I held out a bone reluctantly to the seemingly friendly, though still very wild wolf. It eventually grew red tufts of fur around its neck to show its love for me.
"Haha!" I shouted in triumph. I had bought myself a lifelong friend with a few old femurs. The puppy stumbled back at the sound of my exclamation. I petted the slightly startled creature, who I christened Jessiah, and played with him awhile.
I was suddenly assaulted by a terrible villain. He sought my belongings, but when he learned I had almost nothing, he started beating me down. I thought it was all over. My life was flashing before my eyes: The day I got my first bike, the day I crashed said bike, the day I learned the importance of a helmet, etc. I was reliving the time I tripped over my own feet on my first real date when Jessiah hurtled out of the shadows and took down the cretin with alarming ease. I was both shocked and enlightened by the young puppy's ability to kill for me. He saved the life of his brand new caretaker. I silently vowed to give him the best life I possibly could. This wolf was special. I led my new companion to my apartment in JefferStudios Towers.
Jessie seemed unimpressed at my bare apartment. He longed for a comfy bed to lounge on. I did not even have a bed for myself. The hidden fees the owner of JefferStudios attached to the place forced me to sell all of my belongings, save for a few bones and a singular brown egg. I started pacing the room, pondering what I should do.
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Jessie let out a horrifying yelp. I turned with alarm and saw the same criminal from before trying to push Jessie down the stairs. He was a zombie, risen from the dead. Jessie was too frightened of the monster to fight him. I pulled Jessie from him and uttered an incantation that protects the utterer's home from undead. The zombie was pushed out by an unseen force. I sat down and examined Jessie.
He seemed mostly unharmed, thank Armok. I hugged him and told him the bad news.
"I'm going away for awhile, Jessie," I said quietly. "We need food and furniture and a stove and torches and--" I stopped midsentence. I looked into Jessie's eyes and thought I saw them start to water. I didn't know dogs could cry. I teared up a bit as well. It felt awful to leave him so soon, but it was what was best for the both of us. I set the bones on the floor in his reach. He nibbled on one sadly.
"I'll return soon, don't you worry!" I assured him. "And I promise, when I get back, I'll build you the most incredible bed ever slept on." He perked up happily at this sentence. He panted happily at me and I couldn't help but smile back. I petted him good bye and walked out the door.
I walked a long ways from the Towers. I made sure to keep them visible on the horizon, so I wouldn't get lost. I dug into a hill and set up camp. I forged myself some tools and dug down to the great unknown. The great, dangerous unknown.
After what seemed like hours of digging I opened up a hole into a cave. I thought I had tunneled to the inside of a volcano. Or perhaps the Nether. Lava was spewing out the walls. It was all I could do not to get hit by burning hot magma. I quickly covered up the source and lit up the cave. I couldn't believe my eyes.
The walls were shimmering. Gold. Jessie would love to see the shiny metal. I mined out the large vein and continued on.
The next area was even more lava-filled than the last. If the previous room was the Nether, this was the sun itself. I peered across a smaller pool of lava and saw what every miner hopes to encounter: The bluish green tint of diamond. I was dumbfounded by my incredible luck. I had found gold, iron, coal, a strange blue ore, and diamond, all in the span of a few minutes. Jessie would be pleased. I made my way across the pool and mined out the diamond. I had to go deeper.
I continued along the cave, finding more gold and iron, I stored my treasures in a chest near the beginning of the cave in case I were to fall. Of course, I never did. This cave was incredibly safe. No siree, no danger here.
Then I heard a sound.
Then I felt a sharp pain in the back of my leg.
And another.
A skeleton was after me. I turned around to face it. It was firing at me with no mercy. It wanted me dead. I tried to run away, but another appeared. I cut it down with my sword I forged earlier and barricaded a small area. I took a few deep breaths.
I was safe, but I was in bad shape. I could hardly breathe. My small space couldn't have much oxygen. My arms and legs were bloody from arrow wounds. I had to get out. I had to survive. For Jessie. I MUST RECOVER.
I could hear the skeleton and a few zombies outside my temporary base. I wouldn't survive an encounter with them. The only way out was to dig. Luckily I brought along a few extra picks. I was going to need them.
I slowly worked away at the wall. In my injured state, I couldn't do the work quickly, but I could do it. I had no other choice. I simply had to get out. I don't know how long I was at it for. Days, maybe. A gravel collapse nearly ended me. With sheer determination and a bit of luck, I finally made it back to the surface. The light hurt my eyes that had long adjusted to the darkness of the cave, but the warmth was very welcome.
I was starving. I looked around for a food source: A pig, some berries, anything. I found nothing. Nightfall came. If one of the monsters got hold of me I would certainly die. I dug myself a small hole and blocked off the entrance. I lit a torch and sat on the damp ground. I looked up at the moon and wondered how Jessie was doing. It started thundering. I hoped he wasn't afraid of the booming noise. I heard sounds of zombies and spiders outside my small hole in the ground, but I tried to ignore them. I sat awake all night.
What I could only call "morning" came with a start. I listened to the sound of zombies and skeletons burning to death and waited for them to die down before considering leaving my temporary home. I hesitated. I could still hear spiders. Would they attack? Are there creepers outside? I couldn't tell. I sat. My nerves were pounding. I had to do something. I had to get back to my Jessie.
TO BE CONTINUED? (probably not)
