Letting the tendrils fade, he added more leaves to the growing flame, "good, good, this is amazing!"
Fang kept staking more leaves on it.
Once the fire was steady, he glanced down at the dead rabbit. instead of trying to cut it open with his bare hands, he now wondered how he should butcher it.
"Maybe I should find a sharp rock and just cook it with the fur? No, that sounds disgusting..."
Fang looked around for a couple of minutes and found a small, sharp stone in the shape of a pen.
He cut the legs off and then peeled off the fur and skin from it.
It was a bit rough and uneven, but it became cleaner with each limb.
Fang wrinkled his nose at the fur but kept going, efficiently butchering the rabbit with his crude technology.
When he was done, he skewered the meat on a branch and set it over the fire, wiping his hands on his coat. He watched the flames cling to the stale meat, feeling a flicker of pride at his ingenuity.
As the meat sizzled, he couldn't help but smirk. 'I'm starting to get the hang of this.'
------------
Fang tossed the last bones of the rabbit into the dying embers and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The forest around him felt oppressive and stupidly large.
"What the hell did the gods think when they created such a place? Looks like out of a nightmare."
The trees were twisted and hunched over, their branches clawing at the sky. A heavy fog surrounded the forest skies.
"I can't believe this is real. And yet again, gods and magic."
Suddenly, Fang heard a howl from afar.
'Sounds like wolves, this is definitely not food...'
Fang pushed through the dense bushes, his steps muffled by the moss and decaying leaves underfoot.
Twisted roots stuck out like traps, and he had to be careful not to trip as he moved uphill, near the top of the forest.
The incline was rather easy, but the number of branches his legs bumped into was embarrassing.
"I hope those wolves are further from me now."
He kept his eyes peeled for any sign of shelter, occasionally pausing to listen if he's getting closer or further from the howls.
Finally, he spotted a narrow gap between two boulders, half-covered by hanging moss. Fang moved closer, pulling the moss aside to find a cave entrance.
It wasn't much. Just a dark hole leading into the hillside, but it was better than nothing.
Thinking nothing of it, Fang entered the cave and his skin was crawling with fear immediately.
The first thing he noticed:
'So dark. Like midnight dark. Damn, this is going to be one hell of a bad life here.'
Inside, the air was pretty stale, reeking of dust.
The ground was littered with old bones.
some animal, some human. Whatever used to live here was long gone, but the smell still lingered. He kicked a few bones out of the way and moved deeper, finding a small chamber that dipped lower into the earth. It was cramped but shielded from the wind.
Satisfied it was safe enough, Fang leaned against the wall and let out a slow breath. The darkness didn't bother him.
He had gotten used to it by now.
As he settled in, his ears stayed sharp, listening to the distant howls and the rustle of the forest outside. For once, he felt like he had a moment to breathe.
------
Fang woke up to a mild ache in his back from sleeping on the uneven cave floor. The air was cold and heavy, and when he stepped outside, he noticed thick clouds gathering overhead.
Looked like rain was coming.
"This is going to be a long day, so I need food really fast and some water."
Fang left towards the stream he saw the day before, and noticed some animals that looked like deers were drinking there.
'I can try hunting them, but when they're in a pack they can get aggressive...
I don't know how they will react to my presence,better to let them go and try to find one separated from the pack.'
He scanned the area, squinting through the fog that still clung to the ground.
The fog slowly cleared, and he reached towards the lake to drink some water.
As he leaned down to sip, a howl resonated in the forest, and an army of birds left the treetops in what looked like a divine ritual of birds.
'Wow… This is beautiful…
best thing that came from those howls so far."
He tried to return to the cave, but soon saw something bizarre.
Not far from the cave, a cluster of deep blue mushrooms caught his eye.
They were huge, almost up to his waist, standing tall. He hadn't seen mushrooms like that before, but food was food, so why not?
Fang moved closer, giving one of them a cautious sniff. No strange smell. He tugged at it, but it took a moment to move.
Eventually, he plucked it from the ground. The stem was thick and tough, but he managed to snap it off. He grabbed three more before heading back to the cave, hoping they weren't poisonous. If they were, well, he'd just have to deal with it.
Back inside, he arranged some sticks and used his tendrils to rub them together, getting a small fire going.
Once it was stable, he skewered one of the mushrooms on a stick and held it over the flames. The skin started to blister and ooze a thick, dark juice that sizzled against the hot stone.
"oh god, this is definitely going to kill me.
But no rabbits to be found nearby, and I'm not going deeper into the forest.
Looks like it's gonna rain, and running in the mud with wolves on my back is not my kind of an afternoon."
As if on cue, rain started pouring downwards, and some entered the cave
Fang grunted and moved closer to the fire, making sure the mushrooms cooked through. The smell wasn't great, kind of earthy and bitter, but it was better than nothing.
He watched the rain get inside the cave, hoping it won't slide into his earth bed.
At least he had shelter and something to eat, even if it might kill him.
---------
Fang bit into the grilled mushroom, disguted at the bitter, almost metallic taste. He forced himself to chew and swallow, repeating to himself that "food was food". Just as he reached for another, a rustling noise came from the cave entrance.
His head snapped up, and he froze, eyes narrowing.
A creature stepped slowly into the cave, sniffing the air. It was about half of Fang's size, with a fat rounded body covered in dirty fur. Its snout was flat and wide and his eyes were sharp and wild.
Two short curved tusks protruded from its lower jaw, stained with mud.
The beast stomped, lowering its head. It looked like it was trying to be intimidating, but it looked tired.
Fang took a slow, steady breath, not wanting to provoke it.
He didn't have a weapon, but he focused on the dark wisps forming around his fingers.
Ready to strike if it lunged.
The creature let out a low squeal, scraping at the cave stones on the floor with its hooves.
It was ready to charge, but something in its stance was off.
like it didn't actually want to fight but felt like it had to.
Maybe the smell of cooked mushrooms drew it in.
Fang considered his options, then grabbed one of the mushrooms and slowly slid it across the ground toward the beast. The creature hesitated, snout quivering as it sniffed the air. It glanced at Fang, before shuffling forward, never taking its eyes off him.
The beast lowered its head and nudged the mushroom, snorting in the smoky smell.
After a moment, it took a bite, chewing slowly. Fang kept his eyes on it, wondering if it would calm down or decide he wasn't worth the trouble. The creature looked at him again, still guarded but a little less tense.
Fang stayed still, letting it finish eating. When it was done, the creature gave a final snort, flicked its ears, and backed away toward the entrance. It didn't leave entirely, just lingered near the mouth of the cave, eyeing Fang with a cautious curiosity.
At least it wasn't attacking. Fang leaned back, still keeping an eye on it. He couldn't help but wonder if the beast was just hungry or if it was looking for shelter, too.
Either way, as long as it didn't charge, he wasn't going to pick a fight.
Or was he?
Fang's tendrils slowly snuck their way, clinging to the cave's ceiling.
The pig was sitting down, but his eyes were on Fang.
'I will not lose this chance for food, sorry my friend.'
In an instant move, the pig tried to get up as he noticed the tendrils but it was too late as they were already enveloping his entire body, wrapping around as he tried to move forward with them restraining him.
The sound of hissing was heard as each of the tendrils, around 4 of them, were draining his life energy slowly.
"Stay still, I will make it faster like that."
But the pig tried to charge towards Fang, and finally managed to escape the tendril's grip.
Fang was surprised, and for the first time in his life, he was actually scared of dying again.
The pig charged towards him, but Fang managed to flee towards the fire, and he grabbed a stick that was on fire.
Swinging it around, the pig was wary of this vile elf.
It studied Fang and stayed still looking for the opportunity.
What he didn't see was that Fang already managed to recast DeathGrip and send it at the pig.
Yet the pig once more broke the hold and now charged at Fang.
his charge was slippery, awkward, yet precise enough to hit Fang with his head and swing him out of the way a couple of meters.
"Fuck, you dirty bastard, I'm going to kill you!"
Fang mustered all of his remaining mana that he could control and picked with 2 tendrils the burning stick.
The beast already readied another charge, but it was visibly tired.
'Fuck, my ribs hurt like hell I need to end this now.'
Fang's tendrils reached the stick, and raised it just enough to swing it at his opponent.
Luck was on his side, as his hit was aimed at the pig's face, and hit it did.
The pig fell back, and it started oinking in a high pitched voice.
Seeing the opportunity, Fang used the burning stick once more and managed to hit its face once more.
The fire spread on its fur, and soon the beast layed there unmoving.
The fight ended a moment later as one of the tendrils just entered the beast's nose, completely draining the life force from inside.
'Can't take the risk, so die you lowly bastard.'
Fang sat down, exhaustd.
"Show mana.", he said between breaths.
{30/190.}
'Nice, I have a bigger capacity now.
This was intense. I feel a bit dizzy too.
Is this such a low mana for me to feel like this?'
Fang lifted his shirt, seeing a red and blue bruising on his lower torso.
"AH, this will hurt like hell tomorrow."
The feeling of such exhaustion reminded him of the sleepiness of dying.
"I can't become so reliant on such powers, but I really don't have anything else but that.
Well, I need to rest before butchering this thing.
I just hope it won't attract other predators.
Tomorrow, now I need to sleep and fast."
With that, Fang slowly crawled toward his little hole and slept there cramped into himself.