So5E Chapter 3 - Build Your Own
Two miles away from the city, within a dense forest, the sound of rhythmic chopping had scared away all the small wildlife in the vicinity.
The source of this sound was a large lumber axe striking the trunk of a tree. A sturdy young man with bronze skin was responsible for swinging the axe.
Hou Tu had come here after making a radical decision. If there was no place for him within the city, he would have to make a place outside of it.
He had brought his tools with him in order to accomplish this task, as his work as a labourer had provided him with everything necessary to make a simple shelter.
With one more powerful chop, the tree Hou Tu was striking began to emit creaking sounds and fell away from him. A loud crash was accompanied by a wave of powdered dirt surging around the trees borders as it hit the ground.
Hou Tu wiped a thick layer of sweat from his forehead. He was pushing his body to its limits in order to ensure that the shelter was ready within the week.
His eyes scanned over his surroundings, which mostly consisted of lumbered trees and their respective stumps. There were 15 trees in total, and all of them were quite large.
“This should be enough.” Hou Tu was confident that he would be able to lay out a basic structure with this many trees.
His next task was to cut the trees into logs of equal length. These logs would serve as the walls for the shelter.
Sadly, though he had used a log cutting saw as a labourer, it was always provided for him by his employer. It was too cumbersome for the labourers to carry these saws back and forth from home.
Hou Tu developed his own technique to overcome this problem. After he measured the length of the logs using his forearm as the unit he relied on his superior physique to cut the tree using brute force and the lumber axe.
Once this process was complete, he used a small handsaw to smooth the surface as much as possible.
It was hardly elegant, the surface was still extremely rough, but it was functional and would serve a temporary purpose until he had access to better tools.
The entire process took considerably longer than the original chopping down of the trees, and it was deep into the night when Hou Tu finally finished.
By this point, his entire body was aching and fatigued, and he felt as if he was submerged under 100 feet of water. He was at his limits both physically and mentally, and he wouldn’t be able to continue without sleep.
Thankfully it was easy for Hou Tu to make himself a bed of leaves, they had long since torn from their branches and carpeted the ground. He collapsed on the bed like a stiff brick and fell asleep almost instantly.
…
Hou Tu awoke to a soft, slippery sensation batting against his cheek. His eyes opened to reveal a dogs small black snout. It’s tongue, which protruded from its mouth and lapped against his cheek, was the source of the slippery sensation.
“Hmm?” Hou Tu’s mind was still in a suspended between awake and asleep, and it took him a moment to pull himself from his stupor. After he did, he moved his cheek away from the dog and looked at it with a curious expression.
The dog looked back at Hou Tu with its large eyes, its tongue still hanging out of its mouth as it rapidly inhaled and exhaled.
Hou Tu was not unfamiliar with dogs. Strays would often make a temporary home within Widow Alley and he had many interactions with them during their stays.
He extended his arm and placed his large hand on top of the dogs head and gave it a gentle rub.
The dog was receptive, and nuzzled its head into his hand before letting out a small yelp.
Hou Tu laughed and revealed a smile. He fussed the dog for a while longer before turning his attention back to the construction of the shelter.
Since he had finished cutting the logs he would use for the walls, it was time for him to lay down their foundation.
He decided that he would first dig a moat in the ground in a rectangular shape, then he would place the logs into the moat and fill in the excess space to secure them in place.
It was not a professional or refined approach, but it was the only option that was within Hou Tu’s skill set as a labourer.
The small black dog followed closely behind Hou Tu during the entire process of digging the moat. Hou Tu found this a bit odd, but did not have the heart to shoo away the adorable little fellow.
“All finished.” Hou Tu let out a sigh and looked down at the dirt which was covering his hands and legs. He suddenly regretted not bringing extra clothing with him.
His attention then shifted to the black dog, which was still lingering a few feet behind him.
The little black dog was looking at Hou Tu with eyes full of longing, and Hou Tu’s own rumbling stomach caused him to realize why this cute guy was following him around.
“It’s about time to get some food, huh?” Hou Tu directed his voice towards the dog,
Surprisingly, the dogs eyes gleamed with intelligence as it nodded its head and opened its mouth expectantly.
“You’re pretty smart,” Hou Tu laughed at the dogs antics.
Hou Tu was not unfamiliar with the process of acquiring food in the forest. During his harsher years he had come several times in hopes of catching something to sate his hunger.
He decided he would use the time spent searching for food to familiarize himself with the wildlife and vegetation in this area, It would be useful considering that he planned on living here for awhile.
He came across much of what one would expect in a forest. Small herbivores such as squirrels and rabbits, and their predator the wily fox.
There was a distinct lack of larger herbivores like deer, and all of the berries revealed their poisonous nature as they produced a tingling sensation when rubbed on the back of Hou Tu's hand.
.,.
Hou Tu was kneeling down behind a small bush, his eyes focused intently on a small white creature approaching his location.
He had been stalking this creature for half an hour and victory was finally within his grasp. When it got close enough to the bush he was hiding behind, he would strike it with a thrust of his makeshift spear!
The small white creature was a rabbit, and its ears were raised high above its head, searching for any noise which would betray an approaching predator.
After many cautious moments, the rabbit finally made its move. Using its powerful hind legs, it dashed straight into the bush.
Hou Tu recognized that this was his opportunity, and thrusted the spear forward in the rabbits direction.
The rabbit was accustomed to sudden attacks, and responded instantly by shifting its body. The makeshift spear brushed past its fur but did not cause any damage.
“Damn!” Hou Tu cursed. Half an hour of preparation rendered useless because of a missed strike!
The rabbit didn’t give Hou Tu time for a second strike, and darted out of the bush with incredible speed.
However, it had not noticed that during this exchange a black creature had appeared behind it!
This black creature was ruthless, and accurately lunged forward with bared fangs.
As it lunged, the black creature opened its mouth widely and wrapped it around the rabbits throat before viciously biting down with its powerful jaw.
Hou Tu couldn't help but smile as he witnessed this scene. He had not seen the little black dog in a while and he wondered if it had left, but it turned out it was waiting for this opportunity!
“Good!” Hou Tu shouted in praise, and the little black dog dropped the rabbit in front of him and raised its head high in pride.
“Right.” Hou Tu pet the dog in acknowledgement before picking up the rabbits carcass.
The walk back was uneventful, and only featured a few stops to pick up small sticks that could be used in building a fire.
When he arrived back at the camp, he first used the knife which had served as the blade of his makeshift spear to skin the rabbit. He was not very experienced with this task, and ended up losing a lot of good meat in the process.
Thankfully, the black dog was not as picky an eater as Hou Tu, and considered these mangled pieces of meat quite the treat as it gobbled them up.
Hou Tu then kindled a fire using the sticks he had gathered and some dried leaves. He made sure to light this fire a distance away from the construction site, as it would be a disaster if the leaves that covered the ground caught fire.
Finally, all that was left was to secure the rabbit on a long stick and cook it slowly over the fire.
The sun was beginning to set behind the horizon as Hou Tu rubbed his belly in satisfaction. The ache of hunger that had been sitting above his abdomen had finally disappeared.
Hou Tu only indulged in this satisfaction for a small moment before returning to his work constructing the shelter.