Chapter Text
Rief finally collided with land, the piece of the ship he was hanging onto had kept him alive. He tried to get up for what felt like the first time of his life, his already heavy robes made heavier from being covered in salt water. The last thing playing through his mind was the terrible storm that knocked him off the ship. It was nearing sunset the night before and it was day now, no ship in sight. His heart racing, he was by himself. They probably thought he drowned.
His stomach rumbled, food would be easy, he knew of various edible plants and if need be he could attempt to hunt the local wildlife. He wasn’t strong so shelter would be a problem. He had a bigger problem though, his clothes were drenched in salt water.
“Yes, this will have to do for now”, he said to himself. He had recognized some massive non-poisonous leaves and vines and had fashioned something as close to pants that he could, temperature withstanding his clothes would not be fit to wear for awhile. In practice the idea for the pants was great, the execution took far longer than expected.
Fresh water was simple, he could conjure it. Food wise, he recognized a patch of edible berries. But he would eventually need a real meal. But for the time being, this would have to do. The hardest part was yet to come, shelter. He didn’t know what to do for protecting his feet yet so he didn’t want to go too far in to the wooded area. He had walked up and down the beach hoping to find anything that could shelter him. He would have to make something. Factoring in the wind, temperature and position of the sun he began to pull tree branches on the ground together to make the base of a shelter. He used the same type of leaves that he was wearing to try to act as a roof.
The sun was starting to set. For all of his work he had forgotten to make one of the most important things, a fire. He was too tired, he normally didn’t have to put this much physical effort into his day. He lay there, starting to cry. It took this much effort just to throw a makeshift shelter together. Nobody else in the group would have to struggle this much to survive. He rubbed his chest, where every male in the group would feel muscle he just felt the outline of his ribs. He wasn’t strong, just smart. But nobody would hear his sobs.
Dawn approached and the sound of birds woke him up. This hell would continue, it was a new day but he was alive, and that is all that mattered. That was something to remain positive about, right? There was a lot he could have done better, what he read in books will only be able to get him so far. Knowledge is power, but execution is a bit different. He would learn. He would survive.