When the badger lunged again, Zack stopped backpedaling. He ignored the stinging in his leg and fired back.
"Roar!!"
He reared up, using his massive forelimbs to pin the badger into the dirt. He unhinged his jaw and went straight for the back of its neck. The badger clearly didn't expect the cub to get that aggressive that fast. It thrashed around, but Zack managed to sink his teeth into its back.
The sabertooth advantage was immediate. The badger's thick fur couldn't stop those teeth, and Zack left two deep, bloody punctures.
But he didn't have time to celebrate. The pain just made the badger explode with freakish strength. It bucked Zack off and hissed, its eyes turning red with rage. It didn't care about the size difference anymore; it leaped straight for Zack's throat.
Zack wasn't backing down. He swiped a heavy paw at the badger's head. He didn't have much training, but the instinct was there—he knew how to use the two best weapons he had: his teeth and his weight.
The two of them tumbled into the tall grass, a chaotic mess of growls and high-pitched screeches. The badger kept trying to dart in and rip at Zack's neck, but Zack kept slapping it down like a fly. Every time he saw an opening, he pounced, trying to end it.
The badger was mean, but its teeth and claws were toys compared to a Sabertooth's. After five minutes of rolling around, even the tough-as-nails badger was starting to flag. Its hide was covered in deep claw marks. It had landed a few bites on Zack, but they were shallow—nothing that would stop him.
They squared off one last time. The badger was low to the ground, panting, while Zack stood tall. The badger tried one final, desperate jump for the throat, but Zack was ready for its rhythm now. Before it could reach him, he swatted it mid-air, his claws catching its spine.
Rip—
The sound of tearing skin echoed. The pain was too much even for a badger. It hit the ground yelping, its attack completely broken. It didn't wait for a second round. It scrambled up and bolted into the brush.
"Roar!!"
Zack let out a massive shout at the badger's retreating tail. He looked like a king. He'd won his first real scrap, and he felt it. Once the badger was gone, he trotted over to the weasel carcass and picked it up, head held high.
He was starving, but he didn't eat. He wanted to show this trophy to Mom and Dad. The adrenaline was hitting so hard he barely felt the gashes on his legs anymore.
"Roar~"
He heard a familiar huff. He froze, looking toward a nearby bush. I stepped out, casually dragging the dead badger by its neck.
Zack's jaw practically hit the floor.
"Nice job. Keep it up," I grunted at him and walked right past his stunned face and kept moving toward the den.
I'd been watching the whole time. When I saw the badger looking for an exit, I'd climbed down and cut off its escape route. Sure enough, the second it ran from Zack, it ran straight into me.
My approach was a lot more surgical than Zack's. I tackled it, pinned it, and went for the jugular. My teeth went right through the artery and windpipe. The badger still tried to fight back—the thing was a nightmare even while dying—and it managed to get a few good bites in on me.
That was when the peccary gene kicked in.
The badger's teeth couldn't even break my skin. It just got a mouthful of fur. I was pretty hyped about that—the upgrade was already paying for itself. After a few minutes of struggling, the badger finally went limp, its eyes going from rage to pure terror before fading out.
[Ding! Host hunted an American badger. Gene points +20.]
Easy money. I licked the blood off my muzzle, feeling pretty satisfied. I had to thank Zack—he'd done most of the heavy lifting for me.
"Roar~"
Zack wasn't happy. He gave me a classic "are you serious?" look, staring at the badger in my mouth. He'd been bullied by me enough to know that complaining was a bad idea, so he just followed behind, looking grumpy.
We eventually made it back to Mom and Dad. They smelled the blood from a mile away and met us with looks of pure shock. Seeing both their sons coming home with kills was a huge deal. They were especially impressed by the badger; they knew those things were a pain to kill.
Too bad the peccary was too heavy to carry, I thought. That really would've blown their minds. Usually, we just eat the big stuff where it falls and leave the rest for the birds. It's the tiger way—too proud to haul leftovers.
"Roar~~"
Mom immediately saw Zack's bloody legs and started fussing over him, making worried noises. Zack didn't care about the scratches. He shook the weasel around, practically screaming: "Mom! Look! I did it!"
I decided to be a good brother for once. I dropped the badger in front of Zack and nudged it toward him, letting Mom and Dad think he'd finished the job on both.
Zack's eyes lit up. Even Zoe, who still hadn't caught anything on her own, started circling the badger, drooling.
For a second there, Zack was the star of the show. He looked like he was having the best day of his short life.