Rex ruffled the large dog's head.

"Who's a good boy -"

"Yes, you are - yes, you are."

The dog looked striking similar to a Saint Bernard. It's fluffy drooping ears complimented its large head. The adorable thing wagged its tail with its tongue hanging out. It nuzzled up to Rex lovingly, it was strangely friendly towards a stranger it had never met before.

"I think I'll name you Nibbles."

It glanced up at me. The creature seemed to understand me at some level, since it got even more energetic, and started jumping up and down in excitement.

"Are you that excited to have a new name?"

Rex could have sworn Nibbles nodded his head a little there.

Well, it wouldn't be strange to think that dogs in this world have fully developed minds… though he doubted it would be excited over a stupid name like Nibbles.

Rex grabbed his spear, unsheathing it from the ground.

"Alright let's find a way out of this place together."

***

Rex and Nibbles searched through the whole forest, trying to find a way to escape. But just like his previous attempts, there wasn't anything that looked like an exit.

I'm tired of seeing the same old trees. Where's the wildlife, rivers, crickets…anything.

"It's not like you would know the way out, do you Nibbles?" Rex asked the dog.

Nibbles titled its head, confused.

"Well, I wasn't expecting much." Rex sighed, leaning on his spear.

"I should have confirmed you were a girl earlier. But I guess Nibbles will have to do. You were named after my precious pet after all..."

Rex had to talk; he had to keep talking.

"He was a lazy little thing. Liked to sleep a lot but ran around like crazy if you put a lettuce in front of it. You couldn't feed it iceberg lettuce tho, that would cause digestive problems."

The dog walked with Rex leisurely. It sporadically sniffed the ground sometimes and sometimes just started circling around me playfully. He kept away from the spear; a bit wary of the sharp glint.

"You guys could have been good friends. I wish I could let you see him."

*Woof* *pant-pant*

"Yeah, me too."

"But he isn't with us anymore you see… I guess you could say he had a fatal weakness. He was too free-spirited to let our training actually discipline him."

She barked at Rex twice and ran off, she came back soon enough though.

"Yes - your totally right, you don't need any training at all. Your already perfect just the way you are." Rex smiled at the dog reassuringly.

" Anyway, back to what I was saying. Uhh… Oh yeah! " Rex slapped his spear.

"My dad loved his sandwiches you see, he's just like me in that regard. He would sometimes spend a good part of the day just preparing an elaborately well-made sandwich. "

"He would make the dough from scratch, leaving it to rise the previous day and baking it the next."

Rex's stomach rumbled; his mouth was stone dry. Counting the time, he spent at the church and the blue forest, he had already gone a full day without anything to eat or drink.

"My mouth is watering just thinking about those damn sandwiches."

"Well one of these delicious sandwiches that my dad had so painstakingly made - a beef bacon with fried egg and guacamole Reuben - had been left on the kitchen counter since he had an emergency at work."

Rex played with a stick he found on the ground, throwing it as far as he can. He watched as Nibbles ran back and forth, fetching it for him.

"By the time my sister and I found him, half of it was already gone, he had his face buried in the rest of it with a comically large stomach. He was barely moving… or breathing."

"We rushed him to the veterinary… but it was too late."

"Turns out avocados - which is primary ingredient in guacamole - is very poisonous for a guinea pig, especially in large doses."

"And that how I lost my first pet, we never bought any other pets after that."

Nibbles rubbed its head on my leg. It's tail drooping slightly.

Is it trying to comfort me?

Rex patted her head affectionately.

"You don't have to worry about it Nibbles. That was a very looong time ago, I barely even remember it."

I crouched and cradled its large chest.

"I have you now, and you are the cutest most bestest friend ever."

Nibbles started licking my face, her saliva glistening off my face.

"Hahaha, stop your tickling me" Rex playfully tried to get Nibbles off of him, put she continued her relentless pursuit.

They laid down on an empty patch of grass they found, falling slowly asleep together, with the fluffy dog in his arms and his face buried in her smooth and silky coat. They slept soundly, with their stomachs empty and hearts full.

***

Two days passed; the sun had risen well above their heads. The gentle sunlight along with a nice breeze, made for good weather. Rex had a hard time noticing that fact, especially with his stomach screaming for something to eat and his mouth so dry, his tongue could be used as flint for a campfire.

At least give me something to drink, you fucking tree. He kicked it in frustration.

Nibbles also started barking up the tree like it was her mortal enemy.

Gahhh! I might just start chewing on those damn blue leaves. If I squint hard enough, they look blue pancakes… might be poisonous though.

When clouds started filling the sky and blocked out the overhead sun, Rex tried his best not to get his hopes up. He didn't want them to be shattered and be left even more miserable.

But the joy he felt when those handsome dark clouds trickled its first drop of rain on his face, paled in comparison to his first nut.

"Nibbles, look! Rain, wonderful and delicious rain." Nibbles didn't hear him; she was too busy sticking her tongue out collecting the rain.

The rain slid of his clothes. He expected to get his socks wet but they still stayed dry somehow.

Are they waterproof somehow?

Rex removed his trench coat and made a kind of makeshift bag to collect the rain. He waved it about trying to collect as much rain as possible.

Then he took a hearty drink.

Tears filled his eyes as the rain finally filled his mouth and finally wetted his tongue.

After getting his fill of the rejuvenating elixir he took Nibbles by her paws and danced his happy little dance in the rain. He moved her limbs up and down alternatively and circled around the rain.

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"Ahh! This is the life isn't it, bathing in a tropical paradise with the most beautiful girl in the world with me."

*Woof* Nibbles agreed.

Rex giggled. It was the first time in a long time that he had felt such joy.

Eventually, they settled down and the rain subsided. The clouds cleared up and the bright sun shone through.

Rex had already collected another bag.

It's too bad I don't have anything proper to collect water with. But this make-shift water bag will do for now. Rex thought, holding up the drenched makeshift water bag, it surprisingly didn't spill or filter through the fabric.

Nibbles went off looking for some new sticks to play with, and Rex decided to practice with his spear. He didn't know any moves, so he just practiced a simple thrust.

The much-needed water had made him forgot about his empty stomach, but the hunger crawled back in after a few sessions of training. Nibbles eventually came back with some dirty stick in her jaws.

So, they played fetch for a bit.

But even Nibbles was starting to feel the hunger settle in. She got tired too quickly and rested with her head in my lap.

How did she even survive before I came here? Did she come through another entrance?

"Hey, Nibbles." Rex said, holding the large dog's head in his hand and looking her in the eyes.

"Can you tell me how you got here?" Rex then tried to simplify what he was saying.

"This place with many trees, you got inside how?" He made many hand gestures and exaggerated expression to get at least some of the message across.

Nibbles moved her head away from Rex's arms and walked to the side. Rex thought he failed in getting the message across, when she suddenly bolted out of the rest area.

"Wait, not so fast Nibbles!" Rex tried to shout after her, but she kept running.

Rex grabbed his spear just in case and bolted after her.

I hope this isn't some stupid prank, or I'll be really pissed if she's making me waste so much energy; we're already running on fumes.

Rex ran after her, he could her bark whenever he lost her in his line of sight. They made many sharp turns - left, right then left again twice. Rex had lost any idea of where they were going and how to get back to their resting spot.

I'll just have to trust in her this once. Rex told himself.

After an hour of fast paced jogging and they finally reached some kind of new area. There were less trees here, more shrubs and wild plants.

Finally, I was getting tired of seeing blue leaves everywhere.

Rex was sweating profusely, his black tunic sticking to his body.

Shit. I forgot the water bag.

*Woof* Nibbles barked.

"I'm coming -" Rex panted, breathing heavily. He tiredly walked towards where he heard her bark.

He walked through a large bush, stumbling through some fallen sticks before he finally reached a clearing.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Water! lots and lots of fresh water" Rex exclaimed in delight.

A vast river flowed from the left to right, its bank was part pebbles and sand when you got closer to the river. It was a refreshing sight.

"We've struck gold Nibbles."

*Woof* She barked and raised her paw cutely.

He ran up to her and tackled her in a bear hug.

"And its all thanks to you" Rex nuzzled into her coat.

"Is this where you came from?" The dog didn't reply, instead choosing to lick his face.

"Maybe this river connects to the ocean, and she came from there? But… how can she survive on water. Last I checked dogs were land mammals, that is unless she came on a magic boat or something."

"You wouldn't know anything about a magic boat, would you Nibbles?"

*Woof* She answered absentmindedly while digging into the sand.

Rex knelt beside the river and cupped his hands to drink the water. He drank as much as he could, until his belly burst even. Nibbles joined him to the side, slurping it with her long tongue as well.

"We'll stay close to the river from now on nibbles, we'll move upstream and try to find the source. The ocean hopefully."

Nibbles howled in agreement, rejoicing at their triumphant success of finding a water source.

"Still, would have appreciated this a bit earlier bit though. I did literally think I was about to die of thirst."

Nibbles whined and dropped her ears slightly.

"Its fine." Rex patted the large dog's head lovingly, he couldn't stay annoyed for long, looking into those eyes.

"We're here now, together."

*Woof*

***

Rex followed the river upstream, trying to find the ocean or larger reservoir of water that it originates from.

That's where Nibbles, came from… probably.

Days passed quickly, tracking along the river. He was able to sustain himself with the fresh water from the river, but the hunger kept gnawing on him and piling up. It had already been a week since he first came to this blue forest. He already adapted somewhat, he would gather leaves and sand to sleep near the riverbed.

The biting cold of the night, made him regret leaving his trench coat at their first base, but he couldn't find the way back no matter how he looked. The blue forest was an inescapable maze, only Nibbles knew how to navigate it to an extent and that too was only limited to finding the river.

With not much to eat, Rex only had to visit the toilet once in his time here. And it was the most uncomfortable experience he had.

He was too used to comfy toilet seats and double ply tissue paper, so when he had to take a dump in the forest he was mortified. He tried to hold it in for days, but eventually gave in by digging a hole in the sand and dunking one in there. He tried using some leaves to wipe his, but one of thorns scraped his ass and started bleeding slightly. Nevertheless, Rex put his flared trousers back on and tried his best to ignore the discomfort.

These clothes are amazing, they haven't stank a bit even after a week of wearing them. They definitely have some magical property related to self-cleaning.

He sometimes practiced a simple thrust with his spear but had to stop when the sessions started taking too much energy. He realized he never actually benefited from the training, he just needed something to keep his mind of the pain of hunger. He would still play with Nibbles often, even when he was tired. But even he could see the obvious signs of hunger, she was shedding fur practically every other day and her body had become much leaner.

Most dogs die from not eating from five days, I can survive for maybe a month max with water. But I don't think she would survive that long.

They continued to trek along the river.

***

Another week passed.

Rex barely had the energy to move, but he continued. He couldn't stay still for a second or he didn't think he would have the energy to move anymore.

He already knew somewhere in his heart that the river followed the same principles as the forest, that it was inescapable and continuous.

But he had to do something, and the river was the only thing that gave a sense of direction.

"C-Can you… still mough Nibbles" Rex croaked weakly.

*Whimper* Nibbles let out a weak cry, unable to properly respond. She was even slower than me now, barely able to move.

As if they had both come to a unanimous decision, they both stopped and plopped heavily on the ground.

Ahh, I give up. He glanced at the spear in his hands.

I don't care anymore.

He crawled over to Nibbles; he patted her fur and hugged her tightly. Then reaching for his spear he made a slight cut on his hand.

Rex never had the courage to do something like this before, but hunger and hopelessness had broken him.

He showed his palm to Nibbles, crimson blood flowing viciously. It slowly dripped from his hand and into the sand.

"Drink my blood and survive." The dog stared at my hand in a daze for a minute, but then it turned its head away refusing to look at it again.

He dropped his spear and used his other hand to make the dog look at him.

"One of us is going to die, no matter what. And I want it to be me." He said clearly, gathering his limited energy.

He made the dog open it maw and forcefully shoved his hand inside its mouth. The blood trickled into his tongue and the dog didn't resist.

After a few seconds, as if overtaken by made desire. It's moved its bony body and started madly licking it. It didn't stop there its tongue traced the outline of my body, as if savoring a delicacy.

"You can eat my body after I die." As if it perfectly understood his words, the dog started gnawing on Rex's side. Rex removed his black tunic for him and let the dog gnaw on the right side of his stomach.

At first it only bit me lightly and then it fully used the full power of its jaws to clamp on my flesh. Its sharp canines pierced my body and jerking its head with surprising force, it tore a sizable chunk of my flesh.

Aghghhghghg. It hurts! Memories flooded, the sharp glint of Jake's knife before it pierced his belly. The incredible slow and agonizing pain before he died, he vividly remembered it all.

As if he had been in a daze along, Rex's head cleared.

I don't want to die; I really don't want to die. I still have so much to accomplish. I need to get my revenge and I need to get back to my world.

"Nibbles STOP!" Rex screamed.

"I don't want to do this anymore."

"I WANT TO LIVE!"

*Growl* Nibbles snarled at him; it couldn't hear him anymore. It was overcome with a mad blood frenzy.

Rex looked into its eyes, it wanted to eat him - to devour him.

Nibbles lunged at Rex, and he rolled to the side. He got up with great difficulty.

*Groan* The blood leaking from his stomach almost made him faint but the adrenaline kept him moving.

Nibbles was circling around him now; Rex placed his body in front of the spear.

She shouldn't be able to see it.

"Calm down Nibbles."

"This isn't you, come back to me. We can find a way out of this place together."

It stared at me with bloodshot eyes, saliva dripped continuously from her jaws, and she licked the splattered remains of my blood on the sand.

It's too far gone.

Nibbles charged at Rex; her bony body renewed with energy form his limited offerings.

In a split second her gaping maw was already in front of Rex, her sharp canines glistening in the morning sun.

Without thinking, He grabbed his spear and performed the only move he knew.

A simple thrust.

Rex felt a slight resistance, but the sharp tip of the spear pierced through the dog with ease.

It struggled, hanging from the air as its body jerked. But, then the light in its eyes slowly went out and its limp body went stiff.

Rex stumbled back horrified, falling onto the ground.

[You have gained a level]

[Acquired skill - Recovery(E)]