NOVEL WEB Chapter 005: The New World
I land on the ground and sit down, still recovering from the shock of being suddenly teleported away – especially how abrupt it was! I still have so many questions – and that jerk knew about them! And I am still naked! I am so angry I even started growling unconsciously! Where am I anyway?!
I take in my surroundings and my anger dissipates. I seem to be in a glade in a picturesque forest in what seems to be a mountain valley; most of the trees seem to be coniferous, but there is occasionally a deciduous one among them. I can hear them rustle gently in a soft, pleasant breeze that I can feel on my skin and in my hair. It carries sounds of wildlife with it: a woodpecker, drilling the wood in the distance; small birds, tweeting; bigger birds, flapping their wings; a buzzing of bees; something stepping on a dry branch; something other drinking water in the distance. The water itself moving – and falling, forming a waterfall. It sounds so peaceful and calming here. I relax and listen to nature for a moment.
There is an abundance of smells in the air as well. The sap from the trees dominates, but don't overwhelm. It is matched by a sweet scent of nectar and honey, which makes me salivate. I could sense various creatures: colonies of rabbits; a deer here and there; a fox – it was drinking water earlier; the acidic stench of ants. There is also a downside of my advanced senses, however – the stench of animal waste and urine attacks my nostrils. It doesn’t feel that bad, but is still unpleasant. However, I can get some useful information from it – for example, there is a giant bear hidden somewhere; I should be careful at night since it is apparently nocturnal. But for now, I just sit there, for who knows how long, taking in every smell, every sound and every sensation. At some point I lay down on soft moss and relax. My mind wanders from one sensation to another, overwhelmed, identifying what I can recognize. There are also some I cannot.
As I lie there, I start wondering about my maker. I am conflicted about them. On one hand, they were quite rude to me at times and came off as arrogant, if not outright narcissistic. On the other, I feel it is not unwarranted – I still cannot grasp many of the concepts they told me about – and they did create my body according to my wishes. Then again, they gave me some parts I would never wish for… Also, they clearly have godlike powers, but for some reason strongly opposed being called one by, what seems to me, a technicality. Well, screw them - I will call them GOD from now on. They are like one, and if they want me to call them differently, they should have introduced themself differently and treated me with dignity - at least give me some pants to cover my nethers, damn it!
Which brings me to them calling me ‘perfect’. I feel that there are parts they left out of the conversation because of my ‘ignorance’. I am sure that if they really wanted, they could have explained things to me – like with the cell analogy. Why were they in such a hurry? Is, like, five minutes too much for them? If so, then why even explain things to me in the first place? If all GOD wanted were results of the tests – why waste time and present them to me? Just to brag? Well, at least I now have some concrete goal to pursue in my new life: the meaning of perfection.
Speaking of goals: what do I even want to do with my life? The perspective of hundreds of years seems intimidating – and I apparently have literal millennia to explore this brave new world. What wonders await me? Additionally, GOD based my body off Beastkin, who apparently live somewhere here. So that’s another goal, one I believe relatively easy to fulfill. They wouldn’t send me to some uninhabited island, wouldn’t they? Well, for now finding civilization is on my list of medium-term goals. I will think what to do and where to go after I make the first contact. A friendly one, I hope. I know communication won’t be that difficult – the language used in this part of the world has been installed in my brain, after all. I can even recognize some regional variations to a degree!
There is a problem though: what do I tell them as my backstory? Should I be open and tell the truth? Would they even believe me? Or should I make something up? I would like to have some knowledge about local customs and beliefs, but GOD apparently didn’t deem them practical enough; I don’t think they leave their house often. Anyway, there is no point mulling over them, I have my own problems.
I pick a straw from a nearby tuft and bite it. It has surprisingly nice, refreshing flavour, similar to mint mixed with lemon and something else I can’t recognize. As I chew on it I decide to be as truthful as possible; if all of the stories I’ve read taught me anything, it is that lies will always end up having unpleasant consequences. Well, I need to find them first, then I can think about what to do next.
So I have my long- and medium-term goals. What about immediate ones? I know the drill quite well – if I say so myself; all the books I’ve consumed coming in handy. First, I need to secure a source of fresh water – near the waterfall I hear is a great start. Second, I need to secure some shelter – a cave would be the best, since no tools. Besides my claws, of course, but I doubt they would serve the purpose very well. However, they are certainly useful in clearing the third objective: obtaining food. I should have no problem hunting. The most difficult part – actually killing a living being – I have already experienced; I should manage to do it again… especially against monsters, like the one that I was forced to fight with by my maker. And then there is cooking; fire won’t be the problem, dry wood can be. Can I dry some myself? I will have to experiment. Finally, making clothes. I don’t think I will be able to do anything but the crude hide or grass skirt, but hey – it’s leagues better than going full commando and I will need it if I want to meet other people.
With the list of tasks to fulfill prepared, I get up. I stretch, eager to move. I admire my body one last time: I caress my muscles, fascinated by their firmness; I wonder over my clawed legs, knowing innately that I will have no troubles running over rough, uneven terrain; I brush my tail with my hands, surprised by its softness and how good it feels; finally, the anticipation and energy are too much for me and I run. I run with joy and excitement, finally feeling liberated. Laughter escapes my mouth. I am fully immersed in feeling every grain of sand under my feet, breeze caressing in my skin, blood pumping in my veins, and every constriction of my muscles. I run, free.
As I advance toward the waterfall I start to adapt to my sensory input. No longer overwhelmed, various sensations are easier to isolate and focus on. I can follow the fox from earlier as it moves towards mountains. I can ignore the stench of manure and urine – but I can also focus on it to gather information on the animals that left them. I definitely sense a bear, an old, lonely male, hiding somewhere nearby, it’s smell all around the waterfall and a lake formed under it. I will need to hunt it down if I want to stay here for a while; its fur should make for a decent clothing too, so it would be killing two birds with one stone.
The perspective of bear hunt makes me even more eager. Was I ever so bloodthirsty? Or maybe it is the challenge that I yearn for? Either way, it is definitely a result of changes I undergone. Is it something I share with Beastfolk, or is this instinct specific to Hellhounds? Or maybe – just to me? It’s weird to think of my species – even though I am unique specimen so far. If I have children – or rather, considering my potential lifespan, when I have them – will they even be the same as me? Will they be Hellhounds as well or will they be the same species as my partner? Or some sort of a hybrid? The thought of me being possibly the First and the Last Hellhound, despite leaving descendants makes me chuckle a little.
I reach the glade in high spirits – and I am struck with awe at its beauty. The waterfall is less than 10 times my height. It falls from the cliff opposite of me into a small, semi-circular lake. I see water flowing to my right, halfway between me and the cliff. The lake is surrounded by moss- and algae-covered stones – but not where I am standing. Here is a small beach with white sand. There are fresh paw prints on it, definitely belonging to the fox I noticed earlier. There aren’t many trees around the lake on this side, but on the other there are some ash and alder trees, continuing by the brook; there are also trees on the cliff. To my left are some bushes with blue-violet fruits. My senses tell me they aren’t ripe yet – but will be as soon as they start glowing. I guess the knowledge I got from GOD can be surprisingly useful.
It is colder in the area – much more so than it should be, considering the apparent summer season. It – along with some of the plants around – gives me pause, as I realize there is something magical there. Literally. And it is somehow responsible for lower temperatures. Anyway, animals drink here, so it should be safe. I walk to the lake, crystal clear water allowing me to see the bottom. It is pretty shallow near the beach, but surprisingly deep further – I could easily dive there! I squat, take some water in my palms – it's colder than I expected – and drink it. It tastes great and feels very refreshing! It would be nice to swim in it – but I have more pressing issues.
While I can sense all kinds of traces left behind by the bear, they are concentrated down here, not up the cliff. The animal likely doesn’t bother going there if it can satisfy its needs here; it may be safer to go up, avoiding the confrontation for now. I noticed there are also more critters there than near the lake; it will be easier to catch one for – I look up the sky – supper. Or very late dinner, if I’m quick enough. So I look for a place to climb, soon finding one near the grove by the stream. Despite rocks there not being smooth nor wet, it is still quite the challenge, but a very enjoyable one. It turns out that my claws are very well suited to finding, filling and even sometimes making cracks in stone when needed.
Finally, I reach the top of the cliff. The scenery up here is quite nice. There are more trees and bushes, but none of them seemingly influenced by magic. I decide not to dawdle and go upstream. I need to find some shelter before nightfall, not to mention food. I notice various berries here and there, but my smell tells me they are unripe. It seems I have to hunt.
After some time – maybe an hour – I find what I can use as a shelter: a tall willow, leaning over the stream. I know it is not optimal, but it is elevated so it should protect me from most carnivores; I will have to make something to protect me from the elements by myself. I wish there was a more suitable shelter, but I am getting more and more hungry. It is finally time for my first ever hunt.
I choose to follow a smell of something small and close to my location. It is easier than I thought and as I get closer, I start stalking it. I move quietly, creeping, until I see my target. At the first glance, it looks like a large guinea pig with yellow-white fur. It hasn’t noticed me yet, focused on eating. It cannot smell nor see me from its position; all it can do is hear me – unless it turns my way. I sneak, carefully, prepared to charge; I want to end it with a single hit. As I am about to strike, the animal abruptly turns to me – so I lunge at it. As I attack, a bright light shines suddenly, blinding me and causing me to miss, as I cover my eyes instinctively. I roll and get up quickly, on high alert and growling in pain. Momentarily robbed of my sight I have to rely on my other senses and instincts. I sense my quarry standing still, opposite of me, as if weighing its options – to attack or run; I also notice my sight slowly – but rather unexpectedly quickly – coming back, as the large rodent chooses to run. I chase it and howl in frustration, making my internal fire manifest. I immediately notice my vision improving rapidly, returning completely as I catch up with my prey. As it tries to dodge to the right, I swipe my claws.
This time I do not miss.
Mouth-salivating smell of burnt meat attacks my nostrils, as I and the cavy land on the ground – it in two halves, releasing a dying shriek. It seems I cut straight through its heart, so at least it did not suffer. The rush of the hunt and a sense of accomplishment makes me feel ecstatic – and I howl, triumphantly.
Then I realize what I am doing and stop. I worry I might attract some unwanted attention, so I quickly sniff the air and strain my ears; I notice that every beast and bird in quite a large radius is escaping in panic. Even the carnivores. It seems I scared them off; well, at least I will be able to eat in peace today.
I return to slightly burnt carcass. I notice a yellow crystal located in the middle of its forehead; it must be the source of the light it used to blind me. I remove it and an idea comes to my mind, so I send some of my heat into it to see what happens.
A terrible idea.
I lie on the ground, blinded again, this time by my own recklessness. It seems I also overdid it, because I felt the crystal crumble in my hand before I fell; at least it didn't explode. Maybe if I used less heat the result would be different?
When my eyesight finally returns, I turn towards the carcass of my prey, thinking how to prepare it. Sadly, I can’t use its skin; it is too small anyway. But I can eat it. As I am still in the mood for experiments, instead of starting a bonfire I use my internal heat – transferred by my claws – to fry the meat. Turns out that my claws are not only good for cutting, but also for cooking. that being said, the result is a little bland – since I don't have any salt nor spice – and a little burnt. Then I notice some grass, the same I chewed on earlier today; I take some stalks and add them to my meal – and it tastes much better.
Soon, I am full and go back to the willow. On my way back, I collect some of the tall grass, sticks and branches, to prepare a makeshift cover and bed. It takes me a few trips to collect everything until I am satisfied. The result is not very spectacular – but I am happy with it. As I cuddle myself in my ‘nest’, the feeling of exhaustion washes over me. The sun sets and I fall asleep, happy. It was a fantastic day.
