Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 14 - Chapter 4.22

2

It had been twenty-five years now since Dan Rutim had first met that figure... Back when he had finally been recognized as a proper hunter at the age of fifteen.

There was an incident that left him in an even worse state than he was now. Just like today, he had headed out deep into the forest, only to be attacked by a pack of starving giba and shoved off a cliff.

Dan Rutim just barely managed to survive that fall. However, a giba’s horn had dug into his thigh, and he had lost a shocking amount of blood.

He had managed to tear off some of his clothing and tie it over the wound, but there was just no strength left in his body. And as he sat there at the bottom of that cliff, Dan Rutim leaned up against a tree and stared vacantly into the distance at the majesty of Morga.

Hmm... So this is the day my soul returns to the forest, eh? Dan Rutim thought to himself.

It was already getting dark out. And the two hunters who had been with him must have already died, while the other hunters scattered about wouldn’t have time to search for him.

There was no way he could make it through the night in such a state. Eventually the carrion-eating mundt or giant giiz mice would be drawn by the scent of blood. In the state he was in, Dan Rutim didn’t even have the strength needed to fend off threats of that level.

Aah, if only I could have left behind my blood as a part of the Rutim clan... That’s the one regret I just can’t wipe away...

Dan Rutim had taken a wife when he turned fifteen, a woman two years older than him from one of the branch houses. He had said for two years now that he would make her happy, and just last month they were finally married.

But now, would he never be able to embrace her again? If he died out in the forest, would his wife spend her days married to some other man? That thought was so frustrating that his eyes started tearing up. He raged at his own powerlessness to fulfill his promise to give her a good life.

It was then that a figure appeared to his right, not making so much as a sound.

And as he turned his blurry eyes to face that direction, Dan Rutim found something truly unbelievable.

“Wh-Who are you? Where in the world did you come from?”

The figure didn’t respond, and just silently stared back at Dan Rutim. But that made sense, as it wasn’t a human, but rather a wild beast with pure white fur and four sturdy legs.

It wasn’t a giba, nor was it a mundt. No, it was a sort of beast that Dan Rutim had never seen before.

Its body seemed to be about as long as the still-growing hunter was tall. And the whole of that robust yet slim body was coated in pure white fur. It had a long neck, a snout, and large triangular ears that stood straight up. Honestly, it was so beautiful that it seemed somehow artificial.

The skin around its gleaming yellow eyes was black, and its four paws had claws that looked even sharper than a mundt’s. The creature carried an aura of overwhelming vitality greater than those carrion-eaters, or even a giba’s.

“Could you be one of those varb wolves I’ve heard tell of? I didn’t think they were supposed to appear at the base of the mountain, but...”

The beast just quietly stared.

“What beautiful fur. I had heard varb wolves have grey pelts, but maybe they were wrong about that.”

Naturally, the beast offered no response. Still, there was such a look of intelligence shining in those yellow eyes that it seemed only reasonable to think it understood human speech.

As such thoughts passed through Dan Rutim’s mind, the beast started creeping closer, and so the hunter hurriedly held up his palm.

“Hold on! Are you hungry? Even if you are, I’d appreciate it if you would not eat me.”

Unsurprisingly, his words received no answer.

“It’s not like I’m begging for my life here. It’s just that they say if a varb wolf like you gets a taste for humans, you’ll keep on attacking them. So if you really are a varb wolf, then you’re the one creature out here that I can’t allow to eat me. It would be unbearable to think that my death would bring trouble to my comrades at the forest’s edge!”

His plea was only met with silence.

“I have my pride as a hunter and my steel blade. I may be injured, but I won’t go down to you so easily. And besides...somehow, I don’t want to fight to the death with you.”

The varb wolf tilted its head ever so slightly. That action almost made it seem like it was questioning Dan Rutim’s words.

“I beg of you! Your proper hunting grounds are on the other side of this river, deep in the forests of Mount Morga, aren’t they? We do not pillage those grounds, so won’t you please listen to my plea?”

And then...the white wolf turned away and left.

Dan Rutim breathed a sigh of relief, once again exhaustedly leaning his back up against the tree behind him. Speaking so loudly seemed to have drained quite a bit of what energy he had left.

What a curious creature... That mysterious look in its eyes almost made it seem like a human had taken the form of a beast.

That must have been why Dan Rutim had no desire to fight it to the death.

A hunter’s blade was a weapon meant to be used on beasts. It was not something to ever be pointed at a human. And so, cutting down such a humanlike creature would likely feel just as sinful as cutting down a fellow man.

But then Dan Rutim felt something hot on his right cheek. His eyes shot open as he loudly shouted “Gyah!” without thinking.

The white wolf’s long face was right there next to his own. The creature must have circled around to the thicket behind him and approached him from that side. It was holding some sort of scarlet fruit in its large mouth, and regarding the panicking man sitting on the ground with a luminous gaze.

“Wh-Wh-What is it? Do you still have something you want from me?” the hunter asked in a fluster, only for the fruit to drop down on his chest.

The fruit had a slightly grassy yet sweet smell, and looked quite tasty.

“A-Are you telling me to eat this? But my people are forbidden from eating the bounty of the forest.”

As always, the wolf remained silent, the light in its eyes shining mysteriously. The creature’s moist black nose was now so close that it felt as if it would touch Dan Rutim’s face.

“If we did so, then more giba would grow hungry in turn. And then those starving giba would attack the fields of Genos, which is why we are strictly forbidden from eating such fruits.”

After a moment, the white wolf once again picked up the fruit atop Dan Rutim’s chest in its large mouth. A second later, the fruit was torn to pieces by the wolf’s white fangs.

“Hmm, so just like with giba, you eat not only meat, but also fruit...? My apologies for having to reject your kindness,” Dan Rutim murmured, though it seemed unbelievable to think his words were truly getting across.

With a rustling sound, the white wolf once again disappeared into the thicket behind it.

“Aah, what a surprise. Still, is it really possible that a wild animal would help out an injured human...?” the hunter muttered to himself, once again leaning against the tree trunk.

Then, in no time at all, the white wolf once again returned. And now its bared fangs held a snake with scales that shined in a rainbow of colors, of all things. The trailing ends of the rainbow snake’s body had been looped around the white wolf’s long snout.

“Hmm... Apparently our elders ate snakes and lizards when they lived in the black forest of the south. But such snakes are also prey for the giba here at the forest’s edge, so we’re also forbidden from eating them.”

The white wolf stared at Dan Rutim for a moment, but fortunately didn’t drop the snake on his chest before once more returning into the thicket.

Still, that wolf ate snakes? Well, as long as they were like the one just now and didn’t have any venom, then it shouldn’t be an issue.

There isn’t any food here in the forest that we can have. The only thing us humans can eat is giba, after all.

The only exceptions were pico and lilo, which had strong scents. And then there were the inedible lana leaves and grigee fruit, and the romu leaves that were used to deal with fevers. And none of that would be any use to Dan Rutim now.

As such thoughts ran through his head, he sensed some sort of disturbance approaching from behind. Dan Rutim didn’t even have the strength left needed to rise to his feet, so he just gripped his blade’s handle, though the sensation in his fingers had dulled.

“Hmm?!”

A jumble of white and blackish-brown fell to the sand in front of his eyes.

It was the white wolf...and a giba.

On top of that, this was one of the giba that had attacked Dan Rutim’s group before. After all, the wound one of his comrades had slashed across its brow was still clearly visible. And it was a big one, about the same size as the wolf but with a much thicker torso.

Currently, the white wolf’s fangs were tearing into the giba’s throat, causing the creature to bellow in anguish and rage. The giba had the advantage in weight, and not by a small margin, so it was surely stronger. But as its throat was being bitten, its horns and tusks couldn’t reach the white wolf. Even as the beast flailed like mad, the wolf matched its movements so that its great strength was of no use.

With a tremendous bellow, the giba collapsed to the ground. And without a moment’s delay, the white wolf held the giba’s head down with its front paws and ripped out its throat. Just like that, a torrent of fresh red blood gushed forth and the giba stopped moving.

And now stained with its prey’s blood, the white wolf turned to face Dan Rutim.

“What splendid skill. Your strength is even greater than I heard. I really am impressed, truly,” Dan Rutim said with a grin, taking his hand off the blade at his hip. “That’s your prey. Go ahead and eat as much as you please.”

The wolf didn’t show any reaction.

“What’s the matter? You eat giba, don’t you? From what I’ve heard, that’s why they moved to the base of the mountain, out of fear of your kind.”

The white wolf once again tilted its head a bit, then it turned once more to face the massive giba. Its fangs tore right into the beast’s stomach.

“Oh? So you eat the entrails?”

The white wolf just kept on intently devouring the giba’s innards.

The strong stench of blood made it to Dan Rutim’s nostrils. And in the meantime, dusk finally fell over the world around him.

I guess everyone should be returning home to the settlement soon...

Dan Rutim was the oldest son of the main house, and he had no brothers. If he did indeed die out in the forest, either his younger sister would temporarily become clan head and take a husband, or the branch house with closest blood ties would become the new main house.

My sister said she wanted to marry into the Lea clan, so I really did wrong by her.

Were his sister and wife crying now? What about his father, Raa Rutim? He wasn’t the sort to cry in front of anyone, but he was surely just as deeply saddened.

Though Dan Rutim firmed up his resolve in the face of perishing out in the forest, he had no intention of giving up until he breathed his final breath... But eventually, his heart would also surely be crushed by grief.

Making peace with death and desiring to live on weren’t purely in opposition to one another. In fact, a hunter who didn’t value their life wasn’t qualified to be a hunter at all. Wishing with all your heart to keep on living while accepting that one’s life may end in the forest at any time as you tried to hunt down even one more giba... That was what it meant to be a hunter of the forest’s edge.

So I won’t fear death...but I’m still only fifteen! I only just married the woman I love, and I still haven’t had any kids! O mother forest...if you can find it in your mercy, please grant me the strength needed to make it through this single night! Dan Rutim thought to himself as he felt the strength drain from his body.

With a sigh, Dan Rutim lamented how he could regain that lost strength if he could only have something to eat and a bit of rest.

It was then that the white wolf moved away from the giba. With a relaxed pace, the beast walked over to the river. And through hazy eyes, Dan Rutim’s gaze followed as it went.

Just as the hunter wondered what it was doing, the white wolf splashed its upper body down into the river. Just like Dan Rutim had thought from hearing it, the river seemed to be flowing quite strongly. And it was somehow amusing, watching the beast’s paws perilously holding on to the riverbank.

After a bit of that, the white wolf lifted its body up and shook the water off its head. Then, it approached Dan Rutim again.

“So you washed yourself off? You really are a clever one.”

Having regained its natural pure-white appearance, the wolf laid down atop the sand, just far enough away that Dan Rutim’s blade wouldn’t reach. And then, its yellow eyes stared intently at the hunter.

As for Dan Rutim, his gaze turned away from the wolf and toward the giba. The creature’s massive body was lying there atop the sand. And its torso looked to be nearly completely hollowed out. However, aside from that, the only other mark on it was the bite to its throat.

“Do you only eat the giba’s innards? Well, I suppose you couldn’t eat a whole beast even bigger than you on your own.”

The wolf just stared.

“Night will fall soon. Then the mundt and giiz will gather, and all that will be left by morning will be the giba’s bones.”

Naturally, that comment earned no response.

“Would you mind sharing a bit of this meat with me before that happens?”

The white wolf quietly closed its eyes as it rested its head atop its folded front legs.

As he looked at that gentle face, Dan Rutim thought, All right, and worked up his nerve. He would keep on clinging to life until the bitter end. That was what Dan Rutim had resolved to do.

The thought of just casually welcoming death as the strength slowly drained from his body didn’t fit with his temperament or what he had learned as a hunter of the forest’s edge. And so, having made up his mind, Dan Rutim twisted his body and stuck his head into the thicket to his rear.

Since he lacked the strength needed to stand, he instead crawled into the foliage. Then he found the driest branches he could and tossed them out behind him.

There were only thin branches around, so he threw his weight into breaking off some of the branches around him till he had what he needed. Then once he had tossed all those out of the thicket, Dan Rutim mustered his strength and crawled back out atop the sand.

After gathering up all the scattered branches in one place, he gave a big sigh.

The wound on his leg was throbbing, and he somehow got the feeling that his body temperature was dropping. Had the heat been escaping from his body along with his blood? He could feel a cold sweat forming on his brow.

Even so, I’m still alive.

Dan Rutim dug his fingers into the sand to help him crawl over to the giba carcass.

After pulling out his knife, he thrust it in at the base of one of the giba’s rear legs. The blade had quite a bit of trouble going in, so he pushed his hips up against the bottom of the handle and shoved it in using the whole weight of his body.

With that, he cut through the pelt and the meat, and separated the leg from the body. It was a fine chunk of meat, fatter yet shorter than Dan Rutim’s own leg. And as he cradled it to his chest, he crawled back over to his previous position.

He had another huge task ahead of him at this point: Now, he had to cut off the pelt.

Though he considered cooking it up pelt and all, he didn’t have the strength left in him to crawl to the river. And it would be just too dangerous to eat the giba’s skin without washing it, considering it was impossible to know what sorts of poisonous plants it might have walked through.

Even if my strength runs out midway through, I won’t be able to survive if I do not choose my actions wisely.

After rubbing his hazy eyes, Dan Rutim cut into the giba pelt while taking care not to injure his fingers. Normally this task would be no trouble at all, but it proved an incredible burden in his current state.

Still, he somehow managed to remove around half of the pelt, after which he sliced off a bit of the freshly exposed meat as thinly as he could manage. That was due to his fear of touching the meat with dirty fingers, and it was also incredibly difficult.

He then reached into his hunter’s cloak and pulled out some skewers and small knives, using them to stab one slice of meat each and then planting them point-up in the ground. Once he had used up two skewers and three little blades, Dan Rutim returned his knife to its sheath.

Now, he just needed to prepare the fire.

Once again, he reached into his hunter’s cloak, this time pulling out the lana leaves used for igniting flames.

It was then that he noticed the white wolf seated with its chin resting on its front legs as it stared at him.

“Yeah, it sure is a hassle, isn’t it? Us humans need to do all this in order to eat giba meat. Our stomachs just aren’t as hardy as yours. And I’m going to light a fire now, so will you be all right? Wild animals generally tend to avoid flames, from what I know.”

The wolf just kept on staring.

“Well, knowing you, I figure you’ll probably be fine.”

Dan Rutim placed a lana leaf atop the stack of branches on the ground, then he swiftly ran the tip of a stick across its surface.

Instantly, the leaf ignited, and the branches below it caught fire as well. Still, perhaps unsurprisingly due to the fresh wood mixed in, it gave off a worrying sputtering sound as the black smoke started puffing upward.

“Hmm, looks a bit unreliable.”

Dan Rutim took off his hunter’s cloak and vest. Then he tore up that vest and threw it into the fire, at which point the blaze finally grew and ignited even the thicker fresh branches.

Once he saw that, he then moved the stabbed bits of meat over next to the fire.

As the red flames cooked the giba meat, an irresistible aroma filled the air.

When fat dripped off and hit the flames, they grew all the stronger.

Even though Dan Rutim hadn’t really been sensing his hunger at all, his stomach suddenly let out a gurgle.

“Hrmm, seems my body has finally decided it wants to live too.”

The red meat was grilling up brown, and the scent of it cooking alone was enough to fill the inside of Dan Rutim’s mouth with saliva. And by this point, his stomach was loudly crying out.

“Don’t be in such a rush. You don’t want me to go eating half-cooked meat and having to pay for it later, do you?” he asked his own stomach as he replaced his cloak over his bare skin.

Night was approaching, and so it was growing cold. And even more importantly, his own body had been losing heat. He had been growing stiff from chills far greater than a fire this size could do anything about.

Even so, I’m still alive.

While using the leftover scraps of cloth to protect his fingers, he grabbed hold of a hot metal skewer.

With all his strength, Dan Rutim bit into the slice of giba meat that was still dripping fat.

Right away, the strength of the giba and the vitality of the forest streamed into him.

The heat and flavor of the meat was positively stunning.

“Yup, this is delicious!”

The giba fat was juicy and sweet.

The meat was hard, and had a wild scent about it.

Still, this was nourishment for the people of the forest’s edge. It was the blessing granted to them by the forest. Though the townsfolk apparently called it inedible, it didn’t change the fact that it was tasty.

It was said that in the black forest of the south, his ancestors had eaten lizards and snakes. And apparently, they were ecstatic at being able to eat giba meat after moving to the settlement at the Morga forest’s edge.

That certainly made sense, though. After all, they were able to take the meat of such fierce beasts into themselves. It might have been tough and smelly, but it was a source of strength. And Dan Rutim certainly didn’t think you could serve as a hunter eating such weak meat as karon or kimyuus.

The first cuts of meat he had prepared vanished into his stomach in the blink of an eye. Before the flame grew weaker, Dan Rutim sliced off some more, repeating that three times before the fire sputtered out.

In the end, it seemed he had managed to eat around a fourth of that thick giba leg. He didn’t have any aria or poitan, but he still got the feeling that he had managed to eat more than usual.

And on top of that incredibly satisfying sense of fullness, Dan Rutim also found himself assailed by a powerful exhaustion.

“Hmm...?”

His body started swaying back and forth, and he placed his hands on the ground.

Though his mind felt very satisfied, his body was sending him an urgent message.

The blood suddenly drained from his head, and his surroundings instantly went dark.

His body seemed to be demanding that now that he had eaten, he next needed to get a sufficient amount of sleep.

“I mean, I get that that’s my only option for getting my strength back. But this is right smack in the middle of the forest.”

Night would soon be falling. If he fell asleep without first preparing a proper fire, then he wouldn’t likely be waking up again. Mundt and giiz were always hungry, and though it wasn’t common, a truly starving giba would even eat a human. So if a human like Dan Rutim took a defenseless nap out in the forest, his body would inevitably become a nighttime meal.

“If I could at least climb high up in a tree, then the giba and mundt wouldn’t be able to get at me.”

If he only had to deal with giiz biting him, it would be possible to survive. But a place like this just wouldn’t do.

With his hands still touching the ground, Dan Rutim fought back as hard as he could against the lethargy washing over him.

If he let his guard down, he could end up slipping into sleep at any moment.

The world around him was swaying, and the sound of the steadily flowing river was growing distant bit by bit.

The faces of his beloved wife and family floated into and out of his mind in a jumble.

Mother forest, grant me strength...! he desperately thought as he sat up.

And when he did, he found the white wolf before his eyes, baring its fangs.

What’s this? Did you intend on eating me after I fattened up?

The beast’s fangs clamped down on Dan Rutim’s right shoulder, and he could feel that overwhelming strength even through his hunter’s cloak.

Hey, cut it out...! he desperately thought, but his voice wouldn’t come out, and his body refused to move.

Then, Dan Rutim’s frame was easily lifted into the air.

That truly was some unbelievably monstrous strength, even if Dan Rutim still wasn’t especially large for a hunter.

And then...he fell atop something soft.

Hmm...?

His vision was dyed white, and he felt warm fur up against his bare chest.

Apparently, he was now draped over the white wolf’s back. And sure enough, the pressure on his shoulder had also disappeared at some point.

“What...? What do you intend to do with me...?” Dan Rutim questioned in a hoarse voice.

And instantly, the world around him started swaying. The white wolf was going somewhere with him on its back.

Instinctively, Dan Rutim clung to the white wolf’s neck. The wolf let out a reproachful growl in response, but it didn’t stop moving. Meanwhile, he could feel his dangling feet dragging along in the sand.

What exactly are you...?

Suddenly, the white wolf leapt, and Dan Rutim clung desperately to its body as the leaves and branches of the surrounding foliage grazed his limbs and back.

Then, before he noticed it, he found himself awash in silence.

His sense of time was fading away, and it was possible he had lost consciousness more than once along the way.

But even so, Dan Rutim’s arms were still wrapped firmly around the white wolf’s neck, and the warmth from the beast warmed his chilled body.

“Where is this...?” the hunter questioned, looking up and glancing around.

Dark green leaves blocked his view, but through them he could spot the sky, dyed indigo blue.

They were up in an unbelievably massive tree, in a space between the trunk and a branch. Well, even if he thought of it as a branch, it was even thicker than his torso. The one he was on was so thick it would probably take ten people holding hands to wrap around it.

“What is this place...? How did you climb all the way up here?” Dan Rutim asked, though he naturally received no response. The wolf just gave an annoyed-looking shake of its head. And so, the hunter got down from the beast’s back and carefully seated himself atop the branch.

The white wolf had settled down by the trunk, where there was a bit of a flat hollow. There wouldn’t be any risk of falling in a place like that.

Dan Rutim also moved over to that hollow, slipping a bit as he went. It was hard to tell for certain because the branches got in the way, but it seemed they were rather high up. At least there wasn’t any concern of being attacked by giba or mundt.

“I really am astounded... Is this how you always go to sleep?” Dan Rutim questioned as he leaned up against the tree trunk.

The white wolf offered no response.

“But your normal habitat is up on Mount Morga. And up on the mountain, you’ve got beasts like giant madarama snakes and red savages, don’t you? They seem like they could climb up trees... Actually, I’d think it’s more likely that they’d hide up a tree out of fear of you varb wolves.”

Still, the wolf was silent.

“Have you ever heard of Morga’s three way deadlock? Varb wolves beat savages, savages beat giant madarama snakes, and madarama snakes beat varb wolves... I can’t see you losing to either of those other two, though.”

The white beast just kept staring at him.

“Well, I suppose I should rest at least a little to get my strength back. Still, maybe it’s the blood I’ve lost, but I feel like I’m freezing. I apologize for continuing to ask so much of you, but would you mind sharing a bit of your warmth?” Dan Rutim asked as he crawled over toward the white wolf.

The beast didn’t move in response, and so the hunter pressed his body up against its white fur. And soon, he was filled with a sense of security that made it feel as if he was being cradled by his own mother.

“Hrmm, what’s this...?”

As a powerful sleepiness once again assailed him, Dan Rutim groped around the white wolf’s neck. Wrapped around that thick neck was a complex weave of vines. He hadn’t noticed earlier because it was hidden under the beast’s fur, but it was a fine necklace, adorned here and there with berries and beautiful stones.

“Hmm... So is this why you weren’t afraid of blades and flames...?” Dan Rutim questioned as the drowsiness washed over him.

And so, that unusual day finally came to an end.