On the same night.
Aponi, Vir, and Chief Viren gathered at the exact spot where the intense meeting had happened.
The same dancing fire burned before them, occasionally crackling, breaking the deafening silence of the night. Fortunately, the 4 sunstones on each corner brightly glowed; if not, the fire amidst them was not enough to illuminate the whole room.
Finally, after a long, grueling minute, Vir's husky voice resounded. "Are you sure about this arrangement, Aponi? You are still young; being married is too soon for you."
"I have already made up my mind." She said, her blue eyes filled with determination. "I want to be helpful, and this is the best for both Alfred and the tribe. What is there to think about?"
Vir sighed. His head ached from her stubbornness, which probably ran through the family. "You are a direct disciple of Shaman Catori. Your medical knowledge is second only to hers; that alone is a huge contribution to the tribe. Not to mention that, what about the best for you? Being helpful to the tribe is good and all, but our tribe will not want it if it means you will sacrifice everything."
The tan girl shook her head, making the feathers on her head sway side to side. "My freedom is a small sacrifice to pay if it means for the betterment of our people. Mother and sister would do the same if they were in my position."
"Why are you thinking about them? You have to do things for yourself, not copy what others might do." Vir argued, his tone rising a bit. "Are you still blaming yourself for what happened to them? How many times do we have to tell you? Their death is not your fault. What will they think if they see you beating yourself like this?"
"Please, brother!" Aponi burst out, her eyes reddening as did her face. "Please, let me do this. I know you care for me, and I love you for that. However, sometimes your overly protective nature is suffocating. I want to do this. I want to make their sacrifice meaningful."
The towering man prepared to rebut Aponi's words, but the silent Chieftain interrupted him, finally uttering his first words.
"That is enough, Vir. Although we knew it was not her fault, what could we do if she felt that way? Let her do what she thinks can help overcome the grief she is suffering. She is young, yes, but she is old enough to choose the path she wants to take. All we can do is support and make sure she does not stray from it."
###
Early in the morning.
Alfred's eyes abruptly opened, excited to face the new day.
Today, he had one goal in mind: to go to Elder Ahote's tent and discuss how to craft a Spirit Container.
A smile cracked on his face, thinking one of his goals was within his grasp. Who would have thought the day would arrive so soon? He even had contingencies to ensure a position to become a crafter, but it appeared all that was for naught. Not that he was complaining.
Impatiently, he grabbed the prosthetic beside his bed and quickly equipped it, readying himself to travel.
Fortunately, he didn't need permission to go out anymore as the Elders informed his guard that he could leave his tent whenever he wanted. Of course, someone had to watch his every movement, which for him was a very good deal.
However, before he could even stand and begin the day, something had already been in his way.
A cry.
A clear reminder of his ongoing project.
'I always forget about them.'
His enthusiasm died down. He had to make them stop, or their cry might attract unwanted attention. Luckily, his tent's location was far from the people's activities, and the guard outside was aware of what was going on; thus, he had some leeway to do things without getting caught.
Nevertheless, he couldn't let them whimper all day, as the risk would skyrocket as time ticked by.
"I wonder if Aponi has managed to get milk. I hope she does because these cubs need to eat soon."
As if the God, or more suitable words for his situation, the Guardian Tree heard his plea and answered it with astonishing timing.
A blue-eyed girl entered his tent, and in her hands were two waterskins.
"Alfred… I got the milk… and went here as soon as I could." Aponi said, panting every few words. "Are the monsters crying?"
He smiled in bewilderment.
Scratching his head, Alfred invited the out-of-breath girl. "Come inside and see for yourself. You know you don't have to run, right? It's not like we're going anywhere."
"Still… I do not want to make… those younglings wait any longer." The tan girl difficultly countered as she sauntered closer and then sat on one of the circular chairs. She steadied herself for a few seconds and continued. "Anyway, how should we feed this to them? Do we directly pour this milk into their mouths?"
Alfred shook his head, grabbed the three white cubs, and placed them between him and Aponi.
"That's one way of doing it, but I don't think that's efficient. Wait here, let me grab something." Alfred crawled on the dirt, not wanting to waste his time standing up. Soon, he reached one of the baskets in the corner of his abode, took the wooden bowl inside it, and returned to the tan girl.
"Here," he said while putting the bowl down. "Pour the milk inside and let the little ones drink from it."
Aponi slightly tilted her head and asked. "They can do that? I thought they would need someone to feed them. They are smarter than I anticipated."
Alfred chuckled and explained. "Of course, they aren't that smart. At first, they won't know what to do, even if the food they're strongly seeking is right in front of them. Worst, they could even drown in the milk if left unattended. That is why it is important to teach these younglings as soon as possible so they don't accidentally kill themselves."
"Teach?" The blue-eyed girl added a frown to her tilted head. "You saying these monsters can be taught? But they are monsters, how is that possible?"
"Well, we won't find out if we don't try," Alfred confidently declared, wanting to sound knowledgeable.
"I guess if you say so." Aponi finally uncorked the water skin and poured the milk into the bowl.
The three White Lions wept louder; perhaps they knew there was food nearby.
Alfred and Aponi watched the monsters slowly navigate themselves toward the milk. Crawling here and there, occasionally sticking their noses, tracking the scent in the air. Finally, after a few numbers of cute tumbling and bumping into each other, they had successfully located their target.
Predicting that the wooden bowl would turn over, Alfred held it still, preventing the little cubs from spilling the precious milk.
Soon after, the trio placed their faces inside the white liquid, only to immediately take them back, soaking their white furs in the process. Not knowing what to do, the White Lions climbed the bowl and swam inside.
Aponi instinctively extended her hands, her desire to help overwhelming her common sense. Yet she halted in the last second, hesitating on what to do.
Seeing that she was having a hard time making a decision, Alfred grabbed the small furry balls and placed them back near the wooden bowl.
This activity was repeated several times, and the hesitating girl finally grabbed one of the monsters and copied what he had been doing.
This warmed his heart, not only because he knew the success of his project had increased, but also because he had done something for the girl who had been helping him from the moment of his arrival. Although he acknowledged that his action here was nothing compared to what the girl did for him, he felt a bit some of the baggage in his heart lift off.
Yet, even with the heartwarming situation, his attention couldn't help but move back to what transpired before him. Witnessing the repeating action of the little cats, Alfred couldn't help but sigh. His patience was on the brink of exhaustion.
However, before he could fully give up, a surprised expression bloomed on his face. It seemed the White Lions had finally managed to learn what they had to do to drink while preventing themselves from drowning.
They began to use their tongues, scooping the milk and bringing it back to their maws. The cries they emitted changed to joy, appearing the white liquid suited their taste buds.
He glanced towards the tan girl, wanting to see her reaction. She was smiling widely, lovestruck by the cuteness of something she was supposed to fear.
Then an idea hit him.
"Aponi, can you do me a favor? Can you watch them over for a while? Elder Ahote is currently waiting for me, and I'm afraid I am already running late. I promise I will come back as fast as I can."
Aponi furrowed her eyebrows, contemplating what to do. "I do not know if I am the right person for this."
Alfred grabbed his supporting stick and shakingly stood up. "You are the best person for this. Think about it, if any other tribesmen are to take care of them, how much chaos do you think will happen? I know I am asking for too much, but the thing Elder Ahote and I have to create is very important. I can even say it will affect the future of the tribe."
Aponi looked at the cubs and then returned them to Alfred. She repeated it several times before finally uttering her answer. "I guess I can watch them for a bit, but I, too, need to go to Shaman Catori for my medical training soon."
"Okay, thank you, I will be back!" He excitedly waved his hands while walking out of his tent.
A moment later, Alfred casually sauntered into the tribe, following Aponi's footsteps in his memory. Behind him was a man holding a stone spear with a stone-like expression.
He had tried making a conversation, but it appeared his guard had no interest in talking to him, which, for him, was a waste, as he could gather a lot of information about the tribe.
As he scanned the surrounding area, he couldn't say how big the tribe was or how many people lived within. If he could make a hazard guess, he would say around fifty or so. Regardless, he still had no clue if the tribe could be considered small or big, as he didn't know any other tribe to compare it with.
While maintaining his scrutinizing activity, a familiar voice pulled him back to reality.
"Why the hell is an outsider like you walking around like you own the place?"