Amid the light mist that surrounded everything, the tall tree trunks painted the forest in shades of brown and gray. No sound of insects or birds could be heard; only the breathing and footsteps of a child echoed through the woods.
The unsettling atmosphere of the forest seeped into one's bones, and the overwhelming silence forced constant alertness.
The boy suddenly shivered.
"Keeping your sanity in this forest is seriously difficult."
He continued on his way, constantly looking around...
For several days, Karon had been searching for a place suitable for living in the forest, but he had reached a dead end. He had not found a proper cave or a water source. That was why he kept exploring new areas and searching.
As his patience and exhaustion clashed once again while wandering through the forest, Karon spotted a small hill and began approaching it...
At the entrance of a wide cave stood The Furball. It looked like an object someone had deliberately placed to mark the cave, yet it was not hard to notice the terror it radiated.
The bones scattered around The Furball made it clear—without needing to see it in action—that it was not an object.
Having covered himself in foul-smelling mud, Karon circled the cave, engraving both the cave's and the monster's traits into his mind.
After observing for a while, he moved a little farther away and set up a campsite.
The camp was about five to ten minutes from the cave. Among the tall trees stood a fire ring, a log beside it, and a cabinet. Between the trees encircling the fire ring in a circle, there was a simple wall made of leafy branches, built by human hands. At the top of a tree, the rhythmic breathing of a boy could be heard.
With dark circles forming under his eyes, Karon watched The Furball from within a bush near the river, taking notes on its movements.
Even though he had been doing this for several days, he still had not filled two pages.
***
Bathing in a small lake, the young boy spoke to himself, searching for a solution.
"The Furball's boring life is starting to bother even me. When your intelligence is low, don't you need any kind of entertainment? All it does is sleep and eat."
"The things I can do are seriously limited: fire, direct combat, or more exploration."
"Fire isn't very convincing. I doubt a creature like that would die from flames. Direct combat is impossible. More exploration is exhausting."
"Haa… I'm seriously at a dead end."
In the few days he had observed The Furball, he had understood that it was stronger than he could handle. Animals that went into its fur only came back out as bones. It was not the kind of experience he wished to have firsthand.
Even though Karon knew his only real option was further exploration, he preferred to eliminate the other impossible options by talking them through to himself.
Though he was not fully aware of it, ever since entering the forest his self-talk had increased, and he had begun overthinking even unnecessary matters.
***
While returning to camp and passing near the river, Karon failed to see the brown tone he expected. For the past few days, he had mapped out The Furball's routine, and at this hour it was supposed to be hunting in the river.
Freshly cleaned, Karon began covering himself in mud again, cursing.
He had also checked The Furball's cave, but no one was there. Karon began waiting in great excitement.
After a while, from the right side of the cave, a brown, two-meter-tall mass of fur began to appear. At the sight of it, Karon felt a surge of joy; at last, a glimmer of hope was visible.
The Furball gave the cave a brief glance and continued on its way. This time, it moved toward the left side of the cave. Suppressing his excitement, Karon began to follow it.
The gray mist, which evoked a sense of mystery and fear even by mere sight, completely enveloped the field of vision. Trees and stones alike surrendered their place to the fog without leaving a trace.
As The Furball checked the edges of the mist, Karon stared into it, lost in thought. It was the first time in his life he had seen something like this.
"It's as if whatever enters the mist becomes one with it."
Snapping back to himself as The Furball turned back, Karon left the mist behind and returned to the camp.
***
The next day, after confirming that The Furball was hunting for food, Karon headed toward the right side of the cave.
After what he had encountered on the left side, he was prepared—both with fear and curiosity—for whatever surprises awaited on the right.
After ten to fifteen minutes of cautious movement, Karon suddenly shivered and dropped to the ground, curling into a fetal position.
Having trained with his father for a long time, Karon was sensitive to sounds, but the forest's silence had altered his state.
As the sounds of collision in the distance continued to reach his ears, Karon cursed at the absurdity of his own reaction, stood up, and moved toward the noise.
The scent of burnt blood filled the air. The sounds of chattering teeth and clashing claws grated against his ears as a white owl and a furless bear filled the scene.
The owl flew in the air, attacking the bear with flaming talons or by breathing fire. The bear, standing on two legs, retaliated by opening a one-meter-wide mouth on its torso, filled with teeth.
The teeth, the size and sharpness of kitchen knives, looked threatening enough to shred anything that entered that mouth into pieces.
Unsure of how to react to the sight, Karon felt intense fear, curiosity, and excitement at the flaming claws and that monstrous mouth.
The sense of fear that had carried humanity to this day outweighed his other emotions, causing Karon to tremble slightly and step back.
From a safer distance, eyes wide with astonishment, he continued to watch the battle.