Chapter Eight - Law of the Jungle

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The white, giant wolf, took another step back as I approached, its head still cocked in a confused manner. Though I was pretty sure it knew that it wasn’t my primary target, it was still cautious.

It was simply too big and powerful for me to take and even if I wanted to believe I could cause a nasty injury, I knew that it would be unlikely. If I were going to trade my life, I wanted to exact an equal price.

-"A life for a life."

Spotting a group of weaker looking creatures out of my peripheral, I took a step to the left, attempting to move closer, but just as I did, the wolf moved to its right, its lips curling into a snarl as it released its growl and blocked me.

My lips twitched, threatening to turn into a smile.

Though the wolf’s growl was dark and menacing, it had only reinforced how terrifying my one was.

It was like comparing the noise a car without an exhaust makes compared to a muscle car. Both were loud, but one was king while the other sounded, in comparison ridiculous.

-”I wonder if the difference is that I have needed to bluff and be as intimidating as possible where the wolves would have been more of a communication tool and had this from the start? Wait, did they have the same stuff injected into them or were dropped as is?”

I mentally shook my head, forcing the irrelevant thoughts from my mind.

I had always been like this, not being able to focus and while I got lucky with Spike, after thinking about it on the long walk here, I knew it would get me killed sooner or later.

-”FOCUS!”

The wolf’s golden, penetrating glare was still locked onto mine as I took another step to the left to confirm a suspicion, only for it to follow.

It was covering the other creatures, even those that were not of its species.

-”The law of the Jungle? I thought it was nothing but a myth.”

There was a myth, popularised by a book and later, Disney adaptation, that stated that animals, at least those who didn’t live in that habituate like anacondas and crocodiles, would not attack each other at water sources.

Of course, it was a load of rubbish as what predator would pass up an easy meal due to some humanistic fantasy ideal of honour and comradely. Then again, there were certain cases where it has been proven. Mainly during natural disasters like drought. I had always chalked it up to the predators being too stuffed from all the carrion or dying of thirst themselves.

Having thought that, I was once again I was forced to question what I considered to be common sense and logic. In a well-stocked location, where fruit, water and lots of animals were located, these creatures seemed to have formed some sort of truce instead of separating.

What’s was more confusing is that they all looked like carnivores. I couldn't spot a single characteristic of any of them having any ability to eat fruit.

My inner child jumped at the opportunity to live this line of thought provided, mainly not being turned into shit, but I quickly reminded myself that just because they had some sort of peace treaty, that didn’t mean it applied to me.

I was a stranger after all. Who apparently had just stumbled in during nap time.

I ground my teeth, wanting to look around at the other creatures to get more information but I knew that it would be a bad idea if I broke eye contact at the moment.

The wolf in front of me was sizing me up and weighing its options.

Was I prey? A competitor? A threat? or, something that I hoped, a creature that could share this space with them peacefully.

Without realising what I was doing, my frustration got the best of me, and a sharp hiss of irritation escaped my mouth, causing the spike like creatures to respond in kind, one even going as far as to stand on its back legs in an all too familiar pose.

Once again, my peripheral came to my rescue as I spotted the black blurs I knew to be the projectile spikes.

-”Seems like these creatures are pretty standard. I would have thought there would have been more variation.”

Well, at least I didn’t have a choice anymore. Even if it's giving you lemons, it's much easier to roll with the blows if you have no choice.

Without waiting to see the reaction from the wolf, I turned my head and focused on the flying spines, amazed at how fast I had moved and tracked them.

Twisting my body, dodging the first spike by a large margin as the second drew a thin, almost unnoticeable line of blood from my right arm, I was shocked at how fast and nimble I had become.

-”That was much easier than last time.”

Landing awkwardly on all fours, my back right leg straight and sticking out behind me, making it impossible to jump or dodge well, I quickly looked back to where the wolf was, only to let out a small, very human-like, 'Eep'.

The wolf was already at my side and, before I could do as much as flinch, both of its paws smashed into my back, slamming be on the floor and driving the wind from my lungs as it pinned me.

Coughing, regaining my breath almost instantly, I was about to try and stand, the fear and adrenaline of being in such a disadvantageous position powering my muscles like never before when I high pitched scream resonated from where the spiked creatures had been.

The spiked creature that had just attacked me was no more, ripped to shreds by the other wolfs as it kind watched on, retreating backwards while exposing their teeth.

It was evident they didn’t like the wolves but were not brave enough to do anything about it.

*Grrrrrrrr*

A low pitched growl, one which for some unknown reason, made my insides shudder in excitement, resonated by my head.

-”Totally turning into an adrenalin junkie.”

I slowly turn my head, not wanting to make any sudden movements and soon come face to face with the wolf’s massive head. Its teeth were on full display, emphasising their terrifying potential.

I had always loved wolves, mainly due to their family and social structure and I guess looks were a big part of it too but the thing I liked most, was their cold, no nonsense approach to dealing with those who had become a handicap to the pack.

It might sound stupid, as through no fault of their own people can be born or receive a disadvantage, but I hated how false and preachy everyone was on that topic. They pretended that their survival instincts didn’t apply to them or our society, that humans were somehow made better tha…

-”God damn it, focus you fucking idiot.”

Chastising myself for my wandering mind, I once again locked eyes with the wolf, hoping to display that the early break was not through weakness but need, which was actually very hard to do due to the size of the creature and how I was currently pinned to the floor.

Still, with strained neck muscles that were bound to be extremely sore later, I somehow managed.

My fingers curled into a ball, ripping the soft peat from the ground.

-”Wait? Where are my daggers?”

Looking around, I see them on the ground near where I was standing before I dodged the attack.

Sighing, I resist the urge to growl.

It appeared my natural reflexes had worked against me, subconsciously letting go of my only weapons as I focused everything I had on dodging the threat. I should have known better, it was a well known…

-”NO!”

This time I was not fast enough to suppress the growl, and although it was intended at myself, the wolf seemed to interpret it as me trying to threaten it, returning its own growl as it moved its head closer to me, showing off it's very sharp, pointed teeth.

My body tensed as I finally understood just how fucked I was. Forget making a kill, I would have been lucky to take a single step.

The wolf was obviously far stronger than I, and that was when I was standing. Laying on my front, I couldn’t even use my limbs or even if I could, a weapon.

I was completely at the beast’s mercy.

-”Hang on a minute, they killed the spike thing but I am still alive, and I don’t think it because of my uniqueness or smell.”

My mind raced at the implication as a crazy, no insane, idea started to form.

Resisting the urge to laugh at how stupid I was, I lowered my gaze, moving it to just below the wolf’s chin and… Made my best interpretation of a dog’s whine.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t half bad, and towards the back of my mind, I wondered just what had been done to my vocal cords that enabled me to make the broad range of sounds.

The seconds ticked by as the silence, one that the birds blissfully ignored, started to feel like a weight pressing against my soul. I knew it was a stupid idea, but strangely, I did not feel too conflicted lowering my head to such an adversary.

I had decided to live by survival of the fittest and so, I would die by it.

Plus, it wasn’t a human. I just hoped that these apparently intelligent creatures wouldn’t develop the contradictory human-like traits I despised. I… It would hurt my soul if they did.

A warm, wet sensation running across my face, caused me to jump causing me to panic before I worked out what it was.

The wolf had licked me.

Looking back up but making sure not to stare, I noticed that the hostility had gone from its eyes and, after making sure I wasn’t going to do anything, it removed its feet, making me realise just how much pressure had been put on my chest as air flooded into my lungs.

Confused, I slowly moved into a sitting position and watched as the wolf returned to the edge of the clearing, near a patch of trees where a few wolf pups were looking at me intently, mischief and curiosity emanating from them.

-”Huh? How do I know that?”

The sudden realisation that, I had somehow known all along that the Wolf did not want to kill me, making me see it as less of a threat and enabling me to focus on trying to take my 'pound of flesh', hit me.

It was the same for all the creatures as I looked around the clearing, noticing that while they had gone back to whatever they had been doing, mostly resting, that they still were keeping a cautious, if not curious eye on me.

Well, all accept the spike creatures. I could tell that given half the chance, they would tear me limb from limb. It was evident by their body posture.

I frowned.

-”Just how on Earth does this adaptation thing work. I can’t think of a single thing that has this sort of ability on Earth, and I wouldn’t even know how to begin guessing how it worked.”

I also realised that this was how I knew that all of the creatures I had met this far, were as intelligent as me. Though I knew it wasn’t the same as a human, thank god, they thought, felt and feared similarly to humans. They were sentient.

My rear had long gone numb by the time I shook the thoughts from my head and stood up, stretching to get rid of the cramp. I was more confused than ever, which was saying something in this situation, and even if I did, they wouldn’t help me at the moment.

At least I thought I understood how this place worked. If there were not some kind of order, these clearings would become no man’s lands.

For non-intelligent species, an equilibrium would eventually be found, at the cost of many, many lives but as they were all intelligent, some powerful creatures could take control and police them as they saw fit.

In this case, it looked like the wolves had imposed a benevolent dictatorship. No one could hurt each other, or the aggressor would be on the menu.

I wasn’t sure if this ‘safe’ zone extended outside the clearing, but at the moment, this suited me down to the ground.

Now, if only I knew if that lick was some sort of acceptance or if it was just a taste test, I would be able to rest a bit easier.

Taking a quick glance at the spike-like creatures, deciding that I didn’t want to break the status quo right away, I cautiously walked towards the water pools in the centre as my eyelids started to sag.

I was exhausted.

Unfortunately for me, there was no clear path as creatures lay scattered across the area but when I approached the monkey-like insects, for that was the only way I could describe them, watching me with their many soulless, black eyes, they shuffled out of my way, much to my confusion.

-”I suppose it makes sense, though there is peace, each species is cautious of the other but knows that they can't make trouble.”

Reaching the pools and looking around for threats, I decided to test the water with ice in it first.

Dipping a finger in it, in case it wasn’t water but something that looked like it, they could have been the spit filled mouths of giant earth worms for all I knew on this crazy planet, gave it a quick taste test.

To my relief, I found it was in fact, water even if it wasn't the right temperature to drink.

”This water is too cold.”

I move towards the water with faint steam rising, and already knowing the answer, dip my toe in it.

“This water is too hot.”

I smile at my silliness, wondering if the loneliness is finally getting to me.

Continuing past the hot pool, I start trying the others in order until I reached the one furthest away, on the opposite side that I started.

“Ahhh, this water is just right.”

I chuckled.

-“I just hope there are no bears about... then again, I wouldn’t say no to a comfy bed.”

Kneeling down, I scooped a handful of water up to my mouth, letting the cool, fresh tasting water flow down my throat while repressing the urge to start a fire and boil it.

I just hoped my hatred for getting sick and parasites would force a beneficial adaptation.

Back on Earth, water, and not the kind from the tap, was the only thing I would drink bar alcohol, my one true vice.

I feel my shoulders deflate as I remember all of the food and drink I would never be able to have again.

-”God I could do with a stiff drink about now.”

An intense stabbing pain woke me from my thoughts, causing me to sharply look down, only to find a tiny, semi transparent snake, looking like it was made out of water.

Jumping up, I backed away slightly while keeping the snake in my sight.

I had knelt on it by mistake, and now its tail was looking very flat, even with the soft, peaty ground beneath us.

-”Oh fuck, I hope it isn’t poisonous.”

A rule of thumb on earth was that the smaller the snake, the more you should avoid it. Of course, there were species of snake that no matter what size, would put you in a wooden box faster than the government lobbying for a new tax so, in my paranoia, I had employed the ‘avoid them all’ strategy.

Not that it had worked in this instance.

Quickly checking my knee, I saw thick, red blood dripping from the shredded skin, causing me to release a sigh of relief.

Fangs or serrated teeth, snakes rarely had both. Now I just had to worry about any bacteria that it cultivated in its mouth.

-”Maybe I will need that boiled water after all.”

My thoughts stopped as my mouth dropped open. The snakes flat tail was inflating while the rest of its body shrunk. Small bubbles, as varying hues of blue, swished about.

"Wow… literally, a water snake.”

The tiny creature was semi transparent, and I couldn’t see any organs apart from its eyes and the blue, tinged scales.

I was almost left speechless. Even though it was an unbelievable sight, the creature looked… Well, beautiful.

-”Beauty often means deadly, unless you are a bird looking for a mate.”

Even with these thoughts, I found myself getting closer as I watched the snake shaking its head as if it was getting dizzy before it tried moving towards the water. Only to stop and rest every few inches. It reminded me a lot of the mosquito.

Using my left hand, I wiped the blood on my knee and licked a small amount before spitting on the floor as a wicked smile crept across my face.

“No freaking way. My blood is incredibly bitter but judging from how everything that bites me reacts, it should be poisonous. Oh, beautiful fate, how I love you.”

My vindictive side loved this development and, if I was ever facing a creature that was about to eat me, I had the perfect quote from a film saved.

I just hoped I would be clear headed enough to remember it and that the creature would understand.

The snake stopped struggling, its laboured breaths rising and falling slowly as it seemed to lose consciousness and I felt a pang of guilt.

I crept forward, and after poking it a few times, I hesitantly scooped up the snake, making sure it was still breathing.

Initially, I intended to return it to the water, but I couldn’t see any gills, and I didn’t know if it had any other mechanisms to allow it to breathe if I just threw it in.

I could also feel quite a few eyes on me.

-”Hmm, well I did flatten you so unless you die, I guess I can’t leave you alone but what am I going to do with you?”

Suddenly, I felt very naked. It wasn’t the lack of clothes or all the animals watching me that brought it on. It was that I didn’t have any pockets.

I was, no had been, a timid person but that was just around people. I didn't like feeling vulnerable in front of others.

-”How am I going to carry this little thing around with me?”

Looking around, I realised that the faint light that had managed to breach the forest canopy was dimming significantly, signifying that the day was almost over.

My eyes continued to search for something I could use as a pouch when they met another's.

“Shit.”

The wolf looked me in the eye, then glanced at the snake before looking me in the eye again.

I knew I had been given my first warning, and it was probably only a warning as it had seen the whole thing. To top it off, somehow I knew that if I attempted to eat the snake, I would be on the menu next.

Swallowing hard, my instincts screaming that I was in potential danger, I forced a chuckle.

“Big brother is watching huh?”

Cracking my joints, something I had never been able to do on earth, as I tensed and relaxed my muscles, keeping them in a state of readiness, I realised just how tired I was.

-"I needed to find somewhere to rest."

Looking at the tree’s on the outside of the circle I decided against trying to climb them. Not only would I probably fall if I fell asleep, but I wasn’t sure the wolves protection went that far.

Unless I wanted a very long travel away from here, looking over my shoulder, this was the safest place.

At least I hoped.

I looked to the white tree in the centre of the pools and noticed no creatures were hanging around its base, but instead of thinking of it as a place to rest, my paranoia went into overdrive.

What was wrong with that location? Was it dangerous? Is the tree carnivorous?

Without answers to these questions, I moved away to the edge of the clearing, furthest away from the spiky creatures, which happened to be pretty close to the wolfs before settling down with my back against a tree.

My paranoia was going into overdrive, but my exhaustion was winning.

I knew it was stupid sleeping here, no matter what incredible stuff had just happened but for some reason, I felt safe.

Safe for the first time since I landed on this rock, and with one loud yawn, which scattered the wolf pups that had been unsuccessfully stalking towards me, I got comfortable, my right hand wrapped around the little snake at my side.

Initially I had put my hands in my lap, feeling more secure and able to respond to any threats but I didn’t want the little critter to wake up and decided that it needed to bite me when it was positioned so close to places that, if this were a game, would flag as critical hits.

I might be stuck on an alien world, but I was still a man.

I chuckled darkly, my mind briefly touching on the fact that I was unlikely to find a woman here, as I closed my eyes to the sound of the birds, those damned insects and the occasional noise from the animals in the clearing, strangely lulling me to sleep.

My last thoughts were of the confrontation with the wolf, which had made one thing unmistakably clear. I was weak.

-”To the victor goes the spoils. I need to become stronger.”