Surviving the Wild

Chapter 3

Surviving the wild

Next day

The sun had already risen when I got up.

When I woke up I thought it was all dream but my stiff back and birds chirping told me otherwise.

I sighed and got down. The fire had died down leaving only ashes.

I quickly shook myself out of my thoughts and picked up some ash. I had a lot of work to do.

I quickly went to the river and did my morning rituals. I knew from the previous life that ash is a good substitute for soap.

Once there, I also checked on my trap that I laid there yesterday. Thankfully I found a fish caught in the trap. I quickly killed it with the spear. I couldn't leave the fish behind. Some other animals could chance upon it and I would lose it.

With this fish, I had 2 in total and I didn't have to worry about food till dinner. For that, I rearranged the trap and made my way to my spot.

Once there, I cooked the fish that I caught yesterday and ate it while I also hid the other fish in the foliage of my bed. Once I was done and my belly full, I started hatching out a plan. For some hours, I remained there and planned while also polishing the stone to make it in the shape of the pan.

There were many options before me.

I could travel and find some tribe to take me in. I could definitely find the Opayol tribe. But considering that they bullied their own members, I can't say what they would do to me once they find out I too am different. Jerameral was an adult when he happened upon them and stayed with them. So they probably didn't bully him. The same couldn't be said for me.

It was good that the boy didn't encounter any one of them. I suspected he went in the other direction, which was good. I had to give it to him. The boy was lucky as hell.

My second option was, I could try to find some other tribe like the Haveyas. The problem is if I happen upon the wrong tribe, there is a high chance that they would use me as a slave or give me to the Payans as a tribute to save some of their food stock.

I could try my luck in locating the Alkenny Tribe but I couldn't be sure to find them. They would probably in their 1st location and if I happen to be here after the 1st episode, then they would be at their 2nd location.

I could go there by making a shaft and rowing it upstream but there was a high chance that I would just get lost. There was also mention of river bandits so I wasn't sure that it would be the safest option. And if they weren't there, the whole trip would be a waste. I will have to come here again and start from zero.

Moreover, even if I found them, keeping my eyes a secret would also be a pain in the ass but it would far outweigh the benefits I would get there.

I cried to myself in between at my misfortune and what situation l landed in. I think my body being a child has made my emotional control back to hell. This was the second time, I had cried in just 24 hours.

I thought of some more ideas and discarded them.

In the end, I decided to remain here and first recover from the starvation that this body went through. I could travel somewhere else if there wasn't enough game here to sustain me.

This presented me with another problem.

I would need some weapon to hunt the games but other than a dagger, I didn't have any. All I could think of was bow and arrows. The sun was not even at its peak when I was done with all my planning so I had enough time to start making it. In my planning, I had also completed polishing my pot.

I put the stone pot in my sleeping space, with its mouth facing downwards and the fish under it. Once my lunch was safeguarded, I started to look for a branch to make my bow.

It didn't take much time to find one.

Once I found a branch that was quite flexible, I used my dagger to shape it into a bow. It was a tedious job but after some trial and error, I was successful in making it. Although it was not that great, it was workable. The thing looked like an amateur job which it was. I quickly tied the only rope I had to act as the string. The splinters were really annoying and painful to deal with but I persevered.

Next, I made 10 arrows. Obviously, I didn't have any metal to use at the front so I just sharpened the tips of small and thin branches with the dagger. I only selected the branches which were straight as it helped me in doing less work.

I didn't have any feathers or strings to tie at the back so I knew that their range would not be much. Still, it would be far greater than fighting with just a dagger, be it humans or animals.

With it, I would be able to even hunt a bear. I just need to practice and get good at it and maybe find a safe place to pepper the bear with the arrows.

Suddenly my stomach growled taking me out of my thoughts. I looked above to see the sun going down. I only had 3-4 hours to eat lunch and get some dinner.

I collected all of my things and made my way over to my spot. Thankfully, my fish was still there. It also showed me that no animal had been here as they would have easily found the fish (even under the stone pot) with their superior sense of smell and eaten it.

I quickly started a fire and cooked it. Once I was done, I made my way over to the river to see if my trap caught any fish. Unfortunately, I didn't find any. I rearranged the trap once more and started hunting. I didn't have any confidence in my archery skills so I also collected some stones. I had more chances to nail something from them than from the arrows.

For a few hours, I tried but I was unsuccessful. Sure, there were animals but for one reason or another, I was unable to kill them. Some of them because my arrows didn't hit the target and some of them got spooked when I was not silent. I missed a turkey with just an inch. Initially, I tried to use stones but it appears I misjudged this body's strength. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't throw the stone far and fast enough to hit the target.

In the end, I admitted defeat and started walking back to my spot. The sun had already gone down. Still, I took a detour to the river to check on the trap. If I would be going hungry, at least this way I could be sure that I tried my all.

Seeing two fish in my trap made me quite happy. I quickly killed them and picked them up. I skipped back to my spot. After eating one of them, I was asleep in minutes from all the hard work I did.

1 Month later

And so my life went on. In no time, a month had passed. Trust me I made sure to draw a line, every day, on a rock to remember and keep track of the time.

I was also right in suspecting that the boy's memories would start coming randomly. Thankfully, after a few days, they lessened, and after 2 weeks, they stopped coming back altogether.

There were times when I felt like killing myself. A thrust of the dagger to my neck would have done the job but I didn't do it.

I preserved.

I also didn't want to die in that manner, choking in my own blood.

I also decided to remain there in the safety of my place. I thought it was better with the devil you know than the devil you don't.

Soon enough a routine was formed.

I would wake up before the sun had fully risen which in itself was amazing as I was never an early riser in my previous life.

I would then walk to the river and complete my morning rituals. I started bathing in the river after 2 days of my arrival though I skipped a day in between, sometimes I even skipped 2 or 3 days when I felt like it. It was cold as fuck but I still did it. I didn't have any soap so I used the ashes from the previous night's firewood. It was a perfect replacement for soap... for now.

I also didn't have anything to warm the water so I always started the fire before going in the water. I would also put my stone pan with the fish on it so that my fish would cook in the meantime.

It was an irony considering I didn't use to bathe for a week sometimes when winter was at its peak in my previous life. But here I had to bathe every other day. After all, I didn't want to get any disease. And the chances of getting contaminated at this time, this place was very high. I didn't have any healer with me to even look after me. And if I get sick, I wouldn't be able to catch my food which would make the situation even worse.

The first time, I bathed, I was surprised. It seems the guy hadn't bathed properly in a month since he got exiled. Sure, he swam to catch fish but that was it. He didn't specifically bathe for the sake of bathing. He definitely used to bathe when he was with his tribe though I am sure the warm underground water played the role in that.

I also found one more perfect place to lay a fish trap. It was nearby and not that far so I had enough food for my daily needs, as my traps would catch 3-4 fish daily. I thought 1 fish would be enough for one sitting. But soon enough, after a few days of my arrival, I started requiring 1 and a half and then 2. Thankfully, my diet has settled after a month. Now, I need 6 fish a day at the least for satiating my hunger.

Anyway, I would warm myself after the bath with the fire while eating my breakfast. Once I was done, I would take back extra fish with me and hide it in the foliage. From then till afternoon, I had all the time to practice with my bow.

I started practicing archery after 2 days after my arrival in this world and in just a week, I was indefinitely better than what I started with. But, after that, my progress halted and moved very slowly.

My training was something like this: First I practiced my aim at a closer range and once I was good enough I increased the space by a step and so on and so forth.

I started with 2 steps from the target and now I could get a bullseye from 4 steps. It might not look good but trust me, it was quite good. I could kill an animal from a greater distance as I don't always have to hit the bullseye for that.

I only became that good with my bow as I didn't have anything else to do other than eating, hunting, and sleeping so most of my time in the last month was spent practicing with my bow.

I also started exercising after a week of my arrival.

In my previous life, I was quite fat till my teenage years and got bullied due to it. So after having enough, I joined a fitness club where the instructor took me under his wing. He knew every exercise for every muscle of the body. In just 3 months I was fit as a fiddle. Even after so many years, I continued to do them every other day. By the time of my arrival here, I could do only 9 sets of 10, exercises (each for a particular muscle) before getting tired.

Initially, I couldn't even do a set of ten before getting tired but after 3 weeks, I could easily do a set of 10.

Anyway, if I had enough fish to last me through the diner and the next day's breakfast, I would continue the practice. If it wasn't then, I would hunt. With my bow and arrows, hunting was definitely easy compared to what I remember with the boy's memory.

There haven't been many times that I had to hunt as my traps caught enough fish to sustain me every day. Still, in the last month, I caught a turkey, some rabbits, and even a boar.

In fact, I caught the boar yesterday evening. I was not hunting. I was doing a perimeter check up to see if there was any dangerous animal within the area. It was then when it attacked me. I had to kill it in self-defense. I was surprised that it was away from his pack as the wild boars generally stay with their packs.

Still, it was good that I encountered it as I was going to need it. At last, I had decided to travel away from here. This place served me well but our time together has come to an end. Day by day, days are getting shorter and nights longer. The days were getting colder and nights even colder. I could feel the winter approaching. The trees shedding leaves should have made me realize that before but I was probably not in my right mind.

I would need to find a tribe or any other place to stay for the winter.

My place was good enough. In fact, it was better than the first time, I happen upon it. I have been using stones to break the wall and make more space for me. Unfortunately, there has been only some progress in the last month as I only did it when the sun went down, usually after eating dinner. I was not sure that I would be able to make a good enough cave that would last me the winter.

In fact, I should have gone from here a week or 2, before. Or I should have made some shelter of wood for me. Unfortunately, I didn't and now I am regretting it.

Today, I woke up before the sun has risen. I quickly picked up some ash from the last night's fire and made my way over to the river. I made sure to bathe as it could be a while before I get any chance.

After doing the morning rituals quickly, I dismantled the traps, I set up for catching fish. By some luck, I found 3 fish in them. With them and one left from the last night, I had 4 fish in total. After I scooped them up, I started traveling. I already packed everything last night so I was quickly ready to go.

I started traveling downstream. Even if people have lost their sight, they would need water, and a river is a great source of water. I am sure I would find some settlement if I continued to go in either upstream or downstream. I chose downstream.

By the time, I started traveling the sun had come up.

I had the boar tucked to my side while 4 fish on my other side. They were to be my food for 2-3 days. I also had all the bones of animals and fish that I hunted. I knew they could be made as weapons and maybe some more things. The thing is I don't know what other uses these could have. The people in the tribes though would definitely know. I could definitely trade them for something I could need.

I also had a wooden spear which also acted as a staff. If I happened upon a human settlement, they would be suspicious, if I didn't have a staff. The staff is essential for every blind man to check for obstacles in their way.

I carried my stone pan in my hand while I had the bow on my shoulder while my precious dagger was strapped at the back of my shoes in case of an emergency.

I also had a quiver on my shoulder. I made it a week after my arrival to store the arrows. Carrying 3-4 arrows in my hand was definitely not feasible. You don't know when you would need more arrows. I had to use some leather to use as a strap so that I could carry it. I used glue to do that. I found the glue on some trees and boiled that in my stone pan to liquify it.

The quiver could contain 25 arrows at the maximum which I hope would be enough. Thankfully the feathers from the turkey were at their back. It disturbed my aim when I added them but after some practice, I was even better than before. Their range of attacks doubled.

I could get a bullseye from 8 steps with the feathered-arrows.

It was only because of them that I was able to kill that boar without any injuries. Even with my new arrows, it was a very close call. I didn't have steel tips on the arrows so it takes some time to kill the animal.

After yesterday, I also decided to coat my arrows in the paralytic-sleeping poison that the boy's tribe used to make. It was good that the boy knew how to make the poison though I only dipped half of them in the poison. I would use it in case I would be attacked by humans and dangerous animals like wolves, bears, and lions. It would not affect the meat… much. The person would just sleep a little more from eating the infected meat.

I was clad in furs from the new furs that I skinned from the animals which I hunted. The previous clothes were under it considering they were not exactly suitable for the winter. I knew tanning the hides would prolong their life but I didn't know any way to tan them so I was already prepared to lose them once the winter was over.

All in all, I looked like a perfect barbarian. The changes in the month were staggering. A month of a full belly and all the running, hunting, and exercising did my body a great deal of change. For once, I didn't look like a wind would knock me over. In fact, for once, I looked healthy.

Moreover, there was hope for the future.