10| Arts & Crafts

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A cool breeze brushed against my face, rising me from my slumber. The gentle sounds of leaves swaying are amplified as they bounce within the cave's walls. Slowly, I open my eyes. A faint morning light shines through the mouth of the cave, illuminating just enough to see the ground around me.

With a deep yawn, I stretch my body.

"Gaaah~"

I feel completely refreshed. This is my first proper sleep without waking up in a panic or being knocked unconscious. My leg's still asleep, so I kick the ground a few times until its feeling returns.

Horned rabbit is still asleep inside its burrow. Some wind must have blown through the cave as the traces of dirt that marked horned rabbits resting spot is gone.

After laying on the ground, relaxing as I enjoyed the sounds of birds chirping in the distance, I stand up and walk towards the mouth of the cave. I want to take a look around and enjoy the morning.

The moment I step over the makeshift wall and leave the cave, I am met with a frigid blast of air. I quickly recoil back into the cave for warmth.

What was that? That drastic change in temperature was crazy!

I reach my hand over the wall. The instant it crosses the cave, I feel the icy air prick at my scales.

How did this cave provide so much insulation against the weather? I was expecting it to get somewhat colder near the entrance, but this is just insane. It's as if there was an invisible barrier that separated the heat of the cave from the ice-cold air of the forest.

That's really neat. If I didn't know better, I would have thought this makeshift wall to be the cause of such phenomenon.

I hop back and forth over the wall, shifting between the hot and cold sides repeatedly. As I did so, a small part of the ground inside the cave collapses. Horned rabbits head peeks outside of the hole, wide-eyed with its ears perked up. It looks around the cave like it is on alert.

When the rabbit noticed me, its expression lulls and its ears droop down. Then with a "pefu...", the rabbit flops to the ground, returning to its original slumber. Half of its body still lay buried inside its burrow. The rabbit must have woken up from my movements and thought something else was happening.

I was hoping to explore a bit while rabbit was sleeping, but now that the rabbit is out of its burrow, I can't leave it alone while it sleeps. Well, It's probably for the best anyway. Considering how protective rabbit was yesterday, it will most likely have a panic attack if it woke up while I was gone.

With a sigh, I walk around the cave to pass the time. My claws run along the rocky walls, creating a soft, continuous scratching sound.

This cave was originally supposed to be temporary, but now that I think about it, we might as well make it our home. It looks durable, it's spacious, and it's surprisingly great against the environment. Although the entrance of the cave is fairly big, other animals won't be able to see us as not much light reached the inside of the cave.

In the event a monster decides to walk into the cave, we wouldn't necessarily be in a disadvantage, as all horned rabbit and I would have to do is walk deeper into the darkness. It doesn't matter if the monster can see in the dark. If they wander in, whether it be day or night, it will take some time for their eyes to adjust, allowing me to launch a surprise attack or at least time to prepare.

I inspect the makeshift wall I had built. Apart from a few missing patches of leaves here and there, the wall was largely intact. Although I'm proud of the craftsmanship that went into its construction, I'm better off dismantling the entire thing. It left too much of a mark and could bring unwanted attention to the cave. Besides, I'm more liable to trip on the wall in the future. I would rather save myself from that embarrassment.

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