Info:
[Hi, Autor here.
Read "Chapter 2: new life" again because I changed some stuff, alot of stuff.]
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[Day 2]
The pale light of dawn crept across the clearing, turning mist into gold. Leon blinked awake, cold and stiff, dew clinging to his clothes. He sat up with a shiver and rubbed his arms.
His stomach growled.
Still wrapped in his oversized clothing, he reached for his backpack, pulled out one of the muesli bars, and unwrapped it. He ate slowly, staring toward the river.
He knew he couldn't count on these supplies to last.
His water bottle was empty. Thankfully, he still had his lighter and his metal lunchbox.
He gathered dry twigs and leaves, arranged them into a small firepit near the stream, and carefully sparked the flame. The fire crackled to life—small and steady.
He filled the lunchbox with water from the river and placed it near the flames, watching the surface ripple as it heated.
At least I know how to do this. Thank you, survival camp.
Well it was more of a youth camp were I was for about a month every summer when I was younger. We lerned stuf like swimming, climbing, archery and so on.
As orphans, we weren't really in a good financial situation to do something like that, but the local church offered us the transportation and the camp offered it to us for free.
In particular the camp leader Erik thanks to his teaching's I kinda know how to surve in the forest. Survival camp became an insider among us.
When the water finally began to boil, he let it bubble for a minute, then carefully set it aside to cool. Once ready, he poured it into the empty bottle and sealed it tight.
Leon sat back, chewing the last bite of his breakfast bar.
Time to face reality.
He checked his supplies again. Two bars left. One bottle of water. And no way to preserve either.
"They won't last past tomorrow," he muttered. "I need food. Soon."
He glanced toward the tree line, then to the slow-moving stream.
"If I'm lucky, I'll find berries or maybe some fish. And if I'm really lucky… people."
He stood up, stretched, and packed everything away.
His only real concern now was survival.
And for that, he needed information. A direction. Signs of life—human life.
He looked down at his small arms, the scratches on his skin, the bandage on his knee.
"This body better hold up," he muttered with a smirk. "Six years old, and already living in the wild."
He turned his gaze toward the stream again
I follow the river downstream.
"Follow the water—it leads somewhere."
– Erik
Hopefully it dose.
...
Leon knelt beside his backpack and started packing. Every item had to count. Every choice, now, had weight. He couldn't afford dead weight—or distractions.
Then his eyes fell on his pants.
Even rolled up, the legs dragged and snagged on everything. They made movement awkward, slow, and dangerous.
He frowned, then reached into his pencil case and pulled out the small pair of school scissors.
"That will do."
Carefully, he stood up, bent his knee slightly, and began cutting the pant legs just below the knee. Bit by bit, he shortened the fabric, letting the cut cloth fall to the grass.
When he was done, he picked up the leftover material and held it in his hands.
Could be useful.
He cut the longer pieces into makeshift strips and sat down to bandage his feet. His shoes had become almost useless—too big to stay on, too stiff to feel safe. He removed the insoles and trimmed them down with the scissors, wedging them under his socks. Then he wrapped the cloth strips tight around his feet and ankles like makeshift sandals, tying them with bits of string and the shoelaces.
It wasn't comfortable, but it was better than stumbling with every step.
The remaining cloth strips and laces went into his backpack. The shoes… he left them neatly beside the tree. Just like his electronic devices: laptop, charging cable, cell phone, and his school textbook. These things are too heavy and no longer serve their purpose; they're just ballast.
"Won't be needing those anymore," he murmured.
Before he stood up, he looked at the scissors in his hand. They were small, but the blades were solid steel.
He slid the scissors into his trouser pocket.
'Just in case. I don't know what lives out there yet… but I'm not going down unarmed.'
He slung the backpack over his shoulder, adjusted the straps to fit his smaller frame as best he could, and stepped toward the water's edge.
The river curved gently ahead, winding through the trees like a natural path.
Leon took a deep breath.
And then he began to walk.
***
(End of Chapter)