Chomp!

Chomp!

I finish my last bite of the salmon I grilled and pack the few things I have. And that includes a flashlight, a lighter, a box of matches, flammable things, my only other outfit, and a few knives.

This all goes in my older sister's backpack that she entrusted to me before she died. I wouldn't give up for the world.

Or to live in a different one.

I head on my way, trying to find a better place to camp other than the edge of the river before sundown. I already risked myself eating there, soon my luck will run out.

SCREECH!

A bird sounds causing me to draw my most trusted knife out my pocket. But it's just Claw- the person... or animal... that I trust most right now- coming down from his perch the tree behind me. The unusually kind eagle wouldn't hurt me for a bite of a squirrel. And he loves a good squirrel.

Claw and I became companions after my father, than my mother, and then my sister died. He was all alone, too. And luckily for me Claw was still pretty little, so he didn't have much knowledge of his natural predator ways. I saved him, and boom! best friends. For life if we can survive it. As for his name? Claw may have been small, but those talons can kill.

Together we tramp through the forest, him searching the skies above, and me keeping low on the ground. Most strong predators pop up during the nighttime, so it's good to find a nice, secluded place before they start prowling.

After a few minutes, I finally find a nice semi-low ditch uninhabited by (dangerous) bugs. Today was a good day, and for the first time in a while, I can sleep in peace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's a snake in my face.

Well it's not on my face, so that's good, but it's hanging mere inches it and it would've fell in mouth had I not awoken. Thankfully Claw called out before it could. Plus it's not poisonous.

But the others behind it are.

I don't feel much like dying today, so I immediately grab my backpack from behind my head and run. I get about four steps before I realize what I left.

Claw is squirming in a tree surrounded by the poisonous snakes. Suddenly gaining a backbone, he bites one's head off. Literally. But this just makes them angrier. They all pounce at once, and flies up through the tree and then darts back to me. And then were running and flying through the forest, the ridiculously fast serpents slithering after us.

Then all of a sudden we're at the edge of the jungle, and it's nothing like the rest of the treacherous landscape. Nothing at all.

It's golden and green and yellow and blue and pink all at once, where the dawn sky meets the vibrant sea meets the glowing yellow sand meets the fresh and healthy grass with golden marigolds mixing in. And now I'm not even paying attention to the snakes behind me. Claw and I are rushing down to the grass, where I take the biggest risk of my entire life; I take my shoes and socks, and I run around, letting the grass touch my feet, not caring what bites me. I finally got to the edge of the forest. It's still not completely safe, but it's safer than the jungle and the desert, the only two places I've inhabited my entire life!

I reach the the sand, and it's pure heaven beneath my toes. I've trudge in plenty of sand in the desert, but I never got the chance to take my shoes off. There's always something lurking beneath the yellow grains. I look ahead and- the water!

Claw is already waiting for me above, flying in circles excitedly. I sprint to him, wanting to feel the cool water as well.

Then a shadow swims under him. But no, that can't be.

It is.

Chomp!

The ginormous shark swallows the eagle, taking the only friend I have in this dangerous world.