Another two weeks later, Nate hugged and kissed Sky goodbye before stepping through the gate at the village's cave entrance. Men leaving for long periods of time was normal in the tribe so Sky had accepted it relatively easy. By her reckoning, Nate was already her man so the major effort was over. She had even helped Nate get all of his supplies together and even had his weapons repaired. In Sky’s words, she just needed for him to stay alive long enough to give her a few strong kids.

Nate frowned at the thought of the conversation. He certainly wasn't ready for the kind of responsibility children entailed. But then again, Sky had repeatedly said that children would be the tribe's responsibility, not his. Having no semblance of what a family was like himself, Nate was an orphan in a city where an orphan child was just valued only for the extra resources provided by the city. As far as a community raising a child, the concept was abstract. However, he liked the woman as company. And although the tribe’s culture seemed a little off to him at times, it wasn't that bad. Focusing on mates that give strong children seemed to weigh a bit too heavily in Nate’s opinion. But that's just the way they are.

Pushing the thoughts of kids aside, Nate smiled again. At least he had time before he really had to worry. Sky was only at Level 22. At her slow growth rate, she probably had two years until she got her second class. Then, it would be time to worry.

"I'll be back in a few months so don't stress while I am gone," Nate said to Sky as she stood with her mother to see him off. Sky didn't seem that worried.

"If you run into that bastard husband of mine, tell him that he needs to come back a few weeks before the freezes. I need a few things to keep the tribe going through the cold time," Elder Heart said as she stood next to Sky.

"I will," Nate confirmed. He doubted that he would run into Rod out in the vast expanse of wilderness but you never know with the crazy old man. Regardless, he doubted that Rod would be away for the cold season. The crazy old man wouldn't pass on the opportunity to have good shelter during the cold times.

"Did you get all of your supplies? Even those little packets you insisted on making?" Sky said as she hugged Nate one last time.

"Yes, I have those and the fire starting kits you made for me," Nate said. He had wanted to be a bit more prepared since learning about the upcoming change in weather. As a child growing up in Grey Sector, he had only experienced one season and that was the 'heat of the factory' season. The natural seasons had little effect on life in the city, so Nate was surprised when he learned about the possibility of significant changes in the weather in the future. Sky had given him fits of laughter when he asked what winter was. But he was quick to catch on once the concept was explained.

Nate remembered the slightly cooler weather period he had experienced early on in his time in the wilderness, but that weather wasn't the snow and ice that Sky described. Sky had said that he just hadn't been through a good winter yet because his cave wasn't as close to the mountains. Guess I will find out.

Nate stepped through the open gate. The four guards gave him a slight nod as he turned back to look at the women.

"Safe Travels," Sky and her mother spoke simultaneously.

"Safe Stay," Nate responded in the typical tribal goodbye before a journey. He turned from the two women and started walking off into the woods. He really wanted to sprint away to avoid drawing out the goodbye, but it was considered rude to run near the village entrance. He spared a few glances behind him before he entered the underbrush of the forest. Leaving is hard.

With his lover no longer in sight, Nate picked up speed in his movement and was soon running through the forest at a rapid pace. His travel plan was quite simple. He would go back to his cave as directly as possible and then immediately begin preparations for his second class. By his guess, his plans should take at least two months' time. Maybe three months. Regardless, he should be back in the Greyfor Tribe by the cold season just as Sky had requested. He stopped one last time and looked back in the direction of the village. Then, Nate adjusted the straps on his pack so that there were no lose movements and took off in the direction of his cave.

**********************

Taking a rest at midday, as usual, Nate pulled out one of the snacks he had packed for his trip. By his guess, it would take him six days of nonstop running to reach his home. Maybe I should do a bit of exploring on my way back? He took out the detailed map he had sketched by copying a tribal map Sky had borrowed for him. He now knew of the general locations of other tribes and even some additional outposts. He also knew some of the local politics of which tribes to avoid and those that would be somewhat friendly. Knowledge was a wonderful thing.

Looking around the map, not too many landmarks were near Nate’s location. The map showed two spots nearby, but these were areas that Nate was told to avoid. One was a rocky area known as the Crags by the Greyfor tribe. The terrain of the Crags was very dangerous with many crevices and Nate had heard a few stories of monstrously large beasts lurking in the depths. The other area was called the Bogwoods and contained swamps that were said to hold numerous poisonous beasts.

Nate considered going to the Bogwoods for a while. His [Poison Immunity] skill was top-notch per what he had learned in the tribe. Very few people leveled past resistances to the point of immunity. Once word got around the tribe that Nate had the skill, several people had visited him to ask questions. It was quite a big ordeal.

Nate shook his head. Maybe on the way back. He really wanted to get to his cave first.

Putting up the map, Nate sighed as he looked up into the trees. The forest was a wonderfully dangerous place and Nate had missed it. While living in the tribe’s cave was generally relaxed and the frequent sex was enjoyable, he had missed being by himself in his cave and hunting for his next meal. And the fact that he actually felt a longing for this kind of life somewhat puzzled him.

Questioning his desire to risk it all in the wilderness, Nate had just started to move again when he felt a slight sense of unease. It doesn't feel like an imminent threat. The feeling was more like a nagging sensation that something was out of sorts. He stopped again to look around the woods, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Disregarding the sensation as just nervousness, he patted his pockets, gripped his new spear, and took off towards his home.

**********************

Nate continued running for another hour before he realized that something was actually wrong. I feel like something is hunting me. Nate was very familiar with this feeling. He had been hunted by beasts many times before. He glanced back over his shoulder as he moved through the woods but didn't see anything behind him.

"Damn it", Nate cursed as he continued moving along. The worst parts of being hunted are not knowing what is hunting you or where the predator is at. If you know what the problem is, then you can deal with it.

Was it a high-level beast? Was it several low-level beasts? Could it move silently or was it waiting in ambush? These questions and many more were bouncing around in Nate's head.

[‘Survivor’s Awareness’ has increased to Level 24]

With the notification, Nate decided it was time to take action. Most beasts would wait for a good opportunity to attack, so to speed things along Nate provided an opportunity. The tree up ahead looks nice.

As he neared the tree, Nate pulled up as if he had hurt himself and fell against a tree grabbing his leg and making pained noises. Despite the theatrics, his spear was still positioned at the ready. A beast won't understand the act. The sound of movement caught Nate's attention as he glanced behind him to see three rather large [Forest Lion] coming at him in a run. Highest is at Level 20. His [Identify] skill working quick to assess the situation. Since the levels of the beasts were only slightly lower than his, he needed to be cautious in his attack. Especially since they outnumbered him.

One from the front and two from the sides. The beasts' attack was well coordinated but Nate had made plans of his own.

Feeling the beasts almost upon him, Nate kicked the ground shooting himself up about fifteen feet into the air. Just as his ascension peaked, Nate twisted and threw his spear down at the beast leading the charge. His [Forceful Throw] skill used some of his energy to propel the spear at an unimaginable speed into the upper spine of the leading beast. The beast abruptly stopped as the spear exited the underside of its body and penetrated the ground. The momentum of the beast causing the spear shaft still inside to bend, crack and splinter before the beast crashed down at the base of the tree.

Shit. It was a new spear shaft. Nate’s feet tapped the bark of the tree giving him just enough pause to avoid falling directly on top of the two other cat beasts. The remaining [Forest Lion] pair practically ran into each other as they tried to change directions and flee. Nate touched the ground a second later with streaks of yellow fur moving away from him quickly. He quickly flipped his pack off his back and untied his bow. With a steady hand, he sent an arrow sailing towards one of the fleeing beasts.

The arrow struck the beast at the base of the skull causing its body to tumble forward into the brush.

Nate quickly nocked another arrow, but the third beast was already long gone. Two beasts down. Nate was thrilled at getting two beasts so easily. His [Survivor's Awareness] skill had really helped him in this situation. Nate sat his bow and arrow down on the ground. Then, he immediately knelt down and got to work removing the beast core from [Forest Lion] at his feet.

He had only gotten about elbow deep in the remains of the first [Forest Lion] when his feeling of unease returned. The other beast must still be out there.

Hearing a slight noise behind him, Nate didn't react right away. He slowly pulled his bow off the ground and onto his lap. The noise sounded again. It's moving closer. He didn't want to give away any hint of his change in movement. Seeing his movement would either cause the beast to attack him immediately or flee. He wanted neither. Three beasts with such little effort would be glorious. Nate grinned. He slowly picked up the arrow sitting on the ground in front of him and nocked it on the bowstring. It's still coming. His hand tensed on the bow but he continued to act like he was still dealing with the downed animal.

Another sound even closer. Now. Nate quickly turned and launched an arrow at the sound behind him. His movements were quick and he gave no sign of the attack.

A human scream sounded out about forty feet in front of him. Nate had thought it was the last large cat sneaking up behind him, but the sight of his arrow sticking out of the center of a man's chest quickly made him aware that he was completely wrong.