The first rule of survival? Find water. My body is exhausted, and thirst is starting to make itself well known - it feels as if I haven't had a drink in forever.
My gaze sweeps through the forest as I listen intently.
Finally, a faint sound of trickling water reaches my ears, and I suppress a relieved sigh.
Over there! The thought of fresh water fills me with energy, and I hurry toward the sound, following it eagerly.
After a few minutes, I finally see what I've been searching for: A wide, clear stream winding through the forest.
The sunlight breaks through the treetops, making the water sparkle like liquid glass, as if it's whispering to me with a glittering smile, 'Well, aren't you thirsty?'
Without hesitation, I kneel by the stream, lean forward, and slurp up the icy water. The taste is fresh and pure, and I feel my energy slowly returning.
Ahh… this is the stuff, I think contentedly, wiping the cool water across my face.
Maybe this strange world isn't so bad after all… If you ignore the creepy window with its ominous instructions and if I don't dwell on why I've been resurrected as a child - or why I'm even alive at all, and why everything feels like some sort of game.
Suddenly, a deep, menacing growl shatters the silence - a sound
that is all too familiar to me.
My heart skips a beat, and I stare with wide eyes into the underbrush across the stream.
There it is again: the massive, gray wolf with glowing yellow eyes. Its fur is bristling, and its gaze is fixed on me,
as though it's found its dinner.
"Oh, come on…" I mutter panickedly as I carefully begin to back away.
My first instinct is to run, but then a thought flashes through my mind:
Running always makes things worse in situations like this! I force a strained, awkward smile and wave slightly at the wolf, as if that could calm it down.
"Uh… good wolf?" I whisper, my voice trembling with tension.
Of course, the wolf only bares its teeth and gives another, even deeper growl that sends chills through me.
Okay, small talk didn't work.
Plan B: Take off and "RUN!" I scream in my mind.
I spin around and sprint,
faster than ever before in this small body.
Branches whip my face,
and the ground flies beneath me. But the cracking and heavy pawprints behind me tell me that the wolf is right on my tail again.
I glance around desperately searching for a hiding spot or something that could save me from my end through razor-sharp teeth.
There! - a tree with a thick, relatively low branch.
Perfect! Without thinking, I leap up, stretch my hands out, and grab the branch.
With one last effort, I quickly pull myself up, just as the wolf shoots beneath me, narrowly missing my heel.
I cling to the branch with all my might, my heart pounding in my throat.
The wolf stops below, staring up at me, its eyes flashing with either rage—or hunger, it's hard to tell.
"Ha! Too bad for you!" I gasp, forcing a grin.
The wolf continues to glare at me, as if trying to push me down from the tree with its eyes.
An uncomfortable silence falls over the scene. The wolf sits down, as if waiting for me to come down.
I swallow.
Awesome, looks like he has more patience than I do.
After a few minutes, it walks off slowly and disappears grumpily between the trees.
Relieved, I sink down on the branch and carefully lie back, leaning against the tree trunk.
The branch is surprisingly sturdy and wide enough that I can at least spend the night here.
As dusk settles over the forest, I grip the branch tightly, my body relaxing slightly, but my mind remains alert, as the cold and dangers around me makes it difficult to truly sleep.
The thought that the wolf or some other creature could surprise me while I'm sleeping keeps me restless.
I turn my gaze toward the darkness, listening intently for any sound.
"Four nights…" I mutter quietly to myself, trying to process the absurdity of my fight for survival.
The thought that I'm actually hiding on a tree from a wolf, using that as my survival strategy for the night, almost makes me laugh, but I swallow it down and stare up at the night sky above me, where scattered stars twinkle through the leaves.