With everyone finally resolved to see the hunt through to the end, the group of hunting students set out with Rierdan and the Blackfire Hound in the lead, looking for and finding traces of the bleeding tiger.
The drops of blood the tiger left behind as it moved were few and far between, and the distance grew while the size of each drop shrank. But the blood wasn't the only trail it left behind in its hasty retreat. They just made it easier for the Blackfire Hound to track it.
The Blackfire Hound looked for the blood with its sensitive nose, and around the drops of blood, Rierdan and the others looked for physical traces of the tiger's passing like paw prints, scratches from its claws when it leaped from branches, and strands of fur caught on prickly thorns.
The tiger was a stealthy hunter that could go unnoticed as it lurked around its prey before launching an ambush when its target least suspected it.
But it wasn't experienced with covering up its tracks.
The tiger was a predator in a world where predators hunted and prey was hunted. It hadn't been hunted before.
It was only natural it didn't think to cover its tracks. It was only a matter of time before Zach and the others gained on the tiger.
They were humans. Persistence hunters. The tiger relied on its explosive strength and speed when hunting. It didn't have the right kind of endurance to continue moving for hours and hours on end. It also needed to eat, rest, and tend to its wound.
Zach and the others could eat while they walked. They weren't injured. They could walk for an entire day without stopping if necessary. And with the threat of the tiger still sharp in their hearts, Zach and the others were more than willing to walk without rest.
It was to the point where Nessa's C-rank Snakelong Millipede started lagging behind. The other familiars were strong or could rest on their masters, like Rierdan's Runic Moss Butterfly or Violina's Ice Spirit.
The Snakelong Millipede was also carrying all their luggage. It was understandable that it couldn't keep up with the tiger or Zach and the others.
This put them at a crossroads. They couldn't leave the Millipede or Nessa behind while chasing the tiger for obvious reasons. But if the Millipede continued dragging them down, they might lose this chance of pursuing the tiger and chasing it into exhaustion.
Still, they decided to take a break while coming to a unanimous decision. It was a well-needed one, and the students felt the build-up of fatigue simmer inside their bodies like mold.
Forcing themselves to go on while relying on a sense of anger, vindication, revenge, and need for survival had led to them ignoring their exhaustion. If they found the tiger , they wouldn't be able to raise much resistance. They would be completely reliant on their familiars, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing since their familiars were reliable.
But they would need all the power they could get, even if it was something as inconsequential as Anerias glaring at the tiger or Dukiel trying to hit it with a stick.
Zach and the others picked through their remaining provisions and sat in silence while eating and letting their familiars keep watch.
'Was it really that rough?'
Zach looked at the others with slight confusion. He understood why they needed to take a break since the Snakelong Millipede wasn't the only one tired. But were they so tired they needed to eat with their eyes closed and leaning against the trees like they were about to fall asleep?
Zach wasn't that tired. Sure, he happily accepted the rest. But he could keep going for at least a few hours.
What made Zach's frown deepen was that Dukiel was noticeably more tired than the others. It shouldn't have been that much of a difference when he had been active with various jobs and the life of a commoner before attending the Academy.
Anerias and Violina had received training since they were from reputable noble families. It even seemed like Violina had received combat training. But both Rierdan and Nessa seemed more like the bookish, indoorsy type. Still, they were holding on better than Dukiel, even though Dukiel was an A-rank, though Zach didn't know if that mattered.
Zach tilted his head and looked at his classmates. The only thing he could say for certain was that Dukiel was worse off than the others, even if he didn't seem to be in a poorer physical condition.
He wondered if Dukiel was more stressed or worried and that was what was affecting him. But he just seemed exhausted, and he was still just breathing heavily without looking too worried or scared.
'Maybe he didn't sleep well.'
Zach shrugged and put that out of his mind as he looked into the forest. He wondered how far away the tiger was and what it was doing.
But then his gaze sank, and he saw something move among the bushes. It wasn't so much as something as Zach looked at it, which made it move.
A dagger flew at Zach's face. It was quick, but it was a reaction to Zach noticing it, so Zach had time to cast a barrier in front of him and block the dagger. Yanael flashed behind Zach and blocked another two daggers from hitting him.
Zach had gotten used to casting flat barriers to save energy and make them harder that he left himself open to attacks from other directions. He quickly put himself and his classmates, who were waking up due to the ruckus, inside a large dome, leaving Yanael on the outside.
He protected and she attacked, pursuing the attackers who tried to assasinate him.
Yanael was a little worried about leaving Zach behind when there were unknown attackers who evaded her detection in addition to the tiger. But he had already shown that his shield could stop the tiger's movements, even if only momentarily.
She trusted him. And it would be fine so long as she didn't take too long.
Yanael's wings and halo came out and she turned into a golden, frenzied light flashing through the forest.