Another one of my Don't Starve forum Stories. Got a few chapters stored up. It starts a little wonky but... well you'll see.
The pieces of the machine was coming along rather well, and though the ideal parts he'd normally use weren't in his grasp, Wilson knew it was solid, and that it would work. Some of the smaller gears and such were not easy to produce, but he knew in the end it would all be worth it. He tapped a joint into place with a small rock, and tested to see if the socket was holding. It was, and so he attached the other end to a gear.
It was very far from being done, so far it didn't even look like his sketches he kept in a simple leather bound book. The paper was rough and seriously worn from rain and claws. Smudges marked the uneven pages, and yet Wilson could understand the many scribbles and doodles.
He doesn't spend too much on his device, instead having to put his attention towards fighting off hunger and the chill that blew in just last night. Unlike the other nights, this cold stuck, and was starting to make his fingers numb. He began his daily chores with weeding the small area he called a farm, watering the plants and giving them an encouraging compliment every once in awhile. After he finishes that he takes a walk along a thinly bricked road, up to see if his traps had produced anything.
It seemed the bait worked this time. The trick now though, was to retrieve the animal without letting it squirm away. This proved to be more difficult, and got the little scientist a bit bloody in the process. Blood no longer bothered him as it may have done in his first few days on this dreaded island, as hunger always beats humanity.
One trap was suspiciously broken, the twigs and grass crushed in, a little blood on them, and a faint trail leading out in the surrounding forest. This made him think for a long moment. Should he risk capturing whatever beast or animal had stolen one half of a meal from him? It was certainly not a good idea. He'd never seen the pigs break traps, or even the spiders, seemingly oblivious to the easy meal.
Wilson followed the trail for a short time before it ended. At the trunk of a mighty tree, much larger than most he'd run into, but that should've been expected, this seemed like a pretty old forest. The pine needles below were so thick the dirt or maybe grass could not be seen. Claw marks, old and new showed around the trunk, so he could only assume this is where whatever it was lived.
Something about this made him want to leave. Maybe it was the way the wind blew through with an almost silent whisper. Or perhaps the more logical, the beast that lurked in this forest. Whatever reason he chose, he left with more than a chill that started to creep up his spine.
The rest of the traps were fine, and most had caught something. He returned to camp, relighting the firepit he had set up probably months ago, and started to prepare his food. Even with the amount of practice he had to master skinning a rabbit, it was always a difficult task to not over cut and ruin a perfectly good piece of meat.
Wilson never had a sensitive stomach, having used to help his parents with the execution of many of the farm's poultry. He had to thank his father, albeit begrudgingly for the work he had to endure through his young life. It had made him strong in mind and in body, but the years after had weakened him. All those experiments, all those trial-and-errors, every day was more or less the same but with more interesting results than the last.
As he was reminiscing about the past he was slowly getting a creeping feeling. But suddenly, before he could do anything to defend himself he was tackled to the ground, the crude knife he'd been using was knocked out of his hands. A rumbling growl was all he could hear, his head in pain and his eyes stung. He didn't get a chance to open his eyes before whatever creature had jumped off him, scooping the scrap of meat from his hands. Wilson got up suddenly, now meaning business. He reached out blindly to grab whatever it was.
Even though it seemed unlikely he had managed to get a grip on it, grabbing it by the scruff and pulling it back with ease. It wasn't very heavy. This wasn't what he was expecting, nor was he expecting it to only be the size of a small child. As his vision returned he discovered the reason.
The reason being it was a small child. Baffled beyond belief he watched the fur dressed child cling desperately to the little chunk of meat with the most intense look he'd ever received from a child. This little girl dressing in a wolf's pelt could hardly be taller than 3 foot. Freckles on her face and black hair poked out from the hood which had what looked to had ears. It even came set with a tail, which seemed to move, but Wilson decided it was his imagination, as that was impossible.
"This is mine now!" She firmly stated, holding even tighter to the meat. Wilson had no idea what to do about this child, but a little part of him made him think that he couldn't let such a small thing go back out into the wild. The other, larger portion of Wilson wanted to snatch his scrap of rabbit away from her and send her on her way.
Wilson did not like children. They were loud, sticky, and overall consumed too many resources to have one tag along. Wilson ground his teeth in thought, a bad habit he was sure to regret one day. Every logical course of action dictated he leave the child to its own fate in the woods, but then again...
No. He had no good reason to keep this Child with him. But then it was settled before his logic could catch up with his mouth. "Fine. Keep it. But you'll have to stay here." His brain swore.
He was going to regret this.