Verdant

How do you talk to others?

The woods were cold today, concluding that fall's finally coming to an end and winters ready with its chill winds and flurry treats. Well, I'd hardly call snow a treat. It just makes survival that much harder despite its unique beauty. Though cold rarely bothers me, I could still easily catch a cold or hypothermia and die. If I get sick out here it's unlikely I can easily cure myself, saying I was even around my cabin when that happened. Building fires can draw too much attention too. If someone were to notice the smoke there's a good chance I could soon have a problem on my hands. I've rigged traps around here but anyone remotely skilled could evade them and wait to jump me there. Though...I have a lot of free time to overthink and worry about things like that.

A brisk wind blew through the air, amplifying the smell of fresh rain. I looked up into the cloud scattered sky, rain would scare off the animals but it seems i'll have an hour or more before it catches up to me. Most, if not all the leaves, had fallen off the trees by now. Landing gently at my feet on top of the sleeping grass. I reached down and gently picked one up by the stem. I brought it up to eye level and examined it for a moment before the wind whisked it away. My eyes naturally followed it as it whisked out into the forest. Perhaps today following the breeze will lead to a good hunt. Gradually I turned to heals with the breeze against my back. This way then.

There's an occasional bird here and there, but most have either migrated or are getting picked off by the refugees. As one of the easiest catches, there are less and less of them now. Well easy if you can shoot a bow or gun. If you can get your hands on either weapon or ammunition. They're scarce and expensive to make and buy. Still, with the forests growing back, animals in theory are starting to take hold again much like the plants. The people in this area are getting frantic with food seeing the fast approach of winter. It was the same last winter, but seeing how humanity has been progressing these last few years this winter shouldn't be so brutal. Some people have developed skills, but others are to slow to adapt they might not survive to much longer. Last winter, I saw half of most of the refugee camps die off from sickness that ride in with the cold.

This was my last chance to go hunting before everyone got out. Deer have conformed to more of a winter schedule instead of being active early summer. It was strange behavior for them. So they tended to be more frantic in the winter, yet still just as hard to find. The doe are especially hard to find, despite there being more. They're the smart ones after all. Leading by their nose. Bucks tend to stray from the pack, seeing individual pride that ultimately leads to their demise. Which works out well for me in the end there's more meat. Though I rarely have much of an appetite I have to force food into me. To survive...that's all I can do is continue to survive.

Sometimes I have to admit I'm just as dumb as those bucks. The leaves in the trees rustle in the chilly wind, the ground crackling every so often in my step or a kicked up pile of leafs. A slight breeze stronger then that I followed would stir up every once in a while blowing my hair slightly. It felt nice, though it was brisk. I stood quietly in the woodsy clearing. Bringing my quiet steps to a stop as the breeze almost came to a stop. The lack of leaves on the trees makes it easier to see further into the woods. Less places for them to hide. It would help if the rain would wait a bit longer though. If it starts raining they might hide till tomorrow, or at least till the rain stops. I'm far enough from my cabin as it is I don't feel like sleeping outside again and getting rained on and potentially sick. I just want to catch something so I can drag it back home before I get soaked.

The water surrounding me rippled and flowed with the cold wind. Here was a small watering hole a good thirty minute or so walk from my cabin. This one was finally undiscovered and had a constantly replenishing stream that almost functioned as a waterfall, constantly cleaning the water. It was one of the only clean uncluttered bodies of water near here. Though, I knew a lot of good hidden falls around here.