Chapter 67: Wilderness
The wild didn’t care if Danny lived or died.
It didn’t care if he was badly hurt, starving, lonely or had lost everything.
It just existed.
And if Danny wasn’t careful it would eat him, like it ate the others.
Danny trudged along, his left foot lagging slightly behind. The grey-haired mans sword was starting to feel heavier around his waist. He was running out of supplies and the little food he had saved wouldn’t last forever.
He needed water.
Food.
And somewhere safe to sleep before night fell.
But the wild didn’t provide these things.
Damn it.
Danny rubbed his stomach. A rumble echoed around his gut, but he carried on walking.
He had been thinking too much about his Echo. He had no idea how far he could rewind. How much it would cost him. Or if he could rewind at will.
It made him uncomfortable.
If he died without knowing then there may not be another chance.
Danny looked down at the sword.
At least he had something to protect himself with.
Although whether it would help...
---
Danny found some water. There was a small stream flowing between a group of rocks. The water shimmered in the sunlight. Danny knelt down, but paused.
He stared at the water.
The grey-haired man had taught Danny that the wild was full of trickery. Even something as simple as water could be a trap if he stopped thinking.
He looked around.
There were no obvious signs of footprints near the bank, nothing smelled odd and there were no dead animals floating in the stream.
After waiting a while, nothing happened.
Danny grabbed a handful of water and drank, the cool liquid flowing down his throat.
He drank again and leaned against a rock.
Feeling better.
He relaxed for a few minutes.
He then noticed the footprints. Small footprints in the damp earth. Something had been here recently. The prints led towards the rocks but then disappeared into some grass.
Slowly, Danny got to his feet and grabbed his sword.
Some rustling echoed from the other side of the rocks.
Danny held his breath.
Something was moving between the trees. It was moving fast and Danny couldn’t make out what it was. After a moment, the bushes stilled.
Danny stayed still.
After a minute, he moved away from the stream. He changed direction.
He had no idea what was lurking in those bushes and wasn’t interested in finding out.
Not every fight is worth fighting.
---
Danny wasn’t so lucky this time.
Whilst looking for edible plants, a sharp clicking noise echoed behind him.
Danny spun around.
There was something between the trees.
It was about the size of a large dog. Its body was slim and covered in dark overlapping scales. Its front legs were longer than its back legs. Its head was tilted slightly and its eyes were pale.
Danny gripped his sword tighter.
The creature took a step closer.
Danny took a step back.
It took another step.
"Stay back."
It clicked.
"Seriously. Stay there."
It lunged.
Danny rolled to the side. The creatures claws dug into the ground where he had stood. He scrambled to his feet and swung his sword.
It hit one of its scaled legs. Danny felt a sharp vibrating sensation in his arms.
The creature hardly flinched.
Danny gaped.
Kidding me.
It lunged again.
Danny barely dodged its claws. It was faster than he expected. He tried to watch its movements to look for a weakness, but there didn’t seem to be any. Its legs were protected by scales and its head was slim and low. It dodged every time he tried to hit it.
Danny panted.
He couldn’t keep this up.
The creature lunged again. Danny was too slow to raise his sword in time. The claws raked across his side. Pain shot through him.
He stumbled backwards, putting a hand to his wound. For a terrifying moment, he saw the creature preparing to attack again.
He panicked.
FATAL REWIND.
He tried to use his Echo.
Nothing happened.
The creature lunged.
Danny rolled behind a tree. The claws hit the trunk, causing some bark to fall off.
He ran.
Branches scratched his face as he ran through the undergrowth. He could hear the creature chasing him. Its clicking got louder.
He didn’t look back.
He didn’t care if he killed it. He didn’t care if it proved how special his Echo made him.
He just wanted to live.
After a few moments of panicking, Danny found a narrow gap between two huge boulders. He slipped through and tumbled down the other side.
The creature tried to follow but hit the rocks. It recoiled, clicking angrily.
Danny didn’t wait to see if it would try again.
He ran. The noises behind him faded.
Eventually, he collapsed against a fallen tree.
His hands were shaking. His side was burning with pain. Every breath sent a sharp pain through him.
He rested his forehead on his knees.
Damn it...
He had almost died.
Again.
And this time his Echo had done nothing.
Danny looked down at his hands. He still could remember how terrified he was. How helpless he felt. How he realised he may not be fast enough to get away.
He had had enough pain in his life.
He didn’t want to know what it felt like to die.
No matter what Fatal Rewind could do, he wasn’t going to put himself in dangerous situations to test it.
Eventually he would find out how far it could go.
But he would have a better chance of surviving.
---
As the sun started to set, Danny had cleaned and wrapped his wound.
He found a safe spot underneath some rocks and lay there for the night.
He struggled to sleep.
Every noise made him jump. Every movement in the darkness made his fingers curl around his sword.
He really missed the grey-haired man.
He was confusing sometimes. He could be cruel. But sometimes he seemed to care more than he let on.
But he knew how to survive.
Danny had been following him for so long he hadn’t realised how much he relied on him. Now he had to make every decision.
Every mistake could cost him his life.
He looked out into the darkness.
The people who destroyed Ravenfall were out there.
Anger flared inside him. Screams, burning buildings and his mothers face flashed through his mind.
His fists clenched.
He hadn’t forgotten.
And he never would.
For a long time it seemed impossible to get revenge. He was too weak, too ignorant and too scared. But now he had an Echo.
It wasn’t much, considering how little he understood it. But it was something.
A start.
Danny looked down at his sword.
Just power wouldn’t help. He had already seen what happened when he fought something stronger than him. His Echo wouldn’t magically give him extra strength to win. It couldn’t replace experience. He wouldn’t be guaranteed to survive his mistakes.
He needed to know how creatures moved. What their habits were. What was dangerous. And when to fight and when to run.
He needed to get stronger.
Not tomorrow.
Not someday.
Now.
---
The next morning, Danny continued his journey.
He was more careful this time. He looked at the ground for any signs of footprints. He checked the trees for any sign of movement. If he heard anything unfamiliar he would stop.
He no longer assumed every creature had an obvious weakness.
Some were too strong for his sword to do any damage. And some could kill him before he even understood what he was fighting.
He would have to rely on himself.
Danny gripped his sword and carried on. The wild surrounded him.
He was still hungry.
Tired.
And scared.
But he was alive.
For now that was enough.
Someday he would get his revenge on those who destroyed his life.
But for now he had to survive the wild.
He had to become someone who could survive anything.
Including death.