Chapter 43
Chapter 43
The torrential rain continued for three days.
Even during the daytime, the lighting inside the cave was very poor. The clouds and rain isolated all warmth beyond the canopy layer. The intensity of the downpour caused fractured tree leaves and branches to constantly fall from above, crashing into the cave. The air was filled with nothing but moisture.
The immense sound of the rain seemed to have replaced all other noises in the world. She used to think there was nothing to worry about because she wasn't afraid of the rain or the slightly lower temperatures. This was a self-centered thought and a proof that she hadn't truly considered Titus.
Compared to worrying about food, water, and entertainment, Cloudy now realized she had been worrying in the wrong direction. She deeply regretted not persuading Titus to return to the settlement before the rainy season started, and not realizing earlier how much Titus feared the cold.
The temperature had dropped to around 10 degrees Celsius, and Cloudy sometimes felt a slight chill. Apart from the slope, all other areas were submerged in water, turning the cave into a pool about two meters deep. The heavy rain continued, almost mocking the sense of luck and disdain Cloudy had felt just a few days ago.
In the mornings, she would brave the rain to dive into the pool to retrieve tree leaves and branches, dragging them to the fire pit to dry for firewood. The water was murky, and she wasn't sure if strange aquatic creatures might take this opportunity to swim into the cave from outside. However, now was not the time to worry about dangers; she had to gather as many branches and leaves as possible, no matter how small.
Because the firewood was being consumed too quickly... Cloudy splashed in the pool, not being a proficient swimmer, just enough to not drown. After clutching a few branches, she kicked her legs and swam towards the shore.
Dragging the branches to the side of the fire pit, she used stones to break some smaller, thicker parts of the branches, saving the larger ones to be cut later with a bone knife. Cloudy carried a damp small branch towards the wooden house.
Pushing the door open, a somewhat choking smoke smell rushed out because no one had added firewood in the morning. The fire inside the house was dim, with several charred logs in the tall stone fire pit. Although the structure had collapsed inside, it still somewhat maintained the shape of "firewood" due to no external force. The tips still had red sparks glowing, and thin flames flickered in the air.
Cloudy quickly set down the wet firewood in her hands, walked to the fire pit, and threw in some dry firewood. Once the flames grew larger again, she placed the damp branches nearby to dry. After completing these tasks, she stood up and walked towards the bed.
"Titus... Are you feeling any better?" Cloudy's hands were still trembling uncontrollably as the changes had happened too quickly for her to know what to do. Just three days ago, Titus, who had been clamoring for insect stew, was now wrapped in fur lying motionless on the bed.
Dy has used up everything in the cave that can provide warmth on Titus, but the effect is still not good.
She has been forcing herself to stay awake these days, constantly maintaining the fire in the wooden house. If she feels drowsy and can't hold on, she goes out to eat buzzing grass or tears open the bellies of insects to smear the warm guts under her nose. In any case, she cannot sleep, absolutely cannot sleep. Once the fire goes out, the temperature inside the house will drop instantly.
Yesterday, she came up with a new way to help Titus maintain warmth. She heated up many stones, then wrapped the hot stones in her vest and placed them at Titus's feet, replacing them once they cooled down. This method should have been very effective in theory, but it all seemed futile, no matter how warm, even to the point of reddening the skin... Titus still showed little reaction.
Cloudy could not believe that not long ago, Titus could chat and laugh with her around the fire. After the temperature dropped significantly the day before yesterday, he became more and more sluggish, eventually lying in bed and not waking up.
"What should I do to make you feel better?" Cloudy muttered to herself, holding the cold stones and sitting beside Titus.
"..." Titus, with his eyes closed, was not completely asleep. He would occasionally mutter something under his breath, but Cloudy couldn't understand or hear clearly. At first, she thought he might be instinctively asking for food while unconscious, so she chopped the dried meat into a paste and fed it to him, but he just spat it all out.
Today, Titus's hoarse muttering sounded much worse, he didn't react to being fed water, just spitting it out. Cloudy could only dab water on his lips.
Is he sick? Or has he entered a hibernation-like state due to the low temperature? If he's sick, does he need medication? But what kind of medication... What kind of medicine would help him recover?
If it's hibernation, can he be left alone? But how can she determine if he's in hibernation?
"..." Cloudy stood by the bed, looking at the motionless giant cocoon of animal hide, feeling guilty again. She recalled the first day of the rainy season when she touched the raindrops, Titus was overly nervous, and she found it funny at the time, just ordinary raindrops...
"Am I a beast..." Cloudy covered her forehead with her hands, squatting by Titus's bed.
Besides food, there are clearly other things to pay attention to. Why doesn't she ask more questions? Just because Titus is usually very strong, does that mean he can easily get through the rainy season?
If the rainy season can be so casually overcome, then the people in the settlement wouldn't be on edge. Besides food, they must have prepared other things like medicines and heating supplies... maybe many people are staying in one room to keep warm.
Inside the cave, there is nothing but food, the only thing that can provide warmth.
Cloudy looked at the pile of firewood in the wooden cabin, which had been burning fiercely for the past few days, depleting the supply of firewood. Not many tree branches had fallen into the courtyard in the past two days; she had salvaged almost half of them. If she burned through these, she could dismantle the baskets and tables outside for firewood, but it wouldn't last long.
The remaining firewood could last for another two days at most. Just as Cloudy was lost in thought, a low voice came from the thick, giant fur ball.
"Cloudy..."
"I'm here, I'm here!"
This was the clearest thing Titus had said in the past two days. Cloudy widened her eyes, rushed over, grabbed the large ball on the bed, and then put her face close to the opening of the fur ball, where she could see Titus's eyes and nose. "What's wrong? What do you need me to do? I'm here."
"...&*"
Unable to hear clearly, Cloudy brought her ears even closer, but still couldn't understand what Titus was saying. "Tell me, what should I do?" She was too eager; she needed to know immediately how to help Titus get better.
Can you tell me if you're just going into hibernation, will sleeping for a few days make everything okay? Cloudy almost pleaded in her heart.
"Cloudy... I..."
She held her breath, trying hard to translate Titus's somewhat blurry words in her mind.
"Need, help from... the settlement..."
"Okay, okay. I got it." Cloudy held Titus tightly, feeling her throat tighten. "You'll be fine, leave it to me."
Titus opened his eyes slightly, all six pupils looking a bit unfocused, with red blood vessels in the whites of his eyes. "Cloudy... I don't feel well..."
"I know, I know." Her mind was a mess at this moment. Titus' words confirmed that he had caught a cold. If he needed help from the settlement, what should she do?
Her breathing became rapid, and her heartbeat was very fast. She wasn't afraid to venture into the rainforest in a storm, but how many days would it take to reach the settlement in this weather? Could she leave Titus alone in the cave for that long? No one could keep the fire going, nor could anyone monitor his condition constantly.
If she left for the settlement and returned with people, what if Titus had...
Just the thought made Cloudy feel like she was going to collapse. But staying here without medication, without maintaining the indoor temperature, Titus showed no signs of improvement. "Titus, what do you need to feel better? Or what did the Matriarch do when someone felt unwell during the rainy season?"
"I don't remember... Most people, they died."
"You won't die." Cloudy's voice was trembling like a fractured spider's thread. Memories of the first time she met Titus flooded her mind, the bright sunlight on the green slope, and his loud shout of Aguloo, followed by...
He took her running around, digging up bugs for her to eat, teaching her how to identify food.
He was afraid countless times that she would be hungry or threatened alone in the wilderness, always bringing many things to her... Titus was not a presence she could easily give up.
"Leave it to me, I will... I will..." Cloudy stared at Titus' eyes intently, trying to communicate with him a little more. "I will find a way, hold on, okay? Wait for me a moment?"
"Mm..." Titus didn't speak anymore, his eyes closed again. Although his breathing remained steady, it became very, very light.
Inside the house, only the sound of flames burning and the deafening noise of the downpour outside remained.
Like a giant wave crashing onto the beach or rocks, after a strong surge, everything suddenly calmed down. Cloudy's hand no longer trembled, she stood up and walked outside the wooden house, bringing enough food and water inside for Titus to reach easily.
Then she tore apart her own mattress, piled all the dry hay on top of Titus. After doing these things, she put the remaining firewood into the fire, even though these things wouldn't burn for long... She tied up her hair, took the bone knife on her back, and finally glanced at Titus lying on the bed before walking out of the wooden house to the workbench, filling her waist bag with enough food.
That was enough, after a simple preparation, Cloudy came to the edge of the slope, without any hesitation, she plunged into the pool.
She was going to Titus' settlement, no matter how heavy the rain was, no matter what the rainforest outside had turned into. She was going to the settlement as quickly as possible to find a way to cure Titus.