"Oh stop pouting you big baby, you look fine. Fearsome even, so stop picking at it and stop whining."

Seth lightly slapped the tip of Omelette's wing, the claw of which he was using to constantly pick at and play with his new scales, like someone would bite at their nails. He didn't need any bad habits like that cropping up.

Every now and then, Omelette would let out whimpering whines and go back to picking at them, however, and earn himself another chastising slap.

"What did I just say? Stop it."

{But... But my feathers... I had just pruned and cleaned them after the bugs got them all dirty. Now they're gone and I look like some dumb lizard.}

He let out a deep, overly dramatic sigh before plopping his head back down onto the ground. After a few hours of rest, Omelette had recovered well from his transformation, even if he was still getting used to his new appearance.

Although he wasn't exactly happy about his new appearance, there wasn't much he could do about it now.

They were just about finished their little pit stop in the fields, since most of the reason for it was Omelette's poor condition and Seth's short jaunt into insanity, when a strange feeling came over Seth.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, his mouth becoming dry and his heart beating ever so slightly faster in his chest. His well trained sixth sense, the sense he had developed to know when he was being watched, was starting to act up again.

He had thought that this sense was acting up in the last few days, but upon realising he was picking up the irritating little 'Nugget' but just couldn't see him, Seth had learned to trust his gut once more.

Rising slowly to his feet, he scanned the area around their camp slowly with scrutinising eyes.

Casting his gaze over the fields of endless green, he had to do a quick double take before landing on the one thing that didn't fit with the scenery. Poking out from within a particularly large bush was two small, white orbs. Eyes that reflected the evening light, and were currently staring directly at him.

Locking eyes with the hidden creature, Seth slowly shifted his stance until his body was fully facing it. He moved with care, starting to process of summoning his armour as he waited for the moment that it was about to strike now that it had been detected. And yet, even now that his armour was beginning to form, no movement came.

The other members of his group had noticed his movement and were looking on with a mixture of emotions. Some were simply curious and confused, with the particular pair of Astra and Cynthia immediately taking it as a warning signal of their own and beginning to prepare their own equipment.

One member of their party, however, simply watched with a mind full of suspicion, not bothering to move an inch as he just watched the odd spectacle.

His senses had also not calmed down once he had found the hidden threat, in fact they were growing stronger and stronger, his heart thundering as if he was in immediate danger.

Narrowed his eyes at the unmoving creature, Seth drew in a sharp breath before diving to the side just a few seconds before a set of deadly claws swiped through the space where his head had previously been.

Rolling across the grass, Seth stopped in a crouch as his spear enlarged itself and appeared in his hand at the same time his armour finally took corporeal form.

The tip of his spear was pointed towards a massive cat-like beast. It's fur was perfectly coloured to match the grass around them, while its amber eyes were locked on him. Its mouth was curled into a snarl, bearing a set of razor sharp teeth. The most prominent of its flesh rippers was a pair of tusk-like fangs that were as long as Seth's forearm, like that of a walrus.

As it stood before him, letting out a low rumbling growl, its fur bristled along its back and swayed like grass in the wind before shifting colour. Like shifting sand, the green of the grass was pushed away and made way for the beast's original colour, a stark orange with deep black stripes.

A Tiger.

He had been wondering when he would run into another beast from the zoos or animal preservation. In fact... if he remembered his map right, there should have been one of those close by. Some kind of wildlife preserve.

Thankfully, it was only the one, so they wouldn't have trouble defeating-

RUSTLERUSTLE

'Me and my big mouth...'

One by one, more figures revealed themselves. Creatures of all shapes, sizes and species moved out of their hidden locations and prowled over to the group, with teeth bared and low growls overflowing from their throats.

They didn't move randomly either, instead they had strategically arranged themselves in a perfect circle around the group and were slowly closing. It was outstanding how they had never noticed these things coming, nor even felt their presence until they were ready to move. There was no way this was the doing of simple, mindless beasts. Especially not with the assortment of species he was currently looking at as they closed in.

There were multiple Lioness' with glimmering golden coats, that Seth had a worry would be nigh indestructible just like in legend. A shadow puma, a familiar beast, rose from the shadows of a bush and quickly closed a gap in the formation.

There weren't just cat species, but multiple types of Wolves. One was made out of wood, grass and moss in its entirety, while another was hunched over and actually walked on two legs like a man. A Cù Sith and a Werewolf, just wonderful. One had a deadly bark, the other a cursed bite.

Overall, there was over two dozen beasts of various species surrounding them in a perfect ambush, well... almost perfect. It would have been perfect if they had landed their initial attack, and if they hadn't left a glaring gap open.

Although the camouflaging tiger was standing in front of Seth, separating him from the rest of the group, there was nothing behind him, except of course for Omelette. In fact it seemed like they had gathered more of their forces on the other side of their encampment away from him, but it couldn't be out of fear...

Even if it was, that would surely mean they would have more of a reason to kill Omelette first, rather than leave only one to deal with him. Not to mention it left the rest of the group ample room to escape towards something that could fly them away, something these beasts didn't seem capable of doing.

So why had these beasts, who seemed to intelligent, made such an obvious blunder? Unless...

"Do it Brothers and Sisters! Your time is now, slay your oppressors and taste freedom once more! Slay them and we will bring you to the promised land!"

The Werewolf stood on it's hind legs, lifting its head high in the air as it shouted loud enough for the entire group to hear, and did so in perfect English although for some reason it had an American accent.

After finishing its speech, it lifted its head once more and let out a ear splitting howl, a howl that the rest of the wolfen species quickly joined in upon. And they were not the only ones.

All around them, the beasts barked, roared and howled in excitement while the humans looked around in utter bafflement at the wild spectacle.

The tiger in front of Seth let out a thunderous roar, before turning its gaze towards Omelette and nodding its head. He could absolutely see the sadistic smile on its feline face as it did so, a smile that didn't last very long.

A shadow was cast over Seth's body as Omelette rose to his feet behind him. A second later, a leathery, scale covered wing was placed in front of Seth, shielding his body from view as Omelette leaned forward.

He moved slowly and with crystal clear intent, leaning forward until his head was directly in front of the previously smiling tiger, which was now looking up with fear and confusion in its eyes. The pussy cat trembled as Omelette stared down at him, the tigers entire body only as big as Omelette's head. The perfect mouthful, it couldn't help but think.

Staring down at the tiger would had tried to kill his father, Omelette narrowed his eyes - which had turned into slitted, lizard-like pupils with ruby red iris' due to his transformation - before opening his mouth wide. Wide enough that he could swallow the beast whole.

The trembling tiger got a perfect view down Omelette's throat, which was beginning to glow like the light of dawn, before the Wyvern let out a roar of his own.

By the time he was done, all that was left of the tiger was a smouldering pile of ash in the middle of a wide, blackened patch of grass. Wisps of azure fire still flickering and crackling on the ground where the beast had once stood.