The sun had begun its setting by the time Gro'Bur returned. For his efforts, the expressive goblin had netted himself a small multitude of the same bugs, and even half a shrew. He scampered back with them all carried within his arms.

On my end, I had managed to use the sharp rocks to saw through several vines creeping along the trees and the ground. Carrying them to the site wasn't impossible, though by the time I was done my whole body was so devoid of energy that I couldn't even jiggy.

I had found a spot between a group of trees, each a metre or so apart. The edged stones carved a small groove into each of the trees, allowing me to slot several long, curved branches resting on them.

With the skeleton of a tent ready, the next step involved draping the cut vines over them like a curtain. Each vine made the branches creak a little, but they were of sturdy stock, and didn't seem like they’d break anytime soon. When the curtains were ready, I had to take a short break to catch my breath. I was quickly getting used to this body of mine, with its curved spine and weak fingers.

By the time the last vine was put in place, my lungs were practically on fire, but Project Shelter was complete. Sort of. There wasn’t any roof as yet, but with how there was supposed to be a fire pit within it, I didn’t intend to accidentally asphyxiate myself with smoke.

I was already in the shelter, hitting two of what I hoped was flint against each other. A small hole , roughly ten centimetres deep, had been dug and surrounded by the rest of the stones from my stash. Within sat a few leaves and branches that would be sufficient as fuel. Wood shavings had been carved off to serve as tinder.

Eventually, a few lucky sparks caught the tinder at a right angle. Gro’Bur started his dance the moment the fire got going, even adding a couple of new moves to the mix. I wasn't that much of a dancer, but it was definitely tempting to join in. The effort it took to build this small clearing wasn't small after all.

We were in no way safe or secure, but in the darkness, with a fire and a place to call home, it felt like a celebration was required. I speared the critters on twigs slowly grilling them above the fire like marshmallows.

Cooking the insects and critters that Gro’Bur had caught proved to be a wise choice. The bitter grasshoppers became muted with fire, and the gooey substance from the centipedes actually turned sweet when heated. But the real icing on the cake turned out to be the shrew. I had slowly roasted the carcass for roughly five minutes, allowing the skin of the animal to char.

The very moment I tore into my half of the meal however, I fully understood why my father had begged the Knowing One. The thin morsel tasted absolutely divine, far better than any Michelin star cuisine I had eaten before. The meat was tough and stringy, but somehow my goblin taste buds made it taste delicious.

By the end of the cooked feast, the both of us lay within the shelter, bellies relatively full and happy.

“Son, fire. More better. Always better.” chuckled Gro’Bur, his round belly now even more obvious. Laying on his back, he gave a soft burp while a contented smile crept across his face. His eyes were already beginning to droop and it didn’t take long for him to begin snoring away.

I didn’t disagree. Compared to the raw bugs I ate in the morning, cooking the critters made them at the very least, tasteless. I sat up before sleep could take me like it took Gro’Bur. A bunch of unused vines sat curled up in a corner, which I promptly pulled towards me. Project Food was settled by my father, and I believed I had worked on Project Shelter long enough to switch tasks.

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One which I was honestly unsure how to get started. I had envisioned a spear made from stone and wood that would easily trump the weapons found within the cave. It wasn’t their fault at all, nor the Knowing One’s that I was thrown out. I had obviously broken the rules of the tribe by lying about a name.

What was a name even here? Naming myself obviously wasn't an option. That meant that it was something to be earned, which only left the question: How? Perhaps one needed to perform a feat, or a hunt. It was something that I would likely have to attain throughout my time here.

My attempt at a spear failed spectacularly. The vines I had curled round the branch failed to properly secure the rock to the branch, and the combination fell apart easily. I tried and failed once more. Grinding my teeth in frustration, I gave the experiment more thought. I needed some way to defend myself, but evidently I didn’t have the means as of yet.

Throwing the attempt away, I crept outside to get a breath of fresh air. Although roofless, smoke had still managed to fill up the small shelter. I tried to clear my mind by listening to the ambient sounds around me. Gro’Bur’s snores could still be heard from behind the plant curtain, together with the multitude of insects calling and chirping around our surroundings.

My thoughts drifted to my wife. I wasn’t even sure if she was taken with me to this strange land, or if the goblins within the cave even had her. Among all the corpses within the compound, none had looked even remotely human.

If Lynn had come with me, she would have fought and screamed her way throughout had they tried to take her alive. Thinking that I was brought alone to this place gave small comfort, as well as a sharp pang of anxiety that lingered in my mind.

I wasn’t sure why I was here, wherever here was, nor why I now inhabited the body of a goblin. At my age, the idea of reincarnating to another world had long been replaced with concerns about daily life and having a family. If Lynn wasn’t here, then I needed to get back asap. That, and find a way to turn human again. I doubted she’d enjoy how I looked right now, green skin and all.

So engrossed in my thoughts was I, that I completely missed the boar-like creature trotting up to the shelter. It was only when I heard it snort next to me that I jumped up on reflex. It had a thick brown hide that covered it’s large frame, and from its head grew a curved white horn.

Two tusks grew from its snout, resulting in a creature that looked more like a three-pinned plug than an animal. There was a fairly noticeable crack on it’s forehead horn, most likely a wound from a previous battle.

Despite it’s intimidating appearance, the creature had shown no aggression to me, even deigning to sniff me once or twice before losing interest. It appeared more engrossed in the remainder of the food we had cooked in the firepit. Shifting aside the thick vines as though they were spiderwebs, the boar trotted in nonchalantly. A thin tongue protruded from its snout, managing to snatch up a fallen grasshopper with surprising ease.

Gro’Bur had chosen that time to wake up, though I was quick enough to cover his mouth and stifle the scream he gave.

“No scream, Father! No hunt! Pig, friend. ” I pleaded.

Personally I wasn’t sure if the creature was a friend or not. What I did know was that due to my lapse in focus, I had allowed it into the camp. If it decided to make a ruckus, the entire site would be wrecked in no time.

So far though, the pig-monster had been content to simply eat the scraps within the firepit. It eyed the fire itself warily, but the thin tongue continued to snatch up the bugs one after another. I could hear Gro’Bur whine through my fingers as he watched the beast swallow each hard-earned bug.

After ravaging the entirety of our food stock, it gave a loud burp and like my father, it too laid down next to the fire and closed its eyes. Snores soon followed, while us goblins looked at each other with more than a little confusion at our next move.