Mother watched from the nest as I fruitlessly crunched down on a tree, amused smile playing across her jaws as always.

  “Think bad thoughts sweetie.” She said, mocking tone cutting through my focus.

  “I KNOW!” I snapped at her, she was trying to rile me up and I knew it. But apparently it worked as a weak dark tinge overtook my maw, cutting right through the bark and flesh of the tree. I yelped trying to spit out the wood as some sap stuck to my teeth. Mother’s chuckling in the back becoming more and more grating. I scowled at her but she just stared back in a wide grin as always.

  “I knew you could do it. Finally broke through that eerie calm of yours hmm?” She said, making me pause for a bit.

  “I guess.” I said simply, still annoyed as I called on the icky feeling of the dark energy and the frustrated feeling from before. Snapping a bite out into the air to make sure I could do it again. It had been a bit since I was born now, maybe a week? No probably less, I’d grown quickly as all Pokemon do and was now maybe around medium size for a Tyrunt. That’s what mom told me at least, we’d started talking more as I learned to communicate better.

  However the more I grew the more angry I got, it was fine when mother was pampering me, but it was getting hard not to let it explode out. Mother had told me more than once it was weird how calm I was for a child. Trying too strike a balance between my instincts and my brain was getting harder and harder as they fought each other.

  “Come child, we’re going out.” Mothers voice broke through my thoughts and I looked up at her.

  “We?” I asked, cocking my head slightly. Was it already time for me to learn to hunt?

  “Yes, you will watch.” She said, stepping out of the nest and starting to stalk into the forest. I followed, trying my best to copy the way she moved. Prowling quietly clearly came faster to me than type energy though as I figured it out fairly quickly. Padded feet quieting the crunch of any foliage under me as I followed, as alert as I could be with my hulking mother next to me.

  Every once in a while she would stop and sniff the air, I followed suit every time, trying my best to sense whatever she was. I was catching the smell of… Something… Fruity? Leaves and forest as always, there was definitely something else there but I couldn’t quite match it to anything I knew. All I knew was we were upwind of it, it wouldn’t smell us coming at least.

  We came to a stop just outside a large clearing, peering past the foliage and browning trees we blended in with to see a group of Pokemon. Tropius? Mother had never brought one back before, frankly I had no idea they were native to Galar. Invasive maybe? Who knows. I looked up as Mother willed me to stay put with body language alone, and I listened, knowing even one of the smaller Tropius could crush me easily.

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  I watched as mother crouched down, muscles tensing as she got ready to pounce. We were at least 50 feet from the closest Tropius but my eyes could hardly follow the movement as she bounded out. In less than a second her jaws were clamped around a neck, bringing the largest one to the ground with a sickening snap from its neck. The others froze about to attack but she quickly turned and roared, the loudest thing I had ever heard in this life. Telling the other Tropius in no uncertain terms to leave or die, they quickly chose the latter. Wings flapping frantically as their huge bodies took off into the air.

  I slowly stepped out into the clearing after mother nodded at me. Watching in awe as she devoured the entire Tropius right there. Leaving nothing but blood and some bones behind. She turned to me and licking her lips, she spoke.

  “Your turn sweetie. Think you can do it?” I paused at her words, looking at the leftover spatter across the grass, now crushed against the ground by the alarmingly quick battle that had just taken place. I looked up and nodded at her confidently, eliciting another signature chuckle. “Lead the way then.”

  I froze up for a bit, before thinking back to what she did before. Sticking my nose up in the air I scowled, all I could smell was the blood from that Tropius. I quickly rushed past mother, back into the forest to get far enough downwind from the smell, ignoring her laughter as best I could.

  Now far from the clearing I stuck my head up again, trying to take in all the smells I could. Mother close behind me as I occasionally moved further. Eventually I caught, something? Definitely a Pokemon but I couldn’t really place what type. I followed the smell slowly, tentatively making sure I didn’t lose it.

  Coming up close to a tree I saw an Eevee munching down on some fallen berries. I paused for a second, before ignoring it, looking for a new scent. Finding it quickly I brushed past, moving around the Eevee’s area, ignoring the confused look mother gave me. The new smell was earthy, almost cold? I could probably guess what it was but I’d rather check.

  Moving through the forest was slowly getting easier, very different from following in mothers footsteps though, foliage and small hills no longer flattened in her path. I peaked around a large tree, finally finding my prey. A clearly young Piloswine. Not easy prey, but definitely a challenge, which is what I wanted. If mother tried to stop me I didn’t see as I stalked out behind it. Scanning the treeline for any Mamoswine or others of the line. Sure it was alone I crept up behind it as it ate from a bush, I didn’t have mothers speed nor her size to take advantage of. I was bigger than it but only a bit.

  Once I was right behind it my jaws slowly opened, before launching at it, immediately dropping around the top of its body I hefted it up as fast as I could. Spinning it around and throwing it into the nearest tree with every ounce of strength I could muster. Eliciting a squeal, a cry from the pain and confusion as it tried to stand up and get up from its side. Now that it was tipped over the ball was in my court, Piloswine being much too top heavy to right themselves easily.

  Making sure it couldn’t stand I put one foot down on its body. Jaws dropping around its head this time before chomping down with as much dark type energy as I could and twisting until I heard a snap and felt it go limp. As soon as it was over I let my instincts take over and started eating, spitting out any clumped woolly fur. The meat was way too fatty. Cold? Well I guess it is an ice type. But all things considered it was good, way more meat than a tiny one-bite-meal Eevee. After finishing my meal mother finally spoke from above me.

  “Wonderful job.” I preened under her praise, letting her clean me with her tongue before she kept talking. “Why did you ignore the Eevee? It would have been much easier.”

  “No challenge. Too cute to die.” I said simply, grinning up at her.

  That got me the loudest laugh I’d ever heard from her, shaking the ground and almost making me fall over. A veritable earthquake…

  “Come now, lets go back to the nest.” She said, turning and waiting for me to follow.