PROLOGUE

– CHAPTER NINE –

– CHAPTER NINE –

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After a long, arduous night of scattered storms, he awoke groggily and peeked outside.

It was raining.

I suppose the weather is mocking me.

Looking over to the corner, where his dog was sleeping, he smiled as he watched his furry friend groggily stand, stretching and yawning as if it had barely slept.

“Wake up, sleepyhead! We have work to do.”

Though the start of their journey was postponed due to rain, he still needed to begin packing. There wasn’t much he could carry by himself, and all the dog could hold was some arrows in its mouth, so he could only take necessities. Luckily, however, almost everything he owned was essential to their survival, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to choose.

Of course, he needed his sword. Though he hadn’t encountered any mobs since the raid, there were bound to be threats on the journey. His bow and arrows would come in handy as well. Most important though was the map. Other than these three items, there wasn’t anything else he needed; Except for food, that is.

Unfortunately, however, most of the possible foods he could pack would spoil rather quickly. Especially fish. There was only one option. He had to try to flip the cow.

Peeking outside again, he was surprised to see that the rain had stopped.

That was quick.

“C’mon, doggy! Let’s go get some food.”

As they stepped outside, he was instantly struck by a foul, putrid smell. Pinching his nose, he scanned the surroundings for the cause of the rotten stench. The dog also sneezed, and stepped back in disgust.

Then, his eyes fell on the dead cow, laying in the road. The decaying animal appeared so sickly it almost made him barf. This was the cause of the smell.

“I guess I didn’t think of that.”

Crawling back inside the secret room to escape the stench, he thought of what he could pack for food. Now that beef was out of the question, there weren’t many options.

I suppose fish will have to do.

Climbing back outside, he grabbed his fishing pole from the ground and hurried toward the lake, pinching his nose as he walked past the cow. He then realized his dog wasn’t following.

“C’mon!”

It didn’t move.

“What’s the matter?”

The dog lied down, pretending he was asleep.

“Oh, alright. You can stay here and nap. ”

His dog seemed satisfied with this, so he dashed toward the lake.

Once he arrived, he quickly found a stick and tied a very small piece of it on the end of his line. Then he found a worm underneath the same rock as last time, slid it on his stick nub, and cast it as far as it would go into the water.

Time passed. A lot of time. He’d tried everything to get a fish to bite, and his efforts were fruitless. The sun was high now, and if they were to start their journey today, they’d have to leave soon.

I guess we’ll have to find food along the way.

He then reeled in his line and headed home.

Upon arriving, he found his doggy friend sleeping in the sun- far away from the dead bovine.

“Wake up! It’s time to go!”

It got up and stretched, then happily greeted him with a lick on the hand.

After he’d gathered everything they needed, he looked at the map. Then, he looked around at the burned village. A tear ran down his face, which he didn’t care to wipe away.

“Goodbye, home. I’ll sure miss you.”

Then he burst into tears.

Pulling himself together, he wiped his face with his sleeve and looked down at the dog, who seemed very confused.

“I guess it’s time we head out.”

They walked down the village road, being careful to avoid the cow, and soon came to the fletcher shop. He remembered all the good times he’d had with his mother, many of them in this very building. More tears came as he realized he would never again feel her loving embrace.

A few minutes later, they passed by the blacksmith shop. Again, memories of his dad overcame him, and soon brought even more tears.

I miss you, mom and dad.

Holding back another surge of emotions, they walked out of the village which had once been his home, and into the open savanna.