Eric spent most of that day traveling between his clearing and the forest. Lacking anything resembling a bag, he had no choice but to make several trips to gather enough materials for what he had in mind.
But he did find some vines, which he used to tie his new torch to the end of the spear.
“It’s a clumsy mess, but it should work. I know the torches are usually held in hand, but I don’t have enough cloth to make a proper one. Besides, a flaming spear is cool in a way. Don’t know how long it will last though, so I better keep some material close to make a new one, just in case. I have the lighter to light it up whenever I need it, so why not make the most out of it.”
“I really need a basket of sorts. I know people can make them out of nothing but leaves, but where would I even start? Maybe I could use these vines to make some sort of strap? These vines are like a rope, so they should be very useful.”
“I swear, everything about this place is way too convenient. Everything besides the damn dinosaurs.”
“And even they appear to be conveniently intelligent to a certain degree.”
“So … what else do I need? I need a bag or a basket, that’s for sure. I could also use some sort of bed. Usually, I’d worry about the bedbugs, but I’ve yet to find a single insect in this place.”
“What do those dinosaurs eat, besides the fish? They have to eat something. And they’re certainly not herbivores, so there must be some other animals around for them to eat. A hunter and a prey.”
“Where is the smartass even coming from? Is he a part of a … dinopack or something? Is there an entire area chock full of them?”
“That’s … worrisome. I could just sit here, eat fish, and drink water from this stream, hoping someone would come to save me, but that would be way too naïve. I’ll only get weaker with time, so the smartest thing to do is try and find a way out as soon as possible.”
“It’s scary, but … there’s no other way. Sooner or later, I’ll catch something stupid like a minor fever and die from it. Gotta explore and see what I can find. Who knows, maybe I’m not so deep. Maybe an exit is right around the corner.”
“I may run into a pack of feral dinosaurs, but prolonging this misery would be even worse. Besides, at least I have a torch now. If I’m lucky, the animals around here have never seen fire and will freak out as soon as they do.”
“I just hope there aren’t some giant moths in here.”
“Oh, and I better take a peace of charcoal from the campfire to start marking the place. Getting lost is the last thing I need.”
-----
Eric returned to the forested clearing, armed with a long, crude stick whose end wasn’t just sharpened but also had a makeshift torch wrapped around it. As soon as he had reached the clearing, he took a piece of charcoal from one of his pockets, marking the tunnel leading to his campsite with a square.
Then, he started walking along the edge of the clearing. It wasn’t long before he found another tunnel.
“Ok … let’s see what’s in here.”
After marking the entrance with a triangle, he proceeded slowly and carefully, determined to stay focused as much as possible. However, the tunnel was as long and empty as the one leading to his campsite. After walking carefully for about half an hour, he subconsciously dropped his guard and started moving casually. His improvised torch was the only thing keeping him on guard as small, burned flakes kept falling out of it, forcing him to keep his spear as far away as possible.
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Finally, he found another clearing up ahead. However, this one was completely empty, save for an occasional tall pillar here and there. The pillars went from the bottom of the clearing to its very top.
“Is this … moss? Yeah, it’s … looks like the same moss that’s on the ceiling.”
“Ohh … oh, I think I get it! The pillars in the caves are formed from top to bottom, so there’s still moss on them. Let me touch … hmm, feels nice. Like a sponge.”
“Hmm … maybe I could make some sort of bed out of it? Can it … yeah, I can peel it off. Nice! There‘s plenty of moss here to make a mattress out of it. If only I had something to carry it in.”
“Hmm … I could do it with the blazer. Just get it out of the water and use it as a makeshift bag. It has holes all over it, so some will fall out, but I think this moss is thick enough for most of it not to fall through those holes. Those are pen-sized holes, nothing big.”
“Blazer, the ultimate tool.”
“Buut … for that, I will need to go back first and get it. Still, it’s a good find.”
“Wwrrrrr!!!”
“Oh, fuck!”
Facing the direction the growling came from, Eric saw one of those dinosaurs staring at him a short distance away. Luckily, something was stopping the animal from baring its teeth at him.
Its mouth already held a fresh and bloody catch.
“Easy boy, easy … I mean you no harm.”
“Wwrrrrr!!!”
“I’m going to slowly walk away now, and we’ll both go our ways. I’m not interested in your lunch, you can keep it for yourself.”
“Wrr?”
The reptile dropped its catch to the ground and started biting at it with its large jaws. Eric considered just sprinting away for a moment but hesitantly settled for making slow and steady progress with his spear pointed toward the possible enemy.
The animal bit fiercely into its dead prey for some time before grabbing a large part of it with its jaws and throwing it towards Eric. He stopped in place, readying himself to be charged and holding the spear as hard as he could, but his opponent had something else on its mind. Instead of having a confrontation with Eric, it grabbed the other part of its prey and started walking away, swishing its tail happily.
It took Eric a few moments to finally realize what was going on.
“Is … is that for me?”
“…”
“Thanks … I guess.”
“Wro!”
-----
“What is this … I only got the lower part. It looks disturbingly similar to an oversized rat,” Eric thought aloud as he examined the bloody carcass.
“How do I cut this thing? It will take forever to cut it up with a stone. Maybe I can roast it on a stick? But then … it will take a good portion of the day to cook it properly. And cooked meat can attract some more unwanted guests.”
“Is this thing even safe to eat in the first place? Rats carry all kinds of diseases. I don’t want to catch some bacteria. Fish is good enough, and it looks safe to eat. I don’t feel like taking a risk with this mystery meat. Not now when the food is taken care of.”
“But man, that dino really did share it with me. Was that smartass? It has to be because why would an animal share its catch if not to show gratitude? That’s why cats leave dead birds and mice in front of the door, as thanks for the food you give them.”
“These dinos are really smart, aren’t they? They really do resemble dogs in a way. I wonder if they’d enjoy some patting.”
“Although, I’m not that dumb.”
“Hmm … all this meat feels like a waste, though. And it’s nice that smartass gave me the lower part. Ham is far more favorable to me than the head. But still, I don’t feel like eating rats with plenty of fish nearby.”
“What can I use it for …”
“…”
“… a bait perhaps? But I’d need some proper tools to make a trap. I have nothing to dig with … and I’m in a cave. The ground is rock solid.”
“And if I don’t use it for something, it will spoil …”
“… or … I could use it to trade? The smartass is smart; he takes, but he also gives. Maybe having a piece of meat will come in handy if I run into another dino. I could use it as a toll.”
“Well, there is nothing else to use it for …”
Upon realizing something, he smacked his forehead in frustration.
“Eric, you’re being a fool once again! Skin! Skin, Eric! If I skin it, I can …”
“Well, not with this little skin it has, but if I catch a few more of these or trade them, I can make a bag out of their skin!”
“Uhh … what would I connect those skins with, though? I don’t have a needle, nor the threads. I could wrap it around the spear and get some better grip that way.”
“Or … or … could I poke holes in it with the pencil and then connect them with vines? Would it stay in one piece? Like, tie knots at the other end?”
“It’s worth a try. It’s not like I have anything better to do once I make the bed. I’ll skin this one as soon as I get back to the camp so I can carry the carcass as a tribute and then try to get some of this moss here. The blazer should be able to handle that.
“But … skinning it with a stone won’t be easy, won’t it?”