My life as a reborn monster - 178 The Raptor clan
Shortly after being essentially taken prisoner and led in a direction, other small parties of Raptors started appearing. Either feathered ones like the ones behind us and smaller scaled ones like what the movies portrayed, and even a couple hunting groups that were led by the more upright and intelligent Raptors that could talk. I was interested in seeing where they were taking us and also at how this species was more tribal than anything given that every other species of intelligent creatures I’ve come across have had a more civilized structure. While thinking that my attention got caught on the conversation being whispered by a pair upfront that were leading us.
“Why are we leading them back to the village? Shouldn’t we just kill them here and now and just take the heads back for the leaders?”
“You fool, they want the killers of the pack mother alive and brought in for questioning.”
“But why? They killed the pack mother!” The one who insisted on killing us turned to look at me and I felt the killing intent from here. I just laughed and spoke to the girls that were huddled up as close to me as possible without tripping.
“If this guy keeps looking at me with that much killing intent leaking out than I think I might start to get a little hungry.” I said it loud enough for everyone to hear and the humanoid Raptor turned and walked right up to me and poked me in the stomach with what looked like some kind of bone spike, it was actually sharp enough to pierce through my soft belly scales and draw a little blood.
“Who gave you permission to speak outsider.” It snarled as it dug the spike deeper into me. I grunted at the pain but otherwise kept a smile on my face.
“I gave myself that permission little Raptor, I’m assuming you might a guy if I am to go off of the bird knowledge I know of… But nevermind that just a little side thought. Main thing is buddy, is that if you don’t get your little prick out of me… I’m going to eat you.” I smile even wider and let a little of my own bloodlust escape. Which just so happened to be enough to blanket the group leading us to their village.
“Ha, you don’t scare us, our creator was much deadlier than you could ever be.” He said but he still retrieved his spike from my stomach. I felt that tinge of soul pain as my bodies natural healing took place but it stopped as soon as it happened, I rubbed my stomach and everything was back to normal. I’m guessing that eating that big boar had plenty of magic in its body that it helped Gula atleast a little bit. Enough atleast to help my body out in a small way, or maybe my soul was healing? It was hard to say except that the usual pain of using any form of magic was less this time around.
After walking for what felt like an hour we break through the tree line and into a plain of sorts, just up ahead was what looked like a village but definitely themed as a tribal one. Bones jutting from the ground and crossed over eachother to form a basic skeletal frame that was then layered on top of with hides of animals. I counted atleast a few hundred mid to small sized huts like that all surrounding a larger one that was built using the bones of something gigantic. It looked like a huge creature died here and it just mummified there and somewhere along the line the head and appendages were removed to leave just the spine and ribs.
“Wow, this is fascinating! I didn’t know there was a tribe here? I wonder if they farm or more like Hunter/Gatherers.” Alissa the one obsessed with plants said with excitement. A humanoid Raptor that was besides us huffed with annoyance, this one had grey dull feathers covering its body and carried a set of scythes that could be held in a reverse grip for a more speed oriented attack style. Now that was interesting to me, I noticed a few different kinds of weapons among the humanoids and that got me thinking if they all had different fighting styles or a few select ones?
“We do not farm like lesser creatures. We are the predators of this area and we only need to hunt the lessers to feed!” It raised a fist a fist into the air with pride.
“That’s not a good long term plan for a species… But whatever.” I shrugged and kept walking. It looks like they will be taking us straight to the central hut to meet the leaders. They ushered us after a pair of big, muscled humanoid Raptors with Grey colored feathers opened up a set of flaps and then stood with heavy glares directed at us and daring us to do something out of line. In the center of the hut was a sitting area that was dug up so that it sits lower than the rest of the building. A fire is going in the center with the smoke rising to escape through a hole in the roof. Around the edges of the hut were ten beds that each had a big muscly grey feathered Raptor sitting on it and every single one of them were staring at our group with hands on different weapons at the ready.
“Ah the guests have arrived it seams, please sit.” A rainbow feathered Raptor says from the otherside of the fire and then we are psuhed into the sitting area with Lula stumbling and almost dropping right in the fire. I immediately grab her while ripping my head towards the one that pushed her and snarl. It snarls back at me and readies its weapons but just before I pounce the rainbow one speaks up quickly.
“HEY, HEY, no need for that now. Just calm down, it was an accident and she didn’t mean to push your mate that hard I’m sure. Jessa, darling go sit with your sister and relax ok? What could these people do when surrounded by such strong and lovely ladies like yourself huh? It’s fine.” This one seemed like a bit of a talker and seemed more intelligent than the rest.
“So what exactly are you? I’ve come across raptors before but they were never feathered or stood upright like what I see here.” I looked around the room as I sat down and hung my arms around Kitsoma and Mara that sat down on my left and right. Lula and Vannessa sat with Alissa sandwiched between them in case things turned hostile.
“Well you see about that, funny thing is that up until a few weeks ago we were actually like the common Raptors you have no doubt killed before. It wasn’t until a pair of mysterious men came by that things changed, One looked like a demon summoned from the bowls of the abyss and just as dark to match while the human had the aura of a demon lord and conjured such destruction that it massacred waves upon waves of my kind in a single blast.
The smarter ones like myself decided to retreat but we didn’t get far until we were captured by that demon and then experimented on.”
“Good gracious that is horrific, I’m so sorry.” Alissa said with a gasp.
“Oh don’t worry about that, in fact it was thanks to those experiments that we are what you see now. Some of my tribe had evolved to sprout feathers aswell as a bigger but more agile body and a greater intelligence. Then the ones you see here are the ones who had evolved even further to gain opposable thumbs and stand upright…. Granted we are not as strong initially as our more beastial tribesman, but we have gained the advantage of tools and are able to become stronger with training as well as being gifted with a mass influx of knowledge immediately from our creator. So overall I think win-win don’t you?”
The rainbow colored Raptoid as I just now started calling them flourished with his arms out as if he was on display, and in some way he was? Especially taking into account the way his feathers seemed to fan out and catch the light from the fire. I could have sworn that I heard some soft sighs from behind me but when I turned to look all I saw were malice filled eyes looking at me.
“Ahem, anyways back to the main topic of the meeting. I was told that you were the one that killed our Pack Mother?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Me and Alissa over there were on our way to gather water and look at the plant life when we were attacked by a large Raptor followed with a group of smaller raptors that I later found out were adolescent.”
“Yes, I see that you brought a pair that you say you decided to take care of is that right?”
“Yes, meet Draco and Rex, I know that you might not have a dragon lineage but that was only recently that it came to light as a possibility.”
At that one of the larger Raptoids or I guess Female Raptoids stood up and shouted. “Lies! You used some strange power to bend their will to yours and now you treat them as pets! I demand you release them immediately or I will be forced to take action!” She yelled and her claws tightened around the shaft of a bone spear that was tipped with some kind of dried substance.
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“Whoa, whoa, just calm down ok? Yes they were terrified but I didn’t want to just kill them ok? And since I didn’t want them to run away yes I used my power to brand their souls. But hey it’s all….”
“YOU BRANDED THEIR SOULS! THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE! EVERYONE KILL THESE HORRIFIC MONSTERS AND FREE THE LITTLE ONES!” The big female screamed and I heard as more than a hundred different sounds echoed from outside the hut. Inside however were a group of large Raptoids with different bone weapons all surrounding us with a male starting to focus a magic attack.
“Welp atleast we found our sacrifices, right Lula?”
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