Beast Taming In The Apocalypse

Chapter 4: A Mutated Cow

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Name: Chaser

Level: 7

Species: Wolf

Vitality (VIT): 10

Strength (STR): 11

Dexterity (DEX): 8

Agility (AGI): 9

Intelligence (INT): 3

Loyalty: 100%

Skills: None

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Kingdom was shocked by Chaser's stats. They were way higher than his own, even though Chaser was only two levels ahead.

This was... unfair!

Looking at the Intelligence stat, Kingdom speculated it probably related to actual animal cunning and had nothing to do with magic. He was right.

Demonic beasts couldn't use magic or their bloodline abilities until they evolved much further.

At least he’s on my side, Kingdom thought, looking at the 100% loyalty which means it probably wouldn't betray him in the nearest future. He smiled softly before closing the panel.

His hand was healing a little faster now, but it would still take time before it was usable. He didn’t want to sit around idle.

He decided to test out his new stats and see what the world had become.

"Hey Chaser, come on. We've got work to do," he called to his dog as he headed back outside.

Kingdom and Chaser circled the house first, looking for any more goblins or monsters. Finding none, they ventured further out, toward the tree line that bordered his family's land.

Kingdom lived on an acreage in Saskatchewan, Canada. His closest neighbor was over four kilometers away, and the nearest town was twenty-five kilometers out. He loved the space and the peace, the fact that nobody could bother him.

His father worked on the oil patch, his mother at a bank. His younger brother, Jefferson, was fifteen, and they were close, doing almost everything together.

Kingdom looked at the dense trees and felt a knot of fear tighten in his stomach. He knew they were likely to find something dangerous in there.

This area had bears, coyotes, and other wildlife. Now, they’d be mutated. Steeling his nerves, he pushed forward into the woods.

What met him was silence. A heavy, eerie quiet that raised goosebumps on his arms.

Grrrrrrrr…

Suddenly, Chaser’s low growl broke the silence. Kingdom quickly drew his sword, eyes darting around, trying to spot what had alerted his companion.

"Where is it, Chaser?" Kingdom whispered, tightening his grip on the hilt.

Chaser let out a sharp bark and then bolted deeper into the trees.

"Wait!" Kingdom yelled, breaking into a run after him. But Chaser’s Agility was higher. Kingdom couldn’t keep up.

Moooooo!

A deep, resonant moo echoed through the forest, followed immediately by Chaser’s furious barking.

A cow? We were scared by a damn cow?

Shaking his head with a soft, nervous laugh, Kingdom jogged toward the sound. He soon found Chaser, and the cow.

"Holy…!"

Except this wasn't a cow. Or, it was no longer something you could accurately call a cow.

Have you ever seen a cow over two meters tall? No?

Well, this one was over three meters tall and at least seven meters long. Its fur was a dull, dusty yellow, and a layer of sharp, spiked horns crowned its massive head.

But what shocked Kingdom the most, more than its impossible size—was the fact that faint, flickering flames were licking out from between its lips!

What the hell is this?

A dragon?

A Dracow?

It hasn't even been an hour since the apocalypse started and the cows are already unlocking boss-level powers?

His thoughts were cut short as the beast exhaled a stream of fire.

Kingdom threw himself sideways, the heat searing the air where he’d just been. The grass where he’d stood was now blackened and smoldering.

Heart hammering, Kingdom scrambled to his feet and charged at the cow’s flank. He swung his sword down with all his enhanced Strength. The blade bit deep, carving a long gash along the cow’s ribs.

A flicker of triumph went through him, Looks like it isn’t that fast—

BOOM!

An attack he never saw coming slammed into his chest.

It wasn’t fire. It was the cow’s hoof. It had kicked out with the speed of a piston.

The impact lifted Kingdom off his feet. He flew back two meters before crashing to the ground on his back. All the air was driven from his lungs. He curled on his side like a shrimp, his chest a universe of white-hot pain.

He was sure something had broken. His vision swam, darkening at the edges. He was about to pass out.

No! I can’t die now!

Gritting his teeth, he slowly, agonizingly, forced himself back to his knees. He looked down. His shirt was torn and soaked with blood.

Yep. Something was definitely broken inside.

Dazed, he turned to see why the creature hadn’t finished him off.

He saw Chaser, his wolf had a fierce hold on the cow’s throat, dangling from the massive neck. The cow was bucking and thrashing wildly, kicking up dirt and grass, trying to shake him loose.

With a powerful jerk, the cow slammed Chaser down into the ground. A pained yelp escaped the wolf, and his jaws released their hold.

Kingdom watched, horrified, as blood poured from the gash in the cow’s throat. Instead of weakening, the injury seemed to send it into a deeper rage.

It let out a roar, a distorted, fiery moo and blasted a cone of flames directly at Chaser.

Chaser tried to leap away, but he wasn’t fast enough. The flames caught his hindquarters. The sleek black fur ignited instantly, burning away to expose blistered, blackening skin underneath.

A white-hot fury burned through Kingdom, scorching away his own pain as he saw this. Ignoring the burning pain in his chest, he gripped his sword, found his feet, and charged.

"Fuck you for hurting Chaser!" he screamed.

The cow, focused on Chaser, was startled. It turned its massive head toward the new forgotten threat, exposing the bloody wound on its throat.

It was a tiny opening. A lucky moment.

Kingdom didn’t hesitate. With every ounce of his remaining strength, he drove the sword straight into the open wound in the beast’s throat.

Splurt!

A torrent of hot blood washed over Kingdom’s hands and arms. He kept pushing, staring into the cow’s raging red eyes as he shoved the blade deeper.

The beast let out a wet, gurgling cry. Its legs trembled, then buckled. The huge body slumped to the ground, and the light finally faded from its eyes.

As the adrenaline drained away, Kingdom wrenched his sword free.

Then his own legs gave out. He collapsed beside the massive corpse, his body shutting down from exhaustion, pain, and sheer terror.

He had survived. But it was all through dumb luck.

He had made every major mistake possible. He’d yelled, giving away his position. He’d attacked recklessly with no real plan.

He’d left himself wide open, taking a hit that should have killed him. If not for his boosted Vitality, he would have died right then and there.

And worse part of it all was even going out to fight with a injured arm.