After the Storm, Part 2
After the storm passed, Chester stripped some tree bark to fashion a thin rope. Then, he stepped behind Monia, who was desperately clutching her tattered dress to keep it from slipping off. Since there was a long tear down the back of the dress, he poked holes along the rip and laced the rope through them. Next, he tied up the shredded sections of her skirt—the remnants of when he had torn it off earlier—doing his best to minimize her exposed skin. However, because it was a crude, makeshift lacing, glimpses of Monia's bare skin still peeked through the gaps.
"...This should do."
"Are you absolutely sure about that?"
"Hey, I said it's fine. It works."
"..."
Monia poked her fingers through the laced gaps, pulling at the openings and puffing her cheeks in discontent. "You could have torn it with a bit more delicacy. Do you have any idea how much this dress cost?"
"Drop it. I'm making shoes next, so give me your foot."
When Monia extended her foot, Chester brought over a piece of reasonably thick bark and measured it against her sole. He carved the bark to fit her foot, poked a few holes, and threaded some rope through them. Then, he fitted the bark snugly to her foot and tied the ropes securely.
"There. Shoes."
"..."
"With these, you can walk without hurting your feet."
"Give me your shoes instead."
"My shoes are way too big for you. If you tried walking through the forest in them, you'd trip and fall before taking three steps."
Chester said, extending his hand. "Come on."
Monia took his hand reflexively. Like a child holding her father's hand while walking down an unfamiliar street, Monia held tightly to Chester's hand as they walked through the forest together—a stark contrast to before, when she had struggled to keep up on her own.
The rain-soaked forest was in a terrible state. The oppressive humidity made it hard to breathe, and with every single step, the waterlogged earth squelched and oozed moisture.
"Ugh! Eek!"
Chester, wearing actual shoes, was relatively fine, but Monia, in her open-toed bark sandals, gasped in horror with every step. Stepping on leaves squeezed out the water trapped between them, and stepping on mud sent dirty splatters shooting up her legs. Her feet and shins were caked in grime in no time.
And worst of all...
"Kyaah!"
"Whoops!"
The rain-slicked ground was incredibly slippery.
"I-I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. It's the shoes' fault, not yours."
"Ugh... The mud feels so gross... *Sniffle*..."
Letting her whines slide, Chester resumed walking while carefully assessing the state of the forest. Just as he had expected, the deeper parts of the woods had suffered surprisingly little damage despite the severity of the storm. While flying debris had smashed into some trees and splintered them, none of the trees had been snapped by the wind or uprooted entirely. However, among the debris carried by the storm, there was something so bizarre that even Chester hadn't anticipated it.
"...Is that a boat?"
"It is a boat."
"Looks like a fishing boat."
It wasn't a massive vessel, but a small fishing boat used by individual fishermen. Unfortunately, half of it had been ripped away and lost, making it impossible to repair and use.
"It's too big to be just for river fishing. It probably went out to the coastal waters and got swept up in the storm." Chester began rummaging through the inside of the boat.
"What are you doing?"
"If it's a boat that goes out to sea, there might be a freshwater container to store drinking water. I'm looking for that." Chester managed to salvage some fishing line and a metal cup.
No hooks? Or maybe a net or a knife.
Even a crude knife would be several times better than the stone blade he was currently using. A net would allow them to catch a massive haul of fish all at once. Unfortunately, there was no knife to be found, so Chester had to settle for the metal cup and the fishing line.
If I can fashion some hooks, we can go fishing.
Chester pried out all the nails from the boat, leaving only the ones that were rusted too deep to budge, and dropped them into the metal cup.
"What are you going to use those for?"
"Who knows? It's always best to gather whatever we can. This is iron, you know. Iron. You can't just find this lying around on a deserted island." Chester shook the cup, and the nails clattered noisily against the metal.
Excellent.
What could he make with these nails?
Fishhooks? Weapons? Or is there a way to melt them down and repurpose them?
Melting iron would require immense heat.
If I build an enclosed space to trap the flames, and somehow pump in a large volume of air to stoke the fire...
"Oh, look. Fruit."
Chester picked up a piece of fruit that had fallen to the ground. Perhaps because the thick layer of leaves on the forest floor had cushioned its fall, the fruit was perfectly intact without a single bruise.
"Are... are you going to eat that?"
"Yeah."
Chester grabbed a handful of leaves, squeezed them to wring out the moisture, and used the damp leaves to wipe the mud off the fruit before carefully taking a bite.
"..."
"How is it?"
"Hmm. Well. I see. Hmm."
"W-well, how does it taste?"
"Want a bite?"
Chester handed the fruit over, and Monia cautiously took a bite.
"How is it?"
"..."
As Monia's expression twisted into a subtle grimace, Chester chuckled.
"What is this? It has absolutely no flavor, and the texture is so dry and mealy..."
"It's a weird fruit, isn't it?"
"What kind of fruit is it?"
"No idea. Probably some exotic fruit. I've never seen one like this before."
"And you just eat things like that?"
"Well, yeah."
Chester pointed to some mushrooms growing on a tree trunk.
"You have to be careful with mushrooms. They're often poisonous. But fruit is different."
"How so?"
"Fruit, you see, is designed to be eaten by birds, insects, and animals."
Once they eat the fruit, the seeds inside are excreted along with their waste, allowing new plants to sprout.
"Since they actively need to be eaten, there's no reason for them to be poisonous, right?"
"...I suppose that makes sense."
After sharing the fruit, they walked through the forest for a while longer. When they suddenly reached a steep incline, Chester planted his feet firmly on the ground and pulled Monia up.
"Once we get over this ridge, the river is right there."
"Oh! The river! We finally get to eat fish!"
"That's right."
Fueled by the anticipation of finally eating delicious fish again, Monia found the strength to scramble up the slope. Energy and vitality surged back into her exhausted body, which had been worn down by the long, grueling trek through the forest. With eyes full of anticipation, she crested the hill and finally beheld the river.
"...Wow!"
The river met—and far exceeded—Monia's expectations. It flowed beautifully and peacefully, making the previous night's terrifying storm feel like a distant memory. A cool, refreshing breeze, entirely unlike the sticky sea wind, drifted along the water's path. The azure river cutting through the lush, dense greenery was a masterpiece of nature, radiating a vibrant, pulsing sense of life that no painting could ever capture. When Monia saw a fish leap energetically out of the water, she even clapped her hands in sheer delight.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes!"
"We're going to build our shelter near this river."
"I'd love that! Seriously!"
Seeing Monia's excitement, Chester smiled with satisfaction. This would help her forget her anxiety, worries, and reluctance about building a home in the forest, motivating her to work harder and with more enthusiasm.
Monia's simple-mindedness really comes in handy at times like this.
She was quick to move past her fears and worries.
"Fish! Let's catch some fish! They look so delicious!"
"Alright, shall we?"
"But how do we catch them?"
"There are a few ways..."
Chester checked the nails inside the metal cup.
"How about we use these this time?"
"Huh?"
Chester chopped off a thick branch with his axe, trimmed it down, and shaved one end to make it thinner. He placed three of the nails against the tapered end and wrapped them tightly with rope to secure them. Since the nails he had salvaged from the boat were large spikes meant for ship repairs, they made for a surprisingly decent and menacing spearhead.
"There, the spear is finished."
"Whoa."
"I could have made one using just the branch, but then I'd have to fire-harden the tip. This is much faster."
"Does burning wood make it harder?"
"If you char it slightly, yes. You can use it raw, but the tip dulls and splinters almost immediately, making it useless."
Holding the makeshift spear, Chester aimed it toward the river and scanned the water for fish.
"Hold the spear and thrust at the fish, but don't throw it."
"Aren't you supposed to throw spears?"
"If you throw it, the current might sweep it away, and we'll lose it."
Monia nodded in understanding, and Chester pointed toward a fish.
"Water refracts light, so don't let your eyes trick you. That fish looks like it's right near the surface, but it's actually much deeper."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And don't aim directly at the fish. Aim slightly ahead of the direction it's swimming..."
Chester thrust the spear into the river. Instead of lifting it straight up, he dragged it back toward himself.
"Got it."
"Seriously?!"
To ensure the fish wouldn't slip off, he grabbed it firmly, hooked his fingers through its gills, and slid it off the spikes.
"Here."
Chester lifted the fish out of the water and shook it slightly so Monia could get a good look.
"Wow."
"Now, you try."
"Y-yes!"
Monia gripped the spear tightly and stared down at the river.
Just pretend I'm stabbing Jordy and that commoner girl!
With that thought, she thrust the spear into the water with all her might.