Editing Dark Elf:Volume1 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 5===

Klaus had no mirror, so he had no idea what color his lips were.

“…”

He also lacked the energy to scream. He was soaked with icy water from head to toe and all his human warmth had been sapped away. His joints were as stiff as an unoiled doll, but he had done what needed doing. Just to be safe, he took some dirt and animal fur from the ground and sprinkled it over his head.

The effect was dramatic.

He saw some small lights and initially assumed they were fireflies, but they were not. A pair of yellow lights hovered in the darkness. They were the eyes of a nocturnal animal reflecting the moonlight.

“Eek!”

This caught him by surprise. It was so much closer than he had expected. He gulped, turned away from the mystery animal – it could have been a boar or a lion for all he knew – and walked deeper into the forest. It was only about 10 meters away.

…''I’m living in the same world as them. If I learn to be silent, I can get within reach.

Now he was searching for signs other than the dark elf ones. It was a difficult task in the dark, but he found some pawprints and some stiff fur caught on the bark of a tree. He tried to leave as little trace as possible, but walking through the deep forest without stepping on any leaves or grass was simply not possible. The best he could do was take his time placing his weight on them and be careful not to make any noise. He traveled through the dark forest connecting the dots between each animal sign he found.

…''There one is.

It was hard to tell in the darkness, but he thought it was a deer.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in filling his belly with meat. Steak, cutlets, a roast – anything would do at this point. And this was an herbivore. That meant it would have eaten Ghost Turnips and Witch Pumpkin stems and still have the magic derivative in its body. There was a good chance he would indirectly get some of that for himself.

…''Is this the one I observed before getting some meatballs from Little Girl?

He was less than 10 meters away. Wild animals gave off more pressure than he had imagined when there was no fence separating them from him. He knew intellectually that deer were docile herbivores. This wasn’t an 800kg moose, so he didn’t have to worry about being kicked to death by back legs as powerful as a horse’s. This had to be better than trying to fight a bear or a tiger. He hoped.

…''But can I do this? Like really do it?

He wondered that while ducking behind a large Witch Pumpkin. He did not have the hunting bows or spears the dark elves had. Not to mention their Archdragon Magic. Thrown out into the forest without any kind of weapon, a human was weaker than a wild dog. What would actually happen if it they ended up in a close-quarters fight? Any animal larger than a dog was terrifying in that context.

Still crouched, he unclasped his wet cloak. He collected an orange-sized stone from the ground and wrapped it in the cloak. He tied off the round part like he was making a simple ghost doll and he grabbed the ghost’s skirt(?).

He now had a makeshift morning star. The hefty weight in his hands reminded him that this was not like what happened with the Palmtop Mouse or the beetle. This time, he would be attacking a defenseless deer. And this was the kind of animal that could put a smile on Little Girl’s face. He had to shake those thoughts out of his head.

He had to think of this as an opportunity.

He could not survive with a passive attitude. He could not gain meat or fur if he did not make the attempt. Slender would never want to get to know or work with someone who couldn’t even protect himself.

The thought of killing the dark elves disgusted him, so could he really kill this deer and fill his stomach with it?

A self-deprecating smile formed on his lips. Would he never get to know them better if he still wasn’t sure where to draw that line? He slinked over toward the dark shape in the woods. He moved slowly and silently.

The deer raised its head.

But he was already within 3m of it, so he took a large step and raised his blunt weapon just a step away from it.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”