The biggest difference between peccaries and real boars was those downward-growing upper canines. Not only could they dig out roots buried deep underground, but they were also deadly weapons in a fight.
In Pleistocene North America, this thing was not something you casually mess with. They usually moved in groups, and even large predators only hunted them occasionally. Mid-tier predators like wolves or cougars? They avoided them completely.
"great, just great."
James felt his luck drop straight to zero.
"Out of everything… I run into this guy first?"
Boars might not be as strong as bears or tigers, but they were the most aggressive. Once they lost it, they didn't care about anything.
James knew one thing clearly.
Right now—
He wasn't confident in beating it cleanly.
So he didn't want this fight.
Unfortunately—
The peccary didn't feel the same.
BOOM!!
Without warning, the thing exploded forward.
No hesitation or testing
Just straight charge.
"…yeah, of course you're that muscle head type."
James didn't even think about clashing head-on. The weight difference alone made that a stupid move.
He moved Fast.
THUD!
The peccary missed—
And slammed straight into a birch tree.
CRACK—!
The entire trunk snapped in half.
James froze for half a second.
"…hey big guy take it slow , that would've killed me."
The peccary staggered slightly, clearly dazed. Its balance wasn't stable yet.
"…there it is."
Opportunity.
James's eyes sharpened.
If a fight was unavoidable then he'd control it.
"Let's test this properly."
SWISH—!
He moved first.
A clean strike.
His claws came down hard, targeting the shoulder.
His claws sank in deep .
Blood started leaking out immediately.
The hit landed clean.
James didn't hesitate—he tried to follow up instantly, shifting his weight to bring it down the way saber-toothed cats usually did.
But—
"HRRNN!!"
The peccary reacted fast.
Way too fast.
It turned its head and snapped its jaws straight at him.
Those fangs—
Long , Thick and Fully exposed.
"… hell no ."
James pulled back instantly.
No need to be greedy and take the risk .
That bite was not something he wanted to take.
He created distance again, circling slightly.
"…this thing's annoying."
Now he actually slowed down and Started thinking.
This wasn't just about teeth.
The hide was thick. The outer layer rough, the inner layer dense. On top of that, these things coated themselves with resin—basically natural armor.
That last attack?
That was my full strength and it barely affected him .
"…so brute force isn't the option."
Then—
A memory surfaced of him watching a video of —
Wolves hunting boars.
Not head-on fight .
They used positioning and harassment technique.
And—
"…yeah… that."
James's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Although it's Dirty… but effective."
He exhaled.
"Alright then."
He let out a low growl.
"Don't blame me for this."
The peccary had already recovered.
And just like before—
It charged again with no hesitation and in it's full speed , trying to crush me outright.
" It's attacks are predictable."
James moved at the last second.
A clean dodge.
The peccary tried to adjust this time stopped faster and more controlled.
But that tiny delay was enough.
James was already gone from its front.
And then behind it.
"Got you."
He lunged.
And bit down hard ,Right where it hurts the most.
"HRRNNNN!!"
The reaction was instant.
The peccary lost it completely.
Kicking wildly, trying to shake him off.
But James had already planned for that.
The moment he bit , he dropped his weight and anchored himself then twisted.
"RIP—!"
Flesh was torn .
The peccary's counterattack hit nothing.
James had already let go and jumped back.
Landing a few steps away.
Spitting immediately.
"ugh! what the hell is that"
He shook his head hard, tongue out trying to spit out every single bit .
"nah. nope. never doing that again."
The smell alone almost knocked him out.
That was not worth it even if it worked.