The days after the basilisk fight carried a steady rhythm. Arden kept them moving, one beast after another, pushing his group but never wasting time on prey that didn't feel like challenge to them.

He had already given the vital ember elixirs to the rest, and the difference was clear.

Their bodies carried strength better, their cores held a smoother flow, and their skills answered sharper than before.

The elixir sat even better with him and Zephyra. Their fire affinity made the medicine hit deeper, and it showed in her battles.

She threw herself at beasts with a frenzy, her fire sharper than it had been days ago.

The cerulean form she'd once held for only heartbeats now burned longer, the flames biting harder each time she called on it. Every roar rattled the air, and every strike left the ground seared where she passed.

Arden didn't bother hiding his grin when he saw it. "Good. You're getting hungrier for it," he murmured, and Zephyra's answering growl carried more satisfaction than words.

They came upon a stretch of broken ground, half-stone and half-torn earth, the trees bowed as if bent by storms that never left. Arden's senses tugged, and his eyes narrowed. "There," he said, lifting a hand for the others to halt.

From the shadows of the ravaged terrain, figures slinked out, low and sharp. Their forms rippled, sleek bodies moving with unnerving grace, eyes catching faint traces of green in the dim light.

The system's interface flickered to life.

[Detected Threat: Stormfang Duskprowlers (Pack)

Rank: B (Elite Pack Tactics)

Affinity: Wind / Shadow

Traits:

Pack Coordination – Each prowler amplifies the others' speed and ferocity.

Cloak of Dusk – Their bodies blur in dim or chaotic light, making tracking difficult.

Howl of Convergence – Synchronizes their movement and strikes, increasing pressure with each surviving member.

Abilities:

Razorwind Pounce – Leaps infused with cutting wind, capable of shredding light defenses.

Shadowstep Feint – Short bursts of near-invisibility when changing direction.

Pack Convergence Strike – Multiple prowlers target the same point, forcing cracks in defenses.

Special Pack Mechanic:

Linked Pulse Instinct – Defeating one strengthens the others temporarily, as their bond fuels survival rage].

Zephyra's growl vibrated through the ground, flames already rippling off her scales. Her voice pressed into Arden's mind, low and eager. They're mine.

Arden glanced back just as Rael tightened his grip and Nyra drew her breath to summon wind. "Hold," he ordered. His voice carried no room for argument. "This one's hers."

Rael's eyes widened. "All of them? That's a whole pack."

"That's the point," Arden replied, his gaze fixed on the prowlers. "Watch closely. She needs this."

Zephyra roared, the sound cutting through the air like thunder, and then she charged. The pack scattered wide, their bodies blurring, but her flames answered with a burst of cerulean light as she crashed into them, drawing every eye and every claw toward her.

Arden stayed still, his eyes narrowing as he studied the lines of the fight unfolding. "Show me what you've got, Zephyra."

The duskprowlers moved as one. Their bodies blurred in the broken light, claws scraping stone as the first pounce cut through the air with a sharp whoosh. Razorwind laced their strikes, every leap coming from another angle, their howls beating like war drums across the terrain.

Zephyra roared back, the sound guttural and fierce, fire spilling from her throat as she threw herself at them head-on.

Her speed surged, wind bursting at her paws, each stride cracking the earth beneath. The prowlers darted around her, shadows bending with their movements, but her fire answered. A cerulean blaze tore out, sweeping in arcs, burning away the blur that had cloaked them.

"Good," Arden muttered, his arms folded as he watched. He could see it clear, the elixir had sharpened her flames. What was once a short burst now stretched wider, hotter, devouring the shadows the prowlers relied on.

The pack struck together, three leaping from different sides, their claws tearing the air with shrill shhk sounds. Zephyra spun into them, fire coiling with wind around her body, her speed pushing past theirs. She slammed into the first, teeth sinking deep, while her tail lashed the second, the impact crunching bone with a sickening crack. The third snapped at her flank, but she twisted low, flames bursting from her maw, engulfing it in searing blue.

Every kill echoed in Arden's system.

Life Energy Absorbed.

Life Energy Absorbed.

He could feel the rush, the constant surge threading through him, strengthening the link they shared.

The surviving duskprowlers howled, their bodies glowing faintly as the Linked Pulse Instinct awakened. Their strikes came harder, faster, but Zephyra's grin, if a beast could grin, showed in the fire dripping from her fangs. She loved it.

She tore through their unity piece by piece. When they tried to converge, her wind scattered their timing, sending them crashing into each other with stunned yelps. When they tried to vanish into shadows, her cerulean flame swept wide, burning away their cover and leaving their forms exposed.

Her claws dug deep, her strikes savage, but her movements carried a strange playfulness. She dodged just close enough to feel the brush of their claws before countering with a searing bite, almost toying with them before ripping them apart.

"Ferocious as always," Rael said under his breath, eyes wide with admiration.

Nyra gave a small, rare smile. "She's not just fighting them. She's tearing apart everything they rely on."

The fight thinned quickly. With each kill, the pack grew weaker, their coordination fraying until all that was left were desperate lunges and panicked howls. Zephyra ended it with a roar that split the air, fire and wind bursting from her body as she swept the last three aside in one devastating rush. Their cries were drowned in the crackle of her flame, their bodies falling limp and smoking.

The system chimed again.

Life Energy Absorbed.

Life Energy Absorbed.

Life Energy Absorbed.

Silence returned to the ravaged ground. Zephyra stood tall, chest heaving, flames licking along her scales before slowly dimming. She turned, meeting Arden's eyes for a heartbeat, then huffed and sat back as if none of it had mattered.

Arden walked over without hesitation, his hand brushing over her fur as he pulled her into a hug. The heat still clung to her body, but he didn't care. "You did well," he said softly, patting her side. He could feel it, the pride she tried to hide beneath her calm.

Rael whistled low. "If that's her warming up, I can't wait to see her serious."

Nyra nodded once, her gaze steady on Zephyra. "She's stronger than before. And she knows it."

Zephyra rumbled deep in her throat, not quite a laugh but close enough.

Arden stood, his tone shifting back to the steady leader they all relied on. "We keep moving. If there's one pack here, there'll be more. And this territory will give us what we need."

With that, the group reorganized, their spirits high, and pressed deeper into the land of the duskprowlers.

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