Forced to Start Again

Survival of the Fittest

| A COUPLE WEEKS OR SO LATER |

By now he sort of had a daily routine going on along with a small stash of handmade weapons, fire wood, a safe enough shelter, and he found a large lake as a water source. Everything was starting to piece together. Though, he still had days when he'd go without a filling meal and once he ventured too far and got lost for a day and a half. ( Usually he could find the scent and follow it back to his camp, but with his luck, it had rained that night, washing the scent away. ) He learned a lesson there.

It seemed that the temperature was also starting to slowly decrease more and more each night and the past two nights it had snowed a little and even his lake had a small sheet of ice over it, not enough for someone to walk across without it breaking. If he had to guess he'd say that winter was nearing. That he wasn't looking forward to.

Now he sat alone in his cave, his small fire illuminating the darkness or night. A pack of wolves howling could be heard in the distance and it made him shrink back, though it also made him curious. Raina said that they would leave him here until they knew that he had learned how to shift or whatever, and that was good and all, but did he want to go back? Maybe if he found a way to shift into a wolf he could escape that way. Hopeful thinking, but this was probably the first time in a while that his thoughts weren't negative.

Carefully standing up and slipping by his fire, he looked in the direction of the howling. They didn't seem too far off, maybe if he could somehow get the pack to trust him and he could learn all he could about them and then boom, he'd learn how to shift and he'd make a run for it and escape. Easy.

It was risky and the probability of it working was low, but he had to try or he was just going to die out here. What was he supposed to do when winter comes? Freeze to death?

Jogging his way towards where he heard the pack, the snow from the past few nights crunched under the weight of his feet. As he got closer and closer he began to regret the decision to do this at all, finding it to be a dumber plan by the second, though he got a sort of high from danger; the way his heart would race in his chest and how the adrenaline would pump through his veins, making him faster and stronger, making him feel as if nothing could stop him yet anything could break him by laying a finger on him. It was a strange feeling, but he loved it.

One last time the wolves howled and he had reached them by this time, not too close, but close enough where he could focus on their heartbeats. There seemed to be about eight or nine heartbeats, three of which were smaller and weaker than the others, so they meant they were probably pups. That's what the off key yowling must be.

Though, one of the weaker heartbeats seemed different. Maybe an injured wolf in the pack.

Taking a couple more steps forward, he tried to hide the best he could, but cover was hard since all of the leaves had fallen of the vegetation. Peering from behind a tree, he froze when one of the wolves made direct eye contact with him. Wasting no time, he slammed his body against the tree like if he went from direct sight the wolf would have forgotted he even existed. So much for that plan. The wolves howls died out and everything went silent except for the pups small playful yips.

About to sneak away, that all fell apart when a low growling was right behind him, only the trunk of a tree separating him from the threatening animal and his death. With no idea of what to do, he just ran, the snow slowed him down a bit but with the added inhuman speed it helped him stay ahead.

His breaths came out one after in uneven pants, the cold air leaving that uncomfortable burning feeling in his throat and lungs. Hearing the wolves pick up their speed, he did, too. Frantically looking for a place to get an advantage on them, he didn't find a place as he ran. He obviously couldn't out run them because he'd surely empty his energy before them. Plus, this was an entire pack and he was a single person. So much for gaining their trust.

Now heading up a gradual uphill, he was having even more trouble. It didn't seem to slow the pack down at all. As he grew closer to the top of this hill like climb, he realized that the terrian was familar, he was near his lake - and this was the cliff right above it. After he reached the top he'd be between a hungry pack of wolves and a drop into freezing cold waters, and he couldn't swim. They didn't have large bodies of water on his planet so he was never really taught, it was just the way it was. Which was the worst way to die? Being torn apart by wolves or drowning? He'd go with the less painful one, please.

Looking behind him he noticed that he had managed to put some space between him and the creatures, so that sorta gave him some extra time to think because now he was at the very edge looking down towards the lake. He hopes that the ice was still thin or him jumping wouldn't work at all. Looking back in confusion, he wondered why the wolves haven't caught up yet. Did he lose them? Or were they just planning an attack?

The question was answered when a wolf pounced right at him, and having no other time to think, he took a few steps back and got a running start before jumping from the cliff to his icy doom. First he jumped from a helicopter and he survived, maybe he could figure out a plan with this. Hopefully.

He heard the wolves cry out above him in defeat as he plunged into the water, breaking the ice as if it was nothing. Completely underwater, his heavy clothing made it even harder for him as he threw him limbs around in an attempt to get near the surface. He tried to grab and hold onto the ledge of ice, but every single time it crumbled under his touch. He was running out of air and he felt his body freezing up and heart rate beginning to slow down.

Where was Raina now? Where was she with her so called rescue that she told him about? Did she even plan on saving him? He hopes so. That was really his only chance here. If not that, he needed a miracle.