Damien wandered through the forest, his steps slow and unhurried. Over the past weeks, he had begun to feel a strange sense of familiarity with the terrain.
He now recognized paths, could anticipate turns, and knew where many of the trails led. The once-foreign forest was slowly becoming a second home to him, albeit one teeming with danger.
However, not everything was going as smoothly as he'd hoped.
He glanced down at his clothes—dirty, worn, and barely holding together. One pair of his clothing had been ruined in a previous battle, torn and singed beyond repair. That left him with a single set, which he now had to wash and wear repeatedly.
"Not exactly what I imagined when I thought about surviving in the wilderness," Damien muttered, tugging at the frayed hem of his shirt.