The first night

While waiting for the authorities, I begin to sort through and inspect the fruits and berries I collected for anything edible I recognize. [Who knows how long they'll take. It's better to be prepared for anything.] After all, that's why I set up a shelter and a fire. While sifting through them, I find a few things I recognize. [Hey, isn't this.. a wild cherry? I remember picking these, but I guess I wasn't paying attention.] I pop one in my mouth and immediately spit it out. "This is definitely not a cherry." I say in disgust. It tastes sour, and the inside of it is black. "Fuck, why am I so stupid? Normal people don't just go around eating things they find in the forest. But I'm so hungry.." I complain. An idea hits me."Maybe I can offer some to the wildlife, and whatever ones they eat I'll know are safe." I get up and put the fruits and berries in my tunic. [I know some animals may have different digestive systems than humans, but this is my best option.] I walk deeper into the forest and deposit them on a wide flat tree stump. I settle down in the bushes nearby and watch. [It's getting dark, so I better finish this quickly. Otherwise I won't be able to find my way back.] I get comfortable and wait.

***

Five minutes later.

I catch myself dozing off and shake my head. [Ughh..this is boring. When will the birds take the bait?] Suddenly, a small brown bird flutters down and perches on the stump. [Bingo!]

The bird cocks its head and inspects the fruit. It begins sorting through them. It grabs a few blue and red berries and flies away. "Alright! Let's go!" I jump out of the bushes and look to see which berries it took. I immediately pop the rest of the same kind in my mouth. I sigh in contentment as the sweetness of the berries fill my mouth. While there delicious, it's not enough to fill up my stomach. I sigh and turn to make my way back to camp when I hear something behind me. It's a rabbit, muching on the remaining fruits. I settle back in the bushes and plan to repeat my plan from before. However, before two minutes had even passed, I see two golden eyes in the darkness of the forest. I freeze. The rabbit doesn't seem to notice, and continues munching. The creature creeps forwards towards the rabbit, but it still doesn't seem to notice the imminent threat. I hold my breath and creep further into the shadows. [Whatever this is, I definitely don't want anything to do with it] In my haste, I accidentally snap a twig. The rabbit is alerted and immediately tries to escape, but it's too late. The creature pounces on the rabbit and makes quick work of it, biting down and snapping its neck. The fading sunlight reveals it to be a giant wolf, if that's not strange enough, it's russet red and there are strange black markings on its flank. I hold my breath as it digs into its prey, it's already red muzzle stained with blood. [Damn that's cool! I wish I had my sketchbook so I could draw it..] I stare longingly at the majestic red wolf as it rips into the rabbits flesh. [Nevermind that, I should be careful. Even if the weird colors are a hallucination, wolves are dangerous. It probably won't attack me first, but I'd rather be safe than sorry] I wait until it finishes the rabbit and leaves, and then quickly make my way back to my makeshift camp. With my hunger somewhat sated, I settle down. [Now that I know there are dangerous wild animals here, I should prepare] I grab one of the leftover sticks and a sharp rock, and quickly whittle one tip down into something resembling a spear. [Better than nothing] I suddenly feel a cold breeze and shiver. I look at my firepit and realize I never found a way to light it. "Shit!" [It's no use thinking about it now] I sigh and crawl back in my shelter with the spear and attempt to fall asleep. The cold ground is unwelcoming and hard, even covered with moss. Nevertheless, I quickly fall asleep.

***

I wake up, not knowing why. I sit up and look around around the shelter, but nothing seems amiss. I grab my spear and crawl out in confusion, scrutinizing my dark surroundings. Nothing seems wrong, until I spot something that sends chills down my spine. Eyes. Multiple of them. I count quickly, one, two, three, four, five, six.. My mind reels. I recognize these eyes. These are the same eyes the wolf had when it was stalking the rabbit. I mentally calculate. [Six wolves, they cut off all my paths of escape. I'm trapped with my back to the tree. But somethings wrong. Normal wolves wouldn't stalk people, and I don't have any other food.] I clench my spear nervously. [It doesn't matter. I just have to drive them away.] I thrust my spear at them threatening and yell to attempt to scare them away. They only circle closer and growl. The moonlight illuminates flashes of them as they pass between shadows. [Why isn't this working? I read somewhere this is how to deal with wild animals] I attempt to control my emotions as I begin panicking. I calm down and observe the situation. [The wolves seem to be intent on attacking me. I don't know why, but I should get to safety] I glance at the tree behind me. [If I just climb that tree, I should be safe. However, I don't know what the wolves will do if I turn my back and expose weakness.] While I'm pondering, the wolves come closer. One stops a few feet in front of me. It growls and raises its hackles. I don't know if I'll be able to fend off it's attacks, but I'll have to try. I suddenly remember something. [System!] The scroll pops up in front of me, still glowing faintly. I look at my skills again. The same skills are still there. [It's a gamble, but I'll just have to trust that the system is real.] I take a deep breath and grip my spear tighter. [Shadow Control] A rush of sensations immediately engulf me and I struggle to control them. The shadows feel as if they're additional limbs, moving to my command. I feel a giant strain on my mind as the sheer amount of shadows overwhelms me. It's completely night by now and the only light is provided by the moon and stars. I grit my teeth and stretch my arm towards the wolf, sending a wave of black tentacle-looking shadows towards it. The wolf attempts to evade, but there's too many shadows. It's chest and legs are grazed and begin to bleed. However, that's the extent of the damage. The wolf lunges at me and I block its teeth with my wooden spear. I grunt and push back against the wolf, attempting to gain distance. It backs away and growls, leaping at me again. I quickly evade and desperately control the shadows, trying to stab through its chest. The wolf seems to get a sudden burst of strength and dodges again. "Shit.." I grit my teeth. [I have to finish it off fast. Shadow control is really draining on my mind. I can only control it for two more minutes] The wolf comes back for another attack, this time slashing with its claws. I wrap the shadows around my spear and duck under the wolf's claws. I stab my spear straight into its chest. The spear sinks into its flesh, impaling it from my combined efforts and its momentum. The wolf collapses to the ground and my shadows start to dissipate. I way my bloody spear at the other five wolves. "Hey! Which of you wants a taste of this?" The wolves growl and slowly retreat. I hold my position for a few more minutes before collapsing to the ground. I'm exhausted, and covered in scratches. [I guess I can't really deny the existence of the system anymore. And I suppose those were monsters?] I crawl over and inspect the dead wolf's body. That's when I hear a *ding*. I look at the system, only to be stunned that I had forgotten something so important.

Host, would you like to absorb the abilities and skills of the crimson wolf?

"Woah! Fuck yeah!"