconds to reach the trail where the snares waited.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The shadow cat closed to within a body length. Arin felt its breath, hot and rank, felt the displacement of air as claws swiped at his trailing edge.

  Contact. Pain lanced through him as claws raked across his mass, tearing away a chunk.

  [-12 Mass]

  But he'd reached the trail.

  Arin dropped from the canopy, deliberately making the fall look uncontrolled, like he'd lost his grip. He hit the ground and reformed quickly, but not too quickly. Still playing the wounded prey.

  The shadow cat landed behind him with a heavy thud. It didn't pursue Arin immediately. Instead, it circled, visible now in the open, studying him with intelligence that was almost human.

  It was beautiful in a deadly way. Sleek black fur that seemed to absorb light, golden eyes that glowed faintly in the darkness, muscles coiled beneath skin like compressed springs. A perfect predator.

  [Shadow Cat - Level 9]

  The notification reminded Arin of the level gap. This creature was stronger, faster, and more experienced than him. If he fought it straight on, he would lose.

  Good thing he wasn't planning to fight fair.

  Arin began moving down the trail, staying low to the ground, making his movements erratic and pained. The shadow cat followed, confident now. It had wounded him. Tasted his mass. Knew he couldn't escape.

  The first snare was twenty feet ahead, hidden in the undergrowth near a game path. Arin angled toward it, moving just fast enough to keep the shadow cat interested but not so fast that it would suspect a trap.

  The cat pounced.

  Arin dodged at the last second, the movement looking panicked but perfectly timed. The shadow cat's momentum carried it forward, right over the concealed snare.

  But the cat was too light. Too agile. It landed past the snare without triggering it, then spun to face Arin, frustration clear in its growl.

  Damn. Too smart for that.

  The shadow cat didn't wait this time. It charged straight at Arin, no more playing, no more circling. Just raw predatory violence.

  Arin compressed his mass and shot backward, using every bit of speed he could muster. The shadow cat's claws missed by inches.

  He flowed around a tree trunk, trying to put obstacles between them. The shadow cat followed effortlessly, its supernatural agility making mockery of Arin's attempts to gain distance.

  Another strike connected, and more mass was torn away.

  [-8 Mass]

  Arin was losing this fight. He needed to change tactics and needed to think of something the shadow cat wouldn't expect.

  He remembered the dried meat pouch still held within his mass. And he remembered something else. Shadow cats were ambush predators. They liked certainty. They liked knowing where their prey would be.

  What if he gave it that certainty but made it a lie?

  Arin stopped running. He compressed his mass into a tight ball and went absolutely still right in the middle of the trail.

  The shadow cat slowed, suspicious. This wasn't normal prey behavior. Prey didn't stop and wait to die.

  But the temptation was too great. Arin was wounded, smaller than before, and sitting completely exposed. Easy prey.

  The shadow cat approached cautiously, circling once, twice. Looking for the trap, it was certain must exist.

  Arin remained motionless. Waiting.

  The cat struck from above, launching itself from a low branch directly at Arin's position.

  And Arin split his mass.

  In an instant, he divided himself into two separate blobs. The smaller one, maybe thirty percent of his total mass, stayed where it was. The larger portion flowed sideways with desperate speed, moving to the cat's blind spot.

  The shadow cat's claws tore through the decoy blob, shredding it into useless globs that splattered across the trail. The cat landed and spun, searching for the real Arin.

  It found him faster than expected.

  But Arin was already moving, not away but toward. He compressed into a wedge shape and drove himself at the shadow cat's hind legs, using every bit of momentum he could generate.

  His attack connected, and Arin's acidic nature activated automatically, burning into fur and flesh.

  [Acidic Trait Activated]

  The shadow cat screeched and tried to leap away, but Arin was wrapped around its hind leg now, flowing up toward the body, trying to engulf the creature's head where he could suffocate it as he'd done with so many other prey.

  But the shadow cat was Level 9 for a reason.

  It twisted in a way that shouldn't have been possible, bending nearly in half to bite at Arin's mass. Fangs sank deep, tearing away chunks with savage efficiency.

  [-18 Mass]

  Pain erupted inside. It was sharp and overwhelming, threatening to break Arin's concentration. He lost his grip and fell away, reforming several feet distant.

  Both combatants stopped their attacks, each assessing the damage the other had inflicted.

  The shadow cat limped on its wounded hind leg, fur burned away to reveal angry red flesh. But it was still strong, still capable of killing him.

  Arin was much worse off. He'd lost nearly forty percent of his starting mass. He was smaller, weaker, and slower. Another exchange like that and he wouldn't survive.

  The shadow cat knew it too. It began circling again, but this time in a different way. It stayed a little further back and moved more slowly. It was being careful. The cat now respected the danger Arin represented even in his weakened state.

  They were near the second snare now. Arin could see it hidden in the brush, the rope loop barely visible in the darkness. But he couldn't just lead the cat to it. That had already failed.

  He needed to make the cat chase him over it. Make it move fast enough that it wouldn't notice until it was too late.

  Arin drew on the dried meat still held within his mass and squeezed, crushing the pouch and releasing the strong scent. He pushed the remnants out onto the trail behind him as he moved.

  The shadow cat's nostrils flared. Food scent. Prey scent. Distraction.

  Arin moved parallel to the second snare, staying just out of range, making himself look weaker than he was. The shadow cat stalked forward, drawn by the combination of injury and food scent.

  It was working. The cat was focused on him, not on the ground beneath its paws.

  Three more steps. Two more. One.

  The shadow cat's hind paw came down directly on the concealed trigger.

  The snare activated, rope looping around the injured leg and yanking tight. The cat yowled and thrashed, trying to pull free.

  Now.

  Arin charged, using the last of his essence to activate his Charge skill.

  [-5 Essence]

  He hit the shadow cat with his full mass and momentum, the wedge form driving into the creature's chest. Bones cracked beneath the impact, and the cat's struggles became more frantic.

  But the snare was breaking. The rope wasn't designed to hold something this strong. It was already fraying, ready to snap.

  Arin didn't give it a chance. He flowed over the shadow cat's head, covering its mouth and nostrils, blocking air while his acidic nature burned into sensitive flesh.

  The cat thrashed violently, claws raking through Arin's mass, tearing away more and more of his body with each desperate swipe.

  [-12 Mass]

  [-8 Mass]

  [-6 Mass]

  But Arin held on. This was it. If he let go now, he would die. The shadow cat would recover and finish him in seconds.

  So he held on through the pain, through the mass loss, through the fear that he might dissolve completely before the cat suffocated.

  The struggles grew weaker. The claws slowed. The shadow cat's powerful body began to go limp beneath him.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the creature went still.

  [Shadow Cat - Level 9 Defeated]

  Arin didn't release immediately. Couldn't. He was too exhausted, too damaged. He simply lay there on top of the dead predator, his gelatinous form barely holding together.

  Then the notifications came.

  [+35 Mass]

  [+28 Essence]

  [Level Up! You are now Level 7]

  [+1 Skill Point]

  [Skill Available: Stealth (Tier 1)]

  [Warning: All skill slots occupied. Accept skill? This will replace the existing skill.]

  Arin stared at the notification. Stealth. The ability that would have made this hunt so much easier. The skill that could help him survive future threats.

  But all his skill slots were full. Charge and Darkvision were both essential. He couldn't replace either of them.

  Unless he unlocked a third slot. That cost was five skill points, and he only had four now. Three saved, plus one from this level up.

  Can I wait to choose?

  As the question flowed through his being, Arin saw words appear that answered that thought.

  [Skill Selection Waiting - Temporary Storage Available: 24 hours]

  Twenty-four hours. He had one day to advance to the next level and earn the fifth skill point he needed. If he didn't, the Stealth skill would be lost forever.

  Arin began absorbing the shadow cat's body, slowly pulling the mass and essence into himself. His form filled out, growing stronger, healing the damage he'd taken.

  [Current Mass: 128% of base]

  [Current Essence: 108/140]

  It was better, but he was smaller than he had been before the fight.

  He needed to return to camp, report his success. But more than that, he needed to think. Twenty-four hours to gain a level. That meant hunting, fighting, and risking himself again while still injured.

  Was the Stealth skill worth it? Or should he let it go, focus on recovery instead?

  Arin formed a tendril and touched the small wooden carving that Elara had given him, still visible within his mass. A promise to return safely.

  But if he returned now, he would lose the skill. And the forest was full of dangers that Stealth could help him survive. Full of threats to the camp that he needed to be stronger to face.

  The shadow cat had been Level 9. There were things out there even more dangerous. Things he would need every advantage to defeat.

  He made his choice, and Arin began moving deeper into the forest. Not toward camp. Toward the areas where goblins and other creatures lived.

  He had twenty-four hours to level up.

  And he wasn't going to waste a single second.