A new day was beginning. Like the previous one, it also brought the light of Estalyrion, warming the world. As always, I got up; this time, without having had a nightmare like the previous night, and the first thing I did was check the condition of my rib bones and my leg, which was still in a splint. I was immensely happy to see that the Fylarenn fish I had eaten the day before had really helped me recover much faster. Those injuries, if left to heal on their own, would take weeks to fully recover—a crucial time during which I wouldn't be able to do much due to the pain.
However, I was fine, and from then on, I could start putting my plan of revenge into practice against those who made me go through hell on earth. For that plan, I was in no hurry, as haste is the enemy of perfection, and what I wanted was something more than perfect, something that would make humanity tread carefully whenever my name was spoken, even fearing to pronounce it.
So, to continue my planning, I did the usual. I went to the river, fetched water, sterilized it, went fishing, caught a common fish, ate, and hydrated. After that, I grabbed my medium dagger, which I had made the day before, picked up some ropes I had braided the night before before falling asleep, and gathered everything in the shelter I had built.
From there, I needed to make something that would allow me to store collected items, like a Véskha. The Véskha was a type of container for storing items, which people carried on their backs to bear weight. They were, most often, made of a fabric I couldn't fabricate yet. Therefore, I came up with an alternative.
First, I remembered that while exploring the forest more deeply the day before, I had seen a tree known as Líthari, whose branches were strong, sturdy, and flexible, thus very resistant. I went there, got some branches, and returned to my shelter. There, I made a kind of box, tying the branches together, and finally, I took part of the tree's bark, which I had used as extra protection on my shelter's roof, and lined that structure. I added two loops made of ropes through which my arms would pass. After that, the Véskha was ready.
Although very rudimentary, at that moment it was the best I could do. After finishing it, I gathered my items and put them inside. There were my knives, my ax, charcoal, and also the stone I used as a pot, which wasn't large but was enough for me, even at five years old, to carry without problems.
I gathered everything I deemed necessary, looked back one more time, and thanked that place for offering me shelter at such a difficult moment.
- "I know you have no consciousness, and I might seem like I'm going crazy… but still, thank you for everything..." I said, a bit emotional about leaving that place where everything had ended and, at the same time, started anew.
After that, I turned and headed into the forest, aiming to reach the bottom of that valley I had seen earlier by early afternoon. On the way, I followed the trail I had made the previous day. Until reaching the slope where I had previously stopped, nothing seemed different.
Insects sang in the forest, birds flew among the trees, and small Tzilik jumped from branch to branch among the dense vegetation. The Tzilik were very smart but very mischievous animals. I had read in one of my old books that they had some affinity for wind magic and could let out a kind of scream that created a large sonic boom. This scream would burst the eardrums of their enemies and allow them to escape.
While looking at those Tzilik jumping from branch to branch, I remembered what I had read about them. Suddenly, one of the many Tzilik stopped in front of me as if wanting to interact. I was apprehensive because, being a wild animal, it had very volatile behavior. I decided to go around and continue without communicating, but that Tzilik kept following me, extending its hand as if trying to greet me.
Seeing that, I realized that it wouldn't stop following me until I greeted it. I took its hand and greeted it.
- "Damn… Is this guy not going to stop following me?" I said, annoyed.
I sighed.
- "From what I read, they were very intelligent, and from what I can see, it seems to want to greet me... Okay, let's finish this so it can return to the forest..."
So, there I went. I said "hi" first and shook its hand.
- "...Hey, little guy, how are you?" I said, smiling and shaking its hand friendly.
At that moment, that Tzilik looked me in the eyes and did something that would enter my "Dravyn's Book of Shames" as my second greatest shame or defeat. It simply slapped me in the face, ran away, and seemed to laugh.
At that moment, while I was still standing with my hand extended and my face turned from the slap, my blood boiled. I wielded my dagger, put my Véskha on the ground, and entered the forest with blood in my eyes, swearing war and death. However, in the end, that little pest managed to escape.
Defeated, I returned to my Véskha, equipped it, and, extremely irritated, resumed my original mission of entering that valley. Since then, I swore never to trust a Tzilik again.
The Valley
After walking a bit, I finally reached the slope that gave access to the valley. The view from that particular point was fascinating and indescribable. Even from afar, I could see, at the bottom of the valley, types of trees I couldn't recognize, as well as animals I never imagined finding, in such quantity and free in their natural habitat.
Extremely anxious, I started looking for a place where I could safely descend into the valley. I looked for some time and found a point closer to the valley floor, so I headed there. Upon arrival, I looked for a place to tie the improvised rope I had made. Although that point was the closest to the valley floor, it was still about 20 meters high, making a fall undoubtedly fatal.
I looked around and spotted a rock. First, I checked if it wouldn't move easily and then looped the rope around it twice. I tied a knot, checked everything, and finally, using some of the information I had acquired, began rappelling down to the forest floor.
Down there, I was thankful that the amount of rope I had made was sufficient and, mainly, that it could support me. I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if I fell from such a height.
- "YES… I made it!" I said, celebrating.
Finally, there I was, inside that valley. I was very anxious about what was to come. However, I should first focus on finding the basic resources to survive, such as water and food, as well as a good place to make an improvised shelter. It was already approaching mid-afternoon at that moment, and it would soon get dark.