Chapter 1: Paradise lost.

"I thought I was dreaming. I thought I was in a state between life and death, but I wasn't prepared to see this even in my wildest dreams.."

Awakening alone in a foreign land of blue trees, strange and dangerous creatures, rocks as red as blood. Kyle McConnors was delirious and stupefied on how he ended up here. He believed he died and was undergoing some kind of post-death hallucination. Furthermore, he wasn't even a human being anymore..

Fear entered his mind and he fell into a state of confusion. After a brief episode, he reflected on what exactly happened before he ended up here..

"So another day.."

A man in his early twenties thought to himself as he casually walked through the busy streets while silver skyscrapers loomed overhead.

He was dressed in a flawless black business suit with a fresh cigarette hanging from his lip. Eyes of the cobalt sea with medium length disheveled hair that was as red as wildfire.

His posture was slumped as he shuffled his feet along the concrete sidewalk. slumping his aching body on a park bench, he yawned loudly before the morning rays.

"Ah.. these past few days have been rather mundane. Maybe I should take a vacation?" He took a moment as he looked up at the glass sky overhead. "Pah!" He scoffed internally. "Like my greedy money-hound of a boss will give me a millisecond of free time to myself."

The redheaded man thought to himself as he hung his head backwards over the bench's backrest. He recalled his boss chastising him for his sloppy attendance and laid-back attitude. It was quite apparent by his current posture.

As he slumped on the bench, a crass voice hit him from his flank.

"Yo, asshole! What do you think your doing here!?" A nearby voice angrily carried in his direction.

"Hmm?" He slowly lifted his head to see three late-teen punks glaring at him with eyes of fire.

Fairly relaxed, the redhead responded calmly without a care in the world.

"Oh, hey.. What seems to be the problem, youngsters?" He said with a slight smile on his face.

The three punks sporting dreads and mohawks atop they're heads didn't take too kindly to his relaxed response. The one in the middle gritted his teeth.

"What are ya, retarded!? Don't you know you're in the turf of the Street Beasts!?"

"So?" The redhead returned a relaxed response as he puffed cigarette smoke up into the air. "Last I checked, It's a free country and I could go anywhere I please. So do me a favor and skedaddle, your ruining my morning ritual."

Vains popped out of the young gangsters heads from intense fury due to the easygoing redhead before them.

"Why you.. Ya got some nerve you cock-sucking salaryman!" The gangster said while swiping the air. "That's it! We're gonna beat the living shit out of ya for acting so smug!"

As the trio descended upon him, he flicked the cigarette aside and cracked a devious smirk.

"Fine then, I could use the morning exercise."

As his voice fell, he slipped past the goons attacks by ducking under their telegraphed haymakers. He then followed up with a sweep kick, sending one of the goons to the ground. He then snap jabbed the throat of the second goon who was caught off guard from his unconventional movements.

"What the!?--" Cried the first goon the redhead initially dodged as he witnessed his compatriots were laid flat almost instantly.

The redhead angled his gaze back at the still standing goon with eyes as cold as ice.

"W-who da fuck are ya!?" Demanded the goon with the dreads who laid incapacitated on his back, struggling to speak.

The redhead responded innocently while resting his hands in his pockets. "Just your average salaryman, like you bozos called me earlier." He said as he continued. "So what was your gangs name? Street Beasts? Sounds like a REAL hard-core name ya got there. How about a name that's more accurate-- something like pavement apes since most of your faces are now familiar with it."

The goon with the mohawk backed away with a wavering smile on his face. "Hehe.. Ya got some balls for just an average salaryman.."

The other two staggered to their feet and also began to back away from the composed redhead businessman, who remained in place with hands in his pockets. He snickered to himself.

"W-we'll spare ya this time! But next time you'll be sorry!" They said as they began to flee from the scene.

The redhead cracked an amused smile as he observed the goons trip over eachother as they ran away while spouting empty threats.

"Have a good day, Pavement Apes!" He shouted at them as they fled.

"Ah, shit! I'm gonna be late to the office at this rate!" The redhead realized as he rushed to the road, flagging down a nearby taxi.

The redhead businessman sat in the backseat as the taxi drove over the a bridge crossing the river. He quietly watched out the window of the cab, pondering his life up until now.

Kyle McConnors, age 22, an average salaryman whose grown rather tired of the daily grind of life. He was mostly mischievous in nature and somewhat laid back.

As much as he enjoyed living in the city, he couldn't help but feel that it's lost it's luster. Sure, the city is where all the fun is at, but even the clubs have become rather tedious over the years.

Kyle feels like going somewhere different and doing something new..

But what are the chances he'll act on that? This is something that enters his mind every so often, but he never acts on it.

He wondered why. What's keeping him from doing so? He doesn't have a family holding him back. Then why? His job? His acquaintances? Or is he perhaps imprisoned by the city itself?

It's unclear even to himself, but that's what he believes, at least.

Time and time again he awaited an opportunity to take action.

"Maybe I should go live in the country and try my hand farming? That'd be a nice change of scenery.." He thought as he folded his arms behind his head.

Watching the amber sun rise over the raging river between the concrete jungles, He sighed a pleasant breath.

"Ah.. There's nothing that can beat that view.."

*Ruuuuuumble*

"Hm?"

He turned his gaze ahead to see the concrete slabs on the bridge swaying wildly as uncontrollable vibrations ensued.

"An earthquake!?" Shouted the driver who struggled to control the cab.

The cables on the suspension bridge snapped with a metallic *KA-CHANG!* as they whipped through the air with terrifyingly violent velocity.

"Ya gotta be fuckin' kidding me!" Kyle shouted as the car slid back and forth, uncontrollably bashing into other vehicles like a demolition derby.

He was left in a powerless position, unable to devise a solution to escape.

"Shit.." He muttered under his breath with a lowered gaze.

Suddenly his view was nothing but the sight of the river as it grew ever so larger.

*CRASH!*

Other vehicles followed as they spilled into the river like a waterfall of crashing iron and concrete.

"What?.. Is this how my life ends?.." His consciousness slowly faded while his mangled body was sucked into the depths of the deep blue river.

●== Day: 1, Morning ==●

".."

"I feel.. warm.."

"Wait.. aren't I supposed to be dead? Then why do I feel warm? Feels like.. I'm basking in sunlight.. Is this.. the afterlife?.."

Upon opening his eyes, he was greeted by the vivid blue sky above with white cotton clouds drifting by.

"Am I alive? My body doesn't hurt in the slightest! But.. something feels.. off.." He turned his head over his left shoulder whilst remaining on a patch of soft grass.

Kyle found himself in a vast valley with trees of navy blue leaves. Rocks and boulders red as wine scattered about in the long green grass that danced gently in the breeze. Vast mountains in the distance wrapping in a massive expansive circle around his position.

"Where the hell am I!?" He thought as he began slowly leaning up.

His eyes then widened with shock upon seeing the lower half of his body.

His legs were no longer human but now resembled that of an animal's hind quarters.

His feet were covered in thin black fur with dull canine-like claws protruding out each toe. Leading up to his legs was fur as orange as the crimson sunset.

His chest was a creamy white that led up to his jaw which also resembled that of a canine.

"W-WHAT THE FUCK!?"

He suddenly shouted after looking himself over. Rubbing around his face, he could feel a long black snout with rows of sharp teeth in his mouth.

Even small curled whiskers were present on his cheeks which scattered like freckles.

Completely stunned, he contemplated the reality of the situation.

"A nightmare.. yes.. I'm having a nightmare!" Kyle remarked aloud in delirium.

He couldn't fathom what was going on, so he decided to recall what happened..

His memory flashed an image of his vision crashing into water.

".."

Recalling the memory caused him to fall into a state of denial. "No.. Something else must've happened! Otherwise, I wouldn't be here, right?"

He then struggled to stand up on his own two feet with much difficulty. He stumbled and staggered about, finding a nearby tree to lean his body against.

"This is ridiculous.." He scowled bitterly as he continually attempted to stand upright.

Upon falling backwards onto his rear, his eyes sunk into his hands that were also as black as soot with dull claws on each digit. Interestingly, his fingers had five digits with opposable thumbs- akin to his former human form.

He then cupped his hands and shouted outward into the valley.

"Heeeeey! Is their anyone out there!?.."

His voice echoed throughout the sunlit plains with no response given back until silence fell shortly afterwards.

"Damn it.."

Even though he wasn't expecting a response, his heart sank nonetheless. The wind began to ripple through his fur as he continued his attempts to walk.

He eventually managed to stand upright, then slowly and carefully stepped forward.

"Okay.." He whispered under his breath as he took another step.

"Think I'm starting to get the hang of this.."

He felt something brush the back of his legs. He twisted around, looking down his back. He saw a fuzzy orange tail in the shape of a paint brush complete with a creamy white tip, swaying gently.

He quickly discovered that it belongs to him..

"..." He glared blankly at his tail as it slowed to a stop, seemingly responding to his troubled mood.

"Great.." He thought dejectedly. "If things couldn't possibly get anymore bizarre, I have myself a scruffy tail.." Glancing about, he continued to struggle with the situation as he took in a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Hah.."

"!!?" Upon inhaling, his nostrils were greeted with potent stimuli. Smells of nature of which he never experienced before. He was able to specifically separate differing scents that lingered in the air. Oddly fascinated with this, he quickly lifted his snout into the air, sniffing rapidly.

"Amazing.." He thought in astonishment. "So this is what it's like to have such a strong sense of smell.." Looking around, he decided to move from his location and get his barings.

He stood on a plateau with navy blue tree clusters scattering about. These trees appeared to resemble maple trees but held the pigment of blue. The leaves however were ridged with a simple teardrop shape. These trees were comprised of the dense forests beyond the horizon up to the base of rocky mountainsides.

Sparse patches of silver grass, which blades had the softness of silk and was roughly a quarter inch in thickness. He ran his rough mitts through it, feeling the soothing caress of the grass greeting him back.

He also gave it a cautious light sniff out of a newfound habbit. He then realized, dispite his body being covered in fur, he was completely naked, his parts exposed to the elements of nature.

Kyle laughed nervously to himself. "Ehehe.. Maybe I should do something about clothes?.."

He quickly ripped off some tufts of grass and threaded a silkgrass skirt around his waist. It took him almost an hour, but he considered it was worth the time. He also discovered, that with some time and practice, proper clothes could easily be weaved from this flexible grass.

"That'll have to do for now. I don't know what's going on, but I'll roll with it until I HOPEFULLY awaken from this messed up nightmare." He then picked up a nearby branch that to use as a walking stick and ventured over the rolling hillside.

●== Day: 1, Morning => Midday ==●

*WHISH~*

The pointed ears atop his head twitched upon catching the feint sound of rushing water in the distance.

"Hm? I can hear water? But how far is it exactly?"

He squinted his eyes into the distance to see a vague reflection on the edge of the treeline of a nearby forest. He realized his sense of hearing was also heightened within this canine-like form.

Now knowing the direction of water, he made his way downhill towards it.

Swirls of colorful birds scattered and danced into the air in majestic allure. Elk-like creatures with jagged horns and long feathery tails stood atop hills, puffing chests forward in pride.

Continuing his way, he reached a roaring river that traveled along the edge of a dense forest. He then fell to his knees before his reflection for the first time.

"Ah?"

His blood ran cold once he caught a glimpse of his guise. The only thing he recognized, was his deep blue eyes. Although everything else was nearly unrecognizable..

Cheeks of thick crimson fur, black tipped pointed ears atop his head flattened backwards into thick daggers. Slowly reaching his hand to his face whilst remarking aloud, looking at his reflection.

"Is this really me?" After taking a moment to himself, he contemplated his situation.

"So.. Am I even on earth anymore? If not, is there any other forms of intelligent life? or civilization? Furthermore, how the hell did I get here in the first place?!"

His mind rushed endlessly, questioning every possible angle with no conceivable explanation arising. *Groan~* His belly moaned in hunger, interrupting his train-of-thought.

"Hm.. guess I'm a bit famished after all the excitement. Question is; what do I eat? What CAN I eat here?"

He realized since this ecology was foreign, determining what is edible will be a challenge. "Typically, wildlife is his best possible answer instead of ingesting unknown plantlife."

Turning his attention back to the river, he considered catching fish. "I imagine this world may have some kind of aquatic life that's edible. Hell, I don't have any other options.."

He grabbed a nearby stick and broke it into a point. He then dipped his head underneath the water and saw a vast array of fish in different shapes and sizes.

As he stalked his underwater prey, he plunged his spear with precise accuracy. On his first attempt, he managed to skewer a small fish with ease.

This surprised even himself. "Is it just me, or is my reflexes far better than before?" His combat reflexes back in his own world were nothing to scoff at. However, in this body, it made his old self feel like a joke.

"What kind of monster am I?" Brief thoughts passed as he shuffled back to the riverbank. Kyle flopped the fish onto a boulder and began to analyze it. A bright red fish with long fins and a spiked humpback. He carefully brought his face close to it.

*Sniff*

After a quick sniff, his nose curled. "Ah! What a bitter smell! Does that mean this fish is toxic?" He remembered something he heard about on nature documentaries.

That one was particularly easy to catch since it seemed almost fearless of his approach.

"That's right, commonly, small and bold prey with bright colors are often toxic. These spines are probably the culprit of such toxins."

He swept his gaze back at the river and stood up once more.

"Guess I'll give it another go!" He huffed, psyching himself up.

●== Day: 1, Midday => Late afternoon ==●

Within two hours of spearfishing, he caught roughly a dozen different variants of fish. Less than half of the dozen were either toxic or inedible, according to his nose, at least. He then realized something else as he sat on the riverbank.

"Now.. Do I eat them raw? Or do I waste time making a fire?"

*Groan~* protested his stomach as he shouted back at his abdomen.

"I know, I know! But I can't risk getting a bacterial infection by eating these things raw! So just shut up for a moment and let me think, alright!?" He argued with himself.

He tried to remember firestarting methods he saw online. An epiphany stuck him like a bolt of lightning.

"Ah! I got it!"

He then jumped to his feet and rushed about, gathering all the dry wood and kindling he could find.

Kyle then placed blue leaves that were dried into a purple and pale. He then stacked wood next to the pile of fish.

Kyle fell into a sitting position. He managed to crudely construct a bow drill set made with a branch and silver silkgrass for the string. And a round stone he found made a prefect fit.

"Hopefully this thing holds together. If not, I'll have to resort to nothing but my bare hands.."

The sun began to set as he toiled away with the crude bow drill. "Ah!" Smoke began to emerge as he began to gently blow on the embers.

Sparks lit up as a fire was born by his hands. "Haha!" He cried a boastful cheer and began to feed the fire with dry leaves until it began to roar. He danced with joy around the fire as his heart filled with a sense of accomplishment. Not only that, something primitive sparked forth in his heart that he never felt before. It was almost like something foreign has entered his body aswell- a primitive instinct flourished within his soul.. It was intoxicating and overwhelming.. So much so, he couldn't resist it's temptation and continued to dance like a madman around the bonfire for awhile.

Flashes of his past flickered in the flames. Many of which were segments of pleasure, pain and intoxication. After his unusual episode of dancing, spinning and euphoria, he fell on his back, exhausted.

●== Day: 1, Late afternoon => Nightfall ==○

Nightfall rapidly approached as distant wildlife cried eerie and unusual howls in the night.

Kyle felt quite uneasy hearing these wild animal sounds, since his hearing was so strong, it felt like they were just around the corner, watching him. He had a healthy fire going as he began cooking the fish on sticks against the firepit.

While the fire roared, Kyle grabbed a few red rocks and placed them in a circle around the campfire as a barrier. *gro~an~* His stomach begged as the aroma of cooked fish teased his nasal passages.

"I know, I know!" He muttered as he once again argued with his bodily functions.

Finally it was time to feast!

After a whole day of stomachache, he finally sunk his teeth into the fish meat. "Mm! These canine teeth make chewing meat a breeze!.. Better be careful not to bite my tongue.."

It was a strange yet satisfying experience to have a long desired hunger satiated. Furthermore, consuming meat was a far more pleasurable experience then he's ever had prior to this form.

He had nearly no restraint as he wolfed down the eight small fish in under a minute.

"Huff.. huff.."

Catching his breath, mouth layered with drool, he fell back.

"What a strange feeling.. The fish were somewhat tasteless, but the meat was tender and my mouth became uncontrollable to the sensation."

He then casted his gaze at the blanket of darkness and the glistening stars above. Finding his eyes laying upon the moon above, his eyes widened with surprise.

Instead of just one moon, there were but two moons that overlapped one over the other. The one seated behind the other had a eerie dark blue glow whereas the foreground one was a recognizable golden pigment.

"Ha.. ahahaha!"

To see two moons in the sky made him chuckle hysterically. It was as if this world was teasing him with the constant reminder that he is far away from home.

Not long after his laughing fit, distant cries of the wild carried in the darkness. Unrecognizable and otherworldly roars and growls echoed in the nearby woods on the other side of the river.

*CRAAAAAAAAAWAA!* A loud and menacing roar within the treeline tingled his eardrums.

"!!" He rushed to his feet with anxiety in his breath as fear began to set in. Grabbing a burning branch from the campfire, he widened his stance.

"What.. what the fuck was that?.." He whispered to himself as giant footfalls took place. His eyes remained fixated on the treeline across the river as a twenty foot tall shadow began to emerge.

It's silver eyes glistened hypnotically in his direction as he exchanged glances back to the giant being. It exuded an overwhelming amount of malice in his direction, as if it hungered for him, but was unwilling to cross the raging river to get to him.

His breaths stuttered in terror as he caught glimpse of the being's siluete. It walked on two legs, hunching forward like a dinosaur with rows of razor white teeth flickering in the moonlight.

A hungry grin beamed his way not long after it turned around and retreated back into the forest.

"Ha.." He huffed heavily after the horrific experience. "Well.. So crossing the river~ not doing that anytime soon.. shit.."

He fell on his back near the campfire. "How the hell am I gonna sleep after seeing that? Hmm.." Regardless of his racing heart and anxiety, he managed to find a way to slowly fall sleep on the cold hard ground.

In the likelyhood of this whole experience being a bad dream, he told himself that maybe he'll wake up on the other side.

Unfortunately for him, it was all wishful thinking..

○== Day: 1 => 2, Early morning ==●

Last night he had a dream. A dream of the past..

"So kid, Do you really think you got what it takes to walk the concrete jungle?"

An image of a well-dressed heavyset man flashed in his mind.

"Hey! If you want to survive in this world, you need to pick a side! Only a fool thinks he can survive alone in the jungle, hm?"

A man with a bullet hole through his head laid lifeless in a pool of blood as a voice echoed over his shoulder like a devil.

"Relax~ consider this your final inauguration into the Gambino family. We'll take good care of ya, kid!"

"!!" With eyes abruptly opening, he awoke to see the navy blue trees swaying in the breeze. He raised his hands to his face, seeing black fur covering his mitts, an unpleasant groan left his lips.

"So I'm back here, huh?.. To be honest.. better here than reliving that past of my life." He rested his palm on his forehead with a mild groggy expression on his face.

Kyle looked at the campfire that now sizzles with cinders pulsing underneath grey ash. Thoughts rushed through his mind as he gazed into the pink horizon.

He wasn't sure what to do now. Should he continue living life as a hermit in this strange new world?

Oddly enough, he wasn't sad nor upset about this outcome.

For some reason he felt.. excitement..

Kyle returned his head skyward to the rising sun as the faint moons settled at his back. Dispite the forlorn feeling filling his chest, he was prepared to find a way to survive in this world.

He then considered his next step as he paced back and forth.

"Hmm.. I probably don't want to stay here near the forest where that monster dwells. I think it would be wise to go upstream along the river. That way, I won't be walking in circles and I'll always be near a food and a fresh water source."

After passing that thought, he then noticed something in the campfire.

"Hm?"

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that one of the red rocks he used to make the fire pit melted into a hardened puddle.

"Oh?" He then carefully snapped the dried red puddle from the ground, feeling the metallic edge. It was dull, but had the consistency of a hard alloy.

"It seems these red rocks are a type of metal? These rocks are seemingly everywhere, so the fact that this is a metal is actually a godsend."

Capitalizing on this convenient discovery, he then quickly tied the metal puddle into a small hand axe. He discovered that once the rocks melt, they don't seemingly melt again after drying.

"Interesting.. Well, at least I'm armed now.."

After gathering a few things from the campsite, he ventured along the riverbank. Kyle eventually stood before rolling majestic plains with emerald grass rippling like velvet in the breeze.

Feeling the cool breeze run through his fur was a pleasant sensation as he took a relaxing breath, taking a seat on a nearby boulder.

He noticed some particular trees that resembled weeping willows. Except that they have white smooth vines with small black leaves scattered throughout the tube-like tendrils.

He observed it from afar as he passed various other wildlife. Bovines that were as big as bison with short duel horns on it's head. Roughly six hundred pounds of muscle and thick grey fur with a leathery undercarriage. Hooves clacked along the rocky surface as they stomped in small herds.

They didn't seem to acknowledge his presence but they were contesting eachother in the plains frequently. Kyle assumed it was some kind of territorial display between their species.

Kyle considered that they would be a good source of meat if he was able to fell such beasts. However, a tad bit overkill considering the amount of meat would be wasted with no current method of preserving it.

Possibly smoking the meat would be an option, but still, not worth getting potentially crushed under their massive hooves.

○== Day: 2, Early morning => Morning ==●

As he continued along the river, he found himself at a waterfall with a small lake formed at the base. The waterfall was flowing off a cliffside which traveled some ways along the vast plateau.

There was also a steep earth ramp that scaled to the top of the two hundred foot cliff where the waterfall resides.

He huffed with a relaxed toothy smile. "This seems like a good place the settle. Food and water sources nearby and wide open spaces with good visibility."

He then lowered his head with a troubled expression.

"There's a few issues though.. Materials. If I want to build a shelter, I'd either have to cross the river where that beast could attack me. Or scale up and down that hill leading up to the waterfall. The former is more ideal, but a massive waste of time and energy."

He continued to ponder as he set his gaze on the cliffside.

"Hmm.. I might be able to create a basic material lift from the top of that cliff. I just need to make a long enough rope from grass fibers." With his heart set on a new goal, he then quickly began gathering lengths of grass fibers with his newly acquired hand axe.

●== Day: 2, Morning => Afternoon ==●

"There!.." He exclaimed with exuberance after weaving together a long rope, then proceeded to tie a fairly big wooden frame on two separate points.

It was essentially a basket for placing lengths of branches in. On the cliffside, he had a Y-shaped log with the rope traveling in it's arch. It was propped over the ledge with the basket hanging over the precipice.

"Now I can finally start gathering materials to make a shelter." He said to himself as he began gathering branches with his hand axe.

●== Day: 2, Afternoon => Sundown ==○

*SHIFF*

*SHIFF*

He kept a rooted stance while he lowered the bundle down the cliff. "Just a little bit more."

*Snarl~*

From behind him was a deep snarl of hungry beast. He halted lowering the line and turned his attention behind himself. He couldn't see anything within the treeline, but he could hear movements within the underbrush. He quickly tied the rope to a stake in the ground and readied his hand axe.

The sound seemingly was coming from multiple directions within the thicket. He could tell it was only one, however it maneuvered so quickly one could easily mistake it for multiple footsteps.

"Whatever it is, It's fast!" He remarked a he kept his eyes focused on the sounds.

*SHWIFF!*

Leaping out from the bushes was a dark purple quadruped feline. Ears reaching down it's back like tentacles with a long tapered tail whipping about in agitation.

It let out a deep growl as they stared eachother down, waiting for whoever to make the first move. Digging it's claws into the dirt, it readied for a pounce.

Kyle however wasn't prepared to retreat just yet. "You gonna come at me or what?.." He remarked with a challenging smile.

"Grrrr.." Accepting his challenge, the beast lept forward to him. As time slowed to a crawl, he caught a glimpse of the beast's hidden arsenal.

A black edge folded out of it's forearm like a switchblade! Swishing passed his ear, he narrowly avoided the strike with a sidestep.

Unfortunately, due to his past muscle memory, he moved in a way his old body was accustomed to, causing him to fall on his side, rolling on the ground backwards.

"Shit!.."

After quickly regaining his footing, he raised his guard. The violet demon was quick to capitalize on his groggy recovery as it was already in the air before him.

He could see his reflection in the teeth of the beast. His heartbeat echoed in his mind as he made a last ditch effort to block the attack.

He could only manage to block the teeth with his left forearm. It was the only thing he could've done to avoid the creature from ripping his throat out instead.

*CRUNCH*

The creature was very hungry indeed.. It sank it's teeth into his arm, crunching down on his arm like a steel bear trap. With the axe still gripped in his right hand, he then chopped back in a desperate act of self defense. Drawing blood from eachother, the beast loosened it's grip on his arm and jumped back.

*Drip*

*Drip*

He draped his arm down with blood oozing out from the puncture wounds. His arm was burning with pain, his heart was racing, eyes focused, nose curled and wrinkled.

The beast prepared for another attack while Kyle then formulated a plan of escape. "There's no way I can survive at this rate. This beast is far too agile and I'm poorly equipped."

He glanced over his shoulder at the cliffside rope. "I have no choice!" He turned and dashed towards the cliff, he grabbed the rope and then swung over the precipice.

The beast was already near the edge, waiting for him to swing back with full momentum.

*SLAM!*

Kyle delivered a kick, sending the beast to fall backwards.

The rope began to bind from all the weight and motion.

*Creeeeeck*

The beast slowly returned to it's feet with a far more agitated expression. Glaring back, he then began to carefully repel down the cliffside with his forearm gushing blood the whole way. He reached the end of the line where the branch holder was fastened. Unfortunately, he was still fifty feet from reaching the ground. "Shit.. I didn't have a chance to fully lower the line.."

*Snap!*

Without warning, the rope finally gave from all the additional weight and he plummeted to the ground.

"Gah!.."

Luckily the branches and thatch in the lift broke his fall, but left him stunned with pain following. After a few breaths of pain, he staggered to his feet, coughing and out of breath. He then began to tend to his wounded forearm by wrapping it in big leaves and tying it with silkgrass. Ofcourse rinsing his wound in the river prior to hopefully avoid infection. When he did this, his arm pulsed with immense pain.

"That'll have to do.. Hopefully that thing doesn't find it's way down here.." He says as he looked up the cliffside.

○== Day: 2, Sundown => Nightfall ==○

As the sun saturated the lands a fiery orange, Kyle scowled in burning pain. "Damn.. this is a BIG setback. I'm gonna be limited in my activities until the wounds in my arm are properly healed. I guess I'll have to do things left handed."

He gripped the makeshift red hand axe in his left hand and twirled it around for a bit.

"Hmm?" He realized something else about this new body. "Wait.. this somehow feels no different than if I were to use my right hand.. Am I ambidextrous in this body too?"

Somewhat astonished, he gripped the crude red axe in hand and let out a deep breath. He turned his attention to the crimson horizon where dark clouds began to form.

"I better make a quick shelter in case of rain.."

He quickly slapped together a shelter at the base of the cliff, looking out at the slowly darkening violet horizon.

○== Day: 2, Nightfall => Midnight ==○

*Drip*

*Drip*

Droplets of rain steadily began to fall from the heavens above. The droplets accelerated into a downpour with thunder lighting up the sky like dazzling fireworks.

Kyle sat alone under the shelter, watching the lightning in quiet vigil. His arm still burned with the pain of a wildfire from the bite of that fearsome creature.

*groan* rumbled his stomach once again in deep hunger.

"Damn it all.." Kyle grumbled to himself. "I'm gonna have a hard time sleeping on an empty stomach.. But I have no choice given that it's becoming a downpour.

The rain pelted the leafy roof of his shelter as the wind began to pick up and partially tear it apart. His heart sank as the rain rapidly drenched his fuzzy orange body into a glossy dark red.

Kyle quickly realized how difficult it will be to maintain daily tasks if days like this continue. Hopelessness and dread started to seep into his mind as the cold rain ran down his back. Frustration followed shortly after as he proceeded to thrash his fist against his shelter that was now destroyed by the wind.

Clenching his teeth, Kyle wondered if he will die alone in this mysterious world..

Loneliness..

He was familiar with the feeling. He spent many a lonely nights in his apartment, dwelling on the his life up until now. Sure, he had friends and associates, however they had their own lives, families and duties to attend to.

Not long after, he found himself alone in an perpetual cycle of pleasure. Endlessly chasing his desires to a point where it became absolutely meaningless..

"What have I been doing for these past few years?.." He mumbled to himself under his breath, watching the rain fall from the sky.

"I was careless, I underestimated the challenge it is to survive alone in the wilds. Without technology and other people assisting me, I don't know if I have what it takes to survive out here.." He said to himself, alone in thought.

".."

Kyle turned his attention to the cliffs base, hoping to seek some form of shelter from the rain. Dispite the difficulties laid out before him, he wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet.

He contemplated his next actions as he rested against the cliffs base. The rain was somewhat stifled by the slight overhang of the rockface, but was nevertheless uncomfortable as he struggled to fall asleep throughout the stormy night.

○== Day: 2 => 3, Early morning ==●

The light of the upcoming sun illuminated the sky a vibrant purple. Kyle awoke, drenched, hungry and exhausted. Struggling to his feet, Kyle turned his attention back to the small lake at the base of the waterfall.

He then skewered a few fish and made a small fire nearby. The sky was mild with patches of clouds littering the sky.

He filled himself with a belly full of cooked fish. It was nice to satiate his hunger after such a rough night. Kyle returned his gaze to the fiery horizon and let out a tired breath. He sat on a boulder as he examined his arm that now steadily throbbed with pain.

Contemplating his next step, he stood up and made his way uphill where the trees wait.

He kept his wits about as he gathered a length of sturdy wood. Carving up the branch with his axe, he fashioned the wood into the shape of a longbow. With a bowstring made of silkgrass, the longbow was complete.

●== Day: 3, Early morning => Afternoon ==●

It took quite a chunk out of his morning, but he figured it would be best to arm himself with a more effective weapon before going anywhere.

The longbow seemed decently functional as he let loose a few pointed wooden arrows into a rotting tree stump. Although the arrows were somewhat crudely rushed due to him unable to locate feathers for the flechings. Therefore, his arrows were simply pointed shafts of wood.

They flew rather inaccurately, henceforth he made a mental note to collect any feathers he stumbles upon for now on. He did recall seeing birds in this world, so they must shed feathers, right?

He felt his right arm where his wound burned endlessly. "Damn.. I can't even operate a bow with my arm like this.." Kyle then decided to continue gathering branches to make a better shelter, continuing where he left off yesterday.

He planned out a simple layout of a 10x10 foot thatch hut.

He decided to build it relatively near to the base of the waterfall, but not too close. Basically overlooking it from the earth ramp so he isn't deafened by the sound of the water crashing against the rocks.

Building this shelter kept his mind off things.. Thoughts of spending the rest of his life alone in this world was one of those. Kyle wondered if he was truly the only form of intelligent life around here.

Along with contemplating his existence, he also considered the possibility if he will lose his mind from the ongoing isolation. Nevertheless, he marched forward towards his unknowing fate.

With the framework of his hut partially constructed, he overlooked the lay of the land. He could hear the giant footfalls of the massive six hundred pound fuzzy bovines roving in herds nearby.

It was like a beef buffet was taunting him -- daring him to take a chance of tasting cooked steak again. Not to mention their wooly pelts would make a conformable bed, or blanket even..

○□○□○== Day: 3, Afternoon => Sunset ==○□○□○

Kyle gathered lengths of wood up until sundown and began to make his way back. Walking along the upper ridge, he turned his gaze to the treeline.

His eyes widened with curious excitement upon seeing a faint blue light pulsing in the distance. His thoughts raced, thinking it could be people of this world, or something- anyone to take break him out of this state of isolation.

He threw aside his bundle of branches and rushed in the direction of the pulsing blue light in the woods. "Hey!" He called out as he approached the light.

As he got closer to the source of the light he slowed his pace with a disheartening sigh. The light was coming from an ominous weeping willows with glowing blue vines.

"What the hell?.."

Somewhat disappointed but also astonished at the sight, he inched closer to the vines. Oddly enough, he recognized that this was the same type of tree he saw earlier in his travels, but was far more vibrant at night.

"?!" As he got closer, so did the vines as they slowly reached towards him.

*Buzzt!* "Ack!!" One of the tendrils made contact with his shoulder, numbing that portion of his body almost instantly. Instinctively, he jumped backwards, escaping the reached of the wiggling tendrils.

Clenching his numb shoulder, Kyle returned his gaze to the tree with anxiety in his breath. "Shit.. Is that tree a man-eating plant!? What's it trying to do to me!?"

The tree's tendrils were indeed an alluring blue, possibly intended to lure unsuspecting prey into it's embrace. He slowly began to feel the numbness subside as a tingling sensation followed shortly after.

Whatever this tree is, Kyle quickly realized that this world is indeed far different from his own. If he continued to be this careless, he might find himself dead in no time..

Kyle made his way back to his hut as the sun fully settled behind the mountains. He lit a small fire nearby his hut as he toiled away at his shelter into the night.

○□○□○== Day: 3, Sunset => Nightfall ==○□○□○

Kyle spent most of the night finishing his thatch hut in the twilight of the moon with the gentle aura of the firepit.

He retreated into the dark hut and collapsed in exhaustion. He underestimated the difficulties of surviving alone. He spent so much time building and gathering, he forgot to set aside food for dinner.

"It would definitely be nice to have another pair of hands around here.. Unfortunately.. for now I must learn how to manage my time appropriately if I am to continue to go about this alone.."

○== Day: 3 => 8, Early morning ==●

The wind in the plains gently caressed the tall grass as it rippled like polished emeralds in the sunlight. Trees of navy blue leaves danced in the summer breeze.

Mist from a roaring waterfall scattered droplets over a red fur-clad being with a bandage on his arm and a scar on it's cheek.

Alone it bathed in the waterfall with it's head raised skyward. It let out a deep refreshing sigh with eyes closed.. "So another day.. What day is it today, I wonder? Day 7?- no.. 8?" The red canine asked himself as he stepped out of the falling water.

He threw on some silk grass clothes he had spread out on a rock to dry in the warm sun.

The clothes were a rough plain silver-white, a set of pants with an open sleeveless hooded vest. He also threw on sandles that were made of weaved thatch. The hut was surrounded with a plethora of ceramic jars, thatch baskets and small wooden cages.

Kyle returned with a slightly relaxed huff. "Home sweet home." He exclaimed as he hunched into his hut that had a crude branch door covering the opening.

A small firepit sat in the center with a stew bubbling in a ceramic pot resting over the hot embers. His hut's roof was updated with a two sections that allowed smoke to escape through the top.

This has been his life since he came to this world. He's been slowly learning about numerous things that made living here a bit easier.

The pots were made with a slimy clay-like substance found near the base of the waterfall. So he had to get wet in order to gather clay to make pots. He also contemplated making clay shingles for his hut at some point, but that's low on the priority list at the moment.

He had a handful of red steel head arrows, complete with red feathered flechings. He practiced firing arrows for an hour every day. Kyle made steady progress with mild disgruntlement of his initial misfires getting lost in the tall grass.

His arm still ached from his wound, but it was slowly recovering regardless of the occasional exertions. He had practice nocks that he used instead of wasting his good ammo on training.

It was worth noting he made metal head arrows from the dark red alloy that appeared to be common to this area. He also made a more reliable axe that was far more sharp from his original one. It was still somewhat crude by design, but it gets the job done.

Today was the day he decided to venture out to the plains for the first time. He spent most of his nights eating nothing but fish and quickly grew tired of it. Kyle never had the privilege to leave his spot to explore since time was a valuable luxury he couldn't waste on random ventures with a wounded arm.

He hopes to find something like fruits or other forms of critters he could hunt on this fair day. Kyle Grabbed his newly made handaxe and his longbow, setting out in the direction of the plains with his face held high.

●== Day: 8, Early morning => Morning ==●

An hour passed as he walked to the top of the rolling hills, overlooking the open plains of wooly beasts that grazed in the sunlit fields.

*Sniiiiif*

He sucked in the fresh crisp air through his nose as he found himself smiling. It was a strange.. After everything that's happened to him since arriving to this world, he found a certain tranquility within himself. It was as if he lived a far more fulfilling life here than in the previous world.

Now he feels like he's living with a purpose -- even if it's just survival. After the past few days of preparing and arming himself, he now felt capable of anything -- anything within reason ofcourse. He discovered this body of his has a lot of strengths compared to his previous one. His senses and dexterity are extremely enhanced along with some newfound instincts aswell.

Kyle analyzed the surroundings and noticed some new species of critters he's never seen before. A small pack of what appeared to be feathered pterodactyls from the prehistoric period. However instead of wings, they had long skinny arms with protruding sharp beaks.

They were roughly four feet in diameter and seemed to be pack animals as they flocked in groups of four or more. They were more like flightless crows since their feathers were commonly black or midnight blue with red patterns around their eyes.

Kyle carefully stalked and observed their behaviors. They appeared to be omnivores that ate pretty much anything, one thing in particular were shrubs of purple cone-shaped berries.

Something Kyle considered to give a try for himself. He plucked a berry from the nearest shrub and gave it a safety sniff. He decided to give a taste and discovered the berries were bitter and tough like rubber.

He thought to himself with slight displeasure. "Damn shame. I could really go for something that would've tasted like an edible berry right about now.. Like grapes or -- anything familiar.."

Turning his attention back to the odd buzzards that scrambled over eachother, he psyched himself up and drew his bow from behind cover. He aimed carefully, holding his breath in deep concentration.

*Shtunk!*

The arrow flew with lethal velocity as it ripped through the throat of one of the buzzards. It gurgled as it staggered about, dying slowly while making excruciating noises.

*Hownk!*

The other buzzards made a reaction towards their dying kin, unbeknownst to what or who was the cause of the crime. Kyle observed in silence as he saw the beings behave.

He realized that these creatures had a sense of camaraderie for their fallen as they let out weeping noises as four of them surrounded the dead buzzard.

Kyle almost felt guilty committing the dark deed. Regardless, He laid in wait, looking for an opportunity gather the killed prey. Unfortunately, they seemed to be guarding the corpse, seemingly looking about for the one responsible as they squawked for several minutes.

Kyle grew impatient as they endlessly paced about. "Come on.." He thought to himself in annoyance. "Leave the damn thing and move on!"

He grumbled under his breath as he readied another arrow. "Screw this! I don't want to be waiting here all day!"

He loosened an arrow in anger as it inadvertently flew over their heads. They immediately discovered his location upon his firing of the arrow.

Kyle gritted his teeth, realizing the jig was up, he stood out of the bush and readied his hand axe by pulling it from the strap around his waist. "I see.. Guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way.."

The four feathered beings honked and squawked in his direction as Kyle narrow his gaze with a widened stance.

He analyzed the situation with an odd sense of calm. "These things don't seem to be nearly as threatening as the switchblade panthers. They are disorganized and uncoordinated in their movements. This should be easy to handle with only my left hand."

The feathered creatures descended upon him with their talons open and beaks sharpened as Kyle smirked.

"Yo brat!" A voice in his head resonated as a flash of memory occurred at that very moment. "If you don't stop, you'll kill him.."

He remembered standing over a bludgeoned classmate with his fists soaked with blood. The rush of emotion, the scent of iron in the air.

"Yes.. This is indeed nostalgic.." His mind remarked as he skillfully weaved passed the attacks, shredding the buzzards with his hand axe.

"Although.. the scent of blood is far more vivid this time.."

Back in his adolescent body, he looked down with fear entering his eyes. "Too late.. you killed him.." The voice said as cigarette smoke leaked out the mouth of the somewhat amused adult voice.

Kyle remarked with anxiety overcoming his voice. "B-but.. I didn't mean to.. H-he forced me to.."

"-Do you feel guilty?" The voice said with a filthy grin.

"W-what?" Kyle said with eyes widened.

"Trust me, kid. I know a killer when I see one. Let me guess; right now you're worried about what will happen to you if people find out you killed him, right?"

"W-well.."

"Exactly! You lack empathy to the harm you commit on others. You are only concerned with how to you will be able to live the rest of your life as a free individual."

The thirteen year old with frizzy red hair responded angrily. "Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"

The voice smiled joyfully. "Oh, that I do, kid. Anyway, let's cut a deal."

"A deal?.."

"I'll cover this up for you if you agree to join the Gambino family after you grow up a bit."

Kyle lowered his head. "N-no.."

"Oh, don't be that way. An Unnatural born killer like yourself would be a perfect addition to the family.."

"Huff.. puff.."

Standing over a pile of buzzard corpses, the blood-soaked fox struggled to catch his breath at he let out a savage roar.

"SHUT UP! I'M NOT A KILLER! I'M JUST TRYING TO SURVIIIIIVE!!" His voice echoed as he leaned against the nearest tree with eyes crazed. The scent of iron clouded the air, causing him to nearly vomit.

"I.. I need to get a grip.. I'm not that person anymore.. I'm.. not that person anymore..."

Kyle chanted to himself in an attempt to quell the madness in his heart. Falling to his knees, his pointed ears flattened into a submissive state as he overlooked the carnage he left in his wake.

He couldn't recall what happened during the skirmish. It was all a blur with adrenaline taking control. After gathering his thoughts, he returned to his feet and swept his gaze over his slaughtered prey. He gave a dejected sigh.

"Well.. I best make use of these corpses.. Unfortunately, I won't be able to haul all of them back. So maybe I'll cook one before heading back."

Kyle quickly set a fire and began to butcher and cook one of these carcasses. The meat was stringy and tough, but Kyle found the taste enjoyable.

However there wasn't much meat in these creatures, they were mostly skin and bones. In the end, Kyle figured he could easily carry all of the edible parts back home.

●== Day: 8, Morning => Afternoon ==●

As he walked along the hilltop, he looked over his shoulder down the rolling grassy hillside. His body was saturated with the blood of the beasts he butchered.

It stifled his sense of smell to a maddening extent. Kyle desperately sought a body of water to clean it off since it messed with his concentration.

Continuing along the hilltop, he made his walk back to camp with his thoughts distracting him. Once he reached the river, he quickly washed his clothes and himself, cleansing both his body and mind.

"Hah!" He huffed a sigh of relief, freeing himself from the scent of blood. Blood.. a smell that he was all too familiar with. Just the sight of it brings back regretful memories.

He thought he put those memories behind him, however the scent of blood brought it all back.. "Damn it.." He muttered alone in the chilly water, trying to free himself from his past.

After a moment of gathering himself, he left the water and made his way back to the plateau. The grass rippled like flawless emerald velvet and the noon sun settles at his back.

Kyle took a breath of relief as he felt a sense of deja vu. "Ah.. There's nothing that can beat that view.." He was roughly an hour walk away from his camp until he caught an echo of howling beasts in the distance.

A pack of switchblade panthers lurked in the tall grass barely within eye shot. They appeared to be homing onto a vague shape lying facedown in the grass.

"Is that.. a person?"

* Paradise lost concluded *