part1 · 017-ep17

Episode 17: Water

Since learning to use fire, Ren's life had been changing little by little.

He could roast meat. Warm his body. Even in dark places, with fire, he could see his surroundings.

But there was still one problem.

Water.

Every day, Ren made the trip to the water source. In the beginning, he'd simply gone there and drunk on the spot. But that was inconvenient.

From his bed to the water was a fair distance.

"...Coming all this way every time is a pain."

That was when Ren remembered the large plant fruit he'd found before. The hard shell left after he'd eaten the insides.

At first, he hadn't known what it could be used for. But when he tried shaving the shell down, he found it was hollow inside — it could hold water.

The fruit was fairly big, and the remaining shell was large enough to hold with both hands. Ren hollowed out the top so it could be filled with water.

He couldn't seal it completely. Even so, as long as he didn't make the opening too wide, the water wouldn't come pouring out just from carrying it on foot.

"I can carry this home."

Ren sank the shell into the water. Filled it slowly. Not to the brim — he left a little room. Then he lifted it with both hands, careful not to spill.

"All right."

Now he would carry water home. Just this alone would lighten his daily burden considerably.

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He returned to his bed. Ren set the water down.

And a thought crossed his mind.

"...Can I warm the water, too?"

Ren took out another nut shell, different from the one he used to carry water.

This one was a little smaller. Not suited for carrying, but just right for setting near the fire.

He started a fire. He put a small amount of water in the little shell and set it a little way from the flames.

At first, nothing changed. After a while, the water slowly grew warm.

Ren checked it with a fingertip.

"...It's warm."

He waited longer. A faint steam rose from the water.

"..."

For a while, Ren just watched it.

Carry water home. Make fire. Roast meat.

Little by little, he was building his own life with his own hands. That was the feeling he had.

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After that, Ren headed for the water source once more. This time, he studied his surroundings carefully.

The direction the water flowed from. The direction it flowed to. The surrounding rocks. Footprints. Signs of monsters.

"..."

There, at the water's edge, were several monster footprints.

"Monsters come here, too."

Ren thought about it for a moment. A place with water was precious to him. And at the same time, it was precious to the monsters, too.

"...I'd better be careful."

Ren drew only as much water as he needed and left, staying alert to his surroundings.

The things it took to stay alive. Food. Water. Fire. And the methods to obtain them safely.

Little by little, Ren learned them.