- "D-damn... what... m-mom? ... n-no..." I murmured while sleeping.
- "Son, I'm sorry, but I have to go... Be careful, I know you'll have a great future..." a voice, whose silhouette reminded me of my mother, said in my dream.
Thus, my second day in that forest began. My second day after losing everything started with a dream of my mother, who spoke to me as if she were saying goodbye. I, on the other hand, at the end of this dream, woke up sweaty and crying, gasping for breath as if I were still running from someone. At that moment, I realized it was all just a dream or, for me, a nightmare.
Calmly, I observed the walls of the improvised shelter I had built the day before. Sun rays passed through the gaps in the branches I used to build those walls. Morning had arrived and, unlike the previous day, Estalyrion was shining in the sky. Some birds made their morning flights, announcing the start of a new day. I, now having to survive alone, needed to leave the shelter and begin preparations.
Before that, I put my hand on my face, took a deep breath, and thought about the dream. I told myself to forget it because my mother was already gone. There was nothing more I could do, except avenge her, as well as my father, who, at that point, I didn't know whether he was dead or not. But I held no hope.
- "...Damn, Dravyn. Our mother is gone, there's nothing we can do... The only thing we can do now is fight to survive and, when the time comes, avenge her and avenge my father as well..." I said to myself while running my hand through my hair.
I wiped away the tears and slapped my face with both hands, trying to wake myself from all that anguish.
- "...Slap... Slap... That's it. We will get out of this, and we will avenge them. I'm sure of it..." I said to myself, with determination.
Determined, I left the improvised shelter and decided to check my injuries. To my surprise, the pain was not as intense as before, and I could walk relatively well without much support. Probably, that accelerated recovery was due to the fact that I was still a child. Even so, I still needed the improvised splint I had made for my leg.
I went to the place where I had made the fire the day before and picked up some charcoals that remained from the burned branches. The charcoal would serve as a more durable fuel for another fire, as well as being useful as a layer to filter water and even to brush my teeth.
I gathered more branches and, with my old invention, the Egyptian bow drill, I lit another fire. Then, I used the stone I had used the day before to boil water. I walked to the river, filled the stone with water, and brought it back to boil. While the water was heating, I grabbed the improvised fishing rod and one of the woodworms I had collected as bait, heading again to the river.
This time, with the day being clear and sunny, I almost instantly managed to catch something. Unlike the fish from the day before, this one fought much harder and seemed bigger. I found it strange but didn't give up.
- "...Huff... Huff... Argh... D-damn it! You wretch, you won't WIN!" I shouted, pulling the fish with the remaining of my strength.
After a long struggle, I finally brought it out. When I got closer, I couldn't believe it: it was a Fylarenn, an extremely rare fish whose meat offered magical properties capable of accelerating the recovery of injuries, both internal and external.
It was perfect, more than perfect. With that fish, perhaps the next day I would already be well again, able to move without the improvised splint. To end its suffering, I quickly finished it with a blow to the head. I didn't want it to suffer, just as I didn't wish suffering upon any other animal in that forest. The suffering should fall upon other beings, not them.
I prepared the fish, removing its golden scales and internal organs with a stone I had sharpened the day before. I made a new fire, as the first one, where the water was boiling, had already been extinguished, and was still occupied by the stone while the water that had been boiling now cooled. Then, I suspended the fish over the flame to roast it while thinking about what to do next.
I decided to create basic tools to facilitate my survival. In addition to improvised knives, I needed something for heavier work, like an ax, as I still didn't know where I was or how long I would stay there, so, Having a better-planned shelter and understanding my location were priorities. In the end, I started calling that forest as Velanthar, and with that name, the forest would be known for ages
As the improvised knife, I made some more tools, but this time, better structured. I took a larger stone to use as a base, sharpening smaller ones to form blades. After a few minutes, I stopped to check the fish, which was already ready.
Having not eaten anything until then, I decided to make that meal my breakfast and probably also my lunch. Before starting, I gave thanks for the food.
The meat of the Fylarenn had an indescribable flavor, even without seasoning. It was an experience that made me feel like I was in heaven – or at least what I imagined heaven to be. The fish was large, but so tasty that I ate it quickly. After finishing my meal, I drank the water that had been boiled and returned to work.
Estalyrion was already in a position in the sky that indicated something close to three o'clock in the afternoon when I finished making the tools I would need. I had produced two small knives, a medium-sized ax, and, finally, a medium-sized dagger that would serve for my protection.
Using pieces of branches and the rudimentary ropes I had previously made, I created handles for the tools, ensuring they were firm and functional. Realizing I still had a few hours until sunset, I decided to explore a bit more of the forest. However, since I was still debilitated, I limited my walk to an area close to the camp. I wielded my newly created dagger and, with slow and cautious steps, entered the forest.
With each step, the vegetation seemed to become denser and taller. To clear my path, I used my dagger, whose sharp blades filled me with pride. After walking for some time, I found myself at what seemed to be the top of a slope overlooking a vast valley. It stretched for miles, with a range of mountains outlining the horizon. It was as if that place was a kind of hole created by a massive explosion or something similar, although there was no sign that something like that had created the place. Despite its height, I could still see, from up there, a flock of birds of various species, coloring the horizon with beauty. As I admired that view, which brought a warmth to my chest that I hadn't felt in a long time, a group of Wyverns appeared and dispersed the enormous flock of birds. Wyverns, as the memories I had acquired referred to them, were almost dragons with wings in place of their forelegs, and creatures that couldn't breathe fire but could use venom, though not just any venom.
In the books I previously had, I remembered seeing something related to the death mist and how Wyverns were connected to it. Contrary to what many believed, Wyverns didn't inject venom with their bite but transformed it into a kind of deadly mist that, wherever it spread, brought only death, but only to animals, causing no harm to plants. The fact that Wyverns didn't inject venom but transformed it into a mist was because, unlike dragons that had an evolved internal burning chamber to breathe fire, Wyverns had something similar but underdeveloped, producing enough heat only to transform the venom that, in its initial liquid form inside a Wyvern, into its gaseous form. Finally, Wyverns had evolved to expel that gaseous venom at their enemies, killing them in the most agonizing pain possible.
Thanks to the knowledge I had gained, it was clear as day to me, allowing some points that were considered "interesting" in the books I read about Wyverns to be fully answered. I know that, at the moment I saw those Wyverns, I should have been scared or returned to my shelter, but instead, I was very excited because I never expected to see a creature so close to a dragon, so up close and alive. Yes, alive.
Wyverns, like dragons, were rapidly disappearing, mainly due to humans who hunted them for their own leisure, to have their heads as trophies, or to obtain the title of "dragon hunter," given by the kingdom to those who accomplished this damned feat. Remembering this made me despise even more those of my own species, and along with it, a continuous rage and desire for revenge grew in my chest.
I normally understood and accepted that some animals must die for others to live, whether for food, competition, or any other reason. The fish I had caught, for example, had died so I could stay alive, and that was natural, just like the animals we raised only for later slaughter since they reproduced for that purpose, while others of the same species, but wild, continued to live normally by the rules imposed by nature. But the indiscriminate killing of such fantastic animals as dragons and Wyverns - which even prefer to live away from humans and similar beings - just for leisure and to obtain decorative objects or titles, was something that made me extremely angry, to the point of making my blood boil every time I remembered it.
At that point, I decided to return and rest because, as I had consumed the fish that would help my wounds heal more quickly, probably, the next day, I would be able to explore the forest more deeply and, especially, that valley, as I felt something incredible awaited me there. So, I retraced my path and returned to my small camp.