“Why do I have to be right?!” I quietly said, infuriated by the injustice of it all while I looked around through the darkness of the night and made out the form of trees all around me. I have always been afraid of forests at night, well technically sense I was three and my grandfather told me a story from when he was living in an old shack out in the woods when he was younger and specifically when he had been hunted by a cougar during a hunting trip that nearly lost him his leg.

The good thing was that I was always an ‘act don't think’ approach, which I mostly tamed during the last few years, but it came in handy because little sixteen year old me had decided to actually learn how to survive in the woods alone instead of listening to the blind fear of the woods.

‘First step, take stock of the situation.’ I remembered the instructor saying long ago. Well… ‘I might have to modify the steps a little, given that I ported in and have no idea where I am.’ I thought to myself with a touch of dread as I thought.

“Ok, first step. Analyze your location, remember to look, listen and feel.” I said to myself reassuringly, taking inspiration from the survival course I went through. True to my words, I stopped and I started concentrating on my senses. There was a breeze coming from my left, not much but it was there. I breathed in carefully through my nose. That was… odd. I couldn't tell exactly, but something was off. It wasn't bad though, almost as if the freshness of the forest was intensified somehow and it felt almost refreshing. Enriched, that's the word that describes it the best.

Oddness in the air was noted, but other than that, I couldn't make out anything different from the woody earthy smell of the forest. No smell of feces or blood either, which made me somewhat hopeful that I wouldn't run into wild or dangerous animals.

I listened carefully to the woods around me. I could hear the whisper of the wind passing through the trees, I heard the swaying of branches, but nothing else.

I peered through the darkness, straining my eyes to scan my environment. Again, nothing unusual for a forest and no animals, but the forest seemed almost unnaturally dark, even for the night. I could barely see a few of the tightly packed trees in front of me and I saw that I was in a small clearing and also noticed that the trees were oak.

The latter was not particularly useful at the moment, but it did mean that I was in a deciduous forest and not a rainforest, which would have been ten times worse in terms of short term survival. Though if I was going by the trees, and particularly the numerous green leaves, it wasn't going to be much better in a few months, as winters were usually harsh in this environment.

Ok that's done, now onto the second step… Ah. “Now I take stock of the situation.” I whisper to myself. I start to look myself over, taking in my clothes and shoes, along with the blanket on the ground. I pick up the blanket and shake it off, it would be a great help keeping myself warm at night.

I tied the blanket as best as I could for mobility and then when I was tightening the blanket sash around me, I heard a sound that induced nightmares. A wolf's howl. Sharp, clear and most importantly close. I stand stock still, hunkering down by a bush, scanning around and listening carefully for the sound of wolves. It wasn't my hearing that found one however as a lone wolf stalked into sight, quiet as a cat and almost blending in with its mostly black matted fur and it was huge, like up to my nipple line at least.

My breathing started speeding up and my eyes dilated, looking for somewhere to run, but I knew from my survival class that wolves could run faster than any human and there was no way in hell I could take on a wolf that big. While I recalled my survival class and stared at the lone wolf that appeared to have not noticed me, I also recalled another fact about wolves. They were pack hunters.

I scanned the trees again and caught sight of a dark paw flickering behind some trees just to the right side behind me.

My brain went blank as I realized that they were circling me and I looked around for a way out, but it was hopeless, the only advantage I might have is them not knowing where I am, and that wont be for long if they are not all nose deaf. Even if I escaped the circling wolves, which I didn't even know where they were, they would get me while I was running. There has to be another way out!

My eyes caught sight on a low hanging branch above me and I stood stock still as I looked up at the branch, wondering if I could make the jump.

I didn't have the chance to wonder any more as I heard another sound come from a wolf, this time a growl. They know I am here for sure now. I have no choice, either I jump like I was born for it, or I die.

A howl ripped out behind me, not five feet away, and the fear and adrenaline caused me to leap upwards, flying into the air and I could see a large body lunging at me before I looked upwards to the branch quickly. I could not miss this. I will not miss this!

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I stretched out my right hand, reaching for the branch above me. My hand hit it, hard, and I grabbed it with my right hand, pulling my body up just enough that my other arm could grab the branch.

Right after I grabbed the branch, I heard a howl below me and I quickly pulled up my body onto the branch, looking down fearfully as I did. A wolf had lunged at the place I had been standing a few seconds before, but when I had pulled myself up onto the branch, it thankfully only bit the air and hit the ground, staggering slightly as it did.

It turned around to look towards me and I looked in its cold eyes and gulped as it growled again. Apparently the growl was some sort of signal as a wolf emerged into the small clearing, then another, then another, three more wolves emerged from the trees, all looking up at me.

Then I saw a light through the trees and I spun my head to face it. It was a damned wolf. A damned glowing wolf. Its body was mostly the same as the other wolves, but there were several differences, like it being much taller than even me, and its entire body seemingly covered in slowly curling blue flame and eyes that seemed to pierce into my soul with blue fire burning in them.

I shivered at the otherworldly sight of the beast of a wolf below me and I huddled against the tree in fear, pressing my blanket to my body as I backed away against the trunk.

Thankfully, none of the wolves seemed interested in climbing or jumping to where I was and after watching me for a few minutes, they apparently got bored and the wolf covered in blue flame seemed to signal the pack to leave and they quickly vanished into the trees and out of sight.

Still I stayed in the tree huddling on the lone branch, covered in nervous sweat and shivering from the chill breeze, too afraid to climb down the tree but the branch was also too uncomfortable and small to sleep and kept scraping my back and my but was getting sore from the hard wood.

What felt like hours of torture on that branch later, I got a grip on myself and my fear and I started looking through the trees for anything I could use to defend myself if the wolves came back from wherever they went, not that I thought I could kill them, especially with that glowing demon wolf around, but the darkness was too thick to see anything outside of a few feet so it was hopeless.

What I did see however was a tangle of branches that were thick and long, on the tree a few feet to my right. It looked almost the perfect size to lie down on but most importantly, it was off the ground and away from where the wolves could get me.

If I was going to do this, I need to get it right. There is no telling if those wolves are still around and any possible risk needs to be minimized. What can I do though… I look around and examine the area and make a path in my mind of where I can go to get to the tree branches quickly. When I looked carefully, I could see that there was actually a larger branch from the other, just above the branch I was on.

The only problem is that it is actually quite far out on the branch and so, I wasn't confident it could hold my weight that far out where it is thinner. But on the other hand the only other choice was to jump back on the ground and sprint to another low hanging branch and hope that the wolves are actually gone. Minimizing risks…

Ok, I will climb carefully out to the other branch and try to grab hold of it to climb up to the little platform. Was it safe? No. But it was less of a risk than being caught on the ground with the pack of wolves and being torn to shreds.

With the plan in mind, I started moving, slowly shuffling on the branch, making my way carefully to the other branch while gripping the branch between my legs and pulling myself forwards with my hands. The branch started sagging worryingly about half of the way to the other tree branch and I started speeding up. “Come on! Come on, you can do it! Just don't break!” I said nervously to the branch. I did not want to fall from here and especially when I don't know where those damn wolves are.

Then, just a few feet away from the other branch when I was starting to feel more confident in the branch, I heard a crack that sent my brain into panic mode and I threw myself forwards to the branch as I felt the branch I was on start to break from the strain of my weight. Apparently me flinging myself towards the other branch was the final straw and I felt the branch break off beneath me and my stomach lurched as I started to fall, the broken part of the branch sandwiched between my legs still.

Panicking even harder now and with reflexes I didn't know I had, I reached out and grabbed hold of the other branch, the rough bark biting into my hand and scraping it raw as I swung my other hand up and onto the branch to relieve some of the pressure.

Luckily, there was another branch just a few shuffles down the length of the branch that I could stand on carefully. I let out a long and hard sigh from the stress as I relaxed slightly on the branch and I felt the broken branch between my legs nearly fall from my relaxed state, but I could definitely use a broken branch for something, it was actually quite long and I could probably use it to keep animals away when I was on the ground or something.

I carefully reached down with one hand and gripped my new staff with my one hand and I began to climb the tree carefully making my way through the branches until I caught hold of the small natural platform of branches and I let myself fall back onto it, lying down exhausted.

I lay back for a while, letting the stress melt away while I looked out into the open air and the dark sky, spangled with the bright dots of the stars and the two bright blue moons in the sky floating lazily above me.

Wait a minute… I raised myself up a bit more on the platform, trying to convince myself that I was seeing things, but no! There were two bright blue and huge moons in the sky.

“Where the hell am I now?!” I said quietly and exasperatedly at my situation as I realized that I was not in fact on earth any more.