Warmth seeped into the cave as the sun's rays entered through the hole within the cave's ceiling. Zef’s long ears caught the sounds of birds chirping outside his current shelter; he blinked several times, his mind registering the previous day. Memories sank into his brain, and he sat still for minutes, and finally, when he felt ready, he moved. His upper body rose like a volcano, and he looked around his surroundings with a sharp gaze. His body no longer felt tired or fatigued. Instead, he felt more energized and fully attentive than the previous day.

His antennas registered the scent of water in the air, which reminded him of his thirst, but also that he wanted to take a piss as his bladder was at its limit. Zef quickly pushed himself to his feet, his muscles flexing, and walked towards a corner of the cave. He instinctively wanted to lower his pants but realized he wasn't wearing them and slightly smiled, finally letting loose.

A long groan came out of his mouth, and it took him half a minute to be done. A large yellow puddle almost touched his toes, and the smell of his own urine was so strong that it made his eyes water. He had to back up away and blink away his moist eyes.

"It felt like I haven't pissed in a year," looking at a cloud of steam emitting from the puddle.

After taking care of his primal needs, his mind instinctively went to surviving mode. His next agenda was to scout the area and find a better food source.

Zef walked confidently underneath the ceiling's hole. Sunlight showered his body. His muscles rippled inside his skin as he thoroughly stretched his limbs. Zef looked upwards; he estimated that he needed to jump around 15 feet to grab onto the edge of the hole and pull himself up. It was a mighty feat even for the tallest basketball athlete, but he brimmed with confidence.

He already checked earlier for any exits. There was no way out of this cave except through the ceiling,

No more bugs for me.

With that thought in mind, Zef squatted and took a deep breath. He tightened his quads and hamstrings for a moment before letting loose, jumping vertically, surprising himself as he almost reached his objective before landing on his feet, creating a small cloud of dust. Zef stared at his legs for a few seconds, mind-boggled by his newfound strength. He looked at the cave’s ceiling and grinned wildly as he bent his knees again. This time he put more effort into his legs which contracted and thickened. Exhaling, he let loose, pushing himself off the ground. His arms swung upwards for a second before finally grabbing the edge with his right hand. He then swung his other hand and got a good hold.

Well, that was easy...

Zef grunted in satisfaction while his feet dangled below him. He tried to lift himself but had difficulty getting his upper body on top of the edge. Gravity and his newfound weight pulled him down. He understood that motor movement wasn’t top-notch yet. He did have the strength but couldn’t coordinate his muscles for such a lift from his current position.

A minute passed by as his left arm finally lost its grip, shifting his weight to the right stressing his already aching fingers. Zef tried to grip harder, and to his surprise, claws sprouted from his fingers and dug into the rock. His eyes rose in shock, but he quickly swung his left arm towards the edge and jerked his arm as fingernails lengthened into claws and dug into the rock. Cautiously he used his claws and started climbing up until his chest touched the rim. He then used his arms and elbows to push up and then sidewards to finally roll onto his back in triumph. Zed chuckled; tiny droplets of sweat littered his forehead; his long dark hair cascaded above his head like a rainbow.

He closed his eyes, savoring this feeling of warmth before taking a look at his 2-inch nails or what seemed to be claws. It appears that the jerking motion he did earlier lengthened his nails into a sharp and deadly weapon that had slight hooks at the end. Zef immediately started playing with his fingers popping claws up and down, extending them to the max before turning them back to normal. He wondered if he could do the same with his toenails and grinned when a claw emerged out of his left toe after several attempts. It wasn’t as easy as his hands, yet Zef knew he’d get the knack of it with enough practice.

His stomach slightly growled and reminded him of his purpose, so he lightly got up and patted the dirt off himself. Zef surveyed his surroundings. He was on a flat ledge about 20 meters wide filled with debris. Pebbles, large and small, grey ash and scorch marks surrounded the hole he climbed out of, 10 feet wide.

He looked around him and saw that this ledge was connected to a rocky mountain with some shrubs of different varieties. He looked at the cliff wall behind him and saw a trail of ash and scorch marks along the leveled walls coming to a slanted position towards the hole he emerged from. He concluded that some object had enough force to shave a part of the mountain and crash into his location, which explains the entrance to his cave.

Judging by the hole’s diameter, it shouldn’t have been substantial, maybe a guided missile or a probe of some kind. But that didn’t explain his situation and how he ended up in that cave, alive and in an altered body.

That bloody cocoon.

He bit his lower lip lightly, then suddenly took a 180-degree turn and walked towards the edge of the ledge, looking at the scenery in front of him. He stumbled, somewhat shocked at the sight of so many trees. The endless sea of trees had different red, orange, and yellow hues, which extended as far as the eye could see.

This is definitely not my homeland; those trees are not something you see in the Sahara.

The trees were both magnificent and unnaturally massive. Mountains and lakes littered the land, which made him question his reality; it’s possible that he died and went to heaven. It would explain his titan-like body and surreal environment.

The scenery in front of him was stunning; the kind you see on nature shows on tv, especially for a desert boy like him. Sure he spent his childhood playing at his clan’s oasis, but date trees didn't reach 60 feet.

These trees, on the other hand, were unnaturally high and felt too large. Even the air he breathed was full of life. He couldn’t explain it and but his overly acute senses could feel a large amount of energy in the air.

Zef then crouched and put a hand above his eyes to shade them from the sun as he focused on the greenery in front of him for any large human-made structure. He looked for 5 minutes straight and could only identify a huge lake some miles away.

That should be the objective for now. Hopefully, I’ll find some clothing and get a basic idea of where I am if I meet people. I'll need to mark this area as a backup shelter if things come to worse.

Suddenly his antennae twitched, prolling his instincts to look above. There was a small dot with wings gliding towards him. He frowned as it grew larger and more detailed the closer it got. He strained his eyes which suddenly zoomed in, and saw an enormous eagle, the largest he had ever seen. The eagle had brown wings, a white head, and a freakingly red colossal beak. He didn't have time to act surprised at he realized that he might be breakfast very soon. Prey and predator stared at each other before the more dominant creature opened its beak and screeched loudly.