Totem Warrior

Awakened

I watched the three tigers stare at me unblinkingly. Rex Hito's body may be too small to feed the three giant tigers, but maybe it's much better than nothing. I can slowly guess that these three tigers haven't found food for quite a long. They were so hungry and couldn't wait to rip Rex's little body apart. Unfortunately, I will also feel pain when Rex's body is torn apart.

The three tigers growled and somehow, I was able to predict their next move. A second later, my guess was confirmed, they lunged at me simultaneously. I took a step back so that the tiger on my left collided head-on with the tiger on my right. However, there is still one tiger that is now jumping right at me.

Frantically, I searched for whatever was on the ground. My little hand found a stick. There wasn't enough time to think, so I pointed the stick at the tiger charging toward me. The little stick was now burning with fire and stabbed the tiger right in the neck. I didn't have time to think about how that could happen, but I bravely moved the stick up and ripped the tiger's throat out.

The giant tiger fell to the ground with black blood which now stained my body and face. However, I couldn't be happy just yet, because there were still two tigers in front of me who were angry because maybe their heads hurt. They shook their heads and stared at me, completely ignoring their friend who had fallen to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the two tigers lunged at me simultaneously. There was no chance of dodging and those damn Bloody Marks on the red moon made me feel weak. I didn't know where the thought came from, but suddenly an idea came to my mind. With a swift movement, I pulled out the branch that was still stuck in the tiger's throat that had fallen on the ground.

I split the branch into two, then I thrust it forward. I didn't even know where I was aiming it because it happened so quickly. The next thing I knew black blood was splashing in all directions and I saw the stick in my right-hand stab into the eyeball of one tiger and the stick in my left hand penetrated the throat of the other tiger. The two sticks were burning and I didn't even feel the heat.

The tiger on my left was still roaring and growling in pain, I was so scared that he would pounce on me in anger. While screaming I stabbed the fiery branch deeper into his eyeballs to his skull. With all my might, I managed to make the tiger die and fall to the ground.

Right after the last tiger fell to the ground, I fell limply without any strength. Bloody Marks made me weak, but fortunately, I wasn't in pain. It was at that moment, I realized that my power had truly awakened. More precisely the power of Rex Hito. Once again, the golden tree has saved our lives and even this time made us become Totem Warriors without going through the awakening ceremony.

I've killed three giant winged tigers without any weapons, but I'm not the least bit happy. The night is still long and during that time bloody marks will continue to appear on the surface of the red moon. I don't know what other beasts will meet me tonight. I don't know how to bring up flashing flames to make me feel better and most importantly, I don't know the way back to the shelter.

With all my might, I tried to make this weak, powerless body rise to a sitting position. I had used up so much energy that it was hard just to stand, but I dragged my body away from the pile of tiger corpses. With great difficulty, I finally arrived at one of the large tree trunks. I tried to lean on it while catching my breath.

I glanced at the sky and cursed the bloody marks that made me feel so weak like this, but no sound came out of my mouth. I had to stay still so as not to attract the attention of any other beasts that might be around here. If anything else comes now, I will die. I have to find a way to survive until morning comes.

The golden tree tattoo on the back of my left hand now glows dimly. Of course, I had used its power to awaken earlier. My eyes glanced at the three lifeless giant tigers above the ground. I have to fill my stomach with something to replenish the golden tree's power.

Rex's muscles felt like they'd turned to jelly and I have to try to balance myself to pick up some dry branches and gather them in the middle. I don't want to eat raw giant tiger meat, so I have to start a fire. I just hope the fire doesn't attract the attention of other creatures.

With Rex's skills and knowledge, I can easily start a bonfire just by rubbing wood against a rock. All my life living in urban areas and never liking forests, I don't know how to make a fire without matches like that.

A moment later, I was already roasting the tiger meat on the fire I made. My heart was pounding as I looked around, afraid that a wild beast would approach before my strength was recharged. Occasional bloody marks left me barely able to sit down and grill my dinner properly, but I did manage to properly grill one large piece of tiger meat. I blow perfunctorily on it, then quickly pop a large bite into my mouth.

“Ouch! Damn it!” I cursed because the meat was still very hot, but I already put it in my mouth.

I ignored the burning and continued to chew and swallow quickly. My guess was right, I felt a lot better after consuming the bits of beast meat. I glanced at the golden tree on my hand, there was a bit of light shining on it.