Tora had spent a couple of weeks in the forest. One of the first things xey had did was xey had built a nest among the highest branches of one of the taller trees in the forest. The nest was fairly well hidden, and made of weaved branches lined with moss and the occasional loose feather. Building the nest felt like instinct to xem, which was good. Xey would've had no idea how to make one otherwise.
Tora had spent some time getting used to being a bird. Xey had to get used to flying everywhere instead of walking, and xey had to learn how to properly hunt. It took xem awhile to get used to killing and eating prey, especially since it was raw meat. Xey had also found several fruits and berries that xey could eat that were fairly tasty, but xey mostly relied on food that xey had hunted since hunting gave xem EXP.
During xeir hunts, they had unlocked a few skills. One such skill was called Polymorph. It allowed the user to temporarily transform into a new form. Tora currently could only transform into a few bird forms, but that was enough for xem for now. With enough use, xey could probably unlock new forms. Xey might even be able to take a human form. With xeir bright red feathers that only seemed to grow brighter with each day that passed, hunting was hard. With Polymorph, they were able to become a hawk or other bird that blended in better with the forest.
"Status."
~[Name: {Blank}
~[Species: Phoenix-Young
~[Level: 15
~[HP: 425/425
~[MP: 300/300
~[Strength:15
~[Constitution:15
~[Dexterity:15
~[Intelligence:15
~[Charisma:10
~[Luck:10
~[Unused Stat Points: 0
~[Passive Skills:
~[Fireproof, Rebirth of the Phoenix, Flight, Inspect
~[Active Skills:
~[Fireball, Fire Tornado, Polymorph, Fire Claw, Burning Heal
Xey still hadn't figured out how to get xeir name in the status window, but because of xeir hunting, xey had leveled up to 15. Fire Claw was a skill that created a layer of fire around xeir talons. Burning Heal restored some of xeir health by creating a layer of flames around xeir body. The fire also temporarily acted as an armor.
In the forest, there were two kinds of creatures; animals, and monsters. The animals were the kind of species Tora would've found in xeir previous life. There were various birds, deer, rabbits, wolves, snakes, and the like.
The monsters were creatures that only existed in legends in Tora's previous life. There were wolves with branching antlers, bears with fur of stone or steel, goblins and imps, and of course various slimes like the ones found in the volcano. The monsters disappeared in a burst of light and often dropped various materials when killed. It was fairly similar to the MMORPG games xey used to play, where defeating the monsters would cause them to drop loot.
Some of the materials xey had gotten from hunting monsters included a bear pelt, wolf fangs and claws, and slime balls. The bear pelt was a lucky find. The bear was already on the brink of death. Otherwise, Tora probably wouldn't have been able to defeat it with the level xey had been at, at the time. Xey had used the bear pelt as part of the lining of xeir nest since it was fairly comfortable, but everything else was stashed away. Xey didn't have any use for the items yet, and since xey didn't have an inventory as part of the system that gave xem stats, xey could only hide the materials in a hollow of a tree near the nest.
Tora took to the air, activating Polymorph to transform into a black kite, a medium-sized bird of prey with a wingspan of about 100cm(Approximately 1 yd, or 3ft.) Xey flew high above the treetops, scanning the forest floor below for any sign of possible prey. Xey could also try to fish, but most of the fish in the river that was a part of the forest were small and not very tasty.
Spotting a brown-furred hare, Tora dove down, tucking xeir wings tightly against xeir body and stretching out their talons. Xey swooped down, talons quickly stabbing into the hare. Xeir wings snapped back open as xey zoomed back up to the sky. Xey made xeir way back to the nest, quickly tearing into the hare's body.
Suddenly, the crunching of leaves alerted xem to the presence of one or more creatures nearby. Xey fell silent, dropping the hare in the nest before hopping out to a nearby outstretched branch to see what it was. The fallen leaves rustled loudly, as if crushed underfoot by a heavy or large creature. This made xem wary. The larger creatures of the forest tended to be the predators, besides the deer or deer-related monsters.
Three voices sounded through the air, crashing through the silence.
"I'm not lying! I swear I saw it!"
"Are you sure? They supposedly went extinct ages ago."
"We've been walking for hours. I think we should head back now."
Three humanoids, a male in light armor with a bow strung across his back and a crossbow at his hip, a male in a white robe with a wooden staff slung across his back, and a female in shiny armor with a sword sheath at her hip, entered the small clearing beneath Tora's nest. Xey were surprised to see the humans. Xey hadn't noticed anyone while hunting, and only just heard them when they were close. Noting the staff that seemed to be glowing slightly, xey attributed the lack of presence to a spell from the mage. Xey hopped down a few branches, hoping to hear what they were looking for. If some magical creature that supposedly went extinct was suddenly found, it most likely would be something interesting. Xey also used one of the passive skills to view their stats.
~[Name: Zoryn
~[Species: Human
~[Class: Wind Archer
~[Level: 40
~[Name: Leilani
~[Species: Human
~[Class: Knight
~[Level: 42
~[Name: Malak
~[Species: Human
~[Class: Dark Mage
~[Level: 41
The male with the bow and the female with the sword continued to argue as they paused beneath the large tree.
"I swear, I know what I saw. I wasn't even drunk!"
"What do you mean? You are constantly drunk. I bet it was just a normal bird."
"I promise you both. I know what I saw, and what I saw was a phoenix!"