Last night was the best sleep she had had in ages. Her entire body felt warm. She couldn't help but subconsciously snuggle into the warmth.
She opened her bleary eyes, a sense of peace radiating off her.
When she fully opened her eyes, she saw a pair of hazel eyes staring back at her. A teasing expression, she had never seen before on his face.
He doesn't say anything, just looks at her.
He moves closer to her, and she doesn't move. She watches him with that teasing smile that bewitches her.
He gets closer to her and nuzzles his face into her neck. He inhales her scent, nibbles on her neck, before kissing it and moving away.
She lies there, her eyes wide with shock. The warm blanket, still around her body. Until she feels something. Something hard.
She heard the groan of the person behind her.
She got up quickly, realising that Xeno was the blanket that kept her warm. She tried to move away, but he wouldn't let her. He sank his face into her neck, rubbing his body against hers.
He didn't say anything after that. Just got up and left with Uri.
Visha lay there, wondering what had just happened. When did she fall asleep? Why was she in Xeno's arms?
She wanted to complain, but that was the best sleep. She was warm and toasty.
Now she really did complain. She had to go out and face the cold.
Oh right! She just remembered.
Checking the interface, she asked how long 3 moons were.
When she found out it was six months, she was horrified.
Six months?! With people she didn't know.
It wouldn't be bad if it were just Xeno and Nimo's family, but those people were here, too.
She tried not to make a big deal about it. It's only six months. And this was the lighter part of the winter. In another month, she wasn't sure she would even be able to leave.
She decided today would be the day she left the cave.
Not to leave everyone behind.
She wanted to find food and firewood. She needed to set traps. She had to make sure she and everyone else survived.
A sense of urgency hit Visha, making her get up quickly and run towards Willa. She knew the women went foraging, and she wanted to go.
As she was walking out, she looked at the cave. It was a mess. Everyone had their things thrown all over the place. The firewood they collected was divided into two, even though they all used the same fire. It wasn't bundles; they threw them wherever they could find.
Their animal skins were strewn about. If not for sleeping, Visha would not even know what they use some of the skins for. They seem to like to collect things. Maybe it was to show how well they could hunt, but they didn't use them to do anything except take up space.
All of this made the already small cave look even smaller.
[Task: Clean the cave]
[Reward: unknown]
[Task: Establish a fair rationing system]
[Reward: unknown]
[Task: Find medicinal herbs]
[Reward: unknown]
Is this what going outside gets me? I just wanted to forage. I haven't even finished the first one yet.
Visha found Willa and the other women outside. There were still two people left inside the cave. She knew they took turns having someone inside to watch the cave.
Aside from the pregnant woman who did not go out. All the other females were out foraging today. One of the men, Grik, was there for protection.
She also learned Nimo's mother's name, Heta. As well as the names of their partners. Fil is Kit and Xeno's father, and Cato is Nimo's father.
The way he looked at her, Visha wasn't sure if he was protecting ot stalking. She did not get a good vibe from the guy.
They walked through the snow, looking for winter berries. There weren't many trees. Most of what she saw looked like grass. She knew some foods could still be grown in winter, but she wasn't sure which ones.
Until she came across a leaf she knew. There were barely any leaves left; most of them had wilted, but she definitely knew it.
Could this thing grow in winter?
She didn't know. Anyway, if it's what she was thinking, they could have food for a while.
She took the Swiss Army knife out of the inventory, pretending to take it from her pocket.
She walked away from the group while telling Willa to wait for her.
The ground was hard, but the knife was sharp.
She was able to cut away some dirt. Just enough so she could see what was underground. When she saw it, she laughed.
Sweet potatoes!
"Willa, come here! Come help me dig this up."
Willa, as well as the rest of the women, stood there watching Visha dig. They weren't sure what she was going to do. Especially when they saw her take out the shiny thing.
Everyone couldn't help but think that Visha was definitely a priest. She had things none of them had ever seen before.
While they were still marvelling at the thing she was using to dig, they suddenly heard her calling Willa.
They didn't wait for Willa to go over alone. They saw how excited she was and thought it was something good.
Visha looked around, seeing everyone walk up with Willa and thought that more hands make light work.
While everyone was digging, Visha told them what they were digging.
"These things are called sweet potatoes. They are really filling. Apparently, you can eat it raw, but I've never tried. I know you can roast it with fire. When it's finished cooking, you peel off the skin and eat it."
"If we can find more, we might have enough to last for a while."
When they heard it was something edible, everyone started to cheer. They hadn't even dug out the first sweet potato yet.
Realising she had been digging for a while, she wondered how big the sweet potato was.
When she finally pulled it out, she realised it was bigger than her head.
Forget, a while. She might be able to eat this for the next few months.
Her excitement heightened. Knowing she had sweet potatoes and Uri and Xeno would be out looking for meat, she felt that everything was right with the world.
That was until she saw them eat. But that's a matter for later.
When the sweet potatoes made a small hill, they realised they had nothing to bring them back in.
Gita, another new name she learned, wanted to go back for her animal skin. Willa and Heta thought the same.
They were reluctant, however, to leave things here unattended.
"You go back and get it, I don't mind waiting here. I can dig up a few more while I wait."
"No, we shouldn't leave you unattended," Nimo's mother voiced her concern.
"I will stay. It isn't far from the cave." Grik, the man Visha didn't like, spoke
"That's not necessary. I can run if I need to."
Visha didn't want to be anywhere near him, so she declined.
"The priestess needs to be protected. What if you find other food while waiting?"
The other women agreed, seeing the logic in his statement. They decided they weren't far from the cave, and since they weren't searching, they would move quickly.
Despite her best effort to get him to leave, Grik resolutely stayed in the name of safety.
Visha decided to ignore him and keep digging sweet potatoes.
[Task complete: Find medicinal herbs]
[Reward: Nature's Echo]
[You will be able to identify all known flora and fauna.]
I found medicinal herbs? Where?
She looked at the thing in her hand. She had only just pulled it out, thinking it was a smaller potato.
The thing in her hand was the same colour as a potato, but when she looked at it with Nature's Echo, she realised it was ginger.
Even covered in dirt, her smile made her look beautiful at his moment.
Grik, who saw the smile, couldn't help himself. He stalked toward her, walking up behind her. His shadow blocked the minimal sun.
Visha's smile instantly faded.
"Go away."
She wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
But Grik didn't seem to care; he moved closer.
Visha stood brandishing her knife.
"You either move, or I gut you"
Grik didn't listen, stepping closer. He moved, his hand poised to grab her.
"Visha."
The voice came from the periphery.
Visha visibly relaxed. It was Uri.