I headed west because I did not want to deal with snakes, eat weird plants, or eat monkeys. In hindsight going north might have been a good idea.
Monkeys eat loads of fruit, and fruits contain water. All I'd have to do is go there observe them eat, and hopefully eat the same thing without getting positioned. It would've been killing two birds with one stone.
Unfortunately I head west. I headed there with one thing on my mind, beef! The one thing I knew for sure is that cows and bulls are edible. So with hunger and weakness clouding my judgement, I headed west.
Once I walked far enough I started to see animals, loads of them! I'm talking big cows, small cows and even calves!
Well I only saw cattle, but it was still a lot of animals nonetheless! I hid in bushes threading carefully behind shrubs and grass so not to alrert them.
I was as stealthy as a ninja, but not as efficien. I just couldn't find a small group of cattle, so I stalked and stalked, waiting patiently for members to leave their groups, or get separated for whatever reason.
If a group split into two I'd follow the smaller group.
It took me a few hours of stalking a particular herd before I could find one all alone. It was out there enjoying itself grazing on some juicy grass while I starved.
No that wasn't fair, not at all! At least that's what I was telling myself, truth be told it was simply doing what its always done and was minding it's own business, I was the one being unfair, It didn't deserve what I wanted to do it, it had it's own life and dreams (maybe).
Despite that it was survival against mine, and like the selfish person I am, I picked myself.
Right as I was about to make my move and snipe it from afar using Stella Cadens, a disturbance overtook the whole region of forest.
It started with the birds chirping and flying erratically, then the bugs getting louder and louder, followed by a vibration in the earth which eventually culminated into a flood of animals running away from something.
The whole commotion caused my prey to get away.
Dang it, I was just starting to feel like a lion. I thought to myself.
Very soon I was running away too. Hordes of wild bore were right behind me and right behind them was the monstrously large bull from last night.
I hadn't seen a single pig today, where the heck did they come from? Pushing those thoughts aside, I focused all my energy on running, staying ahead of every other thing that was fleeing.
If I didn't have such a considerable headstart I would have been stampeded to death. The giant bull was quite active, it trampled upon several pigs, barging right through the crowd, knocking the smaller creatures out of the way.
I'm not sure if it was caused by fear or strategy, but the horde broke in halfe, it was and even split. And luckily the bull seemed to be interested in the other half.
Well that was a relief.
But despite that, I still wasn't safe. It tried to slip away from the path of the horde but unfortunately a bore that was right behind me happened to slip in the mud at that exact moment.
The creature crashed into me causing me to fall down a slope I didn't even know was there.
I tumbled down the rocky slope where at it's bottom my momentum had come to a halt.
Fortunately that didn't kill me, it only left me with a sore back and several cuts, nothing I couldn't handle.
The bore that slipped didn't fall down with me, it was still on top of the hill, doing only god knows what.
And at the bottom the hill there was me, a man who was hurt and tired.
At least I was safe, relatively... I was on the sticky moist soil beneath a giant canopy formed by the surrounding trees.
I had landed in a valley of sorts, the ground was uphill to both my front and back, it was as if was surrounded by two thick walls of dirt.
The valley was small and narrow, it's width was barely enough to accommodate my stretched out legs as I sat down against a wall of dirt.
With no creatures chasing me and nothing there to eat me. I was safe, hungry, exhausted and thirsty, but I was safe.
Thinking this way, was a sure-fire way of keeping me contented, whining and complaining gets you no where, and I definitely didn't have the strength to complain.
At least I'm safe. I thought to myself, but unfortunately I thought wrong.
It was subtle at first, I couldn't really tell that I was in any danger. That was until I felt something small hit my head.
Ouch, what was that? I wondered.
Then something else hit me, after that it wasn't just one small object, but several. After the first few hits I started shielding my head with my arms. Still exhausted from running I had no choice but to take the brunt of it as I replenished my stamina.
I was being pelted by rocks, they were raining down from above so I thought maybe a rock slide was about to happen. I moved away to an area relatively far away but even then I was still being hit, this time it wasn't from above but from every direction.
At first it was light with each rock falling with not too much force then it got heavier and heavier till each rock knicked my flesh.
Once it became too unbearable I stopped walking began to run away with what little strength I had left in order to escape the harsh downpour of rocks, but no matter how far I got they where still there to hit me.
That was until I saw a hole up ahead in my path, there was a whole in the wall of dirt to my right. Ceasing the opportunity, with one last burst of speed I made a break towards it, gritting my teeth as the rocks torse throughy flesh, eventually I was right in front it.
Once I had successfully entered the hole in the dirt wall I collapsed to the ground where I rested for a few hours.
I woke up on the cool and accepting ground, feeling refreshed or as refreshed as I could be in this scenario.
The floor was comfortable it wasn't grainy like soil, or prickly like the shrub I slept on. It was flat and smooth, a single solid reliable structure, it was rock.
I seem to have entered a cave, a really spacious cave. I contemplated whether or not I should go back out through the hole, but eventually I decided against it. Getting pelted by rocks was not a fun experience, I was not willing to go through it again so I ended up settling down inside the cave.
I got up from the ground and began exploring, I mean what else was there to do?
I couldn't just stay there forever, it was either I found another exit or I go through that one, and I had already made up my mind about the latter.
In order to not get lost during my search for an exit, I picked up every rock, stone and pebble I could find lying around inside the dark cave.
And as I walked i dropped them along my path to help me find my way just in case I got lost.
How'd I plan on finding an exit in such a vast cavern? It was simple really! Just walk in a straight line until I couldn't any longer, if there was something in the way or a fork in the path, I'd simply retrace my steps or go through fork and if I found nothing I'd retrace my steps.
It was a stupid yet almost fool proof plan, the only problem being it was stupid, and I was worse than a fool, I was a tired, hurt and hungry fool.
I'm not sure if it's because I was lucky or if Hanks spirit was guiding me, but one way or another I found an exit; a giant opening leading out the cave.
Wasting what little water I had left in me, I began to cry. I don't know why I did this, maybe I was just so overwhelmed with everything that had happened but I cried an ugly cry, letting gutteral whimpers out as I approached the exit.
It was like a small pressure that was weighing down on my chest got released. I felt strange, it wasn't something that happened to me often. It's like my feelings overflowed and I couldn't hold back the tears.
My surge of intense emotion echoed within the cave causing bats to start flying around. It was scary, but it was also mesmerizing, seeing their forms twist and bend as they flew in the reddish orange light of the setting sun was truly breathe taking.
Rumble~
My stomach growled, I was hungry, maybe hungry enough to eat a bat... Without hesitation my hand shot up to the ceiling of the cave and I released the only magic I have.
Stella Cadens came out as an intense beam of white light, just like when I shot at the sparks caused by Cardose, Cecily and red haired lady's scuffle.
I didn't see that intense soothing light this time around though. The beam of light tore though the bats above me and decimated the top of the cave.
With that one foolish act inspired by hunger, I had trapped myself beneath rubble. I got lucky, the debris didn't crush my to death, it didn't even fall on top of me.
The debris hit the ground breaking it, causing the ground beneath me to capsise, the whole formed from the collapsed floor ended up getting filled by the remain falling debris.
I was trapped right as I was about to taste freedom, how ironic.
Surrounded by nothing but rubble I spent maybe an hour or two removing stones from my path, fueled by nothing but determination to survive.
Once I had clawed and climbed my way out of the surrounding rubble, everywhere was pitch black and I couldn't see a thing.
Not good, not good at all. I thought to myself.
Before I had fallen into this lower level of the cavern there was at least some visibility as a few rays of light from the surface pierced their way from the surface through the top of the cave.
I can't travel if I can't see. I thought to myself.
So in that moment I recalled being on the floor pretending to be knocked out, I recalled the feeling of surprising Stella Cadens, the pressure build up in my hand.
As far as I knew, I didn't have any way of controlling what form Stella Cadens took. So I was hoping on releasing it bit by bit using the flames as torchlight.
Well here goes nothing.
I said the magic words but with held the flames, opting to release in separate small bursts. My attempt was disastrous to say the least, maybe the first two spurts of fire from my palm where small and controlled but afterwards all hell broke lose.
I had no control, even less than usual, fire was surging out of my palm uncontrollably.
Did holding it in make it even stronger?
I had no time to extend that thought as I was sent hurling through the air from the thrust created by the intense flame. In my efforts to not only control the fire but to aso preven a nasty fall, I kept altering the angle at which my palm pointed towards the ground.
I somehow managed to get the flame current directly beneath the weight of my body, right as the spell was dying off, which gave me the balance required to descend relatively safely and gracefully.
Oh my word...
I was surrounded by a vast ring of fire. Something about being trapped in a circle of flames whilst being trapped in a cave did not sit well with me, and by that I mean it made me uneasy, very uneasy.
My vision got wobbly as my heart pounded in my chest.
It felt as if the world was spinning around me and air was refusing to enter my lungs. I was panicking, breathing in and out rapidly involuntarily and clutching my chest with one hand.
Sweat was dripping down my face, sweat was dripping down everywhere... My hands were wet and clammy, my feet were weak and shaky, and worst of all I was utterly petrified.
I had never felt this way before, I helplessly collapsed slowly to the ground, and after a few minutes the strange feeling was gone.
Huh what the hell was that?
I wasn't afforded time to think about it because snakes, lots of snakes were slithering into the ring of fire.
Taking a deep breath, I managed to find my bearings and I got up. Accessing the situation it was definitely not good, I had just recovered from whatever the heck that was before, now I had to deal with this.
'Okay snakes, come and get me!' I said cockily.
As if provoked by my taunt they slithered and slid towards my from all directions.
I obviously can't take them all one on one, so I'll deal with them in fell swoop. Once they surrounded me I pointed both my palms to the ground then said 'Snake meat better be delicious.'
STELLA CADENS!
I was sent flying high into the air then I held back the current of surging fire. It took a few seconds but I my ascension stopped, then afterwards I began falling rapidly towards the ground letting the pressure build up in my hands.
Right before my body could go splat against the ground I let out all the repressed power.
I'm not sure if it was the adrenaline pumping in me or what, but for some reason I screamed out 'STELLA CADENS!'.
And in one burst of raw power an explosion happened right beneath my palms, decimating all the snakes. The shockwave from the blast was so intense that even the ring of fire got blown out like a candle.
Flying upwards from the recoil, I spin horizontally midair so that one hand would face the sky and one hand would face ground. I said Stella Cadens and released the fire from both my palms.
I held back the flames going downwards so that I could go back the to then ground, then I did the opposite and held back the flames going upwards so I could focus fire power on breaking my fall.
Eventually I released both flames towards the ground till they eventually ceased. Needless to say, I ended up l falling, as my feet hit the ground I instinctively rolled with the fall.
THAT WAS INSANE!
And yet despite that, my hearts pumping with excitement! At that moment I truly felt like an adventurer.
My little mid air manoeuver meant I no longer had to worry about light. The fire from Stella Cadens heated up some of thenrock on top of me to the point they started glowing.
For the next few minutes I did something I wasn't very proud of... I stuffed my face to the brim with burnt snake meat. I stripped the the snake of their meat and discarded the guts, I did this by with rocks I found on the ground. It took quite a bit if effort to get the rocks reliably sharp enough, but I did.
My belly was full, but I was still thirsty. Being far too tired to do anything about anything, I went back inside the pile of rocks I had managed to escape from.
Why? Because it was the best option, being inside there was better than being out in the open, and because I had already clawed my way out it wasn't some air tight prison where I'd eventually suffocate.
And that's how the third day ended.