A Chance to Live

Chapter 3: Embracing the World

     Waking up usually was something I did not look forward to, for the dream world could be a heavenly place, with the real one being not so much. Returning from the dream world, I realized yet again that I somehow wasn't dead. This thought didn't last long, because as I began to stir awake, I realized that a light was shining through my eyelids.

     When I opened my eyes, an abnormal sight startled me; bright light rays were lighting up everything outside. I panicked, and began growling at the line where the light stooped, which was growing ever closer.

     Getting myself together, I began to walk out into the warm rays of light, and they gave my body a nice, warm feeling. One of comfort and satisfaction, as I felt all worries disappear in that moment. I had heard of a great ball of light in the sky referred to as the sun by one of the scientist's who 'took care of me'.

     I snarled at the thought, but realized soon that was a mistake, as I thought i heard noises coming from a bush nearby. I stood up on all fours, staring at the foliage with a look of curiosity. I sat there for a long time, just staring, thinking that at any second the creature from last night would burst from the bushes and try to finish the job it started.

     Nothing happened. After a while, I felt a stinging pain in my side, once again reminding me about the holes in my torso. I looked back to see how bad it was. They looked like they didn't change much, but it wasn't oozing blood like last night, but rather a steady trickle. Like a faucet that's been accidentally left on.

     Continuing on, I knew that I needed to get food or I would starve. Sniffing the air, I found a strange scent nearby. Prowling through the shady parts of the forest, I came upon another one of those little streams of water. The weirdest part was not the water, but what was at the water's edge. A big, brown, fat lump sat on four small legs, all of it covered in shaggy fur.

     It had its maw wide open over the running water, and it appeared to be waiting. I sat hiding in the bushes, watching to see what it was waiting for, when all of a sudden a little oval shaped water dweller with shiny scales leaped from the water. The lump snapped its jaws shut and had caught the oval and began eating it.

     I watched it do this 2 more times, before my stomach rumbled, reminding me of my purpose being here. The bear suddenly looked in my direction, and then I realized that he probably heard that. Still wanting to get him while he was surprised, I leaped from the bushes and landed on his back, locking in my jaws and delivering slash after slash.

     He tried to bite back, but I stuck my death talons on my foot into his side and let gravity do the rest. His entrails were now scattered everywhere, and his face looked as if he was in a peaceful slumber. I dug in, not caring what I ate as long as it filled me up.

     While devouring my meal I heard movement in the bushes, this time continuing for a couple moments. My head bolted up and looked at the foliage, expecting more sounds to emit from it. After a few minutes I went back to eating, also swallowing the fish he was eating.

     I heard it again. Looking up, the noise stopped abruptly once again. I was done playing games, and decided to investigate. I cracked open my jaws to let out chittering waves of pure sound to see if I could figure out what was going on.

     As I was in the middle of this, a white blur jumped at me from the cover. I was caught off guard; I was unprepared for the attack. The small beast latched it's jaws onto my back plates and began nibbling, but with a quick jolt of my torso he came tumbling to the ground.

     Not leaving things to chance, I raised my paw high into the air, glinting in the sunlight, before bringing it back down upon the creatures head. With a sharp cracking noise, I knew it was dead. Not a moment later, two more of the small furry creatures on longer limbs leaped at my exposed flank. I had seen this coming though, as the one I just killed was probably a distraction.