Sentient Difference

I awoke to the same feeling when I had awakened in that forest. Cold. My instincts kicked in, I needed to be warm to live. And so I got up, even though my body asked to lay down some more, I didn't falter. I stood tall at my full length, stretching my arms and legs out, mussels loosening and bones making satisfying pops. I took a look around, seeing I was still in the cave, I looked down, noticing my campfire had been long dry with crumbling ashes. I took a few long strides over to what remained of the tree and put it in with the ashes. I looked into my makeshift bag only to frown. I had eaten all ten fish last night, leaving nothing but the toothpick bones. I emptied my bag of the bones; put my supplies and small tools in an organized pile next to the campfire.

"Hunt." I said, now knowing that I need to scavenge and hunt for my own food. I then packed the spears by tying some fishing string around then, making a bundle. I then made an inch thick hoop by wrapping the fishing string around my hand, then tying smaller loops around the ring to keep the hoop together. I then put rope that I used as my belt through the ring and kept the ring at my right side as I tied my belt together. I then slipped the handle of the ax into the ring. I had made a holster for my tool as it fit loosely, making it much easier to grab it faster. A smile found its way on my maw, proud that I had made something new and workable. I then packed the rest of the fishing string in my bag and then stuck the bundle of spears in, the tips facing upwards and away from cutting the bag. I also took a few of the broken spear tips from the chest, hoping that could make a trap. After I organized my supplies back into the chest and had my hunting equipment packed, I began my trek down the small mountain.

I took little time scaling down the dirt and rock, soon finding myself back into the colorful brush of the forest. I crouched low, breathing through my nostrils and began to stalk into the woods. I took in the scent of many wild animals, some are stronger than others. I began following a strong trail of something big and hungry. I stalked through the woods low and spared out, making my footsteps silent. I soon came upon another strange hybrid, this one being a big and strong creature like myself. It stood on four strong legs with the body of a big cat. It had two long and slightly curved fangs that could tear and bring down its prey. A big clean red fluff of a mane adorned around his neck, showing its status of being a fierce and powerful predator. But what made it even more intimidating was that it had the tail of a bug with a curved sharp stinger. The tale was a bark brown muscular and strong tale that could bring its stinger in the blink of an eye. Another noticeable thing about it was the pair of huge leathery bat like wings on its back. It was truly an animal to be respected and feared.

It was now looking in my direction, its eyes filled with hunger and pride. I didn't falter to its pathetic gaze as I stood to my full height and walked in the open field where the animal stood. It looked almost shocked that came up to it, my taller figure intimidating it a bit, but not enough to scare it off. I took a few steps over to it, drawing a spear and talking an offensive stance. It took a step back, shocked that I was challenging it. It quickly changed its shock to anger and changed at me. I gave a powerful roar, charging at full speed. Before we collided, I jumped just in time to avoid being tackled and few over it. He didn't see this coming and pounced straight into the ground face first. I skillfully turned around and charged at my pray. I then drilled my spear into his stomach, roars of ferrous pain and agony coming from the beast. I jumped away from the beast before it could smack me down with its huge paw. I pulled out another jagged spear as the hybrid got to its feet. It charged straight at me with the spear still stuck into its side.

I quickly rolled and jumped to my left, easily dodging the beast's rampage. But it quickly stopped itself with its wings and made a straight shot at me from the air. I saw this and jumped at him, rammed the spear into his chest and puncturing one of his lungs. I then used my strength to turn him towards the ground and me on top. It landed hard on its back, breaking the hybrid's wing joints upon impact. It screamed in agony as I drove the spear deeper into its body, twisting and turning my weapon, bringing more pain into its body. It then swings its massive paw at my side, sending me a meter into the air and landing onto the ground with a hard thud. I gowned from the impact, felling bused rather than broken bones. I shook my head and sprung back to my feet, looking for my pray. It was bathing the ground in blood as it weakly tried to get the weapons out of its body, only tearing and cutting it vital areas more and more.

I slowly walked, looming over to my pray as I pulled out my ax, gaining more howls of terrified agony from the hybrid. It tried swiping me away with its free paw, only to be smacked down with a swift blunt strike of my ax. It gave another painful moan as I grabbed it by the throat, looking into it's now tearing eyes. They once proud and fearless eyes now turned to that of a pathetic and weak mess. I could feel the waves of fear and agony radiating off of my pray, increasing my desire to end his miserable life. I began to tighten my grip, choking him as he gurgled up more blood. I then quickly twisted my firm grip, snapping the nerve cord within his neck, making his body go limp with death. I smiled as I had conquered and defeated my pray. I let the body drop from my grasp and I began to take out the spears in him and slide them back in the bundle. I then tied his feet together and hug him on the nearest tree. I slit his throat, letting the red life blood drain from his body. I after a few minutes of cheating my wounds, finding just cuts and big bruises, I cut down the bloodless body and began my trek back to the cave.

After thirty minutes of caring the pale body, I had made a pit stop for a long drink and break at a small crystal clear stream of water. A few minutes of rest and hydrogenating myself, I found myself feeling more refreshed and continued back to the cave. When I did make it back, I immanently dropped to the floor. Dragging a dead body that was twice my size and up a mountain was tiring to say the least. After another good rest, I then began skinning the dirty fur coat, hoping I could make some warmer clothing. When I finished skinning the beast, I began gutting the hybrid, getting all of organs and gray matter out. I had to make a much bigger fire if I was going to cook this meat, so I did. I basically made a bonfire with the last of the wood to be able cook it, but it was worth it. The meat satisfied my stomach to perfection. When my rampaging hunger was satisfied, I had an over half of the cooked meat left over, so I saved it for dinner and possibly breakfast. I then cleaned myself with some extra cloth and began to do something new.

"Create" I said, looking at all of the bones and the big skinned fur coat. Ideas of what to do with them began flowing to my head. I could make small tools, decorate or improve my clothing. But before I even began making the coat, I needed to tan the skin to harden and keep my new coat lasting longer. After when I had that done, then I began making the coat. I began cutting and stitching the fur, making it fit my body more. But when it came to holding it together, a new idea came to my mind. Instead of using rope, I would make buttons. These would be more effective to keep me warm. I used the small hollow bones in the hybrid's wings make them and used the fishing string as my thread. It took a bit to find something like a needle and even longer to make the button pattern just right. I used some of the extra fur to make a hood to cover and protect my head from the cold. After I made the body and hood parts, I then began making sleeves to keep my arms warm from the cold. After I attached the parts into a new coat, I tried it on over my blood stained olive clothing, instantly feeling much warmer and comfy in my new clothing.

I had long bone buttons from my waist up to my neck, the top three unhooked to show a bit of my muscular chest. At my wrists, I had made bracelets made of broken bone parts and fishing string, crackling as I move my arm or gave a flick wrist. I had also made a necklace made from the beast's smaller teeth and some broken bone parts, making a unique pattern. I also made a tool, using the one of huge fangs, some bone parts, some extra leather straps, some clay, and last of the fishing string to make my first tool I had ever created. I had made a short sword like dagger. The handle was easy to make, just finding the right bone and fitting them around each other. The next part was making the blades, sharpening the fangs into long but thin bladed daggers. The blade seemed to be as strong as the metal I was using to carve them with, so it took some time, but I did it. The handle was in a J shape and the blades were shaped straight and long. I had shaped my handle to fit around the base of the long tooth, so that the blade and handle can become strong with each other.

After I had my parts ready, I needed something to hold them together. The answer I came up with was this stuff in the water as I remember as clay. The clay was at the bottom of the mountain near a stream, so I gathered it. I carried the mushy clay in my now dirty bag back up the mountain and then began making my tool again. I easily molded the mushy clay around the handle to fit my hand and connected it to the rounder base of the blade to make my weapon. I after it was molded; I placed the tool over the fire, holding it over the flame with my big hooked spears. After I cooked one side, I let it cool and flipped the other side to cook. After it was fully cooked and cooled, I began to carve the rough parts off of the stone hardened clay. After that, I began to sharpen the dull bone blade with the dagger and turning it into a weapon. For some reason, the bone like fang was strong and stayed sharp after a few slashes at the stump, cutting it like a knife through water.

A smile came onto my maw, the beauty in my masterpiece of a weapon. I then slipped my bone dagger onto the side of my rope belt. I walked out and stood at the edge of the cave's entrance and stared into the distance. My crafting had made the time to pass by faster and it was already nearing another sunset. I smiled again; the things I had accomplished and made gave me a warm feeling inside my chest. I looked up into the sky, starting to see the stars. I gave out a mighty roar, one the expressed my power and victory over the hybrid that I had challenged.

"I become the hunter!" I shouted in my language, roaring loud enough to send my victory scream over the forest and beyond. After I was out of air, I saw that I had scared birds and other flying creatures. I looked into the sunset; it now was blackened from the amount of birds. Another smile came onto my maw, this one much more sinister and devilish. I felt my desire of power and knowledge began to grow to no ends. And in that moment, I knew who I was, not from the past, but from what I am now.

"I am Nova 'Vadam!"