I backed up to the tree, jumped onto my hind legs, and rubbed against the rough bark. Scraping slightly lower, further to the side, and a bit more lower, I moaned in pleasure as I finally scratched the bothersome itch. Falling back down, I wanted to lounge in the morning sun, but I knew it was more sensible to start on my long journey to breakfast. When you're a small bear like me, everyone challenges you for the good food sources, so now I found myself limited to a few berry bushes hidden behind a thorny thicket.
In truth, I hadn't always been a bear, I think at least. I have memories of being a human: growing, loving, passionately loving, grieving, raging, and the whole package. But everytime I tried to dig deeper for details, my mind cracked apart with pain as if being hammered down. My first bear memory was simply waking up as one, looking down and seeing my claws, sniffing at the air and smelling food. That had been a week ago and ever since then I had been a bear, though mind you not a very good one.
Passing a cyan-blue stream with sunlight dancing across it, I stopped by and lapped up water, quenching my thirst. My reflection showed my big, beady eyes and my dark brown fur, covering a little frame that couldn't weigh more than 50kg. I clawed at the water and broke the image, feeling satisfied for a second until it reappeared. Bah, whatever.
I ran through the water and across the muddy banks until I was treading on detritus again, ambling down the beaten path for a long, boring time until I saw the thorny thicket. God, the things I did for hunger. Steeling my mind, I advanced, groaning as the prickles jabbed me through my thin coat. Although I had flattened this passage of the thicket last time, it had already grown back to its taunting height, likely just to give me a harder time. Approaching the end of it, I pushed through and growled as I saw a little (littler than me for sure) red fox, feasting on my berries. My berries.
It must have been too distracted gorging on my berries to hear me coming as it now raised its head and froze. Only for a moment, however, as it dashed away in the next, just as I launched myself forward. Unfortunately for it, this alcove only had one way out - through the thorns - so it was pointless running. Or so I thought until I saw it jumping up the walls, steadily gaining height - that must have been how it had reached my berries in the first place.
Just the same, I wasn't going to let it leave and spread the location of my berries to all its thieving friends. Leaping up, I clawed at the red fox and struck it down, smashing it against the ground. Before it could get up, I swooped down and seized it in my teeth. Crunch.
Blood dribbled down my mouth and I sucked on it, finding myself roused by the rich taste of iron. I tore through the clumps of fur and gnawed at the flesh; it was far more filling than the berries. I had previously eaten meat from a felled dear but this was far better as it was warm and rich. It was then I noticed a strange thing in my vision - it was almost transparent like water but not quite. It was square-shaped and had writing on it, writing that I could read!
[Level Up! You are now level 2.]
What? What?! I read through it again, making sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, before realising it was all real. Woah, level up - I wonder what that did.
[You have gained an attribute point. Do you wish to spend it now?]
Ugh, I wasn't sure. I recognised the term "attribute point" from somewhere, although I wasn't sure where. Searching through my mind, I found myself outside my locked human memories. Oh no. My heart dropped but it was too late as I instinctively tried to open them, only to get the same response as always. Roaring in pain, I shook my head and rocked about, gasping for breath until the pain finally subsided.
God, that was annoying! Fine, whatever, spend the point.
[Level 2 (6/30)
Race: Pygmy Bear (tier 1) - 41kg
Class: unlocks at level 20
Strength: 12
Agility: 8
Constitution: 13
Endurance: 9
Perception: 10
Luck: 5
Perks: Great sense of smell, Bear's regeneration
Evolution conditions]
Sometime ago, I had tried to hunt hares but had been too slow to catch them. If I put my points into agility, I would be faster, right? That would mean more hares and thieving foxes for me, right? Since no one answered me, I figured I was right and put my point into agility. Then, fueled by curiosity, I opened the evolution conditions section.
[Evolution tier 2 condition: level 10
Further conditions
Brown Bear: Strength is greater than 10, Constitution is greater than 15
Black Bear: Agility is greater than 10, Perception is greater than 10
Vampiric Pygmy Bear: kill 5 enemies and suck their blood
Shadow Pygmy Bear: Agility is greater than 15
Golden Pygmy Bear: Luck is greater than 10
Arcane Pygmy Bear: be conscious
???
???
…]
The rest of the list was just a long queue of question marks. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw - I could evolve! I didn't have to stay a small bear; I could be a big bear with my own apple grove, maybe even with my own honeycomb! Licking my lips at the thought, I knew what I would have to do next. Strutting to the berry bush, I relieved myself, not just to mark my territory but also as a symbol to myself that I was going to move onto new, bigger things.
Turning to leave, I saw the thorns in front of me, the field of pain, and hesitated. Suddenly getting an idea, I went over to the dirt walls of the alcove and tried to clamber my way up. My grip slipped and I fell back down with a thud, but I wasn't going to give up that easily. Eventually, after throwing myself at them over and over, I clawed my way up to the top and roared with exhilaration.
Breathing out excitement through my nose, I looked around and saw the bright, golden sunlight lighting up the thorns and bush and fox, all below me now. Today was a good day!