“Ah, that makes sense.” Jerky was no-fuss and a good source of sodium. It was also easy to eat on the go while hunting. “You’re not used to cooked meals then?”
“I’m not used to them, no, but this kind of food is nice too.”
“Good.” I’d been worried that the food I’d made wasn’t to her tastes, or perhaps that the change in cuisine would be hard on her digestion. Her answer took a load off my mind. In fact, I realized that I should’ve asked her earlier.
After wandering around some more, we concluded that the area surrounding the cabin was safe, almost unusually so. Samya said she hadn’t spotted any footprints or other evidence that wild beasts were about. She was a natural-born hunter, so I trusted her instincts. I assumed that the Watchdog must’ve provided a secure home for me—it would’ve been a waste of time and effort to reincarnate me, only for me to die immediately.
Since Samya was still healing, we didn’t try to hunt any of the critters roaming around in the forest. Instead, we gathered some fever-reducing and antiseptic herbs and then headed home for the day.
⌗⌗⌗
On the sixth day, a little short of a full week since I’d arrived, I decided that it was time to remove the stitches from Samya’s side.
“I’m starting. It’ll hurt,” I warned her.
“Okay, got it,” she said. As I removed the thread, her expression grew pained, but she bore it in silence.
“Aaand we’re done.”
“Ouuuch,” she said. “But thanks.”
I wrapped the wound in fresh bandages, and Samya stroked it lightly, feeling the marks the sutures had left.
“One more thing, Samya,” I said.
“What’s up?”
“Are beastfolk welcome in cities?”
“Yeah? I rarely have business there so I don’t go very often, but it’s not a crime. Soldiers don’t come stomping out to capture me, and shopkeepers don’t mark up the prices just because I’m part tiger, you know.”
“That’s good.”
“Why?”
“I was thinking of checking out the city tomorrow,” I explained. “I don’t know the way, so I could use an escort. I thought it’d be a good chance for you to move around some more as well. Two birds, one stone, and all that. It’d be a big help if you were to go with me.”
“Sure, why not?” she agreed.
“That was easy.”
“You’ve been taking care of me all this time, so it’s my turn to repay the favor.”
“Thank you.”
“No worries,” she said. “I’ll stop by my last den today and grab my stuff.”
Could I take that to mean that she planned to stay at the cabin from now on? She’d probably object if I were to ask directly.
“All right. Be careful.” I responded as calmly as I could; I didn’t want her to sniff out my emotions.
Samya returned around dusk with a handful of belongings.
“Is that all you have?” I asked.
“Yeah. I move around a ton, so I pack light.”
“Ohhh, okay.”
Her habits were similar to those of migratory hunting and gathering tribes. Come to think of it, when we’d been swapping stories about our lives earlier, a lot of hers were hunting-related. Still, the fact that she’d agreed to live here (I think) meant that she wasn’t opposed to settling in one place. I decided to ask her about it should she tell me she’s moving in for good.
The next day, I refilled our water supply, and then we prepared to depart. It would only be a day trip, so we didn’t need much. Samya had the knife I’d made for her strapped to her hip and she wore her own clothing. As my guard, she wouldn’t be carrying any of the goods.
My attire was the same as usual—I looked like a villager. I brought along the farming tools and the knives I’d made, hoping to be able to sell them in town. Since the axes and hoes were bulky and unwieldy, I only took one of each, but I carried several sickles with me. The tools were strapped to me and they stuck out of my silhouette in every which way. Did I look suspicious? Sure, but people would assume that I was a merchant...I hoped. Right before we left, I went into the bedroom and stole some silver coins from the stash in the nightstand. Well, it was probably my money anyway.
“Are you ready?” I asked Samya.
“Mmhmm,” she replied.
So we set off!
It was my first outing in this world, and I was filled with both excitement and anxiety. This part of the forest was dense with trees, so the early morning sun barely filtered through the foliage. As we moved deeper into the forest, the atmosphere grew darker and darker. Good thing it wasn’t raining, or else it would’ve been impossible to navigate through this place.
According to the installed data, our trek through the heart of the forest would take two hours, and then we’d walk another hour on the road before reaching our destination. The round trip would take six hours in total.
This route wasn’t exactly what you’d call safe, and we were carrying valuable goods. Given those conditions, there was no such thing as being too careful. Luckily, with Samya as company, I wouldn’t be traveling alone. From our conversations while eating together, I’d gathered that beastfolk were stronger than the average human. The combined presence of Samya and I should deter any crooks or scoundrels—it was unlikely that anyone would try to mess with us. However, as Samya had said before, it would take her about one more week to heal completely. In the meantime, it would be better if she could avoid strenuous activity, while gradually building her strength back up.
Samya suddenly skidded to a stop, interrupting my thoughts.
“Did you see something?” I asked.