The Sun sat edging the eastern sky, the first golden rays of light shining down upon a sleeping world. Early morning fog hung low over the land, the tips of trees sticking out from beneath the white blanket, wet with the nights last dew and basking in the first light of a new day. Birds began to rouse from their slumber, preparing to leave the safe havens their nests provided in search of food.
Their dulcet tones ringing clear in the crisp morning air, singing to one another of the absence of the predators that called the night their home. As time moved forward and the fog slowly began to peel back against the heat of the sun more creatures began to stir and move. The once quite the landscape was now filled with life and a choir of noises all blending together and mixing until it was nearly impossible to discern one call from the next.
Slowly the Sun crept above the horizon in the East, far off in the depths of space where stars still shone, space began to bend and twist. Stars began to seemingly fold into one another or move apart, warping in a cosmic dance as if to defy all natural laws of the universe. A singular point a hundred million kilometers from Earth pulsated as wave upon wave of invisible energy roiled about crashing like waves upon the ocean sending the starry background into a cascade of shifting lights.
Bursting forth across the empty vacuum purple lightning began to silently strike at the singular point. Hundreds of thousands of lighting bolts each hundreds of kilometers long rained down through the void as if some defiant god felt it needed to be struck down. At the point where lightning struck space began to tear and rip apart, light began to get sucked in feeding the point of pure emptiness that began to grow. The void of pure empty space grew and grew, devouring the lightning that swarmed around it and bending the light behind it. The black hole in space continued to build and grow soon filling a region of space ten thousand kilometers in diameter.
Light from distant stars and galaxies could be seen around the edge of the black hole bringing a whole different view of the universe into focus than had ever been seen before. Almost as if to crown itself in glory the black hole sat in the emptiness of space wrapped in the light of a billion unknown stars with a pale blue dot laying unaware in the distance. Yet even as this behemoth of destruction grew and bent the universe to its will, its pull exerted no effect upon space beyond the gravitational lensing created.
No great destruction or ripping of planets apart to devour them and grow in its mass occurred. Instead it sat peacefully in the sky a very evident testament of just how small, insignificant, and truly vulnerable the tiny world millions of kilometers away truly was.
While the black hole lorded over the void within the silence of space the peaceful scene of the forest on the world below continued entirely unaware of the danger sitting so close at hand. Slowly at first one or two lights blinked into existence above the still dark Western sky but as time went on a veritable torrent of small bright new stars blossomed forth. Their light shining brilliantly amongst the heavens and with each passing moment the multitude stretched out across the sky streaking hither and tither as they burned their way into the atmosphere.
Millions of streaks separated themselves and flashed off towards the four corners of the globe. For over an hour the lights burned their way through the atmosphere leaving fiery trails in the sky. One such light slowly but surely began to grow brighter and brighter as it made its way towards the Earth below. As if sensing the incoming object the noises of the forest ceased and silence hung over the region in a palpable sense of anticipation. Moments later a slow rumbling could be heard and the ground began to gently vibrate as the light continued to grow brighter overhead.
Without warning hundreds of thousands of birds let out cries of distress and took to the skies, their cries deafening as they fled in unknown terror. Animals upon the ground lent their calls to those of the birds and took off running in any direction as a sense of impending danger overwhelmed them alighting their instinct to flee. With ever increasing violence the rumbling grew.
The air vibrated from the force and trees shook as wind ripped through their branches. With a horrific screeching like that of a banshee the white streak burned its way above. Its passing heating the atmosphere leaving a trail of blazing fire in its wake. Secondary fires started as trees burst into flames from the over wash. Animals screamed in terror or pain as they fled, some too slow to escape the terrible inferno. Shockwaves blasted through the air as it moved blowing rocks, trees, and dirt away leaving a trail of blasted ground behind. With one last terrible cry it struck the ground.
The ground quaked and shook as it tried to repel the invader. Shock waves ripped through the region annihilating anything in its path. Heat so great it melted dirt into glass swept everything clean as it spread in the wake of the impact. Plumes of molten rock launched into the sky only to crash down in once more upon already destroyed earth. Smoke and ash billowed out after the wake of the impact and fires licked at the remains of anything not already wiped out.
Even though infernos raged within the wake of its passing, where it impacted a unsettled calm began to take hold. Slowly the remaining few fires died down as they ate their limited fuel. The dust thick enough to cut with a knife began to settle and clear. The Earth no longer shook or heaved like some wild beast and the winds returned to their gentle sway. But the remnants of destruction remained as the glassed landscape around a black crater became visible in the clearing air. Many secondary craters made the area look like a warzone had moved through as their small indents pockmarked the area.
Lying gently glowing from residual heat at the center of it all a crater a hundred meters in diameter had been formed when the object struck. Its sides sloping towards the center almost twenty meters in depth to a small pool of still molten rock. At the center, untouched by the destruction surrounding it, a small metal ball sat peacefully, its silver surface gleaming from the glow of the rock around it. Across the globe million of scenes similar to this took place. Many of the lights struck ocean and were lost to the depths of the sea. Some rained down death upon cities, cutting down swaths of people like wheat in a field.
Others fell to remote regions far removed from mankind where only nature gave witness to their passing.With the last of the lights having struck the earth the black hole in the sky began to fade, its job of deliverance done. The only evidence of its lofty existence vanished without anyone on the small planet below the wiser.
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Just over a hundred kilometers from the site of the impact in a town unrecognizable compared from even the day before, upon the roof of a small store, slept a young man. His breathing calm and his dreams undisturbed, his mind closed to the chaos of the world around him. The day before had worn Dean down, his mind and body exhausted from the insanity of the events that had taken place. His training had been essential in helping him survive but nothing could have prepared his soul to witness the deaths of innocent people. When he had finally found sanctuary from the raging waters he had collapsed. Exhausted, his mind in shock and unable to think straight his body had shut down and he slept.
A new day had begun and the sun hung high in the mid-morning sky. Its light like rays of burning fire as they rained down upon Deans exposed sleeping form. His body left to the elements glistened as the dew of the night evaporated off him in wafts of vapor. Slow to waken, his body begun to heat in the exposed light that forced his mind to lift the veil of slumber.
Rousing himself into wakefulness Dean blinked rapidly in the near blinding light causing a groan of pain to escape him as he covered his abused eyes. His body arguing against movement as aches and sore muscles throbbed in the background. He lay unmoving for a time waiting for his body to cooperate.
With a crushing torrent the previous days events came flooding back to him. His body curled upon itself convulsing as the horrors he witnessed burned their way into his mind. Shock took hold over him and his muscles spasmed uncontrollably and his breath came in short desperate gasps. Primal fear and anguish wracked his mind as he remembered the innocents he had watched die. The man who had tried to help him earlier he could only watch helplessly as some unknown plant devoured him.
The young people in the car that had been launched over his head, the sadness and fear in their eyes, and the images of many others swept away by torrential waters passed through his mind. He didn’t question whether what had occurred was real or not, he couldn’t, it was as if some innate instinct prevented him from denying the possibility. So he stayed huddled in a ball upon the roof, his body shaking uncontrollably and his mind screaming in anguish for the passing dead.
For a day and a night he laid weeping like a small child. He had been trained to survive but nothing could have prepared him to watch so many die so suddenly. But even as time passed a level calm began to take hold over him. Hours went by while his body shook less and less with his mind beginning to clearing itself of the faces that haunted him. Dean lay gasping for breath as his consciousness snapped back to reality with a start. Immediately he understood the calm he felt was not his own but one forced upon him.
His mind suddenly no longer allowed to wallow in the pits of despair. Instead a need, a desire, to survive began to take hold. It wasn’t a strong feeling and it wasn’t able to entirely cover up his past thoughts but it was enough; able to help him focus on the here and now. What’s done is done his mind told him; it was time to press forward. He had cried enough but he needed to live and survive and grow.
Uncurling himself from the tight ball he had cradled himself in, his muscles began to tingle with the sensation of having sat in one shape for too long. With a groan Dean lifted himself into a sitting position to lean against the balustrade beside him. Looking down upon himself he groaned in exasperation as at some point he had vomited the non-existent food in his stomach and had covered himself in his own bile.
Sniffing with disgust the putrid scent of vomit wafted across his nose instigating him to remove his light jacket and throw it across the roof with disdain. Finally with the foul smell gone he was able to look at the small blinking light in the corner of his vision that had persisted the past two days.
Upon attaining his focus the light blinked thrice and vanished, instead in its place the image of the strange alien woman he recognized from before popped into his head. With a wave of the imaginary girls hand text began to float in the center of his vision, blocking out the rooftop behind.
“Hello their Mr. Dean. Ehmm, well as you have apparently slept or cried the last few days’ away, nice footage by the way, you may have missed out on a few things so we had to update this info for you just a wee bit. OK where to get started then. Well first off I guess is to congratulate you for your candidacy as an Emperor Class Candidate. With this your growth potential and abilities will be used to help lead mankind into a bright future of intergalactic warfare, if you survive of course though.
So what does it mean to be an ECC, well you have to fight the other ECC’s to the death or be selected by a random vote, but this ways is super lame, in order to be chosen for one of only a hundred available Emperor positions in which you will lead humanity into a prosperous and glorious future. That was the simple explanation but you’ll have figure out the rest on your own, otherwise everything else is free game,”
With a sudden flourish the image of the alien girl transformed into a position as if she were telling him a secret, “Now I have one super duper uber important detail to tell you that we only tell our ECC’s. See we told everyone on the planet that anyone who survived the first day would have access to a status bar… well that was complete crap. Ok not entirely false since everyone technically does have ‘Access’ to one but it’s also not entirely true. You see while you were sleeping soundly mister sleepyhead, we launched a certain object into your atmosphere. This object, simply called a scanner, is what gives a person the ability to see their status and until a person procures one and ties it to themselves people will have to figure everything out on their own.
Trial and error for the win baby, just don’t blow your self up ok. But more importantly it is this object that will guide you to find other emperor candidates but also allow them to be guided to you. Regardless of whether or not a Candidate has one they will appear on these scanners giving others who do have one the ability to find them. So it is imperative that you locate a scanner. Well now that takes care of the most vital bits about the scanner and it has plenty of other functions as well but sadly, pouty face right, you will have to figure the rest out once you get one.
Now because you were asleep you missed their landing so we will give you a hand in locating the closest scanner to you. You will have to head due west from where you are. It’s roughly a hundred kilometers West from you current position and you’ll find it amongst the burnt wreckage of an old forest and in a crater at the end of a large swath of torn up land.
Well then, I don’t think there’s anything left to tell you… well actually there is a lot but It’s late here and I’m too lazy to write everything down. So best of luck, Au revoir.”
Without preamble the message and the image vanished leaving Dean to stare blankly into empty space. Blinking quickly he managed to gather his scattered thoughts as he pushed himself off the ground and stood up. Considering what the woman had just said Dean couldn’t help but realize just how important the information she had given him really was, and how quickly he had to act now that he had that info. With the strange calmness still clearing his head he had room to think and consider his options. Turning to view the landscape around him his breath caught in his lungs.
Before him lay the ruined remains of the small town he was in. Little remained of the once pristine place except a few larger structures and a number of older and sturdier buildings. For kilometers in front of him a swamp like forest had grown thick and lush in just the couple days he had been out of commission. Small trees and ferns dominated the landscape as rivers of muddy brown water flowed past them. A massive waterfall gushed from the skeletal remains of the apartment complex that had flooded the streets before.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Except now the water flowed slowly, lazily meandering its way through the bayou. Large boulders and jagged rocks jutted up from beneath the ground rising into the air meters above the tree line. Dean could even see large flowers and massive lilies below the short canopy and he even spotted the massive Venus Fly trap that had eaten the man winding its way slowly through the waters below.
A harsh stench or rot and decay met his nose as the wind over the swamp turned his way. Gagging slightly Dean couldn’t fathom just how much had changed in so little time, or how he was supposed to make his way across the swamp which sat directly in his way to head West.
Looking at his hands as he opened and closed them he tried to figure out what his abilities might be. He needed to know if he was going to even try and survive in this world and having them available as he crossed the swamp would help him greatly. For several hours Dean ignored his rising hunger as he tried to find some way to activate or use his so called powers but nothing he did had any effect.
He grew frustrated as his attempts bore no fruits and he slammed his hands down upon the balustrade causing his hands to ache in protest. What was he doing wrong? If he was supposed to be some powerful person then why did nothing he tries work? He couldn’t answer these questions and his hunger had reached a point where it was to distracting for him to fully concentrate anyways.
Walking around the roof trying to scout for any signs of where he might find some food before he actually climbed into the forest to look he was startled when a sudden noise and a squawk rang out from behind him. Jumping in shock he turned to find a large crow sitting on the air conditioner of the roof staring at him intently.
Dean stood staring back at the bird watching as it lightly hopped off the air conditioner onto the ground and started to amble its way towards him. Dean didn’t know what to think, as the bird never broke eye contact with him, but the fact something strange was going on was quite obvious. Once the large black crow was only a few meters from him suddenly keeled over with a loud painful cry that caused Dean to jump in fright.
On the ground the crow began to writhe and cry out, their call painful to hear as the bird was obviously in extreme pain. As Dean watched loud snapping sounds came from the birds body as bones broke through skin and blood began to poor freely from the creature. It’s body covered in blood, began slowly at first and then faster and faster grow in size and length. Its legs ripped and tore as bones extended past their original length but they healed again as a scaly leather type of skin grew over the now longer and more muscular legs. The Tail of the bird flattened out and stretched itself to several feet in length with the same leather skin as on its legs before finally ending with a tuft of feathers at the end. Both its wings pulled out of their sockets as they migrated towards the front of the bird.
Extending in length the feather covered wings suddenly snapped as a new joint formed in the middle and a pair of arms began to grow in place. The head of the bird began to shift as its beak tore off its face and was replaced b a large muzzle. Its eyes shifted forward and up as they made room for the new and larger mouth that appeared. The once black feathers that remained shifted to a molted brown and white across its body.
But what really grabbed Dean’s attention were the set of claws and teeth that formed on its new appendages. Razor sharp teeth almost an inch long grew to fit its mouth on the top and bottom. On its new arms four long appendages grew with large claws attached to their ends. Most terrifying of all were the two large six-inch claws that extended from the claws on its feet. Slowly but surely the growing and screaming squawks of the once bird died out and it was left panting in a pool of its blood and old feathers.
With a twitch and a shake the animal opened its eyes and began to stand. Without missing a beat Dean new the creature in front of him standing at four feet in length and three feet high was a dangerous predator. The impossible creature before him came out of every child’s wildest fantasies and every child that had ever loved dinosaurs would recognize it immediately. Before Dean, struggling to stand on its new legs, a Velociraptor had sprouted.
Once again his training took hold and before he could stare too long at the creature he was already leaping over the edge of the building into the slow moving waters below. A call somewhere between a bird and a monkey rang out behind him as the raptor noticed its prey had gone missing. Thinking he had gotten away, as Dean swam to the closest spot that acted as dry land could only listen in horror as the call of the beast behind him received replies from deeper and further North in the forest.
Swearing to himself he knew he didn’t have time to dawdle around and rest. In only a few moments he had gone from looking for food to now being hunted by what were quickly becoming his greatest nightmares. He turned to look behind him and watched as the velociraptor he left behind jumped into the water and began to swiftly swim in his direction. He hadn’t thought such a creature could swim but clearly he had just been proven wrong. Making his way as quickly as he could he head deeper into the forest heading West as quickly as he could.
The foliage of the forest slowed him greatly as its thickness made moving through it difficult. With the shortness of the trees he kept getting stuck on branches, shirt was ripped and full of holes. Small cuts and scratches worked their way up his arms and face as thorns and branches tore at him. The large ferns and plant life made every step he took a risk as the ground was hidden beneath them and he never knew when he’d step on dryish land or fall into the ever present water.
The heat and humidity beneath the canopy had him gasping for breath and his body drenched in sweat. Yet even as his body cried out for rest and water he couldn’t stop moving forward. By utilizing tricks taught in the military he had managed to keep moving in a straight line and avoided getting too far off course. Dean forced his way through the bush as rapidly as he could, pushing his already tired and desperately hungry body past his limits.
Once again for the several hours he had been moving forward he could hear the calls of the Velocirators behind him and answering squawks from North of his position replied in kind. The calls were muffled and telling the direction they came from was difficult but not impossible but he could only assume their relative positions. From what Dean had read in books of the creatures, assuming they were the same creature, was that they were smart, fast, and incredibly dangerous.
They weren’t overly large but scientists had for decades said they were likely as smart or smart than wolves. They were pack hunters and the best at it with incredible strategic and cooperative skills, and right now they were hunting Dean. Hearing those calls still following him and off to the side Dean could only assume the pack was likely trying to flank him or move around to catch him from the front in a pincer.
He had thought of changing directions but his goal was straight due West and it was imperative he reach it. He couldn’t go off to the South or South West since he didn’t know if he would be able to find the region the letter had talked about so instead he continued to forge forward trying to keep ahead of his stalkers.
Dean had gotten lucky during his journey and had managed to find an old wooden baseball bat stuck amongst some detritus beneath a tree. Using for both a walking stick and to test ground he was unsure of his movement speed had greatly increased. The only issue is that the calls that had been following him had been both getting louder and more frequent until minutes ago they had suddenly stopped. Dean knew he couldn’t keep up the pace he was going at for much longer and his hope that he would be able to escape the hunters had been dwindling for sometime now.
With the sudden eerie silence he knew that was impossible. Tired and exhausted Dean was forced to take a break on one of the few actually dry spots he had managed to find. A large block of granite towering roughly ten meters in height and four meters wide stood off to his right. If the creatures were as close as he believed they were then Dean figured this would probably be as good as any place to stand and fight.
Standing with his back to the large rock trying to catch his breath Dean stared out into the thick brush before him. From off to his left and in front of him the bushes shook violently as a number of small rapidly moving bodies worked their way swiftly through the forest. With a burst of speed three figures from the left,, two from the right, and three from in front of him leapt out from the undergrowth and into the clearing Dean stood in. Dean had been right in thinking the creatures would either pull a flanking or pincer move on him but he what he hadn’t expected was they would be intelligent enough to pull off both at the same time.
He had never had a chance to escape he quickly realized and cursed himself for under estimating his enemies. Looking around him at the snapping and squawking predators Dean didn’t think he stood a chance but he sure as hell knew he’d take some of the bastards with him. The military didn’t teach much in the way of martial arts but they did make sure their soldiers were at least trained in CQC, and while Dean had never been the best at it he certainly hadn’t been the worst.
“Come on you ugly Sons of Bitches lets do this,” Standing with the rock to his back to prevent anything from attacking from his blind spot, with his bat in hand, Dean stood taunting the raptors as he waited for them to make their move.
He didn’t have to wait long as one of the raptors of to the left gave a loud squawk and suddenly rushed forward low to the ground trying to get at Dean from below. Seeing this Dean swung the bat at the raptor as it rapidly approached but before he could make contact it managed to rapidly turn and dodged his swing. Finding himself momentarily caught off guard he hadn’t noticed a raptor now behind him had moved just after its pack mate had. The initial had been a distraction and Dean paid for it in blood.
Pure fire burned its way through his body and he let out an agonized scream as a long gash tore its way down his back. The raptor that had pounced at him landed its attack. The raptor hadn’t been completely accurate and was unable able to sever Deans spine the attack. With agony and adrenaline scorching its way through his body Dean managed to turn and land a swing on the second raptor as it righted itself from its previous leap. Connecting with its face a loud snapping sound rang out as blood and teeth spewed from the animals jaw.
Its head rocked to the side and its body followed as it fell to the ground. Trying to Move in and hit it again Dean was stopped as another raptor rocketed forward and scraped its clawed hands across his thigh. Fresh fire roared up Deans leg and another brutal scream escaped his lips.
Sadly this had given the raptor on the ground enough time to get up and flee behind the others, its pathetic and shallow cries edging the others on. Dean however was in desperate straights. It had only been a few moments and he had already nearly been crippled and killed. His back and leg sent pure molten lava throughout his body with every movement and his breaths came in ragged gasps as his already tired and desperate body fought to keep standing. Down on one leg his breathing rough and ragged Dean stared back at the creatures that continued to pace their way around him.
They were in no rush to attack the prey before them, as even though it had proven it could hurt them they were sure of their meal. Instead they squawked and crooned to each other as they watched their prey. As the two parties stood staring at each other the largest amongst the raptors stepped forward. Standing at nearly four feet tall and six feet long its guttural sounds and snaps pushed the others back. Seeing the creature before them weak and bleeding the pack leader had grown weary of waiting. Being the pack leader it would get the kill and it would get first bite of the dead prey, as was its right.
Slowly it stalked its way forward. The large claws on its two feet tapping the ground with each step it took. Its six-inches of razor blades twitching in anticipation of rending soft flesh. Dean stood kneeling on one knee following the raptor with his eyes as it slowly paced back and fourth in front of him. The others had backed off several feet and he knew this would be it.
With a struggle and extensive use of the baseball bat he managed to stand himself back up onto his feet. His leg protested and could barely hold his weight but Dean wasn’t going to go without a fight. Lifting the bat into the air he stared back at the raptor before him. As narrow golden eyes met pale greens ones the large raptor gave a loud guttural screech and launched its self at Dean with its clawed hands ready to rake and tear. At roughly two meters it leapt with ferocious power towards Dean its legs ready and extended to tear his gut open.
Having waited for the moment it leapt Dean stepped to the side and swung the bat as hard as he could as if he were hitting a baseball. The bat connected with the shoulder of the raptor as it had managed to move its head out of the way in time. Shooting past Dean it landed hard on the ground as the swing had thrown its balance off. Before it could recover Dean threw himself at the beast. Swinging the bat with all his strength he brought it down upon the raptors side. A loud cracking sound and a screech of pain ripped its way out of the raptors lungs.
But Dean didn’t escape unscathed as in its flailing four large lacerations appeared on his stomach when the raptors long claws managed to reach him. Reeling back in pain the raptor gained enough time to get back on its feet. The other raptors screeched and squawked at the leader to let them help but the leader only growled back stopping any attempts to assist it, this prey would be its kill.
Blood running down his chest, his back on fire, and his injured leg barely supporting him Dean once more threw himself at the beast. The unexpected attack caught the creature off guard and a solid hit managed to land upon its long snout sending its head smashing into the ground. Teeth shattered and blood poured out from its mouth as it shook its head in a daze. Capitalizing upon its stunned state Dean tried for another swing. Bringing the bat high overhead he swung violently down at the raptor.
It was at this moment his leg decided to give out and his swing went wild as he toppled to the ground. The raptor was on him in seconds as it opened its jaws wide to rip Deans exposed throat out. But instead of soft flesh it was met with Deans wooden bat. Biting down on the wood it shook its head violently, trying to tear and rend the bat to pieces. Dean on the other hand struggled desperately to keep against the jaws of the raptor from reaching him, holding the bat between him and its open maw with a fierce will. But something had to give, and as the raptor shook and tore at the bat, with a cracking and splintering of wood it fractured in half. The raptors jaws snapped shut mere inches from Deans throat, its breath rancid and hot blood falling on his face.
With an unwillingness to give up or give in Dean struck out blindly with a broken half of the bat he had managed to keep hold on. With a torrent of blood the splintered piece of the bat sunk into the raptors eye lodging itself deep into the animals brain. With a shocked screech the raptor froze, and as it were a mighty redwood cut from the forest it slowly but inevitably toppled over. It was dead before it hit the ground.
For several minutes Dean lay upon the ground gasping for air, expecting for another attack at any moment to end him, as he didn’t have the energy to stop it. But as after more time passed he slowly realized no attack was coming. The other raptors having fled when their pack leader had died. Then the Euphoria hit him. He was alive! He had managed to survive a situation he was certain he never could. He screamed and cried out, laughter filled the air as he celebrated his victory. His body was nothing more than a lump of fire and pain but he was alive.
As with any high must come a low and as the euphoria of the moment wore its way off the pain of injuries he had sustained came back ten fold. However even as the pain wracked his body he could feel a strange sensation course its way through his body and ever so slightly he felt the pain on his body lesson. A different kind of burning sensation from the pain of his injuries worked its way across his body. It wasn’t painful, just uncomfortable. As it worked across his body he felt renewed strength returning to his limbs and his body. Dean realized that this strange sensation must be what they aliens meant when they said you could grow stronger by killing monsters or beast.
With a grunt as the sensation faded and with his renewed strength Dean managed to bring himself into a sitting position. Looking down at the wounds on his stomach and legs he noticed that while they were still very prevalent they had stopped bleeding and seemed to have in fact already started to heal somewhat. Not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth he chose to just accept it and move on. Knowing it was dangerous to remain where he was Dean lifted himself back to his feet. His leg seemingly able to support him once more though it was still weak. He momentarily thought about trying to bring the body of the raptor with him but he threw that option out the window.
He neither had the strength to carry it nor the ability to gut it, even if he did eating unknown meat could prove fatal. He moved to the nearest clean looking body of water he could find and drank deeply of the water, no longer caring about its condition. He was inured, tired, and hungry but he had just won his first ever life and death battle and dammit he would survive.