Author's Question: Do you like the pictures? Are they helpful or distracting?
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Mochou wasn't a stranger to forests. When he worked in the special forces he often had to trek for days through hostile forests, jungles, caverns, and desserts. Compared to those places the forest by his new home was safe.
The biggest problem he had as he walked through the area was his own body.
"Hah... ugh... Damn this weak body! What did this brat do to get so out of shape? Is he an invalid or something? Was he confined to that hut and never allowed to leave bed before now?" He complained as he struggled to catch his breath after less than an hour trekking through the forest.
It was a struggle but he had managed to gain a lot. The forest was safe but also lush with wild herbs, vegetables, fruit, and berries. As he walked he filled the basket on his back half full of dry branches and chunks of wood he could use in a fire. In his hands he held another bamboo basket he had filled with edible plants.
Despite his obvious gains Mochou didn't want to return yet. He wanted to catch a rabbit or wild bird.
"If I'm going to build muscle I need protein. I need meat." He told himself as he forced himself to venture further in the forest.
He knew it wouldn't be possible to capture one by hand with his poor health but he had gathered several stone he could throw and stun a small animal with. He also used the rope he brought to set a trap closer to his home in hopes something would be caught by the time he returned back towards the house.
"There!" He exclaimed hopeful the moment he spotted a rabbit huddled beneath a bush. He was still too far, but any closer and the rabbit would run off. With no other choice he threw a stone.
Plop*
The throw was more like a pathetic toss and landed barely three meters away.
"F***! How can anyone be this weak?!" He cursed. The sudden commotion scared the rabbit away leaving Mochou in an even darker mood.
"Breath..."
Mochou took a moment to calm himself. Once he did he took a look around the area again. Not long after, he found a few birds. They were small and brown. From the looks of it Mochou suspected they were quails. The little group of birds were pecking at the ground.
"One... two... five... seven. Seven little birds. All I need is to get one."
Mochou tried to psych himself up. Knowing his strength was now pitifully weak he had to be certain before he made a move. He considered setting a trap to lure them but then decided against it.
"I need to head back after this, my head is spinning and It's getting harder to carry what I have."
Deciding this would be his last attempt at getting food Mochou didn't act rashly. He undid the cloth wrap around his waist to make a sling. He'd used one before in the past.
At that time he had woven rope together to make one but the cloth would work. The problem with using a sling was the aim. It was difficult to aim well without practice.
"There are seven birds. If I take a shot gun approach I should be able to hit a at least one and hopefully stun it. Once it falters I can rush forward and catch it."
His plan was simple but hopeful. He placed over two dozen rocks in the cloth. The swinging motion would make it easier to add speed and strength to the throw. As long as he got the timing right the rocks would fly towards the birds.
Standing up he began spinning the cloth in the air. At first, it was difficult but once he got it going it was easy. As he spun the cloth sling over his head he walked closer to the birds. Not too close for them to get spooked, just enough to make his chances of success better.
Bam...bambambambam...*
He let go of the sling and the rocks flew towards the birds. Like a shot gun blast the rocks rained down over the area where the little quail birds were poking around for food. To his surprise he hit three birds before the rest scattered and fluttered away.
Not wasting time he rushed forward almost tripping along the way and caught two. Unfortunately, the third regained its senses and managed to get away.
"Yes! Meat!!!" Mochou shouted. His face lit up from successfully catching his prey.
Rustle*
Hearing a sound behind him he quickly turned around his eyes narrowed. He'd become vigilant after years of living in an apocalyptic world.
"Mmmm... There's nothing there...?" He thought after looking around the area.
Despite not seeing or hearing anything more Mochou was still wary of his surroundings. He retied the cloth belt around his waist then grabbed the two unlucky birds and bamboo baskets he left not far away. Satisfied he headed out of the forest.
...
Leaving the forest he was filled with renewed strength after a successful hunt.
"For lunch I'll stick to vegetables and shred one of the birds up into little pieces for some soup. I need to be patient and eat simple food until my stomach recovers." He mused as he walked back to the little hut he was now calling home.
Even though he felt energized by his win, by the time he reached home he was out of breath and lightheaded.
"I should butcher the little quails and get started on lunch." He thought while trying to ignore his terrible condition.
He entered through the same creaky gate. After taking only three steps passed the gate his head started to pound.
Argh!*
Mochou fell to the ground in pain. He wanted to scream His head felt like it was being torn open. He barely held his tongue. Determined to silently endure the pain as he collapsed.
Light flashed before his eyes and he once again found himself in the dream world.
...
| "It's this fucked up dream again... No, maybe it's not a dream. Maybe it's this body's memories?" Mochou concluded as he stood by a river.
He was watching some young men standing in the water fishing from afar.
"I wish someday I can have a husband whose willing to fish and help me." The boy's voice said.
Mochou's heart ached at his words. He understood the desire to want someone to share a life with. It was what he always desired.
Despite his sexual preference and his body type, he always wanted someone who would treat him well. He didn't want to always be the protector in the relationship, but to have someone who loved and cherished him. Someone who allowed him to be weak and vulnerable.
It was a luxury he lost long ago and a secret wish he held in his heart. The kind he had to bury did inside because the likelihood of him finding that perfect man was ø because of his appearance.
Now he had a new body. There was hope. Or at least he thought there was. That is until the boy looked down at the water's surface revealing his face.
Mochou stared at the boy's face. He had large bright red eyes. They were beautiful with specks of colours mixed in them like beautiful red opals. But they looked sad and filled with sorrow.
"Who could ever love someone who looks like this?" The boy questioned softly as he touched the gruesome scars on his face.
Mochou was confused by the scarring. They reminded him of scratch and tear marks seen after a zombie attack.
"How did you get these scars? Were you attacked by a bear or wild animal?" Mochou questioned. But it wasn't as though the boy could answer his questioned.
Tears began to fall from the boy's face and fall into the water's surface distorting the image of his face further. |
...
As the image distorted Mochou was once again blinded by an intense pain and flashing lights. When he opened his eyes again he was back in the hut.
"How did I get inside?" Mochou wondered as he looked around.
"I could have sworn I collapsed outside." He said as he looked around his heart beating warily at the possibility of an intruder.
Badump*
He didn't see anyone. He slowly got up and snuck over to the door. Because of the cracks it was easy to sneak a peek outside.
Badump*
No one was there. He spotted his bamboo basket and everything he had gathered while in the forest not far from the door. He couldn't see much but it looked like everything was still there including his two little quail birds.
Not finding anyone or seeing anything suspicious he finally calmed down.
"Maybe I managed to climbed into bed on my own without realizing it?" He concluded. He still felt uneasy but with no sign of an intruder in sight he started to calm down.
He took a deep calming breath and stepped outside to deal with the two little quails.
...
Butchering the two little birds was easy but by the time he was done Mochou felt depressed.
"It's barely a mouthful of meat." He thought as he poked the pitiful fleshy remains of the quails after removing the feathers and inedible parts.
Despite the small amount of meat he managed to get, he was successful when it came to wild plants. It seemed to be early spring. He hadn't found a bamboo forest yet, but he hoped to be able to get some bamboo shoots later.
What he did find was burdock root, manticai, fiddlehead ferns, wild garlic, wild leeks, sunchokes, wild carrots, wild lettuce, niuganjun mushroom, and plenty of dandelions.
It was a real mix of ingredients but Mochou couldn't be happier. He was happiest about finding the niuganjun mushrooms. These particular mushrooms were large and delicious. He also found many of them. Probably because they needed to be prepared carefully or they could cause severe stomachaches.
The next obvious favourites were the sunchokes and burdock root. They were filling, starchy, and nutritious. Unfortunately, he only found a few days worth. He'd need to find more if he was going to eat them regularly.
"I'll make soup with meat, sunchokes, burdock root, garlic, leeks, carrots, mushrooms, and some quail. If I make a large pot I can eat the leftovers for dinner. It's not the most versatile, but soup is my best option until my stomach recovers. I'll make something more filling tomorrow and substantial in the next few days."
Mochou understood the importance of food from a young age. Since he was kicked out of his home at twelve he needed to eat. At one time his motto was, "You can sleep on the street, but you can't eat it!" Meaning he always prioritized filling his belly over finding a place to sleep or things like clothing.
...
Mochou looked outside. The sun was high in the sky.
"It must be around two in the afternoon. I slept too late earlier." Telling the time by looking at the sun was a skill he learnt from his time in the army. Knowing the time he decided to start on lunch.
"After I eat I'll go find the river I saw in my dream earlier. Getting ahold of some fish or edible plants that grow by the river will be good. I can also observe the villagers from a safe distance. I haven't met any yet, but it won't be long until I do. It would be good if I knew more about them first."
Mochou had a feeling at the back of his mind that things wouldn't be good for him if he ran into any villagers. He wasn't sure if it was remnants from the previous host's experience or the dreams. Either way it was best to be careful.
Mochou quickly made lunch. As he did, he decided he would need to invest in better cooking supplies like pots knives, bamboo steamers, and more.
"What's here is barely useable." He thought with a long deep sigh.
While his soup cooked Mochou cleaned up the bedding. He placed the dirty blankets and what could barely be considered a cot into the bamboo basket after emptying out all the wood he managed to gather. It was pathetic how thin his bedding was.
"Does he not have anything thicker? What did he use in the winter?"
Mochou also found a second set of clothing. They were even more tattered than what he was currently wearing and seemed to be the wrong size. He added it to the basket. He planned to wash them with the bedding while at the river. He could change into them and wash his current clothes at a later date.
As he cleaned around the house he moved back and forth to maintain the fire. It was a lot tougher than he expected to cook with a wood stove instead of a modern gas or electric one.
If it wasn't for what Mochou believed to be the original owner's memories he doubted he could cook at all. Maintaining a certain temperature was the hardest. It was another reason why he decided making soup was best. Even if the temperature got too high and he could add water to replace what was evaporated.
If he had a more reliable heat source he cook better dishes. In fact, he was actually known for his cooking back in the army.
"... I need a broom." He mused while looking at the floor. The floor was made of mud that had been stomped hard and smooth. The main problem was that it hadn't been maintained well and had started to crumble. Mochou didn't know how to repair it, but he wanted to at least sweep away the loose soil to make it even a little cleaner.
"What was this guy doing? How could he live in this dilapidated hut with barely any food?" Mochou complained.
Despite his grumbling he realized there must have been a reason for the way the boy lived. His mind wandering to the dream about being called a monster.
When his soup was finally finished Mochou sat down to eat. He first sipped the broth that had a lot more flavour than the soup he ate in the morning.
"It's great that I found garlic and leeks. It needs more salt but there's nothing I can do about it until I find a way to make money and learn about the market here."
Mochou took another bite. This time it had small pieces of burdock and carrot. Both were overcooked, but it was intentional to help with his digestion. Despite the soft texture the flavour was there.
"They taste just like I remember them tasting back when I did survival training in the army." He reminisced happily as he ate.
Next was a piece of shredded quail. It was a very lean meat. Despite using the bones in the soup the flavour was light and had little oil.
"I'll need to catch a rabbit next time. They also look small, probably because it's spring. However, they would have more meat and if I hunt enough of them I can use the fur to make better bedding."
Rustle*
Suddenly Mochou heard a sound from outside. On high alert he stood up and knelt down against the wall low and out of sight. His heart beating fast. He made his way close to the door and peeked through the cracks.
"..."
Mochou quietly watched. His ears twitched as he tried to hear any other noise. But nothing. No noise. No movement or signs of someone close by. Minutes passed and he still didn't hear or see anything.
Believing he was being paranoid he decided to return to the little table to finish the last of his soup.
...