7 - A Small Step Forward

Wrapping his tiny hands around the women grasping onto his little body for dear life tears started to blur his vision, unable to speak, they sat like this for what felt like forever to him. Her heart beat in rhythm with his own as she stared right into his eyes, she hesitated to speak almost afraid to tell the child, the cold hard truth.

Even though the tears blocked his vision, he refused to cry. He wanted the tears to stop flowing, but he couldn't stop the flood, it was one of those times you can't help yourself as you weren't able to stop that specific action.

Waking up, Argile had just come to an understanding. It was a dream; was it a happy dream or a sad dream, he was unsure.

What was happiness to him, what was sadness, what was meaningful, what changed? That memory left an impact scarring him as he pondered as he awoke, was it what he thought or a revelation from his sub-consciousness.

But it all came down to what he wanted, what does he want now, a new book with a blank page sitting right in front of him with a man sitting behind it, pen in hand not knowing how to start his first letter.

Looking ahead in the darkness of the cave, he could see the light which was both his entrance and exit because everything has both a beginning and ending.

Embracing his new beginning, he starts walking forward

Days began to pass as he watched the sun rise in the east and set in the west, he watched scars both appear and disappear as bluey both went and came, he saw the leaves grow and wilt during the passing seasons, he listened to Bluey as it spoke to him or rather itself. Sometimes, he watched the moon brighten up the darkened sky, and another appear following it closely.

Already knowing he was not on earth already, it came to a surprise when he noticed, constellations not known to him sparkle in space. He now knew just how far a distance he is from that place as he was unable to call it home.

Slowly gathering knowledge at eye value, he had a speck of understanding of what was his surroundings as he felt the months turn to years.

..........

Pressing his arms towards the ground to help him stand, he pushed his arms, propelling himself forwards as he now stood on his feet as he once again watched Bluey leave the cave.

Following him outside, the morning horizon, slipped into his vision as he stopped to admire the beautiful scenery. Too bad that's all it was, just the scenery, void from any sound, there was never any birds chirping in harmony or waves crashing against any reef, only deathly silence. At first, he enjoyed it, but as time went on, he discovered this island was devoid of any life besides the shifting leaves of the trees that sit silently in their position.

Alone with Bluey on an island by themselves, he sat for five years.

Watching as Bluey swam through the water, he turned walking into a flat area he cleared earlier, towards a crudely built spit-roasting station set up next to a warm fire. Taking a look at his recent handiwork that also included three smokehouses he used to preserve meat, placing his hand in the first smokehouse that had the appearance of a wooden shelter, he pulled out a long strip of meat reaching the length of 60cm, nearly less than half his body height as he pierced a long wooden skewer in it.

Watching his food for today roast, he made his way towards the Rak'shar remains that he butchered yesterday with his trusty knife, plucked out from the body of a foe Bluey had killed a few years ago. The fang was excessively sharp as he could even use it to carve past the cave walls, he had times he used it as a pickaxe.

A Rak'shar was a beast similar to a giant lion. Yellow fur that shined in the sunlight becoming a beacon, with threads of red patterned from its head to tail, a vicious stare that would kill the weak with a look, but now he looked at its remains everytime he was hungry.

Placing its hide cut into five pieces he started to unhair, degrease and desalted it before putting it in water to soak for today before tanning it tomorrow.

Excited at how he could finally start tanning the leather in preparation for either blankets or clothes because he was still walking around practically naked to this day, only having a fibre strap covering his long-john was extremely uncomfortable.

He could still remember how he suffered his first few weeks as a baby, without any clothes he was always shivering, curling himself into a ball hoping to preserve his remaining body heat.

Drinking that milky substance that he had during his first few years had in one way or another help reduce his struggling, whenever it flowed through his body, he felt it warm up, as the heat travelled through his bloodstream and the strange sensation he has in which he slowly got used too.

It also excitingly caused his body to become physically stronger, he was stronger than your average grown man. Unfortunately, he felt its effects weaken over time until he no longer improved which left him slightly disappointed when he found out.

It took him a few hours preparing the hide as he begun to eat, his lunch as the sun burned bright in the sky as it usually always did. Enough food for it to be plenty but was actually only a bit compared to his meals size.

Feeling he now had to take a shit, his face revealed a downcast expression. This place had NO FUCKING TOILET AND NO FUCKING TOILET PAPER. He could live with all this other primitive shit but the no toilet part hit him on the head rather hard.

Pacing off into the area he preferred to call the ''designated shitting area'' he walked nearly butt naked, even going to the lengths of placing a sign warning people who happened to read English, a language he was not even sure present on this planet reading ''beware of landmines''. Cautious he had to strut through on the lookout for signs of poop burials, remaining hopeful he didn't once again step in one like last time and the time before.

Have you ever stepped into a dug in pile of shit in bare feet, it literally feels like shit

This reason played a massive part in placing those signs as a reminder. Writing the sign's text in the local language would have been preferred for a few stragglers who might, but unlikely, pass through, but he could only casually speak Syner, which was the local language of the natives, he has yet learned to write it mostly because Bluey doesn't know either.

Digging out a new whole with his hands, he squatted over it as he did his business. Finishing up, he travelled towards the lake where he found his metre deep hole, squared, filled in with water, made when he could physically walk.

Jumping in the water, he rubbed his ass as the remaining crap from his crack dissolved in the water. It felt like many tiny Garra rufa where eating at his toes as the water cleansed his body.

He filled his dirt-tub with water coming from the lake, yes, the water was fucking weird, he learned any bacteria coming from an external source would dissipate at rapid speeds when placed to soak in it, so he built his personal bathtub to clean his ass and take a daily bath.

He felt relieved, shuddering at how he had to use leaves and anything he could use to wipe his ass.

Even though he knew external substance evaporated at contact, he still wouldn't want to drink water he used to clean his ass, so with that thought came his dirt-tub.

Laying in the water, he watched as Blueys returned with scars, some deep others not. Watching them heal at visible rates he always wondered if it was normal.

Turning Bluey spoke to him '' I have something important to talk with you about'' slithering along, I watched him move as I followed after him into the cave.

Sitting down on my makeshift seat, also known as a wooden log that used to be a sturdy tree outside we faced each other before Bluey spoke again in a seriously deep tone, ''I'm sure you already figured out we are from a different species, you are a human, a human warlock.'' pausing as Bluey watched my facial expression. ''I'm not too sure of the specifics about anything from your species since the only interaction I've had is with you. I do know a few things passed around here and there, you or more specifically a warlock has saint, deity or god beast ancestry''.

''Few have stronger bloodlines than others, originating from beasts that are naturally able to mature at a certain cultivation level; Ranging to Saints, Deity, God, Elder God, High God, there's more to it, but nothing I'd really understand so, at dawn I'm sending you out back the way I found you and into human civilization.''

Listening to his words my left eyebrow shot up '' Are you coming''. My voice with slight hope asks

''No'' he responds as I ask another question ''Can't you transform into a human and follow, I've seen you adjust your size a few times so it wouldn't be hard for you to come''.

Looking at me like I was an idiot Bluey said ''If I told you to transform into a Ralit, to interact and learn how it survives would you?''.

Shaking my head bitterly, he just compared the human species to a rat. Easily killed, really ugly and pitifully weak as a whole, practically a lesser species, murmuring I spoke ''Lucky I'm a warlock than''.

Bluey nodded his head since he didn't catch my sarcasm as he heard my murmur saying ''besides, this place is about to experience a huge change and its where I need to be, besides your too weak to stay for now and it would put both me and yourself in harms way so it's for the best''.