After watching the hunting method of saber-toothed tigers carefully, James slowly came back to his senses.
By this time Mom and Dad had already dragged the body of the rare-horned moose to a more hidden place. Once the carcass was safe, they immediately began eating.
Of course, they also left space for the three cubs to come closer and share the meat.
At their current age the cubs no longer needed Mom to feed them. They could already tear flesh from prey by themselves.
James grabbed one of the deer legs and started chewing happily.
While he was eating, he suddenly heard strange sucking noises coming from nearby.
He turned his head and looked back.
Zack had something long and pink hanging from his mouth. It took James a second to realize what it was.
It was a piece of intestine.
Zack was happily slurping it down like noodles, chewing in big mouthfuls. The worst part was that some brown liquid was slowly leaking from the other end of the intestine.
James froze.
"What the hell…?"
He jumped backward immediately.
"That's disgusting!"
Zack didn't seem bothered at all. He continued eating it with great enthusiasm.
James stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.
"I give up…"
He picked up his deer leg and quickly moved farther away while continuing to eat.
Better to stay away from that.
After finishing their meal, Mom and Dad did not rush to leave. Instead they sat down and began cleaning themselves. They slowly licked their paws and mouths, removing the blood and meat stuck to their fur.
If someone looked closely, they would notice that the surface of a tiger's tongue is covered with tiny hard barbs.
Those barbs help them comb their fur, but they also scrape small pieces of meat from between their teeth.
Following their parents' example, the three cubs also started licking their paws and cleaning their mouths.
It was a quiet and comfortable moment.
---
The next evening, Mom and Dad left the cave again with the three cubs.
The hunting lessons had officially begun.
Yesterday had only been a demonstration. Today the cubs would start practicing themselves.
Of course, it was still too early for them to hunt real prey alone. Hunting skills could not be learned in one day.
So Mom and Dad prepared something simpler.
Dad returned carrying a fat North American opossum in his mouth. He dropped it directly in front of the cubs.
The animal was about the size of a small dog.
Despite its appearance, the opossum was not a rodent. It was actually a marsupial, similar to kangaroos.
Unfortunately for it, today it was going to become a training target.
The opossum hit the ground and immediately ran.
The three cubs reacted instantly.
They all rushed forward to chase it.
James moved the fastest. His muscles worked together as he ran, pushing his body forward with powerful steps. For a short burst he could run extremely fast.
Within seconds he had already caught up to the fleeing opossum.
He leaped forward, copying the movements he had seen Mom and Dad use during their hunts.
His forelimbs stretched out as he tried to pin the animal down.
But just before his claws landed, the opossum suddenly changed direction.
James missed.
He landed on the ground and quickly turned around.
"Hunting really isn't that easy."
Animals fighting for their lives often show surprising speed.
James adjusted his balance and charged again.
This time he closed the distance quickly and jumped once more.
His body slammed into the opossum and knocked it to the ground.
The small animal could not handle his weight and was pinned beneath him.
Once prey was pinned like this, it usually meant the end.
However, the opossum still struggled violently.
James lowered his head and grinned.
"Hey big Rat , Even if you scream, nobody is coming to help you."
The opossum was barely half his size. There was no way it could escape.
But just as he prepared to finish it, the animal suddenly stopped moving.
Its body went completely still.
James paused.
"What happened? I haven't even bitten it yet."
He looked more carefully.
The opossum lay motionless with its mouth open and tongue hanging out.
Then something worse happened.
A green liquid suddenly sprayed out from behind the animal. The smell spread instantly through the air.
The stench was horrible.
Zack and Zoe had just run closer to watch the hunt, but the smell hit them immediately. Both of them backed away quickly.
James also felt his head spin from the smell, but he forced himself to stay focused.
He opened his mouth wide and drove his developing saber teeth straight into the opossum's throat.
Even though his fangs were not fully grown yet, they were already about eight centimeters long.
That was more than enough for a small animal like this.
"Playing dead won't work on me."
James knew about this trick.
Opossums were famous for pretending to be dead. They could slow their breathing and heartbeat while keeping their bodies completely stiff. At the same time they released foul-smelling liquid to make predators believe the meat had already rotted.
Many predators would lose interest and leave.
Unfortunately for this one, James already knew the trick.
The moment the fangs pierced its throat, the opossum suddenly began struggling again.
But it was too late.
Blood quickly drained from the wound.
Within seconds the animal stopped moving for real.
Only after making sure the prey was truly dead did James release his bite.
The small body dropped onto the ground.
This time the opossum was definitely dead.