Notes

“Designates Speech

‘Designates Thoughts

Visit yougots.wordpress.com for a Map of Vilenna. After a few chapters I will post a Character List and Stat Sheets to the website as well. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy.

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“You are too weak to survive.” Milo watched Otis waiting for him to recognize this fact.

After a few minutes of silence Otis nodded in agreement.

“Good. Now shall I teach you how to survive?”

Otis’s ears perked up. “Yes Sir Elder Brother.”

“Then let’s get started shall we.”

“But Sir Elder Brother can I just call you Milo?”

Milo looked at Otis. “Sorry little brother, I do not plan to mate with you.”

“I...I don’t want to mate!” Otis shouted. “It’s just a pain to call you Sir Elder Brother all the time.”

The black lion laughed. “I see. Well in my tribe only mates use first names but since you are now my apprentice you can just call me Brother.”

[Title Granted: Shadow Lion Hunter Apprentice]

“Now before we begin go visit your bird. I do not want to have to kill it when it attacks me after you die from my training. Though that bird does look like it might taste good.” Milo said with a grin.

“Ok I will go talk to it.” Otis turned and entered into the forest in the direction of the hawk.

…

Otis approached the hawk. It looked warily at Otis and Otis knew it would take flight at any moment if he made a wrong move. “Hello...umm well I don’t know your name but mine is Otis. I just wanted to thank you for saving me earlier. You don’t have to worry about me now Brother is going to teach me how to survive.”

[Animal Bond Completed: Greater Ravenous Razor Red Hawk]

The hawk slightly nodded at Otis. An image flooded Otis’s mind of the hawk flying in the sky Otis had a vague feeling that it was flying away. After a moment a second image entered his mind again of the hawk flying back towards him but the season was different. It was currently mid-summer but in the second image was set in early spring.

The bird then took flight flying off into the distance out of the forest. Otis strangely felt that his vision could reach further but he didn’t put much thought into it and returned to camp.

Milo threw some handmade containers to Otis. “Go get us some water” Milo commanded. Otis caught them and left to the river.

Otis made his way down to the river. He was lost in thoughts concerning the hawk. ‘I wonder when I will see him again and I wonder if he will let me pet him next time’ a smile was stretched wide on his face. ‘It must like me we did save each other’s lives. And then there was that Animal Bond thing that popped up. I hope that means we are friends, I have never had a pet bird just dogs. He could sit on my shoulder, I could command him “Attack” and he would fly off to do my bidding.’ Otis’s had stars in his eyes as his imagination ran wild.

Without warning pain shot between Otis’s shoulder blades and he stumbled to the ground. Another rock flew through the air striking him on his butt. Otis yelped in pain, getting back to his feet preparing to run forward when another rock came whizzing towards him. Otis dove off his path into the cover of some trees, the rock flew past just missing Otis. Otis ran through the forest dodging the rocks as best he could but he was still pelted several times by them.

When he finally reached the river the rocks had stopped raining down on him. Otis was trying to catch his breath when he heard a strange laugh coming from the forest.

“It was him! I am going to kill that cat when I get back” Otis said as he rubbed the back of his head where that last rock had hit him. He grabbed one of the handmade containers and started to fill it. Otis pulled the container out of the water only to have it all leak from a hole in the bottom. He looked at the bottom of all the containers they all had holes at the bottom.

“That cat! He’s doing this on purpose!” An image of Milo back at camp giggling at Otis’s misfortune flashed through his mind.

Otis sat down to fix all the containers. It was about an hour and a half later before Otis returned to camp, he had to refill the containers twice after having to dodge more flying rocks on his way back.

Milo lazily looked up to Otis from his nap on the ground. “Took you long enough. I have decided that we will stay here the rest of the day and continue on tomorrow.”

“Well I wouldn’t have taken so long if you hadn’t messed up these water containers or thrown rocks at me!”

Milo put on his most innocent expression. “Whatever do you mean? I have been here this entire time. Well except when I found these.” Milo picked up some weird melon looking plants. “We can used these gourds to carry water with us as we travel through the forest. You need to clean them out before we can fill them with water.” As Milo explained how to clean the gourds he threw them to Otis and pointed at a crude knife on the ground. “You can keep that knife for now. Later you will use it to skin some rabbits.”

Otis proceeded to cut the top of the gourd open the way Milo had explained. “Poof” as Otis unplugged the top dust and old seeds shot forth into Otis’s face.

“HAHA” the lion’s laughter roared in the background. “Sorry forgot to tell you to point it way from your face.”

Otis begrudgingly cleaned the gourds as Milo had said. Finally he could not stand Milo’s incessant giggling. “How is this teaching me how to survive?”

“Oh done with our water bottles? Yes, well now we need to start a new fire to purify the water. Follow me.” Milo walked into the forest and Otis hurried after him. Once they reached a dead he had Otis collect branches, twigs and different parts of trees.

Milo showed Otis how to shave the bark to create tinder and stack the branches so that it would catch. Milo had also given Otis a flint rock so he could start the fire by spark.

Otis sat down to start his new task meanwhile Milo was keeping himself busy with other tasks around the campsite. This time Otis was pretty excited as he had never started a fire without matches. First Otis dug a small hole and put his tinder inside it. He set his flint rock next to it and struck it with his knife.

“This is not easy. It won’t catch” Otis exclaimed. Milo walked past Otis his tail slapping Otis in the face. “Hey watch it!”

“Hmm Oh sorry it has a mind of its own. I have no control over it I promise.” Milo said as he walked past Otis second time his tail slapping Otis in the face once again.

Otis exhaled in annoyance. Milo stood next to him this time. “Keep trying its good practice” he said as his tail was flicking the back of Otis’s head.

“I SAID STOP IT!” Otis yelled.

“Ok Ok I will go over here.” Milo said through his huge grin trying to restrain his laughter.

Milo stood on the other side of the camp watching Otis’s progress.

“Brother! Brother I think I got it this time the fire is lit.”

“Whoosh” A strong gust of wind blew through the camp site extinguishing the infant flame. “Hmm little brother looks like it could still use some work” Milo said on the other side of the camp from where he was standing just a moment ago.

“Wh...Why?” Otis silently muttered.

An hour and many attempts later the fire was finally going and they started the process of boiling the water.

“Little brother while we wait for this how about I show you how create a trap to catch rabbit?”

“Yes brother” Otis exhaustedly replied. He strangely lacked the enthusiasm he once had earlier.

…

“This is a good spot.” Milo said as he was pointing out the different animal trails. While walking through the forest they had gathered the material Otis needed and Milo explained how to set a simple trap.

It was half an hour later when Otis had finished his trap. It was not that it should take him that long but Milo had kept “accidentally” triggering it as soon as it was finished. Once Milo tired of his game Otis set up the trap almost instantly. It was so quick Otis felt like an expert trap maker even a new skill appeared in his vision.

[Passive Skill: Trap Making Enabled]

They walked back to camp. During their walk back Milo was showing Otis what sort plants are good to eat and what poisonous. After everything that happened today Otis felt that he should doubt what Milo was saying but he had also noticed that when it came to food Milo was surprisingly serious.

The two had found an incredible amount of edible plants and berries on their way back to camp. Milo said he had found a gourd large enough it could be used as a pot and tonight he would make a rabbit stew for dinner. Most of the walk was spent in silence because the drool dripping of the corner of Milo mouth absolutely terrified Otis. Otis had remembered just who is partner was and did not want to become the rabbit for the rabbit stew.

The sun was hanging low in the west when Otis and Milo arrived back at camp. Milo set down all the plants he hand, “Cut these up while I boil more water.”

“Brother, where did you find potatoes at?” Milo just shrugged at Otis question. ‘When did he pick these things he was with me the whole time,’ Otis couldn’t figure out how Milo does some of the things he does. It was strange that the lion could randomly appear next to him one moment and in the next he’s soundly sleeping 10 yards away.

Otis set the plants on a rock and began to cut them into chunks.

Milo appeared next to Otis. “No cut them more finely. I do not want to have to cook until tomorrow before we can eat it. And after you are done cutting go get the rabbit from your trap I believe you have caught one.”

Otis excitedly cut the remaining vegetables. Milo walked over to get the vegetables frowning at the haphazard results but still let Otis go retrieve his first kill. In fact Milo was quite proud of Otis’s progress today and was cooking the stew to celebrate Otis’s first hunt even if it was just one measly rabbit.

Otis dashed off into the forest running as fast as he could to reach his trap. Upon his arrival he noticed some text flash into his vision.

[Passive Skill: Sprinting Enabled]

The boy did not really care about what flashed up in his vision instead he reached down to pick up the heavy rock that was his trap under it revealed a sticky bloody mess. The shock from it caused him to drop the rock and it tumbled down off to the side of the dead rabbit.

Looking down at the innocent dead rabbit he couldn’t help but feel his heart shake. This was different from those spiders and bugs. That had been a fight for his life it was either them or himself and he had wanted to live. Killing those monsters had not even crossed his mind since it had happened but this rabbit was innocent, it couldn’t even defend itself from his trap and the most disturbing thing was that its blood was red just like his. Those monsters could easily be written off as something completely different from him their blood was a metallic purple or green.

“This rabbit it’s just like me trapped and easily killed. I can’t even fight back. I was only lucky to live this far and now I am just relying on Milo to keep me safe.”

Steeling his resolve Otis once again looked down at the rabbit then picked it up. “Sorry Mr. Rabbit but I need to eat, I need to live and I will be strong.”

Otis returned to camp with a solemn expression. Milo glanced at him from the stew he knew something good just happened. Milo figured that the boy was too soft well he still is too soft but at least now he has taken a step in the right direction.

“Good you have returned with your rabbit. Put it in the pile.” Milo said while stirring the stew.

Otis’s jaw dropped behind Milo stood a heap of dead rabbits. “Pile? There is like 20 of them there. Brother, why did you even need me to get one?”

Milo turned to face Otis his face etched in seriousness. “Hmm... Listen closely Little Brother you will need to remember this. I am number one and you are number two. As long you never forget this fact we will get along just fine.”

After a few moments of silence a large toothy grin spread across Milo’s face. “Now! Let’s show you how to drain and skin these tiny beast!”

Otis dug a pit strung up all the rabbit like he was shown so that they could drain. “Hey brother should I hang mine up here to?”

“No hand it to me. We cannot get the hide from yours as it is all mangled.” Milo casually took the rabbit and carelessly flung into the forest.

Otis stood in silence as his first kill sailed off into the night’s sky then returned to his grisly work.

The rabbits did not take much time to drain out. Otis grabbed one of them and set it on the flat rock that Milo had setup. Otis did like instructed first severing the head by placing his knife at the base of the rabbit's skull where the head met its neck and firmly pushing down. A majority of the rabbits that were strung up were already headless but a couple still had them. Milo had said it was for practice.

Next Otis used his knife to cut around the rabbit’s ankle joint then slice down each hind leg to its back. Once the skin was cut Otis ran his hands underneath its skin at its leg. He then pulled the skin down towards the rabbit's neck taking the skin completely off the rabbit.

Otis handed the rabbit to Milo who then removed the innards and cleaned the meat with some fresh water. He then unceremoniously threw the rabbit into the gourd pot. Otis continued to work cleaning the other 19 rabbits.

“Brother, it’s strange I have only ate once today. Normally I would have been really hungry by now.” Otis said looking out into the night. It was definitely much later than he would have stayed up if he was with his parent.

“Yes. I have noticed it too. There is something off about this world. Look there is not a single star in the sky.

“So brother you think we are in a different world?”

“How else could you explain it? There are no stars, the moon is incredibly large and I have never seen your kind before until yesterday.”

“Yes, your kind doesn’t exist where I am from either. Brother, do you think we are dead?”

“I doubt it we can bleed well at least you can bleed.” Milo said with a smile.

The stew is ready now so eat up.” Milo handed Otis a stone bowl full of the stew. He had made the bowls while Otis was out earlier doing his task.

Milo lifted his own bowl to his mouth and drank down the scalding hot stew. Seeing the steam rise from Milo’s mouth. “Brother I will wait a bit until it cools, thanks.”

“Suit yourself its better when it is hot.” Milo was already lifting a second bowl to his mouth. Otis raised his courage and his bowl. He examined the liquid it was a strange bluish color Milo said he had put some berries in it, that it would make it taste better. Otis finally put it to his lips and took a drink.

“Brother this is really good. After everything that happened today it hits the spot.” Otis took another mouthful enjoying the stew he had helped make.

[Passive Skills: Survival Enable]

Lost in his own thoughts Otis was reviewing the events of today in particular the trap he used to catch the rabbit. He was happy it had worked but it also had ruined the meat and made it unusable by Milo’s standards. The more he thought about the traps he found that new ideas for different traps would enter his mind.

He thought about triggers, spikes, weights, engines and counter balances. The different types of ropes and knots he should use in different situations. How to weave those different types of ropes and how tie those knots also flashed through his mind. It was like he knew how to create them all along.

Everything that concerns traps if he just thought about it a bit he could figure out how it worked or how to make it. So Otis set his mind as to how he could trap a rabbit. He set aside the idea of the Deadfall trap he used earlier instead he thought of one that was less lethal but would still trap a rabbit. He had already killed a rabbit and cut up 20 more so he wasn’t afraid of doing the dirty work as long as he could trap the rabbit itself. While designing the new trap in his mind he found that he could easily do the math that was required to calculate the weight and force needed. After all what good would the trap be if there was too much force and it ended up ripping the animal in half?

Milo spoke stirring Otis from his reverie. “Little Brother go and pick up some large leaves in the forest. I will show you how to dry the leftover rabbit meat so that it can be carried for the next few days.”

Otis walked out into the forest. Milo was surprise that Otis would readily go but in any case he excitedly anticipating some sounds of Otis falling and screaming. It was pitch black out in the forest at night and did not think the boy would be able to complete the task.

Otis hadn’t noticed the darkness because he could see just fine. Otis had just figured that the moon was bright enough to light his path through the forest. What Otis had noticed is that when he thought of the different leaves he needed for Milo those plants would cast a golden glow.

“What is causing this to happen?” Otis mused as he pulled some leaves down by this time his arms were full of them.

“Let’s try something. I want to make some rope now what plants do I need for that?” Otis whispered to himself. After switching his task the tree he was standing in front of stopped glowing and some other dead branches and plants lit up in the distance.

“How about if I want to find animal tracks?” The plants ceased glowing and some pathways in the forest started to faintly glow. It was not glowing as strongly as the plants if he wasn’t looking for it he would have completely missed them.

“The only thing that has changed is that Survival skill I got earlier. I wonder if those things actually matter. I have gotten quite a bit of those messages since I got here.” Otis stood there and thought about it until his head hurt. “Ugh, thinking I hate thinking. Oh well it’s not like I can tell what those skills do so I should just stop thinking about it. For now let’s just get some plants to make that rope.”

Otis returned to the campsite with the leaves need. The dissatisfaction was plainly seen on Milo’s face he had sent Otis out there so he could have a laugh after all.

Otis erected the leaf tent to Milo specifications and hung the rabbit meat inside so it could be cured in the smoke.

Milo watched Otis weaving his rope it was obvious that Otis was up to something. “Do not stay up too late little Brother we need to get moving at first light.”

…

...

The morning came a little too quickly for Otis. Milo was already up and packing their things into the bags he had made out of rabbit skins.

“Little Brother wake up.” Milo said while kicking Otis’s leg. “You stayed up too late messing around.” While Milo slept he noticed Otis moving around camp. “Hurry up. I want to test your trap making before we go” Milo announced with a malicious smile.

Otis sluggishly got up and followed Milo out into the forest. “This is a good trail here, set up and make your trap.” Milo was practically bubbling over after last night’s failure he could not wait to torment Otis today.

Otis bent down and began to make his trap setting up the bait and loading his heavy rock above it. Just as he had it set Milo’s tail flicked the trigger loosening the trap. “HAHA little Brother it still needs some…”

“CLICK”

The snare tightened around Milo leg launching him into the trees. “WOOORRRRKKKK!!!” Milo shouted not realizing what just happened.

Otis looked up at Milo hanging 15 feet in the air with the large grin on his face. Otis had his hands on his hips clearly making his best victory pose. ‘Totally worth staying up all night’ he thought in celebration.

Upside down Milo finally got his bearings and roared with laughter. “HAHA good one little Brother. Very good. Now get me down from here.”

Otis froze. He actually hadn’t thought of a way to release Milo just to catch him.

“Umm...Brother I actually...”

“Snap!” The tree limb carrying Milo’s weight cracked and fell to the ground as did Milo. Milo landing on his head looked at Otis who was fleeing the scene.

“Brother you’re released!” Yelled Otis as he ran back to camp.

Milo followed after Otis dragging the tree limb that was still tethered to his leg. A smile adorned his face he was already deep in thought with how he would get his revenge on Otis today.