บท 6: First Encounter
The next morning, Beta woke up with his body aching again. The leaves weren't enough as cushion nor was it dry enough as his bed. He stood up and opened the door to let some light in. Today it was luckily not raining so he started to prepare to head out. He first checked on the wood he brought back home yesterday and confirmed that it would still take a few days for them to dry. Beta drank some water, washed himself, and used the root of a plant he had found outside to brush his teeth. He couldn't resist doing the usual clean-up since his parents used to insist on that adamantly, so it became a habit he can't let go.
After that, he decided to search the ruins thoroughly, all the while collecting vines he could use later. Even after searching for hours, Beta couldn't find anything noteworthy. The only find that may prove useful was another room. It looked the same as the one he has right now, with the exception that there's a small hole in the ceiling. "This is going to be my kitchen from now on. I needed a place to cook without attracting predators, so this is just the right room for me. The smoke will leave through the small hole; therefore I won't suffocate. But in order to cook, I will also need meat.", with that thought in mind, Beta, who longed for better food, left the ruins. "I can't hunt properly yet, since I'm too weak right now, so traps will have to do for now.".
With his makeshift spear in hand, he started heading in the direction of where he found the berries. When he arrived there, he casually grabbed some as breakfast and continued on in that direction. After walking for about an hour, he found a small lake whose surroundings he cautiously inspected before moving forward. Around 10 meters away from the lake, he finally stopped. He found animal feces which confirmed that animals used this lake as a water source. Satisfied with what he found, Beta started preparing his trap.
Firstly, he gathered two thick sticks and one normal stick, after which he cut a notch with the tip of his spear into each of the thick sticks that is just big enough for the normal one to fit. Then he bound the vines to a noose, which is connected to the stick. Afterwards he bound one part of the vine to an elastic, around 1.50 meter tall, sapling and inserted the two thick sticks not too far away next to each other. He inserted the stick with the vine noose connected to it into the notches. Beta made sure that the sapling created an arc when he was finished. And now there it was, his very first noose trap.
He quickly checked if it works properly by taking a stick and using it to push the vine-stick out of the notches, after which the noose tightened and the sapling reverted back to it's old form, creating an astonishing upward force. Looking at the stick dangling on the sapling satisfied Beta greatly, his trap worked. He put everything in order again and prepared more traps like that all around the lake to make sure that he catches something. He only stopped when it was already around dusk and headed back home again at that point.
When he came across some sticks, he would take them with him to dry them back at home. He also ate some berries when he passed by the bush, but his grumbling stomach told him that just berries aren't enough. He had no other choice but to sulkily eat another frog raw. Left with nothing else to do, he went to bed straight away and slept until the early sun rose again. He finished his morning routine and prepared himself to check on the traps. When he arrived at the lake, he found out that he didn't catch anything. Disappointed, Beta didn't give up and still surveyed his surroundings for further clues of animals or some berries he could take home. Just when he was about to check on a bush he heard a quiet grunt from behind him.
Beta didn't even turn his head to check. He directly jumped to the right side, barely dodging a boar's charge. Beta was bewildered. Although it was a relatively small boar, he couldn't underestimate its charge. If its charge hits a healthy man it can break his legs, not to talk about Beta's current weak condition. He quickly prepared for another charge while pointing his spear towards the direction of the boar. The bushes around him blocked off his vision, so he carefully listened to his surroundings. When he heard a snort, Beta quickly turned into its direction, anticipating the incoming charge. As predicted, it came out of that direction. Beta then aimed at the boar's head. As soon as he stabbed it with his spear, he jumped to the side in order to dodge its charge. He didn't look away from it for a single second though. "So, you're still alive, huh? I'll change that real soon!". He said so confidently while observing its every movement. Beta only sees the boar as meat now, with twinkling eyes and almost salivating.
He had only managed to injure its head because the spear broke off. But fortunately, it still had the spear's tip embedded in its head, which made his finishing move much easier. He positioned himself in front of a tree and started throwing small stones at the boar, aggravating it even more... The injured boar got enraged and charged at him again. In the very last moment before it hit him, Beta jumped away, letting the boar charge into the tree and forcing the spear tip in even further, killing it.
It may not have been a long fight, but if Beta had made any mistake he would've died. Looking at the dead boar, he couldn't help get excited. He finally hunted proper meat, a better sustenance for his weak body. Reminded of all the noises the boar made earlier, Beta moved quickly. "I have to move fast. If there are still other boars nearby, it will be really difficult.", he thought while pulling the boar by its leg. Due to its heavy weight he couldn't carry it, so he simply pulled it. It took him 3 hours to finally pull it back home, where he first skinned it and then cut some small pieces. He took some of the wood and grass that had dried by now and started a fire in the kitchen, fully making use of what he read about how to start a fire using only a piece of wood and a stick that is rotated really fast by using a vine. When the fire started burning, he then pierced the meat with a stick and roasted it. Taking in the delicious smell delighted Beta, but tasting it once it was cooked was even better. Even if it was a bit black, it was a great meal nonetheless. "This is so much better than the slimy frogs! After eating such a heavenly meal, I just can't go back to eating frogs... I'll start hunting more from now on!", Beta said with a big smile on his face while patting his filled stomach.
The very next day, Beta went back to where he found the boar to check for clues on which direction to hunt. Before he left, he made a new, improved spear that wouldn't break as fast as his first one did. He can't solely rely on chances like what happened yesterday. So, he slowly entered the area, crouching like a hungry tiger ready to pounce.
"We have to go this way! The boar couldn't have run off far with its injuries!"
When Beta heard that, he froze like a little cat instead of the tiger he was before. The language he heard was similar to what he knew, just with a certain dialect. Beta carefully crept even closer to the ground, making sure that no one can see him.
"It's pointless! We've been chasing it for over an hour now. We should just go back and hunt something else."
Beta heavily nodded at that remark. "Listen to him! He definitely sounds like a wise man! Just don't come here...", Beta prayed while observing the hunter's movements. The hunters looked like middle-aged men, equipped with bows and daggers. One of them even had a sword that seemed to be in a bad condition. The only thing they all shared was their leather armor. The brown leather armor is harnessed with belts to make the pieces stick together. Weapons aside, the armor itself will be a big problem for a weakened Beta. He definitely didn't want to meet anyone. The last adults he met before, either beat him into a pulp or experimented on him. So, he couldn't help but be cautious and avoid other people.
"Alright, I'll listen to you for once. But if we don't get at least a deer today, you're in for a beating!"
"Huh? You want to beat me? If I remember correctly, you've been beaten by your wife before when you came home late one night!", one of the men said while laughing loudly.
"That... You don't know how scary she can be!"
When Beta heard their voices get quieter, he made up his mind and decided to follow stealthily.
"Now why don't you people lead me to where you live? I'd really love to know how 'outside' people live!"
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