(???) man was asleep in a clearing. Fully clothed and nondescript, just short hair, clean clothing and a pair of worn shoes with nothing else.

He wakes up as if someone flipped a switch, looking around in shock.

[Where... the hell am I?]

He gets up and goes over to one of the trees touching it. After some hesitation he slaps the tree. He promptly starts cursing and shaking his hand. 

[Son of a... this is real? What... no why am I in the jungle?]

He freezes suddenly with a stark chill up his spine as he hears a low growl behind him. Slowly turning around he sees a large wolf, its shoulder on level with his own. Standing at the opposite edge of the clearing it continues to growl as it slowly, oh so slowly circles towards him.

The man slowly starts backing away keeping eye contact with the wolf, involuntarily noting details about the wolf with a rapidly growing sense of dread. He'd never seen one in person before and definitely was not excited to have the opportunity now. The wolf... looked sort of right beyond being far too large, but its shadow almost moved independently of its body. He was fairly sure it wasnt supposed to have snow drifting from its fur and exhaling what he could only assume to be frost.

He can't back up very far though before he hits a tree, wincing.

[fuck.]

Instantly the wolf lunges at him causing him to dive in desperation around the tree. Scrabbling back to his feet he grabs a branch and tries to climb the tree as the wolf literally bites a chunk out, freezing the area around it. Its growl gets louder as if actively hating him for daring to dodge. snorting as it spits out the chunk of wood, it steps around the tree and lunges once more.

Thunk

(A fight between man and wolf, man only armed with a club and finally ending it with a shard)

(The wolf dissolves and flows into him causing him to pass out as he hears whispers convincing him to change, to be powerful, to become more... and to hunger. )

(Awakens and checks himself frantically after the feeling of all those mutations to make him "more", but tries to convince himself that it was just a dream.)

(Figures out something did change, now he can reinforce something, specifically in relation to himself. Tries to find a safe spot away from monsters where he can clearly see something coming. Changes his mind when he sees a giant ass bird. Finds a spot to aurally sleep before getting found by a monster)

[Shit... Shit... Shit]

A young man runs through a rather odd jungle, nearly naked with shredded clothing but decent shoes on his feet. He's covered in grime sweat and blood, but no visible wounds.
[Come on... Just a bit more...]

Behind him is an odd creature that looks like a cross between a tiger and a bear... but the size of an elephant. The only thing that's kept him just out of reach being that it's slamming through all the greenery and thereby being slowed... slightly.

Ahead of him he sees a slight clearing which he looks like he's going to run into... until he dives under a particularly large tree. He closes his eyes and with a slight whimper he punches his arm into the wood. While it works somehow, it also shatters his arm shoving a broken bit of bone out of the other side.

[FUUUUUUUCK!]

The creature chasing him doesn't give up and rams into the tree full force... but unlike the rest, this tree holds.

It roars and starts going nuts trying to destroy the tree to get to the small morsel that dares defy it by surviving. Slowly it is breaking off chunks of the tree and carving into it, breaking away at this last bit of protection... and while its focus is entirely on its next meal, it fails to notice the growing shadow until its too late.

A Roc drops onto it, smashing its entire body into the ground and snapping its spine like a twig before releasing a ringing cry and tearing into it with glee even as the body dissolves into light, absorbing into the Roc.

Under the tree, the man is desperate to not make any noise and attract this latest horror, even as the blood runs from his mouth and arm. He stays there trying not to move as he watches the bird start glowing and turn almost fluid... becoming a monstrosity with giant claws on its hind legs, and it's wings having become what appears to be a set of lion paws complete with razor sharp claws and an odd groove going down the middle. Crying out in triumph the new... thing opens its arms into a set of truly massive wings and takes flight once more, looking for its next target. 

[What the fuck is this hellhole?!]

He whimpers and tears start falling as he pulls his arm out of the wood, before grabbing his broken arm by the wrist and pulling it until the bone sucks back into his arm. His jaw clenches and even more blood runs out of him as he tries to make things at least look right without making too much noise and attracting some other monster. Shredding more of his clothing he cleans off his face and binds his arm so the bones stay roughly in place before collapsing to the ground with large shuddering breaths

[Shit...]

Rolling over, he pulls himself to his feet and checks his arm - its already healing.

[Not going to be useable for a few minutes... well, with that thing flying overhead everything else should be laying low... and I should be too small to catch its attention.]

He walks over and starts gathering up some debris from the fights, shoving it into a pile at the base of the tree. During the entire process he is careful to keep an eye on it so it doesnt "clean up". By the time he has a decent pile to work with, his hand is functional again so he starts grabbing odds and ends and fusing them together.

After he's done he has what appears to be a hybrid stone/wood bat, a large spear and a couple smaller ones. He ties them together and attaches them to his back before glancing around himself at the once more pristine clearing.

[Just in time.... This place is so weird.]

He looks around for a minute before shaking his head. Walking up to the tree he carefully begins climbing.

(Continues to survive, finding out that while his hunger keeps growing there's nothing to eat. Even if the animals were safe the bodies disappear fast and there's no edible plants) 

(Finally the last few things die, leaving just him and a... thing that is a horrible combination of the various creatures, constantly shifting in ways as needed... and it's insistent in hunting him. )

(Figures out the thing can understand him somewhat. Argument and fight ensue and he convinces it to become a symbiote instead, to work with him instead of devouring him.)

(Next chapter - wakes up on the derelict in a distinctly non human body that the creature (taotei) dug out of his mind as a more capable form than human)