Sapienophobia

Chapter 26

I did catch the snake, that's what counts.
And how does that help me with Sod? If he tries to strangle me, I'll be dead with no hope for salvation.
Once I find the water body, I'll need to set up traps beforehand. The humidity will slow me down, so I need to work fast to compensate.

I stretched and massaged my throat.

Looking back on it, I don't think there is a water body; I've been looking for so long, and all I've found were scattered puddles.
That much water wouldn't be enough for all the life here so there has to be a river or something.
It might be out of the Murks.
I'm terrible at searching for things.

I trailed on, wandering into what looked like the lighter of the fogs.

I liked to be able to see if anything was coming.

And there it was, strangely coincidental.

A lake.

The forest must live.

I never could figure out the reason, but I assumed the trees or some other organism that contributed to the movement of the fog had magic that hid the water. Perhaps it was incidental, but the lake was in the opposite direction I thought it would be. The animals I studied never went to it either, at least not when I was watching them.

They might have been preserving the precious resource; higher populations meant less water for each inhabitant.

I threw a rock in, in case my mind deceived me. Mirages or illusions were common death markers in these parts. The water rippled, but the waves that spread out from the impact point did not lessen. They expanded at the same altitudes until brushing up against a muddy incline or escaping my vision in the distance.

My fear to approach held me back. I shot leaves and the like into the water to test buoyancies. Depending on the shape of the leaves, they would curl or flatten on the water's surface. Rocks didn't skip either, regardless of the angle I threw them at.

Interesting.
This wouldn't be very fun to play in. Does the water even splash?

I coughed again before looking around. I didn't know how far the lake extended so circulating it might've taken forever. Instead, I studied the environment.

The fog, which was now one density away from clear, choked up the treetops. They were further spread out than with the wolves, but no less strangled by the leaves. The winters had ravaged the plants when they passed, its damage could still be seen in the dead branches which had failed to be fully submerged by the mud. The insects that would usually frequent the ground did not scamper now; the lake was too pristine to not have exterminatory measures. The overhanging branches that it reflected looked more real than their models.

I found the lake but would lose myself in it if I looked any longer. Funny, I couldn't find a difference between it and the ponds back in Province 10 and yet... it knew me. Or rather, I knew it; I knew what it stood for, its unforgettable purpose.

A stagnant lake but forever flowing like a river.

The air was so clean, that I felt I shouldn't be breathing it. The suns should've made me hot, especially now that I was without the cover of the trees and the humidity. I didn't even feel the usual chill that came from Murks breezes.

I spotted a deer strut out of the greenery and stoop to sample the water. I too salivated at the notion of drinking it. It must've trickled down the throat no stiffer than saliva itself. It could've soothed my aches.

The deer stretched and defecated; a whiff of the scent was enough to snap me out of my delusion.

I should go before the wolves start getting thirsty too.

I turned to head elsewhere but stopped a couple of paces away. A frog was clinging to my boot.

What if I can't find this place again? I'm not sure my inference is correct.

I searched through my satchel for an indicator I could use to mark the way. I grounded an orange no-itch powder that had clumped up after little use over the past months. With a bit of water from in-town, it'd have been autumn paint on the tree trunks.

I can't, if Sod's here, it'll lead him straight to me.
If Sod's here.

I scanned the mud for the unnatural traces an intelligent lifeform would leave behind. It reminded me to cover mine as well.

There are some things nature can't erode.

After ultimately finding nothing, I gripped the mortar, turning back to the lake to pour out my solution. The liquid dissipated into the body; the dilution alone was enough to clear my mortar.

The frog which was cozying up to me thought I was shooing it away with my sudden movements; it launched into the water when the mixture still looked like a puff of smoke bound by gravity.
I scooped it up before it could suffocate itself in such a poison. It jumped away, scared, and I didn't bother saving it again.

I brushed the droplets on my good hand off with the fabrics of my pants. The water felt different than I expected, not akin to a fluid, but more of a dense gas. I felt I could breathe in it and breathe it in.

The fingers on my bad hand popped when I forced myself back. I staggered to my feet, frightened that that water had tempted me back to it after I told myself I would leave it.

I need to be more careful.

I stuffed my partly dirty mortar and pestle back in the bag so that I could free my hands.

I'll set up the traps for Sod nearby, then I'll go. If I can't find my way back, then I'm dumber than I thought.
Make sure I'm not being watched. Make them almost invisible.
But don't catch me in them either.

It was a lot. But cowards like me were true to themselves. When my fingers grew numb from tying knots, and my brain stopped devising new ideas for trap placement, I reminded myself that my only other option was fighting my opponent face-to-face.

Like a hero.

I checked over my snares while arranging to make sure everything was in order.