Using long wooden sticks, Manu was building a structure for a tent. He will be staying with Kat in that tent outside the tribe area. Unlike my colonists' first shelter, the structure is shaped like a cone, this time instead of a triangular prism.
Not far away, Kat is trying out her new bow that Manu just bought at the merchant. I could have asked Manu to make it himself. However, it will take time. He had to find materials, also make the bowstring and a quiver. Even though that night they had to be ready if there was an attack.
"Woof! Woof!" Rox, whose neck was tied to a tree, barked.
Kat stopped what she was doing and crouched down in front of the dog. While rubbing her pet's back, the girl said, "Sorry, Boy. They don't allow you to be released. When you get home, we'll play again."
Rox looked sadly at its master, then crouched down while letting out a groan-like sound.
Kat couldn't help but sigh. I totally understand her feelings. She felt sorry for that animal after being separated from her for a long time.
"How is it going?" Tosa came carrying a leather sheet made of many pieces of leather patched together to make it bigger and two sleeping bags. Meanwhile, Jane carried a sack behind the man. "We brought tent covers, sleeping bags and food."
"Just a little more I'll be done. Thank you very much." Manu smiled at Tosa, who put the things on the ground, then looked at Jane. "Aren't women not allowed to leave the tribe area, Jane?"
Jane placed the sack she was carrying near the tent structure, then sighed. "I only have half a day outside. Since I was appointed to take care of you, I have that privilege."
"Ridicoulus, right? Our leader is too paranoid. He's worried about the women getting hurt on the outside because they are the ones who will bear offspring." Tosa laughed.
"He thought we were only there for the means of making children." Jane crouched down in front of Rox, who sat down immediately, but showed no aggression at all. Even as the woman rubbed its head, the dog did not fight back or dodge. "Ah, I want to see my pets again."
"You have pets?" Surprisingly, Kat asked. "Do you mean livestock and the ones for transportation?
"We used to be free to keep any animal. However, an incident a few months ago changed everything. A young, inexperienced tamer brought a stray dog into the tribe. The dog was very aggressive and difficult to control…. It hasn't hurt anyone yet, really. However, our leader was frightened and decided to make a rule to ban any pet." As time went on, Jane's voice sounded like a growl, and veins began to bulge in her neck. "My three dogs, my two cats, and my eagle, all butchered."
Nobody spoke anymore. I got goosebumps hearing that. How would it feel if the animals you care for every day were simply killed? Seriously, this tribe is really fucked up. Should I help Tosa to make a rebellion against Suja's leadership? The old man was really cruel to his own people with his rules.
Wait, maybe it was the guardian spirit tribe that made the rules, not Suja?
"If your tribe becomes like this, what do you do?" Tosa asked while helping Manu attach the large sheet of leather to the tent structure.
"You don't need to help me. You have to hunt to meet the quota, right?" Manu replies.
Tosa chuckled a little. "I got the day off to help you guys. That's why I'm very grateful to you two."
"I see." Instead of answering Tosa's question, Manu stayed silent. He chose to continue his work.
"You can't answer my question, huh?" Tosa chuckled again.
"Honestly, I don't know." Manu sighs.
I know why Manu chose silence. He knew he might do something terrible if his leader made his life miserable.
He is the retaliator, after all.
"Kat, did you know that the traits of the animals here are sometimes different from their counterparts on earth?" Jane eased her pats over Rox's body as the dog drifted off to sleep. "The chickens here are way too aggressive. If they're bothered even a little bit, the pack will chase us to the grave."
"When hunting, taking their eggs or taming them, look for the white ones, not the dark ones." Tosa chuckled a third time.
Ok. Noted.
"Maybe that's what our tribe needs to have." Jane got up, looked at Manu and Kat. "They need aggression to fight like those chickens."
"And to stir up that aggression, we need a means." Tosa added. "I guess, your salt cave is suitable...."
"You want to make martyrs, don't you?" Manu smiles broadly at Tosa. "I already figured it out. I'm so sorry, I can't do it. I won't tell your leader the location of the cave. It's a matter of life. I don't want to take part in people's deaths."
Tosa stopped his activity then approached Manu. The bearded man also stopped working. And then, the two of them stared at each other with such a close distance, only about thirty centimeters.
"Hey, I can arrange for you to learn to make bricks and fireplaces without anyone knowing." Tosa hissed.
Manu shook his head. "At the risk of being thrown into that stinky prison? No, thanks."
"Hey...."
"No." Manu says with a firm tone.
Tosa snorted. "That's it. I'll stop pretending to be a good person."
The man kicked one part of my colonist's tent structure until it broke, then walked away without saying goodbye.
What a dick.
"Meet us if you change your mind." Jane smiled widely, then followed Tosa away from there.
Even though I was annoyed with Tosa's behavior, I whispered to Manu not to do anything. The bearded man just sighed and started to remove the broken part of the structure.
Hopefully, the retaliator trait doesn't get triggered while we're here.
I was about to press the fast-forward button, but I saw someone in the distance that caught my attention. Sena seemed to be waving at me.
So, I come to the braid-haired boy. "What do you want, kid?"
"I want to show you something, somewhere." The little boy spoke while giggling.
"Showing something? Somewhere?" I tilted my head. "What is it? Where?"
"We're going to my tribe's grave."
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