My eyes widened, and I licked each of my dirty fingers before cringing as soon as I realized what I was doing. I needed to figure out the built-up energy portion, but it was a great movement skill. My stomach grumbled again, and I leaned back on my knees, looking at the giant creature in front of me. I needed to harvest as much meat as possible, along with anything I thought any of the crafters could use. The teeth would be a big one, each giant and pointed, plus the claws on the feet. The carvers used those for all sorts of things. Potentially the skin, if I cut it in giant pieces. I already had the cat’s fur in my inventory, for hopefully some armor, but this was just so much bigger, and tougher.

My head snapped upward, trying to guess if the rain would continue. It was my greatest resource at the moment, since it would wash away the scent of the fresh kill from the jungle floor, and there was that other Carnitor to think about. I knew I didn't stand a chance at one that wasn't already injured.

I quickly got to work, first focusing on skinning a large section that wasn’t torn up. From there I’d cut up pieces of meat, then work on the teeth and claws.

Time moved faster than I would have liked, and I caught myself stuffing cuts of meat in my mouth several times, whenever I stopped focusing on what I was doing. The rain slowly petered off by the time I tossed a roll of the beast’s hide and several giant hunks of meat into my inventory.

The teeth and claws were quicker, just cutting them out of place with the crystal's heated tip.

Weariness slowly weighed down my limbs as the night passed and I moved slower and slower through each tooth. I couldn’t tell what time it was with how dark the clouds were, but I needed to rest, and it couldn’t be here. Too many creatures would be attracted to the kill site. Climbing to my feet was harder than I thought it would be. I studied what was left of the creature in front of me, wishing I could take more. It felt like a waste.

“I did it,” I whispered to myself. Somehow, I had killed something that was 5 whole levels above me. The achievement I had gotten came back to mind, and I wondered what made the dinosaur a 'greater' creature. I just didn’t understand enough of the system to know what it meant. Was it similar to how Noseen was a Great Blood Devourer? He’d said that was a class evolution… but the Carnitor had only been level 19. I just didn’t know.

Shaking my head, I turned and walked off into the rain. Once I got a short distance away, I rubbed at my hands and face using the water to try and clean up a little. My hair was soaked, and I tried to loosen whatever stuck in the back of it as I moved through the dark ferns.

Finally, I just gave up on getting clean and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The more distance I put behind me, the better, especially as the rain finally stopped. My gaze moved upward more than once. I needed to find a tree to sleep in, and fast. Once daylight came, I could find my way back to the compound, after I’d rested. Eventually, I found myself stumbling in the dark and climbed a random tree, hoping it would be good enough. Even climbing I was slower than normal. By the time I paused at the crook of the tree trunk, and slumped back against the wood, I wasn’t sure I could move without sleep.

I was beat. More than I had ever been in my life.

Before I closed my eyes, I snagged out the rope and tied myself in place. Then, before I knew it, I was out.

I wasn’t sure for how long I slept before my dreams twisted. Somehow, I sat on the log next to the lake in the colony. Sunlight glistened over the water, and a light breeze blew in my face. I was dry, warm and felt safe for the moment.

“That was dumb, you know,” buzzed something by my ear.

I didn’t see anything when I turned my head.

“You are too squishy for big creatures like that.”

“Noseen?” I asked.

“Who else?” They buzzed for a moment, and it almost sounded like a huff. “The Devourers who become great think first. You must always think!” Air puffed at my face.

I blinked a few times and slowly nodded. “I knew I could take it.”

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The buzzing cut off. “Did you know, or did you just want to eat it?” I felt the stare.

“I knew,” I stated with conviction. “It felt like prey. I sensed it.”

“Prey sense already is good… good…” The buzzing trailed off.

I glanced around the area, not seeing anyone else. In the distance, things turned fuzzy. “How am I speaking to you?”

“Well, someone needs to look out for you. Smart, but still squishy.”

I chuckled. “I think I’m doing okay, for the moment.”

Noseen huffed again. “Think again.”

Something pinched my ear and I snapped awake.

Darkness greeted me and the jungle around me was silent, too silent. Something stalked in the shadows, and I didn’t move. All I focused on was remaining hidden, and stealthy. My breathing slowed, along with my heartbeat.

[Skill Upgraded: Stealthy Camouflage. When not moving, you can blend into your surroundings muting sound, smell, and sight. You remain unseen at first glance while moving, especially in the shadows. Your footsteps are silent, moving instinctively. Your skin can blend into your surroundings making it harder for you to be spotted. This is especially effective at night. You can also hide your level and aura.]

The notification popped up, but I ignored it. For my stealth to increase, something hunted nearby. Since I couldn’t sense it as prey, it must be a predator. Eat, or be eaten. I stayed hidden until the noises of the jungle started to come back. First, it was the bugs, then small bats flying through the air chasing them.

Light in the east slowly increased, chasing away the shadows. My body ached holding so still, but I didn’t relax until I could see enough around me to feel safer. The weariness from before was gone. My stomach grumbled, and I untied myself from the tree. The knots were much looser than I remembered tying them, and I realized just how tired I must have gotten. I wasn't sure why, but it was something I’d have to be careful of in the future.

I ate a quick breakfast of yummy raw meat and downed some water. The tree I was in wasn't tall enough to climb to see if I could spot the tall tree through the canopy. Before I climbed down, I glanced around to spot a better one. It didn’t take long to find what I was looking for and get to the ground. Thinking back to my new skill, I decided to try it out and see how high I could jump.

I crouched down, focusing on trying to jump as high as I could. Tension built in my legs, then I jumped up, releasing that force. I launched myself upward about fifteen feet, then scrambled to grab onto a branch before I fell back toward the ground.

“That was cool.”

I needed to test it more, but first I finished climbing the tree. Crossing through the canopy was easy enough and I spotted my target, getting my bearings. Still, I paused, resisting the urge to chuckle.

Here I was, back in the jungle, needing to get to the compound. Talk about full circle.

At least this time John and the shuttle should already be there, and it wasn’t like they could leave during the day. Not with that flier around. Getting back there would take all day, but if I hurried, I might make it before dark. Right now, my current location was more to the west than my first trip, because of the detour toward the river.

A horrible thought entered my head as I stared at the tree in the distance. John had better be there. If he wasn’t, I was gonna lose it.

***

For some reason, I thought getting back to the compound would be much easier than the first time. I’d gained levels, learned better stealth and movement skills, and overall felt more comfortable in the jungle and in my survival abilities.

Late afternoon approached as I spotted the tall tree in the distance, knowing just how wrong I’d been. Dirt covered my cloak again, and my pants had more blood on them. I’d lost count of the number of Compys and Microraptors I’d killed. None of them had even been over my level, and I didn’t understand why they kept attacking me. Maybe I smelled good. Not to mention the testing I’d done on the jumping. It used energy much like a fight and I needed to eat afterward. The need for eating was the biggest weakness I had.

The highest level creature that had attacked had been level 13, and even then the experience felt weak. The only good thing was the additional stat points I had gotten from eating the hearts. Quickness leveled up by two points, and Flexibility by three.

I had plenty of feathers in my inventory at this point, and hoped they could be used for something. While I focused on the tall tree in the distance, I didn’t let my concentration on the jungle surrounding me slip. I’d learned that lesson earlier in the day from the freaking Microraptors.

Someone kept watch up in the tree and I noticed the glint of sunlight off binoculars, but they weren’t looking at me. Instead, they pointed toward the north and the area where the flier made its nest.

A shadow twisted overhead and I ducked under a fern, making sure my cloak was pulled tight around me. It was gone before I figured out what it was. Still, I waited a few moments before continuing. The tree line ended as I reached the area around the base of the tall tree. It had recently been cleared again, and I noticed the improvements to the path of smaller crystals. The crater had been filled in, and new grounded stones lined the edges.

Hawk, Jimmy, and Doc had gotten to work soon after I had left. Though, at this point I wasn’t sure how many days had gone by. It all blurred inside my head.

I stepped out into the clearing but didn’t hear anything from above. From inside the fence, I heard loud talking. Very loud.