COVELENT: XenoTrait

Chapter 36: The Forest Entry

A low groan escaped him, "...Ugh..."

Felix’s eyes opened slowly and pain followed instantly, it was not sharp or immediate. It spread through him like something waking up.

He pushed himself upright and froze for a few seconds.

Trees, dirt and the sky far above him then it hit him.

Felix looked up, eyes widening, "...I fell."

His breathing slowed as the memory snapped into place.

’Jack pushing him, the glass and him falling’

"The drop....at least five floors..." he said while looking up.

He ran his hands over his body, checking instinctively.

’No broken bones...No exposed wounds.’

Nothing that explained why he was still breathing, "How am I even alive...?" He questioned.

His expression hardened, "If I survived that... Jack won’t assume I’m dead."

He looked toward the forest, " I know him and he won’t take chances."

A low sound echoed through the trees. It wasn’t the sound of wind that was carried it was a natural feeling too.

Felix went still. Then his eyes widened.

"...No....Shit."

Realization sank in, "This is the testing zone..."

His voice dropped, "...the animals."

He forced himself to stand....Pain flared through his legs, but he ignored it as he grit his teeth because he had bigger problems.

As he lifted his hand into the sunlight, something flickered across his skin.

He paused because he saw tiny fragments of what looked like scales layered over his hand just as overlapping shells.

His eyes widened in a moment he wanted to observe them and they vanished.

Felix stared at his hand in disbelief, "...Right."

A dry exhale broke free. "Hallucinations.....That’s comforting."

He walked a step forward and stumbled over him self as he dragged himself forward with desperation.

The heat pressed down. His throat burned and the hunger twisted deeper than before.

It wasn’t asking anymore. It was taking with every waking moment he was hungry he grew thinner and thinner.

After a long time if walking, his eyes laid upon water.

It was a pond that was filled with trees and fresh air unlike the desert of a place he came from to him this was an oasis.

Felix dropped to his knees and drank immediately, hands trembling as he scooped water into his mouth.

The relief was instant he put his guard down then a sound cut through it.

The noise was approaching at a very fast pace. It was closing in.

Felix froze. His spine arched as he lowered himself on all fours accompanied by droll that came out of his mouth with a pair of enlarged canines.

His breathing changed it got slower and more quieter as time passed.

Something moved through the brush....it finally stepped out.

A mouse or rather something that used to be one.

It was larger, leaner, it’s ts movements too sharp, too deliberate. It had an enlarged body equipped with legs the size of a human hand.

Its eyes locked onto him.

Felix circled around very slowly never letting go of the opponents eyes. He was low on the ground and in a controlled way he lunged in.

The mouse reacted instantly. It twisted aside and snapped its jaws into his leg.

Blood spilled from his leg but Felix didn’t react. His eyes stayed locked on it.

It came again. This time for his hands.

Felix raised his arm but was too slow. Its teeth tore into his flesh, ripping away a chunk.

Still no scream or a shed of emotion came from Felix.

Felix backed off. Then turned and ran.

The mouse gave chase....it was fast and relentless.

Branches tore at his skin as he dropped fully onto all fours, movement becoming instinct instead of choice.

Then ’Boom.’ A branch slammed into his head as the world spun.

He hit the ground hard.

The mouse lunged while aiming straight for his throat.

Something shifted in that moment, his skin hardened.

Fragments formed and layered all locking into place.

’Scales.’

The mouse struck again and failed.

Felix’s eyes snapped open.

He moved with terrifying speed. He grabbed the creature mid-lunge, twisted, and slammed it into a tree.

He slammed it against the tree not once, not twice but three times until the body went slack.

Felix threw it down and stomped on it repeatedly. It’s bones cracked which gave way.

Silence was present only accompanied by Felix’s hard breaths

He picked it up by it’s head and bit into it. The head came off first.

After that there was no sensible pattern he was just devouring his prey now.

When it was over, he stood there, chest rising and falling. Blood coated his hands, feet and face.

Then everything went dark. When he came back to, he found himself walking.

Felix staggered back, breathing uneven, "...What...?"

Fragments of his memory returned.

’The attack, the way he devoured it, the loss of control.’

Felix staggered aback as he vomited his insides.

He touched his face and froze.

He held his face and texture was different.

It was rough and hardened. He looked at his hands.

Scales spread throughout his entire hands.

"...That’s new." In that moment his mind raced. ’The fall... the attack..."

His eyes narrowed, ’Could this be the animal gene adaptation?

This time was different from then."

He didn’t black out completely not like before.

"...Is it bcause I was in danger unlike that time with the turtle."

A faint, uneasy smile formed, "The serum worked..."

He took a breath.

"The covalent nucleotide worked."

Then quieter, "...just not as cleanly as i had hoped."

He clenched his fists, "But why now...?"

No answer came to him as he could not think of anything.

He shook his head. "No time."

He looked toward the distant facility. "I survived."

His expression darkened, "I won’t waste that....

Wait for me, Jack...I’m coming back."

Night fell and the surroundings felt eerie as the forest changed with it.

Felix kept moving because stopping wasn’t an option.

Eventually, exhaustion forced a decision.

He looked up, "...Trees."

The first climb failed as the tree was too smooth.

He slid back down.

He gathered sharp stones and carved footholds into the bark.

Eventually, he climbed high enough and rested on three thick branches that formed a crude platform.

Just enough for him to rest.

Felix lay down and soon slept.

Something moved above.

Talons struck and Felix was yanked upward.

The wind snapped him awake as cold air tore past him as the ground vanished below.

He twisted, trying to orient himself then saw it.

A massive bird with wings wide enough to blot out the sky.

Felix narrowed his eyes."That pattern..." he said as he looked at the bird.

Recognition clicked, "I tested on this one..."

A pause, "...Fantastic."

He looked down and noticed how far he was from the ground.

"...I’m not being rescued am I."

The bird only climbed higher.

Felix clenched his jaw, "If I fall, I might live..."

A breath came out, "...Might."

The bird angled upward again.

Felix acted he drove his fist into its underside. Once, twice but there was no response.

He shifted, grabbed hold of its leg and bit down hard.

The bird shrieked and its wings faltered for half a second.

Felix bit deeper and his body reacted instantly.

His muscles tightened, his vision sharpened and something feral slowly slipped into place.

The bird thrashed violently and Felix lost his grip and was thrown.

The sky spun. Air rushed past him and before he could stabilize the bird dove.

It caught him mid-fall. Its talons clamped, then it surged upward again before flinging him forward.

Felix crashed into a massive nest. Branches snapped beneath him.

He rolled for a second and quickly stopped.

Eggs. Huge eggs the size of an averaged sized human.

He pushed himself up then froze.

Something beneath his hand vibrated and a crack spread across the shell.

A piercing screech erupted. Felix stepped back slowly.

"...Nope."

The shell split. The creature inside forced its way out. It was already massive, already hungry.

Another crack. Then another.

The nest was now filled with sound.

Felix exhaled slowly, "...This is how I die."

A shadow passed overhead. The mother has now just returned.

It landed with crushing force, wings folding as its gaze locked onto him.

Felix didn’t move as he could not breathe properly as his heart beat so fast.

The creature stared.