"It's getting dark…" Ryan murmured, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon. "I should set up camp…" He clicked his tongue before sighing. The blizzard had long since calmed, revealing much more of the surroundings. And of course, Ryan didn't like that at all.
They were in the middle of a road in an open field. From any direction and at almost any distance, it was easy to spot them. They were the only thing standing out for hundreds of meters.
Bears, wolves, and obviously their pursuers, everyone would see them from afar.
Nature was cruel; all the inhabitants here did everything they could not to be seen or heard. Their white fur allowed them to go unnoticed even at close range. Meanwhile, Ryan's black hair and the large sled behind him completely clashed with that pattern.
He hated the idea of being so exposed.
Even so, there wasn't much of an alternative.
"Why the heavy sigh? What's the problem?" the slave asked, poking his head out of the sled, his pair of curious ears twitching. Ryan's eyes met his, the intensity in his gaze made the slave swallow nervously.
"We'll have to set up camp in the open. We'll be easy prey, I'm worried about that. But I don't see another option." The slave listened in silence, then nodded with a smile.
"I think I can help with that…" Ryan's eyes widened in surprise. "Come here, help me get down." The slave began to stand with difficulty, and Ryan quickly approached, offering support as he climbed down.
"Ahh… it's so good to feel solid ground under my own feet!" the slave laughed, walking barefoot on the snow with a wide smile. "You can't imagine how much I've missed walking after spending so long lying down like an invalid. Honestly, I feel like I'm just a burden to this team… so it's nice to be useful once in a while."
Ryan nodded as the slave began looking around. He seemed to recognize the forest surrounding them, but what truly caught his attention were the tall mountain ranges enclosing the entire landscape. On any map, they were extremely eye-catching.
"Just as I thought…" he said. "We're near the base of the mountains. This region has many of them. It's a mountain range, after all and each one is known for being quite… porous."
"Porous?" Ryan frowned in confusion. "Like… a sponge?" The slave nodded eagerly.
"These mountains have many caves and tunnels connecting them… of course, not every cave is an entrance to a tunnel network, but they're still abundant. And each cave can serve as shelter." He then pointed ahead. "If we make a detour and head into the forest, we'll likely find a cave to spend the night in. Or even a network of them that could throw our pursuer off our scent."
Ryan nodded, considering his words. "But isn't there a risk of running into predators? I imagine bears would love to make those caves their homes."
"There are always risks. We're in a forest, after all, a wild and untamable environment… However, I don't see signs of them passing through here, no territorial markings, and I can't smell anything. Of course, my sense of smell isn't great right now, but still… I think it's a safer choice than sleeping in the open. Especially considering we're being hunted by humans…" His expression darkened at the end. "I don't know about you, but I'm more afraid of being captured by a human than being eaten by a bear. I think it's worth the risk."
"You're right…" Ryan sighed. "Either way, don't overdo it, your body is still recovering. We don't want you getting sick again." The slave nodded with a smile.
"I'll follow your advice!"
Shortly after, Ryan left the road for the first time and cautiously entered the forest. His mobile ears turned constantly, searching for any possible sound. And to his surprise, they found hundreds, quickly surrounding him from all sides.
'Shit! We're all going to die! Why did I agree to this?!'
Ryan's fur bristled as he dropped into a combat stance, more tense than ever before, ready for a life-or-death battle, his heart pounding against his chest. His mind sharpened like a blade. Meanwhile…
The slave behind him burst out laughing, watching him panic at a few squirrels lazily munching on nuts nearby.
Their faces even looked a little comical, as if they were mocking him.
"Damn…" Ryan rubbed his forehead. "Squirrels?" He let out a heavy sigh. "Am I really this stressed? I seriously need a vacation…"
Then he glared at them intensely. "But first, I'll make sure to get a few of them on a skewer…"
His body shot forward as the squirrels quickly tried to scatter, squeaking in panic. Even so, Ryan's sharp eyes locked onto a single target, and soon his claws came down on the small rodent's neck.
He laughed, amused. "Who's laughing now?" he said, holding the squirrel up in front of his eyes.
"Isn't it a bit petty to take revenge on squirrels?" the slave asked, and Ryan nodded.
"Completely!" He immediately searched for another target. "But so what?" He caught one after another, tossing them into the sled before moving on again.
Not long after, they found a wide cave, with no inhabitants that might devour them. Ryan stored the sled and easily started a fire. After cleaning the squirrel meat, he threw everything he had into a nutritious stew and gave it to the slave.
After the meal, he checked the slave's vital signs, which were growing stronger. He nodded, satisfied. At least all of this wasn't for nothing. Soon he would recover and become increasingly useful in their future endeavors.
Now, only one thing still worried Ryan…
After the slave fell asleep, Ryan walked outside once more. His eyes scanned the starry night sky anxiously. He expected many things upon leaving the cave, but he definitely didn't expect that.
An aurora borealis emerged across the night sky.
"That's unexpected… but kind of a nice change of pace. It's a nice surprise." Ryan stood still, admiring the beauty above, and soon a wide smile spread across his face. He sighed, feeling his body grow lighter. "Well… one more reason to feel alive, I guess… besides scares, cold, and blisters. Beauty… I have to admit, the developers are sadists who really wanted the player to suffer as much as possible… but in a way, they also knew how to enchant someone…"
Ryan scratched his head before looking away from the aurora, his eyes fixing on the light of a flame as smoke rose into the sky. That was where they had come from, that was the same direction the cabin was.
"It's them… they didn't fall for my trick… they'll be here soon." Ryan gave a resigned smile. "We're going to be captured before long."
That was the end of the Second Day.