Fruits and Prayers

Waking up earlier than the night before, Jax began to prepare for the day ahead of him. He had much to do and didn't want to get caught outside when night came. Taking his drawstring backpack and kitchen knife, Jax peered out of the cave, ensuring the coast was clear.

The sky was a light blue with a few white clouds floating high above. Daytime. The winged beast only stays out during the night, so Jax was safe to go on about his business. Squeezing out through the crack that lead into his cave-house, Jax stepped back out into the forest again. This time feeling an intense hunger.

He needed to find some food, or he might starve in the coming days. Setting out back towards the lake, Jax decided to mark the fastest way back through the forest, which only took him a few minutes of walking and marking trees. The lake was just as clear as the days before. Across the water to the west of him, Jax could see the place where his first camp stood. The container he lived in before was shredded to pieces. The roof was split open and large chunks of metal were strewn across the rocky beach.

Jax shuddered. If he had stayed there another night, he would have surely died.

Looking back towards the lake, Jax set down his backpack and knife, before taking off his harness and clothes. Diving into the water, Jax opened his eyes, attempting to spot any fish possible. The shallow areas seemed empty just like when he checked before, but he managed to spot movement in the deeper areas. He was sure that there were fish, but who was to say that there wasn't something like that winged beast in the depths.

Surfacing and swimming back to his clothes, Jax took a moment to wash himself off, before putting his clothes back on, still damp from his dive.

Fish would have to wait until he had a net or rod, so foraging would have to last him for now.

Setting back out into the forest, Jax began looking for fruits growing on trees and berries on bushes. Slowly searching through each bush and staring intently at every branch, Jax was growing weary.

"What if it isn't fruit season?" Jax thought "What if I can't find any? What if they are poisonous?"

Anxiety began to build as his fruit search turned up... fruitless. Finally, after walking back towards his cave, Jax spotted it. A large oak tree that stood slightly above its surroundings, had bright red fruits hanging down from its branches. Jax scurried up the trunk as fast as he could, before sitting down precariously on a large branch.

There hung a red fruit, similar in shape to a cylinder, except that there were small lines that curved over the surface. Jax grabbed the nearest fruit and sliced it open with his knife. Inside was purple flesh, with a texture that resembled oranges. Taking a bite, the juices flowed down Jax's throat, quenching his growing thirst. The fruits' flavors reminded him of the sweetness of an orange, and yet there was a strange meaty flavor as well. His stomach rumbled wanting more. This was the first food he had eaten in over a day. Grabbing more and more fruits, Jax ate them at an astounding rate, leaving behind only the seeds he had spit onto the ground.

After eating his fill, Jax placed a few fruits into his backpack, before continuing on his search. After all, these fruits would only last him so long, and he needed a larger supply of food.

"Maybe ill make a fire and turn some of it into jam, oooh or maybe I can try and roast those seeds for a snack," Jax thought aloud, letting his mind run amok thinking about food.

It was nearly midday, but this search was already a massive success to Jax, as he had managed to avoid starving for quite a while. His search also turned up some berries that looked oddly similar to raspberries, as well as a brown gourd growing on the ground. The berries tasted fine, although a little bland, and the gourd seemed to have already dried up into a solid husk. Cutting off the top, Jax figured he could clean it out and make a sort of water bottle.

Seeing the sun starting to droop, Jax began making his way home, but not before collecting some firewood. Once he reached the cave, instead of returning inside, Jax started a small fire outside, putting some of the red fruit on a stick. He had hoped that the roasted fruit would only taste better, considering its meaty flavor, but it had only added another woody flavor, rather than enhancing the flavor of the fruit.

Next, he tried putting the gourd on the fire, to see if he could use it in place of a pot. Surprisingly, it did not crack or break, though it was extremely hot to the touch when Jax tried to pull it out of the fire. With this gourd, he could try cooking the fruits he found! That was after he cleaned the dirt and seeds out of it. It also meant he could boil the water from the lake, just in case any toxins lingered. The lake looked like clean mountain runoff, but he couldn't be too careful.

Spending the next couple of hours cleaning out the gourd, Jax saw the sun slowly begin to fall towards the horizon. He would need to clean up his little project, gather up all his gear and supplies, and retreat to the cave again.

And so another day ended on Mitte.

....

Far away, in a large office, a young man sat at his desk, looking at the report in front of him. Glancing up, two men sat before him, both hanging their heads down shamefully. They wore classy black business suits, with a silver badge on their left jacket collar, which bore the company's logo, a crane in flight. Looking back at the report, the man's eyebrows scrunched inward.

"Do either of you want to explain this?" the young man asked.

Both men said nothing but hung their heads even lower.

"We shipped on one of the safest routes this side of the galaxy," the young man began, before yelling out in anger "So tell me! How did scum pirates not only seize my ship and kill all my employees but also steal my merchandise!"

The sudden roar of anger made both men shiver. They feared the rage directed at them, and the man emitting such emotion.

"B-b-boss, we promise we were only doing what we thought was best," one man stammered.

"You are both fools! I specifically ordered that every ship be escorted and that every safety precaution be taken. But you both neglected to hire escorts, and failed to equip the ship with emergency systems. Do you think we are poor men?!" the young man reprimanded.

Taking a few deep huffs of air, the young man readjusted himself, before turning his back to his two subordinates.

"You will both be investigated through internal affairs" the young man stated flatly. "If you show no wrong-doings aside from incompetence, then you will simply be demoted from your manager positions."

The two managers' faces frowned. They had worked long to reach this level, and internal affairs would be a nightmare to be investigated through.

"However, if you show any embezzlement, extortion, or any other abuse of power, I will ensure that you have no place in society. Not even the poorest beggar will spare you a glance!"

The men turned pale. They were done for.

"Leave," the young man said.

Hearing the sound of dejected footsteps slowly marching away, the young man looked out the window of his office, staring into the vast emptiness of space. Various ships could be seen arriving and departing, jumping in and out of warp. Each carried the mark of a crane in flight.

He stared out into the void. Silently closing his eyes, the young man wished a small prayer for the employees who had died in the pirates' attack.

"I wish your souls peace, and thank you for your service"

Dong Wei sent out this silent prayer, vowing that something such as this would not happen again.