I take my time finishing up the handle and once I do I put it down to check on the roasted berries. They are starting to spit, similar to a potato when it is getting roasted.
I move the berries to the side, almost burning my hand in the process, so they can cool down.
I grab the blade to make sure that it fits in the handle. It needs some more work to fit the blade. I work the handle a bit more and fit the blade in. It is snug.
I eat up 2 of the berries that I roasted filling me up for my breakfast. Now with breakfast and the knife handle out of the way I need sap from the Azure Cypress.
I head up to my cave and climb inside with the last berry that was roasted. After leaving the cave I grab my cane spear and start heading to where I saw the Azure Cypress.
Crossing the creak and making my way to where I saw the cypress trees before. They were on the way to the river cane.
Time passes slowly as I take in the view of the forest. The colors always mesmerise me. It never gets old no matter how many times I look.
My feet softly crunching the forest floor, be it sticks, old leaves or even the dirt.
After a while of walking I arrived at a cypress tree. I carefully look around the tree to see if there is any sap that has leaked and dried. My luck wasn't very good with this tree. So I move on to the next.
Again and again, all the trees I visit don't have any sap. It starts to get on my nerves, should pine trees be leaking sap all the time?
WIth my spirits crushed just a little I keep walking looking for the Azure trees hoping for a semblance of dried sap.
After many trees I find one that has some sap!
Finally I can grab a handful and make it into glue. Well not super strong glue but it will have to do for now.
With the handful of dried sap in one hand and spear in the other I go to head back.
I realised that I am lost. Looking around does not seem familiar so I take a look at the ground to look for my foot prints. Thankfully they are fresh and stand out.
With my footprints found I start to retrace my steps back to my base.
On my trek back I notice movement out of the corner of my eye. It was slight but enough to make me on guard.
I go into a quick crouch, my feet spread apart, spear pointed to the movement ready for anything,
With my body tense and ready for a fight I see a little rabbit hop between the brush and trees. It is multi-colored with blues, whites and oak coloring. Blending in with the landscape so well that if it didn't move I would have never seen it.
My body relaxes as I realise it's only a rabbit, those guys are harmless… right? I quickly look at the rabbit to see if it will attack. It just hops along away from me.
I relaxed my body as it was tense from the movement I saw. My feet start moving to head back to base.
Time passes by as I see the familiar path that I have taken before. The familiar creek comes into view along with the mess of tools and crushed plants from my feet.
A quick hop and a skip over the creak and I'm back at base. I bring the sap to the campfire, it is now just hot coals. Still good to start a fire.
I place the sap a little ways away from the coals. I don't want the sap to catch fire. It would really suck to have to get more sap considering I just got some.
Wait, maybe I don't need to make a big fire. Since the coals are still producing some head I can use them to melt the sap.
I take a small chunk and break it off and put it on the handle where the metallic river cane blade will sit.
I hold the handle over the coals, not too close but enough to where the heat will melt the sap.
Minutes tick by as the sap melts into the handle hole where the blade will go. The sap has coated the inside of the hole nicely. I hope this works.
I grab the knife blade, being careful so I don't accidently cut myself, I place the blade firmly into the handle. Holding the blade there for a few seconds waiting for the sap to harden.
Well the sap is still loose, maybe if I put it in water it will harden quicker? No, I should just let it rest normally so that it doesn't get brittle. Can sap even get brittle?
While I am in my thoughts I get a notification from the system.
*Ding* [New Item Crafted - ????]
"Sigh" I really hate how [Identify] won't tell me what I have made! Anyway I set the knife on a tree with the blade pointing up. Hoping the sap hardens quickly so I can use it!
While I wait I think about what my next project is going to be. I need to make a shelter, as much as I like the cave, it is too cramped and could be better. Maybe make a saw? Or even an axe? I think those would be good, but I would need to make them out of the metallic river cane.
That seems to be the strongest material that I have found so far. There was quite a lot of river cane when I got one before. Harvesting should be easier with the knife. It's harder and stronger.
I also have to think about hunting or making traps to catch rabbits. If I go the hunting route I need to think about if I want a bow, or atlatl. Both with pros and cons. If I go the trapping route, I could have a stable supply of meat and fur.
But that should be the end goal.
"Argh"! I grab my head and tousle my hair. There is just so much to do! Okay lets just work on making a shelter above ground first. I can use the river cane as the walls. I can split them in half and get more use out of them.
I could use them for the whole thing, then just use dogbane courage to tie everything together. Okay, perfect! I think that is the way to go, I just have to think about the roof. I really don't want everything to get wet on the inside.
I look up into the sky seeing what time it is roughly. It seems to be roughly 11 ish? That is what I am going with. The sky is still clear with clouds moving along the sky.
Time to get moving again, I have lots of things to do.
I grab the new knife and my spear and start trekking to the fast flowing river, where the rivercane is.
The sound of crunching leaves and sticks make a good background noise. It helps pass the time and makes me feel not as lonely.
After some time has passed I have made it back to where the river cane is. My body moves to where the cane is. My eyes scan the area first, knowing that there was smoke nearby the last time I was here.
I don't notice anything at the moment, no smoke in the sky, which is good.
Making my way to the river cane after the brief pause, I crouch down to the previous metallic river cane that I cut.
Noticing something odd. Both of the flakes that I broke trying to get one of the canes are gone. I scan around looking for any foot prints, but nothing shows up.
Feeling a little scared that something is intelligent and not leaving a trace. I push down the feelings and remind myself that I need to survive. Feelings can come later.
I take my new knife and hope that it doesn't break on the first swing. Dropping my spear, my hand goes back with the knife in hand. My hand goes down with a forceful swing aiming low so that the cut is towards the ground.
My knife in hand feels a little resistance at first before it glides through with ease. Not expecting the knife to go through so easily, my follow through hits another cane and gets stuck half way in.
The river can that was cut stays stationary before I grab it and gently pull it towards me. It follows the momentum and crashes to the ground. There's one, now I just need another. Then I will have roughly two 15 foot river canes to start my shelter.
I pry my knife out of the river cane and swing my arm again, cutting another river cane. This one crashes to the ground next to the other one.
Once both river cane are cut I realize how am I going to carry everything back to my base? I guess I'll have to carry my knife and spear in one hand and the two river canes on my shoulder, using my hand to keep them secure.
It's going to have to work, as I have no other ideas.
I drag the 15 foot river cane a little further near the forest so I don't hit anything with them. I also go and my spear and bring it over to the cane too.
Moving to one end of the river cane I use both of my hands to lift them up. So that the long way is resting on my shoulder. I move forward getting closer to the middle point so that both can be balanced on my shoulder.
Quickly I realized that they are heavier than I remember. This is going to be a struggle to carry everything. I get to the middle point and they are balanced on my shoulder. I crouch down with effort and pick up my spear and knife with one hand.
Getting up was fought with effort, my whole body sweating with effort. This is the most amount of weight I have had on my body in a long time. My body is quickly getting sore but I push through the soreness knowing I have to make it back to base.
The whole time walking back my muscles are screaming at me to stop. I don't, I can't! If I stop then I won't be able to get the river cane back to base.
Long heavy steps are what is left in my wake as I trudge forward. One step at a time, my breath being labored, this being the most strenuous thing I've done besides fight that wolf.
Time seems to fade as the only thought in my head is, one more step, just one more. Over and over in my head. Determination to get back to the creak flood through my weakened body.
A clearing slowly starts to show in my vision, a familiar one, one that I have been in for days. The clearing with the creak.
I don't have the energy to jump over the small creak, so I just step through it. A large splash happens once my foot hits the bottom of the creek. One step in, then two, then I am through the creek.
Only a couple of more steps to go. I go past the campfire and slowly make my way to the hill where the rainbow tree and the cave is.
Tired and sore, I make it to the hill where I drop the river cane. They make a thud with the ground, as I collapse onto the hill breathing heavy and exhausted.
I really am out of shape. I need to build up my strength. If I struggle this much with only two river cane, what will happen when I have to fight stronger creatures… Or even people. I get a slight shiver thinking about seeing people again or even fighting them.
One step at a time, Pola, one step at a time.