Starling took a big deep breath, the faint antiseptic air mixing with the distant tang of spices reminding them just how alien and strange this place was. They took a second to look inwards, to take stock of how they felt, activating [Physical Assessment] without even thinking. With their eyes closed, the skill projected an image of their body into their mind, showing them how tired and worn down they were.

I already knew that, but it’s nice to know I wasn’t confusing something more serious for tiredness.

It had been a long, strange, frightening and oddly wonderful day. Thoughts of their ‘death’, their strange stats and how close they had come to dying were being avoided with a conscious effort.

I just need a good sleep, to feel rested and I can properly take it all in.

As they thought about shelter, their mind drifted to a warm memory, hints of sourness at its edges. Walt stood in front of a slightly younger, more naive Starling in a forest clearing with a group of other familiar people. In front of each of them were piles of branches, rope and tarp. The people standing around Starling were out of focus in the memory, edited out. The only things that were clear were Walt and the tools and items in front of Starling. The memory was strong with feeling, and Starling had to accept it all to let it sit comfortably in their mind. Pride, fondness, excitement as well as shame, remorse and regret all flooded through them in a way that they really hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Alright folks,” he rumbled in his deep voice, bushy mustache vibrating as he spoke. The voice made the hairs on Starling’s arms rise as more emotions, harder to name and accept added to the tide the memory was bringing in. “This is it, if you want to sleep somewhere dry and reasonably warm tonight, you are going to have to build your own shelter. I am not doing it for you.”

Starling felt smug, sure of themself. They knew what to do here. It was literally page one of the survival guide ‘Building a shelter for your first night’. Without much hesitation, Starling began to go through the wood in front of them, looking for straight and strong but flexible branches and putting aside any that hinted of rot or damp. This was better, they could focus on the task at hand and the memories' emotional side wouldn’t be as strong.

At the same time as they did this in the memory, Starling knelt and started to go through the branches that were lying here on the rise, sorting them in the same way quickly but methodically, in a manner born from experience. It swiftly became apparent that some of these branches were ‘better’ than others. Because they were sorting them quickly, no status messages were appearing, but some of the branches felt warm to the touch, and invariably these were the straightest, the strongest and the ones in the best condition. It didn’t take long for Starling to have quickly sorted the pile into two stacks of viability.

“Already some of you are leaping ahead. Remember, a blind leap can lead to disaster, what do you need to do before you start building?” Walt’s voice broke through Starling excitement and brought them to the present.

Drainage, Wind Protection. The site is as important as the shelter itself.

Drainage was already taken care of, being on a rise meant that any water would head downhill without sitting and getting stagnant, the small spring here was already routed down and around the strange stones. Starling did a quick careful scout of the clearing, using [Environmental Awareness] and [Wilderness Navigation] together to confirm that the ground was solid, that there were no hidden creatures or dangers. Interesting to note, there weren’t any recent tracks through this clearing at all either. That meant that nothing was coming here to drink from the spring, and that whomever had left the pile of branches didn’t seem to be coming back for them.

Starling picked a dry, flat and sturdy spot near the trees, using them as a natural windbreak. There was a good view down the gentle slope from here. The only direction they couldn’t see was past the trees and uphill, but anything coming from that direction would need to come around them, so it wasn’t the biggest vulnerability. Feeling confident, they felt their mind go back to Walt’s lesson.

“All right, let’s see how sensible you all are” In Starling’s mind’s eye Walt wandered around this new campsite, the memory combining with what was actually happening in the real world. Walt started near the spring “Carter? Are you planning on swimming tonight? That's what's going to happen if you keep building here.” He wandered over to another spot, near the trees but further over from where Starling had sighted their potential camp. “Rameriez, why are you building under a dead branch? You don’t want to wake up tomorrow?”

Walt continued around the space, pointing out issues with every student's placement. Finally he approached the space Starling had picked out. They swelled with pride in anticipation of his approval.

“Good spot Starling, high ground, wind protection… But what’s going to happen when the spring swells? Look at where the water collects, see how it routes around the stones currently? See those marks on them? Those are water marks. Remember that water always finds the path of least resistance, that spring gets bigger.”

Starling stopped in shock, they were sure this was the perfect place to build but the memory of Walt was correct, and subconsciously they had flagged the issue. If they wanted to build a shelter here, at some point they were going to have to shore up the spring a little, to make sure that their new camp didn’t flood. At the back of their mind they felt their [Environmental Awareness] skill grow a little.

[Skill Level Increased: Environmental Awareness has reached Intermediate]

[Primary Attribute: Focus]

[Your understanding of environmental patterns deepens]

New Capabilities:

* - Enhanced ability to detect potential hazards

* - Better recognition of seasonal changes

* - Improved water pattern prediction

* - Long-term environmental tracking

* - Advanced terrain analysis

[Note: Past experience enhances pattern recognition]

[Note: Skill synergizes with Wilderness Navigation]

Taking the notes from Walt’s memory into account, Starling slightly moved their planned building spot to somewhere further from the stream's flood zone. They would at some point put a permanent fix in place but now distance would be their safety.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Walt continued his lesson as they worked.

“Alright, you all have a reasonably good site to start construction. Now you need to put together a shelter that will keep you warm, safe and out of the elements. Light is fading, and the temperature is dropping, so you can’t take too long with this.”

While Walt spoke Starling followed the instructions in their memory. Two of the branches were stripped of smaller growth and leaves and planted firmly in the ground. Starling was surprised how easy this was. The ground became soft and pliable as they pressed the end of the pole against it, making it easy to sink it in until it reached the required depth, then just as Starling was about to let go the pole became ‘locked’ into position, no longer easy to move at all. The other support pole behaved in the same way. Starling felt that they could remove these poles if they wanted to, but without a conscious effort to do so they would stay in place.

[New Skill Discovered: Basic Construction]

[Primary Attribute: Intelligence]

[The foundation of all shelter lies in proper support]

* - Enables basic structure creation

* - Foundation Aspect enhances material placement

* - Materials can be "locked" into optimal positions

* - Simple structures self-stabilize

[Note: Foundation Aspect greatly enhances effectiveness]

[Note: Skill synergizes with Environmental Awareness]

The locking mechanism is precise - like setting a tent pole but with perfect placement. Could be incredibly useful for emergency shelters.

Starling paused, a big difficult thought pushing its way through to the front of their mind.

If I can control it like this, rather than it running wild with no direction… Maybe I can build things that help other people without having to.. Without needing to be there when they use them.

The thought hit Starling like a physical blow. Their body reacted instantly, survival instincts kicking in before conscious thought could catch up. [Environmental Awareness] and [Wilderness Navigation] activated simultaneously, an unconscious response scanning for threats, for escape routes, for... what? There was no danger here except the thoughts in their own head.

Their heart hammered against their ribs, palms instantly slick with sweat, face flushed and burning. The same feelings as that day, when decisions and responsibility had... No. They forced the memory back down.

But the thought lingered, refusing to be dismissed. Building things that could help people, but from a safe distance. No direct contact. No immediate responsibility. No chance of... failure.

With a deep breath they clamped down on their response, slowing their heart, tempering their breathing. They carefully checked the support poles they had just planted in the earth, the ritual of inspection, confirmation and marking off a task grounding them once again. Their heart stilled. Their breath calmed. Peace returned.

Starling reflected back on the clearing they had fled earlier. All the wild changes that had occurred, how unnatural it had looked but how natural it had felt. The signs of habitation and visitation.

At the end of the day it was a safe place for people to rest… How could it be a bad thing for anyone? Me included?

The thought hung there, Starling unable to form an answer, until Walt pulled them back into their work through the memory.

The two poles that Starling had stripped and planted had been picked because of the ‘Y’ shape their branches had made at one end of each These made a good place to set a cross pole once they had been properly sited. Starling came back to the present to see that these two shapes had changed since the poles had been set, both increasing in size and featuring a smooth groove to lay a cross pole into.

Walt resumed speaking as Starling walked back to the pile for the cross pole candidate pile they had made earlier.

“Ok, now that you have your site, you have your supports, you need a good solid pole to act as a brace for your cover. This needs to be a dry, unrotten piece of wood, make sure you inspect it carefully - the last thing you want is for your shelter to collapse on you in the middle of the night.”

Normally, Starling would take the wood and run it through a series of tests to check its strength, bend, health… but just holding it they knew it was perfect. Or it *would* be perfect. Even as they held it in their hand the branch was subtly changing, getting straighter and smoother. On a whim Starling wrapped their hand around the top of the branch and pulled it gently down it, as they did the outer bark peeled away easily, revealing the wood beneath to be somehow naturally protected in a sheath of the red amber.

[Foundation Aspect Resonating]

[Material Enhancement Detected]

[Natural Optimization in Progress]

Analysis:

* * Materials evolve beyond natural limitations

* * Protective sap hardens into permanent coating

* * Core strength increases without loss of flexibility

* * Natural flaws self-correct

* * Living properties remain despite enhancement

[Note: Foundation Aspect responds to conscious direction]

[Warning: Materials may continue to improve over time]

Starling marveled at the resin coated pole and the System Message it had triggered. Working with the System, to create somewhere safe, was working really well. They were not surprised when they found the pole was the perfect size and shape to fit the ‘Y’ shaped holders, snapping into position and locking there with a fizz of their power.

The rest of the shelter came together quickly, Starling walked through the familiar steps of arranging the purple tinged leaves of the branches that still had them over one side for the frame at an angle so there was space underneath to crawl into and hide from the elements. Again the branches seemed to flow into each other, the leaves melding into their neighbours once they were locked in and creating a properly waterproof roof.

“Now remember, this isn’t a permanent shelter. Don’t get lazy and rely on it to keep you warm, dry and safe long term. Always be planning ahead. Always be preparing for the next challenge. You need water, food and shelter, in that order. So make sure you are looking ahead and deciding on your next steps.”

Walt was pacing around the strange carved stones as he lectured, driving home his points with his fist smacking his palm.

Starling yawned wearily. Putting this together had taken a lot out of them. Without fully realising it they had set aside a stick that served as a makeshift broom and they used to sweep the area under the Shelter free of dirt. Once it was clear they crawled into the space, snuggling into the enclosed area.

As their eyes grew heavy, Starling noticed how the geometric patterns in the ancient stones seemed to glow faintly in the purple twilight.

That’s strange, I have never seen stones glow like that. I wonder…

Starling’s thoughts were derailed by a yawn and they curled up tighter in their little shelter. Unlike their first shelter, this one felt... contained. Controlled. Their power hadn't run wild, hadn't tried to create more than they intended. Maybe it was the old stonework around them, or maybe they were learning to direct their abilities better.

They should check their status screen, examine everything that had happened today properly... but exhaustion was winning. Their last thought before sleep took them was how the stones' patterns reminded them of the way their power had locked the branches together, as if they were somehow speaking the same language. Then, Starling drifted off into a deep, heavy sleep, exhausted body finally winning the battle against their mind and pulling it into a restful unconscious.