One raft drifting human comes across a new island and is far from able to explore it. Panting and starving, with his raft sinking, he drags himself along and comes across new faces he has never seen before. What lies in store for this unfortunate hu...
The next day, I was being taught by Sevlar about fishing. He handed me a sharp wooden spear and pointed towards the large pool of fish. I stood near it and began to think back on how I'd fished for food as my raft sailed along the cruel and unforgiving waves. I'd even managed to kill several sharks that would attack my raft on occasion, using their meat for well needed cooking and sustenance. The things I learned during my travels on the water really helped me survive a rough few nights when there were no islands around for me to harvest any food on. Sevlar placed a hand on my shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Remember one thing, never aim for where the fish is, try and find where you think it'll be. I've learned from experience that when you see the fish from above water, it's not really there. You just gotta think of where it may be next and thrust your spear there. And remember, drive it deep into the fish and angle the spear up towards the surface of the water so there's less of a chance of it escaping." he explained. I took a deep breath and thrust my spear into the water, using what he had just taught me. I pulled my spear up and my eyes widened. I had THREE fish on my spear instead of just one. Sevlar was surprised too. And the fish were pretty large.
"My goodness...three large fish with one thrust of the spear." Sevlar said after a while. He took each of the fish off my spear, stringing them up on a nearby food rack that we used for our catches, before he handed me a net.
"Use this to catch smaller fish or other food that you may find. Crabs, mussels and shrimp also live here." he explained before making a sweeping motion. I carefully followed his movement with the net and I picked up several small fish, a few crabs, a large lobster and several prawns. Sevlar seemed impressed with my catch and helped me pick the fish and seafood out of the net, tying the claws of the crabs and lobster together and helping me put the fish on the food rack before we made our way back to the village. Along the way, I was stopped by a few younger members who seemed eager to see me.
"Sir, sir is it true you are in love with Sevlar? Is he good looking? What's the tent look like inside?" they asked me and I held up a hand.
"Easy kids, he's right there." I said as I motioned to Sevlar who was blushing a little.
"Go play some games, me and Ethan need to bring the food back for dinner." he said and the kids ran off to play in the nearby trees. I could not wait to eat some of the crab, man those were HUGE! We soon arrived at the centre of the village and began sorting out what we had caught, from biggest to smallest. The kids came back when the food began to cook. I sighed as the delicious smell of crab cooking began to enter my nose. After a while, the food was ready and the entire village sat eating the seafood me and Sevlar had brought, along with a few berries and other assorted fruits that were in bushes nearby. Darya and a few others had also brought a lot of other food, namely some dead wild animals. A large boar was currently cooking on a fire, with people cutting slabs of meat from the dead animal and bringing them to us. It was one heck of a feast. The crab meat was incredible, especially with some of the spices that a few members had made by crushing plants and herbs in a small bowl. After we had eaten, Sevlar gently took my hand and led me somewhere where a few of the tribe members were setting up instruments and preparing paint from flowers.
"After each feast we have every week, we have a dance and tribal song to celebrate our bonds in the tribe. I know you may think of this as a village but we are mainly a tribe. We are all connected, especially you and me." he explained as he kissed my forehead. I stepped forward and one of the painters applied some of the paint to me. She gently painted some black shapes over my eyes.
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She then took some more black paint and added it along my torso and shoulders, adding a few lines along my arms too
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A while later, the celebration was in full effect. Torches lit the area, drums were heard and the tribe was in song as many members danced and acted out stories.
I sat on a log with Sevlar, his arm around me, as we watched and listened to the celebration. Just then, a young corsac fox with a scar over his left eye came over to me.
"Excuse me Sevlar, sir. But would Ethan care to sing a song of his people? We would love to hear what he can come up with. A human's song has never been heard, and it would honour the tribe to hear what their newest member can sing." he asked. Sevlar looked at me with a smile.
"If he wishes to." he said. I nodded and stood up, heading to the centre. The tribe all looked over to me as I stepped closer to the roaring fire. I took a deep breath and began to sing as the tribe drums began to accompany my song.
As I sang, I began making various arm movements, waving them around as if adding power to my song. After I had finished my song, the tribe erupted into various howls. I looked over to see Sevlar howling and joined in with my own howl. After a while I sat back next to Sevlar.
"Your song was very powerful. Sung from the heart. You are strong Ethan. Keep this strength. The tribe will always protect you, and you must do the same for them." he said. I smiled and leaned on his strong shoulder, holding his paw.
"I will protect this tribe until the day I pass." I said, looking over as the younger members of the tribe scurried around. Others were roasting meat over the fire. I saw a few females giving me a flirtatious look and I could swear that I'd be blushing if the face paint wasn't hiding it. Eventually, the celebrations slowly wound down. I looked and saw the tribe were taking places to rest around the fire. I looked over to Sevlar.
"Uhh...shouldn't we head back to the huts?" I asked him but he smiled and shook his head.
"No, Ethan. For our celebrations, we lay on the ground to rest. It is our way of knowing that a place to rest comfortably is not always possible when we hunt. So we learn to rest anywhere we can." he said as he laid down on the log we were sitting on. I laid my head on his chest, snuggling up to him as my eyes drooped. I felt Sevlar's hand on my body, holding me close. I smiled as he kissed my forehead and we began to fall into a deep slumber, accompanied by the warmth of the fire, the other tribe members, and each other.
