Corvi Nex

In a school on Neraacerarea , far away from thoughts of fighting, exploration, adventure and anything like that.  Not in this last week before finals.   "Can anyone tell me what is the apex predator on Grim Nathol ?"   One hand raised, to the side of the class.   "Mister Rondo?"   "The Death Ravens?"   "That is incorrect, read your manual again."  Another hand raised.   "Mister Rakniel?"   "The Grim ?  It has to be them, we only know of two species on that world..."   "Actually, no, they aren't, either.  There is no single apex predator in this scenario.  The apex predator in reality is a combat-bonded pair of Grim and Death Raven.  Individually, both are fearsome, but Grim are genetically bred for combat, and so are the Death Ravens, and the latter are trained from hatching to be combat companions for the Grim.  The bird's carrion-eater tendencies mean the Grim eats first, and the bird gets the leftovers."   More than one student turned green, the instructor continued.   "A large, but still under three kilo corvid, such as found on this world, is a nuisance to a large human in physical combat, just by itself.  Now consider, a Death Raven is anywhere from 5 to 10 kilos, and would not be undersized when compared to the largest of the local raptors, the White-Tailed Eagle."   "But..."   "That is by itself...  When you add in the fact that it has a Grim partner, a genetically enhanced killed machine, carrying all the modern weapons we're used to, and some Grim are pair-bonded to up to three Death Ravens, for distraction, intimidation, surprise and each can carry in flight anything up to the size of a wild fox.  Grouped into platoons of Grim, a 10 Grim, 15 Death Raven arrangement is common."   "Aren't Grim humanoids, why is this biology?"   "Becayse they are the only known predators in a constructed environment, their behaviour and population density tells us much about the place."   "What do they eat?  Those constructed environments can't have much to eat."   "They have extensive greenhouse installations, providing food, mostly grain, and often seeded with small rodents, rats and moles, but also rabbits, hares and groundhogs."   "And those are hunted for sport?"   "Sport, practice, just keeping the ravens fed, and the Grim have enough corvid dna in them to be able to adapt to a carrion diet if necessary.  Researchers keep asserting they found evidence of them eating humanoids, even cannibalism, but nothing's ever been confirmed.  A Murder of Death Ravens in the wild, often numbering in the hundreds, would not find a family of four anything but a light lunch."   This drew appropriate expressions of horror from the students, and no one said anything for a long while.