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Survival of the Fittest by: Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect is given to their owners.. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, is purely a coincidence. This work contains underaged content and a heavy survival theme. You have been warned.

"The most important factor in survival is neither

intelligence nor strength but instead adaptability."

-Charles Darwin

Society is the wilderness of existence. Each and everyday trials and tribulations come and go. Every person deals with them as they will and of course are expected to come out on top. But it is outside the realm of civilization where these often mundane challenges are met by still stronger ones. When one is in the domain of the wild, one is very much at the judgment of Mother Nature. Especially when one finds themselves lost and unsure of what to do.

Kaelem was a woodby adventurer who had set out from the Kingdom of Ocelot. He was a youngster who had learned early on and life that one must tackle challenges head-on, no matter the cost. Ocelot was a region where the transition to adulthood was a trial by fire. Instead of some grand ceremony marked by often silly pomp and protocol, kids were expected to go out alone on the first night of their 12th summer. Their parents, guardians, or masters were of course expected to outfit them in preparation for the journey.

For every month leading up to the auspicious 364th day, the child and their family were expected to complete milestones in order to prepare the youngster for the grand task ahead of them. No kid ever wanted to do it and horror stories certainly undermined the nature of the ordeal. However, the fact remained that the practice remained very much in place regardless of how many complaints they got from the public each and every year. In fact, the only reason it was in place was that the place was a military state and they figured the event would shape better soldiers.

Kaelem was a squirrel whose pitch predominately red white fur set him aside from all of his friends most of whom happened to be felines of various species and breeds. His family was very much in the minority of things as far as diversity was concerned. The family had moved in a few years ago, so as such the parents were never put through the trial, which was something they learned about through time. Both the mother and father were keen on being accepted into predominately feline society. When the boy learned of the issue, he decided it was best to go through with it as he was always keen on pleasing his parents.

Over the last 2 years, the cub had become quite the Elementalist. Though he was no mage and had no great skills, Kaelem put every ounce of his being into practice when it came to the skill of conjuring flame. One day a few months ago the young squirrel had managed to ignite his whole right arm ablaze. The panic sent his inexperienced control reeling out the window. Had it not been for the quick actions of his mother and the local herbalist, he might have died. Instead, his arm was amputated and he survived the ordeal, with the exception of his scarred reputation and pride.

The 364th evening finally arrived. Kaelem was given a grand feast by his parents to celebrate the occasion. They had packed a number of provisions in a rather large knapsack, especially for a boy fresh into puberty. The cub was hardly one who was well developed and was rather lean. Had it not been for his bushy white fur around his body, many might have considered him to be undernourished. However the youngster's appetite as ravenous. So much that his parents packed him extra food supply in his backpack.

After the meal was over, the cub was escorted to the door where his parents hugged him and saw him off. There wasn't much in the realm of lights as it was quite late out. However, the candle fire in the wood thicket house provided a little illumination for him as he headed out to the forest. His task? To come back with a token of the grand witch, whom many believed to be responsible for an ailment that was sweeping the countryside.

The Woman of the Wildwood was infamous all around the realm. She had been supposedly seen countless times but each and every time she managed to escape being captured. Her likeness was but an enigma, though no small number of resemblances were drawn to her since she was on just about every wanted poster throughout Ocelot. Kaelem was personally terrified of her and wanted nothing to do with actually going into her supposed territory and invading her sanctum. The squirrel sucked it up as he looked back at his parents and put his back on his back before trecking away from his home.

With each and every step he took, the dim lights of his home and the city grew darker. The looming forest on the horizon became ever more ominous as the trees emerged from the dark shadows in front of him. The cub's chest beat a kilometer a minute as if he was expecting to be beset by vandals at any given moment. His pace slowed almost to a snails crawl before he came to a stop. Darkness engulfed him as he reached his left paw into his sack and grabbed a lantern.

After fiddling with it for a moment, he set it down on the floor before trying to find a suitable dried brush to make a fire. Scavenging around on the floor, the moonlight provided him some guidance in finding some tinder. Setting it up and flicking his finger as a little flame perked up in his hand. With each spark, it generated granted him just a little bit more hope and happiness. When the little bushel set aflame, he was happy to just sit there and bask in its heat and glow. The squirrel was glad he didn't have to rely on his own energy and sill for flight. He hadn't traveled that long but already he was feeling afraid and homesick.

Looking back, he couldn't see his home in the distance anymore. The faint outline of the city was still visible but it was hardly distinguishable this late at night. It was a little bit breezy outside and there was a little bit of fresh air for him to breath despite the flowing grove in front of him. He was feeling a little tired and woozy as the smoke was getting to him. The scent of the flame seemed to be overpowering and even aromatic as the wind began to pick up. Dirt and dead leaves whirled with around him and caused a slight chill to pass through his body.

Glancing into the fire caused the boy to lose his train of thought. It was making him dizzy and all he wanted to do was sleep it off. A strange voice beckoned to him almost in song. Childish in nature, chiding him to sleep if only for just a little while. Kaelem's eyes grew heavy as his while body slumped forward into the dirt before him The cub had given into the exhaustion it seemed. Eventually, the flame shrank as the winds blew it out and hushed the fiery furnace. The squirrel laid motionless on his stomach passed out from the sudden fit of fatigue.

Kaelem tossed and turned. His whole body felt warm, despite the cool wind drifting over him. The breeze drifting over his fur and bending his tail with each squall of gusts that came. Eventually, the gales died out and the boy's body remained motionless on his stomach. When the squirrel finally awoke, the boy did so with a heavy head. His mind was ablaze with many things and yet he could not think clearly. A strong desire to forage and hibernate resonated with his person as he blinked and tried to rub his eyes.

The boy rolled over, his whole body ached especially his neck. When he finally came back around, he found his surroundings to be entirely alien. He was no longer in the outset of the forest. Instead, he was very much in the midst of them. The flame he vaguely recalled making was nowhere to be seen and there didn't seem to be any remains or debris caused by the fire. Instead, he found a small pile of acorns and a whole assortment of pine needles, leaves, twigs, and even some freshly pulled grass.

Kaelem looked around, uncertain of his surroundings. He was a little bit hungry and his stomach growled to remind him of this. The acorns in the corner looked delicious and seemed bigger than he recalled they should have been. As he approached them, he grabbed them and his hands suddenly seemed much more dainty with significantly longer claws. What's more, it seemed his right arm and hand had returned to his figure. His fur that covered his lithe arms was now pure white. Only his paws remained black and fleshy.

But it didn't seem to matter much to him at the moment..as the acorns delectable calls were too tantalizing for him as he used his claw to pry them open and eat out the yellow flesh from inside. It was sweet with a somewhat bland aftertaste. He found it rather hard to chew but his tongue was able to lick out the entirety of the supple goo from inside. Once he was done, he felt satisfied. It felt like he should discard the thing, so as if by instinct he took the shell of the acorn to a thin resemblance of light. As he tossed the thing into the opening, something seemed very off.

He stopped for a moment as his senses were still somewhat confused about what was going on. He was very high up and the floor below him seemed almost dangerously far away for him to even consider jumping down. Suddenly that's all he wanted. He wanted down...to go around and frolicked on the floor. His claws pricked out of his small paws as he slowly began to dig his way down the tree. His right arm seemed just as throng as his left as each claw dug into the bark of the tree leading him further down to the base of the tree. After a few moments, he let go and his small body was finally at ground level. Looking up the tree seemed massive.

His whole body only came up to the very top of the root and more uncertainty caused more confusion to replace the sudden whimsical feeling of being below the understory of the forest. He could overhear the faint sound of running water in the distance. Kaelem figured a nice drink of water would snap him out of the little funk he was dealing with and began to dash. Despite never having been there before, his little body carried him into the distance with little sense of doubt in his mind. He was able to clear little bushes and shrubs without issue as the sound of the apparent stream became louder and more obvious.

As he came upon it, he could see the white water ripping down various levels of rocks and branches that had fallen into the small river. Kaelem peered over an edge and he could see into the clear water. The moon reflected off the top of the water and back onto the boy. Looking back at him was a snow-white squirrel but else something was very off. His whole form had shifted into something that resembled his feral brethren. Why had he suddenly devolved back into this form? Was such a thing even probable, let alone possible? He pricked the side of his cheek to assure that the reflection did the same thing. Sure enough, the little feral beast followed in suit.

The makeshift adventurer did not know what to think. His sense of confusion was clouding his judgment and he couldn't think clearly. Kaelem decided he needed to relax and briefly thought about going into the water for a swim. Not giving it much further insight, he jumped in. Forgetting all about his now feeble strength, the stream carried him quite violently too and fro. As he went from side to side, the cub felt helpless and thought of the worse. Each toss and turn sent sharp jolts of short piercing pain through his form.

Eventually, his body came to a gradual stop. The river eventually filtered onto a small outcropping of rocks that plateaued against an opening underneath the moonlight. The water tricked down but wasn't quite a waterfall in the sense it didn't carry over except for the occasional flood or large rainfall. Kaelem was glad his rapids experience was short-lived. His ribs were sore and he rubbed them slightly wondering if they might be bruised. It didn't hurt that badly, though the experience was certainly jarring by itself.

It took a few moments for his body to recover. The cool water offered a respite from the otherwise sore tension that was plaguing his body. Kaelem pulled himself the thin streams of water before going to a dry area. It was still pretty dark out but the moon provided some light as some owls hooted overhead. The boy couldn't help but wonder where he was. The place seemed strangely familiar to him as if he remembered it from sometime in the not so distant past. Suddenly the cawing of birds became louder and more annoying.

Kaelem looked around and up into the canopy. No birds could be seen except for a single owl, which appeared to be looking down at the tiny beast. Its gaze was fixed and the birds head hardly moved. The cub could have sworn it was a statue. Suddenly it flew off and rocketed into the dense foliage above him. The boy felt very alone, despite the still annoying crowing of birds that were all around him. Despite it seeming to be rather late, the avian population here seemed to be very much awake and well.

The cub was startled as his sense of unease was put to an end by an abrupt shrieking. At first, it was quiet but its intensity and volume became ever louder with each passing moment. Kaelem felt that he must hide. Panic replaced the warm sense of security as he scattered about the forest floor in search of safety. One of the bottoms of the trees were open as he scurried. The shrieking falling very close as the thin stream of light began to be replaced by shadow.

!!!CAW!!! A birds beak poked through the tiny hole and tried to jam through the small opening.

The squirrel pushed himself back as the yellow beak came dangerously close to his feet. He knew he had to do something or the bird would never go away. The cawing a least ceased with the bird plowing its face into the tree. Kaelem searched around for something to scare the bird off. Only small nuts and acorns were about as he pondered what his best line of defense would be. His instincts were telling him to wait, besides those notes proved to be far too tasty to be used as weapons.

He decided instead to just wait. It took a while before the bird finally gave up.

!!!CAW!!! The bird swooped up and away letting light filter back into the small opening.

As the sounds of ominous crowing became less apparent, Kaelem felt safe enough to emerge from his makeshift home. The glow of moonlight returning to gaze over him was welcoming once he popped his head back out to make sure everything was safe. It seemed the bird had gone and with it, the conspicuous screaming of birds eventually died out.

Kaelem began to think he needed to find a solution to his problem. He didn't know why he was a feral squirrel but it was very much obvious that it wasn't a welcoming environment. The boy needed to find someone to help him. The cub had no idea what to do or where even to look. All he knew is that he was desperate and in need of aid. He wondered if maybe the witch of the wild was the cause of all that was happening to him. He didn't have much time to think of it before he heard some rustling in the nearby shrubbery.

Immediately his mind thought that it was the same bird from before. However, it made no sound and the squirrel didn't feel like he was in any sort of present danger. Suddenly the shrub erupted as a large ball of pink fur exploded from the bushes. The squirrels' curiosity got the better of him as looked over at the fallen ball of fuzz. Kaelem wasn't sure what to think of what it was. It didn't take long for it to rouse as the bundle of hair gradually came around and picked himself up. Looking at the being as it stood up, the squirrel figured the other being couldn't be any older than his own age.

He was wearing a rather colorful robe which covered much of his form. The robe was quite dirty with dust and dirt as the other cub stood up to brush himself off. By the looks of it, the cub appeared to be a boy. He had a small book in one paw and a stick in the other. The stick appeared to be carved with some weird shapes adorning its sides. Kaelem thought this boy might be the so-called "witch of the wild." But why had so many people thought it to be a woman? The questions rising in his head were boundless.

Just as he was about to leave the site of the occurrence before he found his body could no longer move.

"Lucio-Camia-Genva!" The pine marten cub casted a movement hex on the tiny squirrel.

"Squeak squeak squeak~" The squirrel boy found he could no longer speak as he once could.

"I am the spell thief, Zine and you...are a trespasser in these parts." The pine-martens stick carrying hand, his tattered robe carrying over with his arm.

The front of the cub's robe drew open from the small movement. The squirrel got a look inside and it appeared as if the feeble boy was emaciated. Even for a kid his age, he could make out much of the bony figure that presided through his form.

As he twisted his body, a small coin purse dropped to the floor. A few copper pieces fell out of the shredded piece of fabric. Kaelem couldn't help but feel a little sad for the other boy. Zine bent over to pick up the little coin purse as he tucked it back into one of the body pockets of his dingy brown robe. The marten began to look through his book. The pages were torn and some of them flew about as the book was open to the wind.

"Ah, darn it..." The marten began to scurry about in a search for his missing pages.

To and fro he ran as the pages scattered about as if they were toying with him. Kaelem had to hold back a fit of laughter as he watched the comical act play out in front of him. It took a while before the cub gathered all of his things. Even finding his gloves which had been ripped from his hands in the small tussle with the bush. Little did the squirrel know, that the marten had been searching for food. It had been ages since Zine had eaten and he was starving.

"I'm so hungry...I'd give anything for a nibble. I wonder if I could conjure up a feast." The cub began to file through the book once again.

Kaelem had no idea what was going on, it was as if the boy had forgotten all about his captive audience.

"Nothing...unless this page with no title is it. Then I am going to starve. I guess its worth a shot...Almeno...totuga...chevo." The marten pointed his wand in no particular direction as a little spark of energy shot out from the top of it.

It first hit a tree then seemingly bounced off of it towards the floor. Before long traveling along with the dirt, sundering it with a small split in the mud before hitting the squirrel square on his left hind paw. This caused a slight tingling sensation to go through his body.

Zine had no idea what had just happened. The whole thing happened in a split second and he had lost track of the magic missile. Searching around he saw that the squirrel from before was still ensnared. It seemed...smaller than before.

"Did I just...shrink it?" The marten flattened himself to ground level and looked closely at the small critter, it seemed no bigger than a mouse now.

His nose was close enough to smell the little thing. The squirrel emanated a soft fragrance, one familiar to the little cub as that of the backwoods. It wasn't off-putting but was peculiar nonetheless.

"Maybe I could...cook it?" Zine's level of desperation was bar none.

He picked it up and the little squirrel tried to escape. Of course, the movement spell hadn't ever been disenchanted, so Kaelem had no chance of escape. The little warlock set himself up a makeshift camp at that very spot. He needed no flint in tinder and conjured a fire as if from nowhere. Suddenly the once comforting nature of the heat seemed all too imposing for the young squirrel.

"Squeak Squeak!" All the squirrel wanted to do was yell out for help and yet each time all he did was let out a pathetic squeal.

Zine set up a pan and began to cook the bottom of it as if to prepare it for cooking his tiny victim.

The marten once again moved the mouse-sized squirrel over the sizzling pan. The awe-inspiring fear of the moment began to set in Kaelems person as he panicked and yet could not move.

But soon regret came over the larger cub.

"I just...cacan't do it." The marten's sense of morality had gotten the better of him.

"But...I'm just so hungry. Maybe if I just don't cook it and don't have to watch it suffer?" Once again Zine pondered his options.

"Sorry little guy...but it's either me or you." The pink furred boy and aimed his meal into his maw.

The moment his focus was taken off the squirrel the movement hex was finally broken. Closer and closer he got to the cavernous maw that was the other boy's mouth. Before long he was placed inside of it. He thrashed and bounded about, expecting the boy to spit him up.

"Gulp" The boy swallowed the meal whole and the struggle was over in a split second.

Kaelem's world turned dark. He found he couldn't move anymore. His whole body was warm but his heart continued to steadily beat. Everything seemed hopeless until a thin beam of light glared into his retina. It shone brightly until he could hold his eyes open no longer. He shut his eyes in order to avoid the glare. His breathing slowed and eventually, everything came to a halt. It seemed...that it was over for the woodby squirrel adventurer.

Was he dead? A moment later he awoke in a sweaty mess. His body warm and achy. Everything seemed...normal again? There was no feral desire present. Holding out his hand, he saw his familiar red fur, holding a headless squirrel plush. Was it all a bad dream? It all seemed so real and yet it appeared to be a dream. The stuffing of the plush poured out of the broken knitwork It seemed to be an omen and it made him incredibly cautious about continuing onward. After hearing the familiar childish laughter from afar, he couldn't help but turn away.

Grabbing the little plush, figuring it would have to do as his trophy. Kaelem knew nothing in the world could get him to go back to the forest now and returned home. After placing the toy in his knapsack and making his way, it took him but a short time to return home. The familiar glare of the city lights began to become ever more present. Their dim-lit candles were warming to him. Once he saw his home, he couldn't help but begin to run. His parents were surprised to see him back so soon. The cub held out the little toy proudly as his father looked on with suspicion.

After explaining the experience, they were glad he hadn't gone through with it. Besides, it was a feline right of passage anyways. But the real question remained. Would the boy be accepted by Ocelot society? Only time would tell. Would another unsuspecting cub fall whim to the powerful "Witch of the Woods?" How would Kaelem's parent respond when their child did not return from his journey. Until then Zine remained idle, waiting. Evermore asleep to save his energy and not exploit his woody brethren and continue to feast on the flesh of men and furries alike. The childish laughter bellowing out onto the hills for all to hear. And so...the tales grew and with that the bounty on Zine's head. Would he ever be caught? Only time would tell.