Today is the day. I hop over to the stream for the quick bath. Then I equip my spear and check my inventory.
It took about ten piles of sand to do a ward five feet in diameter, so I have enough to make two different camp sites. I approach the boundary and take a deep breath as I reach out to touch it.
I select Leave and suddenly the trees around me seem to shimmer for a moment and the barrier disappears.
Yikes, I had better make sure I know how big this area is and how to get out well before the limit. When I turn around I no longer see the glade, just more trees. I realize I am now hearing bird calls and insects in addition to the wind rustling the leaves. Carefully putting one foot in front of the other to minimize noise I continue walking forward through the trees for about an hour before the trees start to thin out. I notice movement off to my right up ahead and start moving toward it while trying to use the cover of the trees as I get closer. As I get close enough to make out a small furry animal I get two notifications.
The baby Horned Rabbit now has a green outline and it looks just like a grey rabbit with a small 3-inch horn on its head. From gaming that would mean it is no higher than my level and it is a baby. Hopefully I am not making a mistake by readying my spear and approaching the Horned Rabbit. I can get very close without it appearing to care at all. I make a quick jab at the Horned Rabbit impaling it on my spear. The Horned Rabbit appears to be dead. There are several flashing icons.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Suddenly I feel a shooting pain in my right leg. I almost fall as I look down. An Enraged Mother Horned Rabbit is pulling her 8-inch spiraled Horn from my leg. Quickly I swing my spear around and stab the mother Horned Rabbit before it could get far enough back to make another run at me. I manage to skewer it through its side when it suddenly becomes a blur and jumps at me. I barely manage to hold onto the spear and keep it from skewering my again. It is bleeding a lot now, but I couldn’t pull out my spear because I am afraid it would hit me again. I continue to grip the spear with white knuckles while it blurs again and thrusts against the spear. After a minute it finally collapses and I quickly look around for any other Horned Rabbits before checking my notifications.
Only 10 XP. I will have to kill 20 of these rabbits to level up.
My health slowly regenerates post combat. The bleeding status disappears as the hole in my leg closes. As I watch the hole in my leg close I think, that could have gone better. Thinking Loot at the two dead Horned Rabbits I get nothing for my trouble. That makes sense, what would an animal be carrying? After my leg finishes healing I take out one of my daggers and try skinning the baby Horned Rabbit. I have skinned and dressed a deer once with my step-dad. After I finish skinning and butchering the baby Horned Rabbit I get a notification.
Next, I skin and butcher the larger Horned Rabbit and get a level up to Basic 2 on my Skinning, 1 medium fur, and 3 pieces of Horned Rabbit meat. The blood and remains slowly fade away, which is convenient, since I made a bit of mess. I continue walking and try to stay away from Horned Rabbits for now, while practicing my Stealth. After a few hours the trees stop in front of a large clearing, which contains a small village. Finally, civilization, I start walking toward the village with a spring in my step.
