The afternoon in the Amazon Rainforest was unusually quiet, the hot, humid breeze carrying the scent of vegetation slowly through the trees.
Li Xiang and Xeno wandered between the low shrubs, their heads lowered as they carefully searched for something edible.
Vegetation grew thick deep in the rainforest, but very little of it was actually safe to eat. After searching in circles for ages, they found only a small handful of unremarkable wild berries.
The berries were tiny, but they were better than nothing.
Li Xiang found a clean stretch of stream and gently rubbed the berries clean. After draining off the water, she handed them to Xeno beside her.
"We don't have much to work with. These wild berries are all we've got, so let's eat a little to tide us over."
Xeno accepted the berries without thinking much of it and slowly began eating them. Li Xiang sat beside him, taking small bites, planning to make a fishing spear once she had recovered a little strength.
The forest stream flowed gently and probably held fish. Once she made a simple fishing spear, they could keep themselves fed. That would beat eating wild berries.
The two quietly ate their berries, the atmosphere peaceful.
If nothing went wrong, something was definitely about to.
Less than two hours after eating, Li Xiang suddenly felt a powerful wave of nausea churn in her stomach and wash over her whole body.
Her face went pale. She immediately sprang up, rushed to a nearby patch of bushes, and bent over, vomiting violently.
Her stomach was empty, with barely anything to bring up. All that remained was relentless nausea and dry heaving, leaving her weak and shaky.
Only after a long while did she raise a hand to wipe her mouth and brace herself against