As the leader continued digging, his movements became frantic and silent. After a few moments, he finally stopped and stared down at the dark pit he had carved into the earth.
Then he looked up at the Flufftar. "Hey—Kestin! Hand over the Blood Seed."
Kestin was hurriedly gathering the last of the camp's supplies, all four arms moving in a blur. Without thinking, he shoved one of his hands into his pack, pulled out the seed, and tossed it toward the leader.
The moment the object left his hand, the leader's eyes widened in sheer horror. "YOU DUMBASS!!!"
The leader dove to the side, his human hands and mechanical hook scraping the dirt as the seed struck the ground just inches from him.
"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!!!"
Kestin froze, all four of his ears pinning back against his head as he realized what he had just done. "Oh shit—sorry Boss! I forgot about the blood in Blood Seed…"
The leader stared at the object lying in the dirt, his chest heaving. "You four-armed hazard of a vern…"
Carefully—very carefully—he picked up the Blood Seed and placed it into the hole. He buried it halfway, leaving part of it exposed to the night air. The visible portion resembled a sharp, jagged shard, pulsing faintly with a dark, rhythmic crimson glow.
The Vescrin, his hand now a thick bundle of blood-stained bandages, watched with mounting curiosity. "So why don't we just kill it?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure the three of us could take that thing."
The leader ignored the question at first, meticulously patting the dirt around the pulsing seed. "You idiot! You can't kill it now! It just took a bite out of you!"
He looked up at the towering creature, his expression grim. "Do you have any idea how tough your chitin is?"
The Vescrin shrugged his massive shoulders. "Well yeah… but it just took part of my hand. No big deal. It'll grow back in a day or two."
The leader's expression twisted in pure disgust. "No. You're not thinking." He pointed a trembling finger toward the darkness where the creature lurked. "That thing evolves faster than almost any creature out there."
His voice dropped to a low, terrifying whisper. "And guess what, genius? It just took a big chunk of your hand."
He stared into the night, his eyes reflecting the faint, bloody pulse of the seed. "Imagine what it's going to evolve into after a meal like that..."