"What's that smell?" I thought, my head spinning.
I'd barely woken up and was already greeted by a sour stench that permeated the entire room. I began to get up slowly, despite the headache, feeling strangely well. I looked around for the source of the smell, only to find it was me, the one giving off the fetid odor. Everything else had been stuck to the rug I'd been meditating on; it was stained brown with black and green dots. I ran to the bathroom; never in my life had I wanted a bath so much. I started throwing water on myself and scrubbing myself with some aromatic herbs my mother normally used. Right now, I miss modern baths and soaps. Being able to use those things was a great privilege I never appreciated.
When I finished cleaning myself, I went to clean the carpet, or at least try to. I think it would be better to burn it, but I asked my mother if she could help me. With a single swish, almost all the dirt was gone. Apparently, it was so stuck on and smelled so strong that it needed several swishes. My mother didn't ask anything; she just cleaned it up. I couldn't even look her in the eye. Thank goodness I'd taken off my clothes, or I'd be in this state too.
I put on a change of old clothes I had and began tidying up my room. I tried to clean everything I could and also figure out how to fix the clothes I'd damaged. My body felt phenomenal; it was as if I'd gained flexibility, my muscles felt stronger and faster. As if my entire body had let go of its excess. If I recall correctly, my martial arts teachers once talked about bodily impurities, but I never believed in those things until now.
I decided to do a little exercise, curious about the changes in my body. Before I knew it, some time had passed and my mother was calling for breakfast. I wiped off the little bit of sweat I had and left the room to have breakfast with my parents. They were still apparently upset about the previous day, so none of us spoke while we ate.
I started helping my father with farm chores and took the opportunity to look for a stick that was as straight as possible and not too wide. I was also looking for a board that was about 1 meter long.
Evening came, and after eating a little, although I was satisfied, I was still hungry, but I couldn't ask for more, as that would mean wasting food that I wouldn't have enough for the following days.
While my parents were taking a midday break, I was in my room polishing what would become a spear. I was trying to make it as cylindrical as possible, with some textured edges in the middle to help me grip it and prevent it from slipping. I left it with a sharp but thick tip so it wouldn't break easily. I'll try to heat the top a little to harden the wood later. After finishing the spear, I began to shape what I wanted to be a wooden saber, one that wouldn't be too heavy and wouldn't break easily. I decided to make it slightly curved so it could better withstand the force I applied to it. Of course, the saber won't have a proper edge; it will be something that delivers blunt blows instead of quick cuts, or so I thought.
I continued making the two weapons I wanted throughout the afternoon, until nightfall. I don't know what's wrong with my body, but I'm always hungry. After I've released all those impurities from my body, the hunger I feel increases every time.
I settled the spear and saber into the size I desired; they felt good in my hand. I set about doing the daily meditation and circulation routine I'd been maintaining; the surprises kept coming. My circulation has improved greatly. I could no longer just bring the energy to the beginning of my extremities; now I could almost make it reach my wrists and ankles, almost reaching my entire body. The energy collection process had also improved greatly; the space it inhabits was now larger and a milky white colour. I continued the meditation for a while, until I grew bored of staying in the same position. I think it lasted about an hour.
A new day began, and I showed my parents the two pieces I had made. In my previous life, I had loved handmade work and was considered good at it.
When I showed my parents the spear and sword I had made, they were amazed; they both looked at me with surprised expressions.
-"Hey Sam, where did you get this? We don't have the money to pay for this stuff, so give it back to where you got it from," my dad said.
To which I looked at him. Hesitantly, I told him I had made them myself, using the wood I had collected and worked with the day before. The two were even more surprised, gathering the pieces and beginning to detail them, saying they were very well made, that it was beautiful work, and that I should have told them. I couldn't help but smile at their praise; I just nodded. After breakfast, the daily routine on the farm was repeated.
In the afternoon, when my parents were resting, I decided it would be a good time to burn some wood to harden it, so we could head back into the forest. With my weapons ready, my clothes arranged, and a cloth bag I'd made, I started running into the woods.
I had my saber strapped to my pants, and I held my spear in my hand as I ran. I also carried a small knife I'd taken from my father's tools. This time, I was determined to catch something. I didn't want what happened yesterday to happen again.
I started getting closer and closer to the wooded area, my hands starting to sweat, and I felt very nervous. Apparently, the thought of almost being eaten by something smaller than me was still lingering in my mind, tormenting me. Just before taking a step into the woods, I took a deep breath and said to myself, "Come on, Sam, it's time to be brave. The life of wanting things easy is over; it's time to take action."
With that said, and my mentality improved, I entered stealth mode and plunged into the forest. Things hadn't changed much; the silence and the murderous intent that surrounded the forest didn't go away no matter how stealthy I tried, but I still preferred to remain cautious.
I continued for a while, trying to follow the same path toward the small lake, but I couldn't find it. I started seeing animal tracks; more and more footprints and some scratches on the trees were visible. These things gave me the creeps. I'd always heard that animals marked their territory this way, rubbing themselves against trees and leaving their scent in the surrounding area.
I started to swerve when I heard something coming toward me. I walked faster, but the sound coming from behind me was still there. I decided to face it and end it once and for all. Thank goodness it wasn't that strange dog; that animal was too fast for my abilities. This time, it was something resembling a bear and a raccoon. It was almost my size. It had large, dagger-like claws attached to its paws. Its intimidating fangs were 4 to 5 centimeters long. Its fur was somewhere between reddish and light brown, with rings of fur on its tail. It had piercing black eyes that glared at me, revealing a mad hunger.
As I gripped the spear with both hands and with all my strength, I tried not to pee my pants. That animal was much bigger than I wanted to face to bring food home. But I was already in this mess, and I couldn't run away. Chances were, being so close, it would reach me and tear off most of my skin with one swipe, if not kill me in one fell swoop.
The two of us stared at each other for a while, until the raccoon bear began its charge. It ran toward me on all fours. I stood stock-still, watching it coming. Before it could strike, I rolled to my right and prepared to land the first blow. Unfortunately, the raccoon bear apparently expected this; it dodged gracefully and tried to hit me with its claws. It barely grazed me, but with those large daggers of its claws, it was enough to injure part of my left arm. I reacted quickly to plunge my spear into its stomach, taking advantage of the fact that it had moved closer on its own. Its hide was so tough that the spear had barely penetrated the hardened tip when it broke; those 7 centimetres barely made a dent in that thick layer of fur. I grabbed my saber in my right hand and the knife I'd brought in my left. I was going to start moving closer to the bear to give myself a better chance, since with the broken spear, I wouldn't be able to do anything.
I began to move between his blows, trying to dodge and strike with my dull saber. We'd been exchanging blows for a while, and I was already feeling very tired. I was exhausted. I had to end this quickly. I knew it, and so did the osopache. While we were in the mad exchange of blows, an energy began to gush out of me and quickly covered the knife and saber, turning them a milky white, very similar to the energy I'd felt inside me. With the addition of this energy, the saber, now covered in it, began to cut into the animal's skin. Between twists and dodges, I found the opportunity to plunge the small knife into the animal's left eye. The animal tried to defend itself with its right claw, but it was too late. With a twist of my wrist, the knife dug deeper into its eye, reaching its brain.
Suddenly, I felt a hard blow to one of my ribs. I had lost sight of the left claw, and before falling to my death, he managed to land a powerful blow. It was so strong that it sent me rolling, blood spurting from my nose and mouth. I tried to get up from the ground, but I was badly injured.
"Unbelievable. I managed to kill such a large animal, only to die lying on the ground beside it," I thought.
I resolved to regain my breathing; dying this way wasn't an option. I tried meditating a little, as I felt very tired; after a while, my energy began to flow again. Incredibly, it was helping me slowly recover from the wounds I had all over my body.
It was partially healed, barely able to move. I approached the panda bear and examined it more closely.
It was amazing; its fur was very beautiful. It resembled the red pandas I'd found on Earth, but a few shades darker. I wondered how I should remove the animal's skin. It would make a great replacement for the rug at home. Carrying the whole animal wasn't an option. With how tired and injured I was, it would die first, before I could leave the forest.
I began to make cuts with the small knife I had, but I made minimal progress. After a long time of struggling, I'd gotten into a rhythm. I cut and pulled at the hide to make it easier to remove, but because it was covered in blood, the knife and the hide kept falling out of my hands.
I decided it was best to start a fire. With that decision made, I started to light it, which didn't take long. I cut off a piece of the animal's flesh and made a skewer with what was my spear. I couldn't stay in the forest any longer, especially in a place with such a strong smell of blood. I finished eating and continued skinning the osopache. I was trying to gather everything that might be useful: any large bones, claws, meat, and of course, the hide I'd fought so hard to secure. I packed everything in the bag I'd brought, and what didn't fit, I tied with what was left of my shirt to a log to carry home.
Before leaving, I dug a hole to bury what was left of the osopache. I had to respect the animals, and it seemed worthy to bury what was left of it. As I was finishing burying it, I noticed something coming toward me. I tried to pick up my saber, but it was so fast that I could barely make out a shadow pouncing on the osopache's body. When I looked down to see what was happening, there was nothing left. Neither the shadow nor the osopache's body.