In a strange world as a Doppelganger

Chapter 6

A dreamless night in the hole. I am getting used to sleeping down there with the rat. My plan to expand the hole will have to wait as I have other plans for the day; I am going to follow a frog. 

I start upriver to drink and safely get to the other side. I haven't really been on this side at all. Doing my best to stay low and quiet as I crawl on all fours towards where I usually see the frogs. 

"Shit!" I think to myself, almost yelling in my brain.

There's three of them now. I think I can tell the one from yesterday apart from the rest, it's carrying the same basket and has the same belt with tools in it. The other two frogs are carrying weapons and one of them even has some sort of tough-looking shirt on. I don't think following them is such a good idea now, the armed frogs are keeping a constant lookout while the one from yesterday is collecting fish again.

An hour pass by, and they start gathering themselves to leave. I have to decide quickly whether to give up or follow through on my original plan. They are moving away into the forest now. If I had brought my club or maybe the knife, then I'd feel more confident about all of this. 

Somewhat defeated I make my way back to the clearing. Following them would require me to either know that I can take them out if found or make sure they cannot notice me at all. Food is on my to do list instead now. I wonder if I can make a basket like the one the frogs have. I don't know how they made it but I think I understand the idea behind it; holes that are big enough to let the water flow through but still so small that the fish get caught. I think I can make it given the time to experiment with materials. 

I tried making it with straw from the river but I couldn't make it stay in shape,it kept unfurling and springing straw everywhere. I ended up doing my best to catch fish with my bare hands instead. I stand in the river and wait for a fish to swim bye and thrust at it with a clawed finger. Mostly I just splash water everywhere and the fish takes off. Two small fishes is all I managed but it's more than nothing. 

I offer a fish to the rat but it just sniffs it and looks at me. I snatch the fish up with my tongue and swallow it whole, almost choking in surprise. The other fish I open up with a claw, digging out smaller pieces of meat. The rat shows some interest now. Maybe it can't eat whole fish? Anyway it seems happy enough to eat the scraps I scrape out for it. I bury the fish' guts in a small hole on the other end of the clearing. 

I really do need to establish a stable source of food somehow and I am convinced that the frogs are my best bet as it is. Preparation is key to gaining their knowledge. Grabbing the club in one hand and knife in the other I walk back into the woods; marking the trees as I walk further in. I wish I had a bag of some sort, anything to carry things I find in. Some of those incredibly sweet berries grow a few minutes away from the clearing in this direction, considering the position of the sun I'd guess I have been walking somewhat north.

The sound of an animal screeching catches my attention. I run towards it to see what is going on. There is a small, humanoid, creature currently chasing a rat around in circles around a tree. The rat looks hurt and the humanoid looks hungry. It has sinewy limbs and a greenish brown complexion. 

"Looks like a stereotypical Goblin", I think while hunkering down behind a tree.

Goblin? Is that what it is? Why do I know that? Anyway it has something I want, a belt with a pouch. Taking in the situation I am pretty certain that I can catch it off-guard, save the rat and take everything the goblin has on it. I wait until the goblin has its back to me, jump out from my hiding spot and swing the club towards its head. There is an audible impact and the goblin staggers to the side, seemingly unable to comprehend what's going on. The rat takes this chance to run off through the bushes. As the goblin turns around I swing again but miss with an inch as my enemy stumbles to the ground. The creature shakes its head and locks eyes on me. At first it seems utterly confused, followed by a loud battle-cry. Hopefully there aren't anymore like it nearby. I take another swing straight down, aiming for its center of mass to reduce its chances of avoiding. Crack! Right in the center of its chest. A few gasps for air and then it stops moving. 

The pouch it had was empty and the belt itself is too short for my waist. It did have a knife made of some sort of metal, though rusted and crude. I'll bring it with me even if I don't have any idea how to restore it to a more functional condition. 

After filling up my new pouch with nuts and berries, that I know are safe, I make my way back to the clearing by following the marks I've made. Rat and I eat a handful of food each. I wonder if it's becoming dependent on me? Right now, I don't care about that. It's nice to have a friend to keep me company. The last hour before the sun sets is spent scraping the rusted knife against the boulder, trying to see if it does anything at all. Some rust falls off and I can see clear metal underneath, lets cross our fingers.