“God, this stinks!” Dante rubbed the moist cloth over his face, yet the toxic odor still lingered on. He looked down at the snake-like creature, its elongated body twitched and turned ever so often. Did I kill it? He questioned himself. If so, how did he do it? His eyes fixed on the indents upon the serpent’s body as if it had been crunched in by something heavy. “Did it hit something when it fell off with me? Or did I …?” even though his hands were washed a little while ago the sight of the creature’s fluids staining it was still fresh in his mind. “Ugh!” Dante’s faced cringed as the smell was still fresh on his fingers as well.

After what little time he had spent here, more and more mysteries kept piling up, and despite how horrid that serpent’s juices smelt there were other things plaguing Dante. Upon closer examination, this was far different from any snake he’d seen anywhere. It’s patterned while mostly an emerald color also had darker greens much like the camo print on his shirt. However, the biggest freakiness had to be its head or more accurately put, its face-hugger like mouth. “This is definitely some sci-fi, horror movie-level shit here.” his fingers stroked his face as he remembered how this thing mounted his head just awhile ago, “These are some sharp fangs,” he examined it further. Something though, wasn’t adding up, “even with a mouth like that, my face didn’t even suffer a scratch, how?”

His head shifted from the snake’s corpse to the sky above. “First it was those freaky flying monkeys, now this alien of a snake.” a heavy sigh left his breath, “Where in hell’s name am I?” in a low voice those words left his mouth and as he continued to face up towards the sky, a pressing matter soon came to him. “The sun’s going down,” with his mind so bombarded by the bizarre after the bizarre, Dante failed to finish prepping himself. Honestly if anything, the things he’d just experienced, had made getting prepared for the night even more vital than ever. There’s no telling what else this forest had lurking in it, and while he’d gotten lucky up until now, in this kind of situation that could change very quickly.

“Driving out of this area won’t be easy, plus I have no idea where to even go, with my limited knowledge going out on foot is also out.” Dante pressed his finger against his forehead and as he lowered his eyelids, he let out another sigh, “Guess it’s really up to setting up camp here, I have water and some canned food but I don’t want to waste it all too quickly…” his eyes fell upon the serpent once more, “well, won’t be my first time eating a snake,” he paused before continuing,” assuming it is a snake and eating won’t kill me.” with those words his hesitation grew, but ultimately… “Fuck it, not like there’s much better, and if it’s to save on the food that I know is edible, well it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Dante returned to his jeep and began searching through supplies once more. Here it is! With that thought, he pulled out a large container and turned his attention to his twitchy scaly friend. “Huh?” some distance away Dante noticed some cracking noise and the rustling of shrubs as he approached the serpent, but it soon faded, “Guess I really should keep my guard up,” he voiced as he continued his approach to the snake-like creature. His eyes still fixed on the once noisy area in front of him. Dante got careless with that serpent, and he was lucky he didn’t get hurt or worse from it. He wasn’t about to let another creature get the drop on him. However, it seemed that this beast wasn’t ready to comfort Dante. At least, not just yet, as its blood-red eyes stalked him from behind the forest shrubbery.

Survival within the woods isn’t anything hard. As long as you know what you’re doing you won’t be putting yourself in any unnecessary danger. However, that mostly applies when you're lost in a conventional forest, this place however couldn’t be any farther from that.

“Thank god! Besides its head, this is pretty much like a regular snake,” Dante spoke as he peeled the green scales of the headless serpent. For some reason, it seemed to peel off like a banana skin. “I don’t recall it coming off so easily when I did it with a python…” in fact if it won’t for its length Dante probably would have gotten it off in one short go. Well with normal snakes this was only the easy part, the real work starts from here on. “Hm?” Dante halted as the sound of rustling brushes entered his ears, but the area soon went quiet aside from the distant cries of possible wildlife.

I’d really like to think it’s my imagination, he thought to himself. For a while now Dante felt like something had been watching him, but with so little time until sundown, he couldn’t really afford to investigate.

“Ugh! It smells even worst on the inside!” gutting an animal was probably the least delightful part of preparing it, “It smells like rotten eggs and shit!” Dante could feel his stomach churn, if anything the smell might make him lose his appetite for the night. “God! I hope when I roast this bastard it’ll stop smelling so bad,”

“As I thought I don’t recognize anything out here,” Dante said as he looked at the small shrub with translucent purple berries growing on it. After suffering through the ordeal of serpent meal preparation, Dante needed one more thing before his woodland dinner could be made.

“Alright these should do,” he reached out and grabbed the multiple sticks on the ground, and placed them with the over a dozen others under his arm.

“I was hoping to get some more food sources out here, but these plants are just completely foreign to me,” he voiced his disappointment as his eyes landed on the unknown shrub again. “I’m already taking a chance on the snake thing…” Dante said as he felt the strange berries once more, “I have a feeling that I’ve pushed my luck enough for today. The last thing I want is food poisoning… or worse,” just as he was about to get up, a loud groan echoed out. Dante’s eyes rounded as he heard it, “I guess foul serpent insides or being possibly poisoned won’t enough to quell you after all,” he said down to his stomach, which replied with another grumble. If anything, that was a sign to head back and with the sun setting as well, the timing couldn’t be much better.

It wasn’t strange for random critters to intrude upon someone’s campsite. Especially when some sort of food is left out, but the last thing Dante wanted was a confrontation with another beast of this forest.

Covered in a coat of pure white, along with a large mane and the growl of a wolf with looks to match. The beast stared straight at him with its red eyes as it held onto a piece of serpent meat in its mouth. Dante had just returned from his firewood expedition only to encounter the sight of a grizzly wolf-like animal feasting upon the discarded serpent remains. Unfortunately, it would seem that it was not happy about being interrupted.

“Easy now boy,” in a low tone Dante spoke as he inched backward. The beast’s mouth swallowed the meat, only to then expose its fangs with a growl. It’s large white coat of fur raised up as it continued to stare at him. “Now, now I come in pe-” before he could finish, the creature lowered its head and emphasized its mane. From its fur, several pointed projectiles flew out, and their target was none other than Dante.

“Oh! Shit!” Dante shouted as he tried to dodge. Even though he knew there’s no way anyone could avoid such quick-moving objects. His body still reflexively told him to move. Yet they all missed, only piercing the trunk of a tree. The place where Dante once stood was now empty, and he himself ended up on the far left of his original position. I know I tried to dodge, but how?! He thought as he looked at the place he was just at.

The wolf beast wasn’t done however, and quickly took advantage of Dante’s stunned state and charged right at him.

“Shit!” Dante shouted out as the beast rammed right into him, its hair was like large metal needles and anything would be screwed by them for sure after such an impact. “What… in the hell…” that was all he could say. Before his very eyes, the creature slammed itself into him, yet Dante’s body barely move, it’s quill fur bent and snapped as it came in contact with him. How is this even possible, is this even really happening?! His eyes widened and glued at the scene before him. The wolf probably realized as well, that its attack wasn’t effective and immediately turned to snap at his face, but Dante’s hand instinctively shoved the beast away. It flew straight toward a nearby tree, with a loud bang it collided into the thick bark before collapsing onto the ground. What the actual fuck is going on here. Dante still mesmerized by all that had happened couldn’t even begin to understand any of it, but by some luck, it looks like here he isn’t the normal human he thought he was at least not anymore.

Yet, after all that, the creature still refused to back down. Its legs wobbled as it staggered back up. The beast’s eyes fixated right onto Dante, and vicious growls left its mouth. Dante took up a defensive stance, however, he soon realized something.

On closer inspection, it wasn’t as big as something that size should be, at least in terms of body fat it was thin even its ribs were visible.

Is it, starving? Actual now that I think of it, white fur isn’t really much camouflage in a forest, is it not a native beast… Dante crept over to the pieces of serpent carcass, all the while the wolf-like creature’s red eyes locked onto him. He grabbed a large piece of the meat, still quite foul-smelling, and moved over to the beast. It stepped a little back as he approached, but its eyes soon caught sight of the meat in his hand. While making sure not to make direct eye contact, he offered up the serpent meat. Its nose raised and took in the scent of the meat, while its eyes shifted back and forth from Dante to the meat.

“Go on, I come in peace, so just take it,” he spoke in a low voice as the creature came closer, and with a swift snatch, it took the meat and retreated back and hurriedly ate it. Dante raised both hands and smiled as beads of sweat ran down his face. “We’re good…right?” as he said that he took another meat and handed it over and like the first it was gone in a snatch. Instead however, he took the large meat and dashed off into the forest. A heavy breath left Dante’s mouth as he collapsed on the ground. “What the hell just happened,” he gazed down at himself and continued “and how the hell am I still alive.”