On the planet Danav, where the guild of Maple Syrup was busy creating their village away from the harassment of natives while also focusing on increasing the size of their guild.
A Trogoldi woman wearing a bearskin walked into the village discussion in a hut sitting atop a hundred-meter-tall tree.
The Trogoldi considered themselves children of the forest and made their homes atop giant trees. These homes were connected by bridges that were made out of vines which became the foundation for their village.
Most of their people have learned to live alongside nature and only kill out of necessity for food or leather and they never let any part of their hunt go to waste.
These aspects have been shared by the majority of the tribes on the planet of Danav, with only some mild differences. Their culture has reached a homogeneity that was hard to see in a balanced society with diverse beliefs.
This homogeneity had also made them xenophobic toward all the new advances in their cultural experiences and new things are always suppressed by the old voices. New beings are also hunted by the tribes to bring balance to nature.
Danav was a planet of no progress if they never changed their ways. Their people will remain in the stone age.
The advent of players changed some things. The players were deemed motherless and aberrations of nature that shouldn't exist.
So they hunted them as much as they could, but their ability to revive became a headache for the surrounding tribes where the Trogoldi first appeared. And with this headache came fear and envy.
Sitara also held similar beliefs, hence she had run to hunt these trogoldi against the will of her village chief, the man who is her older brother.
The man was facing criticism for his bizarre stance of the Players by village elders.
"Young Chief, we let that witch live after your plea. We also didn't defy you when you gave her a place to stay." A two-meter old man in ceremonial garments bawled in the largest building of Pilua village.
This building that existed in most of the villages was called the Court of Hunter and was the place for political discussions that usually broke out in physical brawls and hence its name.
Each of these tribes added their flair to this discussion hall. And the same was true for the Pilua tribe that had decorated the building with wolf skulls and giant bones from their hunts.
"We also didn't defy you when you choose to abstain from hunting the motherless aberrations that roam our periphery… Even though it pained me to see those motherless people coming to the village, I still didn't lift my hand" Though the old man said that, he knew that countless youngsters have left the village away from prying eyes and enjoyed the hunt for themselves. Still, it was the truth that they hadn't harmed any of the players when they came close to the village and only scared them off.
"But I can't support your desire to give these motherless people an asylum. We are already trending on a thin sheet of ice and facing criticism from the Urthak and Ilkus villages because of our prior choice to not harm these beings. If we do anything more radical, we may become the target of the two tribes."
"We are already facing constant harassment from these tribes. They treat us as cowards and soon they are going to attack us in the open if we keep walking on the path you have planned for us." The elder struck the floor with a cane in intense anger and passion, causing the whole court of hunters to shake in response, scaring away the birds sitting on it. The old man may not look like it but he still held some strength.
"Young Chief, I understand you are young and possess a kind heart, but you should learn when to back down. I respect your father and will follow him blindly into anything he asks of me, but you young chief besides proving your strength, you haven't proven to me that you can lead this village, and this ugly suggestion from you in the holy hall of hunters have proven this much. I will suggest you back down." Now a bit calmed, the old man suggested quietly as if coaxing a child.
"They are demons, don't think of using them. Your previous suggestion to not harm the demons held some promise hence we accepted it but this suggestion if followed through, will put us in a tough spot."
After hearing an earful from the elders in the court of hunters. Sura walked out of Court of Hunters with some dejection.
Being the village chief's son and being the strongest youth in the village had earned him a lot of respect, but his recent decisions have placed him in a tough spot. Even his father didn't speak much regarding his suggestion, instead, it was his uncle that taught him how to fight who made him a joke in the hunter's hall.
"Huh? I thought you were out on a hunt… What happened, Sitara?" Noticing the wrathful expression of his sister, Sura asked.
"How can you do that brother, those things are unnatural… they have no right to exist in nature. And you are thinking of giving them asylum?" She questioned, her anger flaring up the more she saw her brother.
"There is a certain reason I put forward this suggestion, my job is to oversee the betterment of our people and if these motherless are going to stay, it's better if they stay in an environment which we can control." He implored, in a calm voice. His bulky body towering over his sister ignorantly suppressing her anger.
Even if was just made a joke in the Court of Hunter, he was still the strongest hunter in the Pilua tribe.
"Those things will bring nothing besides destruction…"
Listening to his sister who was explaining to him how evil and dangerous these motherless were, Sura found something odd. "What happened, Sitara?..."
Noticing that her brother had picked up something in her voice, she shut up. She can't say that one wolf sister died in the hands of the motherless because she was playing with them.
If words of her actions got out, it will stain her image and cause it to the same level as of the witch that lives in the outskirts.
The hunt is an important part of the Trogoldi's life and hence giving respect to the prey that provides them so much takes precedence in their community.
But her actions of playing with this prey even if it was motherless goes against their culture. And not to talk about her childish actions causing the death of her own family.
"Nothing… I am just disappointed in you." She ran away after leaving these words to her brother. Who just groaned at his sister's departing figure.
'You won't understand why I am so adamant on this little sister, these motherless are growing fast and it's scary.' This was the truth, Sura has long noticed the player's bizarre speed of progression in their cultivation. If they keep at this pace, the hunter will soon become the prey.
So it was best to be on motherless's good side when they were still weak.
As for why he didn't mention this point in the discussion?
'The village is not ready to know yet, they are still too drunk in their superiority to notice the minute progression in these motherless.'
He didn't want panic to spread in his village. But he also knew that they don't have much time. 'I will talk to my father tonight and ask for his support in private.'
"Oh! You are here earlier, did the meeting end early?" A sweet voice entered his ears, killing any dejection and disappointment in his stomach.
"It didn't go as smoothly as I thought, the motherless don't scare them. I know for a fact they won't remain the same. The elders are scared of it but too prideful to accept it. ." He answered as he went into the hut and sat down on his knees.
"So what did you make today?… You promised to treat me with some of your witch dishes, I have always wanted to give them a try." Sura asked the young lady who was as tall as him but looked more gentle and soft. This woman was completely covered in a leaf garb that she shabbily made, but it just added charm to her actions.
"Nothing special, this was the green caparaus stew my mother used to make which I hated as a kid. but Oddly enough, now that I am older, I started to like its slimy texture and the prickly sensation caused by the light poison in these worms." The woman answered as she handed Sura a bowl of bluish-green stew that had still moving insects floating on it.
"I was lucky that your people don't eat these worms. Otherwise in my village, these worms were harder to come by as they were considered a delicacy." She thanked Sura, as she gulped down the stew with a delightful face.
She made it look like it was some food sent by the heavens.
Sura, to respect his host's native dish, gulped down the warm stew in one go, suppressing his urge to vomit.
"So how was it?… much better than that roasted duck row right?" The woman asked proudly, to which he nodded in the assertion. It was better than what she has given him before.
After the small snack, they talked about the day. It was mostly Sura complaining about his day while the young witch listened with interest. This was the best time of the day for her as she hated loneliness.
And at the end of this discussion/complaining. She asked Sura.
"Sura, why don't you just forget what I said before, Even your sister has started to question you and she is someone who backed me during my trial. Won't it be better to just go with the flow?" She asked the man she already considered her own.
"You know I can't Hera and your visions are not the reason alone, I am just fascinated by them. Jealous of their immortality, jealous of their freedom and jealous of their ingenuity." Sura shamelessly poured out his thoughts.
His sister was not the only one who left the village to hunt these motherless, he left the village too but not to harm them, but just learn about them from afar.