March 22, 840
Well, I woke up this morning to Sasha jumping up and down on my bed telling me to wake up. It took me a minute to remember where I was and what happened. After waking up and asking her to get off my bed, she did and ran off into what I think was the kitchen. Does that girl ever stop eating?
Today, after breakfast, I asked Blouse if I could help with anything since I didn't want to be a freeloader and sitting around all day was boring. I cant believe I said those words without thinking about it first. I still didn't entirely trust him yet, so why had I said that? He said I could cut some firewood and maybe help with hunting. Only problem is, I have never done either of those. He was willing to show me, however.
He took me outside and showed some wood that needed to be cut with an axe. He showed me how to use the axe properly and even though I learned quickly, the axe was still heavy. But I was able to do the task. After cutting the wood, he brought Sasha to a friend to watch her as he brought me to the woods, where there a bow and some arrows resting by a log. He showed me how to use the bow and arrow, and even though I knew how, my aim was pitiful. I fired 10 arrows at a target he had set up and only 4 arrows hit the target. He didn't seem disappointed considering that was my first time using a bow. He said that with practice, I would be able to do well with the bow and arrow. We practiced more and I was able to hit 6 times out of 10. He then went on to show me how to properly take care of the bow, explaining how certain faults could break the bow or even cause it to shatter with a mere touch. I would have never thought that taking care of a bow could be so rigorous.
We trained more with the bow and I was unable to hit more than 6 times. At one point, while we took a break, with him tending to my bow ad me shaving a twig with a pocketknife I borrowed from him. I got so frustrated that I started yelling at him, asking him why I wasn't doing any better. He said that it took time and practice, but I didn't want to believe him. I had been practicing plenty, so why wasn't I getting better? I started waving my arms around and at one point, the knife flew out of my hand and hit the target dead center. We both stared at it, surprised at that. I took the knife out and tried throwing it again at the target. It hit dead center again. I tried it a few more times and every time, it hit the target around the same place. Apparently, I have a skill in knife throwing.
We went for a walk in the woods and talked some more about everything else. As we walked, we heard a snap and Blouse pushed me down to the ground and motioned for me to be quiet. He pointed out an animal to me that he said was a deer. According to him, deer were hunted for their skin, which he called a pelt, and also for their meat. Also for sport, but that was rarely considering food shortages. He told me to aim straight for the neck in order to kill it instantly. I looked at him in surprise. I didn't expect him to trust me with such a task. I also wasn't sure I could do it. But I aimed at the deer and took deep breaths like he instructed me to. I was ready to fire, but then a bug crawled onto my hand and I jumped, causing my arrow to miss. The deer was startled and it ran off into the woods. I was so disappointed with my shot. Blouse, however, showed me how to track the deer using clues, such as trampled plants and tracks in the dirt.
We followed those for a bit until we found the deer again. This time, when I fired my arrow, I hit the deer, killing it. Blouse said that my arrow has a little high and to the left, but it was good enough. Naturally, that was my first time killing anything, and my hands wouldn't stop shaking. My breathing started to go rapid, just like yesterday. He noticed this and helped calm me down, reassuring me that was normal for a first kill.
Why must people kill? Isnt killing a bad thing? The way Blouse sees it, killing is a necessary evil, unless it is done in hate. Maybe someday, I will understand.
We took the deer back in time for dinner, where Blouse enlisted the help of a friend to skin the deer and cut it up for meat. The meat was used for tonight's dinner, and deer meat tastes weird. I don't know how to describe it. Sasha, however, didn't seem to have a problem with it. The meal was still satisfying, though.
And now, I'm here, writing in my journal. More to come tomorrow. Sasha's trying to peek into my journal. Like that's ever gonna happen.