Summer 3, 122
Caelum didn't wake up early because he wanted to. Flora had woken him quite politely out of bed, telling him that he had asked her to. Since he wasn't particularly fond of work, he had given himself a task to go looking for some herbs to at least try to be productive. He had previously purchased a few books that taught him how to recognize and gather various herbs, which he could then sell for a healthy profit.
He made the decision to become knowledgeable about the plants and herbs that grow around the forest. He liked to go on these trips as they gave him some alone time while locating the necessary herbs. It would provide him with a valid reason to spend a week or so away from the bulk of the aelves. He had a lot of studying to do first, though.
He peeked at the first plant listed in the book. It described the plant as a small bush that grows to about three feet in height and yields yellow flowers and a small berry. After that, it displayed a drawing and declared it to be safe. One down, check. Reading on, Caelum discovered that the next one had vivid pink petals with red tips. Grows to a height of approximately one foot, and is not dangerous. Grows orange nuts, the following was a large tree with large, bushy leaves. It reaches a height of roughly twelve feet. It appears that this one was also not hazardous.
"You have to get going, Master" Flora said after some time. "You'll never make it in time, otherwise." She sounded genuinely concerned and was fearful that he would get angry at himself which was never a fun time.
Caelum grunted in agreement. He got to his feet and went to pack his things but found his bag already neatly set by the door. "Good girl," he said to Flora as he picked it up and patted her on the head. She smiled at that but Caelum was too sleepy to notice.
He paused at the doorway for a minute to collect himself then said, "Go get ready. I wish for you to accompany me. Fetch my bow and arrows as well." Flora was giddy with delight and went to do as she was told. She was already dressed to go, though she would never be so brave as to ask to accompany him.
Caelum was silent as they walked through the forest. He read about more plants in the book, allowing Flora to keep him on the path. The pages described a rare herb that grows in a colorless fungus on rocks beneath the ice during the winter. Then there was a special rose, but it is very hard to find. It had green stems and leaves, long white thorns, and black petals. He was completely engrossed in his research for what seemed like hours before they came to a clearing and he noticed that Flora had slowed down.
"Let's rest," he said, pulling Flora up off the ground and setting her down by the tree. He sat by her and tore into some jerky as he looked around. It seemed they had actually been walking around for hours. He observed the vibrant flowers and the distinct ripples in the ancient trees as he strolled around. He was beginning to notice the scent in the air, and it wasn't too bad either. He saw a few animals clamber by, but Caelum paid them no attention. For game, they were too small. aside from a bear that was giving them the stink eye from across the clearing.
If he'd been alone, this would have been much easier to handle. But since he had to worry for Flora's safety he felt compelled to stand up to the bear. He was not confident with his ability to fly the both of them up into the trees. Instead, he focused saol into his fist and slammed it into the ground. Flora, who hadn't seen the bear, screamed as her body was wrapped in roots and lifted dozens of feet into the air. She squirmed and tried to free herself, but there was no getting out of that.
"Quiet, girl," Caelum commanded and she shut her mouth. The bear was already on its way. It'd started out slow but now it was charging hysterically. That was not good. "Just what I needed," exclaimed Caelum, as he started to run away.
His human body could not run nearly as quickly a bear, especially one that hadn't eaten in a while. It was still much faster than Caelum. He couldn't slow down, but he also couldn't think slowly. He turned and crossed through a thick patch of hundreds of trees. Driven by the survival instinct, the bear tore through this area. Caelum thought to himself, "Fucking…." Then he came to a realization.
Caelum continued to attempt to flee, flying a little over the bear and forcing it to abruptly change directions. He wasn't exactly scared of the bear - this was an acceptable playing field for him. Caelum knew this area of the forest, possessing all the knowledge that a native aelf would have. Grinning, Caelum moved to a higher altitude and prepared an arrow.
Caelum kept the bear in his sights as he moved from tree to tree, then fired the broad headed arrow into the bear's body. He fired again and a gain, even after the bear decided to run away. He missed many times but he landed one in its neck by chance. The bear seemed to be giving up as its fury spilled out of its neck. Caelum slowly approached it as it stopped moving. He held it in place with some roots and prayed the bear was dead while he tore through its neck in order to retrieve the arrow. bear abruptly lifted a paw in an attempt to shoo Caelum away. Caelum had no time to draw an arrow so he simply squeezed with the roots until the bear was unable to move at all. He remarked, "I should eat well tonight."
"Flora, reveal yourself," Caelum shouted. In truth he wasn't sure exactly where he'd left her. He knew where the clearing was, but exactly which part of it she was in was a mystery. There was no response so he made his way back and found her, tangled awkwardly where he'd left her. He put his hand on the roots and they slowly receded back into the ground, leaving Flora a little worse for wear but uninjured on the ground.
"Come, I've killed the bear."
"Yes, Master," She said while trying to keep her composure.
The pair went back to the site of the kill and looked at it together. Neither of them knew how to properly clean an animal but they worked at it together. Caelum used his razor sharp nails and teeth to tear at the animal while Flora did her best to separate the obviously edible parts into a small pile. Afterwards, Caelum lit a small fire with his breath and they began to cook some meat as best as they could.
Caelum had no complaints. He was perfectly capable of eating the damned thing raw, but since he got this body he did think it tasted better cooked. Flora had cooked her portion way too much, enough to have to scrape away at the burnt parts.
"It's delicious, Master," Flora lied. She didn't always get to eat meat though, so she took what she could get.
"Good." Caelum was just about full as the sun started to set over the forest. Even though the bear wasn't very fat, it would take a very long time to bring him all the way to his home. Still, he was obviously full now. He sat back up and smacked his hands together, exhaling a sigh of contentment. "We will leave the remains, then." He opened his mouth and let out an incredibly hot flame. It was potent, but controlled in its size. It incinerated the carcass to ash.
Caelum picked up his arrows, cleaned the blood off of them, and started to restore it. Anyone who had handled a weapon before knew that cleaning blood off a weapon wasn't enough. As a user of such weapons, it was also wise to sanitize, inspect for damage, and generally take good care of the tools. Caelum completed each of these tasks.
"Come," He said to Flora when he was done. She'd been waiting patiently and watching him work. "We have much to do and this bear has already cost us a good amount of time."
"Yes, Master." Flora was still tired but she wouldn't protest.
They walked for some time and were finally able to achieve their goal. They collected some herbs and some plants from Caelum's book. Not all of them were useful, but it was nice to have a physical reference that he could stuff into the book for his records.
