Tools

Adam felt overwhelmed by the array of emotions that swarmed his heart.

The pain of his bloodied hands pulsing.

The consequences of his decision hadn't fully sunk in.

It was the first time he had really saw death.

Regret and sadness that made his stomach lurch, forced him to the ground.

If only he had not saved Marcaine, he may not of had to do such a plan.

No, it would be ingenuine of him to say he would not have to.

It was not like Marcaine thought of the plan.

He did.

He chose to save Marcaine, that chose not to help Adam in return.

Adam did not desire to be seen for his heroism, he simply wanted to avoid abandoning someone to their death that he could save.

It wasn't a stranger either.

He supposed, after last night, he might as well be.

The case remained, that the deaths of the animals did not need to happen.

Adam played the largest role in their demise.

He could hardly lift his head, his conscious was shaken.

However, he knew that he couldn't be lying down now. The carcasses of the animals would surely draw the attention of other animals, or even the monsters outside.

A thought that he should leave them alone, that he deserved to be in danger for his actions crossed his mind.

But, his mind empowered by the bravery skill, suppressed the slothful, mourning feelings that wanted to escape.

Wallowing in pity, would resolve nothing.

At the end of the day, the animals had died, because of his actions.

But, Adam had gotten involved because of Marcaine.

Anger surged at his recollection of Marcaine's escape.

Marcaine had some responsibility to take.

Taking a deep breath, he did his best to calm himself. He would find Marcaine when the test was over.

Adams attention settled on the deceased animals.

His gaze heavy, he thought: 'I should at least ensure the animals are fully utilized rather than rot away. Its only right.'

But, it would have to wait till he had rested.

Shoving himself off the ground, his sight bleary, he took a look outside.

His eyes glistened as the moonlight fell on his face, the night was in the darkest bloom.

He headed down the hill, and grabbed some plants. He would try to cloak the scent of the dead animals.

Thankfully, he was able to gather enough to cover the cave in the their scent.

Even with the scent of plants overlapping with the dead animal's scent, the scent could still escape from the cave.

To remedy this, he moved nearby rocks, that strained his muscles, arranging and stacking them to block most of the entrance to the cave. Leaving enough light to see when daylight broke out.

His energy reserves barreled out, Adam scrunched up the scraps of his shirt and laid his head atop them. It wasn't comfy, but it was better than sleeping flat on the stone floor.

The pain gradually fading as his exhaustion took over, Adam fell asleep, hugging himself, the air of the cave cold.

Eventually, the sun pierced the opening of the cave's stones that obscured the entrance, blasting sunlight into his eyes.

The sensation of blaring sunlight on his face, Adam sat up, his body chilled, his eyes irate. His hands were in pain, but his desire to stay alive was much stronger. His day of survival began.

First, he moved some rocks at the entrance, allowing him to leave the cave.

Outside, the bright sky beamed on the forest.

The fresh air helped to clear Adam's mind.

He refocused his thoughts, energized through the beauty of the forest.

He had a lot to get done before nighttime.

His mind fell on the brief memories of segments of survival shows he had watched.

A determined glint in his eye, his thoughts organized, he set out.

The first thing he did was to collect stones, twigs and branches. It was vital that the wood was dry, rather than dewy. He also gathered sticky wood, where the sap of the tree ran thick, to use them as a binding material.

With the stones, they could be used to sharpen the branches, molding them into a more functional shape.

Additionally, through rapidly rubbing between his palms a stick atop a stone, he could get a spark. That could light up the excessive pile of wood he ended up gathering for a fire, or that was the idea.

Shoddily, materials collected, and a quick stop at a stream quenching his thirst, his attempts to craft tools started.

He first tried to a craft a knife. A short segment of wood, which would be attached to an arrow-shaped stone, binded with tree-resin heavy bark.

His first few attempts were shameful.

However, after several more attempts, an adequate knife was made.

Using the knife, which stayed together fairly well, he was able to more swiftly begin production of other tools. Which caused him a headache, with their more complex crafting process. His hands not taking kindly to further use.

He was able to craft, a handful of hours having passed, a spear, a knife, and an axe.

Looking at the results of his efforts, he was encouraged and wanted to get done with one more thing that was important, before resting.

His brow deepened, as he madly spun a stick on a smooth stone, trying for embers.

A half hour later, his hands badly needing rest, he had succeeded.

The sparks consuming the organized pile of wood, bringing to life a raging fire.

A sense of accomplishment paraded in his mind. its warmth alleviating his recent frustrations.

Before the fire, he deeply sighed: 'That's feels great.'

Now warmed up, tools in possession, and the sky that yawned purple hues, he blocked off the entrance.

He would set more time to rest tomorrow, he wanted to avoid long-term hand injuries.

As he desired to avoid attention from animals and monsters, especially while he was asleep, he stomped out the fire.

The matters of the day settled, he laid down.

He would be dealing with the animal carcasses tomorrow, his sporadic hunger pangs demanded him to eat.

The lingering warmth of the fire fading as his eyes shut, Adam fell asleep, the third day soon upon them.