Gintama; Takasugi X Reader (part 2) [Save Me]

Prologue

     "Momo, come on!"

My dog gives an echoing bark in response. Soon he appears through the shrubs toward where I am, his light fur pale against the dark scenery of the woods.

     "Are you having fun boy?" I say to him, lowering to rub his fluffy ear. He whips his tail enthusiastically and nibbles my hand. I giggle.

It's still dawn. The sun has yet touched the horizon, the sky painted in an obscure gray that makes your chest tight. Without daylight, here in the forest, it's much darker with the overlapping canopies. Mosquitoes buzz with other insects of nature.

I direct my steps to the southern part of the woods. My eyes scan the greenery for any valuable plants. Wild vegetables would spare me some funds for supper, but today my main intention is on herbs. If I could fill the basket dangling down my arm with some precious herbs, then my funds would instead add up a little more when I offer the goods to the apothecary owner. Though unspoken, I already consider this regular errand my career. The owner doesn't seem to mind too.

Well, not that I have much do to in a remote village anyway.

I decide to take a different route today. I clear the dirt ground of dead leaves, hoping to make a track. As far as I know this forest is huge and taking it lightly might not be the best choice, even if you're someone like me who's been here for all my life. It is, though, presumably safe to trespass to a certain boundary.

The earth smells much stronger as I wander further. Momo sniffs the ground with his brown nose, exploring the tentacular roots of a massive silk cotton tree. Columns of oaks and pines scatter throughout. The forest floor no longer stretches out flat, but instead becomes jerky with stones and protruding roots. Weeds crawl like veins. Daylight breaks and brightens up the undergrowth.

I gape at the sight around me, more than pleased. A spicy scent of rosemary wafts to my nose. Next to it is a bush of thyme. A pale color takes my eyes to a shrub of white snakeroot, good for snakebites. I glance to the ground and notice that I'm already stepping on a kind of herb. Liverwort flowers bloom from the soil, the purple flowers small but beautiful.

     "Momo, we could survive half of our lives with all these!" I exclaim to my dog, spinning to get an eye on the many possible herbs all around. My voice causes some birds to fly away from nearby trees.

I cheerfully skip to the rosemary bush and begin to pluck out some. A wild lemon tree grows just beyond it, bearing the golden fruits. I move carefully to pick a good amount before proceeding  to do the same with the next plant.

After a long moment Momo comes running up the surface from my right. He circles around me, barking continuously. I try to shush him out of habit, thankful that we're not in village. When I carry on with my task the dog starts pulling at my clothes with his mouth.

     "What's wrong?" I say, putting aside the half-full basket. Momo lets go of my dress only to gently bite my finger. Then he pulls me toward the direction from where he just came from, as if telling me to follow him.

I stand up and take the basket with me. Momo darts into the trees before I can catch up.

He keeps running ahead, not even glancing back once. I nearly trip several times on the uneven ground all the while trying to memorize the way back. The longer I follow him through the narrow path, I start to become uncertain. I'm not familiar with these parts, though I'm not entirely sure about my dog. The herbs I'm finding are no longer available here. I barely see anything edible.

     "Momo, where are you going?" I call over to him. "We can't venture out too far you know. It might be dangerous."

Well it technically isn't, unless we get too hungry and mistake a poisonous plant for food.