Chapter 2: Home Bitter Home

David has been traveling the rough forest of Foserense for days now in search of a home. In the morning, he would evade the dangerous creatures that lurk in its foliage while making sure to log any important information he could find. In the afternoon, he would hunt for food, both for the afternoon and the next morning. In the evening, he would find a small place where he could hide so he does not get assailed or attacked by the forest’s dangerous denizens. 

He wasn’t always successful. There were times that he couldn’t evade the dangerous creatures nor find any food. The worst is at night when he is weak and tired and an animal attacks him. 

This night was one of those sleepless nights.

David pushed through the foliage as he evaded the incoming bone knife. The boney object pierced a tree trunk, just slightly above David’s head.

Another one…

David jumps up and catches a thick three branch. Using the momentum, David spins up, avoiding another flying bone knife. Once on top of the tree branch, David finally sees the creature that is hellbent on ruining his sleep. 

A large creature with 8 legs and 8 eyes. Anyone who saw it would call it a spider. But unlike spiders, which usually had soft bodies, this monster had a bony body structure. Its legs were covered with dark yellowish bone plates. While this would be enough to fuel David’s dreams with nightmares, the truly fearsome part of this creature was its mouth. Unlike spiders who had mandibles, this spider had a full-on mouth with giant teeth, each one capable of rending David’s flesh from his bones.

David frowns. If this creature shared its less terrifying cousin’s ability to climb almost any surface, then David felt scared. The creature opens its spiny mouth and its throat releases a sharp bony knife. 

Oh…

David quickly hides behind the tree and he feels it shake a bit. Returning his view, he sees that there is a bone knife embedded in the space of the tree where he was originally supposed to be. 

The bone knife was sharp enough that David was tempted to grab it for future use but he started to be more careful when he saw a dead animal explode when touched by other creatures. Who knew what hellish effect this bone knife could inflict on David.

To be sure, David would poke the knife first. Taking one of the branches tied to his back, David pokes the bone knife. The bone spider seems to dislike this and it hisses. 

David ignores it.

The bone knife does not react to David’s poking so David wraps his hand with one of his thatch gloves and grabs the knife. The knife feels like a tough piece of bone or rock. 

Yeah, I can add this to my sticks. I can make a spear with this.

David puts the bone knife beside him. Taking out some dried fiber, David ties the knife neatly on top of a stick. The spider seems to realize that it can’t kill David so it leaves or pretends to leave. David doesn’t let his guard down.

After tying the bone knife on top of David’s sturdiest stick, he manages to fashion a primitive spear. Doing a stabbing motion, David imagines killing an animal. 

This will make hunting a bit easier.

David looks around and finds no sign of the bone spider. After making sure the area is clear, David makes his way down. Never letting his guard down, David dodges to the side as a bone knife almost embeds itself onto David’s back. 

Knowing his enemy, David starts to run. He’s confident he can escape the bone spider. After a few minutes of jogging, David escapes the spider. Looking around, David finds a tall tree with enough shade to protect him from any more flying bone knives.

David climbs the tree and ties himself to the branch just to make sure he doesn’t fall off and die. Once secured, David closes his eyes so he can get some shuteye. 

Once the sun was up, David needed to move again. He still hasn’t found a place to call home and if he failed to find one, he would have to spend one more day in danger. 

After almost a day’s worth of travel, David finally finds a river. The river was rapidly moving but David could see the silhouettes of dangerous creatures under the water.

Not gonna enter that.

David strafes the edge of the river and he leans forward to take a drink. He sighs in pleasure as he swallows some of the freshest water he’s ever tasted in his two lives. 

David sighs a bit when he realizes that he doesn’t have a container to store the river water.

Okay… add that to the things I need to make, containers. 

Taking out his log, David goes to the page which contains his “to-do” list. The log’s main ability is to store information regarding Foserense but after fiddling with the log a bit more, David realized it also acts as a notebook. After realizing this, David started listing down the things he needed to do in the log. 

David’s To-Do List

1. Find a safe home with easy access to food and water.
2. Create clothes.
3. Create weapons.
4. Create containers.

After listing down his 4th goal, David hides the log again. Once drinking his fill, David makes the journey upwards. 

If I follow the river, I’ll reach a higher elevation… then I’ll have a clearer view of the forest. By then, I’ll be able to hunt with ease and have easy access to water.

David was fantasizing about the good situation that is to come. While David was slowly getting used to the danger of Foserense, he made sure to keep his guard up. When the afternoon came, David started to look for an area to rest for now. 

Once on an elevated area, David takes out a rock from his leaf pack. The rock was slightly sharpened and he started to bash it on another piece of rock he had. For the past few days, David has been using some of his resting time bashing these two rocks. The purpose was to create a make-shift knife that would allow him to make sharp incisions. The bone spear was good for stabbing but it wasn’t ideal when it came to making cuts. 

David continued to sharpen his rock. Today was the day it would become a functional knife. After a while, David examined his work. The stone was long enough that he could hold it like an actual knife. It seemed to shine a bit in the moonlight.

Oh… it’s already night?

David smiled to himself as he recounted the past few days. For the past few days, he’s been doing everything to survive, ranging from stoning small animals to carefully picking fruits from their trees. For food, David has been eating a wide variety of nuts and fruits. For liquids, David has been drinking from the fruits he and the log have deemed safe. Using the large leaves he got from a variety of trees, David fashioned a pack where he stores most of his foodstuff. 

Satisfied with his achievements, David goes to sleep. 

In the morning, David washes up by the river, enjoying the cool water on his body. 

Finally, a bath… even if it’s not the whole body. Better...

After cleaning up, David continues his travels. While traveling up the river, David is shaving down a thick tree branch. 

A spear for stabbing and a club for clubbing… 

David remembers the times he almost entered a club but he was such a safe guy that he never did. It’s a shame he’ll never be able to experience it. 

Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. 

Once David is done cleaning and carving his club, he ties it by his side using some of his remaining fiber rope. He hides the stone knife in his leaf bag.

There… safe.

While traveling up the river, David notices that the river creatures are becoming braver. When he was doing his daily cleaning, a privilege he gained when he started traveling by the river, that the river creatures are slowly approaching the shore. 

If they’re not too big, they can be food… I hope they’re not too big.

David’s wishful thinking remained as wishful thinking. He knew very well that those silhouettes belonged to big creatures. The thought of anacondas or some nightmarish version of that creature swam through David’s mind. 

David can’t help but shudder thinking about the possibility of dying through vore. 

Okay, let’s avoid the water for now.

David makes a mental note not to stay near the water for too long. 

Eventually, David reaches the source of the river, a giant waterfall that fills up a large natural basin. David looks at the large pool of water and he sees dozens of the giant water creatures.

Hmmm... I guess I’ll never be able to experience full-body bathing.

David moves to the left, following the edge of the waterfall. Once near the stone wall, David looks up and finds that the area is very steep. One wrong move while climbing the wall could spell David’s painful death due to a broken back or a very terrifying death due to being devoured alive while drowning.

David wanted neither form of death so he decides to be careful. Taking his stone dagger, David cuts some nearby vines to use for support. He continues to put vines around his body so that he can tie himself to the wall while making a make-shift vine ladder. 

Okay… let’s go.

David hypes himself up as he starts to climb. Using his body’s almost supernatural athleticism, David grabs a stone outcrop and he pulls himself up. 

The climb up is nothing short of terrifying. Using his multitude of sharpened sticks, David creates small holes in the soft parts of the wall. He hammers them in with his club. Once the sticks were hammered in the wall, David ties some of the vines he has with him to the secured sticks. This was to make a make-shift ladder, one that David can use in the future and so he can support himself in the worst-case scenario.

It takes a while but eventually, David’s hand touches the top of the steep wall. Hoisting himself up, David finds himself on top of the waterfalls. Standing up and turning to survey the forest, David finds a beautiful view. The sun was at its peak and the forest was lively. If one were to excuse the fact that the forest is full of murderous super animals, this would be a beautiful and calming picture. 

When David surveys the area, he finds that there is a large open area atop the waterfall. Looking around, David finds many fruits and plants that he and the log have deemed safe and edible. He even sees a few biotube plants which will be good for anti-biotics. 

That’s good… I have fruits to eat… and some vegetables… I just hope, there’s nothing dangerous here… if there are…  I’ll have to clear it.

David liked the area since it felt more defensible than just an open area. While this area was open, it wasn’t easily accessible and David had a better vantage point. He would be able to plan future hunts easier. 

Now, let’s clear this area.

David pulls out his wooden club and bone spear. 

Carefully making his way to the open area, David finds a few wolf-like animals. These wolves had large teeth akin to a sabertooth. David swallowed heavily as he imagined the pain he would experience if he failed to kill these things quickly. There were three of them.

Quick.

David looked around and found that there was a tree he could climb. David climbed as quiet as he could. Once on top of the tree, David slowly walked on top of the branches. He needed the perfect spot so he could immediately kill a saberwolf. 

There.

David jumps off the branch. Using his weight and the momentum of falling, David impales the alpha of the pack with his bone spear. It releases no sound as its head was immediately carved open while its spine suffered David’s weight multiplied by gravity. 

The two remaining saberwolves roared as they backed away. Usually, David would run after showing such a fearsome entrance but he wanted this place safe, he couldn’t let these two run away. The saberwolves knew this too and, instead of running away, charged David. David pulled out the spear and waved it around him. 

The saberwolves roared and growled. They were testing David’s range. 

Just enough.

Despite swinging the spear to push away the saberwolves, the creatures were slowly getting closer. The next time David swung the spear, the saberwolves would charge towards him.

And just as predicted, the saberwolf on the right lunged forward the moment David swung the spear to his left.

David was prepared.

The saberwolf that lunged forward felt a powerful blow strike its mouth as David swung his club. The other saberwolf lunged forward to help its family member but David took a step back and used the creature’s momentum so that it impales itself on the spear. It howls with pain as the spear stabs through its chest. 

Without the momentum of gravity to empower David’s attack, the spear didn’t fully lodge itself in the wolf’s body. It started to thrash but it only served to worsen the wound. The saberwolf whose snout got smashed was slowly getting up. David couldn’t finish it off due to the other saberwolf trying to rip his throat out.

It growled. 

David lost his focus for a moment which the speared saberwolf took advantage of. 

David lost his footing and he was being pushed back.

The clubbed saberwolf roars and goes towards David’s back. Seeing that his back was exposed, David gambled and, still holding the speared saberwolf, swings his spear towards the incoming saberwolf.

Both saberwolves yelp in pain as they crash onto each other. David accidentally lets go of the spear when the saberwolf’s heavy body drags the spear away from him. 

David tries to retrieve his spear but the saberwolf that wasn’t stabbed pulls the spear away from its fellow saberwolf. It throws the spear to the side. The two saberwolves growl at David.

Fudge.

The saberwolves slowly approached David. David slowly backed away. He was holding his club in his right hand. One of the two saberwolves was weakened but an animal is so much more dangerous when they’re injured. 

David stopped backing away. 

If I back away more, I might fall down.

The saberwolves roared. 

To remove his fear, David roared back.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The saberwolves seem surprised by that but it does not dissuade them from charging. The two saberwolves charge forward but as expected, the weaker saberwolf lags a bit behind. Instead of running away, David charges forward with a rock in his left hand and a club in his right hand. 

While running, David hefts the stone and lobs it towards the wounded saberwolf. The wounded saberwolf gets struck in the face with a rock. It howls in pain and is momentarily distracted.

That’s enough!

David meets the unwounded saberwolf head-on. Raising his club, David swings it towards the monstrous creature. Unlike before, the saberwolf was prepared to meet David’s attack. It dodges the strike by ducking.

Fudge!

The animal takes advantage and bites David’s leg.

“Ahhhh!”

David screams in pain as the saberwolf’s large canines pierce his flesh. 

“Stupid wolf!”

David starts to hit the saberwolf with his club in a panic. The saberwolf’s canines are digging deeper but the pain helps David focus. Seeing that the other saberwolf has recovered, David throws the club at it, stunning it again. Taking his stone knife, David stabs the saberwolf in the eye. 

The saberwolf’s bite weakens for a bit but it must have realized that this was a do or die moment and whoever let go would die. David felt the creature’s teeth hit his bone and he started to internally panic. 

One of us has to die!

David put all his strength into wrenching the knife deeper into the saberwolf’s eye. 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

David started to scream as he put the knife deeper and deeper into the saberwolf’s skull. Eventually, a powerful crunching sound comes from the skull of the saberwolf as it dies from its brain being gouged out. Its jaw slacks open and releases David’s leg. 

Panting in pain, David separates himself from the saberwolf. Putting the smallest amount of force on his mangled leg gives David an unbelievably large amount of pain. 

Wait! Where’s the other on-

David hasn’t even finished his thought when the other saberwolf charged him. David managed to raise his hand in reflex to defend his neck. The saberwolf bites into David’s arm. 

The saberwolf continues running forward. Due to the saberwolf’s strength, David is dragged forward. He tries to stab the saberwolf but David is in the wrong position for it and the saberwolf is on a side that is hard to strike so David can’t find the leverage. 

Instead, David finds that he’s about to fall off the cliff. 

Oh, fu…

In a bid of suicidal action, the saberwolf jumps off the cliff with David on tow. Realizing the danger of this situation, David lets go of the stone dagger and starts to free fall with the saberwolf. Looking at the saberwolf’s eyes, David sees an almost intelligent gleam.

The creatures here aren’t just animals…

No animal would sacrifice itself just to get vengeance. While falling, David frantically thinks of a way to escape the saberwolf’s death grip. But as David quickly reaches the bottom, he runs out of ideas.

Except, to make sure that the saberwolf hits the water first. David grabs the saberwolf’s neck and angles it towards the large pool of water. 

Yeah, I hope you get eaten first!

The explosion of water and the force of hitting an almost solid surface knocked the saberwolf out. It let go of David. David opens his eyes when under the water and it was just as he expected. 

Underneath the pool, David saw dozens if not hundreds of sleeping serpents. With the new commotion, they were starting to wake up. 

David swam. 

Pushing his body, David forces himself to move and swim away from the water. He did this with a mangled arm and a damaged leg. 

Maybe it was due to luck or some unforeseen coincidence but David managed to climb onto the shore bank without being taken. The saberwolf was not as lucky. 

When David came to, he realized he was on top of the waterfall once more. How he got up here? He does not remember. In his pain-addled mind, he must’ve gotten up through sheer force of will.

David looks around. He was in a cave with some protection from the environment. He had plenty of food. For now, he was safe.