September 2nd

I have finished a large part of the construction. I will be finishing up some last minute changes to the interior before I begin the final touches with the help of a carpenter. I have made the hallway a bit wider and have given thought as to whether or not to include natural lighting. It would be good to be able to do so, however it would not be feasible, as I have to keep both safety and practicality in mind as something could fly through the window, and I would need to dig out more of the ground to have the window be uncovered as it is in the cellar. On the other hand, if not a window, I will need another way to determine what time it is at a glance while working. I have developed a habit of working long into the night when constructing my laboratory and holding cell.

September 3rd

I began construction with the carpenter. I have learned some wood working techniques, but will likely never be as good as him. It’s no matter. I am very excited to finish, however before I can go out and catch monsters, I need to get tables and bookshelves, as well as anything else I may need to study the monsters. And before that, naturally, I need to finish the interior construction. We are nearly done.

September 4th

I have nothing of note to say here but for some reason I feel a strong desire to write. Due to this unexplainable urge, I will write out some mundane information about my day. I woke up early and waited for the carpenter to arrive. Once he did, we began installing side panels into the wall. We also added hooks for lanterns on the ceiling, however I would still need to get several lanterns to go there.

Maryanne is not happy about all the time I have been spending in the cellar. Sooner or later, I will need to reveal what I am doing to her, right now the butler is keeping her preoccupied with other things.

Oh yes, and I have had an idea for lighting. I could place lanterns in the corners of the room with mirrors to redirect more light inward towards the center of the room.

The troll is a godsend however, all of the secrecy was definitely worth using its strength to speed up construction.

September 5th

I suppose I am finished for now. The construction and interior are completed to a decent enough degree for me to spend time in the forest again. Today was rather boring, but I sanded some wooden planks to use for shelves. I also brought materials and supplies down to the lab.

September 6th

I was able to return to the forest and set up a trap. I do not expect to find anything big, so it is a small box trap, allowing to catch something no larger than the rabbit I had caught before.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

September 7th

No creatures were trapped today. I saw tracks around the trap but nothing set foot inside. Somehow, the trap had been triggered however, although the bait remained untouched. I reset the trap before returning home.

September 8th

Today I found that the trap had again been triggered. Just like the previous day, the food was untouched and there were no traces of activity inside it, though there were numerous prints in the mud around it. Is it an intelligent creature? While it is possible, I think the more probable possibility is that it may have accidentally triggered the trap. I am unsure as to what the creature may be as I do not know the tracks that well. I may need to stay in the forest to observe the trap.

I cannot afford to stay in the forest all day! I have work to do. Maybe if I can determine the approximate time the creature appears, I can more efficiently use my time.

September 9th

I woke up at dawn today to check the trap. It has yet to be triggered, which is good as the thick fog would have made surveillance rather difficult. Additionally, I do not have a good excuse for Maryanne as to why I might be staying out in the forest through the night.

September 9th

I checked the trap at noon and found nothing. I have gotten some tools from a shop in town and got it down to the lab.

September 9th

I returned to the trap three hours later to find that it had been triggered again. Now I have a rough estimate of a time period, tomorrow I will return an hour before noon to observe the trap. I think I can spare four hours of my day tomorrow.

September 10th

It has been three hours since I arrived at the trap today. I managed to spot the creature. It is a tall but thin rabbit with what looks like stag antlers on its head. Each antler only contains two points. While I was watching it, the rabbit attempted to go towards the food inside the trap but accidentally tripped the trigger mechanism with one of its antlers and the trap swung shut with the rabbit outside. The rabbit appeared confused and wandered around the trap for a minute or two, taking small hops before it left.

I think I should consider throwing a net over it as a potential way to catch it.

September 11th

I bought a sturdy net and will return to the forest later today. My head hurts... It started hurting when I was returning from the town...

I caught the rabbit! Of course I did, I’m me. It was fairly easy given its small size and the size of the net, however I need to refine my aim for the future, as I just barely managed to snag it with the corner of the net.

September 13th

I got a sample of deer antlers to compare to the rabbit’s antlers. It is of a similar composition, and is similar in color. The antlers are very dense, I wonder how the rabbit antlers compare.

September 14th

I am starting to think of more things to test… what part of the fire fox causes it to burn? Is it the fur? I may need to capture the fire fox again to test this. Additionally, I would like to learn if the rabbit loses its antlers in winter like stags. This would not be possible without a better monitoring method. If the antlers fall off, it may look nearly identical to regular rabbits.