Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Although Titus had specifically instructed her not to run around before going to sleep, Cloudy had other ideas after finishing the spear. Besides covering the fence with some leaves for concealment, there was a difference in height between the cave and the fence, making her feel like she could lay broad leaves on top to create a canopy.

This was done quickly; she spent little time collecting the necessary broad leaves and then laid them on the fence and the cave, like stacking tiles, creating a small canopy over the entrance to her cave. From a distance, it now looked completely like a little house. Cloudy removed a few posts from the side of the fence, tied them together with vines to make a small door panel, and then bound them to fixed sticks to make a narrow side door.

The gaps in the fence were filled with leaves, and Cloudy even deliberately picked many small branches with leaves attached and inserted them into the ground outside the fence to make it look like they had naturally grown there. The height difference between the fence and the cave was covered by the broad leaves. To prevent them from slipping, Cloudy pierced the base of the broad leaves with small sticks and then firmly nailed them above the cave.

There was approximately one square meter of space inside the fence, where Cloudy piled up the stones and other odds and ends she had collected. Insect shells were also placed here.

The transformation of the exterior of the cave stopped here; Cloudy's ability to further transform was limited. After finishing the canopy, Cloudy went to check on Titus. He was still sound asleep, and she wondered how late he had stayed up last night... Surely he didn't stay up all night?

Cloudy picked up the clothes that had slipped off Titus's face, refolded them, and covered his eyes again.

Food had been collected in the morning, and the transformation of the fence was completed... What to do next? Continue to explore the thicket area? Or work on the interior of the cave?

Exploring at this stage would definitely yield greater rewards but was also riskier. Improving and expanding the interior of the cave would allow her to sleep more comfortably, but besides that, there wouldn't be any substantial benefits.

Cloudy picked up the newly made spear and weighed it in her hand. She knew that not far from the cave, there were places where small animals and fairly large insects would occasionally dart out. Should she try hunting?

Moreover, it wasn't far from the cave, and as long as Titus woke up and shouted a few times, she would hear him... But Titus had come over these past two days to keep watch because the surroundings were unsafe.

But it's just in the vicinity, nothing should go wrong, right? Cloudy felt a bit like a mischievous kid wanting to play in the neighborhood but afraid of being caught by family members.

Forget it, should she wait for Titus to wake up before going out to try hunting? He could also teach her what to do. Just as Cloudy was about to lower the spear, she heard a strange sound, rustling... coming from the west side of the cave.

How coincidental! Because she often wandered around the cave during the day, animals basically wouldn't come here during the day. Hopefully, it's a smaller, slower-moving animal. Cloudy tightened her grip on her spear and slowly moved towards the source of the sound.

West side of the cave.
The grass was quite lush, reaching up to about knee height. A hundred meters further down, the grass became sparse. She crouched low, sticking close to the outer circle of the cave. The faint rustling sound was not like insects, though soft, it had a solid quality to it.

Cloudy hadn't seen anything yet, but her palms were sweaty with nervousness. She felt the need to successfully hunt something, whether insects or small animals.

The strange sound suddenly grew louder, changing from random rustling to a rhythmic 'click, click, click'. This shift made Cloudy stop in her tracks because the clicking sound didn't resemble the sound of something moving but more like tapping.

By now, she had moved into taller grass where growth was dense. Without parting the grass with her hands, she wouldn't know what was inside. Insects? Was it insects? Could the hard shells of insects create such a sound when tapping on the ground?

But why would insects keep tapping their shells on the ground... Cloudy found it eerie as the clicking sound grew louder and the intervals longer. What's most important in wilderness survival? When your intuition senses danger, turn and leave. Cloudy was just about to do that.

As she kept her gaze forward, starting to retreat slowly, the sound abruptly stopped. She was frozen in fear. The surroundings fell silent, and Cloudy dared not even breathe... Something was not right, as if she had disturbed something strange.

After a quiet wait, the rustling sound resumed, and then... a brightly colored bird flew out of the grass. Cloudy stood there with her spear, mouth agape.

Just a bird?!!

She futilely poked the spear skyward a few times, but the bird had already flown away. The rustling sound was the bird moving or flapping its wings against the grass; but what about the clicking sound? Cloudy took a few steps forward, reaching the spot where the bird had flown from, and parted the grass to take a look...

There lay a pile of insect remains, likely from those huge ants she had encountered earlier. The clicking sound must have been the bird piercing the hard shell of the ant's head with its beak.

What a pity, Cloudy sighed. If only she had taken a few more steps forward, could she have caught the bird... Nevertheless, it wasn't a total loss. The hard jaws of the ant remained, along with some bird down scattered on the grass, and a few long, bright yellow feathers, quite beautiful.

Cloudy gathered these items with regret, storing them inside the fence. While Titus was still asleep, she reorganized the food supplies.

These past few days, she hadn't worried about food and drink, even enjoying a feast of fish. Cloudy felt she might have been a bit too carefree and needed to regain her reverence for food... She sat down to review in her mind what Titus had taught her about what can be eaten in the rainforest.

Yesterday, Titus brought some rubbery little mushrooms, the easiest to find and most abundant, the only downside being...
The key to it is that it grows in the deepest part of the rainforest, the dampest place. If Cloudy wants to pick these mushrooms herself, she needs to grow another twenty guts to do so.

The rest is just some wild fruits occasionally seen growing near the green slopes. Her plan to learn how to make slices herself has also come to nothing, as she cannot obtain the raw materials. However... Food-wise, Cloudy is not so worried, thanks to Titus, who has introduced her to many foods.

After Cloudy stood still for a while, Titus finally woke up. He sat up and stretched lazily, "Comfortable...!"

Seeing him wake up, Cloudy couldn't wait to rush over to show the spear she had just made and awkwardly told Titus about the bird she had encountered in the grass just now.

"A bird?" Titus weighed the spear Cloudy had made. "This... is alright. It should work."

Saying that, Titus took Cloudy's hand. "I'll teach you! It's very simple."

What, can hunting lessons be conducted right after waking up? Cloudy joyfully followed behind Titus as they returned to the grass where they had just been.

"Here, there will be many bugs." Titus used the spear to push aside the grass, revealing several disgusting bugs that were round and slippery like watermelon worms. He flicked the bugs a few times with the spear, then skewered three of them on a bone fragment. "These can be eaten."

Cloudy watched as the bugs on the spear, still writhing in pain, their shells cracked open, and the pulpy insides flowed out like passion fruit...

"But, it will tingle." Titus stuck out his tongue. "Eat too many, and you'll lose feeling, so be careful."

"Okay!"

Titus took the bugs off the spear. Cloudy instinctively thought Titus was going to feed her again, but she silently moved back, closing her mouth. Fortunately, Titus did not force her to eat the bugs but instead broke them open with his hands and smeared the guts of those bugs onto the grass. "They will smell it, bait."

After smearing the bugs, Titus led Cloudy away from the grass. "This is the preparation. Next, we wait."

They waited for an hour, and Cloudy was starting to get restless, but Titus remained focused, staring intently at the grass where the bait had been smeared. He seemed different from the usually slightly clumsy Titus, with his ears pricked up, pupils narrowed, furrowed brow, tense muscles in his arms. He was completely still, not exaggerating, truly motionless like a piece of wood. Even his breathing was imperceptible.

His blinking frequency was also terrifyingly low.

After another ten minutes, a large gray bird finally fluttered into the grassy area, circling above for a while before flying towards the baited spot.

Cloudy felt a gust of wind brushing past her cheek. Before she could react to what was happening, she heard a thud coming from the direction of the grass.

"... " She was speechless as she looked at Titus, who was still in his throwing pose.
The end of the action. Everything happened so quickly that the birds didn't even touch the bait on the grass before Titus hurled the wooden spear.

The force was so great that Cloudy swore he even heard the sound of the air being pierced... The bird that was hit didn't even have time to let out a cry of pain.

"Success, how!" Titus' ears drooped. "Bird-catching, simple."

Simple? Cloudy followed Titus in astonishment, heading into the bushes to inspect the spoils. The poor bird had been pierced straight through, impaled on the wooden stick.

"Weapon, not bad." Titus picked up the stick and examined the top. "This method, very powerful. I will learn it too."

What? Referring to wedging bone fragments in the gap of a wooden stick? Cloudy couldn't believe that Titus and his group didn't have this kind of weapon. Come to think of it, Cloudy had never seen a proper weapon from Titus' group either.

"Cloudy, very clever! Is this technology from your settlement?"

Cloudy scratched his head. "Yes, it is... right?"

"Cloudy, where is your settlement?" Upon hearing Cloudy's response, Titus felt a bit unsure. "Will you go back?"

"I want to go back." Cloudy sighed. "But I can't, it's very far away."

"How far? I will take you back."

"Very, very far!" Cloudy extended his arm to show. "Can't go back!"

"Why? Why can't you go back?" Titus started frowning. "Cloudy, are you disliked by your family?"

No, now is not the time to discuss such matters. We still have bird carcasses to deal with! Cloudy tugged at Titus' wrist. "Bird!"

To Cloudy's surprise, Titus actually dodged his hand. "Tell me, why can't you go back. I'll give you the bird."

When did this simple wild man learn such cunning negotiation skills?

However, from that sentence - "I will take you back" - it was evident that Titus was genuinely concerned about her and understood that she could never enter his settlement. Despite saying it was very far away, Titus still didn't mind taking her back.

A bit helpless, but there was no way around it.

"I... can't go back. The reason is the same as with your settlement." Cloudy couldn't possibly tell Titus that she came from thousands of years in the future, even if she wanted to, she didn't know how to say it in the local language. "Do you understand? They won't accept me. Because..." She pointed to her own face.

"Not the same."

Titus's ears drooped even more. "Cloudy, truly pitiful."

Don't say it out loud!! Cloudy glared angrily and hammered Titus's tough arm. "Not pitiful! I'm fine on my own!"

Titus laughed again. "But, not well-fed."

"... What's with this guy's personality? Is he one of those slightly twisted wild people?" "Bird, that's enough."
"Sure!" Titus pulled Cloudy towards the entrance of the cave, looking even more excited than Cloudy. "The bird that just died, it's very tasty."

Uh, that's quite a terrifying thing to say.

But this bird they're talking about... it's not like the cute little birds commonly seen nowadays. They're extremely ugly, super ugly, so ugly that it's hard to describe in words. Their wings are large, claws not atrophied, and they even have small claws at the first joint of their wings. Their legs are long and look like centipedes with many hard hairs. Instead of a triangular beak, they have a flat one with sharp teeth along the edges.

Their eyes bulge outward, widely spaced apart, with three large cavities in the middle, presumably their nostrils. They are so hideous to look at.

Cloudy frowned throughout as she watched Titus tear apart the ugly bird. With just a few moves, he stripped off its feathers, twisted its head off, and then held it up to Cloudy, saying, "The head, can't eat it," before placing it aside.

Next, it was the bird's body and wings. The meat and skin of the bird were a somewhat unsightly yellow. Titus tore them into small pieces and handed them to Cloudy, saying, "Eat."

Cloudy didn't hesitate, as if it were uncooked chicken sashimi; she ate it without any hesitation. Indeed, as Titus had said, it was very tasty.

There was a slightly bloody taste, but not overpowering. Since it had just died, the meat was still warm, very elastic, and tender...

It would be even better with some chili added!

"Delicious! Delicious!" Cloudy kept eating the bird meat Titus handed her, but halfway through, she paused and burped. "Titus, how... how do we store this?"

"Store it?" Titus, with his bloodied hands suspended in the air, seemed to ponder what Cloudy meant by that. "Store it..."

After a moment of thought, Titus realized what Cloudy was referring to. "I'll teach you!"

"Great!"

"You need stones." Titus had just finished speaking when Cloudy ran back inside the fence and brought out several stones.

Titus then placed the meat on the stones and used another stone to pound and flatten the meat into thin slices. "Keep pounding, then press down with the stone."

Cloudy watched Titus and mimicked his actions. It was simpler than she had imagined. After flattening the meat, they continued pressing it with a heavier stone. Once enough time had passed, they placed it out in the sun to dry.

Ah... is making dried meat really this simple? Then, the large pot I had before must have gone to waste due to improper handling... I regret it so much...

"After drying, it's not enough. You need to hang it..." Titus carried a piece of meat around, looking for a suitable spot, and eventually found a small tree branch sticking out of the fence. He hung the meat on it. "Like this, it's good."

After hanging the meat, both Titus and Cloudy immediately realized something. By hanging the meat there, it was sure to attract strange carnivorous animals.

"Uh..."
"Titus frowned as he examined Cloudy's small cave. 'Not inside the fence, and definitely not inside the cave.'

Cloudy was a bit puzzled too.

'I'll take it back, dry it at home for you.'

'...!' Can it really be done this way?! Cloudy nodded eagerly, 'Okay! Okay!'

Thinking of going back, Titus glanced at the rainforest. 'I should head back.' He then looked at Cloudy, who was gazing at him with enthusiasm. Her mouth and face were still covered in blood from the meat she had just eaten.

He didn't want to go back; he wanted to continue playing with Cloudy. There was still much for Cloudy to learn.

Just take her back, hide her at home. Maybe no one would notice... Titus had thought about this more than once these past few days, but he was still afraid of the Matriarch punishing him and Cloudy. His daily excursions were starting to upset others in the settlement.

'Cloudy, what if I don't come for many days... what will you do?'

Many days without him? It might get lonely. Cloudy probably understood why Titus asked, 'It's okay! Before Titus, I was alone here.'

He wanted to stay and play with Cloudy a bit longer, but it was getting late. If he hadn't returned last night, people would have surely found out...

Titus gathered the meat slices. 'After drying, I'll bring them to you!'

After Titus left, Cloudy went back to check the spear he had used; the tip was slightly crooked and needed fixing.

Since it was still early, she decided to practice Titus' method. Cloudy went into the bushes and soon caught several large watermelon bugs. After mentally preparing herself, she reached out, tore the bugs open to let the juice flow out, and wiped it on the grass.

After setting the bait, Cloudy sneaked to a nearby hiding spot. Lacking Titus' strength and accuracy, she had to stay closer to the bait but tried to conceal herself as much as possible. Hopefully, this would work!

Now, she had to wait, a long wait... Several birds flew by, but none descended. Cloudy felt she was too conspicuous and decided to move further away and crouch down.

This wait was much longer than when Titus was around. As the sun began to set, a bird finally landed in the bushes.

The rustling sound made Cloudy tremble with excitement as she had actually caught prey. After calming herself down, she slowly moved towards the target.

She moved very slowly, feeling like she was slower than a snail, making no sound. Gripping the stick tightly, despite sweating palms, her hands remained steady.

When Titus hunted, he struck before the prey entered the bushes..."
Sure, here is the translation of the text you provided:

"Hand, she naturally couldn't learn that move, so she could only slowly approach the prey that had already landed in the grass, without making a sound... According to the swaying grass, she could probably discern where the target had stopped.

No problem, find the right position and thrust with force, the stick is long enough... Cloudy slowly raised the stick, then suddenly stabbed towards the shaking grass. Some sharp cries rang out, and Cloudy hurried forward, grabbing the wounded prey that was stabbed by the stick.

Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my, the struggling feeling of the prey in her arms was telling her that she had succeeded!

She actually succeeded in hunting... She must show off to Titus when he comes later!

However, for someone like Cloudy who usually has the fishmonger handle the fish she buys at the market, dealing with live animals is a bit too difficult. The prey in her hand was only partially injured by the stick and still had attacking power. When Cloudy pressed it to the ground, it kept struggling and left many scars on Cloudy's hands.

Cloudy looked at it with mixed emotions, unlike insects... it was a furry animal, although it looked somewhat ugly, but the color of blood was the same.

"Sorry!" Cloudy pulled out the stick, mustered courage with a loud shout, closed her eyes, and pierced the prey's abdomen.

A strange sensation, even through the stick, she could feel that she had destroyed something soft. It was a touch that immediately evoked feelings of guilt and horror.

Cloudy almost immediately regretted it. Warm liquid sprayed on her arm, her breathing became rapid, and her heart raced.

She wasn't a cruel person, she had also kept pets before... although it was unfair to the watermelon worms that died as bait in her hands, but she had no choice... killing furry animals would burden her psychologically.

Cloudy dared not look at the corpse of the prey on the ground, nor did she dare to stand up. The joy of successfully hunting just disappeared in the moment she acted.

She could clearly feel the prey in her hand gradually losing movement, turning into a pile of soft flesh, like a rag doll hanging on the edge of the bed.

... Why is it completely different to watch Titus do it compared to doing it herself... Cloudy tried to calm herself down, feeling a bit nosy now, but her hands were still trembling instinctively."