Capítulo 3: Investigations And Sonic The Hedgebear

Author's Note: I will now be doing the story in mostly third person as first person is kind of hard.

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Astaros could now feel it in the air, the dirt and the trees. He had no name for it. It was a connection to the world itself. But he couldn't look into it for now. He broke off a tree branch to use as a weapon and began to move towards the river.

He ran at an even pace, his body adapting to the environment as he traveled under the forest canopy. His body was used to this feeling of movement. It was well toned although not to the point he was considered muscular. He jumped over a tree trunk before stopping at the edge of the river. Feeling his connection, concentrate to his right and approach him. He stopped and dodged behind a tree looking around the side to see the new contact.

A large brown ball of fur rolled out of the bushes and stopped as it reached the bank. It was a massive brown bear with several large black spikes protruding from its back. It's lower jaw had two protruding tusk-like teeth and it had a pronounced underbite. It turned its head and searched the area. Its nose sniffed the air as its empty red eyes looked around. He couldn't hide forever and conflict was something he had experienced too much of.

Sighing he stepped out from behind the tree and stared down his opponent. It roared, shaking the forest. Balling up it rolled towards him tearing up the dirt and crashing through the water as it sped towards him. He leaped into the air and flipped over it landing in the cool river water. It stopped and leaped back to its feet before charging and roaring at him spraying water in all directions.

"RRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR"

It swung one of its heavy paws in an attempt to knock his head from his shoulders. Astaros rolled under the attack stick in hand and attempted to thrust the stick into its leathery underbelly. It cracked and shattered as it hit the hard skin. He then jumped back as the second slash came at him. It lunged forward its slobbering jaws hoping to cleave and pierce his flesh. He instead sidestepped and punched it lower jaw closed while thrusting his right hand into its red eye like a blade. His hand broke through the fragile eye socket and into its brain. The beast for a moment stopped confused. Then fell to the ground dead.

Astaros looked at his hand with disdain. Not even two hours and he had already killed something in a fight. This also served as a lesson to himself. This world was the same as the old one. Kill or be killed, with likely very few exceptions. He had even before been considered superhuman but this was slightly above what he had expected of himself.

Astaros kneeled down and washed his hands. He then looked back at the creature he had slain. He had no way to store it and he certainly couldn't protect it. So he would harvest what he could and leave what he couldn't take. Taking off his shirt he ripped the top open and then tied it closed making a cloth bag. He then also ripped off the two leather straps that attached it to his pants. He then ripped out one of the bear's tusk-like teeth and grabbed a nearby branch. Tying the two together he made a makeshift knife.

He hadn't done it since the age of mammoths and yet here he was doing it again.

He then went and picked some dry branches and went full caveman by making fire.

He then began skinning the beast. His knife was not the masterpiece he thought it was and constantly had to be tightened and adjusted. It was not ideal. He had mostly skinned the underbelly when he decided to remove some meat and wash it. The river turned red as he cooled and washed off the fatty bear flesh.

Tightening his knife for the millionth time he sat and finally began to investigate the strange energy surrounding him. He closed his eyes and felt the energy flow around him. He concentrated on the slight warm fluid like feeling attempting to move the energy in the air. For a moment it slowed and then instantly returned to a normal flow. He grimaced slightly at his failure. He would try this experiment several times, always failing to truly grasp the flowing energy. He then picked up the now fully cleaned meat from the slowly flowing water which was also no longer bloody.

He then began roasting the meat while placing the other piece in his makeshift bag. By the time the meat was done darkness had begun to fall. The meat was slightly extremely thick and juicy. The fat had a smoky taste from roasting over the flames for a while.

He ate his fill and put out the fire before beginning to move along the tree-line of the riverbank. He had taken the teeth, claws, and underbelly skin of the bear before smoking some meat and also placing that in the bag. He then used the second leather strap and tied it shut allowing for easy transport.

He decided that he would follow the river downstream away from the forest till he hit a town. And so for the next six day he would do the same thing. Travel, mess around with his connection, eat, and sleep in a tree.

On the seventh day he saw a bush that was filled with red and blue berries. This could either be a jackpot or the worst trap known to man. Berries meant vitamins and man can only survive on so much meat alone. So he observed and watched, setting himself up on the river bank while hiding in a bush. Then it happened.

The connection gathered and a small squirrel-like creature with iridescent fur came down the tree, grabbed one of the berries and began eating them avoiding the blue ones. He burst from the bush and whipped his knife at the small beast killing it instantly.

He then walked up and grabbed as many red berries as he could before skinning the small beast. He then left the body on the floor. His meat reserves were nearly out and this was the perfect bait. He leaped up into a nearby tree, tightened his knife for the trillionth time and began to wait.