Inside of a dark cave, there lay an egg, tugged away in a secure corner. It was hidden behind a crack in the wall, big enough for a child to barely squeeze through.
The egg sat there in what looked like a makeshift nest in the limited space within the crack, occasionally shifting. Tilting left and then right, signaling it was ready to hatch. It's shell was a goldish yellow color with red striped markings, that looked like wings.
The nest was made of dried branches and tree bark, held together by mud and covered in moss, making sure the egg stayed in place without falling over.
Crack!
The eggshell started breaking, as sounds could be heard from the inside. After a short pause, it moved once more, the shell further breaking apart ever so slightly. The egg continued doing this again and again for almost an hour in a consistent rhythm, until finally a hole opened up. It was just big enough for a tiny bird head to poke out, it's eyes nearly closed and struggling to open, as they hadn't yet adapted to the dimly lit cave. The small fledgling exerted as much force as its newborn body could manage and the egg gave way in response to its efforts. Exhausted by the entire process, the tiny bird gave a high pitched cry and laid down to rest on the shards of its own eggshell.
(So tired …)
Despite trying not to fall asleep, it was about to lose against its drowsiness, only remaining awake because of the hunger it felt. A few agonizing minutes later, it succeeded in focusing long enough to organize its thoughts.
(Last thing I remember … that's right, the goddess Celeste …)
Paul started remembering, what had happened.
(She send me to another world … Ok, so this the other world. But WHERE am I?)
He tried to look around but couldn't recognize much in the darkness outside the small crack in the wall, where his nest was hidden. In the far off distance he could see a dim light, so small as if someone had lit a candle and left there.
(This isn't helping … next question, why am I feeling so weird? And why am I so tired?)
Paul then tried to move and realized, that he was much closer to the ground that usual. Not only the ground, but everything around him seemed so much bigger than it used to be.
(Whats going on?)
Standing up he noticed a big difference in his center of gravity, causing him to stumble and fall down.
Chirp!
(That hurt … wait, chirp? What?)
Now understanding was slowly dawning on him, as he tried to talk out loud.
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
For a moment, he stood there in shock, processing his new reality.
(No way … Celeste said, she would make me a powerful race)
He then looked at himself, seeing his featherless body. His new body had an appearance similar to an uncooked and miniature rotisserie chicken.
(What the hell is this? What about my isekai bonus? Wasn't I supposed to be powerful?)
Paul felt an indigent rage swell up in his chest, but when he tried to voice it, only high pitched chirping sounds came out.
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
After a couple minutes he ran out of steam and flopped on the floor in a lethargic manner.
(So hungry … Ah, I guess, probably because I just got reborn. But where am I going to get food? To begin, what do birds eat? I was never much of an animal lover. We never even had pet at home)
He looked out of his little hiding spot once more and unlike before he was able to see a little further than before, as his eyes grew more accustomed. If he wanted to eat he would have to go out and find something for himself.
(No pain, no gain, huh?)
Paul didn't even know where he was, so he might as well explore while searching and his first goal would be whatever light source was emitting that dim light in the distance.
Once he had made up his mind, he was ready to leave the nest, quite literally. He took small resolute steps and left through the crack in the wall, which was more than big enough to fit through with his brand new stature.
Waddling along in the darkness, he suddenly tripped over his own feet. He wasn't used to his new body yet and fell flat on his face. Getting up once more, he walked in a circle to find the best balance with his non-humanoid body. After some practice and falling a couple times, he found the best way of moving.
Continuing on the path, the space between the walls widened until it opened up, into an empty cavern. Surrounded by darkness, he could barely see the walls if not for the dim light coming from the front. Getting closer and closer, he noticed the source of the light. At the far end was a small pond with a rock reaching out of the water. The rock was covered in luminescent moss, glowing in a soft blue hue. That was then reflected in the water and illuminated the cave in an aurora, which wriggled like blue snakes along the walls.
(Blue moss? I guess this really is a fantasy world)
Paul looked at the clear water in the pond, judging whether it's safe to drink or not.
(Not like I have much of choice)
He took a small sip, to gauge the taste and observing if something moved in the water. But since nothing happened he simply moved on.
(I already have shelter with the nest, so it's good to have a nearby water source. Next I need food)
This was a major problem for him. As a newborn baby he didn't have much endurance to begin with and it was only a matter of time until he starved.
Paul had done several emergency drills in his past life and he remembered enough from it, so for now he needed to follow the survival basics. Food, water, shelter and clothes. The nest served as shelter and he was lucky to find water so close to it. Being a non-human, he had no need for clothes, which meant his next priority was food. Without another choice, his exploration of the cave continued.
A quick look around, revealed two paths to the left and right of the pond. First he went along the right path and found a dead end.
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
(What the hell? What a waste of time!)
His bird face physically didn't allow him to pout, or else he would be doing so right now. In fact, his waddle walk seemed a little sassier heading towards the other path.
Down the left path was immediately more promising. While it looked like a long tunnel, at the end of it, he could see a reddish-orange light. Something new to explore and Paul wasn't going to miss it.
Although his stomach was growling at him and his survival instinct was constantly flaring up, there was still an irrepressible feeling inside him. Like an itch that he couldn't scratch.
It was unmistakable. He was in a fantasy world and even if the start of his new life was somewhat underwhelming, he was eager to experience it all and enjoy it to the fullest. With a sense of wonder accompanying him, he marched forth.
The path wasn't particularly large to an average human, barely reaching a height of two meters. But in comparison to Pauls new size, it almost appeared gigantic. His small but steady steps, carried him towards the end of the path, as he gradually felt the temperature rise. It took a few minutes to reach the end, all the while the light became brighter and the heat swelled. But to his surprise it felt quite pleasant, lifting his spirit and re-energizing him. He was curious why that happened, only to get distracted by the scene in front of him just a few seconds later.
Paul watched in astonishment, as the path lead him to a river of lava. It's slow and smooth flow created an inpasseable obstacel for him, which left him with no other way to go. Once he learned to fly, he would be able to go further down this way. But for now he was stuck.
He stood in place observing the lava flow, while his mind wondered off elsewhere.
(Here I stand
my adventure over
in Märchenland
what a short do-over)
As he was busy thinking nonsense, he didn't notice the movement in the lava getting closer. The creature slowly swam towards him, it's movement unhurried.
(Anyway, why am I not affected by the heat even though the lava is right there?)
Suddenly a maw jumped out of the lava. The teeth closing in on him barely missed his small body, instead ripping into his wing and tearing it in half.
Kriiiee!
He let out a shriek in pain, his now torn wing bled on the ground. The blood burst into smoke upon hitting the ground.
The creature quickly tried taking a second bite to finish it's prey, but failed once more.
Pauls survival instincs instantly went into overdrive, making his tiny legs move as fast as they possibly could. Being a baby bird with no strength to speak of, he didn't hesitated for even a second ran.
The slender and scaly creature broke into a sprint in pursuit. It's scales shimmered from the heat they radiated, leaving behind a trail while running.
Paul didn't dare turn around, feeling the creatures breath on his body. He simply focused on running, trying to increase the distance. For this life and death situation every millimeter counted. Within a few seconds, he had traversed the entire path that had taken him minutes before.
Arriving before the crack to his nest, he jumped in hoping the narrow passage would keep the creature out.
THUD!
Hearing the noise of impact, he finally turned and much to his surprise he saw an energy barrier blocking the entrance to his nest. Much to his relief, he was safe.
The creature clawed at the barrier in frustration, but failed to leave even a scratch.
(This has to be Celeste handiwork, right?)
Paul reasoned, while watching the monster rage outside his nest. Now that he could look at it properly, he recognized the dog sized lizard. This was a Salamader and considering its size, it was still young and looking for an easy meal. It soon realized, that it's fangs and claws weren't enough. The Salamander took a deep breath and spewed out a fireball, which exploded on the barrier without making so much as a dent.
Paul simply observed from the other side of the impressive barrier.
(I guess the NEET lifestyle isn't so bad after all)