After he was done chewing on the meat, he finally felt filled up. The inner room was still filled with smoke, due to the aged windows around the shed.
The curtain was slid open a bit, a wave of smoke washing over his face.
'Maybe I should wait a bit more'
A chronic cough escaped his lips, his palm over his mouth as it continued. After a while, his lungs felt relieved to finally breathe in air normally but there was chest pain from the cough.
"I should take a walk around, see if I can find anything that could help me. Maybe even find resources, I don't think I can survive the night without firewood." Responsibility started to build up.
He was no longer that ignorant clan kid, if he wanted to survive the wild then he needed to be different, even if it meant him pretending or forcing himself to be something he wasn't.
'When the smoke clears I'll have to check something, winter will be coming in a month's time, and I need to be prepared or change location before it arrives.'
With a swing, he found himself sliding down the tree, holding the tree's bark tightly though it pricked his palms.
Once he landed down, the bruises began to heal, absorbing the life essence around him.
He stared at his palm until the healing was complete, then he swung his hand in the air, shaking off the dirt from the tree off his hand.
He glanced around the area, nothing unusual. Just the occasional rustling of bushes and the faint breeze flowing through the forest.
He glanced behind him, a high hill at the far end though it was noticeable from where he stood.
"Let's start by checking that out" A confident smile appeared on his face.
He started walking, then it slowly turned into a sprint. A surge of emotions went through him as he moved, the cool afternoon breeze from the shaded forest pushing past him and a bright smile on his face.
His feet moved fast, and using his hands he navigated through the curved areas in the forest. Holding the tree's and turning himself at pivot points.
'I feel so much alive!!' His mind reeled from the joy.
He arrived at the base of the hill and stared at the top, it wasn't so high as he had imagined it to be but it was still a hill.
He started climbing, using the rocks sticking out to push himself higher.
The energy surging through him gave him a boost, and he felt less tired than he expected. Every energy expended was returned to him, only occasional sweats from the exercise trickled down his face.
As he climbed higher, the sun's rays touched his skin and he was no longer within the shade of the trees.
It bothered him in the least, his clothes were soaked with sweat but the cool breeze made it feel so much better than uncomfortable.
With one last push, he reached the top of the hill.
After balancing his weight, he turned around and stared at the far end, towards the flowing river at the end.
"I feel so much alive!!" He screamed, his voice echoing through the forest.
The birds scattered in fear, flapping away from the trees they perched on.
He could see all the spots he normally wouldn't notice from the forest floor. There he noticed the tree house he stayed in wasn't the only tree house in the area, there were more of them.
They spread out widely, built in various parts of the forest, but they were all covered by crawling plants, making them camouflaged in the surroundings.
"And here I thought I was hidden, but who could have built all these and for what?!" A concerning thought crossed his mind.
He glanced at the forest, noting down all the areas he would be taking a look at the moment he came down from the hill.
There were a total of five noticeable tree houses, including the one he camped in. All seemed not very far from each other, but they were built in an orderly manner.
Waves of thoughts stormed within his mind, but he shut them out. Keeping his nerves calm and calculated.
He turned around, and behind him the forest stretched far off to the outskirts. From there he couldn't see anything else, just green leaves continuously.
He turned back, then bent low and took a seat, dropping one leg on the edge of the hill and the other dangling off.
He placed his right hand on the leg and stared at the horizon where the earth met with the sun.
'Thorne'
He stayed up there for a couple of minutes, almost an hour before he got tired and climbed down from the hill.
Once he was down, the cool forest breeze returned, drying the sweat trickling down his face.
He moved back to his base, a new thought forming at the back of his mind as he moved.
Winter was coming in a month's time, he had to prepare himself by all means necessary or somehow look for a way to the next city within the area.
Either had to be done quickly, but at the end the decision rested on his shoulder and only he could make it.
'Firstly I have to get to the shed and wash my clothes after I have my bath then I'll check out those other sheds and see if I can find anything valuable in them.'
He climbed up, opening the curtain he noticed the smoke had fully cleared out.
He stepped into the shed and walked over to the end where his bag was and opened it.
Pulling out a pair of clothes, he dropped them to the floor, after zipping the bag he took the clothes down to the river.
------
Refreshed and cleaned of the days sweat, he spread the washed clothes on the branch of the tree close to the shed.
With his next target in mind, he set off.
'There might be people living in those sheds, but I'll never know unless i check it out myself.'