Chapter 2 - "A Survivor"
Alpha Date Year(002): 315,848
Day: 258/365
It was a cold autumn morning, and the dawn was illuminating the forest with a bright glow. The air was so saturated with dew that it felt as though one could drink it simply by inhaling. This might have been a refreshing way to begin the day if one were waking up, but for a young boy, there was instead an atmosphere of tension. He was crouched beneath some bushes, camouflaged by a blanket of leaves, waiting patiently for a single animal to appear. J had risen before dawn and had only managed to get four hours of sleep. This lack of rest made him feel drowsy, yet he was pushing himself with all his might to stay alert. His sole focus was on one thing…the potato that lay stubbornly attached to the ground by a stick. He had placed it there strategically to lure in rabbits during the early morning hours, hoping they would seek out an easy meal. However, as he gazed at the potato, he felt a pang of hunger himself and had to fight the urge to go and eat it; he would devour anything at this point after waiting for an hour without breakfast. "Please, this has to work…and it needs to happen now!" he thought anxiously to himself, his stomach growling in agreement.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes—the soft patter of small feet against the ground—a sound he had grown quite familiar with over time. Suddenly, he spotted a medium-sized black rabbit springing forth from the underbrush and into the clearing. This particular clearing was frequented by many black rabbits, and J had carefully chosen the best spot after a week of unsuccessful attempts to hunt them. "There he is…please notice the potato…it's right there!" he nearly shouted out loud, concentrating intensely on the rabbit's movements. The black rabbit sniffed the air, finally catching sight of the washed potato, which remained in excellent condition. It cautiously approached the potato, nibbling at it delicately, savoring the easy meal. This sight filled J with mixed emotions—both happiness and frustration—but he chose to ignore those feelings, opting instead to remain crouched beside a tree near the bush, where he had a clear path to sprint toward the rabbit.
He silently stepped over the tree root and retrieved a rope he had placed on the ground, wrapping it firmly around his wrist without alerting the black rabbit, which possessed an extraordinary sense of hearing and was only five or six meters away. He shifted his body to ensure he was positioned on the optimal path to make a swift run, moving from higher to lower ground. He had learned this technique after several failed attempts to chase rabbits by running directly at them, but today, he had devised a slightly different plan. He leaned down subtly, bracing himself, feeling the pressure of his toes in his boots and the rope against his arm. Just when the rabbit leaned over to take another bite, he prepared himself, widened his eyes, took a deep breath, and dashed toward the black rabbit! The rabbit turned its head slightly and bolted in the opposite direction. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!" J yelled loudly, hoping to startle the rabbit in the direction he desired. But as the black rabbit neared the bushes that would provide a quick escape from the novice hunter, J quickly turned to the right, gripping the rope that was coiling rapidly as he ran, pulling as hard as he could.
In that instant, a large tarpaulin, camouflaged with leaves and mud, emerged from the underbrush, hidden from the rabbit's view as it sprinted by. As the nimble rabbit attempted to evade capture by leaping into the bush, the tarp ensnared it, enveloping it entirely. Before the rabbit even realized what was happening, it was too late; the tarp had wrapped around and secured it completely. Yet, the ordeal was far from over, as J began tightening the rope around his arm, ensuring the rabbit didn't thrash about and undo the knots securing the tarp. Positioned in front of his new makeshift bag, he held the rope as tightly as he could, but the rabbit continued to struggle violently in desperation. J knew exactly what needed to be done. He spotted the rabbit's feet poking out of the bag and took the loose coils of rope, tying them around the top of the large bag while also securing the hind legs of the rabbit. He coiled and wrapped the rope around its legs as tightly as he could muster, cinching each layer with the little energy he had left. Finally, as he secured the wrappings around the rabbit's legs inside the bag, the black rabbit thrashed its upper body, flailing within the confines. J watched in a mix of awe and trepidation as the rabbit lashed out ferociously for over a minute, causing the bag to whip around as if it were alive.
However, as the rabbit's movements began to slow and its feet ceased to twitch, it seemed to come to a standstill, and there was no more significant or noticeable movement within the bag. J clutched the rope tightly, feeling a rush of nervous energy, but as he observed the rabbit finally calm down, a wave of relief washed over him. "Haaaaaaaaa…ha. I did it….I DID IT!" he exclaimed exuberantly in the woods, overwhelmed with joy as he celebrated the successful capture of the black rabbit. "WAIT…I need to secure its body while it's tied to make sure…BUT I GOT IT!" His relief was evident as he completed tying up the rest of the rabbit in the bag with minimal effort, finally securing the sack with enough rope to throw it over his shoulder. J wore the widest smile he had ever displayed in the morning, proud of his freshly captured rabbit, walking back to camp with a newfound sense of accomplishment. With each step he took, he repeated to himself, "I did it, I did it, I did it…"
Upon reaching camp safely without any issues, he placed the rabbit down by the unlit fire pit. Although J felt an overwhelming sense of happiness at that moment, he was more surprised than he had anticipated because he hadn't genuinely believed he would be able to catch the black rabbit on his first attempt using this method; he had expected it would take him much longer. "I thought it would take until the afternoon, but I'm relieved it didn't, as I was hungrier than I had realized." Just as this thought flitted through his mind, his stomach let out a loud growl, reminding him of the emptiness within. "I need to eat…which means I need to prepare the rabbit just like Uncle showed me before." He fetched his knife and a smooth stone, beginning to sharpen the knife's edge as his Uncle had instructed him, guiding the stone along the blade to hone it carefully. After five minutes of diligent work, he tested the blade on a piece of spare cloth from his bag, confirming that it was sharp enough to cut through the rabbit. He contemplated what he was about to do…he was going to take the rabbit's life. He had previously helped prepare rabbits as practice, and his uncle had demonstrated exactly what was necessary to dispatch them quickly. However, he had never killed a rabbit before…he had never taken any life before.
Walking over to the fire pit with his sharpened knife in hand, he reached toward the bag, gripping the area where the rabbit's feet were tied, and slid the bag down towards its hind legs. He removed some extra small strands of rope from his bag, tying both legs together securely. J then untied the previous rope wrapped around the rabbit's body and pulled it out of the large sack. The rabbit flailed once more with its claws and teeth, but J had previously wrapped his hands in cloth to prevent dropping it. He turned the rabbit away from him and retrieved a new strand of rope to secure the rabbit's arms. After passing the thread under its arms and wrapping it over each paw and shoulder, he concluded the upper body by tying a knot behind its back to ensure it couldn't move or escape the bindings. Lastly, he focused on the rabbit's head, which proved to be the most challenging part for J. Even with his hands covered in cloth, the rabbit struggled and attempted to bite him despite being so tightly restrained. Yet, after much effort, he laid the rabbit down on the large flat stone his Uncle had used for cutting and preparing meals. He positioned the rabbit with its chin down, crossing the rope under its chin and over its eyes, finishing the binding by fastening it tightly to the same part that secured the upper body.
Now fully constrained, the rabbit was ready to be dispatched. In this critical moment, all J could do was remember his Uncle's wise words. "You must always finish your prey quickly; otherwise, you risk damaging your kill and wasting essential resources and energy. Place the knife beneath the rib cage in a region known as the solar plexus. Once you have positioned your knife correctly, thrust it in sideways through the prey until you reach its back. This is how you kill a rabbit swiftly.' That is what I must do…What I need to do." He turned the rabbit onto its right side, covering its eyes with a cloth and positioning his knife precisely where his Uncle had shown him. But as he turned the blade and felt the smooth black fur of the rabbit give way to the layer of skin beneath, the rabbit began to squirm once more. A part of the cloth that covered its eye shifted, startling J, who thought the wrappings weren't tight enough. However, instead of biting or thrashing, all the rabbit could do was gaze at J. He met the rabbit's eyes and noticed a deep, vivid look in them—it was frightened, terrified of dying. This sight stirred feelings of sympathy within J as he witnessed the rabbit's desperate struggle for survival until the very end. "Can I do this?" These words echoed endlessly in his mind as he locked eyes with the rabbit, but just as he was about to pull his knife away from its coat, a thought struck him.
Deep down, he understood that he was hungry, and if he released the rabbit, he would likely starve. Not only that, but if he failed to catch another rabbit today, he would be at a greater risk of becoming prey for a predator. He recalled the tracks of a large predator that roamed this forest, which his Uncle had warned him about. If it ventured into safe grounds or found a new path to hunt rabbits, it could be in grave danger. And above all, if he didn't muster the courage to kill this rabbit now, he would never be able to take another life, even if he managed to catch another rabbit in the future. "It's still fighting…it hasn't given up…I don't want to do this…But I need to," he murmured to himself in a somber tone. At that moment, J began to grasp the true meaning of survival. It meant utilizing every resource available to endure and live as long as possible, which included making difficult choices that were sometimes necessary.
J attempted once more to cover the rabbit's eyes with the cloth but hesitated before leaving its eyes uncovered. He resolved that, just as his Uncle had shown him, and out of respect for the rabbit's struggle, he wouldn't look away. Adjusting his grip, he positioned his knife to easily access the rabbit's heart. With one last look into the rabbit's pleading eyes, he plunged the knife through its abdomen. In that instant, J felt a strange sensation…or rather, he felt nothing at all. He sensed how the heart and lungs, which had been pulsating and beating moments ago, had suddenly ceased. There was no pulse, no life—a definitive end. The last moments of the rabbit were reflected in its eyes; after the knife entered, and with its final breath escaping, the once vibrant and lively eyes transformed into shallow, lifeless orbs. The deep, dark depths of its gaze, which had appeared almost pitch-black, morphed into a reddish-brown hue, revealing all that remained beneath. J had witnessed this same look before on other rabbits he had prepared, but had never understood the meaning behind those eyes…until now.
Taking a moment to collect himself, J knew he needed to work swiftly to properly harvest what he required from the rabbit. He set aside the internal organs to allow for proper bleeding. While extracting the heart, he discovered a small, roundish stone that was nearly translucent, emitting a faint blue light. He meticulously skinned the hide from the rabbit, ensuring his knife glided over the dense muscles and beneath the loose hide. Once he finished removing the skin, J took off the rabbit's head and secured it to ensure it bled out properly. This process would take about five to seven minutes to drain the animal. During that time, he retrieved two small pots and boiled some water, also gathering herbs from the bushes surrounding the campsite. After thoroughly rinsing the rabbit's carcass, he stripped the meat from its body and tossed it into the cooking pot along with the herbs he had collected. As he stirred the pot, he once again pulled out the small round stone from his pocket, now contemplating why his Uncle needed such stones and why he had spent so much time capturing a single rabbit.
As the afternoon sun crept higher in the sky, J found himself sitting in the woods, savoring a generous serving of rabbit stew all to himself. The soup was perfectly seasoned, and the rabbit meat was tender, bringing him a sense of satisfaction as he finally relieved his stomach of the hunger pains that had plagued him throughout the week. The exhaustion from those grueling days filled with failures melted away as he enjoyed his meal, gazing up at the sky, which was gradually shifting toward dusk within the next two or three hours. Aware of the time, J took care to eat slowly, ensuring he wouldn't suffer from indigestion, recalling his Uncle's previous warnings. "What am I truly doing here?" This question surged through his mind, surprising him greatly, as he had never really questioned his Uncle before. His Uncle was the only person he had ever known, and he had always seemed to be right. Yet now, after such a profound experience, what J desired more than anything—more than safety, more than surviving another day—was to understand why his Uncle needed him to undertake this journey…and in just an hour, he would uncover his answer. He began packing his belongings, including his gear sack, tool, and supplies bag, and finally, he neatly folded and compressed the large bag to carry it up the mountain. Before departing, J marked a nearby tree to help him navigate back to camp the following day, a crucial step for tomorrow.