In the evening, the shadows spread through the cave, and the sun was about to go down. Alex walked to the cave entrance to glance at the forest outside for the first time.
He parted the thick vines that covered the entrance and looked outside. The towering trees filled his view. The tall trees, taller than he ever saw, cast a dark shadow in the setting sun.
Alex can't see much through the shadows, but the constant bird chirps and piercing beast shrieks painted the unseen picture.
A cool breeze hit his cheek, which bought the scent of grass and earth. Alex took a deep breath full of fresh air, and his body was instantly energized.
As he observed the forest in front, Alex can feel that the forest was different. It was ancient and full of vitality.
Where is this place? How did he get here? Alex once again questioned, without any answer.
Alex also noticed that his cave was few meters above the ground. The cave was situated in the middle of a cliff. He had to climb down the vines to reach the ground, which was not a problem.
His father, who was a military officer, made him attend many survival and military youth training camps. So, he was proficient in the rope climb and few survival techniques. He used to think of it as punishment, but now he was glad. This was also the reason why he dared to face this strange forest calmly.
After the preliminary check, Alex closed the curtain of vines. He laid on the ground at the entrance, facing the outside woods. He took out his Multi-function binoculars for the night surveillance and a red book to record his findings.
'When you are in an unknown forest, you should not go out without a plan.' this was a rule of thumb in survival training. 'To make a plan, you have to do reconnaissance.' this was a rule of thumb in military training.
Hence, Alex did not intend to go outside until the water runs out, which should be around 24 hours. But he was not going to waste time till then.
There was a reason Alex waited till now to start the surveillance of the outside forest. With the cover of night and the cover of vines, the small partition that was exposed will be less visible.
Alex raised his binoculars and took a peek. Although there was still some light, Alex turned on the night vision to see clearly.
Soon, Alex saw many strange animals and plants, which can only be seen in fiction.
What a magical alien planet, was Alex's first thought. I am now in huge trouble, was his second thought.
Usually, traveling alone through a forest was already troublesome, but traveling through an alien forest was seeking death.
All kinds of negative thoughts occupied his head, but he forcefully bottled them down. He had to keep his mind together.
His immediate goals were clear. First, find a water source in this ancient forest as soon as possible. Second, He had to gather as much intelligence as possible before he goes out to find the water source. The location of his current cave was suitable to gather intelligence and also secure enough.
With the objectives set, Alex picked up the binoculars again. These binoculars have a range of two kilometers, which was sufficient for now. He took the small red book and wrote all his observations in it.
Alex saw a big blue bird that looks like an eagle but three times its size, moving swiftly in the sky. It's much faster than the Eagle on Earth and probably was a top predator in the sky. Alex tentatively named it Blue Eagle.
Alex saw a strange black bird that looks like a mix of crow and vulture. He named it Black Vulture.
In the trees, he saw a monkey with four hands swinging around in trees.
On the ground, he saw a fat hamster, as large as a football.
Alex watched all kinds of small animals scurrying in the woods, preparing for the night. Alex dutifully wrote down their characteristics.
Soon the sun was set, and darkness prevailed. Alex no longer peeked outside, nor did he light a fire in the dark. He just sat in the dark cave and listened to the noises outside.
Many predators howl at night, such as coyotes, foxes, and wolves. Alex was listening to catch any sounds and get some clues.
Except for the sound of some birds, there were no sounds. Slowly as the moon was rising in the sky, the forest outside became more silent.
After some time, the forest was dead silent. Even the birds were not chirping anymore. All the commotion died outside.
With every passing second, Alex became more nervous. This was the first night he was spending in this dangerous alien world. He does not know what's going on outside.
Suddenly a Wolf howl resounded throughout the forest outside.
Wolves! Alex breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes knowing your enemy reduces the psychological pressure.
The wolf howl sounded weird to Alex as if it's echoing from a distance. Alex didn't think much about the abnormality. Soon, several wolf howls echoed in the dark.
Wolves were known for their group tactics, stamina, and sense of smell. The Wolves in this Magical world will only be much fiercer.
Alex wanted to look at the wolves outside and get some preliminary intel. Alex took the Multifunction binoculars and laid on the ground facing the outside. He peeked through the vines to his right side, where the wolves were howling.
He did not find anything except the shadows of trees that were created by moonlight. Then he switched to the night vision mode and saw some vague figures. Without any success, he switched to the heat vision.
Then, he saw them, the wolves, as many as five of them, which were as big as tigers. They appeared bright red in the heat vision mode. Two of the wolves seem to be fighting each other.
After finding the wolves in the heat vision, he switched to the night vision, the bright red figures disappeared, and some vague dark figures appeared in his night vision.
Are these wolves as dark as night? The wolves should be pitch black, Alex concluded. Otherwise, his binoculars should have captured them in night vision mode.
He switched to the heat vision and looked at the wolves who were fighting. They moved fast, disappearing between the trees, and their paws seem to have a destructive effect. The ground and the trees trembled as they fought.
As he was watching, Suddenly, a horrible Wolf howl resounded in the forest. Alex's heart skipped a beat.
The wolves jumped up like frightened cats and looked at the far end of the right side.
Soon, there was another small howl. The wolves broke the fight and dispersed as if given amnesty.
Alex stopped his observation and went deep into the cave.
He lighted the glowstick and wrote a name in his red book - Night Wolves.