Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters

"That one should go to the left. No, the left. Your other left! Pepper! Stop trying to eat that! It didn't work the first three times, it's not going to work this time."

The state of the campsite could only be described as chaotic. All around, a dozen pig-men ran around attempting to turn the patch of ground into something that resembled a functioning home. The difficulty of this task was compounded by the fact that they were instantly distracted by anything edible, anything that looked like it might be edible, or simply anything that could be fit inside their mouths with a reasonable amount of effort. Wilson's constant ordering was the only thing that kept the lot of them from forgetting the whole reason they were here.

"Geta and Salty, I'm going to need two more logs on the eastern wall." He directed, pointing at the mentioned wall since he was fairly sure they had no idea which direction was east. "Lift at the same time now. You don't want to hurt anything."

Slowly but surely, the foundations of the shelter were coming together. Already half of the main two structures were set up. Both his workshop and the future sleeping areas were starting to resemble usable buildings. It should only take a couple more days at this rate for the final touches to be added.

"Hey! Wilson!" Willow's call signaled the return of his companions. While the pigs had been an incredible aid in building, they'd also been a constant drain on resources. This meant that everyone other than the scientist himself had been put on scavenger duty in order to feed their constant hunger.

The woman's voice nearly triggered a stampede as the pigs forgot all about their previous tasks now that there was a possibility of food being brought to them. Thankfully a few very loud warnings from Wilson, mostly about being given half-rations should they abandon their work now, managed to keep the rowdy group in line.

"How's it going Willow?" He asked, wiping sweat from his brow as he approached her. She wasn't carrying a sack full of edible items so either she'd come back early for some reason, or they'd run out of food in the surrounding area. Hopefully it wasn't the second.

"Well… it was going all right." She replied, tapping her foot and looking over her shoulder back the way she had come from. "But we ran into a slight problem. You'll have to come with me, and make sure you bring a shovel. I'll explain on the way there."

By this point, he knew better than to try to push for more details. He trusted her judgment and knew that she wouldn't have interrupted if it wasn't important.

"Sure thing. Just give me a sec and I'll be right there." He assured, wondering what oddity had decided to disrupt their routine this time.

"What… in the name of all that is scientific… is that?" The four survivors and their ghostly guardian were grouped together at the base of a hill. They had all gathered around to get a good look at something that looked for all the world like a giant mouth in the ground. It was as though some enormous worm or leech had burrowed up to the surface, only to give up as soon as it had broken through the final layers.

"We were hoping you could answer that." Willow replied. "Right now, all we know is that it's a problem. Isn't that right Wolfgang?" The strongman rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the annoyed gaze she sent his way.

Sensing a story, Wilson decided to bite.

"Did something happen?" He asked cautiously, keeping the strange opening in his line of vision. He didn't trust it to remain there and not jump out of the ground suddenly.

Willow and Wendy both eyed Wolfgang with an expression that clearly said 'get on with it'. Clearing his throat, he began his explanation.

"I was gathering food for piggies." He said, doing his best to show sincerity by miming the actions of picking up items. "Pigs no like plant foods, so I find many bunnies. Many, many bunnies!"

Something told Wilson he wasn't going to like whatever this was leading to.

"I fill backpack up with bunnies I catch, but when I turn around to come home… dirt mouth is blocking my way." He shuffled a bit nervously as he spoke the last bit.

Wendy shook her head in exasperation.

"What he means to say is that he laid eyes upon it and panicked." She said. "In his haste, he tried to scare it off by throwing something at it. Something that just so happened to be containing all the food and supplies he'd been gathering."

The scientist took a moment to process the words.

"…You threw your pack at it?"

"It sneak up on Wolfgang!" The man proclaimed, not bothering to explain how something without any obvious means of locomotion could sneak up on anyone. "And it look hungry! I keep it from eating other small people by feeding bunnies!"

With a groan, Wilson realized why Willow had been so insistent that he bring a shovel.

"Let me guess." He said, turning to the young woman. "Now you want me to try digging this thing out of the ground to get them back?"

"Well there's that, and we could probably feed it to the pigs." She said with a shrug. "They're not that picky on eating so long as its meat right?"

"Why am I the one who needs to dig it out?" He countered, raising an eyebrow.

She wasn't fazed by the question. "Wolfgang won't go near it because he thinks it's going to eat him, Wendy certainly doesn't look suited to digging holes in the ground. Or at least, not holes this big. And Abigail can't hold a shovel."

"What about you?" He questioned. "I'm supposed to be directing the pigs back home. Shouldn't you be the one with the shovel?"

She looked aghast at the mere notion of his suggestion.

"I'm not getting up close to that thing!" She stated. "It's slimy, and smells like the time my aunt's cat crawled inside the wall and died there."

"Honestly…" Wilson sighed dramatically. "I swear, if it weren't for me you'd all be dead by now. I feel like I'm the only one who does anything around here anymore."

"Don't start with me." She warned, poking him in the chest. "If it weren't for us you wouldn't have lasted for the first week mister 'science can explain all my problems'. You need us to keep from having a mental breakdown."

Despite his grumblings, he knew she was right. Without them he likely would have gone insane within the first few close encounters with the kind of logic defying creatures that inhabited this world.

Still, that didn't mean he had to like digging.

It was with the utmost hesitance that he approached the oddity poking out of the dirt. As he drew closer, the thing seemed to sense his presence and actually opened its mouth. The wave of fetid air hit him full force, causing him to double over in a fit of dry heaving. Willow hadn't been kidding. It did smell like dead cat.

While disgusting and utterly nauseating, the open mouth did let him get a good look down the things throat. He was slightly disturbed to find that it extended well into the ground and out of sight. Just how big was this thing?

"Hey guys. I think we might need more than just a shovel." He called back to the watching group. "From the looks of things, it's a lot bigger than it looks and it looks pretty big to begin with."

The sound that answered him was not the one he'd been expecting. Several shouts of surprise broke the formerly serene atmosphere, and Wendy's voice cut through with a warning.

"Wilson! Behind you!"

The scientist spun on his heel, expecting some kind of spider or other monster to be waiting for him. The reality was much worse. In the brief amount of time he had to take in the scene he noticed that the shadows had suddenly grown longer.

No… not longer. They'd begun stretching certainly, but instead of going outward as they would if they were created from the light of the sun, they had started connecting with each other. The mass of darkness had coalesced into the shape of a hand whose fingers curved into wicked claws.

As he stared open-mouthed at the impossible occurrence, the macabre arm lifted off the ground and reared back like a cobra about to strike.

Wilson regained his senses just in time to raise the shovel in an attempt to block as the freakish thing launched forwards. The hand struck the handle with considerable force, shoving the scientist backwards. He quickly darted one of his legs back in order to get a better foothold and brace himself.

And stepped right into the waiting mouth.

The world suddenly felt like it was moving at a snail's pace. Wilson was able to see the mixed expressions of shock on his friend's faces as they saw him tip over the edge. Willow was already in motion, rushing forwards in an attempt to save him, but it was far too late. Gravity was a cruel mistress who had no pity on the foolish and unfortunate.

As soon as his weight began dragging him down, the illusion of slowed time was destroyed. He plunged into the gaping maw, falling into a fleshy abyss with nothing to save himself. The last thing he heard before the mouth shut out the single spot of light in his vision was Willow's frantic shout.

"WILSON!"

Awareness returned to the scientist slowly. He was lying face down in the dirt, which admittedly was a big improvement over the giant stomach he'd feared would be his tomb. With a massive effort, he managed to push himself so that he was lying on his back and staring up at the sky. A weary groan issued from his chest as every muscle made sure he knew how rough a ride it had been.

Blearily, he took in the details of the cloudless dark blue expanse that hung above his head. He was content to just lie there, until he noticed one very important detail.

It was starting to get dark.

How long was I out? He assumed that it had been about mid-day when that freakish hand… shadow… thing had pushed him into the giant mouth. That sounded a lot less dramatic when he thought about it. He'd have to come up with a more impressive way to phrase it later in order to preserve what little dignity he had left.

Shuddering at the sickening feeling of the slime that coated his body, Wilson pushed himself up into a sitting position. As he did, he spotted his shovel as well as Wolfgang's pack laying a short distance away. The bunnies had all escaped long ago but at the very least he could recover the bag.

I wonder what made it spit everything back up. Maybe the force of his fall had triggered some sort of digestive upset inside the creature's stomach. Maybe it just hadn't been hungry. Either way, he was thankful that it had decided let him out. It was going to be a long walk back to camp, and with the sun as low as it was right now he'd be cutting it a bit close.

Wait a minute… He thought to himself, realizing something. Where are the others?

Willow, Wolfgang, Wendy, and Abigail had all seen him fall into the giant mouth so wouldn't they be around trying to get him out? He hoped that they simply hadn't given up and gone back without him. That would be a bit disappointing. It was a mixed blessing when he realized that wasn't the case.

"Oh lord…"

A quick look around Wilson's surroundings revealed that he was not in the grassy field that he'd been in when the mishap had started. In fact, he wasn't anywhere that he recognized.

He was standing in the middle of a graveyard.

Churned earth and decaying headstones stretched as far as the eye could see. Which, given the moderately thick blanket of mist, wasn't all that far. The entire scene had an almost unnatural quiet to it. No birds chirped in the background. No insects buzzed past his head. The only movement that could be seen was the slow drifting of the misty veil.

"H-Hello?" Wilson called, hoping against hope that he wasn't alone out here. "Willow? Wendy? Wolfgang? Anyone?"

Silence. Not even an echo. Only the oppressive lack of noise answered his call.

"Anyone…"

So many graves… Did they actually hold bodies, or was this some sick décor of Maxwell's design? It wouldn't surprise him if the man had decided he liked the atmosphere they gave, but if they were real that raised some very serious issues. It would mean that Wilson and his friends weren't the first people to be brought to this world. And, from the looks of things, none of the others had fared well.

Fighting down his rising fears, Wilson turned his attention to more practical issues. He needed fire before night fell, and there didn't seem to be much in the way of kindling. He didn't want to burn Wolfgang's pack if it could be avoided so he needed to focus on finding anything that could be used in its place.

With a brief look over his shoulder, he considered jumping back into the repulsive opening in the ground. It had spit him out in the middle of nowhere, so conceivably it could be possible that going in again would send him home.

Or someplace worse…

Either way he dismissed the idea almost immediately. Even if he didn't die down there, the amount of time it would take to get him back would cause him to emerge in the dead of night. And if he did that, he'd be dead before morning came.

Fire first. Then other problems. Making sure to memorize the location of the mouth, he ventured deeper into the graveyard in search of materials to get him through the darkness.

The dusk came quickly. Not even an hour later, the blanket of inky half-light had descended in full force. It wouldn't be long before everything was pitch black. Thankfully Wilson had managed to scrape together enough dead leaves and sticks to make a very modest fire. It was so small that he couldn't risk going to sleep lest it burn out, but at the very least it would keep the creatures that lurked in the dark away.

The camp he'd made was located right next to the mouth that had put him here. He wasn't about to dismiss the possibility of using it to get home. Now all he could do was wait.

Which gave him time to focus on his other issue.

The hustle and bustle of guiding the pigs back home had caused him to miss breakfast. He hadn't minded that much at the time, but seeing as he'd had nothing else to eat all day it was starting to get to him.

"You'll be fine." He said to himself out loud in an attempt to fight off the ever present quiet. "The human body can go for over a week without food. One day won't kill you."

Despite the sound logic of his argument, his stomach refused to be ignored. It grumbled and groaned, sounding deafening in comparison to the surrounding area.

With a sigh, Wilson resigned himself to what would no doubt be a miserable night. It wasn't like he had anything edible with him anyway, and the only growing items around here were the strange green mushrooms that seemed to sprout out of some of the graves.

As time went on, he found his eyes drawn more and more to those mushrooms. He remembered the time he'd been visiting a fellow scientist during his days in the university. The details of their conversation were lost to time, but he vividly recalled the dinner they'd shared. The man's wife had made an excellent mushroom stew. Thick and hearty, steaming with freshness, just the right amount of spices… Truly it had been a work of culinary art.

What he wouldn't give for a bowl of that right now.

His mouth watered just thinking about the savory aroma of the stew, bringing him back to the problem at hand. Eyeing the green mushrooms once more, a slightly mad idea formed in his mind.

Maybe he could risk one or two. He knew full well that mushrooms made for an important part in several filling recipes. Surely just a couple couldn't hurt…

Violently shaking his head to dispel the thoughts, he snatched back his hand which had unconsciously started edging towards one of the growing fungi.

What was he doing!? He was a scientist, not a moron. Mushrooms had a tendency of being highly poisonous. Even if it didn't kill him right away, he wasn't exactly near anyone who could help him. Poisoning himself now would be a surefire way to join the unfortunate souls that were buried all around him.

His stomach protested loudly in the face of his logic.

Growling in frustration, Wilson placed a hand on his forehead. His body was going to drive him insane at this rate. Thinking back to his brief dabblings in the world of botany, he tried to think of the proper way to identify a toxic plant.

The mushroom wasn't brightly colored so that could be a good sign. He knew that most of nature used bright colors as a warning to potential predators. Leaning closer, he found that there was no unusual smell coming from them either. It was musky and damp, but other than that it seemed like a fairly ordinary mushroom.

The only other signs he could look for were touch and taste. Neither of which were very appealing with the possibility of it being poisonous.

With a cautious hand, Wilson gently plucked one of them off its stalk. No horrific burning sensation shot up his arm. His fingers didn't shrivel up and fall off. No outwards signs of ill intent. Good so far. He held the green cap lightly for several minutes, alert to any odd feelings that might develop.

When nothing happened, he prepared for the next step.

I should probably cook this shouldn't I? I don't think you're supposed to eat these raw. Looking over at his pitiful fire, Wilson noted that cooking the mushroom would likely take an age and a half. It was the safe thing to do, but his stomach didn't have the patience for safe.

I should be fine if I do this properly. Just a little taste to ensure nothing bad will happen. If I feel anything wrong, I won't touch them again.

With a deep breath, he broke off a tiny sliver of the mushroom and popped it into his mouth.