The Primal Hunter

By far, the King of the Forest was the strongest enemy Jake had ever faced, yet he had won in the end. It was a hard fight, sure, but he always kept his head cool to look for a way to victory. A mindset he had kept from then to now.

He thought the King would be his most significant challenge for a good while… until he met it.

It was more insidious than any enemy he could ever imagine. Its cruelty and evil instincts were overflowing with every one of its actions.

Jake had been practicing his flying once more after his round of meditation. Practicing gliding around and not falling down. Until suddenly, he sensed it in his sphere. A figure had invaded it and was fast making its way towards him.

Faster than anything he had encountered since the King. Even quicker than the mantis. He was prepared for an attack, but it never came. Instead, the figure appeared right beside him, where he saw its form clearly.

It looked like an ordinary hawk. But Identify made it clear it wasn’t.

[Galesong Hawk – lvl 90]

It was the smallest beast he had ever seen at such a high level. It didn’t appear to have grown a single centimeter from when it was just an average everyday hawk. But what it lacked in size, it clearly made up for in speed.

As he observed it, so did it observe him back. Perhaps he had entered its area, him now being well and truly outside of the boundary of the ‘city.’ It looked at him… and scoffed. How he knew it scoffed, he didn’t know. He just did.

It sped up as it passed him, only to make a large circle and fly right up to him again on his other side. Repeating the same damn scoff as it began circling above and beneath him. Jake just silently gliding along in a straight line.

Clearly, it didn’t get the reaction it wanted, as Jake just tried to ignore it. He wasn’t in any shape to fight it in the air, and so far, he hadn’t actually felt any aggression. It also wasn’t the first bird or flying creature he came across, so it wasn’t that interesting.

And then it did it. It flew up once more, flying right above Jake. He ignored it. But then suddenly, it sped up and headed straight for the top of his head. His danger sense didn’t even give him a small warning before he felt it.

It fucking pecked him. Right on his noggin. An absolutely unprovoked attack.

It didn’t do any damage, but it still hurt like hell. Not physically. Mentally.

“What the fuck?” he cursed out loud as he began wobbling back and forth in the air. He had to use all his focus on stabilizing himself once more - a challenging endeavor with the damn bird still flying in circles around him.

After he barely managed to avoid spiraling out of control and falling to the ground, the next ‘attack’ came. This time, it just flew up in front of him and flapped one of its wings into his face. He tried to grab it with his hands, but the bird was far faster than him.

What the… he thought, as he was forced to flap his wings uncontrollably, trying to remain in the air.

The bird kept looking at him as he flapped desperately. It attacked once more by firing a blast of wind in his direction, hitting one of the wings.

this blow didn’t destabilize him at all but did the exact opposite. He was wholly balanced for a brief moment before he flapped the wing on

he could only interpret as a mix between annoyance and disappointment. Releasing another gust of wind, Jake, this time, didn’t try to avoid it but simply let it hit. For a second, he felt like his flying

attacking him, but rather it felt like it was reprimanding him for something. Did it

went on. The hawk was flying around Jake, occasionally striking with blasts of wind, as he just

of its day to teach him. However, the entirely needless pecks and slaps with its

tree. He got up just in time to see the bird sitting on a branch looking down on him

have had wings for less than

just kept looking at

took a stamina potion to replenish his fast-emptying pool of internal energy while sitting on a fallen log. This action got a hint of interest from the bird as it looked

this as he took out another.

Moving one of its wings, a gust of wind picked up the

Jake with its high skill in manipulating wind. It was pure manipulation, not unlike his own manipulation of pure mana or what the metal caster had

it ripped the small cork out with its beak. After smelling the liquid for a second and throwing

next action confirmed that it indeed did. It flapped its wings in a happy motion as it threw

he laughed as the bird screeched in

the bird, thinking of what exactly it wanted. Its action today just seemed so random. By now, he was used to beasts either running away or attacking him. One just deciding to chill with him was a new experience for

thinking, he tried flapping his wings a bit behind him to familiarize

flew down and gave him a nice peck on top

him an angry chirp in response as it

of chilling with this sadistic bird truly was. Did it just

it, he began practicing with his wings once more, and a few seconds later, got hit by a gust of wind, making him

questionably. Was him flapping his damn wings so

a silly way, making it look like a newborn chick. Jake thought it was funny until it fired a

if the bird was willing to teach, he was ready

movements in slow motion. Jake got the hint as he began imitating its movements. Only for a

get angry as he noted that he had indeed messed up. He nodded as he began

say the least - a human with wings sitting on a log imitating a screeching hawk. Apologizing every time he was hit with a blast of wind

sadly all things had to end. Only a few hours of practice in, the bird suddenly stopped giving directions as it looked up

same as the two of them took off at the same time. Once more imitating the bird, Jake made a mighty flap, shooting him up in the

also how he moved through the air. It wasn’t even close to the hawk’s

air as it threw a few glances his way. On the other hand, Jake’s eyes were focused on the wings of the hawk as it flew elegantly through

a human’s physique with

of the first things he had noticed upon taking flight the first time was the internal energy movements in the wings. It allowed him to fly despite the questionable aerodynamics and other inconsequential