First Step

Tension hanged between the two as Jean's ears perked up.

At the moment, Casper was facing away from Jean. Jean on the other hand locked his eyes on the guy without any intentions of retreating.

Clearing his throat, Casper tilted his head to the side and faced Jean.

"The main reason why I inquired for your countryside survival skills and knowledge was because, I knew it was going to take some time before you fully recover. So, for that to happen, you were going to stay with me for sometime, so that I can tend to you."

Pausing for a moment, Casper continued...

" So I considered those skills as very important for your survival in this area. What you don't know is that I'm a busy man and in some instances, I shall be leaving you alone. As for your injured foot, you will have to wait as I prepare some medicine for you."

With that, Casper got to his feet and left the house through the rear door.

At the moment, Jean felt dreadful at the thought that there will come a time when Casper would have no other choice other than leaving him alone in such an eerie place. Adding to the matter that his adversaries could be looking for him, he had every reason to feel fearful.

But since he wasn't in the position to leave immediately, he had no other choice other than to appreciate the little hospitality offered to him by his host.

There's no way his host was going to abandon his work just to look after him. Despite the fact that he was going to face a huddle of surviving in the strange place, he wasn't a novice individual when it came to countryside survival skills and knowledge. After all, he had spent his first ten years of his life in the countryside.

The only burdensome thing at the moment, was the fact that unlike his previous experience, this time around he was going to stay in the jungle.

For that reason, he found it important to inquire about the area so that he can know exactly what to expect from his surroundings so as to avoid getting caught unaware in case of any danger.

With the sudden consideration, there remained only one person who Jean could inquire about the area.

While still pondering on the matter, he quickly turned in Casper's direction but immediately noticed that he was already out of sight. And just that moment, he seemed to have recalled something very important.

'I need to link up with mom, so that I could at least know how she's fairing on. Perhaps in the process of hearing my voice she might feel assured of my safety. And who knows, it might be the first step of me finding my way back home. I need to borrow his cellphone.'

In the next moment, Jean forced himself up and without wasting time, he started moving in the direction of the rear door.

He was on his way to find Casper.

The moment he walked through the door, he noticed Casper sitting outside on a stone at one of the edges of the outdoor kitchen.

Next to him, there lied a blackish paste like substance on a broad leaf.

As soon as Jean noticed the substance, a wave of realization struck him.

'That must be the medicine if I'm not wrong'

As if noticing Jean's presence, Casper tilted his head and sighed.

"Is there any matter?"

Casper asked in an even tone while staring at Jean.

"I-I would like to borrow you something..."

Jean stated with a stutter while struggling to maintain eye contact with Casper.

"...And what could be that that you had to tell me from the outside since you didn't tell me anything while I was still in the house?"

Casper asked out of curiosity.

Scratching his head in embarrassment, Jean smirked.

"It kinda escaped my mind. That's why..."

With a heavy sigh, Casper immediately motioned Jean to move closer to where he was seating.

When Jean got to where Casper was, he didn't waste even a single second, and dived straight into letting his needs known to him.

"I was in the request that you could lend me your cellphone so that I could talk to my mum. I just want to assure her of my safety... and perhaps make plans of me returning home. After all, I am not going to stay here forever."

Jean shamelessly voiced out his concerns as he made his request known to his host.

The last bit of his statement could have sounded rude, especially considering the fact that Casper had offered to house and treat him and also that he was old enough to be referred to as his father.

But since the statement was directed to the jocker himself, this statement didn't seem offensive in any way. In fact, it boosted the moral of the receiver to the extent that he let out a mischievous smile in return.

Since the moment Jean started communicating with Casper, he had been able to deduce that the guy was a fan of jokes. This was based on the fact that whenever Jean would joke about something, Casper would fan the flames by contributing to it or coming up with his own. Although these incidents were rare, Jean still take note of them. And that was one of the reasons to why he was courageous enough to joke with the guy.

"I think...I should I mean I am going to give it to you the moment I am done with preparing your medicine."

With a gentle smile, Casper looked at Jean and then at the blackish paste like substance lying besides him on the ground. When he turned back at Jean, he quickly glanced at his wound and sighed.

"Go in the kitchen, there's a small pot on fire. Just remove it from the fire and bring it to me."

In the next moment, Casper pulled the leaf with the blackish paste into his feet and started mixing it with his fingers.

'Now I have become your errand-boy?'

Jean mused as he tried so hard for his anger not to show on the surface. Although this act of his could have been considered inconsiderate, he still felt somewhat offended by Casper's decision to send him around considering the condition he was in.

But when he remembered lying to Casper about him exercising, he immediately cursed inwardly and grumpily headed towards the kitchen.

Five minutes later, Jean had already brought the pot Casper had instructed him to bring.

Pouring the pot's content into the blackish paste on the leaf, Casper wore a serious expression.

"You need to clean your wound before we apply this medicine on it."

A little bit confused, Jean stared at the guy in front of him with questioning eyes.

'How does he expect me to do that when I don't know where to fetch the water from.'

Jean thought to himself as he remained rooted to his spot.

As if reading his mind, Casper raised his gaze and faced Jean with an amused look.

"Why are you still standing there? Oh, my bad! You can was your wound from the bathroom, there's enough water there already."

With that, Casper turned back to mixing the blackish paste and the pot's contents.

Upon seeing this, Jean gulped and immediately started heading in the direction of the bathroom. Although Casper had not told him about the location of the bathroom, he didn't need any further explanation to realize that the place he took his shower the previous night that it was the bathroom he was referring to.

It was the same with Casper, as the guy too had the same thought in mind.

Despite the duo spending barely a day together, they had grown into each other to the extent that someone could easily mistake them to as father and son.

When Jean got traversed the trees and arrived at the bathroom structure, he scanned the surroundings and in the process, he was able to notice a well just like a half a dozen meters past the structure.

'Oh! So, there is where he fetches his water?'

Jean pondered as he moved closer to the wooden structure. Unlike the previous night when he didn't have a clear view of the structure, this time around he was able to deduce that the structure was made with a mixture of wood and organic fibres.

Fibres were used in roofing while the closely the losely fitted woods were used as walls.

When Jean arrived at the structure and confirmed what his eyes were seeing, he let out a cheeky smile.

'It was just good that I took my shower at night. I now know the reason to why I didn't notice this last night.'

Jean thought with a wicked smile on his face.

Since the wood used in making the wall were loosely fitted together, it could be easy for someone to peep through the opening from a closer distance. And this was made Jean develop some stomach crumbs.

The main reason to why he didn't notice the openings was that it was dark outside and the lights from outside of the house could barely reach this area.

Looking at the structure with a grim expression, Jean could imagine himself showering as somebody else peeked at him from the openings and that thought made him not to see himself taking a shower from the same place ever again.

Just as he was still contemplating on the matter, he felt a hand patting him on the shoulder. Suddenly, he flinched and turned back almost immediately. When he realized that it was Casper, he sighed.

"Why are you looking scared?"

Casper asked with an amused look.

Faking a smile as he tried regaining his composure Jean glowered.

"Who's scared. And by the way what are you doing here? I thought that you were supposed to be preparing some medicine for me?"

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