Merlin squatted by the river, watching the fish drift through the water.
For a moment he felt as if he could simply reach in and grab one with his bare hands.
But the fish didn't even allow his shadow near them.
That idea died quickly.
He glanced to the side where the container he had made earlier rested on the ground. Before lining it with leaves it had looked something like a rough square basket.
An idea surfaced in his mind.
Merlin began gathering sticks of similar length. When he had enough, he trimmed their loose ends with his dagger until they were roughly even.
Then he started tying them together.
One stick across another. Then another. Slowly forming small squares. The work wasn't neat, but it didn't need to be.
It only needed to work.
After a while he leaned back slightly, examining what he had made.
A rectangular basket.
The gaps between the sticks were wide enough for water to pass through easily, but narrow enough to keep a fish from slipping out.
Merlin stood and returned to the river.
He stepped into the water and faced upstream, letting the current push gently against his legs.
The basket hung loosely in his hands as he watched the fish moving through the flowing water. His eyes settled on a fish swimming towards his direction with the flow of the current.
This was his chance.
The fish drifted closer, its body swaying gently with the pull of the current.
Merlin tightened his grip on the basket.
As soon as it entered his reach, he thrust the basket through.
Water splashed around his hands.
The fish shot away instantly, disappearing into the shifting reflections of the river.
Merlin remained still for a moment, the basket pressed against the riverbed.
Too fast, he thought.
He lifted it slowly, watching the empty space where the fish had been. The sudden movement must have disturbed the water before the basket even touched the surface.
Of course it fled. he thought, annoyed at himself.
Merlin exhaled quietly.
He stepped back slightly and steadied himself again, letting the current settle around his legs. The river smoothed itself out as if nothing had happened.
He waited.
Soon enough, the fish returned, drifting lazily against the flow.
This time Merlin didn't move immediately.
He lowered the basket slowly into the water, letting the current pass through the gaps in the sticks so it wouldn't disturb the surface.
As another fish drifted closer Merlin's heart pounded. His body felt light. Too light.
Closer.
Merlin watched carefully not letting his shaky hands throw him off.
Then he pushed the basket through in a single smooth motion.
Mud puffed up from the riverbed as the basket slid against the bottom.
For a moment he wasn't sure if he had caught anything.
Then as he pulled it up something flickered inside.
A silver body slapped against the sticks.
Merlin blinked.
The fish thrashed wildly inside the basket as water drained through the gaps.
He lifted it quickly and stepped toward the shore before it could slip away.
The fish was visible now, flopping desperately.
Merlin lifted it up to his face and stared at it for a moment.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
It actually worked. He looked back at the river and all the fish swimming freely with the current.
He was about to compromise that freedom.
Merlin placed the fish inside the container he had made earlier.
Then he turned back toward the river.
A loud flopping sound pulled his attention back.
The fish was still struggling.
Better to kill it now, he thought.
He pulled the dagger from his coat and carried the container back to the hollow.
Without wasting time, he took the fish out and placed it on a broad leaf. The blade flashed once.
The head separated cleanly.
Just like before, Merlin poured the blood into a small hole in the ground and buried it along with the severed head.
When he finished, he dropped the cleaned body back into the container and returned to the river.
Only later would he realize what he had done.
He had killed the fish without hesitation.
Without even thinking.
Was it because it was only a fish?
Or because he was beginning to grow used to it?
Merlin didn't know.
But the truth remained.
He had just taken a life without a second thought.
After a while of fishing, Merlin had caught nearly a dozen fish.
They lay inside the container, already slaughtered.
He glanced toward the place where his fire had once burned.
Starting it again would take effort — gathering dry leaves, striking stone for sparks, feeding the flame slowly so it wouldn't die.
Merlin stared at the pile of fish for a moment.
He didn't feel like doing it.
Not now.
Instead, he sat down and began cutting the fish into thinner strips, carefully removing the bones with the tip of his dagger.
The flesh was softer than the rabbit meat had been. His blade moved slower, more carefully this time.
When he finished the first few pieces, he carried them down to the river.
Just like before, he tied the strips together and lowered them into the flowing water to preserve them.
The cold current carried around them gently.
But fish flesh was far softer than rabbit meat.
The moment he released the first bundle, the thin strips tore apart.
Several pieces slipped free and drifted away with the current.
Merlin instinctively reached forward, but it was already too late.
The river swallowed them without resistance.
For a brief moment he felt a sharp stab of regret.
Then he glanced back at the container behind him.
There were still many fish left.
The regret faded.
Merlin's stomach rumbled... he felt a bit peckish. But even as there was no need to eat at the moment, was there any need not to? Merlin asked himself. he had ready cooked meat along with about half a dozen fruits. He also had a means of getting more food. With all this combined, Merlin knew he wasn't going to starve... At least not anytime soon.