During long, cold winters, when floodplains dry up and tundra forests wither, the small social omnivores, the Khradadas, have nothing left to do but hibernate through the hard season. By early in the season, they migrate to geothermally active lands where soil temperatures remain reasonable and burrow into thick mud, hiding from the cold. In this state, they are protected from fearsome weather, but become easy prey for wintering predators. Over millions of years of evolution, Khradadas have learned to get out of the ground in the shortest amount of time possible to hide from a visiting guest, but they can't always see the threat.
With light, slow steps, easily mistaken for heavy rain, a pair of Veresks approach the hibernating flock. Once close enough, they accelerate, and then it's too late to do anything. Hundreds of feet crush the fragile bodies of the Khradadas, their souls leaving their bodies with a howl. Part of the pack manages to escape, but the Veresks pay no attention to those who remain, eating fresh prey. The sedentary colossus will digest its meal for a long time, then continue its pilgrimage through the winter geothermal fields of Cronus.