Lee Long ran to the edge of the forest and stopped. The little hunter scratched his nose and snorted, "I hadn't thought of that. What am I supposed to do? I can't show everyone my mysterious inventory skill. No one will believe in the magic of humans who can suddenly realize a large item out of nothing! Ugh."
The boy smiled and retrieved the body of the shila from his inventory. He found a solution.
Lee Long hurried to the parking lot of the flyer. The apparatus quickly took him to the trophy. Lee Carefully landed the flyer close to the body of the snake. He climbed down from his seat and bent over the thick torso of the shila. He exhaled, crouched down, and slipped his hands under the snake's body. He managed to lift the middle of the body and took a half step forward with difficulty. Part of the torso ended up on the back of the seat. Lee quickly sat up on the flyer and lifted himself off the ground. He was pleased to see that the entire body of the shila was up in the air. Now the trophy could be delivered to the Mraun hut!
At low speed, the flyer flew toward the settlement. The little hunter managed to make a decent impression on the inhabitants. First, the little kittens spotted him and raised a commotion.
"What's that flying over there?"
"Fool, it's a flyer. A very strange flyer."
"A regular flyer. A hunter returns with his prey. It's a shila. A big shila!"
"And who is this hunter?"
"We've got to run and see!"
Lee Long landed at the old cat's hut. Mraun was sitting in his usual spot, drinking milk. He wasn't the least bit concerned about the kitten's return from the hunt. Routine business. The little kitten had grown into a good hunter.
"You tricked me! This older snake's meat will be unpalatable and tough as a rock! You got all the benefits: great pelt and tough fangs and bones. I only got a great fight!"
The silly kitten's shouting and indignation didn't bother the old cat. The boy doesn't know how to behave with restraint and solidity. With age, he would learn some decent behavior. Mraun set the cup on the ground and got up from the mat. The old hunter walked over to the flyer and with one tug released the seat from the shila's torso. A satisfied smile spread across Mraun's muzzle and he muttered,
"Get that flying wreck out of my house. It stinks of metal and plastic."
Lee Long didn't argue, he got behind the wheel and softly objected,
"It's not a wreck. It's a reliable flyer. And it doesn't stink. Your mat stinks."
The boy quickly took off and went away to put the flyer in the park. When he returned, the kittens parted before him. Lee walked over to the body and saw that the old man had already begun carving up his prey. He was talking softly about how to skin the hide properly. The kittens stood nearby and listened intently to the helpful words. All knew how to take off the skins of snakes. But it was a useful thing to listen to the master's low-key lesson one more time.
The first grown Ferin adults approached the group. They asked the old hunter for permission and began to help in the cutting of the prey. Lee Long stood with a proud look and enjoyed the recognition and attention. Old Mraun called the lucky hunter's name a couple of times. The old man separately praised the precise stabbing that didn't ruin the hide. His praise sounded familiar,
"That crooked-armed kitty managed to land a couple of good blows. He got lucky again. He's got luck."
"But he doesn't have a tail!" A few of the kitties picked up the old joke in a friendly voice.
Lee remained silent and paid no attention to such old jokes. Humans had no fur, so they could be called bald worms without tails. At best, a human was worthy of the nickname Bald Monkey. It means that this person is not a total loser.
Next to old Mraun's hut, the old cats made a big fire. On this fire, several of the hosts began to roast pieces of meat and treat the inhabitants of the settlement. The Ferins had their understanding of the tastiness and healthfulness of the food. The meat of the old snake did not seem tough for the cats' teeth. Lee Long had already received the invitation and for the first time began to tell the story of his hunt.
It was a real ceremony. The boy sat down on a special mat and began the story. It was a long story of how one-day old Mraun confided the news to the little hunter. Old Shila lives in the woods!
The hunter described pictures of the forest and his knowledge of hunting customs. He described in detail the spear he found on the trail. During the description of the fight with the shila, Lee jumped up from his seat and showed how he struck. He would jump and do acrobatic tricks. This was his special skill! He knew how to lie beautifully and convincingly and embellish his victories on the hunting trail! This was a mandatory part of the ceremony. There would be plenty of opportunities to recall history and argue about the amount of truth and lies.
Lee Long showed his saboteur's knife and most of the cats snarled with sneers and disdain for human weapons. But when the boy pulled out the bone knife all the listeners showed curiosity and the knife went to their hands. The cats evaluated the knife and expressed their opinion of it.
The little hunter finished his story and ate a piece of fresh roast meat with pleasure. He drank a cup of milk. Now he was ready to continue the program.
A proper ceremony cannot do without a duel.
The hunter was challenged by his old rival. It was a noxious kitten. He often fought with the boy. His name was Clean Nose. He was a great hunter and he had a great sniffer. Lee and Clean Nose were always figuring out who was the tougher hunter. Clean Nose had a big advantage over the boy. The kitten went hunting every day. Lee Long couldn't give all the time to the way of life of the ferin.
The kitten's loud voice rang with an expression of contempt and condescension,
"A bald monkey found the body of an old shila in the forest. The old snake died this morning. The bald monkey had great luck. He managed not to get lost in our woods and wasn't afraid to stab the scary dead snake. Lee Long you are so lucky and brave!"
Everyone around him laughed out loud. Clean Nose found beautiful and convincing words for the accusation. Of course, everyone understood that the kitten was talking nonsense. But it was competent and pleasing to the ears stupidity. Beautifully insulting an opponent is also a worthy skill.
Lee Long squeezed his eyes shut with pleasure. How he had missed it! An excellent opponent, an old rival. He has a good imagination and a sassy tongue. He has strong paws and a tail. The boy looked at the kitten and saw the anticipation of a good fight in his eyes. Lee did not upset his long-time abuser and got to his feet.
"You showed your bravery. Let's test my luck," the boy invited the kitten to begin the duel.
Clean Nose got up and went out to meet the boy.
He jumped quickly and struck with two paws and a tail. Lee was attentive and waited for the attack to begin. He jumped toward the kitten and took the blows on a hard block with his hands. No one paid attention to the pain. The boy kicked his knees, the kitten headbutted the boy's face. They fell to the ground and broke contact. Then each pounced on his opponent. This time Clean Nose kicked and Lee dodged with difficulty. He got hit with one leg. The boy got his revenge well on the kitten. Lee delivered swift blows to his opponent's side. The fur could not soften the force of his fists. The kitten barked and spun on the spot. Its tail whipped the boy's head. At that time, Lee's foot struck a very hard blow to his opponent's body. Clean Nose flew off and fell to the ground. He was able to get up and wanted to continue the fight. The calm voice of the tribal elder stopped the fight,
"You are finished. Lee, you were in the capital and took part in the youth competition, weren't you?"
The boy threw a few healings at the kitten and completely repaired his well-being. The cats snarled; they knew at once that the little healer had helped his rival. The little duelist stood there in doubt. He could not decide on an important question. Clean Nose had drunk quite a bit of blood out of Lee. The kitten was constantly being rude and picking fights. He often hit Black Star! The boy made the final decision,
[You have won the duel. Choose your reward: 100 experience points, 1 point of characteristics.]
The little duelist picked a point of characteristics and stole some of the powers from Clear Nose. Now the sassy little punk would be less likely to show his disrespect.
Lee nodded to the kitten and admitted honestly,
"Clean Nose, you're a good fighter. Yes, I won a competition in the capital. One of the branches of the Middle District held a competition for the young. Clean Nose. you're well worthy of fighting a championship contender. His name is Three Paws in the Milk. Tough opponent. I've seen his fights. But I couldn't fight him. I fought with a champion."
Some of the cats nodded respectfully. The Ferin enjoyed all the comforts of civilized living. Every home had a connection to the capital network. Sports programs were a great success. The human boy's victory had its resonance. Videos of his fights were posted on the capital's network and perhaps even on a couple of sites in Galanet.
No one else challenged the boy. The tribe listened to his story again and remembered other beautiful hunts.
The big fire was burning and it wasn't immediately apparent that evening had come to the planet. The sun began to dip below the horizon. Lee Long said goodbye and began to pack for his flight home. The old cat brought him a large piece of meat. The cats had time to rub the meat with special herbs and ground grains and spices. Lee smiled at this wicked little joke. Maria would raise a shout again. Not many humans liked ferin spices. Nick and Lee enjoyed consuming the smelly and spicy condiments of the cats.
Old Mraun quietly said goodbye to the boy,
"Good hunting and a good story. I know the patriarch well. Take care of your tail, kitten!"
"Does it have something to do with the Black Star?"
"You used the princess knife. And yet you showed that knife to the whole tribe for nothing. No one understands your connection."
Lee Long was silent. He didn't understand his connection with his girlfriend. He knew for a fact that it was an unusual connection. It was forged in blood. And he was not like most colonists. The traditions and secrets of the Ferin are strong and mysterious. Lee Long understood this long ago and found his place alongside the cat tribe.
Today he was able to take a great break from his worries and complicated affairs. The boy realized that he should not forget the trail of the hunt. No need to disregard the life of the tribe. Ferin has authority and power. He must be worthy of these rivals.
"How I have missed Maria's indignant screams. Lately, she has completely stopped yelling at me and swearing in ugly words. Tonight I'll make up for that lack. And Nick and I will eat some delicious meat."