Birds... leaking light, and a constant, banging feeling wracked my brain. All of which are completely... foreign. I've had headaches before, but... this was certainly different. Ignoring the fact it hurt, the more pressing matters was the strange feeling of grass gracing my face.

As my mind slowly came to the situation laid before it, I found my body reacting first. Thrown up into a sitting position in some sense of alarm, both of my eyelids peeled open. Although... instead of the typical 2 eyes that would be normal, I could see from 4 different angles. As if I had two sets of eyes.

This... wasn't my room, this wasn't my comfortable bed that I was laying in just moments prior. This was all so alarmingly different. A forest, supposed I'm... in the middle of a clearing. Trees sprawled high into the sky, their bark a healthy brown like any other tree with the exception of their oddly... purple leaves. Shrubs, oddly shaped berries, and a plethora of other unknown fauna laid before me. Granted, I was never a flourist. It... Suddenly, another pulse panged against my mind agonizingly. Reminding me of that headache that I almost briefly forgot in the suddenness of this situation. If I ignored all of that, why... why was I so calm about this?

I couldn't raise my voice, in fact nothing came out aside from incoherent 'clitters'. That was the only manner in which I could explain the horrid tones leaving my mouth. The only thing I felt in this situation was an extreme feeling of discomoft and disoreintation. It would be normal to panick, my breath should be steadily increasing until I hyperventilate. I was never one to keep my cool under stressful situations, yet here I am treating this like another day in the neighborhood. Instinctively, my hand found its way to my chest, as I gripped it.

Hard. It wasn't soft like it should be, there wasn't any skin from what I could feel. It wasn't a clean chocolate color, like it had always been, and instead... My new 'skin', or whatever it was, sat there as a deep, stone-like purple. Almost like a gem, it was just... that smooth. What I was touching was... a sort of armor? Like something you'd see on an insect. Chitin, I believe it was called, a sort of...exoskeleton? It wasn't helping the growing feelings of discomfort, my feelings of disoreintation only worsening. Was I adjusting to this? How could I adjust to this? One look at my body and you could tell I wasn't 'human'. The legs... There were 4 of them, I seemed to have become just like an insect, but with a human-upper half. Arachons... or- whatever the termination was. My mind's not here to remember properly right now.

I can't 'adjust' to this. I'm a human, was a human, still am a 'human'... This was all very... confusing and the fact I couldn't think on this any longer wasn't helping my mind. I felt restricted, those aspects of my 'personality' that should be flaring due to my present situation didn't respond. I felt like I was suffocating with each breath I drew. I felt like a machine, even though I've never been one.

This situation certainly didn't make any sense and whenever I tried to sit down and collect myself, a thought too over my mind in a flash-

-Useless. This wasn't getting anywhere. Move on, I suddenly thought. It was abrupt, almost commanding, as I stood up on some instict. I know what I should do. Acquire Shelter, then 'hunt'. Thirst should be a factor, but I 'felt' like I wouldn't need to worry about it.

I moved. The same armor completely covered my hands and fingers, something I noticed while I moved through the forestry. Moving various branches, shrubs, or other typical plants that got in my way. It was surreal, so many sounds opened up to me. Things I believe I could never hear under more normal circumstances. Noises I've never heard before, deep gutteral growls, the yelp of various high-pitched beings, and even the sound of crushed wood.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Watched. I was being watched. I could tell. I don't know how, but there was something following me. From the sounds that drew near, the repetition in a breathing pattern I had heard... some few minutes ago. Anxiety brewed, but just like everything else... it was presumably acknowledged as 'useless' and thrown to the side.

More minutes passed. Whatever had been following seemed to have noticed my perception. It was intelligent, the thing backed off, and I didn't catch another sign of it pursuing. Luckily, It seems I've stumbled upon what seemed to be a cave. It /would/ be an optimal spot for shelter, but I'm sure animals would think the same. Survival was still a concept, even if the possible creatures here would be different from Earths. I'm sure their behaviors would have to mimick that of other wild life. I question how I'm not tired, I've been walking for hours without stop, but perhaps this body would be increasingly better than one who hadn't ever exercised. One thing I've noticed is that everything is familiar with what I know of 'earth'.

I speak about it in that sense, because I'm assuming this isn't earth. I don't remember chitin wearing humanoids when I went to the forests on forced camping trips.

"Kekreet..." A noise unknowingly seeps from my mouth. Basic words are impossible... so, If I was back on earth. I'm sure I'd be a shoot on sight. I lament, but like everything else, it only lasts a second.

I couldn't just lay outside, some instict was screaming that I would be too vulnerable. So, I walked toward the cave against my better judgement. I'm a coward, so whether or not it was a good judgement on my end was to be debated. My eyes pierced through the darkness, all 4 of them, and the result shocked me.

I stood there, stunned. Feeling around the wet rock of the cave in disbelief at my newfound night vision. Looking at it from cameras, a screen, anything but your own eyes... that was my experience until now. It was too surreal. It was empty, although there were signs of life within it.

Bones and... feces, for a better word. I don't have it in me to go see how warm it is in order to debate how long ago that was. I'm not some survivalist. It bothered me to a great degree, but my screaming instincts won me over to reside here in the mean time. I found myself throwing my fist straight into a tree, like I was in some video game, and to my surprise... My gamble had one. A 3-inch hole was punched straight into the trunk. If I continued, i could definitely fall this tree in only a couple minutes.

It barely hurt my fist as well. At least I could use this wood as makeshift walls, not that... I know how to properly prepare them for such a task. I'd need some way to cut them down or process them, as I doubt I could just karate chop it. Though, that was a fun thought.

Some, presumed, hours later, that thought proved idiotic as you could guess. Thinking to myself this much makes me feel like I'm keeping a sense of self, if not going bad shit insane. The boards were broken, but those splinters... I turned into sharp poles. It's pathetic to call them spears. I should be leaving this to my ancestors, if we even share the same ones anymore. Given what the hell I apparently am now. Long story short, I've blocked off the cave with several pieces of wood that I managed to painstakingly carved with my nails.

They're sharp as hell, surprisingly, but their length is... less than desired. Defensive weapons mostly, maybe even attack if i sunk them into something's neck. They're like daggers, but... worse with their reach. Another thing I found out is after trying to yell or form coherent noises, I spat up a adhesive substance. Of course, I... 'threw up'(?) on the wood ends and embedded them against the ground.

This was... shaking up to be a refuge, for now. Today, I learned nothing. I was... I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to explore, even though I should. I'm scared. I really am. I can't express that more other than as passing thoughts and It's driving me... I can't even say insane. I can't leave this realm of impassive feelings and there wasn't any indication of what was going on.

I... I just hope I can accomplish something tomorrow. I don't want to die here.