If you are going to steal a kingdom, you do it in the light. Skulking in the shadows is for scavengers, not kings.
Dad and Mom didn't hesitate. They marched into the heart of the forest and blasted the canopy with thunderous roars. It was an unmistakable invasion signal—a formal challenge thrown at the feet of the current rulers. This served a dual purpose: it announced their overwhelming presence and forced the owners to reveal themselves.
As expected, a warning response echoed through the timber—a series of high-pitched, aggressive roars that vibrated through the damp air.
As the silhouettes emerged from the mist, the identity of the owners became clear. It was a family of Xenosmilus. James recognized the adult pair instantly; their scent triggered a memory of a past border dispute.
The world was small. This was the same pair that had once attempted to encroach on their old territory. Now, the roles were reversed. The Xenosmilus pair had two sons of their own, both over two years old and significantly larger than James and his siblings.
Enemies had met again. The Xenosmilus pair bared their teeth, their short, broad cookie-cutter fangs glistening with saliva. They would not allow their land to be trampled.
Dad and Mom didn't show a flicker of shame for playing the role of the aggressors. In the Pleistocene, there is no morality—only the law of the heaviest paw.
"ROAR—"
"ROAR—"
The two pairs circled, their eyes locked, testing each other with explosive vocalizations. The standoff didn't last. Dad and Mom lunged first, launching themselves at the Xenosmilus adults in a blur.
The two species were similar in size, but their builds differed. Smilodon possessed the legendary 13cm sabers, while Xenosmilus carried shorter, 9cm serrated blades. However, the Xenosmilus had a deeper, more powerful jaw, granting them a superior crushing bite.
The forest mist shattered as the four titans collided. It was a clash of two different evolutionary branches of the machairodont family, competing on a single stage to prove who was the true apex.
"ROAR!!"
As the parents clashed, the two sub-adult Xenosmilus brothers turned their murderous gaze toward James, Zack, and Zoe. They vented a fury-filled roar. They couldn't interfere with the titans' battle, but they were more than ready to dismantle three younger Smilodon.
James was roughly their size, but Zack and Zoe were visibly smaller. The Xenosmilus brothers moved with practiced coordination, both charging James simultaneously. Their logic was sound: eliminate the biggest threat first, then mop up the small fry.
"ROAR—"
James didn't flinch. He met the charge head-on. He needed to gauge his current combat ceiling, and these two were the perfect measuring sticks.
WHOOSH!
James was significantly faster. His predatory gaze locked onto the older brother. He reared up on his hind legs, his massive forepaws coming down like a falling tree.
BAM!
The Xenosmilus brother never saw the strike. He had no defense prepared. The blow landed flush, his head snapping to the side as James's claws carved deep, scarlet furrows across his face. It was likely the first time the prince of the forest had ever been truly hurt.
Dazed and enraged, the brother retreated a few steps, staring at James with disbelief. "This one is a greenhouse flower" James thought
The Xenosmilus had clearly never fought a life-and-death struggle against another predator. He didn't know how bloody the world truly was. The younger brother was equally useless, hesitating and following his brother's lead instead of flanking.
James lost patience. He pounced.
Though they were the same size, James possessed a terrifying strength that defied his frame. He opened up with a barrage of alternating paw strikes—massive, sweeping hooks that hammered the greenhouse flower.
THUD! THUD! THUD!!
James's paws moved like a gale. Every strike connected. The Xenosmilus brother was forced into a desperate, defensive shell, unable to do anything but take the beating.
"ROAR! ROAR!!"
The older brother screamed for help. The younger Xenosmilus finally snapped out of his daze and lunged at James's left flank, aiming for the spine.
But he never reached his target. Zack and Zoe intercepted him. Though they were smaller, they carried the pride and combat instincts of the Smilodon line. They weren't going to watch from the sidelines while their family bled. They threw themselves into the path of the younger brother, a two-on-one skirmish that successfully bogged him down.
With his flank clear, James stopped holding back. He rained down a storm of blows on the older brother, driving him backward until the larger cat finally lost his footing and rolled onto his side.
"ROAR!!"
James didn't miss the opening. He used the classic hungry tiger pounce, driving his weight into the downed cat. The Xenosmilus tried to roll away, but James slammed a heavy paw into his hindquarters, pinning his lower body.
With a swift twist, James clamped his jaws onto the brother's hind leg joint.
CRACK!
The sound of the joint shattering under James's reinforced bite force and sabers was sharp and crystalline. It echoed through the clearing, reaching the ears of the fighting parents.
The older Xenosmilus brother screamed in agony—a sound so wretched it shattered the focus of the adult pair. The tide of the battle had just turned.