The wind whispered through the emerald fields, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. A golden twilight bathed the landscape, stretching shadows across the rolling hills. Alexander sat in the grass, Chimæras at his side—Dust in his towering wolf form, a titan of muscle and menace, and Panthero, a sleek black feline curled in his lap, his glowing amber eyes scanning the horizon.
A rustling from the treeline shattered the tranquility. The forest stirred. Something massive lurked within the gloom, its presence felt before it was seen. Then it emerged.
A Piken.
It was colossal, a monstrous wolf cloaked in storm-gray fur, streaked with ghostly white along its snarling face. Along its spine, cruel quills jutted out like a living arsenal. Membranes stretched between its limbs, an unnatural mutation that allowed it to glide like a phantom through the air. Its presence radiated hunger. A slow, rumbling growl built in its chest before erupting into a deafening roar that shook the very ground beneath them.
Alexander's fingers tightened around Panthero's fur. His voice was calm, yet firm.
"You go first, Panthero."
Panthero lifted his head, eyes narrowing. Then, with a silent nod, he leapt from Alexander's lap, landing with the grace of a phantom. His sleek form blurred, muscles rippling beneath his black coat as he charged toward the Piken.
Mid-run, the transformation began.
The cat was gone.
What remained was the nightmare.
A shadow stretched, twisting into a monstrous form—Panthero's battle form awakened.
His tigrine head elongated, taking on the shape of an oni mask, a blend of primal terror and demonic wrath. His eyes, once sleek and feline, burned a molten yellow, piercing through the dark like twin embers from the depths of hell. Jaws widened, revealing serrated fangs, thick as daggers, protruding even when his maw was closed.
Massive, curved horns jutted from his skull, arching back like a wicked crown, his body clad in battle-scarred armor, deep purple and golden-bronze plating lining his shoulders, back, and limbs. Down his spine, razor-sharp ridges bristled, each movement making them rattle like the warning of a predator before the strike.
The battlefield was set.
The Piken lunged—a force of nature, all snarling fury and reckless hunger. But Panthero met it head-on.
The collision sent a thunderous shockwave across the field. Grass flattened. Dirt exploded into the air.
Panthero did not yield.
The Piken snapped its jaws, aiming for Panthero's throat. But the armor-plated behemoth didn't even flinch—the beast's fangs barely scratched his reinforced carapace. Panthero countered.
With a powerful thrust of his horns, he slammed the Piken backward, sending the creature skidding through the dirt. Trees cracked and splintered as the wolf-beast crashed against them, shaking the earth.
It wasn't over. The Piken recovered quickly, launching itself back with renewed ferocity. But Panthero was already in motion.
A whiplike tail lashed through the air—a monstrous weapon ending in a three-pronged trident, gleaming with brutal intent.
CRACK.
The impact threw the Piken like a ragdoll, its body hurtling back, slamming through trunks like brittle twigs. Panthero wasted no time. He ran.
His forelimbs—thick, muscular, each ending in a wickedly curved serrated blade—flashed through the air. A single, precise slash.
A gurgling snarl. The Piken collapsed.
Blood seeped into the earth as silence returned to the battlefield.
Panthero stood over his fallen enemy, his burning eyes scanning the shadows, daring another challenger to step forward.
Alexander exhaled slowly, his lips curling into a knowing smile.
The hunt had only just begun.