Six days. Six days had come and passed by since he found the cave. Almost a week.

Alexander drew a line on the wall next to his cave's only entrance using a small, triangular pebble he found. It was the sixth line. Almost a week. He threw the pebble back inside before heading out.

It was early morning judging by the cold stillness of his surroundings. He almost slipped when he stepped out, cursing and catching his balance thanks to a protruding rock. The forest floor had turned muddy thanks to the constant rain, and his cave was surrounded by puddles. At least it wasn't raining anymore. He crouched down and took a long look at his reflection on the stagnant water, unintentionally touching his black horns. The texture was weird, cold and rugged, yet smooth at some parts, "It'll take me a while to get used to seeing… this face. My new face, I guess. And the horns don't help, though I must admit they look sick," he said aloud. His skin was pale white, as well as his hair, making his horns stand out in contrast, and his eyes were a soft purple that surprised him at first since they were identical to the weapon girl's.

Speaking of which, there was no sign of her. She threw him in the middle of a dangerous, unknown forest and ditched him, which made no sense considering what she had told him beforehand. Perhaps she wasn't able to contact him for some reason, or she could have lied, but then what did she gain out of the situation? Amusement? She wasn't human, so could he even figure out her motives? Damn it.

"Don't think about it too much," he repeated several times, "You're wasting precious time and energy."

Time and energy he could spend looking for food now that the rain had finally stopped and visibility seemed to improve. Although he wasn't feeling hungry, he didn't know his limits yet- didn't know how much hunger he could endure before he… before he lost control again. His throat dried at the faint memory. A hungry rampage. He shook his head, "Don't think about it."

He would rather go look for food while sane or who knows what could happen. Staring straight ahead, the edge of the clearing around the cave welcomed him, and beyond that... the unknown. It was a dark abyss hidden by the heavy foliage, reaching out towards him, calling. He wanted to explore, he really did, but monsters were lurking nearby. The foul taste of rotten meat spread in his mouth. He immediately spat several times to get rid of it. However, it only grew in intensity with each passing second. A disgusting flavor. Vile.

He bit the bottom of his lips. Hard. And he kept gnawing until the taste of blood overrode his senses. Satisfied with the iron-like aftertaste and relieved that he couldn't savor the repulsive flesh any longer, he let out a relieved breath. It was finally gone.

"So, I need food and water. As long as it keeps raining I'll be fine in the water department, plus I think this b- my body somehow can stay hydrated for a while. Just a hunch. Haven't felt thirsty since I arrived here. That means that food should be my priority," he voiced his thoughts. It was highly unlikely that food would fall into his lap, so he needed to start searching for it. He took a deep breath. The probability of encountering a creature like the superbear was an unknown variable to him and that fact alone was enough to strike fear into his mind. His left arm burned in response. He had no scars left from his little dance with death, but the pain lingered as the image of bones sticking out flashed in his mind. He clenched a shaky fist.

This wouldn't do. He had only two options at the moment; to hide in his cave and hope that later on, he would find the strength to leave his home or to go right now and save his future self some trouble. With heavy steps and a grimace, he walked towards the abyss.

It wasn't like he cared much for his future self. No, it was more like a point he was trying to prove. He did kill one of those ugly bastards, after all. With his own hands. Whether he was really strong or it was really weak, it didn't change the fact that he had survived. The more he explored and the more information he recollected, the higher his chances to get out of here alive. He wanted to live.

He pushed through the foliage, away from his home and into uncharted territory. What was he looking for? Well, he wasn't sure. Anything edible. Berries, plants, insects, rodents… whatever was easier to find. He heard a high-pitched noise that made him freeze. He looked up, slowly. There was no movement. For a few seconds, he remained still, until he sighed. Just some kind of bird, at least he hoped. He continued for a couple of minutes and then backtracked back into the clearing to try another direction. He didn't want to get lost.

On his third attempt, he found a rotten log less than five minutes away from the clearing. It was covered by moss. He managed to flip it over with some difficulty and found several types of bugs he had never seen. Grabbing a rock nearby, he smashed a couple and tried them. Absolutely disgusting, but way better than the superbear. They tasted like sour dirt. As he tore through his breakfast, he hoped none would be poisonous. When he was satisfied, he sat down with his back to a tree.

"Seems like I found my source of food for the time being," he said and spat on the ground. Judging by the amount of bugs crawling on top of each other, this would last him for a while. A couple of weeks, perhaps, until he had to find a new source. During that time he needed to explore as much as possible and test the limits of his body. What a fun adventure.

Just as he was about to leave, something caught his attention. A silvery green mist began to spread through the forest. It was almost invisible at first, but it was quickly beginning to disrupt his vision. It pulsated and throbbed like an amorphous mantle, enveloping the area and hiding everything from view.

'What the hell.'

In less than ten seconds his range of vision had been reduced to a few feet in front of him, almost similar to the way the heavy rainfall did six days ago. Where had it come from? It didn't have a particular smell, but it had a green tinge to it. Was it toxic? Regardless, he had to go back to his cave. Limited visibility was too much of an inconvenience right now, it easily trespassed into dangerous territory. He couldn't see the way, but he had a faint idea of where to go, so he started his journey with careful steps.

A voice in his head told him to sit and wait it out right there, but he didn't believe it was a good idea. He didn't know how long it would take for the fog to clear out, or the cause. This wasn't his world. It might be product of a creature, perhaps it hunted this way. He would be safe in his base for the time being, so he placed his bet on making it there.

He focused his hearing to its limit. The ground crunched under his footsteps. His breathing was slow and steady. The wind had stopped blowing at some point. The same high-pitched call he heard before echoed from above. He halted. Fuck, he hoped it was a harmless bird. Please, let it be a harmless bird. He continued.

In every instance where he noticed the outline of an object, he held his breath. Even though the figures were obviously trees, he still concentrated on determining if it was truly what he thought it was.

That's why he felt that a lot of time had gone by. Yeah. It was because every step was taken deliberately and leisurely. He wasn't lost. Hopefully. Somehow, this place was making him hope for a lot of things.

He heard a soft rustle close to him. Each one of his muscles tensed immediately and prepared to act at a moment's notice. He turned in the general direction where the noise had come from and stared. Another rustle. Pain traveled from the fingers of his left arm up to his shoulder, a burning sensation that coursed through his veins. If he hadn't grown kinda used to the weird feeling, he would have probably freaked out and ran. However, he understood what was happening and ignored it for now.

Another rustle, a tiny bit louder. At that moment, doubt became certainty. There was something there. He crouched, trying to use the bushes as cover. A blurry figure appeared in front of him, approaching his position. He gulped. His heartbeat had become deafening; his breathing, labored.

'Do I run?' he thought with clenched teeth. His left arm flared, 'Can I make it?' he remembered how fast the bear he fought moved and his widened. He couldn't outrun it. The figure kept getting closer and increasing in size. 'Do I fight?' his fingers trembled against the dirt. He didn't want to. If possible he would do everything in his power to avoid that option. Against something like that… he had been extremely lucky to survive back then. 'What do I do?'

The thing stood in four legs, he could see it now, and it already was three times his size. What kind of monster…? He heard it sniff the air around and a deep growl followed. The mist began to clear somewhat and revealed its silver fur. It was a wolf. A giant wolf. Baring its teeth and looking straight at him with yellow eyes.

Alexander held eye-contact, mostly due to shock and fear. For some reason, instead of overworking his brain to look for a way to escape, the pupilless and vacant eyes of the superbear came to mind and he compared them to the ones he was staring at. They were incredibly different. Its yellow eyes were shining… almost like it was studying him. There was a level of intelligence behind them, unlike the bear's.

Against his screaming instincts, he stood up. The wolf acted at once. It backed away without turning its gaze away from him. That's when he noticed a dark spot on its right side. It was wounded. A growl was the only indication that breaking eye-contact had been a mistake. He quickly looked back at it. He didn't know why, but a dumb idea formed in his mind and he put it in motion without much thought. He moved his arms up, palms ahead, and waved them in a placating manner. The wolf stopped growling and simply stared. After a few seconds, it turned and walked away.

He waited several seconds, unmoving until he was sure it was gone before he allowed himself to collapse into the ground. What the hell was that!? Why was every species in this goddamn place fucking huge!? He laughed while shaking his head. A giant wolf. What the actual fuck.