Building

The sky above Lostwood slowly darkened. The last rays of sunlight dimmed behind the towering trees, leaving them in the shadows of dusk that quickly shifted into full darkness. The wind carried faint sounds from deep within the forest—snapping branches, rustling leaves, and sometimes... something far more terrifying.

Inside the small shelter they had just finished building, Ziero and Zyra sat near a small fire crackling softly. The wooden barricade they had reinforced now stood taller, offering a little more security than before. But they both knew it still wasn't enough to truly stop whatever might be out there.

Zyra hugged her knees, gazing into the flames with tired eyes. The exhaustion from a full day of labor was beginning to settle into her body.

"Are you sure this is enough?" she asked quietly, her voice nearly drowned by the crackling fire.

Ziero, sitting cross-legged across from her, didn't answer right away. He stared at the barricade with a serious expression, trying to gauge how well it might hold through the night.

"There are no guarantees," he finally said. "But it's better than before."

Zyra sighed, resting her head on her knees.

"I just hope they don't come."

Ziero looked at her.

"Me too," he said honestly. "But we have to be ready."

Silence settled between them, filled only by the steady crackle of the fire. Zyra bit her lip before speaking again, this time in a faint whisper.

"Ziero… I still don't understand why you helped me."

Ziero raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.

"What do you mean?"

Zyra fidgeted with her fingers, as if trying to summon the courage to continue.

"I mean… I'm nobody. I might even slow you down. I'm not as strong as you."

Ziero looked at her for a moment before letting out a quiet breath.

"I didn't help you because I wanted something from you, Zyra."

Zyra turned to him, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Then why?"

Ziero stared into the fire, his expression unreadable.

"Because we're the same."

Zyra fell silent.

"I know what it feels like—to be left behind, thrown away, treated like you don't belong," Ziero continued. "I know what it's like to be alone in a place like this. I couldn't let someone else go through that and just die."

Zyra bit her lip again and lowered her head.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Ziero didn't reply, simply watching her for a moment before turning back to scan their barricade.

The night grew darker.

And the sounds from the forest drew closer.

---

Ziero stood up the moment he heard heavy footsteps in the distance. Zyra followed suit, her body tensing as she spotted large shadows emerging between the trees.

"They're coming again," Ziero muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Zyra swallowed hard.

"What do we do?"

Ziero tightened his grip on his dagger.

"We'll see how well the barricade holds."

The shadows crept closer. Glowing red eyes began to appear in the darkness, staring straight at them. Three—no, five creatures approached. Their bodies were large, covered in coarse fur, with sharp teeth gleaming in the firelight.

Zyra gripped her dagger more tightly.

The first creature struck first, leaping at the barricade with razor-sharp claws. But the reinforced wood stood firm. The beast crashed into it, snarling in frustration as it was thrown back.

Ziero smirked slightly.

"At least it's working."

But the others didn't back down. They began to circle the barricade, searching for a weak spot. One of them let out a long, chilling howl that made the hair on Zyra's neck stand up.

"We can't just stay here," she said, panic rising in her voice.

Ziero nodded.

"We attack from above."

Swiftly, he climbed up to a higher section of the barricade, balancing himself on the wooden frame. Zyra followed, though with some difficulty.

As one creature tried to break through, Ziero struck downward with his blade, stabbing its back. The creature howled, jumping back with black blood spilling from the wound.

Though her hands were shaking, Zyra struck too. She aimed for the eye of another beast climbing up, forcing it to retreat with a pained roar.

Their counterattack made the creatures hesitate for a moment. They began to back away, reconsidering whether this fight was worth their wounds.

And finally, after a few tense seconds, they slipped back into the darkness.

Silence returned.

Zyra collapsed onto the barricade, breathing hard.

"They… backed off?"

Ziero remained alert, his eyes still scanning the forest.

"For now."

Zyra swallowed and looked at him.

"But… we did it, right?"

Ziero finally nodded.

"Yeah. This shelter held."

They looked at each other—exhausted, but slightly relieved.

For the first time since Zyra had arrived, they had survived a night attack.

And for the first time, it felt like they had a real chance of lasting longer in Lostwood.

---

As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the gaps between the towering trees, the atmosphere in Lostwood felt calmer than the night before. The morning air was cool and refreshing, washing away the lingering tension from the previous night.

Ziero opened his eyes slowly, feeling the dampness of dew in the air. He sat up immediately, scanning the area around their small shelter. The wooden barricade was still standing strong, though marked with scratches and signs of last night's assault.

On the other side, Zyra was still fast asleep, curled up on a pile of leaves they'd gathered as bedding. Her breathing was steady, showing just how exhausted she was after the battle.

Ziero exhaled softly. They had survived—but this was only the beginning. If they wanted to keep living in this forest, they needed to think beyond just survival. They needed to figure out how to live better.

And one of their biggest problems was water.

Every day, they had to walk quite a distance to the nearest river just to fetch some. Though it wasn't terribly far, the trip still drained their energy—especially carrying water back in crudely made wooden containers. And if they wanted to bathe or relieve themselves, they had to sneak off to a hidden spot near the river, exposing themselves to danger.

Ziero looked toward the forest, deep in thought.

"I need to bring water here," he murmured.

---

Not long after the sun rose higher, Zyra finally stirred. She stretched slowly, rubbing her eyes before sitting up with a yawn.

"Morning," she said, her voice raspy.

Here's a natural English translation of your passage:

---

Ziero, who had been sitting and sharpening his dagger, simply nodded. "We need to bring water here."

Zyra frowned, still half-asleep. "What?"

Ziero set down his dagger and turned toward her. "We've been going back and forth to the river just to get water, right? It's tiring and dangerous. If we can channel the water directly here, we won't have to do that anymore."

Zyra blinked a few times, trying to wrap her head around the idea. "Wait… you want to make some kind of small river leading to our hut?"

Ziero nodded.

Zyra sighed and rubbed her face. "That sounds nice, but how? We can't just redirect the whole river."

Ziero leaned against the fence. "We don't have to change the main river's flow. We just need to dig a small trench from the river to here, and make sure the water can flow through it properly."

Zyra went quiet for a moment, then slowly nodded. "In that case… let's give it a shot."

---

After a simple breakfast of roasted meat, they headed toward the river. Sunlight filtering through the trees made the forest feel a little warmer, though the mysterious aura of Lostwood still lingered.

Once they reached the river, they stood at the edge, watching the clear water flowing between the rocks.

"If we want to get water to the hut, we need to find a spot that's high enough so the water can naturally flow downhill," Ziero said, scanning the area.

Zyra studied the riverbank, trying to grasp what Ziero meant. She pointed to a spot where the current seemed stronger. "How about here? The flow's pretty strong."

Ziero walked over and examined the ground. He picked up a handful of soil and felt it between his fingers. "The ground's soft enough… we could dig a trench here."

Zyra crossed her arms. "But this is pretty far from the hut. The trench would be really long."

Ziero nodded. "True. But if we dig it in the right direction, the water can flow on its own without us having to carry it all the time."

Zyra sighed. "Alright, then. Let's get started."

---

Digging the Water Trench

The digging began.

Using sharpened sticks and pieces of jagged stone, they started carving a path from the river to their hut. It wasn't easy—the ground in some places was too hard, forcing them to dig deeper and clear out small roots blocking the way.

Ziero worked nonstop, using his powers to speed up the process. Zyra, though smaller and not as strong, still helped as much as she could.

After several hours, the trench was fairly long—but still far from finished.

Zyra collapsed to the ground, exhausted. "This is way more tiring than I thought."

Ziero, also tired, wiped the sweat from his brow. "But we're almost there. We just need to keep the path straight and deep enough."

Zyra looked over their work. "I can't wait to see if this really works."

Ziero gave a small smile. "If we did it right, it will."

---

Time to Let the Water Flow

The sun was beginning to set when they finally completed the trench. Full of hope, they returned to the river and started channeling water into it.

At first, the water only seeped slowly, but as the path cleared, a small stream began to form.

Zyra's eyes lit up. "Look! It's working!"

Ziero nodded with satisfaction. "Now we just need to reinforce the path and make sure the water keeps flowing smoothly."

They followed the stream as it crept its way toward their hut. When it finally reached the destination, Zyra shouted with joy.

"We did it, Ziero! We have water here now!"

Ziero let out a relieved breath, proud of their effort. "Now we don't have to walk all the way to the river just to get water."

Zyra smiled and dipped her hands into the cool stream. "And we can bathe more easily now."

Ziero let out a soft chuckle.

With water now flowing near their hut, life in Lostwood became just a little bit easier.

Even though they were still stuck in a dangerous place, for the first time… it felt like they were truly building something they could call home.

---

A New Atmosphere at the Hut

The small stream they created the night before still flowed steadily, the gentle sound of trickling water bringing a calming presence around their hut. That morning felt different—fresher, more alive.

Zyra sat near the water, washing her face with the clear, cold stream. She felt much more comfortable than before, even though her body was still sticky and dirty after surviving for days in the forest without a proper bath.

Ziero, who had been fixing the wooden fence around the hut, glanced at her and frowned. He walked over and sat beside her.

"You know," Ziero suddenly said, making Zyra turn toward him, "we should build a place where we can bathe. Look at yourself—you're filthy and you stink."

Zyra froze. Her eyes widened before her expression shifted dramatically.

"Wh-What?! Did you just say I stink?!" Zyra shot upright, glaring daggers at him. "You're the one who reeks! I can smell you from here!"

Ziero looked at her calmly. "I didn't say I don't stink. I'm just saying, you stink more."

Zyra huffed in irritation, then glanced at the stream they'd made. "So… you want to build a bathroom?"

Ziero nodded. "We can't keep bathing out in the open. It's dangerous… and uncomfortable."

Zyra huffed again, still annoyed at being called smelly, but she couldn't argue. Bathing in the open in the middle of the forest was a bad idea. If monsters, wild beasts, or something even worse were watching, they could be in serious trouble.

"Alright," she said at last. "But if we're going to build a bathroom, we might as well build a toilet too."

Ziero looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Agreed."

---

Searching for the Right Spot

After deciding to build a bathroom and a toilet, they began walking around the hut, searching for a suitable location.

"We need somewhere close enough to the hut, but not too exposed," Ziero said as he surveyed the surrounding area.

Zyra nodded. "And not too far from the stream either, so we can get water easily."

They walked several meters away from the hut until they found a spot surrounded by large trees. The area was fairly hidden, and the ground was slightly elevated compared to the waterway nearby—safe from flooding when it rained.

"This looks like a good place," Ziero said, patting the trunk of a tree beside him.

Zyra looked around and gave a nod. "Yeah, and it's spacious enough. We can build the bathroom here, and put the toilet a bit further away so the smell doesn't get in the way."

Ziero raised an eyebrow. "You're actually thinking about the smell?"

Zyra rolled her eyes. "Of course! I'm not going to eat while smelling a toilet."

Ziero simply shrugged and started measuring the area with a branch he found nearby.

---

The Construction Begins

They decided to build the bathroom first. For that, they needed simple walls and a roof.

Ziero and Zyra began chopping thick branches from large trees using the stone knives they had crafted earlier. They selected sturdy ones and assembled them into a simple rectangular frame.

Zyra stood with her hands on her hips, staring at their work. "We'll need something to cover the walls."

Ziero nodded. "We can use large leaves and tree bark."

They set off to collect wide leaves from the forest—some even larger than their bodies, perfect for makeshift walls. After hours of gathering and working, they managed to cover the entire frame with leaves and bark, creating a basic yet enclosed structure.

"Not bad," Zyra said, running her hand across the wall. "At least it gives us some privacy."

Ziero nodded and pointed to the ground. "Now we need a floor. The soil's too soft."

They decided to use stones and wood as a foundation. They collected flat stones from the riverbank and carefully arranged them on the bathroom floor, then added planks cut from small tree trunks.

By the time they finished, their simple bathroom stood sturdy and functional.

"We did it!" Zyra exclaimed with a satisfied smile.

Ziero inspected their work and nodded. "Now we just need to make sure water can flow in."

They dug a small extension from the existing water channel and directed it into the bathroom. That way, clean water could flow in directly without needing to carry buckets.

As the water began to trickle through, Zyra clapped her hands softly. "This is so much better than bathing in the open river."

Ziero grinned. "Now you've got no excuse to stink anymore."

Zyra glared at him. "I still haven't forgiven you for saying I smelled bad."

Ziero just chuckled quietly.

---

Building the Toilet

With the bathroom complete, they moved on to the toilet.

Ziero dug a deep hole a few meters away from the bathroom. Then, they crafted a wooden cover with a small opening at the center.

"This might not be the fanciest toilet in the world, but at least it's better than going in the woods," Zyra said, patting the wooden lid.

Ziero added a few small branches as supports, ensuring the structure was stable. Just like the bathroom, they built simple walls using large leaves and bark for privacy.

When it was all done, Zyra stood with her hands on her hips and let out a long breath. "Finally… we have a bathroom and a toilet."

Ziero nodded. "Now we can live a little more decently out here."

Zyra gave a small smile. "Even if we're trapped in a cursed forest, at least we're starting to build something we can call home."

Ziero glanced around—the hut, the stream, the bathroom, the toilet—all the things they had built with their own hands.

No, it wasn't perfect. But for the first time since they were cast away… they began to feel like they had taken back a piece of their lives.

---