Chapter 6: The Alluring Smoky Snow Weasel (4K)
The Scratcher Bird habitually lifted its head to look around, and while shaking its head, it spotted the unwelcome visitor disturbing its feeding.
After gulping down the last of the egg liquid, it turned its body and let out a roar with its massive beak-like mouth wide open.
Recalling his past knowledge and experiences from his previous life, Jié Jié found it hard to imagine an animal with a bird-like beak roaring instead of calling.
“ROAR!”
Jié Jié arched his body, roared in response, and prepared to retreat back into the forest.
The Scratcher Bird, seeing the lone Thief Dragon daring to roar back at it, tilted its head in surprise for a moment before throwing the eggshell covered in slime towards Jié Jié.
The Thief Dragon’s vertical pupils contracted slightly as he skillfully avoided the eggshell with his agile limbs.
Vertical pupils mean trading a wide field of vision for powerful dynamic vision. Jié Jié’s gaze was locked onto the Scratcher Bird, observing every movement of its limbs.
The Scratcher Bird fluffed its feathers but remained stationary, still making threatening gestures.
Jié Jié ignored those futile threats, focusing on the bird’s limbs. He slowly closed the distance while calculating the distance between himself and the forest behind him.
As they got closer, the atmosphere between them grew heavier, though this might have been just Jié Jié’s perception; perhaps the bird saw him as nothing more than an arrogant fool.
But this tension represented the adrenaline coursing through his veins, allowing him more reaction time when the bird leapt.
The wind from the bird landing brushed against his body, and the sharp claws swiped at his eyes.
The air current rushed toward him but flowed gently along his body because he was sprinting.
His tensed limbs unleashed a burst of energy, and he darted rapidly to the right.
The Scratcher Bird ran, swinging its claws in blurs, yet couldn’t touch him.
Where was he running to?
The distance created by Jié Jié’s sudden burst gave him time to think about his next strategy.
Grab an egg and run?
That didn’t seem easy. Thief Dragons lacked the physical structure to carry eggs like the Scratcher Bird, and round dragon eggs weren’t something that could simply be carried in their mouths.
Give up?
No. During this brief confrontation, he had unknowingly placed some attachment on the prize—the dragon egg. At this moment, the dragon egg felt like a beloved lover, stimulating saliva production and relaxing his throat and stomach. His jaw was even ready to dislocate.
Swallow an egg whole.
This option proposed by his possessiveness entered his thoughts, and his body acted on it before he even made a decision.
He finished thinking, but his bounding didn’t stop, nor did his actions.
His muscles ached, his throat was sore, but his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
Satisfaction aside, Jié Jié didn’t relax. Standing where the Scratcher Bird had been, he kept a watchful eye on the bird as it slowed down, while digesting the egg in his esophagus.
The Thief Dragon’s esophagus contracted, squeezing the herbivore dragon egg. However, the eggshell, designed to resist certain predators, was incredibly hard.
At this point, stomach acid and the throat bone came into play. The acid softened and corroded the shell, while the hard throat bones repeatedly struck it until the first crack appeared.
Warm egg liquid flowed into his mouth and throughout his body, nourishing every part of him. The act of stealing from a stronger opponent made the already delicious dragon egg even tastier.
Jié Jié glanced at the burrow with the remaining five eggs laid by the herbivore dragon family. It would keep him full all day.
Meanwhile, the Scratcher Bird, watching its harvest being stolen and still facing the Thief Dragon’s vigilance, gripped its claws and decided to shrink back. It then headed to the other side of the coast, looking for a new nest with its head low.
Large Monsters don’t start out with such sizes; their growth requires more nutrients to support. As a member of the Avial classification, the Scratcher Bird lacked the advantages of claw strength and limb power.
Just like the young herbivore dragon proving its species’ resilience to Jié Jié, the Scratcher Bird had faced countless such proofs during its growth—being chased away by herbivore dragons and stronger predators due to stealing eggs. This experience made it cautious and timid.
Perhaps, this is a form of inferiority complex. If given the chance, wouldn’t the Scratcher Bird, which ranks low among Large Monsters, want to become the leader?
And the Scratcher Birds living in the Ancient Tree Forest were even more self-conscious. A place where herbivore dragons were driven away to lay eggs was like heaven to them. They only wanted to fill their bellies peacefully, obtaining the necessary nutrition for a large monster.
The above description wasn’t Jié Jié’s thoughts. He wasn’t empathizing too much with the Scratcher Bird but was surprised by its retreat and analyzing its various behaviors, indicating that its intelligence was relatively high among Large Monsters.
In his previous life’s knowledge, birds were evolutionarily superior to reptiles. Most monsters had many reptilian features, but the Scratcher Bird’s beak and feathers indicated its evolutionary level. Its intelligence leading to these behaviors was reasonable.
Such a vast coastline could sustain a large group of herbivore dragons and two thief dragons. It also accommodated the Scratcher Bird’s willingness to yield, and it quickly found another nest.
While observing the Scratcher Bird’s movements, Jié Jié swallowed four more dragon eggs. Egg liquid was easier to digest than meat and highly nutritious.
Feeling satisfied after eating, it was time to move on to the next step. Seeing that the Scratcher Bird no longer paid attention to him, the Thief Dragon shrank and transformed into a white Smoky Snow Weasel.
The little Smoky Snow Weasel puffed its cheeks and shook its fluffy white fur, emitting a strong pheromone from its glands into the air. White dust could faintly be seen floating in the air.
Before the pheromones dispersed or settled, Jié Jié transformed back into a Thief Dragon within the white mist, ensuring the pheromones clung to his body.
To be honest, the smell was pleasant, reminiscent of burying oneself in soft fur and inhaling deeply.
Jié Jié thought that maybe he should transform into a Smoky Snow Weasel more often to indulge, but now he needed to waft these pheromones in front of the Scratcher Bird to observe the effects.
After swallowing a smaller dragon egg as a mobile blood pack, Jié Jié slowly approached the Scratcher Bird still drinking egg liquid.
The second disturbance annoyed the Scratcher Bird, which had already planned to leave temporarily. But the peculiar smell from the Thief Dragon startled it.
The Scratcher Bird’s intelligence didn’t understand what this smell meant, but it could measure the allure. Unfortunately, it could only weigh risks and benefits, not plots and traps.
Monsters usually judge friend or foe based on appearance. The Thief Dragon briefly flashed in front of it before fleeing, reducing the bird’s caution significantly. It began chasing the enticing Thief Dragon ahead.
In Jié Jié’s eyes, the Scratcher Bird’s pursuit meant success. Now, he only needed to lead it into the forest near the Thief Dragon’s nest.
Jié Jié wasn’t sure if the Great Thief Dragon was in the nest. The overwhelming scent of the Smoky Snow Weasel masked other scents in the forest, making him want to roll around on the spot.
Restraining his instincts, Jié Jié looked back and saw the Scratcher Bird following closely, satisfying him enough to continue leading it forward.
Not knowing whether his older brother was in the nest or what state he was in, Jié Jié wondered if his “big brother” was hungry or full.
If hungry, would the Scratcher Bird be swallowed whole? Would there be anything left for him?
If full, would the Scratcher Bird be driven away or scared off? After all, when full, the Great Thief Dragon’s desire to attack wasn’t as strong.
Thinking of the scene of the Great Thief Dragon regurgitating food to feed the younger ones, Jié Jié remembered the chunks of meat covered in yellow fluid and stomach acid. Though his instincts made his mouth water, his nausea made his stomach churn.
There was no way he’d eat it, not even if thrown from the sky by a Fire Dragon!
Even if the Scratcher Bird was merely driven away, it didn’t matter since this was just an experiment with the Smoky Snow Weasel’s pheromones. The effect was great, and the Scratcher Bird was still chasing.
As an eight-meter-long Large Monster, the Scratcher Bird moved slowly in the dense forest. Unlike experienced Great Thief Dragons and Terror Tyrants who could force paths with their size and strength, it had to avoid branches that might mess up its decorative feathers, forcing Jié Jié to slow down occasionally to maintain a teasing distance.
Looking back at the attracted Scratcher Bird, if he were a cute Smoky Snow Weasel instead of a Thief Dragon, would enticement evoke more delightful fantasies?
Jié Jié didn’t know because that depended on the XPs of the Great Universe Observers.
Along the way, not only the Scratcher Bird followed him, but also several Thief Dragons. They seemed drawn by the Smoky Snow Weasel’s pheromones, rubbing against him while following, ignoring the pursuing Scratcher Bird entirely. He could only roar to restrain them.
The Thief Dragons slowed him down, and it seemed the pursuing Scratcher Bird felt the pressure, causing it to charge directly through the forest.
The threat from the Scratcher Bird was far more effective than Jié Jié’s own roars, scattering the surrounding Thief Dragons except for him, who continued to lure the bird as usual.
A special scent pierced through the Smoky Snow Weasel’s barrier around Jié Jié. The ground trembled, accompanied by the sound of breaking trees, signaling the approach of the Great Thief Dragon.
Slowing down and turning his head, Jié Jié saw the Scratcher Bird stop its pursuit and crouch low, slowly retreating.
But it was too late. A massive yellow figure tore through the dense forest, opening its blood-filled mouth and lunging at the Scratcher Bird. Even Jié Jié, who had anticipated this, was startled and ran toward the nearest pond upon realizing the Smoky Snow Weasel scent on his body.
Similarly startled, the Scratcher Bird took a physical leap backward, its pupils filled with confusion but quickly regained focus and fled.
The Great Thief Dragon didn’t pause after missing its target. Lifting its belly, it pressed down on the Scratcher Bird, though missing three times in succession, visibly shrinking its bloated belly under the pressure.
Nausea from abdominal compression was natural. Vomit wrapped in yellow sticky liquid splattered from the Great Thief Dragon’s mouth, tripping the fleeing Scratcher Bird.
Another benefit of the compressed abdomen was converting mass into energy. The Great Thief Dragon’s forelimbs folded from a dull angle supporting its body into a sharp angle filled with explosive power. It started running, breaking trees in pursuit of the Scratcher Bird.
Jié Jié had already jumped into the pond, submerging most of his body while keeping his head above water to secretly observe.
As always, the entrance of the experienced Great Thief Dragon was awe-inspiring. Watching the commotion gradually fade away, Jié Jié climbed out of the pond and shook his body, confirming that the Smoky Snow Weasel scent on him was almost gone. Not eager to continue the chase immediately, he drank some water first.
Unfortunately, there was no Smoky Snow Weasel scent in the water.
Suppressing the urge to transform into a Smoky Snow Weasel and indulge, Jié Jié mingled with the Thief Dragon group and led them to chase their leader. However, they hadn’t gone far when they saw their leader stopping and strolling leisurely, while the Scratcher Bird’s scent drifted away.
Jié Jié sniffed the ground and smelled a faint bloody scent. Checking the Great Thief Dragon’s body revealed no new wounds or bloated abdomen, so this was obviously the Scratcher Bird’s blood.
The Scratcher Bird was injured.
Looking back, he only saw the Great Thief Dragon walking away. Some Thief Dragons glanced around and followed it, while others stood upright watching him.
This wasn’t a division of leadership among the Thief Dragons but rather their nature. As the leader, the Great Thief Dragon possessed an unchallengeable power. The Thief Dragons would follow it for food but also choose to hang out with other Thief Dragons, usually attaching themselves to the strongest one in the group.
Standing upright, Jié Jié scanned the Thief Dragons below. Though they might look similar to humans, Thief Dragons could distinguish each other by scent beyond their patterns.
Being the largest one among them, he was naturally the small boss.
He let out a not-so-loud roar, successfully gathering the remaining Thief Dragons. Though they might not know his plan, he did.
It would be a cross-ecological niche hunt.
