My best survival story yet; long read

[Rocket]

Hello everyone. I, like most of you here, have been drawn to this game like few games before it. I've put in maybe a half-dozen games, each one building on the last. At first I had no idea in what areas I could push the game, but now I'm starting to get the hang of it. Here's my story of an interesting survival from last night, probably my most entertaining to date.

I started the game in Alan's Cave near Mystery Lake. I had not been here before, and I made my way to the frozen lake's surface. Across the lake I could see fishing shacks, so I set out to scavenge what I could. I was excited to find that the fishing shack had a fishing hole, albeit frozen over. In the first shack I found some fishing tackle but, with nothing to break through the ice, it was worthless. I made my way to the second shack, all the while listening to the ice crackle under my feet. At this point I still had no idea whether or not it's possible to break through into the frigid water, so I spent some time carefully picking my way along areas of ice that had snow (assuming it was thicker there) and getting to island banks to walk along. Each fishing shack proved to be a bounty of supplies: food, clothing, tools. Not in the least, I had found a knife. At last I had the elements necessary to fish, something I had not been able to accomplish in prior games. I went to work, breaking through the ice, and managed to land 3 fish before the line broke.

I had spawned about 4pm in the afternoon and by this time it was starting to get dark out. Hearing wolves howl in the distance, I figured it was a good idea to equip a flare for any emergency. Recognizing that the shack was my best option for shelter and survival through the night, I quickly lit a fire and stoked it with enough wood to last a few hours. With my back to the wall, I faced the door, ready with a flare for any wolf that might peak through. I hoped the fire in the stove would be enough to scare anything off, but I really didn't know. I spent some time cooking and eating my fish, as well as melting snow and boiling water. About 11pm that night, the wind started to pick up, and a big storm started to blow. I stoked the fire even more and watched the winds swirl outside. I was so glad to be inside, even if it was a simple shack without a door. Visibility was reduced to just a few feet as the sky was completely obscured. At this point fatigue was becoming a factor, and, since I hadn't heard a wolf in a while, I carefully rolled out my bedroll next to the fire and stole an hour of sleep here and there. When I wasn't sleeping I spent time foraging for wood for the fire, or watching the door.

Morning came and the storm subsided. It was actually a decent day outside, so with flare in hand, I set out. I soon found the Lake Cabins, but for all their promise they yielded just a few cans of food. Not that I was complaining, I just had been hoping for a bit more. I continued on, finding the last fishing shack. With no tackle to fish, I simply pilfered what I could and continued on toward the Camp Office. It was then I had my first real challenge: a wolf. The wolf was about 75 yards away, to my right, along the lake's edge. It had taken notice of me and howled before I had spied him. I turned to face the source of the sound. He then started to slink toward me, closing the gap between us faster than I expected. I lit my flare. The wolf kept coming, so I started to run toward the Camp Office, looking back to track my pursuer. I didn't know if the flare would be sufficient to ward off a wolf simply by holding it, so I stupidly threw it at the advancing creature. While it stopped the wolf for a bit, it simply went around the flare and continued its pursuit. This wasn't a fast pursuit, as I could not expect to outrun a wolf in open terrain, more of like a hurried jog toward my destination. The flare seemed to be doing it's job, but I wasn't in the mood to find out how well it was working and tempt the wolf.

I managed to make it to the cabin, and stepped inside. It was dimly lit, but enough to see comfortably. All the while, the flare was burning brightly in my hand. Then I had an epiphany: I no doubt had been able to ward off the wolf with the hand-held flare. How else to explain it keeping its distance? Emboldened, I stepped back outside. I looked to the right, toward the lake, and saw the wolf in the distance. Safe for now, or so I thought. I heard a noise to my left, and just around the side of the building another wolf lurked! It lunged toward me and I frantically backpedaled toward the door. "Why isn't the flare working???," I thought to myself as I fumbled to get in, which I managed to to. I think the flare had kept the wolf from pouncing, but nonetheless it was a heart pounding experience.

So there I was, back in the building with a burning flare in my hand. I tried to see if I could extinguish it to save for a later time, but it was no use and burned completely out. My disappointment at being cornered in the Camp Office quickly evaporated as I found a plethora of new supplies to manage. A lantern. New boots. A heavier coat. Pieces of cloth and leather that would allow me to repair some of my tattered items. A tool kit. And food. Plenty of food. Since I was a bit chilled from my encounter with the wolves outside, I lit a fire and enjoyed the 81F heat. I was also a bit encumbered from all of the loot I had found within the cabin, so I dropped my bedroll in front of the stove and proceeded to nap. This would prove to be a mistake, which I will get to later.

I figured that with wolves lurking outside, now would be a good time to eat some of my supplies. With my belly somewhat full, this would also afford me the chance to work on crafting more fishing tackle. I also dropped a few supplies in front of the workbench, to save on some carry weight and also to make them readily available. I continued crafting, exploring the cabin, and resting until the next morning.

Once the next day broke, I figured I wasn't going to be able to spend the rest of my time inside, and now was as good a time as any to take a peek outside. I cautiously stepped out the door, flare in hand, ready to light it at the sight of an approaching wolf. To my relief, there were none. Emboldened, I made my way to the rest of the unexplored structures I had missed the day before while running from the wolves. Again, huge hopes, but nothing amazing was found. I figured the best thing to do would be to continue to fish and hang out in the shack, a nice toasty fire keeping me company. I fished through the afternoon, landing a few beauties. With my fire going I was able to provide myself with a good meal and good drinking water. What I hadn't accounted for, however, was my growing fatigue. By that time, it had grown dark. I didn't think it would be a problem due to my prior experience being in the shack late at night. Enough wood was available, and food was good this time. But that fatigue. I was nearing my physical limits, and with much of the night left, I figured the best thing to do would be to deploy my bedroll and rest. But wait! That crucial mistake was starting to play out. My bedroll was back at the Camp Office, and without knowing any other way to rest, I knew I was in trouble. I had two options as I saw it. First, I could try to stick it out in the shack through the night, becoming more and more exhausted as the night dragged on. Or, I could set out in the dark across the lake toward the Office, not knowing what I would find. Maybe this is where my newness got the best of me, but I decided that I would rather get back to my warm bedroll, plenty of food in hand, and safety from the wolves. So with a precious final flare in hand, I stepped out.

All I could hear was the crunching of my feet on the ice. It was clear out, but very dark near ground level. While I could see the sky and stars plainly, details along the surface of the lake were hard to make out. Then I saw it. Two points of light, yellow and close together, moving toward me. Quickly. By the time I realized what they were it was too late. With a snarl the wolf was on me. I tried frantically to light my flare, but I wasn't able to before the beast was on top of me. At this point, I think it's worth pointing out that I have very little idea how to fight off a wolf, having never been successful. But this fight was different. This fight was lasting longer. Do I push left-mouse repeatedly, or hold it down? I decided tapping the button was the way to go. Maybe it was my imagination, but the power meter seemed to be growing this time. Seconds seemed to take minutes as I decided that now, NOW would be the time to press right-mouse and get this beast off of me. NOW would be the first time I would survive a wolf attack. It appeared I was right, that I would win, that I would walk away bloodied, but alive...until the dreaded red text faded onto my screen as I faded out due to loss of blood. I was dead, just another victim of The Long Dark....