It had been a hectic few months in the village; almost every day they had something to do.
And they were enjoying these new experiences every day, and they didn't take it for granted.
They followed their savior's lead, as they taught them a few things that they thought they needed in the village.
---
During the first few days when they got here, Gel already started asking them to do stuff in the place.
And when August woke up from his unconscious state, they got even more things to do.
It was hard to do at first, but it became more enjoyable later on when they learned how to do it properly.
They didn't even notice it, but they were also growing a lot stronger due to August's influence on them, especially the morning routines that he did every day.
What's more is that they couldn't believe that they could actually do stuff like this.
Like taking care of the garden, hunting, butchering, trapping, foraging, and even building walls.
All they did in their village was play all day; they didn't even bother to listen to their parents instructions as they deemed it boring.
Maybe except for Erik, he was an odd one amongst the children, as he also worked at the village, but still he managed time and got to play with his friends.
But those jobs he did paled in comparison to what they are doing here.
And soon enough they finished another major construction that August thought was crucial for the village.
They agreed to do whatever things their savior said.
They even forgot that they were still children and they shouldn't be doing stuff like this, nope, not at all.
That is why when they finished another major construction, all of the stress that has piled up has begun to show its cracks.
They would get into heated arguments with each other every waking day that had passed.
All of them would be with each other's faces.
They needed to do some fun activities to release that stress, but every time they got out of the house, all they could think about was work, work, work.
They were sick seeing each other's faces every day.
---
August, being the leader that he is, was also feeling pretty lethargic doing the same things every day.
That is when he decided to go out with all of them to have some much-needed fun.
The last that he did was when he and Gel got out of the village to potentially enjoy the forest and have some fun.
But that didn't really happen, as they were caught in trouble, and they needed to save the trio; he even almost died that day.
"Hey, I think we need to get out of the village for a couple of days and do nothing but fun.
I'm sure the plants would be fine by themselves.
But what do you guys think? "
The motto of this village is majority decision wins!
The others looked at each other and mentally agreed.
They were shocked that the workaholic August was willing to lay down a couple of days off of work so that they could enjoy themselves like regular children.
"YESSS!!!!!"
A resounding agreement echoed in the village; the trio and Gel were smiling from ear to ear.
It didn't leave their faces even after they left the confines of the village.
---
But first they needed to prepare some stuff they needed to take along the way.
August brought the cooking tools and a few spices and vegetables that could last them at least a couple of days worth.
They could just hunt for the meat along the way.
Gel also packed her stuff, and she was the one tasked with preparing the bedrolls.
They actually made the excess hide from the Boarats into bedrolls; as to how they made it, only August knew it was him who gave it to them.
That guy has been magically producing stuff out of nowhere, and they no longer bothered asking him.
They'd just feel irritated and annoyed at his grin and vague answers.
The trio also prepared their stuff and their gear; August actually gave them almost the same clothing as him with some modifications that were suited for them.
He only told us that he used the Commander Boarat's hide, leather, and bones to make our gears too; I guess he meant that huge pig he has been bringing with him every day.
Erik almost had the same outfit as him, but his had no cape on him, just the hood.
Bren's outfit was also modified; it was a lot more tanky and had more bones covering his vital parts.
He looked like a barbarian tank.
When we asked him if it was comfortable to move around.
He replied that he could move pretty well in it, as the bones don't even clash with each other; it was seamlessly incorporated alongside the hide and leather.
The girls also were given spears like Bren; their clothing was modest and lightweight.
As Gus said, they needed to be the agile attackers that would cover and support Bren as the vanguard.
---
(BETTY'S POV)
We started moving on the way; we were pretty excited to travel into some unknown place in the forest, but I doubted that we would be leaving the forest anytime soon.
We just headed straight towards the northernmost part of the village so that we wouldn't get lost when we had decided to finally return home.
The trees were already starting to shed their leaves; the sun's rays could now pierce and reach the bottom of the forest floor.
It made the trek even more enjoyable for all of us.
We only talked about fun things while also maintaining vigilance for our surroundings.
We don't want to get caught slacking; this fun activity was also a part of our training in how to survive in the forest.
Gus would tell us random stuff here and there that could be useful to us someday.
But overall the tense atmosphere that surrounded us is no longer there; it was now filled with fun, laughs, and giggles.
---
We have been walking for a lot now, and we arrived near a huge mountain cliff, and just 20 meters above it was an entrance; it looked like a cave.
August was the first one to head there while Bren and Erik followed with bows drawn and spears up front.
When we got near the entrance, August made the hold gesture.
He got near the cave and rested his head on the wall; he seems to be listening for any possible noise inside.
We were a bit tense anticipating his next command.
A little while later, when no sound could be heard inside, August gestured for the team to move forward again.
We lit up a torch and began illuminating the darker parts of the cave while slowly moving inside.
When we had finally scouted every corner and crevice of the small cave, we finally let our guards down and breathed out a sigh of relief.
It was tense and suspenseful but overall a very fun experience.
We took the gear that we left outside the cave, and we hauled it inside.
August spoke...
"This is going to be our camping spot for the duration of the trip.
Before we could rest, let's go down first and gather some firewood, forage the forest floor, and I'll hunt us our meal. "
And we all agreed.
---
After placing our stuff down on the floor, we began heading out again.
When the sun was up in the sky, we all gathered back together in the agreed meeting spot.
We have now secured food. Bren also told us that he found a little water creek below, so we will check it out later.
We brought all the stuff back up, and we prepared our meal for the afternoon.
---
We've set up our fire pit in the middle of the cave, and we began setting up the pot and a couple of sticks to skewer the boar's meat.
It was a simple and delicious meal.
When we finished eating our fill, we began to relax and lounge for a bit.
This cave's temperature is pretty cool even with the five of us inside.
I guess it could hold at least a dozen people, and everyone would still feel pretty comfortable in it...
I'm glad we came here.
---
Later that night we went down, and we found the place that Bren found the streaming water.
And a little further ahead, we found a deep enough basin that we could all fit inside and pool ourselves into.
And we did; it was a pretty cold and refreshing feeling, and all 5 of us are inside that right now.
Ahhh, this is life; all our accumulated stress and fatigue have lowered down significantly.
---
When it was time to get back to our camping spot, we took our water containers and filled them up at the creek.
After we finished, we went back up and prepared our beds, and then we talked some more, telling scary stories and such
.
An hour or so later, most of us fell asleep, maybe except for August, who volunteered to take the first watch.
And we did the same things until the next following day...