As I awaken I find myself in a cave, the stench of rotting meat and an earthy damp scent invading my senses. I sit up and take in my surroundings. Around me lie skinny, green, and filthy humanoids. While most are still passed out on the damp cave floor, some of the more diligent creatures are already up and preparing for another day of hunting and foraging in the forest that lies beyond this cave.
I feel the sharp pangs of hunger in my abdomen. I stumble over sleeping forms on the floor of the poorly lit cave as I make my way over to the exit of the cave. None of the creatures pay me any mind whilst I slip out of the cave and into the cool dusk of the forest. My kind are nocturnal, we use the cover of night to ambush our prey and avoid any would-be predators. As I slink silently through the bushes, I carefully keep an eye out for any potential prey or dangers.
After a couple of hours, I finally catch a whiff of something. A powerful and musty scent of iron. Something is bleeding. Following the scent I find cloven tracks and splotches of blood on nearby trees and bushes heading towards the south. Carefully following the trail, I make sure to stay aware of any potential threat that might also be following the same tracks. As the trail becomes fresher, I begin to see the makings of a clearing with a brook bubbling through it.
Peering through the fronds of a bush on the edge of the clearing, I see it, a wounded doe. There is a deep wound stretching from it’s stomach to its thigh. It must have been separated from its herd in an attack from a wolf or maybe a human hunter. No matter what happened, it doesn’t matter. It is my prey now. The young doe carefully sips from the brook, knowing that is vulnerable in the clearing, but desperately needing water after its escape from its previous ordeal.
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Drawing my crude stone dagger from my cloth belt, I prepare to pounce on the fawn. About twenty-five feet away, it is wounded and too tired to continue - hardly a difficult prey. When it bends down to get another drink, I make my move. Rushing out of the bushes, I sprint towards my quarry. As I rush out, the doe hears the rustling and quickly attempts to bolt in the opposite direction, however, its wounds prove to be too much for it to handle and it stumbles and collapses on the ground. Falling to the ground it attempts to get back up, but it is too slow. As soon as I reach the creature I use my dagger to slice its neck, slitting the carotid artery.
Before the pitiful creature even bleeds to death, I quickly begin to devour the deer raw. My kind can wield the power of fire, and understands the benefits of cooking meat. However, out here it is dangerous to start a fire, and I am starving. Eventually, the doe bleeds out and stops moving. After eating until my stomach bulges, satisfied, I start to butcher the remaining meat on the deer. Taking as much as I can carry, I begin to make my way back to the cave that I call home.
When I eventually arrive back at the cave, I find the place in full-swing. People heading out to hunt, and some of them bartering for food and tools. Stepping past the vines concealing the entrance into the cave, they all see me. All of them see that I have meat, and a lot of it. They are unable to hide their covetous looks and the greedy glints in their eyes, but it doesn't go beyond that. As I begin to set up shop, they come up to me they offer odd-ends, berries, and weapons in exchange.
After a half hour, I’ve finished my trading and made off with a new dagger, who knows where he got it - maybe he looted it from a dead bandit or stole from an unsuspecting caravan, a shortbow, that was probably made for a human child but fits me quite snugly, some new clothing made up stitched together cloth, and also a variety of berries to snack on. Feeling invigorated after my obtaining my new gear, but still needing a rest after a long hunt I head over to my corner of the cave and hit the hay.