Hey thanks for the great feedback, its always so interesting to read in depth responds!!
To your first question, no. The main goal is to reach the cave and getting told the story.
There may not be a possibility where you reach the cave before day 9.
All medical themed items let you regain stamina. All clothing is for warmth. Sorry that it was confusing!
I think we will keep it secret for now what exactly we had in mind when it comes to the story, but we love to read your ideas!
And to your last question: Maybe around 2 months of on and off work. It could have been faster but we wanted to polish it and wait for more ideas to come to mind. Sometimes theres still stuff you want to take care of after you published the game but then not every player would have the same experience. We are definitely really happy that we took the time we needed and did not rush :)
Thanks for your interest!