Men gathered by the river, yelling encouragement to a young boy.
"Come on, kid, pull!"
"Almost there!"
Surrounded by the enthusiastic shouts, Rio, sweating, pulled his fishing rod, grunting with effort.
"Come on, kid, it's getting weaker, I know," encouraged Bennedick.
"It's really... heavy," Rio admitted between strained pulls, summoning all the strength he could muster from his 9-year-old body.
The river's surface splashed and waved as the fish fiercely fought against Rio's determination.
"Hehe, at this rate, it's going to bring you down with it," Bennedick chuckled.
Then, in a final, determined breath, Rio pulled with all his might. The river's surface bubbled, and the fish suddenly got pulled out, wiggling in the air. In its leap, it landed near Rio.
"Eyyyyhhh!" the men cheered.
"Hahaha," laughed Bennedick.
Rio, releasing his rod, watched as the fish wiggled its way towards him. "Ugh."
Bennedick patted Rio's shoulder, then approached the fish and grabbed it by its gills.
"Oh, it's a juvenile flat nose," Bennedick observed. The fish had shining dark-green scales at the top half and smooth, dark skin at the bottom. Its most noticeable feature was its long, flat, board-like snout.
Rio, getting a closer look at his catch, remarked, "It's smaller than I thought it would be." He looked dejectedly at the fish, which was about the same length as his arm.
"Oh, don't worry, kid. Sometimes it's luck more than skill," Bennedick assured him and handed Rio the fish.
"Wai-" Rio began, but the fish was already in his hands. "Ugh."
"Come on, kid, let me show you how we cook here."
In Another Part of the Woodworker's Area
Thud! Chop-Chop!
The sounds of butchers at work echoed through the air.
"Welcome to Nature's Kitchen," Bennedick announced with a broad smile, leading Rio to an area surrounded by small, short fences with unlit torches.
"Come on," said Bennedick.
Following along the grassy path, Rio passed butchers in different areas, working on different fishes—big and small, normal and weird. His attention was captured by a butcher wearing a normal leather brown apron and a bandana.
Sling!
Skillfully opening the gills of a large fish, as big as Rio, its back looked like it was wearing armor. The butcher deftly pulled out its guts, which spilled out like strings.
"That's a ZashRyba!" Bennedick exclaimed.
Rio looked at Uncle Bennedick, whose hand was once again resting on his shoulder. 'Why does he always rest his hand on my shoulder?' Then, Bennedick began talking about the fish as big as Rio.
"That fish fights like hel—ehem, it fights really strong, you know. Its scales are as big as your palm and as thick as your fingers. That's a bit of a small one, though; our river area is kinda friendly. A great discovery, honestly," Bennedick explained with exaggerated gestures.
"Why, though? Does that even have meat in it?" Rio asked.
"Well, of course! Why bother catching it if it's worthless? A mature scale can fetch up a good price. Hehe," Bennedick replied. Then, he seemed to recall something.
"There's an old legend, you know, that ZashRyba are the river guardians."
Rio nodded and looked back at the now scaleless fish. He then glanced at the fish he caught in his hands. 'I lost my breath in this, you know,' he frowned.
"Well, come on, kid. Let me introduce you to someone," said Bennedick, and they started walking again.
As they walked, Bennedick shared many things Rio didn't know—how woodworking was another branch of Father's business, part of their area, how they catch and process river fish, and how they are a major source of wood for Shakter and the mines. They also have a way of cultivating seeds for better growth and tougher trees.
After a moment of silence, Bennedick continued, "You know, your Father..."
Rio looked at him.
"He's an interesting guy. He appeared around 19 years ago, like an abandoned hound. His clothes were all ripped and covered in dirt at the time, but that boy at that time was sure he was something else. He proved himself to the village and transformed into something everyone is really amazed by. He even won the late village chief's only daughter," Bennedick said, his face nostalgic. "HA-HAHAHAHAha, whew, the times."
Rio just looked at his uncle and listened.
"Well, anyway, here we are."
Rio looked in front of him and saw an old man cleaning his log-cutting board.
"Hey, Fred, did you just finish?" Bennedick called.
"Hm? It's you, dick brat, what do you want?" the old man named Fred replied with an old man huff.
"Come on, old man, I'm 31 already. Anyway, I want you to teach this boy how to clean his fish."
"Wha-"
Before Rio could retaliate, the old man approached.
"Hm? This brat?" said the old man.
"His name is Rio; he's Kaschet's son," Bennedick said.
"Oh really now?" the old man inspected Rio closer.
"Rio, this is my uncle Fredrick; you can just call him starik Fred," said Bennedick.
Fredrick and Rio looked eye to eye for a moment, much to Rio's discomfort.
"Ah, you are that baby Kaschet got, hm? Let me guess, that fish, you caught that, didn't you?"
"Y-yes."
"Well, come, let me show you how to survive in the Felsokro forest," said Fredrick as he went and arranged a cutting block for Rio.
"Here's a blade and a block; I'll guide step by step. Come on."
Rio, now realizing he can't get out of this, decided to just follow.
Fredrick stood by Rio's side as he put the fish on his cutting block. They went through getting the scales, opening its gills, slicing its stomach, and getting its guts out.
"I recommend roasting the nose with salt," said the old man.
Rio nodded, now with a dirty hand and a fishy smell.
"Take your fish and go," said the old man and waved Rio away.
"A-alright."
Rio ran back to the place Bennedick showed him, where the food was cooked and the feast was held.
" Ohh, Rio, hehe, well done " Bennedick saw Rio in the distance and waved at him
" Uncle, here's the fish " Rio handed his work
" Ohh, not bad, this should be intact in the grill " Bennedick inspected his work and nodded " Wash yourself in the river and you can just sit back and enjoy the show
Rio nodded and did so, as a shallow part of the river was beside where they cooked, after cleaning, Rio went and found himself a seat and watched as the men cooked
Some fanned the charcoal spread on the ground, and added stones to put the grill; the charcoal's blaze made a crisp sound as the fat and sauces of the fish dropped. A man stirred a large pot full of fish bones and some large chunks of vegetables, and another seasoned batches of different kinds of fish for the grill.
Rio observed with a hint of curiosity.
"Rio, while you wait, have some of this," Bennedick reached out from his side and handed him a steaming object on a piece of leaf.
"Ah, what is it?" asked Rio as he received it.
"Zemlo; it just got finished boiling," Bennedick replied.
"Ah, thanks," Rio gently blew on his tuber and took a bite.
As Bennedick chatted for a while, a group of four young men arrived with a cart.
"Who are they, Uncle?"
"Ah, errand boys. Kaschet, for some time, picks up stray kids and offers them jobs. They deliver the food to the miners."
As the two talked, some men began to hand the group wrapped food, and they went away.
"Sir, the food is ready," a man approached and said.
Bennedick looked at Rio and said, "Well, kid, let's have a feast!" Rio nodded and followed Bennedick.
And now, somewhere at the foot of the mountain, a group of men and one kid all had a feast of different kinds of fish with tubers with a smile.
After the feast, Bennedick showed Rio whatever was left to show: the cabin house full of primitive tools for cutting and carving, a sleeping area, and a treehouse where some men scouted for dangerous animals. Despite all that, Rio still managed to find time for a dip in the waterfalls. Some men jumped with ropes attached to tree branches, others caught fish for show and released them. As a bonus, Rio learned how to swim, a challenging task.
Blurghh! Rio threw up some water he accidentally inhaled.
"There, there, kid. I told you a doggy paddle for a first swimmer was better," Bennedick patted his back.
Rio then raised his pale face and just nodded.
"Well, that's one way to learn too," Rio heard a familiar voice.
"Father?"
"Come, get dressed up; the sun is about to set," Kaschet stood in front of Rio.
On the road home, Rio looked at the orange sun getting closer to the horizon, reminiscing about the waterfalls.
*See you again, kid.*Hehe, next time, kid.*We'll show you the works here before you get to the stones*
Rio smiled as he remembered the farewell words. A faint sound of a bell sounded, accompanied by a light bump of the carriage. 'Belosh got a bell now, huh,' Rio thought.
He looked back at the sunset, feeling that the next chapters of his life would be filling and fast.
.,.,.,.,,.,.
some info
Kaschet is 28 years old, yea he already has white growing around his hair, and Youya is 29, Sairi is 7
Zemlo - This universe's potato
ZashRyba - A large river fish that is reported to grow to 160 cm, its special trait is its armor-like scales, local legends say it is the guardian of rivers