As the leader continued digging into the ground, he worked quickly and silently. After a few moments he finally stopped and stared down at the hole he had made.
Then he looked up at the Flufftar.
"Hey—Kestin! Hand over the Blood Seed."
Kestin was hurriedly gathering the last of the camp's supplies. Without thinking, he shoved one of his arms into his pack, pulled out the seed, and tossed it toward the leader.
The moment the object left his hand, the leader's eyes widened in horror.
"YOU DUMBASS!!!"
He dove to the side as the seed struck the ground beside him.
"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!!!"
Kestin froze, realizing what he had just done.
"Oh shit—sorry boss! I forgot about the blood in Blood Seed…"
The leader stared at the object lying in the dirt, still stunned.
"You four-armed hazard of a vern…"
Carefully—very carefully—he picked up the Blood Seed and placed it into the hole he had dug. He buried it halfway, leaving part of it exposed.
The exposed portion resembled a sharp shard, pulsing faintly with a dark crimson glow.
The Vescrin, now fully bandaged, watched curiously.
"So why don't we just kill it?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure the three of us could take that thing."
The leader continued patting dirt around the seed.
"You idiot! You can't kill it now! It just took a bite out of you!"
He looked up at the towering creature.
"Do you have any idea how tough your chitin is?"
The Vescrin shrugged.
"Well yeah… but it just took part of my hand. No big deal. It'll grow back in a day or two."
The leader's expression twisted in disgust.
"No. You're not thinking."
He pointed toward the darkness.
"That thing evolves faster than almost any creature out there."
His voice dropped.
"And guess what, genius?"
"It just took a big chunk of your hand."
He stared into the night.
"Imagine what it's going to evolve into after that bite..."