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Chapter 6

My stomach lets out a grumble the moment my eyes land on the deer. I still need to eat… and I’m ravenous. I start walking over to the deer. Do I have to cook it, or something? Probably not… animals don’t have to cook their meals. They just eat them raw. And I probably count as an animal. Well, there’s no way that one single bite can kill me, right?

I bend down and take a large bite out of the deer’s midsection. My taste buds are hit with an intense sweet and salty combo. What would normally be really chewy meat is completely cut through with each grinding motion of my jaws. This… is amazing! I bend down for another bite the moment I swallow the meat. This time, however, I catch a bone. It doesn’t prove a problem, and I crush it almost as easily as I do the meat.

Woah. I absolutely tore through that bone. And I guess that I can eat the meat raw. I mean, I didn’t even think about taking a second bite; it just happened naturally. I guess it’s time to dig in. I lean down for another bite. Time almost seems to speed up while I devour the deer. Once I’m done, all that’s left are some bone shards and a bit of blood staining the grass.

What happened? It was like one moment it was there, and the next it was gone… It was really good while it lasted, though… that could’ve been really dangerous. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings at all… I should probably make sure nothing snuck up on me.

My eyes begin to scan the underbrush around me for any signs of an animal. I slowly turn around to allow them unfettered access to the surrounding area. I don’t see, smell, or hear anything that would reveal a creature waiting in ambush. Okay. I think I’m safe. The moment the thought comes to mind, I’m hit by a wave of exhaustion so intense that it staggers me for a moment. It passes quickly, but instead of disappearing entirely, it’s replaced with a bone-deep exhaustion that weighs far more heavily on me. What the heck was that?!

Quickly, my mind runs through the day’s events. I guess I did do a lot of things today… And that must’ve consumed a lot of my stamina. If that’s the case, then I definitely need to sleep.

My eyes begin to roam the area around me. Why is it so dark? Did it really turn to night so quickly? I look upwards, my gaze traveling higher and higher, until it reaches the sky. That is when I’m met with a beautiful sight. A sea of stars. Within this sea, there are thousands and thousands of celestial bodies. Together they make what could only be called a work of art— the centerpiece of that work being a kaleidoscopic line of stars that splits the sky in twain. Small strands of the blackness of space cross over the line, and make the whole thing look like a wound in reality that has only been partially healed.

I’m struck speechless by the sight above me. The sheer scope of it all ends my previous trains of thought. It’s… beautiful. I shake my head a bit and look away from the mural of stars above me. I need to find somewhere to rest. It’s not that dark, and I’m exhausted. This is top priority. I start examining the area around me again, looking for a good burrow, or something of the sort, where I could sleep. It doesn’t take me long to spot a hole in one of the massive trees. It’s just a little bit off of the ground and looks big enough to fit me. That’s perfect.

I stumble towards the base of the tree and dig my claws into the bark. I hoist my body up and over the lip of the hole. I quickly pull my claws out of the bark and fall into the hollow. The moment I land, my consciousness recedes, and I pass out.

. . .

Pain. Everything hurts. My body is broken. Some sounds break through the oppressive pain. A high pitched shrieking sound, before a quiet, distorted voice speaks. “We got 'em, boss.”

. . .

What…? Where am I? My eyes open blearily, but I see nothing. I move to uncurl but am stopped by something hard. What’s happening? My arms, my legs, everything is pressed up against hard walls. Suddenly, the memories of yesterday’s events come rushing back to me. Oh… I’m probably in the tree still. My head tilts upwards, revealing the entrance to the hollowed out space in the tree.

That was a really weird dream… But I can’t remember what happened… anyways, I need to get out of here. I reach up and pull myself out of the hollow before falling to the ground. I catch myself and begin to search my surroundings for anything resembling a threat.

My eyes land on the bloodstains that are all that’s left of the deer. Did I really eat that much yesterday? Wow. That thing was way larger than me, and I ate all of it. I guess I really was hungry. My musings are interrupted by a sound from one of the nearby bushes. My body quickly turns, and my eyes narrow, trying to spot the source of the sound. They catch a flash of brown and white, before something enormous bursts from the bushes.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The creature has thick brown fur, with a white V-shaped crest on its chest. It stands on four legs, like me, but has more of a hunch to its back. Its head reaches the height of the canopy where I ambushed the deer from. It almost looks like a bear, but it’s significantly larger than a normal one—and then the intimidating creature lets out a deep growl as it scans the clearing. Its eyes land on me, and it lets out a substantially louder growl. My body starts to move back instinctually. I scramble backwards until I’m far enough away that I don’t think it could easily chase me, then I turn tail and run.

There are no sounds of the creature pursuing me. I only run for a little longer, before slowly coming to a stop. I pant. What the heck was that thing?! It was most certainly not a normal bear! Why did it even come over to the area I was in? My breathing and thoughts begin to slow down as the adrenaline fades away. I don’t think I can answer any of those questions… Dang it! I really need someone to just tell me all about this place!

And I should definitely get away from this area. If I stay away from that creature, then I’ll definitely be safer. I have a feeling I won’t get away so easily next time… The feeling that has been helping me out wells up and seems to agree. Next question: What the heck is this weird feeling?

The weird feeling doesn’t give any response, and there is nothing I can think of to explain it. It must be coming from somewhere… No answers come to mind. A sigh escapes me. Of course nothing wants to get explained. And there’s nothing I can do about it right now.

I turn until my back is facing the direction I came from. Then I start moving. Away from the strange and powerful looking bear, and away from this dangerous area. My speed slowly increases, until it’s at the pace of a brisk walk. Okay. Now I just need somewhere to go. If I get far away from here, I should be safe from that massive creature. Such a beast surely wouldn’t chase something as small as me... But where should I go?

My thoughts wander as I try to figure out an answer to the question. I can’t think of anything yet… Maybe an answer will come to me soon?

I look upwards after hours of walking. It's already getting dark, and I still haven’t found an answer… or have anything interesting happen. No creatures at all. Anyways, all I know on the topic of shelter is that I need some proper shelter where I’ll be safe from ambushes.

I need to find somewhere to sleep for the night again. My gaze drifts throughout the area around me. My eyes quickly land on a hole in one of the trees. These things are everywhere… I wonder why? It’s not like it really matters, since I can’t really sleep anywhere else.

This time after I climb through the hole, I land on a soft pile of wood chips instead of a hard floor. My eyelids begin to droop the moment I touch the ground. I didn’t realize I was so tired… My eyes fully close, and my consciousness recedes.

. . .

My peaceful slumber is interrupted by a high-pitch shrieking sound. My eyes shoot open, and I’m standing before I know it. My legs sink into the squishy wood chips beneath me. What’s happening? What’s that shrieking noise? I’m still groggy from my rest, so it takes me a bit to realize that the sound is coming from above. I look up and finally see the source of the horrid noise.

A small creature hangs at the top of the hollow. It’s covered in black fur and has beady eyes to match. Its mouth is stretched wide open, and it almost looks like the air surrounding it is distorted. Why is this squirrel so mad? What did I ever do to it? Whatever, it’s being aggressive so it needs to di— The squirrel’s tail hits my back with a slam. I’m forced to the ground while the creature retreats back to its perch. Owwwww!

The sudden burst of pain distracts me. I start to push myself to my feet, but I’m quickly forced down by another lash of its tail. Owww!! My arm shoots forward, and I try to slash it while it’s close. But the creature jumps away before my arm can make contact. What can I do…? Maybe Slash?

My scheming is interrupted with another smash of the creature’s tail. Luckily, it doesn’t hurt as much. My arm draws back, before I slash at it as quickly as I can. Three waves of light emerge from the tips of my claws, drawing on that strange pool of energy. The waves of light tear through the air and towards the creature.

The creature clearly tries to dodge it, but it’s already far too late. It is quadrisected by the waves of light and falls to the ground in four pieces. I wonder why this squirrel even came here… Well, at least I’ll know what it’s called when I open up the notification.

Defeated [Black Squirrel - lvl. 3]. Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy.

1 skill level gained. Advanced [Slash] to level 2.

So it’s called a Black Squirrel… What a creative name… Anyways, it seems my assumption that skills level up was correct. My stomach grumbles. Oh… I guess I have to eat, then. And this corpse is just sitting right here, waiting for me.

I bend down to take a bite of the quadrisected squirrel. One chomp later, I dispense my expert opinion. It’s… fine, I guess. It’s kinda bland, but whatever. Food is food, and I didn’t even need to hunt for this one. I lean down again and take another bite. After only a couple more bites, it’s completely gone.

Well, I’m full now. And I need to find a safe place even more than I did before. After all, if I can still get ambushed in these little tree hollows, then I’m not really that safe, am I? I peek out of the entrance to the hollow and notice something in the distance. It’s a truly massive mountain, larger than any of the other cliffs. Even at this huge distance, I can’t see its peak.

Some feeling deep within me urges me to go to that place. It hasn’t led me astray before, so why not? I slowly climb out of the tree. Once I reach the ground, I turn and face the massive mountain. I begin to move towards it and, hopefully, to a place where I can be safe.

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