Salem pov
The morning sun hit my face and I got up from my position but I slipped and fell from my current sleeping area.
"SHIT!!" I screamed and on instinct I grabbed a nearby branch and it was strong enough to support my weight. After I pulled myself up and sat on the branch then felt pain on my leg and arm. "Guess it wasn't a dream after all hm." I signed while looking at the leaves covering my left leg and some on my shoulder.
I carefully slid down the tree not wanting to make my injuries worse and to be on the lookout for nearby animals. My first priority for now was to get something to eat since I hadn't eaten since yesterday and the hunger was starting to get to me especially since I activated my magic and it took a lot out of me.
My thoughts were interrupted when I felt something coming in my direction and hopped into a nearby bush. The animal which passed was a giant board which had brown fur, glowing red eyes and it had some fire coming out of its mouth and it looked to be chewing a dead hyena in its mouth.
Out of nowhere the great boar was scooped up by what seemed to be a huge monster bird to the skies. I just looked at the scene in shock as anything can be predator or prey in this ecosystem.
I waited a few minutes making sure it was safe then came out of my hiding spot and continued my journey for something to fill my stomach plus something to clean out my wounds.After a few minutes I managed to pick up the sound of running water much to my relief.
"Yeah, nigga yeah. Running water, means some fish, meaning some god damn food!" I excitedly ran to the stream or river whichever it was cool with me but fate was cruel to me. "Goddammit!" I whispered harshly at the scene before me. The river was filled with animals and most were predators in fact even a very few magical creatures.
After a few minutes I worked up the balls to go smoothly to the river as most animals seemed to be leaving but before ducking for cover as some horned lions were in pursuit of some sort of mustached antelope and by god they were huge in fact most of these beasts were. So, I just made my way over to the water and began properly cleaning my wounds to prevent some infections but I felt some large animals stalking over me making me very nervous.
'Man, I think I might crap my pants with all this.' I thought I was sweating a bunch as most herbivores just ignored me so I kept close to a bunch of grey deer. 'Wait something or someone is moving in there.' I began growing suspicious and the deer pack also seemed alert.
But before I could move away three giant ass spike armored crocodiles leapt out of the water and one of them got one deer while the rest including myself jumped back and moved to safety fast. I heard the deer's cry of pain as it was dragged down to its underwater hell.
The party didn't stop there. There was a large blow which sounded like an elephant but also mixed with the slight hiss of a snake and I took over behind a large boulder to peek at the sight.
It looked like an elephant but not just any elephant. It was about two and a half stories tall, green skinned, four tusks, ram like horns, and finally its body was like a snake but with spikes.
"Grootslang." I whispered to myself of fear as this thing was one of the most famous and scariest bedtime stories my mum told me to keep me from wandering into unknown places like the woods. Which was weird because it was a South African monster but she used whatever she could get. "Nah man fuck this shit I aint got no diamonds on me." I said to myself then sunk out of the river area.
After a few minutes of searching, I finally found multiple trees full of fruits and thanks to the injured feeling better I climbed up a lot of them and grabbed a hell ton and began eating like a wild animal.
"Huh a little bet- ARGH" I got jumped by a couple of six-foot-tall chimpanzees much to my annoyance. I got some hooked on the fact I finally got something to feel my stomach. I was not wary of my surroundings.
There were about seven of them two of which held me down while the rest began eating what I gathered and when one was done the other will take its place in holding me. I struggled but chimps were well known to be four times stronger than humans, so I didn't want to think about how strong these monsters were.
"Sadist motherfuckers." I cursed at them which was a mistake as they seemed to understand me or my intent as they started going ape shit crazy.
They began beating me bad while I was on the ground and as painful as it was, I was even more fearful as chimps tend to rip of limbs, peoples faces and castrate niggas.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY!!" I screamed as a magic circle appeared beneath me as I transformed into my owl form making all the chimps' step away due to the blind light.
I sneered at them, my face blooded and a little swollen and my body in a whole lot of pain. Using my wings, I quickly flew to one of them and thanks to the fact they were all still in a little shock I used sharp claws on my talons and dug it in its chest ripping its heart out. Before they completely had time to process, I swiped my talon into one in its face, completely tearing it off, making it scream in agony.
The rest finally acted and they began to grow bigger and more muscular and they completely lost it.
'Fuck my body hurts from that jumping plus am running out of energy fast I got to leave.' I then used my talons to grab as much fruit as I could as they tried to chase at high speeds through the trees but I was already too high and too far gone. "LATER BITCHES!!" I mocked them but I noticed a large bird following close behind me. "COME ON MAN!!" I flew lower before to camouflage myself amongst all the tall trees and luckily it worked.
On the ground I dropped the fruits and transformed back and those chimps really did a number on me. I mean my face still hurts. After I finished the remaining fruits and I was at least it would keep me going for a little bit.
"Okay Salem you're in an unknown forest where basically every animal wants smoke but you could get through this." I said to myself-trying to boost my self-confidence. "I could try taking over most of the strong animals." I thought that was a bad idea.
"From what I remember take over can be extremely dangerous to things which are stronger than you so the way am at now I should start small but just enough to survive." I sighed, flinching at my pain, then I saw a group of ants.
I moved towards them and started concentrating on calling my magic through my container and so I managed to take over one of the ants.
"Nice ants can lift ten times their own body weight so at least this would give me a strength boost." I smiled a little as I flinched again and held my face and spit some blood.
"Damn they jumped me good." I then searched for shelter to let my body recover from the pain.
