Taking a deep breath, I feel the cold morning air, one of the only ways I'm feeling the cold of the mornings besides the pads on my feet. I smile at the frost covered grass and leaves that catch the light of the rising sun. Turning back to the tunnel that I have been staying in. I slowly made my way down and forward before sitting down in front of Garince's journal and where I had buried him.

  I dropped the doe that I had hunted this morning onto the ground next to a pile of bones from various different animals. Marking another day on the wall next to Garince’s journal, I smile eighteen days of having survived here eighteen days of listening to myself and agreeing more and more. Moving over to start skinning the doe, I do so roughly having more experience using my claws to skin animals than at first but still the way to move and hold my claws are uncomfortable and strange to my body but practice has made it better.

  There is so much more improvement with myself now that I was made aware of a flaw in my thinking. I wasn't fully accepting of myself. I saw the elk, and bear as myself. I knew they were me , but I was thinking of them more as arms and legs instead of a part that is present everywhere just like the firebearer. I won't end up like Garince mad and ripping parts of myself away.

  Taking the now skinned doe body off the hide and onto my lap, I begin pulling muscles off and eating them filling my stomach although it does have plenty of plants, meat is always good at filling me up and is needed the elk doesn't see why this large amount is needed but is coming around to it. The bear rejoices in consuming a successful hunt and the firebearer enjoys the variety and achievement.

  Once I get to the head of the doe I don't consume the meat before I rip open the skull, taking out the brains and mashing the brain so they're more of a fluid. I apply the brains to the doe's skin, then leave it in the sun for it to dry out. Hoping that the sun can replace the fire usually used in making furs. I soon return to eating on the doe leaving it as just the main body I make my way out of the tunnel, eventually stopping outside on an already decent pile of guts.

  Though the pile is smaller than it was two days ago when I last hunted something big like a deer. I smile, which means it's working. I've been trying to create a bait pile to bring in more prey closer to home, even if it's temporary. Using one claw I carefully breach into the does internals careful not to pierce the intestines. I let all the organs drop onto the pile before leaving quickly so my scent doesn't linger around the bait.

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  The bear originally hated this pile, there were roars and growls of wasted food that will be needed when snow starts to fall and the nights grow longer, but now that plenty of scents can be smelled around the pile. I smile at myself for the plans I have made to make life more comfortable and my progress. Returning to the tunnel I begin to commune with myself.

  The process only takes a few minutes at this point, and I see my progress. All of me seems to be taking on aspects of the others, the bear and firebearer have antlers and elk-like ears, the elk's teeth have grown sharp and legs have bulked up. Both the elk and bear seem to be growing thumbs, and the firebearer appears more bestial every time growing fur in many places. With nothing to discuss with myself I just sit looking at every part of me. There are great things in all of them, every part that makes up me has its advantages and that's good, my true form takes in all of those and makes me, Me. With that thought I return to my true form with a faint smile on my lips.

  With nothing left to do, I partake in something that I'm Starting to enjoy very much, I lay down on my belly and just relax into the ground. Yawning, I slowly drift off in a nap. After who knows how long, maybe a few hours since the sun's now shining on the right side of the tunnel through the hole in the roof of the tunnel. Garince’s journal is now very visible as the sun shines directly on it. Getting up and stretching I catch the scent of something unfamiliar.

  No, it's something I've smelt before but when, thinking hard, trying to remember memories from years ago but then I remember like an ember setting ablaze tinder. I remember horses. I saw them once years ago during the longest night. I remember a group of outsiders arrived on them, a few adults from various tribes talked to them but like almost always outsiders don't get to talk to the unawakened. But why are horses here?

  They've never been in this part of the forest before, I think I remember speaking to some children from other tribes, those that live on the plains to the east of the forests about how they're some horses they're but different from what the outsiders had with them. Sniffing the air again I notice that the horses are getting closer and that more scents are with them, of various different things I've never encountered before.

  I quickly make my way out of the tunnel out glancing around as now I hear the steps of horses. Their scents are getting stronger and soon I'm hearing noises that are just as unfamiliar to me as the scents that accompany the horses. I remain standing at the mouth widening my stance trying to appear as large as possible. Though the instinct of the bear and elk. I let out a loud bellowing roar and bugle, soon I heard the sounds of panicked horses and shouting soon followed.

  Then I spot the horses entering the clearing that has been my home for the past eighteen days. What I see is confusing, they look confused at the sight of me, probably as confused at the sight of them as I do. Then shouts come from someone behind the few lead people. At this point I notice that they're holding spears as they raise them at me. More shouting and words that I don't understand soon follow before eventually.

  One man, I think, gets off the horse he was on and walks up to me shaking as he does so before he speaks with a squeaky and shaky voice “come join tribe for love is eternal.”

  I stare at the man shocked at the sudden proposal rendering me unable to speak for a moment besides, “what.”