FVB - Chapter 1

On my way home after finishing my part-time job, I was hit by a car while crossing the street. The light had turned green, and I was in the middle of crossing when I saw a car speeding towards me from a distance. I paused for a moment, but then I thought, "Surely it won't hit me," and continued walking.

The car, swerving across lanes, didn't slow down as I expected and slammed into me. I flew through the air and hit the ground. It was so sudden that I didn't immediately feel pain. However, my body was limp, and my vision blurred.

The important thing was that I was still alive then. It's a meaningless assumption, but if the driver hadn't run away, if I had been taken to the hospital in time and treated, I might not have died.

But the driver just fled, leaving me lying abandoned in a quiet, rarely frequented area late at night. As expected, I eventually drew my last breath. It was a meaningless death.

Feeling the pain slowly creep in, I realize that death was colder, lonelier, and more painful than I'd imagined. I didn't try to fight off the overwhelming urge to sleep; I simply closed my eyes slowly, as if swept away by a current. I had no strong attachments to desperately cling to the rest of my life. After that, there was complete darkness.

That should have been the end. But strangely, my eyes opened again.

ꕥ

What the hell? What happened? Did I survive? Or is this the afterlife? Surely someone found me and took me to a hospital? But this place was too "natural" to be a hospital. Instead of a familiar ceiling, I saw a clear, cloudless sky, and I was lying in a field of grass. No one would call this a hospital…

This must be… the afterlife. Judging by the scenery, at least it doesn't seem like hell. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what hell would be like, but since I didn't feel any sense of dread or discomfort, I figured that even if it wasn't heaven, it wasn't hell.

I had been lying in the grass the whole time I was thinking, so I tried to get up to explore my surroundings, whether this was the afterlife or somewhere else. I lost my balance, fell back down, and rolled. I tried to push myself up with my hands, but something stretched out, and the sensation was incredibly unfamiliar.

Is it because I've been lying down for too long? As I struggled to get up, something flapped. Flapped? I stretched out my arm again. What I saw wasn't my familiar arm, but a wing. A wing?! A wing?!

"Screech-!"

I shrieked in terror, and the sound that came out wasn't my voice but a bird-like whistle, almost a Screech. Really? Is this for real…? No, why is this real…?

"Screech…."

I tried to make a sound again, but all that came out was a bird sound. Haha, I often heard people say I talked nonsense, that my mouth only opened to spout "dog sounds" (nonsense)… now it's not even dog sounds, but bird sounds…

Just in case, I checked all over my body. Large wings and legs with four toes. This, no matter how I looked at it, was really a bird. Perhaps because I realized I was a bird and tried to move, my movements became much smoother than before. I carefully stood up. I swayed for a moment but managed to balance myself by spreading my wings.

Did I… reincarnate? As a bird? Is this that famous reincarnation truck? No, but why a bird of all things?! Not even a human!

My indignation lasted only a moment when I felt something odd. This… isn't this a bit far from reincarnation? If I had reincarnated, I should be a baby bird, but my body already looked quite large, and my dense feathers were fluffy and long. In short, I didn't look like a newly hatched bird.

First, to confirm my current appearance, I looked around and saw a puddle not far away. Flapping my wings so I wouldn't fall, I cautiously walked to the puddle and bent my head. Since there was no mirror in this forest, I wanted to at least get a rough look at myself reflected on the surface. Let's see… what kind of bird am I?

"Screech?!"

I couldn't help but be surprised when I saw my reflection on the surface. I hadn't imagined anything specific, but I certainly didn't expect to become an eagle. An eagle! How cool!

"Screech…!"

Yes, if I'm going to be a bird, I'd rather be a super strong one! Whether I reincarnated or whatever, I liked that my appearance looked pretty cool at first glance. I opened my beak, spread my wings, and slightly lifted my leg, looking at the water's surface.

But I couldn't see any talons on my feet. Aren't eagles, as kings of the sky, supposed to have large, sharp beaks and talons? Why are my feet so smooth? Just in case, I put force into my toes, and sharp talons shot out. They were the sharp talons I knew.

Wait, were eagle talons originally retractable? No, they weren't, right? I relaxed my toes, and the talons retracted again. No, what kind of eagle has retractable talons like a cat?!

Come to think of it, my current appearance was slightly different from a typical eagle. My wing and body feathers were black, and only my head was white, making me most resemble a bald eagle. However, to be precise, when seen under the sunlight, they had a shimmering, almost silver quality, and my eyes were the same.

Well, if a human became a bird, what does the feather color matter? Even if it were iridescent, it wouldn't be as surprising as a human becoming a bird. Since I definitely don't look like a baby bird, it probably isn't reincarnation after all. Maybe the reason I was lying in the grass was because I fell while flying? And then I hit my head, which made me remember my past life?

Lost in all sorts of thoughts, I looked up at the sky. Despite my worries, the weather today was exceptionally good. Wait a minute, though…

“…Screech?”

What am I going to eat?

ꕥ

About a month has passed since I became an eagle. I'm not entirely sure. It's not like I have a calendar. I've just been counting the sunrises and sunsets. Anyway, I was adapting much faster than I expected.

Firstly, unlike when I first opened my eyes and couldn't even stand properly, after some time, I naturally learned how to use this body. It wasn't like thinking and moving my body as a human.

I just moved instinctively according to my will, so it didn't take long for me to move as naturally as if I had lived in a bird's body for several years, and flying wasn't difficult either. Of course, I still sometimes got scared when I flew too high and the ground looked impossibly far below.

Furthermore, perhaps because I became an eagle, my sense of direction and eyesight improved immensely. It was amazing, considering I was severely bad with directions as a human. But why are my hearing and smell also excellent? Are eagles normally like that?

The place where I first opened my eyes and have been staying so far was a small forest that took about an hour to circle if I flew quite busily. It seemed there was a village nearby, as a few villagers would occasionally come here to gather things or hunt.

Since the forest wasn't large, there were no threats to me, at least among winged creatures. Knowing this, I became emboldened and took over a crow's nest to stay in. Even if I instinctively knew how to move, I didn't know how to build a nest.

I took the largest one, and due to the basic size difference, the nest was a bit cramped. Still, it was much better than nothing. I managed to secure "shelter," the most difficult and tricky part of food, clothing, and shelter, more easily than expected. 

I feel sorry for the original owner of this nest, who comes every day since I took it over and stares sadly from afar… but what can I do? I have to survive too.

"Screech…!"

I wasn't mocking. I meant I was extremely sorry. But despite my apology, the crow only trembled.

After taking the nest, the next thing I did was look for food. Even if I didn't have basic information about eagles, I knew they were carnivores. But hunting was really not something I wanted to do.

It wasn't a question of whether I could or couldn't. I had sharp talons and a beak, and my body moved much more flexibly and agilely than when I was human. Sometimes, when prey came into view, I had an instinct that I could catch it without much effort. But I couldn't do it. Moreover, after hunting, I would have to eat raw meat, wouldn't I? And eating animal carcasses was even more unappealing. I still needed time to mentally prepare myself.

So, the solution I thought of was to find edible fruits or berries. It was natural that I couldn't distinguish edible berries since I didn't even know if this place was Korea. Instead of risking shortening my lifespan by trying various things, I sat on a tree and observed the occasional foragers.

As a result of observing for several days, I learned not only about edible berries and fruits but also the appearance and effects of the medicinal herbs growing here. This was thanks to a herbalist who often came recently and explained various things to his son.

Anyway, with the unwitting help of humans, I've been surviving by eating fruits so far. I intended to reluctantly hunt if eating only fruits and berries became too difficult, but even after almost a month, there was nothing wrong with my body. Um… so this is weird, right…? Humans can't survive for a month just on fruit…​