Totem Warrior

Surviving in The Wild

I ate more meat than I thought could fit in Rex's small stomach until I felt very full. I did all that because I was afraid that if my strength wasn't fully charged, then I would be very powerless. After that, I decided to take some of the meat I hunted into my equipment sack.

With great difficulty, I skinned and cleaned the tiger's flesh. Occasionally I coughed because my breath was not as relieved as usual. However, I managed to do it and put it in the sack I brought with me. I tied it up and put it right beside me.

The large tree trunk that feels damp is my place to lean on and rest tonight. Rex's small body felt so weak even though the golden tree's strength was fully charged. When I glanced at the back of my left hand, I could see the light was so bright. However, right now it seems pointless.

The sky was still dark and the moon was still up in the sky beautifully. The red moon and bloody marks will still be in the sky for several more hours. I kept wondering when morning would actually come and I would be able to return to the shelter. Time and time again I glanced up at the sky in vain. No matter how often I look at the sky, time wouldn’t go any faster. I have to survive in this state.

I held the only knife still in the equipment sack. My weak, trembling hands couldn't hold the knife handle firmly, so I hugged it with both hands. I hoped that if something were to attack me, I could use this knife as a weapon. Hopefully, I can use the power of the golden tree again tonight if there is any danger.

The tree trunk that I was leaning on felt damp even though it hadn't rained since yesterday. I tried to stay awake while controlling my breath. I don't know what will happen if I fall asleep. Even though I was exhausted and didn't get enough sleep, my whole body felt weak, I forced my eyes to stay open. I will not allow it to be closed. However, the breeze and the sound of forest songs seemed to force me to fall asleep.

“Damn…” I cursed in a low voice and whispered.

No one can hear me unless the lifeless lions come back from the dead. I laughed at myself because of my strange thoughts. There's no way the lions could get back up, right? I've already beheaded them.

I looked back up at the sky, hoping that the moon would soon be replaced by dawn and my strength would be perfect again. However, when I looked up at the sky, it was as if my eyes couldn't hold it anymore. My eyelids felt very heavy and without realizing it I had fallen asleep. In my dreams, I'm still awake staring at the moon clutching my knife, hoping for the morning.

“Psssttt… Psssttt…”

The sound woke me up and I immediately opened my eyes in surprise. I looked right and left to find the direction of the sound. A second later I saw someone crouching while creeping toward me. At first, I couldn't recognize his face, but as he got closer I did.

"Bil!" I exclaimed happily.

If a strong totem warrior like Bil were here, I would definitely be safe. However, how could he be here? How could he come out of the shelter and find me here? The next thing I realized, he was pointing at my stomach. I frowned and looked down at my own stomach. How surprised I was when I found my stomach had been wrapped around something that was scaly and long.

I gasped in surprise and this time I really woke up. Apparently what I saw just now was just a dream. Sweat flooded all over my body and my breath was wheezing when I actually woke up. I frantically looked around. There was no long, scaly beast coiled around my stomach, nor was Bil. In front of me, there is only a pile of tiger corpses that I have partially eaten and also my extinguished bonfire.

I again leaned my back against the damp tree trunk again while holding my knife with both hands. I tell myself never to fall asleep again. It's still a few hours before dawn and I convince myself that I can make it.

After feeling a little better, I tried to force my little body to get up and light the bonfire again. Some of the beasts in the forest should be scared of the light, though some might even be attracted to come. However, the darkness made me feel even more desperate, so I decided to light another bonfire.

When I picked up a dry twig, suddenly I heard a hissing sound. This time it wasn't Bil's voice, it was something else. My body suddenly froze and my heart beat faster. As fast as I could, I picked up the knife that I put on the ground and turned around because I heard that voice coming from behind me. My weak body turned out to be too slow to move, and before I turned around completely, something grabbed my body and made me fall to the ground, right on top of my fire which had been extinguished. The embers were still hot so I screamed like an animal in pain.

I rolled over but immediately, I felt something slimy and scaly wrap my body around me. Exactly like what I saw in my dream. The long, scaly body now had a small, flat head. It's a big snake! The snake was not only big but also had four tiny clawed legs. Wrapping around my body, it seemed threatening with its two forelegs near its head, ready to stab my throat with its sharp claws.

“No!!” I cried while trying to move to escape. However, the creature's coils tightened and I couldn't move anymore.

This creature must have come because it heard my voice or because it smelled the blood of the tigers. The bonfire was extinguished, he could freely come and attack. I regret falling asleep earlier.

I tried to break free, but I was completely powerless. The knife I was holding had been released a while ago. Maybe my life and Rex's would end now, in the stomach of this strange snake. His coils around my body make it hard to breathe now. I just hope for a miracle.