I know I'm at the very bottom of the food chain, but now I'm even thinking that maybe I'm below the grass too. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the grass were a massive monster that is resting.

In any case, the prairie reminded me once again how vulnerable I am. Well, I already knew it, but my subconscious still holds a ray of hope, it refuses to accept that my situation is so precarious. It's like when you know your partner is cheating on you but pretend ignorance until, well, they have a child in that other relationship; then you have no choice but to accept it. That's exactly how I feel right now.

I was perplexed to have seen myself in the place of the rat. One of my biggest problems is that I tend to overthink things, so the image kept swirling in my head. I was so absorbed in my thoughts as I watched the blue stains on the grass that I completely forgot about the ponies and the fact that my skill depended on the fruits for its functioning, so as was obvious [Snooper] was deactivated.

I could look for more fruit to continue the night watch, but honestly, I didn't feel like it was the right time for it.

My mind is in an unstable state and I don't know what other surprises the night might give me. I am mentally weak and the previous scene was enough to cloud my thoughts, besides my stomach feels very full, I don't want to exceed my own capabilities; after all, anything could end my life. I just lay down on the rooftop to observe the river of stars in the sky.

The idea was to fall asleep, but with the tangle of things in my mind, I couldn't stop thinking about absurd things that hadn't crossed my mind before. Knowing myself, it will surely be a long night. Well, amidst those absurd thoughts, some worrying questions arose, such as:

What if the air in this place is not suitable for me to breathe and it is slowly killing me?

I am ignorant, I am completely unaware of my environment and how it works; I could be poisoning myself without even knowing it. Though, with the reconstruction Danamus subjected me to, that issue should have been resolved, so maybe I'm just being overly dramatic, but it's a valid fear, I think.

I honestly don't know how to feel. Ever since I was almost killed by a goat I knew this place was dangerous for me, but seeing how fiercely the goats fought to protect their herd only to lose one of their young. Seeing how the one who was initially the predator fled from its prey with a strong will to live despite its failure, and how its own kind didn't care at all and ate it, affected my mood.

Something I must highlight is that I'm sure it wasn't a coincidence that all four of them were there. Clearly, they knew there was someone wounded and went straight to him.

Death is part of the cycle of life and if I want to be at the top of that chain, I have to adapt and climb high enough so it doesn't affect me, but that's exactly why I'm worried about the brutality this place is showing. If a worm sees the fight between two roosters, it will think the world is terrifying.

Right now, I'm that worm that got traumatized after observing a small corner of that world called the prairie. Even now, I can hear animals battling to survive. Roars, bellows and wails echo throughout the area, which could well be from the prey or the predator.

Although, at this point I'm doubting whether it's delimited that way, if there's really a predator as such or if each animal just eats what it can. Which leads me to ask myself some questions.

If the goats had killed the rat, would they have eaten it?

Did the deer that attacked me do it because it wanted to eat me?

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Was I mistaken to think that the herd was seeking revenge for the death of their comrade, when in fact it was a hunt and I was the prey?

Regardless of these questions, one thing is for sure: animals are much stronger than me, that's a fact. But if even they who are strong, battle so fiercely for survival day after day and yet it's not enough, then what awaits me? I mean, they are natives, they are adapted to this kind of environment, but on the other hand, I don't even know where I am.

"I need a break"

I need to calm down or my head will make the problem bigger than it really is. I must put the brakes on my mind because even though I got valuable information, I'm only focusing on the negative. Surely tomorrow, with more calmness, I'll be able to process everything better and make the most of this experience, or at least that's what I hope.

In any case, I'm full, the weather is perfect and the view of the sky is ideal to calm the mind, although on the other hand I wish I had a mute button to silence the prairie. Hearing the wailing just makes me imagine that a life is being lost right now and if not for these ruins, that life could be mine.

I tried to sleep for the remainder of the night, but it was impossible to fall asleep. The images of recent events are still very vivid in my mind, and it's not that I'm disgusted; after all, it's part of nature. But the fight was so fierce and organized that it makes me question my own existence and whether I will be able to live peacefully from now on, or if every day will be a constant battle to avoid becoming a snack.

Morning came and I was still awake. My mind was flooded with questions and their possible answers, so my goal of resting was not fulfilled; in fact, I feel more overwhelmed than usual. Skipping sleep is never good, especially in my situation. I'm aware that I should ignore everything to some extent, since all I'm achieving is eroding my will, but I see no hope for my future, so it's inevitable.

All the scenarios I imagined during the night ended with me dead or relying on completely unreasonable luck. Maybe in the future, I'll remember these moments as fun, but then again, maybe that future won't exist.

"I can't stay here forever"

The wailing of the nocturnal animals was replaced by the cheerful singing of birds. I stood up and my eyes caught the sight of the prairie, which kept its usual neat image and even when I saw the place where the events happened the night before, there was no trace of what happened. The blood of the animals disappeared and although the conflict was fought with magic, there are no traces of the battle either.

"This is weird"

The place certainly maintains its pristine and magical image, but in my eyes, the events of the night overlap, creating a stark contrast between the cursed place where my life could be harvested like grass and the beautiful landscape ideal for a picnic. Yeah, it might be hypocritical of me to think this way until now. After all, I could imagine from the wails of the animals heard every night what was happening.

But it's one thing to imagine it and another to see it with your own eyes. When you imagine things, you always have the excuse of saying "I'm exaggerating things". But when you see it with your own eyes, that excuse disappears and you have to face reality no matter what it is.

"Mae, you just have to do what you can do"

For now, I will ignore the fact that the prairie disappeared the traces of the night as if it had eaten them. If the grass really turns out to be a beast or if this place turns out to be the stomach of an animal, it would be too much. Although if so, it would make sense that the sky looks like a crack, that is, the animal's crack, where it po-.

In any case, I need to stabilize my mental state and process the information I obtained to find a way to make use of it. Nothing has changed; my life is still at risk, it's just that now I'm a bit more aware of that fact, but I cannot afford to be reckless. Even a mosquito from this place could endanger my life. Maybe I'm being too dramatic, but I believe it is the right attitude, so today will be a recovery day.

In my eagerness to avoid danger I could put myself in danger, which would not be ideal, plus it would leave several questions regarding my intelligence. A calm mind allows you to be more focused, making it easier to grasp those small details and avoid those mistakes that you would normally overlook and that could later become big problems that are difficult to solve.

Or I just don't want to do anything today. That could also be a possibility. In any case, I will fulfill both purposes.

Even though there's no way of entertainment, killing time isn't difficult, as fortunately there's no rain or sun. So I can simply lie down on the ground and enjoy the peace and silence that is only available during the day. Clearing my mind, closing my eyes until I fall asleep, or just waiting for time to pass normally.