The rain came without warning, catching everyone off guard. The shamans, who had been standing at the center of the gathering, were caught in the downpour, unable to take cover, their stone pots of divine flames were extinguished.
The Beast Men, who had been celebrating with such fervour, now looked on in concern. The divine flames were a sacred symbol of the tribes' connection to the beast god, and it was rumoured that if the fire burned out, it could mean that the beast god was angry.
As the people ran for cover, the sound of laughter and music gave way to murmurs of worry and concern. Some wondered if the sudden rain was a sign of the beast god's displeasure. Others speculated about the union of Ethan and Isabelle, questioning whether it was truly blessed.
The Beast Men couldn't help but wonder if merging the tribes was the right decision. Had they acted too hastily? Had they considered all the potential consequences? The sudden extinguishing of the divine flames seemed to cast a shadow over the celebration, leaving everyone wondering what the future held.
As the rain continued to fall, the people of the Emberlight Tribe huddled together, seeking shelter and comfort in their caves. The shamans, meanwhile, started planning on how they would travel to the beast city to rekindle the divine flames, knowing that the fate of the tribe might depend on it.
(back at the tree tribe)
The days slowly passed, with Emily and her mates doing their respective jobs. Amon, however, was a frequent visitor to Ava's dwelling, bringing with him baskets full of fruits, eggs, and meat. He claimed that his sister, Oma, had asked him to bring these gifts, but George and Kael were suspicious of Amon's intentions. They suspected that he might have developed feelings for Ava, and they were determined to keep him away from her.
Oma, on the other hand, was always advising Ava to pick more mates. "Two mates aren't enough to protect you, Ava," she would say. "You need more strong men by your side." And then she would whisper, "I know a beastman who secretly admires you. If you're ready, I can introduce you to him."
There were days when Oma would invite Ava to explore the forest in search of herbs for fun. Ava would convince her mates to continue their tasks, which included hunting, supervising the bird farm, and distributing eggs among the tribe people. The egg distribution was a joyful event, as every week, the females and males with cubs would receive their share of eggs. The tribe now had two sources of food streams: one from hunting and the other from rearing birds.
Ava had accepted the task of searching for herbs because she wanted to find spices and other types of herbs for cooking. She also wanted to find nuts or anything she could use to make vegetable oil, as she felt that sooner or later they had to find a way to replace the animal fat tallow that was currently being used as oil. The animal oil was made by rendering the fat of hunted animals, boiling it down to create a usable oil for cooking and other purposes.
But halfway through their quest, Oma would often leave with her two mates, leaving Ava and Amon alone. Sometimes, she would suggest that they split up and search, and of course, Ava would always be paired with Amon.
Today was one such day. Ava and Amon were walking through the forest, searching for a rare herb. As they walked, Amon began to tell Ava a story about his childhood friend, Aden.
"I used to play with him at the foot of the mountain," Amon said, a faraway look in his eyes. "We had a secret base where we would usually go to hide away from prying eyes. It was a beautiful place, an underground cave with a small entrance that may no longer be able to fit me. The cave had a lot of glowing and smooth rocks which were nice to look at, but this small entrance also made it easy to hide."
Ava listened intently, her curiosity piqued. "What happened to Aden?" she asked.
Amon's expression turned somber. "He died one day when he went out on his first hunt for a slightly bigger prey. He was stomped to death by the mother of his prey." Amon paused, collecting his thoughts. "This secret place will always remind me of Aden. Would you like to see it?" he asked Ava, his eyes sparkling with a mix of sadness and nostalgia.
Ava hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should agree. But there was something about him that made her feel at ease. Maybe it was the way he smiled, or the way he looked at her with kindness in his eyes.
"I'd love to see it," she said finally, and Amon's face lit up with a smile.
"Great!" he exclaimed. "I'll take you there sometime. It's not far from here."
Looking up at the sun, Ava realized it was already high in the sky, which meant it was time to prepare lunch. As if on cue, her stomach made a loud noise, which Amon heard, and Ava laughed in embarrassment.
The next two days, Ava was eager to explore the forest again. George complained about Ava not wanting him to accompany her, but Ava reminded him that it was his turn to go with the beastmen group hunting and that he had to go. She kissed his lips and wished him good luck. It didn't take long for Kael to sneak up behind her and wrap his cold arms around her waist. He lifted Ava up, making her butt sit on one of his palms, and kissed her, saying, "You forgot me." Ava blushed again. Soon, Oma's voice was heard from afar, and Ava jumped down from Kael's palm. She bid the two farewell as she ran towards Oma, who was standing beside Amon.
Ava was excited, not because she remembered the secret place Amon promised to take her to, but because she couldn't help but wonder what she would discover in the wild. During her previous excursions, she had discovered a purple-like root the size of her hands with greenish-purple leaves, which turned out to be ginger when she sniffed it. She had also found a plant with plump fruits resembling red tomatoes, except that these tomatoes had soft, flexible spikes. After carefully removing the spikes, she found that the fruit inside looked like habanero pepper, with a red pithy area surrounded by seeds. Noting that some birds and insects seemed to eat this fruit, Ava had decided to try it, but Amon had caught one of her hands had stopped her, warning her that the fruit was not edible and could cause skin irritation. Despite this, Ava had eaten a bit of the fruit and exclaimed, "Hot, hot!! This is actually pepper."
Amon had later told her that the ginger and hairy pepper were used as herbs by the shaman. Ava then proceeded to loot all the peppers, and gingers in that area. So for the past two day she had been eating a good meal and even introduced the use to her friends Oma and Lily, She planned to plant some of them behind her home, as it would be hard to find them once everyone knew their uses.
Today, Ava was naturally excited, and she and Amon had already separated from Oma. As they walked through the forest, Ava spotted a strange-looking yellow bulb of a plant, which turned out to be an onion. It was the size of three fists and had seeds inside. Ava carefully bagged her new find in a basket, and by now, Amon's basket was almost half full.
After gathering the onions, Amon turned to Ava and said, "Follow me." Ava nodded, curiosity piqued, and trailed behind Amon as he led her deeper into the forest. The trees grew taller and the underbrush thicker, making it difficult to navigate. Ava had to push aside branches and fight her way through thorny vines, but Amon seemed to know the path well, moving with ease.
As they walked, the forest grew denser, and Ava began to lose track of their direction. She had no idea where they were going, but she trusted Amon to lead her safely. Suddenly, Amon stopped in front of a massive boulder, covered in thickets of vines. He pushed aside the vines and rolled the boulder away, revealing a small entrance to a hidden cave.
Ava's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the entrance. She hadn't even noticed they were there, and she had no idea why Amon had brought her to this spot. The entrance was narrow, but as Amon stepped inside, Ava followed him, her heart racing with excitement.
As they entered the cave, Ava looked around in awe. The cave was larger than she had expected, with a high ceiling and a few smooth rocks that glowed softly in the dim light. Amon smiled, seeming to enjoy her reaction.
"This is it," he said, his voice low and husky. "This is the secret place I told you about. My childhood friend Aden and I used to come here all the time."
Ava's eyes adjusted to the dim light, and she saw that the cave was filled with strange rock formations and glittering minerals. She reached out to touch one of the rocks, and Amon caught her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers.
"Be careful," he said. "Some of the rocks can be sharp."
Ava nodded, feeling a spark of electricity as Amon's hand touched hers. She looked up at him, and their eyes met, the air thick with tension. For a moment, they just stood there, the only sound the quiet dripping of water somewhere in the cave. Then Amon smiled and led her deeper into the cave, his hand still holding hers.