Neighbor (1)
A raccoon spewing fire from its mouth like some kind of ninja from somewhere. Not content with just breathing fire, the little guy was competent enough to store it in a jar. I had no idea what the jarred fire was used for, but with such a unique ability, it had to be useful somewhere. Above all, I liked its personality.
'This is the biggest reason.' It was more than just docile—it was polite, making it impossible to dislike. Even the territorial Ppareumbo had only smacked it on the back, nothing more. That alone showed how good a guy the raccoon was. So I liked it even more.
'Should I keep it around? It seems plenty capable of fending for itself.' Regardless of anything else, this one was undoubtedly a pro at handling fire. Just like before, I'd need fire a lot going forward. With this fire expert lending a hand, maybe I could pull off things I couldn't before? Even if I didn't know its uses yet, I could get that jarred fire as a bonus. It had fallen down the chimney drawn by the fire, so we could find common ground. I'd provide shelter, and it could show off its skills. I immediately proposed it to the raccoon, mixing words with gestures and footwork.
"Keeng."
But the raccoon turned down my offer. It was surprising enough that it understood me, but it even extended a paw to make its refusal crystal clear. No matter how rare its abilities, it had come this far, so it clearly had no nest of its own. In this hellish forest, a safe home was crucial. When I asked why it refused, the raccoon picked up a stick lying near the firewood.
Swoosh—scratch—
The raccoon started drawing on the ground. I watched intently. With its sharp mind came impressive drawing skills.
'Ppareumbo too—the animals in the Four Seasons Forest must have drawing as a basic skill?' Somehow, it drew better than me. While I was thinking that, the raccoon's drawing was complete. Three raccoons in total. They looked like a raccoon family at first glance. Did raccoons live in groups?
"Keng!"
"Ah. This one's you?"
The raccoon pointed to the largest one in the family. In human terms, the head of the household—the father, I supposed. The smaller ones seemed to be its mate and offspring.
'Guess there's no helping it then.' Whether beast or human, the family breadwinner is important. I nodded to the raccoon as if to say I understood. I wanted to offer some food as a gesture of goodwill, but unfortunately, my own nose was barely above water. The only thing I had was salty smoked rations, hardly suitable.
"Keng. Keeng."
"Hm? Want some fire?"
"Keng."
"Take it if you want."
It wanted fire instead. I happily allowed it. Fire could be lit anytime, and it wasn't exactly a resource. At my permission, the raccoon bowed its head, then held the stick it'd used for drawing to the fireplace.
Whoosh!
The fire at the end of the stick blazed up. It was tiny to me, but in the raccoon's paws, it looked like a proper torch. It should have burned out fast, but whatever it did, it burned steadily like a candle. The raccoon eyed its blazing torch with satisfaction.
"Keeng!"
"Yeah. Take care out there. If you change your mind, come back around here."
With torch in paw, the raccoon went its own way. It was a shame, but we'd probably meet again someday. It might lack raw power, but it was smart enough to survive somehow.
'Unlike some, it's polite and all-around good.' Some thieves steal all your Wall Valley Pills and try to pay with bananas. If possible, I'd like to keep in steady contact. First things first, I needed to figure out that jarred fire. I watched the raccoon's retreating back until it vanished, then logged into the Gallery.
Met a fire-handling raccoon.
YasaengGrill
(Photo of raccoon bowing politely)
(Photo of raccoon scooping up fireplace embers)
(Photo of raccoon breathing fire from its mouth)
(Photo of fire in the jar)
(Video of raccoon leaving with a torch in one paw)
Stepped out for a bit and came back to find a raccoon in my house. This is the same one that visited before and fell down the chimney. Got curious about its abilities, turns out it handles fire like a boss;; Any raccoons out there that control fire? Let me know if you do.
Ah, wanted to recruit it as a buddy, but it said no cuz it's the family breadwinner. Kinda bummed.
└Cheonma Quite the rare performer. Even sorcery struggles with such feats.
└SwordTasteStar Never seen a raccoon like that in my life? Breathing fire from its mouth like it's not a dragon or something;;
└YasaengGrill It ate fire and breathed it out. Can mages do that?
└SwordTasteStar Dunno. Not my area.
└StarlightPrincess You'd burn your mouth and tongue to a crisp trying that.
└YasaengGrill Eating fire too?
└StarlightPrincess No reason to eat fire unless you're a fire performer;;
└Eating fire is weird in itself, dude;;
└Aren't there fire-eating monsters?
└There are, but not raccoons lololol
└Olfather Fascinating. Water I'd understand, but fire and a raccoon.
└YasaengGrill Do raccoons shoot water from their mouths?
└Olfather Not that, but they have a habit of washing food in water. Maybe it grills its food in fire instead.
└YasaengGrill O;;
└Olfather But what's that fire in the jar? It's piqued my interest.
└YasaengGrill Hard to believe, but the raccoon scooped it up from the campfire and bottled it. Like scooping water with both paws.
└Olfather Hmm... I'd love to study it, but time's short unfortunately. If it's not too much trouble, could you wait two days?
└YasaengGrill Sure. No rush.
└Olfather Thank you.
└That can't be essence, right?
└Who knows. Might be nothing lol
└Raccoons live in groups?
└Varies by individual, I think.
Everyone was amazed by the raccoon, especially the fire-eating part, which seemed hard to believe. Well, Four Seasons Forest and all—best to just roll with it.
'Doesn't seem like it'll visit often.' It hadn't shown up until winter hit. In other seasons, it probably stuck to its territory. Winter's scarcity must've pushed it farther out. Could such a tiny thing really survive this forest long-term? A bit worrying.
'With its special ability, it should hold out fine.' It was already well-adapted—maybe even better off than me survival-wise. Anyway, with the raccoon gone, I counted the remaining Ice Flower petals. Still about two left—could use 'em somewhere. And searching around might turn up more.
'Cold resistance training can wait.' Eating this mixed without StarlightPrincess's help could be disastrous. But letting it sit felt wasteful too.
'Mix with mandrake and give to SunForever...' I checked my elixir stock. After mixing with mandrakes, about three and a half bottles left. Enough for me, Wonmo, and Ppareumbo if we all got hurt at once—right on the line.
'That fire from the jar might mix perfectly.' Raccoon's jarred fire and the Ice Flower. But it was just a hunch, not certain. Needed an expert opinion. Even Olfather was unavailable now, though.
'Next chance then.' Plenty of time—no need to rush. Above all, I had to master cold qi control first. And once winter passed, tasks would explode.
'Stack bricks, cement, sand here...' Prepping for thaw. Plan was to build oven and smelter right away. Emergency exit in mind too—lots to do.
'How to build so avalanches don't sweep it away?' Avalanches hit monthly. Not just those—who knew what disasters? Two more weeks of survival to grasp this damn forest's rules.
'Gotta make it sturdy. Maybe a small building instead?' With bricks and cement, build a structure for oven and smelter. Time-consuming but guaranteed tough. Unless a giant gorilla outlier showed—unavoidable. Surviving natural disasters was enough.
'Maximize space, separate drainage... headache.' If I'd gone to college maybe, but nope—high school grad. Broke and busy surviving daily. At least military basics helped a bit. I bought large paper and sketched cave and surroundings.
'Rectangular safest?' Would need more trees. Gorilla-made path I'd tidy later. Spent the day designing—dusk fell before I knew it. Snow fell at night, but no blizzard. Ordinary snow.
'Sign of thaw?' Per senior's journal, thaw in 2-3 days. Do everything possible till then. Might even hunt if lucky. Added wood to fire, sat by Ppareumbo. It stayed by the fireplace except mealtimes.
'Winter has upsides, but still hate it.' Sun sets early, rises late—most annoying. Less animal activity good for me too, though. Idly by fire, sudden thought hit—I stood.
'Not the time. More snow overnight possible.' Sprinkled salt heavily. No calcium chloride—salt substitute. Emergency exit still planning, so prep ahead. Finished day's wrap-up. Long night, nothing much.
'At least Gallery bait changed—nice.' Recent sports buried El Dorado buzz. Meaning it's about to resurface. Not my problem—outsiders handle it. I'd wait out winter. Posted daily wrap-up to Gallery, passed time quietly.
"Hey. You not sleeping?"
"……"
"Sigh. Whatever."
Ppareumbo's fire-gazing was its business. Prayed no predawn blizzard, closed eyes quietly. No clue what'd hit next—tough, never easy.
'Should've dragged the raccoon along...' With that thought, next day dawned.
"Keeng!"
"Uh..."
Woke to raccoon greeting outside cave. Not alone—brought family. One presumed mate, tiny kit hiding behind. Total "we moved in" vibe.
"Keng!"
"...What's this?"
Head raccoon offered something. Looked like bellflower root or wild ginseng, but color extraordinary. Snow-white, screaming premium herb.
"Keeng! Keng!"
Dazed, I took the herb; raccoon bowed deeply. Mate and kit too. Kit's shy greeting especially cute.
'...Here to share rice cakes? Neighbors after all.'