When sunlight once again illuminated Simon Stone's eyes, his parched tongue touched something tiny and hard.
"Sand?" He forced himself to lift his head.
It was a stretch of beach, where the sea rhythmically crashed against the rocks, and beyond lay a vast coniferous forest.
"We... we're saved!" His eyes flew open wide, hope flooding back into him once more.
He struggled to his feet, only to find the Canary beside him, already deep in unconsciousness.
Cradling her gently in his palm, Simon Stone walked toward the coniferous forest.
The harsh environment shaped him. By now, Simon Stone was no longer the naive monkey who first arrived in this world; as a monkey, he possessed every skill needed to survive.
This was not Blossom Mountain; both the climate and the species made that clear.
There were no abundant fruits here, but even so, he could still find pine cones and walnuts to satisfy his hunger.
This was no challenge for Simon Stone, but the most pressing problem he faced now was not hunger, but thirst.
"Hold on, you must hold on. Just wait a little longer. I’ll find water soon. Don’t die—there will be water any moment now."
The Canary’s breathing grew weaker and weaker, alarming Simon Stone. Though his mind was already foggy, he forced himself to repeat those words over and over, stumbling and crashing through the forest as he ran.
He grabbed leaves at random, not caring if they were poisonous, chewing them in hopes of extracting a little moisture to keep his body going.
He struggled in the coniferous woods all morning before finally discovering a water source—a slender mountain spring trickling gently down from the hillside.
Though it was only a trickle, it was more than enough for a monkey and a bird.
Since the Canary was still deeply unconscious, Simon Stone had to feed her mouth-to-mouth.
"You must survive," he said.
After a long while, the Canary’s eyelids finally fluttered and she managed to swallow some water.
Simon Stone found some local delicacies—peach pits and pine nuts—crushed them, and mixed them with water, feeding them to the Canary bit by bit.
At last, the Canary seemed to stabilize. She opened her eyes and asked, "How did we survive?"