Chapter 5

The first thing that hit me while roasting the squirrel was the exquisite aroma of tender meat being cooked. Why exquisite, because the thing smelled like grilled meat filled with all kinds of especias poured in it. It was weird and delicious. I didn't put anything in it – for obvious reasons I don't have especias with me – but it was already the best meat I have ever seen. 

The scent wafting from it together with its juices made the sight quite a captivating one. I was craving to get even a little bite, but to be sure that it wouldn't have any unpleasant surprises down the line I had to endure with an enormous amount of willpower. 

The minutes seemed to advance at such a slow pace that it appeared that time itself was going backward. The wait seemed endless to me. But when it finally got perfectly cooked inside and I tried the first bite, all the negative emotions and desperation disappeared from my mind. It was a perfect replica of the sensations I got while trying the berry, a little less intense, but the same nonetheless.

This can only mean that the berries were not poisonous and every edible thing on this planet may have the same flavor. That, or everything is poisonous to me. Either way, I needed to eat, and compared to the little squirrel, the berries were easier to get and much more tasty. That doesn't mean that I would stop hunting if even a little squirrel dares to attack me – and seeing how it evolved to be carnivorous – then everything in this place could kill me if I'm distracted. 

For now, let's enjoy the feast in front of me and try to get some good sleep. 

The next day, again, I did a light workout to keep in shape. Then began searching in the river for a place where I could clean myself. Two exhausting days without a bath were beginning to show. And maybe some delicious little fish will come with the current and get into my hands. It took me some time to reach the perfect spot, but it was worth it. I could see if some animal tried to get to me while washing and defend myself.

The bath itself was pretty normal, nothing got near me and I couldn't see even a single fish swimming around – which was a pity, I wanted to see if the fish had the same or better flavor than the little squirrel. The water was cold, too cold for my tastes, but there was nothing I could have done. 

The day was just beginning and I had so much to do to ensure my survival, but even then, I stopped myself from time to time to check out the surroundings. Trying to see if some prey was at hand, getting in the sights formed by the combination of nature and the first rays of sunlight, and sometimes spotting some agile shadow crossing in the distance. The weird thing is that I could only spot big animals in the distance. Like they were trying to avoid getting near the river at all times. Maybe it is my imagination, but being careful never hurts anybody. So, just to be sure, I was always on the lookout for some gigantic monster to pop out of the water – the river went pretty deep in some places and it was unusual – ready to flee for my life.

While walking around something caught my eye. There were some broken branches near a squalid tree. Normally, I would have ignored it, but something inside was telling me to check it out. That it was safe, there would not be any problem to do so, and maybe this could be some once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would let me survive even more time in this godforsaken place. Finally, thinking to myself that my subconscious may be right, I decided to investigate the little tree. Imagine my surprise when, right beside the tree, there was some gem glistening with the sunlight. It had the shape of a little teardrop, its color a shade of green mixed with some blues here and there.

It was a finely crafted piece of jewelry all right, but right now I need objects much more practical than some little shiny gem. Maybe I could carve it into a spearhead or a knife, but I don't know anything about craftsmanship. For now, it would be a useless piece of equipment, but maybe I could use it sometime later. That or it will just take space in the cave. Either way, I'm keeping this gem.

Getting back into the cave I started considering my options as to which renovations to make. Getting a new bed is definitely at the top. I also need some racks to be able to process some leather or to dry some meat in case this place has four seasons. I would not want to be starving in the middle of the winter or die because of the low temperatures. All in all, I really need a new bed to keep me warm during the harsh months or on really cold nights and some pelts to make new, warm, clothing and beadsheets.

The most pressing matter right now is to collect wood. The only problem right now is that there is no hatchet at hand and I don't know how to create one. I have some animal bones from the squirrel of yesterday, but with its size, it would be a miracle to make even one little knife. That said, a knife is a good option to start with, I can make some javelins with sticks and with it maybe even hunt prey with a good size. In the end, it all comes down to making some good-quality tools with what I have at hand to truly start with the heavy work.

I spent the next hours trying to make a knife with the most sturdy bones left by the squirrel – what a good lad, it's helping me even after it's dead – but I didn't make noticeable progress. In the end, I began to feel hungry and decided to eat some berries. Well, I tried to, but after just one I was already feeling full. So full that even after knowing how good those berries taste I couldn't force myself to take another bite. It's incredible how such a small fruit could make me go from starving to full in a couple of seconds. Now that I think about it it's weird and hopefully not harmful.

The rest of the day was spent trying to sharpen my little knife. I just found a rock rough enough to act as a sharpener. It worked, and at the same time it didn't. I don't know it looked chipped here and there but at the same time, it was sharp enough to give me some light scratches if I don't put enough pressure while trying to cut myself. Maybe it was the part that was chipped that was making the knife work somewhat. Even then, one way or another, the knife works and that is what matters. I just put my things in one corner of the cave and got to sleep in the hard bed. I need to change that thing soon.

It's been two weeks or something like that since I've come to this world. The days were pretty monotonous and filled with chores to do. I've caught a little more than 10 squirrels by now. Their movement and patterns were easy enough, they just liked to go directly toward your back when they think you aren't seeing them. With some luck, they have never gotten near me enough to scratch my back. And after a couple of tries, I could actually see them going around in circles before launching themselves at me.

The bad thing about squirrels is that they are super tiny and their pelt isn't enough to make something decent, even a pillow would do, but their hairs are too rough for that. I did cover the handle of the knife – I think the third one already – with their pelt, it was not easy and I had to get some sap to make it work, but it improved my grip on the tool. I can now cut into pieces the squirrels after hunting them.

I've also found a rock that has the same shape as the head of an axe and I've been trying to make it into a whole axe, the problem is that I don't know how to join them together. Maybe I could create some little holes in the head, but the problem is that I do not know how to do just that. How in the world can you make holes in the rock without a drill!? 

In the end, I still have an enormous amount of problems to fix, and they are still increasing with each day.