3

Finding this cave was lucky.

The cave is located in a rarely traversed area within the creatures' territory. It should be hard to find, but for Riley, the most skilled among us, it was clear from the start. We decided to temporarily use this cave as our base. There's no place for us in human lands. This is a cave in the creatures' territory.

Our group entering the cave consists of village children who used to live in a village inhabited by cat-human creatures.

However, due to the impact of territorial expansion, crop yields, and declining prey populations, the village became increasingly difficult to sustain.

Then, due to difficulty in obtaining food, we, the children, were almost sold as slaves by the adults in the village. We managed to escape that situation. However, living only with children was impossible.

The area around the village was also lacking in food. And with the creatures' territory so close, we could be attacked by fierce monsters.

If we were found by the villagers, we would be taken back and possibly sold to an unknown place.

Kelly, the oldest among us, tried hard to escape with three of her childhood friends. We fled to a neighboring village and hid while searching for food in the fields.

We waited until nightfall, then sneaked into houses on the outskirts of the village. The clothes we wore were not enough; we would freeze if it got any colder. We needed something to wear.

While searching for salt in the kitchen, Marion, the youngest, found dirty clothes. Let's take these.

But the occupants of the house woke up. We were found. If we didn't escape, we would be sold. Remy, slightly older than Marion, got caught. There was no way to escape.

Marion threw the dirty clothes. The occupant's face was covered by the dirty clothes. Remy's hands were freed.

This is the moment. If we don't calm this situation, we'll be sold.

I grabbed the knife nearby. I stabbed the sleeping occupant in the back of the neck with the dirty clothes covering their face. The stab was deep enough. The occupant shook violently, then fell, spinning, never to wake up again.

No guilt. Just relief. We all felt the same.

Riley, the second oldest among us, found a whetstone. He's always resourceful.

Perhaps the knife used to cook dinner hadn't been sharpened recently.

So, I managed to stab him well. Luck was on our side. For us.

Although there were no valuable items, we stole knives and grass sickles. We also took the dirty clothes stained with blood.

We sneaked into another neighbor's house. This time, we went straight to the sleeping occupant. We pressed their face with the dirty clothes stained with blood, then I cut their throat with the knife. I discarded the dirty clothes there. In return, we got clothes that weren't blood-soaked. In this house, we also found salt. We managed to get quite a few sharp weapons for all of us.

We left the village before sunrise.

After that, we continued to flee while stealing and sometimes killing in various villages.

Two years later, we became more skilled in stealing, killing, hiding, and scavenging.

At this point, we began to encounter groups of adults doing the same thing. Usually, we could escape before they found us, but if it was easier to kill them than to escape, we would do it. These adults had better weapons than sickles or knives.

There was an adult who carried a weapon called a bow and arrow, used by hunters in the villages.

Although I was surprised, shooting cat-human creatures with arrows in the dark forest was very difficult. While Kelly avoided the arrows, Marion approached and cut their throat. We got the bow and arrows.

For the next two years, we prioritized practicing with the weapons. If our weapons were damaged or ran out of arrows, we attacked our fellow comrades to get replacements. This was also good practice.

Unlike the villagers, they had money. With that money, we could go to the city and buy food and clothes. Interesting.

They spent their days among the trees and bushes, while at night they engaged in activities while crossing the country.

It had been five years since they escaped from the village where they were born and raised. Unbeknownst to them, they entered the creatures' territory. It was Riley who found the cave.

It was the cave where they were now.

The cave is narrow and winding from its entrance, but inside, there is an open space. They decided to make it their base. This cave is very strange, with walls emitting light so they don't need to use fire for activities. However, the light is not bright enough for everyday life, so they make a bonfire in the open space.

Although they make a fire, there is no smoke produced, which makes it even stranger. But for convenience, they don't mind.

On the back wall of the open space, there is a high hole, which if climbed and followed, will branch into two. One ends quickly, while the other descends and leads them to a lake at the end.

They decided to use the one as a toilet.

Thanks to the lake at the back, they have no shortage of water. It also seems that no creatures enter this cave.

When they finished exploring the cave, Marion went to the toilet.

While they were preparing to eat by the bonfire, Marion still hadn't returned.

They had decided to use the dead end as a toilet. Marion couldn't have gone to the lake inside the cave, could she?

"Let's wait a moment. You guys eat first," Kelly said, climbing the wall and entering the crevice. Marion was nowhere to be seen. She peeked into the dead end; if Marion wasn't there, she would go to the underground lake.

At the intersection, as Kelly turned towards the dead end, her consciousness suddenly went dark along with a jolt.

===

Donate : ko-fi.com/maplesyrup_novel