I opened my eyes to a sky of green and was lying on something cool. It wasn't cold exactly, but it sure wasn't warm. I sat bolt up, my mind racing and breathing heavily. What the hell just happened? Where am I? Where's Jen? I was not in Mississippi anymore, that was certain. We didn't have jungles like this. We had our forests, yes, but nothing this dense. I could barely see the blue sky above me through the canopy above me, and I smiled. It felt amazing here. The smile fell from my face as I remembered the fire. My friends. My wife. Shaking my head and forcing the thoughts of sadness, loss, and betrayal from my mind with a grunt, I focused back on my surroundings. The bird calls were not what I was used to and the insects sounded big and angry. My heart rate started to rise just a little and I forced myself to my feet.
"Alright." I said. "First thing's first."
"Please choose a name." a lady said from nowhere.
"What the fuck?" I asked, whirling around and looking for the speaker. I found nothing. I brushed it off as a halucination when the voice spoke again.
"Please select a name." A blue screen with black lettering appeared in my vision. The words PLEASE SELECT A NAME were written on it, and the word NAME flashed through multiple different styles, none of which I recognized. The voice repeated the instruction and a cursor flashed below the words and getting a little louder when I didn't respond.
"Alright!" I hollered into the air. "Fine. Just shut up. My name is Marshall." I watched as my name typed itself out on the screen.
"Thank you." the robot woman said in my head. "Name Marshall has been accepted. Welcome to Carminal, Marshall." A green check drew itself over the screen and it blinked out of existence. Shaking my head in wonder, I tried to take some control back. I reached down and touched my toes, stretching my body. It was sore and tight, so I ran through my morning stretches, taking the opportunity to explore my 'new' body and trying to process quite a bit. I still looked the same, thank God, tan skin and strong muscles from football. I reached up and ran my hands through soft, dark, tangled hair that hung down over my collar. It was annoying and I spent a few seconds tugging the knots out of it. Speaking of my clothes, I was dressed in what appeared to be farmers clothes, but made of super soft material. They were soft and light, but a regular ass tan color. I frowned. I didn't own clothes like these. Something jingled in my pocket and I pulled out a velvet bag absolutely filled with gold coins, and my mouth fell open. I picked one up, feeling the weight in my palm. It was heavy like actual gold and glinted in the beam of sunlight that filtered through the canopy. It had a picture of me on one side with my arms crossed over my chest and a shit eating grin on my face. The other side had a pair of crystal knives crossed over each other. I stared in wonder at the coins, counting out each one. There were thirty of them and they all looked the same. Flabbergasted by this fever dream I now found myself in, I replaced the coins in the velvet bag and returned them to my pocket where they fucking DISAPPEARED. I felt the coins and the bag vanish when I put them in my pocket. Panicked, I tried to pull them out again and they came out with ease, with all thirty coins still present and accounted for. "What the actual fuck is going on?" I whispered, putting the coins back in my pocket and praying I would be able to find them again.
"Ok." I said, clapping my hands together and trying to ignore the rising panic in my chest. "Where am I?" First order of business is to secure a water source. I nodded, setting my mind on my goal. It's a damn shame I didn't pay attention in geography class. "God help me." I whispered as I picked a direction, and started walking.
My feet crunched through the undergrowth and semi-dead leaves. The soft leather boots I wore did a fantastic job of protecting my feet from branches and thorns and shit. Every sense was on high alert and I jumped at almost every sound, though. It's safe to say I was extraordinarily stressed. The jungle around me was strange and unfamiliar, making every noise and animal call that much more terrifying. After what felt like hours of walking but was probably no more than two, my mouth started to get a little dry. The wet, warm air had been doing a decent job of not dehydrating me, but it could only do so much. Right as I had that thought, I heard the sweet sound of running water to my right. I moved through the undergrowth as quietly as I could and smiled when I saw the river. It wasn't too wide, really more of a stream, but deep. I could tell because the banks were high, though the water low. Still high enough for me to crouch on the bank and drink from my hands, but I'd have to lean down a little ways to reach the water. I paused and held my breath, listening intently. I couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary, or at least what I had come to associate as ordinary. The same birds and insects screamed and called, and I was emboldened by my dry throat. I dashed forward and knelt by the stream, driving my hands into the fast moving water. I raised my hands to my lips and sniffed carefully. It smelled like water, but I was still nervous. I stuck my tongue out and lightly licked some. It was cool and sweet, so I drank the remainder. I sighed deeply and drank another handful. The water was fresh and clean, and I thanked my lucky stars I had found some running water. I knew I was supposed to boil it first to ensure all the bacteria was out, but I was fuckin' thirsty. I drank a third handful and froze. The birds and insects had gone silent. Predator. I rose to my feet, ready to sprint in any direction, when I caught sight of red on the green grass. I frowned, cocking my head in confusion. It looked like blood and when the wind shifted, I could smell it. It was blood. Uh-oh.
A growl grew from the right. It was low and quiet at first, but slowly got louder. I turned slowly and carefully, trying not to disturb whatever was watching me. A dark shape moved from the brush, agonizingly slow. The growl got louder when I faced the creature head on.
It was a wolf, but far larger than one I had ever seen before. It stood nearly four and a half feet at the shoulders and its dark blue, almost black fur was matted with dried blood. The wolf limped heavily, clearly favoring its right side. Its front left paw was held in the air and blood dripped freely from it, leaving a trail in the grass, and it struggled to put weight on it. I crouched at the knees, ready to bolt should the creature charge, but it looked too injured to do anything. I stood up straight and held my hands out to either side, showing the wolf that I held nothing in them. It growled a little bit louder but stopped moving forward, hunching back on its legs and looking like it wanted to bolt.
"What's wrong?" I whispered, narrowing my eyes at the paw. I damn near had a heart attack when my vision zoomed in on the paw like a camera and I could see a huge splinter sticking out of it. "You're hurt?" The wolf snarled at me, baring its white teeth, and sat, licking at its paw and whimpering. "That looks bad. Is that your blood?" The wolf didn't answer me, just watched me with wet, blue eyes and continued whimpering. It laid down on its side, breathing heavily, apparently having given up on chasing me. I approached it with short, shuffling steps. It was hurt and clearly in pain. Maybe I could do something?
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"Will you let me have a look?" I asked when I was five feet away. The wolf didn't answer of course, but it did lay its head down on the soft grass and continued to look at me. Taking that as a YES, I crept forward and crouched out of the wolf's striking range. "Please don't bite me." I whispered as I reached for its paw. The wolf growled and I stopped, staring at it. It looked back at me and I saw fear and pain in its sky blue eyes. I moved my hand away from the paw and held it out for the wolf to smell. It sniffed carefully, then laid its head back down on the grass. Emboldened, I reached out and pet the wolf on its back, running my hand over its soft fur. I sighed as the familiar scent and feel of dog hit me and I smiled, taking comfort in the familiarity. We sat like that for a minute or two, me just petting the wolf and it staring at me.
"Will you let me look now?" I asked, moving back to the paw. The wolf didn't growl this time and sat patiently as I examined the wound. I wasn't a veterinarian, but I was a Biologist in training, and I could do something. The wound was deep and the splinter larger than originally thought. I expected it to be three or four inches total, but when I looked, there were three or four inches of wood sticking out of its paw. I gasped softly and looked at the creature, its eyes still full of pain. I pet it with my other hand and whispered: "I will help you. Damn, I wish I had some anti-septic and gauze." Even as I said it, I felt something pull at the center of my chest. It wasn't uncomfortable, but I hadn't been expecting it and groaned. It felt like something was being dragged up from the core of my body and thrust out through my chest. The wolf lurched, trying to get away from me.
"No, wait!" I said, moving with it and keeping myself next to the creature. "I'm sorry." I looked around, trying to figure out what the hell had happened, when my mouth fell open. There, where the wolf and I had just been, was a bottle of anti-septic and a roll of gauze. "What the fuck is going on here?" I wondered aloud as I picked the items up. Nothing responded and I refocused on the wolf. I took hold of its paw once again and the creature growled softly. I shhh'd it and pet it gently, whispering kind words as I took hold of the splinter.
"This is going to hurt," I whispered to the wolf. "but it will be over soon. Please don't bite me." With that, I pulled the splinter free with a gush of blood. The wolf howled in pain but didn't bite, nor did it move away. I placed the splinter next to me and out of stepping range, picked up the anti-septic, and poured it over the wound. The wolf whimpered as I bent and blew on the white bubbles until they were all gone. I wiped some of the blood and fluid away with a piece of gauze, looking at the wound. It wasn't wide and wouldn't require stitches, which was awesome because we were at the limit of my first-aid knowledge. It was extremely deep, however, and I was concerned. I'd need to get it to a doctor ASAP. I gently wrapped the paw with some of the gauze, tearing it with my teeth. I wrapped it as tightly as I could and tied a stick into it so it wouldn't come off. Sitting back on my haunches, I looked at my work. Not bad, if I do say so myself. It wasn't perfect, but it would keep the dirt and things out of the wound so it could heal. I pet the wolf some more, enjoying the feel of its fur and trying to comfort it.
"There you go." I whispered, running my hand up and down its spine. "You're better now." The wolf looked at me and moved its head towards my free hand. I froze, unsure of what it was doing, when its pink tongue moved out and licked my hand. I grinned and pet the wolf a little harder. "Wish I had some steak for you." I said longingly. "Me, too, really. I'm a little hungry." That same sensation from before came, but stronger this time. I groaned, putting my hand to my head and resting further on my heels. The wolf whined and struggled to its stomach, looking at me with concern. When my vision cleared, I stared in wonder at the two perfectly cooked steaks on white plates sitting in the grass. Steam still rose from the meat. "Alright. Apparently I can summon things. Is there a limit to what I can summon?"
"Error." the robot lady said. She hadn't spoken in a few hours and I jumped when she did.
"Can you not do that?" I shouted at the sky.
"Error." was all she said in response. I shook my head and sighed, standing up and grabbing the two plates. I hadn't gotten any utensils, but that didn't matter. The wolf and I dug into the warm, perfectly cooked meat with gusto. Grease dripped down my chin as I ripped and tore with my teeth like a savage. Momma would have had a conniption had she seen me. I smiled at the thought, reaching over and petting the wolf on its head. The wolf licked the grease from my fingers and curled up next to me, licking at its paw softly.
"Don't do that. You'll tear the bandaging and I didn't tie it all that well." The wolf kept licking and l sighed, letting it do what it wanted. We sat like that for a few more minutes, until I got bored and stood up. The wolf had fallen asleep, so I decided to look at the splinter. I picked up the eight-inch spike and frowned. It wasn't wooden like I had thought, rather, it was made of bone or some kind of horn. It had an incredibly sharp point that drew blood when I poked it with my finger. I winced and held it up to the sun, gazing at the spike. The tip was black and transitioned into a brown for an inch or two, and white came last. I could use this as a weapon. A grin spread itself across my face. Excellent. I slid it into the waistband of my pants and looked around, spotting the gauze and anti-septic I had left on the ground. I walked over and picked them up, stashing them in the coin bag. The mouth of the bag widened to accept the bottle when I tried to store it, and I shook my head in bewilderment. I looked inside and could see the coins, the bottle, and the gauze, all in their own little compartments, with three open compartments left. I reached into the bag and pulled the bottle out with ease. Chuckling, I replaced the bottle and pulled the spike from my waistband. I slid it into the pouch and saw it take its own compartment.
Looking around the clearing we were in, I saw the trail of blood again. On a whim, I followed it a little ways into the jungle and stopped when I came across the source about ten yards away. Another wolf, this one with a spike in its neck. Blood seeped into the ground around the body and I lowered my head, saying a silent prayer for the creature. I left it where it lay and returned to the wolf I could help. It was still where I had left it, sleeping soundly. I sat in the grass next to it, and waited.
A little while later, when the sun had begun its decent, I stood and stretched my arms over my head, groaning as I dropped them. I looked down at the wolf who had woken and was looking up at me.
"I don't want to leave you like this," I said, "but I've no idea where I'm going." The wolf stood with some difficulty, gently trying its weight. It couldn't put all of its weight on the foot, but far more than it had been able to before I helped it. The wolf looked up at me, a big smile on its canine face. I reached out and pet it on the head. "Alright. You can come." The wolf barked once, its bushy tail wagging and tongue lolling. I smiled down at the wolf.
"Come on, let's get going. I still need to find people. No way in hell am I gonna live out here like a hermit. The wolf barked once with so much force its front paws came clear off the earth. I frowned. "What?" Again, the same bark and paws off the ground. The wolf turned and started limping further into the jungle. It turned to look over its shoulder at me, making sure I was following.
"What the fuck is going on?" I whispered, following the wolf back into the trees.
