Derek looked out from the branch he was standing on, bow in hand and an arrow set to be knocked. He has been traveling for well over six hours and was well deep in the heart of the Spine. Earlier he spotted a game trail that was very fresh, telling him that either a deer or a herd just recently passed through there. So he decided to do a little hunting. Which is why he was standing on a branch overlooking a small herd of deer.

He surveyed throughout the herd, searching for one that was away from the others and looked weak. He spotted one that was grazing by itself. He realized that it was doe, a female. She looked a little skinny but still had meat on her bones. Meat that would support him for the trip through the spine. So Derek point the bow and arrow at the doe and knocked the arrow. Then he released the arrow.

The arrow struck true. The arrow pierced the doe's heart. The doe fell and after a few seconds of struggle and flailing, the doe ceased all movements. As the doe fell, the herd fled in a hurry. Derek jumped down from the branch and landed with a thud. Then he slowly made his way towards the doe.

Once he reached the doe, he knelt down and grabbed the arrow. With a twist he pulled the arrow out and placed it on the ground next to him. As he inspected his kill, he heard a rustling sound from the bushes in front of him. He grabbed his now and another arrow and knocked it. Then he heard more rustling from the bushes. Then he saw something step out of the bushes.

It was a buck. And it looked angry. It snorted and stomped it's hooves. Derek looked down at the now dead doe and realized that this doe was the buck's partner. He hurriedly pulled the arrow back as the buck leaned it's head forward and charged.

He was so focused on the charging buck that he didn't hear the growl coming from behind him. On instinct, he ducked to the left and fell. Leaping over him, a large beast pounced on the buck, tearing into it's sides until it had it's jaws on the bucks neck.

Derek got up and slowly turned around to see what it was that made the growl. His eyes grew wide as her realized what the beast was that pounced on the buck.

It was a Griger.

From what his father told him, Grigers were one the reasons, though some were rumors, that the Spine is so dangerous. Grigers can grow to the size of a horses. The retractable claws on it's paws were knife like and can rip throw metal like knife through butter. With those claws they can climb trees easily. It's fangs were razor sharp. On the Grigers back is a fine layer on bumpy and hard scales that go from the base of it's head to the tip of it's tail. Although it's a fierce and savage beast, it's intelligence could almost rival that of a human. That's why they're such dangerous creatures.

Derek slowly moved back towards the doe, the griger's following his every movement. By the time Derek has reached the doe, the buck was no longer moving, it's neck in the tight jaws of the Griger. The Griger made no move as Derek grabbed the doe carcass and pulled it away.

Derek was relieved that what his dad said was true. That Griger won't touch or take for their own another person's or creature's kill. As he was several feet away, the Griger got up and pulled the buck's carcass away and out of sight.

Derek then knelt down and began cleaning the doe. With the fur put in his bag and the meat put away for later, he continued on his journey.

~.~

He traveled for well over an hour and a half before he stumbled upon the lake. And that's exactly what he did. He lost his footing because an uprooted tree root and he tripped, causing to stumble and tumble to the ground. He grunted in annoyance and pain.

He sat up and gasp in surprise. In front of him was a beautiful lake about eight to ten kilometers wide. He looked around and saw that the Forrest surround the lake on all sides, forming a barrier from everything around. It was though the forest of the Spine was guarding something, protecting something.

'A lake?' He asked himself as he got up. 'Why is there a lake in the middle of the forest? Another secret of the Spine I guess.'

He decided to set up camp on the shore of the lake. He placed his bag on the ground and took the portable tent out and set up. Once the tent was pitched, he took the rest of his supplies and placed them in the tent. Then he turned around and surveyed the lake.

The water looked peaceful. Serene and beautiful. The water looked like a good place to go for a swim. Or at least a bath. He took his bow and quiver and placed it in front of the tent. Afterwards he took his knives and placed them on the quiver. Then he began to strip until he was only in his undergarments and placed his clothes in the tent. Then he walked over to the lake and knelt. Then he swept his hand slowly across the water. The water was quite warm despite the slight chill of the air.

Derek stood up and dove in. He started swimming when a thought came to him. 'The water is warm. But how is it so warm? It's also comfortable I could take a nap in this water.' Derek was astonished on how warm this lake was. He dove a little deeper. He couldn't see anything because it was so dark.

He went back up and as he did, a fish he never seen before swam right past him. It was a curious fish, with white mini scales all over it's body. It was the size that made it so curious to look at. It was the size of his head if slightly smaller. It's fins stood out from it's body, flapping a little to move it's body. The fish started swimming around him.

As he continued to watch, more interesting fish came into his view. All of them peculiar look. One fish looked like a snake with fins on the front and back sides of it's body. Another looked palish white with a dorsal fin on it's back. There was also a small pool of small fish of scales of all kinds of colors.

He was again astonished to see all these kinds of fish that he never heard of before. They were all interesting to look at. Another came to his head. 'Another interesting thing this lake has revealed. Warm water and interesting creatures. What's next?'

He realizes then that he needed air, so he went up to the surface and bursted out, taking a lung full of air. He wiped his eyes and let out a laugh he was holding in. "This place is interesting." He swam towards  shore and got out. After he dried off, he put his clothes back.

He looked up and noticed that it was getting dark. "Guess it's time to start a fire." He went back in the forest and picked up a few dead wood and twigs he can find. After getting back to camp, he started a fire. He took the meat out and set a spit over the fire, cooking the meat.

As he soon as he finished eating, he looked out at the lake. In the glow of the fire, the lake looked just beautiful. He let out a yawn. "Guess it's time to go to sleep. Looking forward to a great day tomorrow. Who knows what is gonna happen." He douses the flames and went in his tent. As his head hits the bag, he begins to doze off.

'Who knows what will happen.' He thinks as sleep takes him. Unbeknownst to him, he was gonna get his answer, because in the middle of the lake, there was a spot that glowing faintly. It glowed then faded only to glow again, as though something was about to happen.

*Welp, that sums up this chapter. Hoped you enjoyed it. Hoped you like the Griger. Don't forget to comment and vote. Thanks for reading.*