It turned out hunting was harder than it seemed.
As someone who had lived his entire life on the acropolis of Kheiron, Diven had no idea how to track a wild beast, recognize their traces or even what kind of wildlife inhabited this forest.
All he had to go off of were the tales and legends he had been told. It was not enough.
He had packed essentials in the morning, leaving his camp behind to look for a fight, and now the better part of the day was behind him and he had not seen a single living being.
Sure, he could hear them. Birds singing, small animals hiding in bushes, and the occasional distant noise he couldn’t identify.
But nothing to fight, nothing to work on his Facet of the Hoplite.
The hunt was a complete failure.
Dejected, Diven returned to his camp for dinner. Digging his leftover fish out of the campfire ash where he'd hidden it for safekeeping, he wondered if he was within the Cyclops’ territory. It would explain why nothing else seemed to be in the area aside from the desperate wolf he killed on his first day.
He couldn’t be sure. Furthermore, his expedition had taken him quite far. While walking in the woods was difficult, doing it all day long allowed him to cover a wide area.
He decided to stay in the area for now. He wasn’t in a rush. His desire to complete his facet shouldn’t push him to take chances with his survival. If his camp was safer because the Cyclops was gone, then all the better.
Cold sweat poured down his back as he realized the mistake he was making. He had barely survived his encounter with the Cyclops and now he wanted more? He needed to slow down, at this rate, he wouldn’t survive the week.
There was no doubt in his mind that sooner or later, another beast would wander into the area and attack him. Might as well enjoy the peace while it lasted.
For days, Diven got into a routine of fishing, exploring, and improving his camp. Since he’d be staying for a while, he might as well make himself more comfortable. He had extra time on his hands since acquiring his Spearfishing skill and he put it to good use.
The first thing he did was to secure his camp against rain. He had been lucky so far with the weather, but it was summer and while Kheiron was relatively dry, the Wildlands were known to receive a lot more precipitation year-round.
In fact, he was worried about rainwater causing the Lien to flood. His camp was on the beach, way too close for comfort. Thus, he moved it further inland. He took the time to select an ideal location where he would have enough space for the things he had in mind.
He set his sight on a clearing perched on a small hill. A rock somewhat shaped like an amphora flanked by two young oaks marked one side of the camp while the other was blocked off by a wall of pine trees.
The oaks were perfectly sized and spaced for his hammock. Then, he set out to build a storage container to hold the rest of his equipment. He didn’t have much to his name, but keeping his changes of clothes dry seemed wise to his inexperienced mind.
With a collection of smooth stones he gathered from the riverbed, he built a container insulated from the ground that he covered with a sharp roof made of wood and leaves. It was far from perfect, but it should keep most of the water out.
Inspired, he started stockpiling dry wood; he didn't want to be stuck without a fire if it rained too long. It led him to build a second shelter to protect his firewood.
Then he got to work preparing a roof for his campfire. This project was a lot more experimental, it was only after many failed experiments and burned prototypes that he finally got something decent.
He was just about done when it started raining.
Glad he’d finished just in time, Diven laid in his hammock and listened to the rain falling around him. Looking back, he had been throwing himself at these projects for quite a while, but he had lost track of time.
“One week? No, closer to two weeks?” He asked nobody in particular. A habit he had recently developed.
He was starting to feel the lack of company. He missed his old life, and the thought of being stranded here made him anxious. While he liked fish, having it be his only diet was already getting old. But he didn’t know what plants were edible, and the few efforts he made to hunt never were rewarded.
Minutes passed and Diven was feeling bored. There wasn’t much he could do while it rained. However, not doing anything allowed the thoughts to come back. Thoughts he had been avoiding by working hard every day. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
But the rain didn’t abate so he couldn’t help but process them.
“I need to go back to Kheiron,” He said. “As long as I don’t hang around the acropolis, nobody will recognize me.”
“No, I’m not a coward, I’ll show them the mistake they made by expelling me. As soon as one of my skills reaches the Ascended Rank, I’ll make some changes in the clan,” He corrected himself.
“Well, it would be nice if I could reach this level…”
He could dream as much as he wanted, but reality dictated that few people ever reached such heights. It was unlikely he would be one of them.
Especially now that he was cut off from the support of the Leios clan. Alone in the forest, with only his mediocre constructions to keep him company.
“This is my life now,” He whispered, a sour laugh escaping his lips. “They could have just killed me back in Kheiron, why even bother with this complicated mess. If I account for his return journey, it took around a third of a year for Uncle Basil to just abandon me in this hole. What a waste of time…”
The longer he lived in the wilds, the less he understood his uncle. It didn’t make sense. Despite the rift with his mother, the man had always been kind to him and his family. He took the initiative to accompany Diven to his exile and during the whole trip had been nothing but helpful and pleasant.
Surely he knew. At the very peak of the Evolved Rank, Uncle Basil had done his time exploring the Wildlands in search of adventure and riches.
He had to know how hard it would be for Diven. He could have disobeyed the elders and dropped him off in another city. Kheiron was isolated from the rest of the Ameian cities, but at least a village. There were plenty of villages answering to Kheiron along the coast…
Yet, he still abandoned him to survive on his own.
Growing restless, Diven sat up on the side of his hammock.
“What should I even do? I’m not cut out for this. And now I’m talking to myself. I’m not going to make it.”
He stood up and took a step out in the rain.
“This is ridiculous…” He snapped, ready to go on a tirade railing against his fate.
Suddenly, he felt the earth shake.
Then once again. And a third time. In rhythm, shockwaves accompanied by a muffled thud echoed from the north. Puzzled, Diven grabbed his weapons, just in case.
The source of the disturbance was getting closer, and with it, the forest came to life. A host of birds, squirrels, mice and other small animals were buzzing past his camp. Running toward the south.
Once the wave of animals had passed, the forest grew silent. Aside from the noise accompanying the shakes.
“They’re fleeing,” Diven noted.
His mind started racing. Should he start running south too? But all his equipment was there, if he lost anything, he could not resupply.
No, he needed to take his belongings with him. He started gathering his possessions as fast as he could, ignoring the rain that was soaking him from head to toe.
The shockwaves were getting stronger, causing him to lose balance.
He struggled to untie the ropes holding his hammock. He hadn’t planned for this.
The next shockwave sent a tremor down his spine. He needed to move. Making the decision to abandon his hammock, he moved to his dry storage.
“Hurry…” He muttered. Pushing everything down his bag as he started to walk away.
At this moment, a massive object stomped on what was left of his camp, missing Diven by only a few meters. It was as if a tree had fallen out of the sky.
Dust and dirt flew into the sky accompanied by debris of rock and wood. A few hit Diven's back, making him wince in pain.
His hair rose in fright. If he had been seconds slower…
But as he looked in horror at the thing that had crushed his camp, he saw it rise again into the sky.
It wasn’t a tree, it was a leg.
Covered in brown hair and ending in a massive hoof, it seemed like it belonged to some kind of deer. Albeit one so large that when Diven looked up to see what it was, he could only see a knee before the leg disappeared into the dark rain clouds.
Could a creature so large even exist? Despite nearly being crushed, Diven couldn’t help being in awe of the majesty before his eyes. How powerful was this beast? It had to be even stronger than the elders of the clan.
Frozen, Diven didn’t know what to do. There was no running from this monster. But the scale difference was so big that he rationalized the beast would most likely ignore him.
With the clouds blocking the view, it shouldn't even be able to see him.
Wait, it was going toward Kheiron. The city was far away, but with legs this tall, it would only take a week or so for the deer-like giant to reach it.
Worried, Diven considered warning his clan. But how? He had no way of reaching them.
“A deer has four legs.” He whispered, trying to spot the others. “Oh…”
If this was the front leg, the hind leg should be coming right at him as he was staring into the sky. He needed to move!
Diven started running toward the north, if that thing was going south, he wanted to go the opposite way. Damned be Kheiron, if the beast was going their way, he couldn’t help them.
Seconds later, he felt another strong shock behind him, the hind leg had just come down.
This time, the hill he was on couldn’t support the weight of the behemoth. The land gave way, turning into a mush of dirt and rocks that slid down the slope toward Diven.
With no time to react, the boy was taken along for the ride.
Thankfully, the hill wasn’t high at all. Diven wasn’t hurt and had even managed to avoid falling.
He was still shaken at the series of events that was unfolding. He didn’t want to stay here.
He kept walking north, doing his best to follow the river. He was painfully aware that he needed the water to survive. It was his only source of food and water, he couldn’t afford to move away from it.
Yet he wanted to put as much distance as he could between him and the giant deer-like creature.