Island Survival: Starts by chopping a tree-Chapter 47 Chasing the little creature
Jeff who got back from the spacious grassy plain, pick up his bow and arrows. He then decided to go and hunt some food before he go back.
Wearing the bow on his shoulder, he holds the arrow in his hand while his left is the spear. He then began his hunt in the bamboo forest.
He wandered through the area, hiding his presence. While he was on the ground, he saw a bird singing in a tree.
"I think eating a bird is a good one," Jeff muttered as he positioned the spear, which was ready to be thrown.
But the bird seemed to sense something odd, as it flew away when it sensed danger was about to come.
"Did that little bird notice me? I did it stealthily, though. Well, forget about it. It’s just a small bird, eating one will not help at all," he said, shaking his head as he continued to wander around the place.
What he was looking for are boars, but he did not find any after wandering around. Of course, when he wandered around, he made sure he was not lost, leaving some marks to remember where he could go back.
As he was about to get out from the tall grasses and the branches of trees in front of him, he heard a rustle that was just in front of him.
He stopped in his tracks as he opened a slight gap in the branches by brushing the leaves a little. What he saw made him happy.
His eyes lit up as he peeked through the leaves and saw a rabbit hopping in the underbrush. Its fur was sleek and mottled brown, blending perfectly with the earthy tones of the bamboo forest.
The rabbit was larger than the average ones he remembered, likely an adaptation to its environment. From what it looks like, it must have weighed 5 to 7 pounds (about 2 to 3 kilograms).
Its muscular and well-fed body showed that it thrived on the area’s abundant bamboo shoots and grasses.
Its ears were long, twitching at every sound, while its large, dark eyes scanned its surroundings, looking for something to eat. The hind legs were powerful and slightly oversized, indicating its ability to sprint quickly and evade predators.
Its sharp claws dug into the ground as it foraged, and Jeff observed this little creature.
"A big one," Jeff whispered to himself.
"This rabbit could be made into a good meal and provide fur for something useful," he mumbled inwardly.
He tightened his grip on the spear, knowing he had to act swiftly and precisely.
Jeff inhaled deeply, steadying himself. The rabbit, blissfully unaware, continued its foraging, its sharp claws scraping faintly against the dirt.
Jeff realized he needed to act quickly. The creature’s powerful hind legs and keen senses indicated that it was not only easy to catch but also incredibly fast.
Slowly, he stepped out from his hiding spot, raising the spear above. The rustling sound of his movement, even if it was slight, alerted the rabbit.
Its ears twitched, swiveling toward him as it froze for a split second. Then, it bolted in a blur of motion, disappearing into the dense undergrowth.
"Dammit!" Jeff cursed under his breath, lowering the spear. But he wasn’t about to give up.
He sprinted after the rabbit, his feet pounding against the forest floor as he pushed past tall grasses and low-hanging branches.
Throwing the spear in his hands, only for the rabbit to dodge its attack as it impaled the ground.
[You just threw a spear. You just gain 5 experience points]
[8/100. Remains to unlock a skill]
He could only curse as he pulled the spear impaled on the ground as they continued their rendezvous.
The rabbit, knowing his intentions, began to zigzag through the bamboo forest with amazing agility, its oversized hind legs propelling it forward.
Jeff, struggling to keep up, was in the process of dodging obstacles while keeping his eyes locked on his prey.
Several times, he raised the spear and threw it, only for the rabbit to vanish behind a thicket or dart into a cluster of bamboo, though he earned some experience points from this.
His frustration mounted, but he pressed on, using every ounce of his endurance to close the gap.
Finally, the chase led to a natural bottleneck, and both of them arrived in a narrow area between two clusters of dense bamboo stalks.
The rabbit hesitated for a fraction of a second, realizing its path was limited. That pause was all Jeff needed.
With a sharp exhale, Jeff hurled the spear—not at the rabbit, but at an angle to block its escape route. The spear struck the ground with a dull thud, embedding itself in the soft earth just ahead of the rabbit.
[You just threw a spear. You just gain 5 experience points]
[53/100. Remains to unlock a skill]
You can clearly see from the accumulation of experience points he had by chasing the rabbit as he tried to impale it with his spear.
Panicked, the creature darted sideways, only to find itself cornered against the thick bamboo.
Jeff advanced cautiously, hands outstretched. "Easy now," he murmured, his breath in ragged gasps.
The rabbit attempted to leap away, but Jeff lunged, managing to grab it by its hind legs.
The animal squirmed furiously, kicking and scratching desperately for freedom. Jeff gritted his teeth as he held on tightly, his arms straining to secure the struggling creature.
After what felt like an eternity, the rabbit’s struggles subsided, and Jeff finally had it under control. He looked at his scratched-up hands and let out a tired but triumphant laugh.
"Got you," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow as he secured the rabbit.
"You really give me a hard challenge there, don’t you know that? So for your punishment. You will have to fill my hunger," Jeff said, licking his lips.
The rabbit just frowned since the punishment was the same as his reason for catching it.
But in reply, the rabbit, whose hindleg was being held by his hands, tried to use his cute little arms to punch him, but the punch was so short that it couldn’t reach Jeff at all.
"Easy, their young rabbit. I know you’re excited about the punishment. But have a good sleep for a moment," Jeff uttered as he hit the rabbit in the head, making it pass out.
The rabbit was then unconscious from the force of his bonk. "Hunting rabbits is really hard, but it’s really surprising to find a rabbit living in a bamboo forest," he said, looking at the rabbit. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
He knows that rabbits are not are not specifically associated with bamboo forests, the reason for this must be because of their adaptability.
"Looking at these rabbits, they could have already adapted to the bamboo forest by using it for cover and food. Some bamboo species produce shoots that this little fella might nibble on alongside grass, leaves, and other vegetation found within the forest." He stated.
Additionally, the thick undergrowth of bamboo forests provides excellent shelter and hiding spots from predators, making them suitable habitats for rabbits.
"I should try to find some burrows to make some traps. Chasing this one is already so tiring. Chasing another one is not possible anymore," Jeff said, as he made a small rope to tie the little rabbit’s hind legs.
The rabbit he had caught is about 1.5 feet tall (around 46cm). Then, his system notified him of his craft.
[You just made a small rope. You have gained 2 Experience points]
[147/200 exp. Remains to upgrade the skill]
Now that it had no more possibility of running; he just slung it around his shoulder as he decided to find some more rabbits in the area, which were their burrows.
The trap he had in mind is called Snaring from the Survival Guide; snares are simple loops made of wire or strings placed along the rabbit trails or their burrows.
It requires less energy than chasing it around. Also, he can set multiple snares to increase the chances.
Jeff then wandered deeper into the bamboo forest, scanning the underbrush carefully. The dense stalks swayed gently, creating an almost serene backdrop as he searched.
After some time, he saw a small opening in the ground at the base of a bamboo clump, a rabbit burrow, you could say.
He crouched down cautiously to examine it, observing the burrow’s size and shape. It was about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter from his examination.
With smooth edges, a sign that it had been recently used. The soil around the entrance was loose, and faint scratches marked the area.
"Finally found one," Jeff muttered, his grip tightening on the rabbit over his shoulder.
From the survival guide he’d read, he recalled a method to check if a burrow was active:
Which is looking for signs he examined the entrance for fresh droppings or recently disturbed dirt, which were clear indicators of activity. Sure enough, small round droppings were scattered nearby.
Jeff then carefully examined the burrow’s opening without blocking it, looking for signs of recent activity.
Placing his hand near the entrance, he felt no warmth or movement of air that might indicate a rabbit was inside.
"It must be out foraging," he muttered, noting the absence of fresh droppings near the entrance. The burrow was clearly active but currently empty.
