//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Breathe In The New Air // Story: Equestria's Martial Warrior // by Charson //------------------------------// "Aughhhh," Leo's voice comes out roughly as he rouses himself up from his unforeseen slumber. It was damp underneath his back, with a slight breeze flowed over Leo's body. Feelings of cool strings running along him, brushing against his body, he abruptly opens his eyes. Unbeknownst to him, while he was asleep, he was sprawled spread-eagle on an open section of grass. He stood up, albeit somewhat roughly, and brushed off the grass that had stuck to him. Looking around, his breath is taken away. How in the world did I end up in someplace as beautiful as this! Holy crap! To his right is a forest lush with trees of varying heights, their colors ranging from a darkish green to a bright orange. To his left is a humongous ravine, like a blade had sliced through the ground, leaving its mark on the world's surface. Inside of the ravine was a river running through with the steepest cliffs down to it that Leo has ever seen. Off into the distance is a range of mountains with ice and snow lining the top of them. Also, Leo notices that the colors pop out like the contrast got turned up a little. It was very odd, to say the least. What time is it? Checking his pockets hastily, Leo confirms the contents. He has everything he was going to go to the clinic with. His phone, wallet, headphones, and charger. Leo pulls out his phone. It was a fairly clean phone, with only one crack in the top right corner of the screen. It wore a solid black case to protect against any unplanned falls. Turning it on, it reveals it's about noon. However, he also notices that he has no service here. For the better, Leo turns off his phone to conserve battery until he can find a better place for service. Great, now I have no clue where I am with no ability to find help right now... What's next!? Noticing he's losing his temper, Leo sits down and focuses on his breathing, as it always seems to calm him down. Slowly he gets his bearings. An odd feeling slowly began to encase his body. What's this?? A calming but energetic feeling begins to build up in Leo as he continues to regulate his breathing. He can feel it circulate in his body, going through his blood, muscles, and bones. It was like his body was being injected with energy, slowly accumulating. It filled his body with its warmth. This is such a.. euphoric feeling... As Leo keeps breathing, he feels the energy start to reach a point of it being uncomfortable, almost like he NEEDS to let it out. If he didn't send it out, he was scared it might explode inside his body. Standing up, he feels the energy pool up in his belly, flowing through his back, abs, his right shoulder, and finally down his arm. He punches the air with all his strength. pfff The fist flies through the air, ripping the space apart. If the air was somehow alive, it was most certainly in great pain. Taken aback, Leo stares at his fist, contemplating what just happened. Coming off his fist is a stream of barely visible steam, dissipating as fast as it appeared. Although he consistently worked out to be healthy, he knew he was never this strong! This train of thoughts was put to a halt by a realization of his situation. I'll figure this out later it seems. I need to focus on survival right now. Suddenly, Leo's body was overcome with a sense of lethargy. As though his body suddenly became that of lead, he slumped down, falling to one knee. His breathing became somewhat labored, but not too harsh. Just noticeable. It seemed that punch took it out of him. Breathing slowly, he begins to build up that energy once again until the tired feeling goes away. Without a goal, Leo decides to find which way is north first. Maybe that god had the right idea... I need to find civilization. After, I can see about finding my way home... Looking up, he sees the sun directly overhead. It was not harsh, but it still beat down on to Leo's body. The heat pulsed onto the Earth, indiscriminate of who or what it was shining down on. Unfortunately, the Sun being straight overhead didn't work in Leo's favor, as it was hard to tell which way the Sun would set at the moment. I guess I might just have to wait to find which direction is north... too bad I don't have a compass app. Smiling bitterly, Leo decides to follow the water in the deep crevice in the crust upstream, hoping he can find a source of water that isn't exactly out of reach. He might even find a civilization upstream as well! Meanwhile, for shelter, he decides to hold off for now, concluding that going into the forest would be his best bet. Food might be a bit rough, I could try for fish when I find the water I'm looking for upstream, but that's not guaranteed. I could forage for grub and berries once I go try to find shelter. Worst case scenario, I'll have to go without... Coming to a consensus, Leo finally has a survival plan. After thinking though, he realizes he'll need a weapon in case he's cornered. Seeing a nice, straight branch, he picks it up and looks at it observantly. It was sturdy with just some twigs branching off on some of the sides, but he could work with it. This'll have to do it seems, thank god I have a pocket knife in my wallet. Walking along the massive gorge on Earth, Leo sharpens his stick with his knife while carefully monitoring his surroundings. It was truly a surreal sight. The closest thing comparable to his knowledge would be the "Grand Canyon." More than likely, this crevice was eroded through thousands of years due to the running water that was deep within its depths. As he walks down the edge of the canyon for what was an hour or two, a welcome sound enters Leo's ears. SHHHHHHH Hearing running water, Leo becomes excited, knowing his goal is coming up ahead. If it was as loud as it was, it more than likely meant there was a waterfall. Upping the pace in his step, Leo continued forward. The pathway then began to slope up, reaching the point of climbing big steps. Leo looks down towards the canyon to get a good view, not that he had a prime vantage point. After a few minutes, eventually, Leo comes across an arch bridge with a railroad running across it over the ravine. Behind the bridge is a waterfall, leaving a very surreal picturesque landscape in view. Seeing this, he takes out his phone and snaps a picture of it. NICE! Now I have a nice picture AND a source of water! Grinning ear to ear, Leo rushes up to the railroad to see if he can find any information. Unfortunately, there aren't any signs to go off of. However now with it being somewhat later in the day, Leo can see which way the sun is setting in the sky. Using this, he can conclude the railway is running across the east and west. Although neither way is leading north, this doesn't wipe the smile off of his face. After all, this means he's been going north this whole time! HELL YEA!! Talk about lucky! Instead of following the railway, Leo decides to keep following the water northward. After all, it fits the bill for keeping him hydrated and goes the direction he needs to. Two birds with one stone! I could use some water though, good thing it's flowing fairly quickly! I can just drink straight from the stream. Walking over to the waterfall, he can see another forest further upstream with the trees being a different breed. They almost give off an ominous feeling with how dark and dense they are, the canopies seemingly not letting much light reach the floor and undergrowth of the forest. Scooping up some water with his hands from further upstream of the waterfall, he finally gets some much-needed refreshment. "Ahhhh much better," he mutters to himself. Getting his bearings he then notices some movement in the water. It was a slender shadow, slowly moving upstream against the current. "FISH," Leo exclaims, grabbing his makeshift spear he makes a break for the shadow in the water. He takes a throwing stance, holding the spear over his shoulder. Feeling the sensation of the energy within his body, he focuses it first to his back, letting it flow through to his chest and shoulder, then eventually the length of his arm. His spear shoots out from his grasp. ftooom Soon after, the fish is pierced through, leaving a light trail of blood seeping into the stream of water. Walking over the spear slightly sticking out of the water, Leo wears a contagious smile on his face. Lifting the spear reveals that it's a good-sized salmon. Still wearing his grin, Leo checks the time, revealing it to be about three-thirty in the afternoon. Good job me hehe, now all I need is a shelter with fire. It's gonna get late before I know it. For better judgment, Leo decides to trust his gut and not go in the ominous forest but instead into the one he has been walking beside all day. Slinging his dinner on his spear over his shoulder, he sets off. Always trust your instincts kids *wink* hehe. Walking into the more vibrantly colored forest, he systematically checks off places he can and can't camp out at for the night. It's a very good place for a makeshift shelter, with a nice amount of sticks, a bunch of old leaves that are perfect for making the cover for it, and of course plenty of trees to serve as a good foundation. This is perfect!~ Walking around he also sees critters here and there, from squirrels to birds. They were all busy bodies, setting off on their own errands or preparing for the next day. Since it's getting a bit late, he can even hear some of the bugs chirping. The cicadas were especially noticeable, making a noise most similar to a shrieking. Leo finds a nice stump that can be assumed to have snapped from a fierce storm, having splintered. It was fairly tall, reaching up to Leo's waist. This, however, worked in his favor. "If I can find a sturdy stick I can lock it in where it's splintered..." Making a mental note of where the stump is, he then walks around to gather sticks to lay atop a stronger sturdy branch. Thankfully there are plenty lying around, ripe for the picking. After hauling branches back to the stump and going off to look around, he finally comes to a nice sturdy log which is most likely from an uprooted young tree. Once he has it back at his base of operations, he's set. Starting, he lodges the young log within the splinters to serve as a solid foundation for his overnight stay. Then, he starts to lean the other branches he found littered in the forest perpendicular to the aforementioned log. Nice, it's all coming together Once all those sticks are in line, he then lays some of the leaves and dirt on the forest floor on top of them, insulating the shelter in a sense. That'll help make sure rain doesn't come through as easily if there is any. Clearing up the leaves also made space for Leo to make a temporary fire pit to cook his mouth-watering salmon. and keep himself warm for the night No seasoning, unfortunately... I think my hunger can look past that though. To start the fire, Leo first builds what's called a tinder nest, made of thin wood shavings and leaves. This is to help jump-start the fire in a sense once he's able to get an ember. Now with that out of the way, he picks a split log found scouring earlier and makes a v-shape cut into it. This is where the ember will fall into, that way it won't be suffocated from the rubbing that he'll be doing. There he also places the tinder made from before. Next, he makes a depression at the end of the "v" for the stick to not veer off the path. Leo then begins to strip two branches of its bark, making sure one of the sticks has a pointy end. The pointy one meant to skewer the fish while the other for kindling the fire. Now with everything set, he builds up a pile of sticks for the fire. "Time to get to work," Leo yells to himself while he gets the stick between his hands. Putting it into the indent at the end of the "v," he begins to spin the stick vigorously, putting pressure down on it as well. Eventually, his hard work pays off, as he's gifted with a little boon of hot embers. Quickly he begins to blow softly onto the ember and tinder, where it slowly begins to smoke. "Fuuu, fuuu," Leo delicately blows, hoping for good results. Reaching the breaking point, the tinder combusts into a little flame. Swiftly but carefully, he puts the baby flame into the pile of sticks. According to plan, the sticks around the tinder begin to catch, making a beautiful fire for the night. It begins to dance within the slowly dimming afternoon. Sick! It all worked out first try! Fish time! Taking his fish, he pokes the pointy end of his carved stick into the mouth, pushing it out of the other end of the fish. Then he plunges the other end of the stick into the ground near the fire, letting the fish roast from the heat of the fire. "Finally, now I can figure out just what the hell is going on. First I'm transported from my door to the middle of nowhere. Then I can feel a sort of energy course through me whenever I focus on my breathing." He continues to himself, "I just don't understand, it makes no sense!" He punches the ground, gritting his teeth with a vein popping out on his forehead. He began to feel very frustrated from the lack of information he had to his current situation. What the hell should I do?!... Sigh I guess my best bet right now is to see what's up with this energetic sensation... Getting into a comfortable sitting position, he then focuses on his breathing once again. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Slowly but surely, he begins to feel the energy pool within him. It's very erratic at first glance, but after careful study, it seems to flow from his lungs to his abdomen, where there it pools, spins, and flows haphazardly to the rest of his body. Can I move it? Focusing on it, he's able to alter the flow slightly. Deciding to experiment, he tries to make it flow up and down his right arm. First, the pool begins to spin, then the energy leaves the pool of the abdomen, goes up through his heart, through his shoulder, going down to his fingertips, and then finally flowing back the way it came. "AWESOME," Leo bursts out. Trying what he did earlier in the day, he punches out with all of his strength. Feeling the energy flow with it and then... POP! "Holy crap, it's even a little stronger than before!" Unlike before as well, the feeling of lethargy isn't nearly as strong, but Leo feels a change. Focusing inward, he realizes what it is. So it takes up an amount of energy from my abdomen and exerts it out of my body. The next step is to figure out how I can control how much I use. Letting the energy build-up, Leo takes a few minutes to breathe. It's like a feeling of bliss and calmness comes with breathing in the energy. A warm feeling but to the point of being comforting. While doing this, Leo focuses on containing, but also circulating the energy within his body. Wow, this is so refreshing. Almost like the feeling after working out. Deciding to see what would happen if he doesn't contain the energy while circulating it, he lets go in a sense. There, it begins to seep out of his pores, radiating a slight heat. Interesting, the only thing I can think of it being is, in the purest sense, energy... Closing off his pores, he then begins to let the energy build up once more. This time though, he tries to let the energy flow to his brain, which he hadn't tried yet. Beginning in his abdomen, it goes to his heart, then up to his spinal cord, directly into his brain. As soon it goes into his skull, he feels like a curtain was lifted from his perception, causing Leo to become deeply aware of everything. Looking around he begins to notice things that didn't reach his perception before, such as the direction of the slight breeze that washes over him, and just how beautiful the world is. His brain was no longer clouded as much with needless thoughts and notions. However, his mind also caught onto something else. Mmmm, smells delish... Looking over, Leo sees his fish is done. It was dripping liquid from the moisture of the meat and the rendered fat. Around the edges were crispy laces of well cooked skin. Pulling the stick it's on out of the ground he digs in, eating like he hadn't eaten in days. Although it wasn't salted, it was pretty good. Leo however, notices something else as well. Does the fish...have the energy in it too!? ... "IT DOES," he screams out. "Although only very slight, this isn't something I can ignore! Maybe different foods have more of the energy within them?..." Finishing his food, he licks his fingers and lets out a good belch. Out looking over the trees he can see the sky is tinged in a crimson color, indicating it's almost nighttime. One last test and then I think I should rest up for the journey tomorrow Leo wastes no time. He begins to regulate his breathing and flows the energy within his body. Feeling the blob of energy that's pooled together, he begins to try to portion a piece out. He comes to the realization that it's somewhat hard to do since it's like a fluid. However, patience pays as he gets a blob on its own. Now, one last time! Standing up, he moves that blob through the same process as before. Spinning, the energy first goes through his back, abs, up to his shoulder, and then out his arm. poooom Although not nearly as strong as the punch before, it's still stronger than without the energy. HOLY CRAAAP!! This has endless possibilities! I wonder how far I can go with this... Time to call it in though. Today has been a long day hehe. Getting ready for sleep, he first clears out the ground under his shelter from leaves and other waste. After, he plops down and clears his mind, but one thought comes through. I wonder what tomorrow has in store for me...