The sun hung low in the sky, casting an amber glow over the southern village. The rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed through the entry pathway as twelve warriors approached, fresh from a successful hunt. The hunting party, a combination of two groups, moved with the proud gait of those who had accomplished their mission. The air was thick with anticipation, and the village's hustle and bustle slowed as the warriors came into view.
"Look, the warriors have returned!" a villager called out, her voice filled with excitement.
"Welcome back!" shouted another, waving enthusiastically.
As the warriors entered the village, they were greeted with smiles and cheers. The villagers, young and old, gathered along the pathway, eager to catch a glimpse of the bounty brought back from the hunt. Children's eyes widened with admiration as they looked up at their heroes.
One of the warriors in the middle, a tall man with a chiseled jaw, held his head high and smiled warmly. "This is what I love most about hunting," he said, his voice carrying over the crowd. "The warm welcome from everyone in the village hahaah."
A female warrior next to him nodded in agreement while looking back at the villager's eyes accepting their warm welcome. "I love the children's eyes on us," she smiled, "I remember looking at the old warriors the same way, wanting to be just like them."
Further back, Another woman, carrying a large prey over her shoulder, chimed in. "Huhu... I always dreamed of bringing a big catch back home. Now that I've done it, I wanna cry, I'm so proud." Her eyes started to water.
The man at the forefront, who was the first group's leader, turned to address his fellow hunters. "Remember these smiles," he said, his tone serious yet kind. "These are what we protect as the tribe's warriors."
Beside him, the second group's leader, a woman with a fierce gaze and a playful smirk, couldn't resist teasing him. "Remember when you were too scared to chase down a prey?" she said, nudging him. "And now you talk like you're all mighty, pfft."
The man blushed, scratching the back of his head, his memories tingling. "That was years ago," he muttered. "Can you not bring that up in front of these greenies?"
Their laughter rang out, a mix of camaraderie and nostalgia, as they continued their march through the village.
In the training area, aspiring young warriors were engrossed in their daily routines when they noticed the commotion.
"What's happening over there?" one of them asked, pausing mid-exercise.
"Isn't that the tribe's warriors returning from their hunt?" another replied, squinting to see better.
One by one, the young warriors stopped their training and moved closer to the fence, eager to catch a glimpse of the returning heroes. As the warriors drew nearer, the young warriors' eyes widened in amazement.
"Whoa, look, aren't those yabans? They caught five of it?!" one of them gasped, pointing at the massive, wooly creatures resembling yak and bison but with the horns of a rhinoceros found on Earth.
"And look, there are yeyurs behind too!" another exclaimed, "let me count, one, two, three, four... twelve?!" referring to the skink-like creatures as large as full grown saltwater crocodiles of Earth.
Among the young warriors, a boy stood mesmerized, lost in a daydream. He imagined himself taking down the biggest, meanest prey out there and returning to the village with it slung over his shoulder. In his mind, he was hailed as the strongest warrior, receiving praise and admiration from the entire tribe.
A slap from his friend snapped him back to reality. "Snap out of it, Digak," his friend whispered urgently. "They are getting closer."
The warriors walked past the training area, exchanging respectful glances with the aspiring young warriors. The young ones saluted them with a gesture of their palm facing their face and then moving it towards the warriors. The warriors brave, proud steps added to the admiration of the young warriors.
Digak said to himself, "Someday, I too will walk the village with the energy of the strong."
The warriors continued towards the meat working facility, passing by a construction site along the way. Beams and foundations were laid out, marking the beginnings of a new facility. One of the female warriors, walking in front of the group, looked at the construction with curiosity.
"This wasn't here a week ago, I wonder what this new building is for," she mused aloud.
Upon arriving at the processing facility, they were greeted by the bustling activity of tribe members. Some were tanning hides, others processing furs, and still others scraping and grinding meat inside the wooden building. The warriors carefully placed their preys, arranging them by size.
They gathered in a circle around the arranged animals, joined their hands and began to pray, thanking Nature for the gifts they had been allowed to receive and asking for their hunt to be a blessing for everyone in the tribe. The prayer was a solemn moment, filled with gratitude and reverence.
When the prayer was done, they handed the preys over to the warriors tasked with processing the animals. These warriors were tasked with ensuring that every part of the animals was used, minimizing waste and maximizing the benefit to the tribe.
"May these blessings nourish and strengthen us all," the warrior in charge of the processing facility said, his voice filled with solemnity.
The hunters, having completed their mission, felt a sense of fulfillment as they watched the tribe members begin their work. They knew that their efforts would sustain and support the tribe, reinforcing the bonds of community and tradition.
As the hunters dispersed, some of them lingered, exchanging stories and laughter, while others headed to the western village to rest and prepare for their next task. One of the hunters, couldn't shake off her curiosity about the new construction she had seen earlier. Deciding to find out more, she headed to the village's workshop.
The workshop was a hive of activity. Metals clanged, the heat of raging forge radiating everywhere, and the smell of sawdust filled the air. In the midst of it all, an elderly man, known and respected for his craftsmanship, was overseeing the work. His hands rough and calloused from years of crafting, and his eyes lively making sure every work is done with the correct method.
He looked up from his work and greeted her warmly. "Ah, Darna! Back from the hunt, I see. What brings you here?"
"
The old man nodded, understanding her curiosity. "Ah, yes. It's a new lodging. With the tribe growing, we need more space, and those young ones will soon be big enough to live with us."
She nodded thoughtfully. her mind drifting to her son. She hoped he was doing well. Then, she thought about her husband and asked, "Speaking of family, do you know where my husband is?"
"Hahah, he's been out gathering materials. I told him to look for strong woods nearby for the construction and collect some for fuels while he's at it. I sent him out a few days ago, but you know him better than I do. I can't say anything about that hobby you know."
Darna smiled, thinking of her husband's strange hobby of collecting random rocks and woods. "Yes, his hobbies can be quite unique. But that's his quirks, always something odd with him." She then shifted her concern, "And about the young ones, how're they doing? Any trouble?"
"Nothing out the ordinary. They're as busy as kids can get, eat, poop, sleep. But haven't you heard about the night when the shamans are unusually on guard?"
"Oh I haven't. What happened?"
"Oh you don't? Hahah, I was curious as well, can you ask the nane' later about it?"
"If I have the chance, I will. It's not so easy to meet her when we at the western village had to train all the time."
The old man nodded. "Anyway, everything's normal when you were out hunting. Nothing out of the ordinary. The children, they're fine mostly, doing their usual outings with the caregivers."
"Oh, I see. Anything else?" she asked, sensing that there is more to unfold.
"Yeah, that construction site we talked earlier. We've had a few adventurous ones sneaking around unsupervised," the old man explained.
"Children near the construction site? That's not safe at all. Where are the caregivers?"
"They're fine, don't blame them, they did their job. We resolved it by making the construction site part of their supervised outings. I make sure they watch from a safe distance. But, it's just those two that's too wild, always trying to sneak closer."
"Aren't you mad about it?"
"It is getting on my nerves. They remind me of someone who used to disappear for days and came back with handfuls of
"... are you talking about me?"
"Hahahaha, who else? If you had a child, I'd bet they'd be just as troublesome as you and those brats," the old man laughed, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
Darna was deep in thought, her smile slowly turned into worry. "Kigo', what did these two boys look like?" she asked, confirming her worry.
The old man stroked the beard on his cheeks. "Hmm, what did the two looks like. I think, one had the brown hair, like the most of us. But the other one—the most troublesome—has black hair."
"Black hair?" she gasped, her face lit up, her eyes widened.
"Why the weird face?" The old man stared at Darna, connecting the dots.
Bzzzt!
A sudden, striking realization hit him, "Don't tell me... Your husband.... Black hair?"
Darna smiled awkwardly. "I think it might be my son, hmm?"
The old man facepalmed, a groan of realization-frustration-mix escaping him.
"Argh... Ohhh... Great... No wonder that brat is such a handful. I thought it stopped at you! Here I was, thinking the little rascal was just another troublemaker, turns out he's my own grandchild! Wonderful."
Darna stifled a laugh. "Aren't you one lucky grandpa?"
"What happened to my dream of teaching and having fun time with my grandchild now?" The old man saw the images of him playing with his grandchild crumbled in an instant.
"Well, at least he's got spirit."
"Yeah, and apparently, it runs thick in the family. Oh Great Guardian, please bless this old man."
Darna gave an awkward laugh. "I think I'll go see him. Thank you for the information, kigo'. See you."
As she hurriedly left the workshop, the kigo's grumbling following her. "Of course, the little rascal had to be my grandson. Just like me and his mother. I suppose I'll have to keep an even closer eye on him now."
With a final grunt of resignation, the old man turned back to his work, shaking his head with a bemused smile.
Darna made her way quickly to the nursery, her thoughts a whirlwind of concern and amusement. She knew that her son would get everyone's hands full, but she couldn't help but smile at the thought of her son's adventurous spirit.
- - - - -
Back at the workshop, several young men are diligently working together. The rhythmic clang of hammers echoed through the workshop as four young men worked diligently at their forge. The air was thick with the scent of burning
'This is taking too long, the other blacksmith are done with their job hours ago, some are even continuing on their next piece of metal, larger that this one. What step did we miss? Why don't anyone tell us anything?' thought Okdan, the youngest.
"Okdan, don't take your eyes off the steel!" the third brother snapped, "you've got the easiest job here, just hold it steady!"
"Stop talking, Godan," said the second brother, "you keep messing up the rhythm!"
"I did what?! Fine, I'll stop talking. Just so you know, we're having a heta after this, Rodan."
"Only heta? I thought you were stronger than me, why don't we just
"Enough!" Irdan, the eldest, commanded, "Would the two of you just shut it and put your hands to work instead of your mouth?!" said the eldest.
Okdan sighed inwardly. 'It's been 15 hours and we're only at the 13th fold? There must be a faster way.'
* * * * *
His tired mind drifted to a memory from two years ago. The Kigo', had summoned them to the workshop and shown them a raw metal nugget.
"This rock was found by your mother during her hunt," the old man had said.
"She entrusted it to me to give to you, but during the recent hunt, she passed away in a predator attack before she could see it made into something beautiful. We're sorry for keeping this news from you, but at least, you can do something about it instead of dropping the water."
* * * * *
The thought of his mother's sacrifice brought a pang of sadness to Okdan's heart, and he glanced at the scar on Irdan's cheek, only to be returned by an incisive gaze that pierced into the very essence of his existence.
He immediately looked down on the piece of metal they're working on. 'We're twins, but he's so damn sharp. I'm glad he's my brother, at least I know he won't do anything scary to me.'
Seconds later, Okdan noticed a woman entering the workshop, talking to the old blacksmith. Distracted again, Irdan caught him in the act and warned, "If I catch you one more time... I'll throw you into the furnace and make a meat-and-bone dagger out of you!"
Hours passed, and the sun finally set, casting long shadows over the workshop. The brothers, now at the 20th fold, allowed themselves a brief moment of relief.
"Finally," Godan breathed, "we can take a break."
Rodan added, "Let's rest and continue tomorrow. We're all exhausted."
Irdan considered this, seeing the weariness in his brothers' eyes. "Alright," he agreed. "We'll pick this up tomorrow."
Just then, the old blacksmith barged in, examining their work. "Not bad," he said, nodding, "but it's not the best either."
The brothers felt a wave of disappointment wash over them.
"However," the old man continued, "you can still make something out of it if you finish it now. Once the metal cools down, it won't be as flexible. I'll mentor you directly—a chance that won't come again if you wait until tomorrow."
Without second thought, as if sharing all their senses, the brothers stoked the furnace, the flames roaring brighter and hotter.
They answered in unison, "Eui! We beg your guidance!"
"Very well, let's start right away."
They reheat and separate the metal piece evenly and began working on their own sections. Hammering, heating, and shaping repeatedly under the old man's watchful eye. His guidance was invaluable, pointing out mistakes and offering tips that greatly improved their technique.
Hours later, with the moon high in the sky, the brothers finally completed their daggers. Each blade was unique, the shape and its folding pattern, reflecting the individuality of its maker. The old blacksmith smiled proudly. "These are amazing," he said, admiring the craftsmanship. "You've done well."
The brothers beamed with pride, thanking the old man for his help. He chuckled and said, "If you succeed in your first hunt and become warriors, I'll call you The Four Winds of Black Bear, haha."
The brothers laughed, but Godan immediately claimed, "I'll be the East. I'll rise as the strongest, like the sun from the east."
Rodan countered, "I'll be the West. I'm left-handed, and the sun always sets in the west, completing its cycle and defeating the East, hahaha."
Irdan, usually stern, found the idea amusing, thought to himself, 'We can all sense where the north is.'
"I'll take the North," he said. "As your guiding point, just like I've always been."
The other brothers, surprised by Irdan's rare smile, teased, "Did he really just smile?"
Okdan, feeling a surge of pride, added, "And I'll be the South, like the Southern Star, ever-present in the night sky."
The old man, seeing their happiness, felt a deep sense of contentment.
'The two guiding points and their hands, I hope that together you will walk the path of warrior with your own unique way.'
"And we will be tidying up the workshop," he reminded them
As they finished cleaning, the old man revealed, "There is actually a better and faster way to refine the metal."
The brothers stared at him, speechless, before shouting in unison, "Why didn't you tell us earlier?!"