After I finished gathering strength in my body, I was amazed at how fast I healed. I walked over and handled the body of the lion just as my mother taught me. I had no clue how to make a fire or cook meat so I just started to eat the lion raw.
My mother told me not to before, but my teeth had no trouble tearing the flesh. I felt fine after a couple of seconds of waiting and continued to eat the whole beast. My appetite amazed me sometimes.
I thought maybe the coat could help keep me warm so I used some of the basics my mother taught me to make it suitable for use. I believed keeping the head as a trophy was disrespectful, but I kept the tusks as they would be very helpful as knives from now on.
It had already gotten late by the time I was done so I curled up on the branch I rested on before. It was barely comfortable but I was fine with it.
....
When I awoke with the sun in my eyes, I felt refreshed. It was as if the shackles imposed on me by society had been broken and I was finally free for the first time. I felt like a new man.
I jumped down, barely feeling the impact, and ran until I found a clean, slow river. I leaned over to get a drink and realized I seemed taller. I guess I hit my growth spurt.
I drank thirstily and when I was done, I began the trip up the mountain once again. I needed to ascend as fast as possible. Many obstacles prevented me from ascending the mountain rapidly, and some even stopped me in the way. The mountain was very steep past the forest so I decided to wait before I proceeded.
....
After 5 days I had amassed a small fortune of wild wealth. I had meat, mushrooms, and pelts. I found a suitable area of the mountain that was less steep than the rest of the mountain.
I began my climb and found it very monotonous. It was fun at first, but after 5 hours of seeing branches and rocks, it felt like I had not moved one foot. I eventually had to use my hands to climb and when it got dark I settled on a luckily placed cave.
I let my hastily fashioned pack drop to the ground and pulled out some of the older meat from yesterday. I munched down and the taste of raw meat was starting to grow on me quickly.
I set up camp using the pelts I carried in my pack, creating a bed and blanket while making a boundary to keep the wind off my back. It seemed strange that the wind didn't bother me much. I couldn't explain why, and there seemed to be many things I couldn't explain recently.
I wish that nothing had changed. I wish we could've just lived in peace. I wish my mom was still here. I wish there was something stable in my life. I wish that whatever is at the top of this mountain will truly answer everything just like my mother said.