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"KHEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Holy shit I'm alive. My eyes shoot open as I draw breath for what feels like the first time in years. I greedily expand my lungs, filling them with cool, slightly moist air. My eyes take in the view of a leafy canopy, mainly appearing to be deciduous trees, light streaming though their softly swaying branches, painting rays down to the forest floor. The sound of a gentle breeze and insects chirping and whining reaches my ears. My nose draws in a loamy, green, and earthy scent, though that's probably due to being splayed out on the ground. I exhale and raise my torso up to better observe the surroundings. I appear to be in a relatively normal old growth forest, with moss covering most of the ground aside from the parts that are covered in ferns. There are also small saplings pushing towards the canopy in some vacant spots, the trees living there having fallen over, leaving the patch of sunlight available for competition. Small animal trails and water runs can be seen where the dirt surfaces through the moss. Where this begins to depart from a normal old growth forest is in the little details. The trees, tall and wide like redwoods and giant sequoias, are covered in large thorns on their trunks, spaced roughly one to three feet apart, appearing to be roughly two to four feel in length. The aforementioned ferns are present in the usual green color, but they are also present in vibrant yellows, pinks, purples, reds, and blues. Six legged squirrel like creatures can be seen jumping and gliding from tree to tree and thorn to thorn, similar in coloration to southern fox squirrels but larger in size, roughly the size of a large cat. They can be heard chittering and chattering as they race through the trees, gliding towards an unknown destination.
As they don't seem to interested in me at the moment, I take a second to survey my belongings. I am currently wearing jeans with a belt and a gray long sleeve button up with a tan undershirt below it, with some hiking shoes on the bottom and a tan neck gaiter up top. This was the outfit I was wearing while we were doing the hostage rescue. No plate carrier, helmet, or war belt though, which is a bummer. I'm also missing my long gun and sidearm, which leaves me with a sense of unease. A man is defined by the tools he carries and how he utilizes them, after all, and I currently find myself a bit lacking in tools. I search my pockets and find a few things, including a handkerchief, a stainless steel mechanical pencil, a CAT tourniquet, a small button compass, and two identical CRKT M16-13SFG folding knives. Not really a lot to work with, but a heck of a lot better than nothing. I take out the compass and set it down on a flat spot nearby. The compass needle continues to spin around erratically, intent on becoming a perpetual motion machine. I pick the compass back up and replace it in my pocket. Even if it's no good here, I may have a use for it later.
What is clear to me is that I can't stay here. I currently don't have any food and don't know if any of the surrounding flora or fauna is edible, and I also need to find a water source. If I can't find north on my compass to give me a reference, I'll just have to navigate without it. I stand up and mark the spot where I was first laying by kicking away the moss and piling it up around the border, then placing medium sized sticks into a pile in it's place. It's always good to have a landmark, and I may need to use this place later, but hopefully not. I look to the side and once again observe the animal trails cutting through the moss and ferns. There should be water in at least one of the two directions, so animal trails were usually a good way to get around as far as survival is concerned. In doing this, however, you run the risk of meeting whatever uses the trail. While that may not be the biggest concern in, say, coastal Virginia, it was a huge hazard in places like Alaska where you may suddenly run into a moose or bear. I see some of the trails colliding and turning into a single trail a short ways off, which gives the hint I need in this situation. It is highly likely that the combined trail leads to a high value area, such as a food or water source, though they may also lead to shelter. I'll place my bet on this and take it for as long as is feasible.
I start walking in the direction of the combined trail, now cautiously optimistic about my chances of finding water. I step on the trail, which gives me a more solid feeling as compared to the springy moss that I was just walking across. This should be easier to walk on, especially at a brisk pace, as compared to the moss. The main reason I am avoiding the moss when possible, however, is elsewhere. In old growth forests in certain areas, moss can cover or obscure important terrain features such as caves, wells, unstable ground, and other such wonders. I don't particularly enjoy spelunking so I'll try to avoid discovering a cave system by accident. I continue on the path while minding my surroundings for a short time of around five minutes before hearing a screech. A high pitched, squeaky screech, reminiscent of the toys that our K9 "Luna" really went bonkers for. The screech repeated itself, allowing me to confirm it's direction off to the right, seemingly from behind a nearby tree. I quietly use my shoe to scribe a simple arrow into the dirt before leaving the path to investigate the screeches.
The screech sounds again, this time tainted in a distressed tone. I crouch while moving to lower my profile and move quietly around the tree just far enough away from it to miss the thorns. The next screech fades and is replaced midway by a throaty gargling sound. As I round the tree a bit further I see three humanoid creatures with mottled skin in tones of green, gray, and brown. They appear to be occupied with something in the middle of their huddle. Moving just a bit further, I see one of the gliding squirrel like creatures in between them, in the process of being disemboweled and consumed. The three appear to be transfixed in their rabid excitement as they gorge themselves on the flesh and organs of the squirrel. I think it would be prudent to assume that I should designate these humanoids as "hostile". Deciding to avoid conflicts where I don't need to engage in them, I reverse course. However, at the moment I did such, I heard a crack from beneath my foot. Looking down, I see a discarded tree thorn on the ground. I look back at the three to see that their gazes are now solidly locked onto my figure.
