Interlude 0.3

Smoothly, the knife entered into the rabbit, piercing the skin, going through the layer of fur, cutting through sinew and muscle and bone, severing the neck from the middle out. The leg of the body twitched, jerking upward in a kicking motion, then fell still.

She fell to the task of clearing the animal out, not thinking, just acting mechanically. She tied twine across the legs, and tied the body neck-facing-downward. Then, she made vertical cuts down the arms and legs, which she used to pull the skin of the animal off. It was chilly, so the longer she waited for the animal to drain, the harder it would be to pull off. Doing it immediately, it was still warm. She put the skin in a small leather bag hanging from her hip, reflecting on the apt morbidity of the situation.

She made a small incision in the belly. Peeling it open with two fingers on one hand, she scooped out the entrails, steaming in the chilly wind. Those she dropped into the grass, leaving them there for the various predators to eat after she took her leave.

When she finished cleaning the animal out, she left it hanging and began searching for firewood. She found several small bits, pieces of tinder, and one or two larger branches. She brought it over into some canopy coverage nearby, where she would make her camp for the night. She placed them down, along with the pack on her back that she had been carrying, and went back to retrieve the rabbit.

She cut it down with a swift slash of her hunting knife, and put the knife back in the sheath hanging by her leg. She stalked back to where she had left her things. They were untouched. Good.

She went about lighting the fire, and soon had it blazing. Then, she pulled out the rods to make a spit, speared the rabbit, and began to cook it. As she slowly turned the meat, she thought about her situation. It was rough, living like she was, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

What she was calling her former life had been… stifling was the best way to put it. She was cradled, trapped in a life that didn’t fit her. Forced to do things she didn’t want to, forced into situations she didn’t like. So she left. She gathered up some supplies, a water bag, a bedroll, and some knives, and disappeared herself in the middle of the night.

She’d been alone in the forest for two months now, and she was doing fantastic. Day by day, she felt her skills grow in each task, be it skinning, lighting fires, setting up camps, and fleeing. She had grown especially good at that last one, being unwilling to move too far from the nearby cluster of villages. She had sustained herself on stolen eggs and bread. She had to evade several guards who were wandering around and saw her stealing. She’d gotten quite good at navigating the forests and using the terrain to her advantage.

The sun was setting. She would eat quickly and set up her camp for the night. She checked the rabbit. Five more minutes until it was ready to eat, so she turned around and switched which arm was cranking the spit.

The meat was done. She pulled it off of the fire and laid it on a log, then went to set up camp. She pulled together a load of leaves in the loose form of a pillow. Her bedroll went underneath the leaves, and she cleared the area around it to ensure that her sleep would be mostly clean.

She ate the rabbit, it was good. Anything filling was now. Some juices ran down her chin, she didn’t wipe them off. There was no reason to, she figured. Who would judge?

When she had had her fill, the sun had finished setting. She put out the roaring fire, scattering water and dirt over it. When it was gone, the chill made her shiver. It was much colder than she had expected it to be, and she was quick to huddle inside her bedroll for warmth. Her teeth chattered until the insulation began to work its magic, and she fell asleep.

When she woke up, there was a fox nearby. It froze as she began to move, and when she groaned the morning’s breath, it fled. She got out of her bedroll and stretched, then began to clean her campsite. First she covered the remains of the fire entirely with dirt, leaving it a plain brown expanse. She rolled up her bedroll, and put it in her pack, along with the spit and fire-starting supplies.

She needed fresh water, so she would go looking. As the weeks went by, she was willing to delve farther and farther into the wilderness, so she continued outward.

The forests were beautiful. Lush and green, the grass crackling from her foot crushing the frozen morning’s dew. There were animals about, though not as much as there tended to be during the summer. The noise they created was calming, peaceful. She took the time of the walk to focus inward, to try and gauge how her body felt after her two months of unrestricted freedom.

She felt fantastic. Her body had become leaner, thinner, and more muscular than before. Most of her body fat was gone. She had also tanned nicely from being outside all day, every day. She had been running as well, and she was getting quite good at it. She could go for a while without getting tired.

Something caught her eye. A glint of orange in between one of the trees, something unnatural. She froze, and when nothing came after her she slowly turned toward it. It wasn’t moving, but it was there. She began walking carefully toward it. She couldn’t quite understand what she was seeing. As she got closer her confusion rose.

Was that…

A door?