The dragon's harem

Chapter 874: The Jungleʼs Hunt

Arad lowered Lyla and Roberta, shifting back into his human form. The two looked around, ”They are big!” Lyla gasped, as she lifted her head to stare at the massive trees.

”And itʼs hot, and warm...paper wonʼt last long here.” Roberta growled, ”And, those little buggers!” She swatted a fly on her arm. ”How many of them are here? Iʼve heard of the beast kingdom, but to see it for myself.”

”Youʼll get used to it quickly, Serin had no problem.” Arad said with a smile.

”She has natural holy magic, even if mosquitos bite her, she wonʼt be bothered.” Roberta looked at him.

”Yeah, the little girl is also used to Ignisʼs heat, a little warmth and humidity wonʼt bother her.” Lyla approached the bushes and looked at them, seeing a pair of purple flowers growing in there.

”I wonder if those would sell. They are beautiful.” She looked at Arad, ”When weʼre going back, can I pick a batch?”

”Yeah.” Arad nodded with a smile and Lyla turned back toward the flowers, reaching with her hand to pick them. From the bushes before her, a massive jaw appeared, glaring at her and growling, a foul gust of wind gushed from the unclean throat, and the beastʼs teeth were riddled with old rotten flesh from its meals.

The death Jaw stared at Lyla, he had come here due to the noise, as they always do in search of food. Lyla looked like a decent meal, soft and plump. But...something was off, standing behind her was a massive monster in the form of a human. He could clearly see him, Arad staring at him with glowing eyes.

Lyla sat frozen in place, ”Arad...” She pointed at the Death Jawʼs maw, ”This looks bad.” She mumbled, almost crying.

”Donʼt worry, itʼs not a fool.” He took a step forward, ”As long as youʼre close to me, none of them would bother you.”

The Death Jaw turned away and left without as much as getting an inch closer to her. Roberta looked at Arad, ”I see, they can sense you being a dragon.”

”Yep, Iʼm far more dangerous than anything this forest has to offer. Iʼm at the top of the food chain, and they see you as my food. Of course, if they tried to steal from you, theyʼd get eaten instead.” Arad approached Lyla and helped her stand, ”Be careful around the forest.”

”I donʼt want to face such a monster again, itʼs massive and scary...” Lyla mumbled as Arad lifted her, ”Wait! Put me down!” She cried.

Arad lifted and made her sit on his shoulder, ”Come here.” He then extended his hand to Roberta.”

”I donʼt want to.” She gasped.

”Iʼm not walking with you in this forest for another hour.” Arad waved his finger and lifted her with gravity magic, putting her on his shoulder, ”Hold tight.” He jumped forth with Roberta hitting his head with a red face, ”PUT ME DOWN!”

****

Close to the Iron Snake Lake, the villages were going through a massive hunt. The princess of another kingdom is staying in their humble abode, and they must feed her the best of the best. A feathered beast, the death beak. Similar to the death jaw, but instead of scales itʼs covered in colorful feathers, had small wings instead of arms, and had a massive orange beak. They all rushed around it, a group distracting the beast while the others tried to flank it, all of them kept an eye for two things. The monsterʼs deadly fire breath and the feathers that it could launch from its tail like a porcupine are poisonous so one scratch is fatal.

”Guide it toward the trees! Me and them would stab it with spears!” Gorarin shouted, unlike most days, he was fired up for today, his old friend had returned and he wanted to show off.

As they ran around, the feathered Death Jaw Stopped moving, and it swung its tail in a rapid motion, sending a barrage of feathers at them. The hunters were surprised, it had already used that before, and it should still need several minutes to regenerate them.

The youngsters were too slow and green to predict the attack and dodge, five males and seven females who were training for hunts, Gorarin could see them before him, frozen as the feathers flew at them. ”Move!” He yelled at the top of his lungs.

SWOSH! From the trees, Arad lunged out, laughing his lungs out with both Lyla and Roberta crying on his back in fear, he was moving so fast they thought they would get smacked by trees several times already.

Arad landed right between the youngsters and the coming feathers, sending a shiver down Gorarinʼs spine, it only took him a fraction of a second to recognize him, the guest of Zara. Aradʼs purple eyes started to the side in that fraction of a second, seeing the feathers coming. His boots disappeared, and he kicked at them, twenty lightning-fast kicks so fast that no one could see him move. All the feathers disappeared, and Arad was standing here on one leg, four feathers caught between his toes.

”What is this for? Chicken?” He glared at the feathered Death Jaw. And then with a single fast swing of his foot, he threw the feathers back at the beast, piercing him in four spots and making him roar.

Everyone stared at Arad, baffled, the youngest didnʼt know who he was, but Gorarin did, ”ARON?!” He cried in shock.

^This human, he deflected the feathered Death Jawʼs poisonous feathers? No, he shattered them with kicks and caught four, barefoot, and carrying two women on his shoulders no- less!? Zara said heʼs a terrifying fighter, but nothing to this extent.^

The feathered Death Jaw roared and rushed at Arad, bleeding and enraged. One of the youngsters lunged forth, swinging her claws. ”Our chance, itʼs angry!” She smiled.

Arad grabbed her by the tail with his toes and pulled her back, throwing her all the way to a tree behind everyone, ”Youʼll die cat.” Arad then pushed the Death Jawʼs charging maw to the side, went beneath him, and hit his lower Jaw with a kick, lifting the whole monster five feet into the air.

The ground beneath Aradʼs other foot shattered as the Death Jaw took to the sky and fell on the ground, rolling with two of its teeth falling off.

”ARON! Itʼs the fire breath!” Gorarin cried, and the Death Jaw Immediately opened his maw, unleashing a massive stream of red flames.

Arad took a deep breath, and lifted his right foot up, kicking forward faster than sound, with enough might to form a massive shockwave as his foot broke the sound barrier. The shockwave snuffed the flames out and hit the Death Jawʼs head, disorienting him.

Arad squatted down, his legs expanding and he suddenly disappeared, leaving a puff of dust where he was before. He appeared sitting on the Death Jawʼs neck and snapped it with his thighs in the blink of an eye.

The feathered Death Jaw fell to the ground, motionless and Arad landed beside him, Lyla and Roberta were both terrified and panting, sweating buckets as they had never been in such a fight. Thanks to Aradʼs gravity magic, they shouldnʼt feel any acceleration when he moves. His body and magic were the best shock absorbers that this world could offer.

”Please...slow down...” Roberta gasped for air.

”What is Mira feeding you? Why canʼt you calm down for a second?” Lyla looked at him with a sweaty and worried face.

”Milk,” Arad replied as naturally as he breathed.

Gorarin approached Arad, ”Aron...this is?” He looked at Arad and at the Death Jaw, still trying to make sense of what his eyes just saw. ”Werenʼt you resting at Zaraʼs house?”

”Yeah, we forgot them at the camp, so I went and grabbed them really quick.” Arad replied,

looking away.

”The camp? Zara said itʼs at least a day away. You ran all the way there in the dangerous jungle alone, and came back carrying them?” He could hardly believe him, but he had just seen him kick a feathered Death Jaw to death.

”Yeah...” Arad tried to look normal, he isnʼt good at lying. ”Anyway, what are you all doing?”

He tried to change the subject.

”What are we doing? We were trying to hunt something decent, palatable for a princess.” Gorarin approached Arad, ”You know, you people kinda brought one. We canʼt feed her

something lacking.”

”I doubt sheʼd care, and large hunts like this are tuff to eat. Something smaller and softer mightʼve been better.” Arad looked at the youngsters staring at him. ”And look, you almost got them killed. They are far too young for fights like this, the most danger they should encounter is a broken bone, not losing their lives.”

”They are proud hunters...” Gorarin tried to speak, but Arad cut him, ”Pride doesnʼt bring the dead back, it doesnʼt feed the hungry, and it doesnʼt make a weak fighter stronger, it only makes them more arrogant, a fool that can be easily manipulated and deceived.” He yelled at

him.

”We...” One of the youngsters growled, she was the girl Arad threw back, ”Arenʼt like her...We arenʼt cowards like Matilda.”

Arad slowly turned toward her, ”What did you just say, kitten?” He glared at the tiger girl, his eyes burning with purple flames.