In a strange world as a Doppelganger

Chapter 7

This morning I move down river instead of up. This is because I plan on working on my knife and I don't want any scraped off rust to alert the frogs. Sure they might have more fishing spots but not that I know of. I'll be careful, I promise. Before leaving I tied the little belt-pouch around my thigh and filled it with some red berries. The idea is that I can stay out for longer and further away if I bring something to eat. 

Spending some time by the treeline I make sure that the coast is clear. The water is slightly colder today I think, or maybe I just haven't spent this much time in it in one go. Crouched down at the edge of the stream I am scraping the knife against a wet rock that poke up just over the surface. It's taking a lot of time but I am seeing some great progress already. 

Some time passes and my work focus is interrupted by a croak. I turn around and see two frogs stepping into the river, one of them has a club and the other one is picking up rocks from the riverbank. I am in a pickle right now, this is the first time I have had to face off against two enemies at once. Focusing on one at a time seems like the smartest. Which one though? That's where my window of planning ends as a small rock flies towards my head at the same time as a big lump of wood is swung towards me. Stepping backward I manage to avoid the club by an inch but the rock hits me in the shoulder. It stings a surprising amount. 

Right now there isn't much I can do besides deciding between running away or fighting. If I try to keep the club frog between myself and the rock-thrower that should make it harder for the thrower to aim. I step in close to the clubber as it rears up for another swing and I thrust forward with the knife, still not nearly in peak condition it's still sharp enough to penetrate its slippery amphibian skin. A rock flies past me into the water, my plan is seemingly working. The club still comes down and strikes me in the shoulder. Searing pain shoots through my left arm and I feel a numbness spreading. Luckily the blade is in my right hand. Another thrust forward, towards its belly again. The frog takes a quick step backwards, however, my arms are longer than it's stride and the blade still pierces it. I move my eyes between the two and maneuver to keep the clubber between myself and the frog throwing rocks. The club-wielder seems to be wavering in its confidence and looks back towards it friend. Leaving itself open I thrust again, this time higher up. I get it just under the neck and blood is now flowing from all of its wounds. The club falls into the water and the frog to its knees. A rock hits me in the forehead as the clubber collapses below the surface of the water. 

"Ouch!" is what I think I am shouting but the sound comes out as an angry screech.

The rock thrower flinches at the sound,  so do I. Was that my voice? Come to think of it I haven't actually spoken since waking up here. No time for that now though. I duck under another stone and look back up just as the thrower climbs up the riverbank and runs off into the forest. That's going to come back to bite me, the river is not going to feel safe at all for a while.

My head is feeling sore and and my shoulder is pulsing painfully. My vision is slightly blurry now. It's probably because the adrenaline of the fight is wearing off. I crouch down to splash some water in my face. There is a definitive bump on my forehead; it's sore and there is a slight trickle of blood coming down my face. I splash some more water in my face; it's so refreshing. Attempts to lift my left arm are met with resistance but it's not an impossibility. I am going to be so sore tomorrow. 

Walking back towards the clearing is not an easy task currently. I am having to sit down a lot as I keep getting lightheaded. I pour the berries straight from the pouch and into my mouth. The sweetness does help me feel better, mentally at least. 

Eventually I see the clearing through the trees. It's a pleasant sight in the noon sun. I just crawl down the hole and go to sleep, I am so incredibly tired right now. Not but minutes later I am in a deep sleep.

I dream of the lonely person. This time they're sitting outside on a bench at night. The moon is high and the stars are bright but this person is too stuck in their own mind to see the beautiful sky. Such a sad person. The dream just keeps having me watch this person until they eventually lie down on the bench and fall asleep.

Unfurling from my position and trying to make it to the surface is a painful endeavor. The clearing is damp even though the sun is out; rain must have passed over us recently. Taking into account where the sun is placed in the sky, I must have slept though the day and night. The fresh scent of rain is soothing my senses. I grab a piece of wet moss from the boulder and hold it to my forehead. The pain makes me wince but the moss feels so good right now. 

The aching in my body is pretty much forcing me to stay put for the day. What little energy I have is spent on working, very slowly, on the expansion of the burrow. By the end of the day I have only managed to open up another few inches. Not having had the energy to find food I feel some fatigue and hunger coming over me and I fall asleep before the sun sets. Dreamless this time.