Later that evening...
"They don't look to be in a hurry now..." Zok mumbled while watching the tribesmen dancing like maniacs around the bonfire. They were happy as if Okun had blessed them with his presence.
It was the night of the full moon. A night that signified the Zukira's triumphs over the wilderness. The tribesmen had lit up a huge fire, it was big enough to light up the entire riverbank. Everyone had gathered around it while the women were busy roasting meat and vegetables. Mirelia had happily taken over the cooking duties as it was the first time a feast had been organised to honour Zok. To everyone's surprise, even Sera had decided to help her out.
Sera was a bit shorter than Zok, about 5'3, but her body wasn't as frail as Zok's. Her big blue eyes reflected light from the bonfire as a smile crept its way to her face. As Zok was busy looking at her, she swept the few strands of hair from her angelic face. Unlike him, even her bronze skin complimented her beast skin attire.
But her beauty wasn't the only thing that made her stand out. Her aura and charm were the main reason why everyone felt so attracted to her. She was like a warrior princess, fierce and cute at the same time. Moreover, she was already a novice hunter who just like every adult, had her own wolf pet known as Shura.
Shura was a brown male direwolf who had signs of aberration all over his body. He was extremely loyal to her as well. Zok especially liked him more than anyone else, because Shura never growled at him as he did with everyone else.
Even though everyone was in a happy mood, Zok was a bit anxious about everything. But at least he was happy that Sera had been stealing glances and smiling at him. He wasn't used to Sera's affectionate side yet as he had never seen it before. Maybe she was being forced to hide it from him because he was a loser. But now that he had Kaira by his side the outlook of a lot of people had changed towards him. But it was also the source of his worries.
Zok was sitting on the chief guest's throne. The one that was only ever used by Skah and Ahuli. Maybe previously a few others had occupied the throne, but Zok had only ever seen the two of them sitting on it. He was also forced to wear a bunch of clothes made from weird beast skin. His only consolation was that Sera was also wearing similar clothes like he was.
Zok soon stopped admiring the beauty of his fiance and turned his attention to his father. Skah was talking to the shamans while Ahuli was accompanying him. Zok didn't know what they were talking about it looked like something funny because the usually expressionless shamans were all smiles. He could even see Ahuli cracking a smile every now and then. However, there was no sign of the Shamanka anywhere.
"Come on Kaira, let's go for a walk and after that, I'll introduce you to Sera." Kaira yawned and stretched a bit before finally following him.
Everything that had been happening now had left a bad taste in Zok's mouth. He didn't believe for a single second that the attitude of his father did a 180 towards him. That man had hated him for all his life and now he was organising a feast to honour him? Then there was Ahuli, who had never questioned their father but today he stood up against Skah for the sake of his little brother. Something was just wrong about it all.
However, Zok had some trust in Ahuli because Kaira trusted him. But then again, Kaira was ready to jump at his mother whom Zok trusted more than anyone else in the world. Maybe Kaira's intuition about people wasn't as great as he thought. Either way, he needed some time to figure everything out before he was forced to go to the cave as a Hunter Scout.
But before he could even take a step, a man about Ahuli's age stopped him. The man wasn't much taller than him, he should have been about 5'9". He had a smile on his face but his body language betrayed him. Even someone like Zok knew that this man wasn't good news.
The first thing Zok noticed after the man's smile was his face. It had two tattoos on his face that started from both of his temples and came to an end at his throat. Other than the tattoo, the man had a long face with a pointy chin, coupled with an even weird bulbous nose and large ears also his lips were so thin they Zok could barely notice them.
"So, looks like I finally get to meet you-"
"Stay away from him, Taheton." Ahuli came rushing towards them. Even Kaira started growling at the man even though she wasn't doing that a moment ago.
"Oh, here comes your brother to spoil all the fun. Either way, I'm Taheton. I'm going to be your partner tomorrow."
"I thought Sera was picked to be my partner?" Zok asked the man while trying to shush Kaira.
"Oh, she is. But the Shamanka decided it would be better if an adult went along with you two." Taheton gave him an awkward smile before leaving.
"Ahuli, you know that guy?" Zok asked his brother as the encounter had left him quite confused.
"Zok, that man is bad news. Do you know what those tattoos on the sides of his face mean?" Zok shook his head as it was the first time he had seen such a tattoo on anyone from the tribe, "That tattoo is engraved on someone when they are the sole survivor to return from a cave hunt. Twice that man had gone to a cave and twice he was the only one to return alive... I don't even know what father is thinking by allowing him to go with you. However, if the shamanka had made her decision and we can't change it. Just try to be careful around him tomorrow and if anything feels wrong just rush back, alright?"