章 10: 010
010
Marcus spent two more days in front of the mountain, not just sitting on his ass though. He finally let his sheets of Skulker skin dry in the sun. He wasn't too knowledgeable about tanning hides, but he wasn't looking to cure it perfectly with hairs intact and decent flexibility. All he wanted was to stop waking up covered in a sticky blood-sweat mix. The durable sponge-like scales seemed to hold up well after a full day in the sun and being rubbed with smooth rock.
Not only did Marcus improve his portable sleeping arrangement, but he also found a new food supply too.
He spotted a creature that looked like a rabbit, but only in the head, ears, and legs. The rest of its body was stretched out to this absurd weasel torso. It seemed pretty odd when it arched up its back to sit, but its movement was just as quick as a normal rabbit.
He spent twenty minutes chasing it along the trees and eventually lost to its ability to duck under every root and bush they passed. He might have been able to catch the blind beasts in the tunnels off guard, but the long rabbit had lateral eyes and was too quick.
In his defeat, did he actually discover the bush it was eating had little berries all along the low hanging stems. He spent a good portion of the day eating all the blue-tinged fruits off the bush with glee across his face.
'If it's safe enough for the taffy stretched bunny to eat, I'm sure it's safe enough for me.' He told himself while shoveling in another handful he had gathered.
They were a little smaller than grapes, but had more of a tart flavor and watery feeling when he bit down. Regardless, his face and hands were stained purple that night from mixing the old blood and juices.
Marcus was a lot more optimistic about surviving now that he had a much easier place to gather food and rest. Not once did he encounter a predator or nearly break his neck in a pitfall trap. The sunlight and colorful trees had given him a whole new outlook on the planet. Another relief he didn't want to acknowledge was his stool no longer the menacing red with Skulker blood, instead turning somewhat green and blue from the berries.
On his third night, Marcus stared up at the moons with the same bit of curiosity he had every night. Two of the moons were much smaller than the third; he didn't know if it had anything to do with the sizes, the orbital paths, or proximity, but watching the two smaller ones following the larger was just so mesmerizing. He still had a hard time imagining himself no longer on earth.
Everytime he thought of Earth, it triggered a remembrance of why he came here in the first place.
'I can't stay here, I chose to come to this world for a reason. Getting lethargic on berries and camping by a murder hole is not gonna help me find Sarah.'
He knew it was all too soon to think about finding her, seeing as he hadn't met a single person yet, but it didn't stop his perseverance. With a head full of motivation, Marcus dozed off while planning his next adventure for the morning.
By the high noon of Krotosia's sun, Marcus had begun his journey into the forest, as ready as he thought he could be. He had improvised his Skulker skins into a sack that he filled with over half a dozen bushes worth of berries. The bone spear had become a dedicated walking stick and future torch for when the sun fell again.
At first, Marcus was concerned he would get turned around in the middle of the dense trees, but his confidence grew once he looked up through the foliage. Even with the massive trunks towering over him, he could see the peak of the hell mountain clear as day. It was a good stabilizer for direction and where to not go. He couldn't wait to see that place disappear from his view altogether.
'Yeesh, I didn't even realize the mountain was so big. The clouds are actually touching its peak.'
Marcus continued while occasionally glancing back at the mountain, almost in awe at the fact that the mountain didn't shrink from his view, despite the hours spent trailing away from it.
Eventually he couldn't see the mountain because the sun had begun setting, so with preparations already made, he found a hollow tree trunk to make camp inside. Just because he had not found any predators, that didn't mean there weren't any roaming the forest. The log only permitted two points of entry, and with the spear cradled in his arms, Marcus was content with his defenses.
He fell asleep listening to the sounds of the forests, wondering why there was a slight trickle of water beneath all the rustling.
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