As he was about to take a step, Lian suddenly remembered his sister. Meilin... I can't leave her alone. If something happens to her, I would be betraying my own thoughts and my parents... But how can I carry her while hunting?
Lian wiped his slightly sweaty forehead while circling a tree. A few moments later, he suddenly had an epiphany.
What if I carry her, but when I see prey, I place Meilin twenty steps away from the game? That way, I can still keep an eye on Meilin and shoot the prey. My weapon is a bow—long-range. Even though the quality isn't as good as those made by Brother or Father, it's enough if I'm only hunting rabbits. They will die on the spot.
Lian quickly approached his sister, who was still sitting silently, staring into the emptiness of the world.
Lian crouched down as he held his bow in front of Meilin's eyes. "Look, Meilin! Your big brother made a bow. I know the quality is bad compared to Brother's or Father's, but don't worry, Meilin. Even with a bow like this, your brother can still shoot a rabbit."
As before, Lian received no answer, only the blowing wind and the sound of a bird pecking at a tree—perhaps to build a comfortable home.
Lian then lifted his sister onto his back and began to walk slowly.
The sunlight slowly grew hotter as the wheel of time turned, as if reminding us that every second brings unavoidable change. The cool wind blew shyly, while the hot wind ran cheerfully greeting the empty spaces between the trees, carrying messages about the passion of life and the chaos of the universe. Everything moved; everything rose, fell, changed, and returned again. Such were the rules and regulations of nature.
The trees danced to nature's rhythm, swaying in a dance that had lasted long before humans were there to witness it. Leaves that had aged fell slowly to the ground, not as a sign of an end, but as a transformation toward a new beginning. They let go of their old forms, becoming compost that gave life to the soil, to the roots, to the shoots that would one day grow into new trees. A cycle without complaint, without refusal—a lesson in accepting, letting go, and giving back.
Amidst it all, nature whispered to hearts willing to listen that life is not a straight line, but an endless circle where every moment becomes part of eternity. Humans are like leaves slowly falling. Meetings between humans are like the collisions between these leaves, and when they touch, there is an impact. Sometimes those leaves whisper to each other in the name of "interest," "kinship," "friendship," "love," and "hatred." But in the end, they will fall, dropping toward destruction.
.....
Ten minutes later. Lian was still walking, his bare feet stepping on dry ground filled with yellow and black leaves. Throughout the journey, while observing nature, he kept remembering his life in the Land of Memories, full of beautiful moments.
Lian tried to forget it for a while, but could someone who had sworn to hunt the sheep that devoured his rose forget it easily? If that person were incredibly tough, maybe yes! But this was Lian. Lian, as he said himself, was stubborn and stupid. How could he forget such a thing, especially when seeing his younger sister, Meilin, still silent with that blank stare? And his older sister, Heliana, was held by those sheep—who knew what might happen to her? Lian didn't know. So, how could he possibly forget?
But luckily for Lian, he saw a group of rabbits about twenty steps away from him. There were about ten of them, eating a patch of thick grass. He could forget his memories for a moment.
Seeing this, Lian's hunting instinct boiled like magma in the core of a volcano. Lian carefully stepped back and lowered his sister under a tree. He then readied his bow, took an arrow from his back, nocked it onto the string, and pulled it slowly but steadily. He predicted the rabbits' movements for a moment, aiming at the largest one. Once ready, he closed his right eye and released his shot.
The wind blew hard, as if accompanying the arrow. In less than a second, the arrow was already embedded in the body of the largest rabbit, giving it no time to react before it collapsed to the ground. The group of rabbits scattered, hopping away without caring for the others; the only thought in their minds was probably to save themselves.
Lian quickly grabbed another arrow. He ran nimbly while readying it. Once at a suitable distance from the next target, Lian pulled the bowstring tight and released it.
The arrow flew at a crazy speed. Unfortunately, the rabbit he was hunting suddenly stopped and changed direction. Lian's arrow missed the target.
Tsk... Lian clicked his tongue. He took another arrow and aimed at the rabbit that had escaped earlier. He predicted its movements longer, walking slowly and silently approaching it. The rabbit had its back to Lian, unaware that a predator was watching it.
After calculating and feeling certain, Lian released his arrow powerfully. Once again, the arrow flew, accompanied by the sound of whistling birds, and pierced the rabbit's back, penetrating its body.
The rabbit was still at first, but a moment later, it collapsed to the ground. Blood flowed from its body, passing the arrow, before finally merging with the earth.
Lian quickly approached the rabbit after retrieving the arrow that had missed earlier. He lifted the rabbit by its long ears. He estimated its weight to be about seven pounds. Lian nodded, satisfied with his catch. He pulled the arrow from the rabbit's body and stored it again.
He approached his first rabbit, lifting it the same way. This one weighed about nine pounds, much heavier than the previous one.
After storing all his arrows, Lian tied the rabbits together using a rope made of hanging roots he had taken from a tree branch. Then, he went to his sister, who was still staring blankly into the void.
Lian crouched down to be at eye level with his sister. "Look, Meilin!" Lian held the rabbits in front of his sister's eyes. "Look, Brother got two big rabbits today! Aren't you happy? We can eat rabbit again. But don't expect it to taste as good as Mother's or Sister's cooking. Hahaha, even though your brother isn't good at cooking, I'm sure the taste might be close to Mother's or Sister's."
Lian shifted his gaze, then back to Meilin. "Hmm. You don't believe me? Alright, I'll prove my words. But before that, we need to find a river to clean these rabbits..."
Lian then lifted his sister onto his back and walked toward the nearest river. Although this was his first time taking this route, Lian estimated the river's flow based on where he used to bathe and from yesterday when Lin cleaned his game in the river. With that, Lian could estimate the river's flow.
The river where he used to bathe had a straight flow, but when he saw Lin cleaning game in the river yesterday, Lian realized that the river flow was the same as his bathing spot, but the river meandered, unlike the usual straight river flow.
Upon arriving at the river, Lian placed the branch with the hanging rabbits across two adjacent tree branches. He remembered how his brother had cleaned his game back then.
Lian sat by the riverbank with his sister Meilin, who was like a corpse. Lian then took the knife tied at his waist. He cut off the heads of both rabbits and threw them into the river. Blood from the cuts turned part of the river water red, carried away by the current.
After that, Lian hung the headless rabbits upside down from the spot he had prepared earlier. After waiting five to seven minutes, Lian took both rabbits down. A pool of dark blood had collected beneath them; Lian could faintly see his own reflection in that pool of blood.
He took the rabbits down, sat by the river, and readied his knife. With the sharp blade, Lian made a circular incision around the hind leg joints, then carefully skinned the pelt downward. He didn't throw away the detached skin but kept it, forming a natural "pouch" he could use to store the remaining rabbit meat. Lian then made a vertical incision along the belly, starting near the tail. He removed the intestines, liver, heart, and other organs. Edible organs like the heart and liver were set aside, while the others were thrown into the river.
Once finished, Lian washed the rabbit meat and the skins in the river. After everything was clean, Lian wiped the sweat from his forehead and said spiritedly, "Hah, time to cook."