Survival 101

(Content warning: This chapter describes methods of processing a rabbit for consumption and tanning of the hide.)

Strange, how the rabbit didn’t seem to display any self-preservation instincts. It was a prey animal: The slightest ruffling of a leaf should have been enough to catch its attention, possibly even sent it off in a panic. Was this area really so devoid of danger?

Or had Jevchosis killed someone’s beloved pet?

She regarded the limp bun hanging in her hand. It didn’t look all that special: Its dull brown fur was matted and it didn’t have any ornamentations that suggested someone owned it. Of course, that might have just been a result of the bun’s recent escapades. In any case, she didn’t think she was any sort of necromancer, so she might as well put her kill to use.

Without a knife, she was sure to have some challenges with getting the most out of this rabbit. Her flint did not have the edge she would need to make the cuts to process the rabbit properly, or even safely. Maybe if she dug around a little more nearby, she could find a comparable stone to create that edge. Then, maybe, that second stone could also be used to make sparks to light a fire on which to cook the meat. Maybe she could also find a good stone to help with preparing the hide, so that she could actually have something to cover herself. She’d just need to find enough water in which to soak the hide. Running water, like a stream or a river, would be perfect, so she would also have fresh water and not have to worry about drinking a source she had contaminated.

As Jevchosis’s mind planned ahead, her hands started acting on muscle memory. Though one hand was more than enough to enclose the thorax of her prey, she used both hands to grip the rabbit around its midsection, slightly below its ribcage. She maintained firm, steady pressure as she inched both hands down its body, towards its tail. A quick jerk of her arms brought her back to the present, just in time to see the offal of the rabbit splatter to the ground with a squelch.

That was certainly a useful trick. Now, she wouldn’t have to worry about rupturing any of the digestive tract while attempting to butcher the rabbit. She inspected the little pile at her feet, trying to track the anatomy using just her eyes. It looked complete enough. Did she have any more shortcuts to make the rest of this process easier? Maybe if she zoned out again, she’d be able to pull off another stunt, or at least the hide of the rabbit.

Unfortunately, it was much harder to zone out when purposefully trying to do so: she kept just catching herself before she was able to truly disassociate and let her forgotten training express itself. Instead, she found herself fidgeting with the carcass. As her agitation grew, her efforts became rougher until, with a wet ripping sound, she tore a hole in the rabbit’s hide.

Jevchosis froze for a moment, then carefully inspected the damage. If the rabbit had still been alive, it probably wouldn’t have been for much longer after sustaining that gash. She might also have some trouble getting the hide off in a single, intact piece. At least her current surroundings were nice and warm, and the heat would probably persist through the night thanks to the density of the forest around her.

She began to carefully widen the hole in the direction of one of the hind legs.. She gradually increased the strength in her hands as she experimented to figure out what she needed to tear through the soft skin, so that she wouldn’t make a bigger mess. Once the legs were free, she paused to strategize how to get them free of the pelt, before settling for snapping the bones. She might be losing a few potential tools, but this creature was small and fine-boned, so she might not have had much use from them anyway. Then, she was free to pull the rest of the hide off of the rabbit like a clinging shirt, so that the fur was to the inside of the tube of flesh.

To properly tan the hide, she would need to keep the brain intact. She didn’t want to cook the brain, so she’d need to get the head off before the rabbit went over the fire. What she wouldn’t give for even a small handaxe! Then she’d really be able to survive out here. She could even clear out a space for a small hut, with a cooking area so that she wouldn’t have to worry about the smoke from her cooking fire--

She regarded her catch with fresh eyes. Here, she had two objects, which had originally been one object. The part that she was most interested in consuming was also now exposed to the elements. Had she not gotten ahead of herself, the now inside-out hide would have been protecting the meat from dirt and whatnot, but there was very little chance of getting the hide back into place. It would be best not to make her burden into three pieces to keep track of, at least not until she had gathered enough suitable wood for a cooking fire. She could also benefit from finding another rock, one that could help her strike sparks from her original flint or even knap the flint into a tool.

(Using my actions to gather firewood and look for a suitable and easily accessible rock)