Dragging the sled through the forest, Kenji thought through the various uses for the silk cocoons. Without any work he could simply use them as bags and pack the fruit inside but keeping them on the vine was working well to slow their spoiling. If he managed to break them down into the bundles of silk, then it was possible he could weave a simple blanket or cloak. He was also hoping to create a bandage for Sprout's wounds. The sores were filthy with dirt and he was sure that keeping them clean would go a long way towards the Pokémon's recovery.
As he thought of different weaves and the easiest method for him to cobble together using literal sticks, Kenji was constantly reminded of the days he would spend with his parents. His mother was no great seamstress, she was able to create simple repairs and mainly harvested cotton to sell at the market. However, his father was linked with a Leavanny. The species renowned for their skill with creating clothes out of leaves, though they could use other materials as well. He used to wear such green clothes and pretend to be a wild child, raised by beasts only to be caught by his parents.
The memories were cruel and bittersweet. It helped stay distracted by the long trek but it tortured his spirit to relive what would never be again. His new companion helped to distract him as it often returned from its wanderings with a trill of joy.
The Pokémon easily kept pace with Kenji and was often flying off to explore the forest. He caught glimpses of it dancing up in the canopy in the thin rays of sunlight. The sun caused its gossamer wings to light up with vibrant color and it helped to pull him from the darkness weighing him down.
The sun began to set into the afternoon and he stopped to take a short lunch. He was forced to keep it light as he had lost most of his foraged food in the hatching grounds. He was able to find some fruit during his walk but he kept himself from searching further in the hopes that he would reach the river soon. As he chewed on the berries and fed the softer ones to Sprout, he even imagined that he could hear the gurgling of water. The fruit helped to wet his dry throat but it did nothing to silence the sound.
Kenji stood with a sigh and picked up the sled. If his mind was going to torment him with hopes of the river then the least he could do was use it to keep himself moving.
Eventually the running water faded and he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. However, only a few minutes later the sound of the river returned and Kenji looked up with a frown. Cocking his head, he closed his eyes and listened closely. The ambient noise of the forest filled his mind, from the rustling of leaves to the cries of animals and beasts moving through the woods. Underneath it all, hidden by the louder sounds, was the murmur of moving water.
His eyes snapped open and he moved into a light jog. If he could have gone faster, he would have but this pace was already threatening to jostle Sprout free. For he was not going crazy. His mind was not delirious with dehydration, though he was painfully thirsty.
Water.
The river was close enough for to hear, no matter how faint, and with it, the next step of his survival. Kenji raced through the trees, heedless of how rough he was treating the sled. As the river grew louder, his steps came faster. His mind was filling with thoughts of the cool water, slurping it down with wild abandon. A bath, a real bath not a simple rub with a with his arm to wipe away the sweat.
At some point, the large butterfly had returned to his side and was squealing, caught up in his excitement. He put the loud trills out of his mind, ignoring the beast except for the times it passed in front of him and he had to wave the creature aside.
Not soon enough, Kenji broke through the trees and arrived at the riverside.
He immediately dropped the sled, not hearing Sprout's confused and terrified warbles, to run towards the flowing water. The rocks decorating the riverside threatened to trip him but he stumbled on, heedless of their attempts to slow him. His feet were the first to feel the cold bite of the water but he welcomed the sensation. He continued to throw himself forward, wading in until his leather apron was soaked. When he was finally able to, Kenji fell into the water and greedily lapped at the cool waters, uncaring of how shameful he may have looked.
Coming up for air, Kenji immediately coughed and spluttered. His desperate drinking had threatened to drown him but he returned for more. The cold water was running down his arms and face as he cupped it to sip more measuredly from his palms.
Only after several more mouthfuls did he remember himself. He struggled to stand, his work leathers soaked and heavy from the river. He was forced to half crawl to the shallows and collapsed on a large rock sticking out of the water.
Hearing a delighted warble, Kenji turned to locate the small turtle. The young beast was not by the sled- he winced when saw how he had carelessly dropped it and felt shame creep up his neck. No matter how desperate he was, it was wrong of him to treat the Pokémon so poorly.
Neither was the creature planted in the dirt like it preferred. Instead the Pokémon was navigating the rocks with its slow stride until it reached the water. Once there the beast inspected the river before lowering its beak to bite at the moving liquid. When it was satisfied, the turtle slipped into the river and used its stumpy legs to trundle through the water.
Laughing that the small turtle happily swimming, if somewhat awkwardly, Kenji stood up and stripped out of his leathers. Since they were already wet, he opted to rinse them as best he could before laying them out to dry. The cleaning mostly resolved around scrubbing free the dirt that clung to it. After squeezing out the water, he dunked it once more before laying it out to dry.
Next he stripped out of his clothes, making sure that his mother's pendant was secure. Submerging them in the water, Kenji began to clean his clothes as he studied the river.
The stream was not too wide to cross but the center appeared deceptively deep. It likely hid a strong current that could carry him away. Even from the shallows he could feel the water tugging at his legs and he kept a close eye on Sprout as the Pokémon paddled. The water was clear but the rocks caused it to froth in places while his movements stirred up the riverbed.
He looked up and down the river in an attempt to see further but it bent and was blocked by the tree line.
After laying out the last of his clothes, Kenji joined the small turtle in the cool water. Flutter was hovering over the surface, avoiding the other Pokémon, and extending its proboscis. It carefully dipped its narrow appendage into the river before lifting up and flying away.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Reassured that the flying bug was fine, he used his hands to wipe the sweat from his body. The bed was not sandy and none of the rocks that he could see would be useful for scraping his skin clean. As he wiped the stink from his body, Kenji paused and mentally slapped himself with a sigh. Remembering the stench from his leathers, he turned the mental slap into a physical one.
Walking out of the river, he shivered as the wind cooled him further. Stepping up to the sled, the young man sniffed the different leaves present and even went so far as to taste them. None of them were what he was looking for so he turned his eyes to the riverside.
All this time, days of enduring his odor, and all he had to do was search the forest for the right plant. His father extoled the virtues and necessity of soap, saying that not even a Ronin, honor-less as they were, would move without it. His lessons in the way of the Warrior included maintaining one's body as well as their bonds. Then his mother would harp in, saying that no woman or man liked their partner to smell. Tears pricked at Kenji's eyes as he imagined the scolding his parents would give him for not taking care of his body.
"Oh, father, if only you were here to scold me," Kenji whispered as he searched the nearby woods. "I would gladly accept it and more."
Eventually, he found several plants that he was sure would work for what he had in mind. It was difficult to identify them, as none of the plants were familiar to him but he recognized the harsh, bitter taste. Collecting several varieties, Kenji went so far as to dig them up by the roots before returning to the river.
Dropping the plants on the sled, he pulled it closer to the river and searched for his companions. He could not see Flutter but he was not surprised. The butterfly was adventurous and often disappeared to search for flowers or simply explore. He could not help but worry about the Pokémon but they did not share a link so he could not claim the creature as his bond. Nor did he feel that the beast would join him in his goal of escaping the forest. Rather, their companionship felt more one of convenience and curiosity than friendship.
Turning his eyes to the water, Kenji frowned when he did not immediately see the turtle.
"Sprout," he called out. "Come on out."
When a second search did not reveal the turtle, he grew concerned. He waded into the river to search for the Pokémon but he could not see anything through the frothy water.
"Sprout!" he shouted. "Sprout!"
Kenji stumbled on the rocks and felt something brush his legs. It prodded as his feet and slipped off the smooth rocks lining the river. With a yelp, he fell into the water.
He slipped under the surface and the water rushed into his mouth. Panicking, he flailed in river and felt his limbs strike the hard stones. The sharp pain helped him to snap out of his panic, if only for a moment. He opened his eyes and the cold water stung as he searched the water wildly.
He was near the river bottom and he could see the rocks passing him by as he drifted down the river, pulled by the strong current. Frantically reaching out with his hands, he clutched at the rounded rocks to in an effort to stop his movement but his fingers could find no purchase on the smooth, slimy stone. After realizing that he would not be able to catch himself on the riverbed, Kenji sought to plant his feet. He could feel the urge to choke on the water still in his chest but he had the sense of mind not to, even as his lungs burned with fire.
After struggling several times, he managed to plant his feet long enough to surge to the surface. He broke through the surface surprisingly fast and he used his arms to slap at the water.
Choking and wheezing, Kenji spat out the water in his lungs as he struggled to keep himself afloat.
As he flailed in the water he felt something touch his leg once more.
"Ahhhh!" he screamed.
The surprise nearly sent him under the surface once more. Looking around wildly, something popped out of the water.
Staring at the creature, Kenji briefly considered drowning it.
Sprout, his companion that he cared for and carried through the forest, warbled at him in greeting.
"I nearly drowned," he shouted. "I should make some turtle soup for dinner." he added with a mutter as he glared at the Pokémon.
The murderous beast merely chirped and waddled closer to him.
Kenji grumbled back but pulled the turtle close to him as he started to swim back to the shore. The river current was not strong enough to wash them away but they floated down enough that he had to walk back to the sled. Carrying the Pokémon in his arms, the creature chirped happily.
"You know, one of these days you're going to the one carrying me around." he told it.
The turtle warbled back as if in denial.
"Yes you will." he fired back. "Maybe I'll even tie together a couple trees for you to make it extra difficult."
The Pokémon chirped at him as they arrived back at the sled.
Holding the beast, he was reminded of how dirty and injured it was.
"Well, let's get you cleaned up before I wash myself." he said as he stepped back into the river. This time, he kept the Pokémon in the shallow water as he rubbed it down. After brushing down the scaly skin with his hands, Kenji grabbed some moss from nearby and used it clean the young beast further. It seemed to enjoy the touch of the moss and snacked on slimy plant. Anytime his hand approached the sores on the Pokémon's body, the turtle would flinch and pull away.
The first time it happened, Kenji let it go and the creature retreated under the water. He watched it carefully but Sprout merely settled onto the riverbed and walked around. When he thought the Pokémon was ready, he reached down and pulled it from the water to resume cleaning. After that, he started to talk to the young creature in an effort to help it relax.
"You know," he started thoughtfully. "I've been wondering. Are you a boy or a girl?" he asked as he studied the Pokémon's form.
Reptiles were notoriously difficult to determine the sex of, especially when they were young. He turned the turtle around and even held him up to the light but he still could not tell.
"How about I just say that you’re a boy?" he said.
The beast had no response and he continued to ramble to it.
He lightly brushed the shell as he did not want to remove anything vital but it was mostly bare already. Soon he had the Pokémon as clean as he could without aggravating its wounds. Picking the Pokémon up out of the water, he set Sprout on a large rock to dry and surrounded it with moss. The turtle enjoyed the soft, wet green and buried himself in it.
With the young Pokémon cleaned, Kenji walked out to the plants he collected earlier. Entire shoots, leaves, and roots were casually dropped on the sled and he collected them before returning to the river.
He separated the plants by species first before testing each one by breaking a root, stem, or leaf and rubbing it in the still water. He had to repeat the process with 4 of the plants before he finally discovered one that caused the water to froth slightly. Another had a similar reaction but it was weak and caused by the leaves. Kenji picked out the two plants and set them aside before checking the rest. None created the reaction he was looking for but he was pleased nonetheless.
Grabbing the two plants, Kenji studied them carefully and made sure to commit them to memory. Only once he was sure that he would be able to recognize the leaves once more did he wade into the river and begin to bathe.
Breaking off the roots and leaves, he rubbed them on his skin until he had a light foam. Once he was satisfied, Kenji brushed the natural soap across his body to clean off the filth from his travels. The process was not perfect but it was far better than simply using water. When he was done, he ducked into the river and let the current wash away the soap.
After cleaning himself, Kenji felt more whole. He was not okay and he may never be. But regardless, he had to keep moving. He could not let his father's Warrior lessons go to waste nor would he allow himself to forget his mother's teachings.
He gripped his mother's cold red and white pendant in his fist. It was all he had left to remember his family. Before, he was adrift, only focused on putting one foot in front of another until he arrived here. But that ended now.
If he stayed as he was, then he would never make it out of the forest alive.