In the freezing Arctic, hunting requires not only strength but often keen observation. Alongside the large, active animals, there are also smaller herbivores. The Arctic Hare is one of them.
Surin initially planned to follow the footsteps of the Wolf Father and Mother in their hunt, but he soon changed his mind. Along the way, he discovered several burrows of Arctic Hares.
These animals are also social creatures. While not overly abundant in the Arctic Circle, they are not rare either. Right now, Surin saw at least seven or eight Arctic Hares in front of him, nibbling on the moss in the snowfield.
"Today, I'll make a meal out of you," Surin thought, his eyes gleaming as he observed the varying sizes of the Arctic Hares in front of him. He knew this was likely a group led by a mother hare, bringing her pups out to forage.
Such groups, especially those with pups, often become prime targets for hunting in the wild. However, Surin felt no sympathy in his heart. After all, might makes right is the ultimate law among wild animals.
"System, scan attributes," Surin mentally commanded, and the attributes of the nearby Arctic Hares appeared before him.
Species: Arctic Hare (Male)
Level: 3
Health: 237
Stamina: 28
Strength: 8
Defense: 12
Speed: 53
...
Species: Arctic Hare (Female)
Level: 2
Health: 216
Stamina: 16
Strength: 5
Defense: 9
Speed: 47
...
Surin quickly noticed that the leading male Arctic Hare had the highest attributes, reaching Level 3, with an impressive speed of 53. The other female Arctic Hares were also quite fast. It was clear that such high speed was the reason why the Wolf Father and Mother paid them no attention. After all, in a world of ice and snow, catching such fast-running Arctic Hares would consume too much energy.
Given their size and number, even if the Wolf Father and Mother caught an entire group of Arctic Hares, they wouldn't be satisfied, and the energy spent might not be worth the effort. But for Surin, this was not a concern.
Surin was just as fast, even faster than the leading Arctic Hare. And with his stamina equating to endurance, it only took some rest and a small amount of food to restore it to full. So even if he exhausted his energy, catching just one Arctic Hare would be worth it, and catching more than one would be a gain.
Without hesitation, Surin slowly crouched down, fixing his gaze on the nearby Arctic Hares. He decided to cut off the head and the body will fall, focusing first on capturing the leading male Arctic Hare.
Surin began to move forward slowly. The Arctic Hare group was clearly on alert. They seemed to have heard something, their ears perked up, looking around warily. The leading male Arctic Hare was especially vigilant, constantly glancing in Surin's direction.
It seemed this was the animals' innate sense of danger. However, Surin was well hidden, his white fur blending almost perfectly with the snow, making him difficult to spot.
He remained perfectly still, waiting patiently. The Arctic Hares, noticing nothing unusual, resumed eating the moss. Surin then inched forward again, stopping, then moving again, repeating the process. After some time, he finally reached a spot less than thirty meters from the Arctic Hare group.
Fortunately, there was a bush providing some cover; otherwise, the alert Arctic Hares would have already noticed him. Surin began to focus, gathering his energy. Thirty meters—at his speed, and considering the reaction time of the male Arctic Hare—was more than enough.
He planned to kill with one strike, taking down several Arctic Hares before they had time to react, conserving more energy for chasing the rest.
Speed would decide everything!
Surin moved forward one more step, his entire body tensed, ready to strike. Still as a statue, he was poised to spring like a hare. But this time, Surin would be even faster than a hare!
A white blur, like lightning, shot towards the unsuspecting male Arctic Hare, still grazing.
"Awooo!" Surin howled, accelerating even more.
The male Arctic Hare noticed at a distance of ten meters. Surin let out a long howl and sped up. The male Arctic Hare began to flee in panic, but with Surin's calculated approach and superior speed, the hare stood no chance of escaping his deadly grasp.
As he closed in, Surin leapt into the air, revealing his sharp wolf claws. Landing with a powerful blow, his claws struck the male Arctic Hare's neck with force. With 30 points of strength and an additional 60-speed bonus to his strike, not even a fully grown King of the Arctic Wolves could have withstood it.
With a crack, the male Arctic Hare’s neck shattered, and it collapsed onto the snowfield, twitching as blood flowed from its mouth and nose.
Wasting no time to admire his kill, Surin turned and pursued the remaining Arctic Hares. The rest of the group, already reacting, began to scatter in all directions. But several of the pups were too slow to escape.
Natural selection and survival of the fittest. Surin had no mercy, even for the pups. He pounced, breaking their spines with a swift swipe of his claws.
...
Half an hour later...
"Awooo!" Surin howled, his voice echoing across the snowfield, where scattered blood and Arctic Hare corpses marked the scene of an uneven battle.
