Chapter 2 - Trio of Goblins

He woke up hitting his head on the branches of the lean to. Confused as to why it hurt so much he realised that it seemed as if tree roots had completely covered the lean to. It was like a cocoon that protected him, his only indication was a small gap in between them that let a glimmer of sunlight. He kicked at it till it broke and made a big enough gap for him to crawl out. As he crawled he was greeted by the sun, it felt much brighter than yesterday. Getting up he needed to sort out what to do. His stomach began rumbling again, realising it may become a problem he needed to get food. So he searched for a thin enough branch and a sharp stone. It took a bit of time and a few cuts but he managed to make a crude spear. The end was barely pointed and if he hit something the wrong way it looked as if it could snap in an instant. But he had felt more comfortable with it rather than without. Looking at the way the sun was rising he decided to head in the opposite direction, as he headed into the forest he felt nervous. Every step he took felt like a burden, as if the forest was trying it's hardest to prevent him from delving deeper yet his hunger slowly encroached onto him growing like a tumor. Time passed as he tried searching for something to hunt. He rubbed mud and nearby herbs to mask his scent which helped him blend in easier along with his tanned skin and ashen hair. As he walked through the forest he realised that the deeper he went the more signs or claw marks were found and a small glimmer caught his eye. Approaching it, he found that it had been an arrow but the shaft was snapped. Thinking it could double as a knife he pulled it out of the log. Other than that it seemed odd there were no signs of others.

'Crack, snap.' The sound of twigs snapping alarmed him; he feared it could be a creature that was less than friendly. He dove into a nearby ditch hidden by surrounding bushes and a fallen log.

Three small creatures with dark green skin and stained with mud. Their ears were long and were only dressed in a loincloth. Yet to him it felt more than modest especially since he himself had been prancing around nude. The creatures were carrying a couple rabbits and the smaller of them was carrying their spears. Quietly he watched as they conversed with each other singing some kind of song in their own language. Accompanied by whistles they seemed almost normal.

At that moment he realised he needed to survive so quietly he crouched behind the smallest of them, and 'Snap!' He twisted the creature's neck. It was more difficult than he thought since it reached no more than just below his chest. The monsters had been goblins, he confirmed it by their eyes a characteristic of goblins had been large eyes which explained why they travelled in the darker parts of the forest. Fortunately it was not a child orc since if it were he would have to live his life as a cat and mouse game until he or the tribe it belonged to died. One of the goblins must've realised something happened as it turned. Almost as a reflex he threw one of the spears the small goblin held into the creature's eye socket, a thick crimson tar leaked out slowly as it curled in pain. At this moment the other goblin had just seen his friend die in front of him. As the man threw another the goblin evaded dropping the hares tied to the pole onto the ground.

The man only had his spear and the arrow left and he didn't plan to waste them. Turning to the goblin he could tell it was furious it's emotions were so visibly expressed it felt almost unnatural, the rage it held in it's tearing eyes was intimidating. The man wavered a bit shocked by the malice he did not know a goblin could show. Seeing this as an opportunity it charged at him running much faster than expected, on all fours it punched on him revealing an array of chipped and decayed teeth. As it was about to sink into his arm he managed to punch it across the jaw sending if flying. The goblin managed to dig it's nails into his arm and he bit his lip again to endure the stinging. He saw it turn to him but this time he took the initiative and ran towards it with his spear in his hand. Despite the speed the creature it moved it could still move with agility and dodged past the tip and aimed to grab his face. Yet the man grinned at the creature, it was startled by the man's smile. In it's mind it knew it was going to die, at that moment the tip of an arrow punctured the goblin's throat. The goblin was on the floor clutching at it's throat whimpering, it didn't know what it did to provoke such a fiend it just wanted to go home after hunting with it's brothers. Slowly the shadow loomed over him as the man pulled out the arrow from its throat and he raised his spear. The creature understood, it wasn't spite or hatred but desire; the desire to live. 'Crack,' the spear punctured through the goblin's skull and at that moment it's life came to an end.

The man collapsed to the ground, clutching at his own chest. His mind felt unstable, the adrenaline was causing his heart to race, that feeling of enjoyment he didn't feel it when he killed the others but the goblin that hurt him. It almost felt addicting and then suddenly he was overwhelmed by the feeling of throwing up. Turning away from the rabbits he threw up into the ditch, emptying himself of any of the remaining rabbits from the day before. Once his stomach and mind settled he laid there on the floor for a short minute. Then he got up and collected the hares and brought them to the clearing. He regretted leaving his spear but it would've slowed him too much. As he got to the clearing he felt a sense of relief and as he approached his odd cocoon resting near the stump he decided to prep the rabbits.

Slitting their throats he let the blood drain out he had used too close trees as the stand for the pole that held them. While they were draining he saw a nearby rock, it was flint! Excited he pulled out the arrow tip and struck it against the rock and created sparks. He hurriedly went to collect twigs and leaves to create a fire, it needed to produce smoke so he could preserve his food. Happily he went along building his fire to a large enough size with small branches and twigs to use as a fire. Checking on the rabbits he propped them on the stump and began skinning. Not wanting to risk eating organs he dug a ditch a little out of the clearing and chucked them. The hares were quite large and he felt relieved by the fact he killed the other two goblins, since if he had to fight all at once he might've died. Washing the hides he let the meat cook and left some strips to also be smoked. Trying his best he managed to use some thin vines he found he stitched the hides together to be used as his own loin cloth. It didn't feel comfortable but it would do. Then he went to the pond and drank a small amount before eating some of the first rabbit and heading to sleep. As he crawled into the cocoon today, he felt fuller and safer than the night before. Slowly he let himself fade into slumber.