>>5398161>>5398163>>5398164>>5398165>The fresh bud thrashes wildly, churning the waters around it. Its side is torn, its fin is tattered, and one tongue is missing its tip. The pincers are closing in and there is no escape. It is doomed.The Flounder Feeders have developed a crude and simple pack mentality. Initially, the Double Mouthers had great success in their resurgence but over an incredible length of time, the constant consumption of lone Flounder Feeders caused the previously rare Flounder Feeders attracted to the smell of their species to become the majority. Now, the Flounder Feeders cluster together into small packs of two to four and solitary individuals are rare, overwhelmingly freshly-burst Flounder Feeders that haven’t grown enough to avoid being snatched and eaten by their larger relatives. In them, selfish gorging and opportunistic cannibalism when food is slim are the standard but grouping together has allowed them to consume Lump Grazers that might’ve escaped a lone predator and to defend themselves from the Double Mouthers. Conflict is still tilted in a grown Double Mouther’s favour due to its size and speed but they are far less one-sided, and the Double Mouther surge has slowed to a crawl.
After strong natural selection to avoid spreading cancer to their offspring, the Double Mouthers have evolved to disconnect their buds almost as soon as they’re self-sufficient. This has caused a reduction in cancer in the Double Mouther’s population but their young are far more vulnerable than their adults and the Flounder Feeder packs have taken vicious advantage. Unluckily, these half-grown Double Mouthers mature even faster than the Flounder Feeders do so they’re only an uncommon but much metaphorically anticipated encounter.
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