Two Years Worth Of Growth

Dear Diary,

A few weeks ago, I marked eight years since I arrived in this isolated village. In other words, I turned eight years old. And let me tell you, you don't really notice the difference growing up makes until you experience it for the second time.

It's amazing what two years can do. I've grown quite a bit during this time—from my measly 126 centimeters to an impressive 134 centimeters. A big growth spurt, indeed, which means all my clothes had to be replaced over time. But that was to be expected, and honestly, it wasn't all bad—I even helped make some of them!

Speaking of my glamorous wardrobe, I can say that I now wear an intriguing combination of brown tunics and animal pelts tied around my hips. What? I said I had new clothes; I never said they were different from the old ones.

Fine, fine, I'll give more details if you insist so much. I decided to cut the sleeves off all my clothes. Why? Oh, nothing major—just a certain incident involving a horned rabbit, a rope, and a disproportionately large explosion… I'd rather not go into details.

And about that snakeskin tied around my arm—yep, I still have it, and I wear it every day. Let me tell you, a snake's elastic skin has proven to be an excellent accessory for a growing child. Of course, it's worn out and a bit faded now, and I doubt it'll last another year before becoming unusable, but I'll keep wearing it every day until that day comes!

Moving on from my clothes, let's talk about something more interesting—my scales! They've been growing too, getting much larger over time, though I haven't had any new scales grow on my legs. But something that has definitely been growing is my antlers. And wow, do they grow! Last year, they started growing faster than usual, branching out into several points and becoming sharper at the tips. Speaking of my antlers, I recently noticed something: they're changing color. They used to be light and pinkish, but now they've started to darken and harden. I think they're stronger now—another weapon in my arsenal. Headbutt.

Still talking about my face, the only other thing worth mentioning is my hair. No, I haven't cut it even once, so it's still long and shiny. I take very good care of it, you know? Although now I have to keep it tied in a ponytail because it gets in my way too much.

But enough about me. Let's look at other things that have changed over these two years—and no, I'm not counting the cabin or the old woman who lives in it. That thing is still the same mess it's always been. Now, try to guess what I'm talking about.

During this time, Mama Huiya has continued teaching me many things, but in the past few months, my training has focused more on practical skills like making traps, identifying flora and fauna, and general survival in nature. I even spent a few days sleeping in the forest—an incredible experience, 0 out of 10. Not to say I've stopped my physical training or studying runes, but they've taken a bit of a back seat.

Obviously, I'm not the only one time has passed for. Mirina turned ten a few weeks ago, and she's changed a little over this time, growing from her 120 centimeters to 130. Like me, she's let her hair grow, which I've learned is a tradition of the tribe. Women grow their hair out until they marry, at which point they cut it and present it to their husband. If a woman cuts her hair before that, it's basically her saying she doesn't plan to marry. There are other reasons, but they're more sensitive, so I'll leave it at that.

Unlike me, she keeps her hair loose all the time. Rarely have I seen her tie it up for anything. Though she doesn't let it get messy as often as she used to, I still can't understand where she finds all those flowers to put in her hair. Trust me when I say I've tried to fight this battle, but it's a losing one.

I've spent hours pulling flowers out of her hair, only to turn around and find new ones magically in their place. Eventually, I gave up.

Watching her, I've started noticing that her hair has been getting lighter over time. Now that I think about it, her hair was already lighter than everyone else's in the tribe—most of whom have dark brown hair—but it's definitely lighter now. Not by much, but it's noticeable.

She usually wears a tunic that only covers the upper half of her body and a kind of long skirt that covers one leg while leaving half of the other exposed. The skirt has three layers of different colors and sizes. I don't know where she got that thing, but it looks like she made it herself. While I think it's pretty, I can't bring myself to like it—do you have any idea how many times this girl trips over it in a single day?!

Speaking of which, I've discovered that the saying "Older and wiser" is hot garbage! I swear, this girl gets clumsier by the day. If I didn't know better, I'd say she's doing it on purpose! I should've been suspicious of that saying when that old woman sent me into the forest at the age of three.

Oh, there's still so much I want to tell, but so little time to tell it all. Don't worry, though—I still have plenty of space to share more stories later.

Until next time, dear Diary.

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