1) You can level up your relationships with Robin, Willow, Dusk, and Ridge by giving them gifts from off the ground if you find any. You can also try hunting by sneaking out of camp at night (watch out for the hawks, though!) Apart from that, not much. It goes pretty quickly if you turn on fast-forward mode though
2) Drowning in the river, starvation, getting taken by a hawk as a kit, being poisoned, being killed in a fight, and freezing to death