"Now I will tell you where to go if you're lost in the wild," the elder said, then took a pause.
"You see, the techniques to tell the path in the wild are many, but the way to master most of them depends on the individual. Some people have a very good mind and can just remember which way they came from and which way to go, but most people are not like that. They need some tools, some tricks to tell the way they have to go," the elder looked at everyone's expressions.
"When you get lost in the wild, it is important to know what time it is. Is it day or night, morning or evening, midnight or afternoon? Of course, telling the difference between these is easy for most people as the sun and moon tell the approximate time to everyone," the elder said.
"Once you know the time, you need to decide which method to use to determine where to go. If it is daytime, I suggest you place a stick on the ground and look at the shadow cast by it. The shadow will always be in the direction opposite the sun, which will be in the east in the morning and west in the evening. But what will you do if it is night?" The elder took a deep breath.
"If it is night time, look for the pointer stars. Once you find them, if you draw an imaginary line from the pointer stars across the sky to the next brightest star, you'll find the North Star. This star is very bright and will be in the north direction regardless of where you are," the elder concluded.
"Any questions?" the elder asked.
"What if we can't see the sky for some reason?" Friz asked.
"Hmm, good question. If you cannot see the sky for some reason, there are indeed other ways to tell where to go, but they all depend on you. For example: a compass. It's a tool that has been used for thousands of years to tell the directions. If you don't have a compass, you can learn some landmarks around where you expect yourself to be and know the way by comparing these landmarks," the elder answered with patience.
Before anyone else could ask another question, the elder spoke again, "These are the only ways for you to tell the direction in the wild that we know for now. If you are unable to use any of these methods, you should look for a safe place and survive for as long as you can. It is possible that help will arrive, or you can explore the area around you to look for anything that may tell you the way." The elder spoke with a wistful voice.
After that, the elder told them about many techniques to find caves, settlements, and ruins, and how to tell whether they are safe or not. If they couldn't find a structure to settle in, the elder taught them how to build a simple structure using tree branches, rocks, and vines, which would be helpful to spend the night or day in case of an emergency.
The elder also taught them how to keep insects and predators away from oneself and the usefulness of keeping some animals around the settlement instead of killing them, as it can keep other predators away.
The elder taught them about a saying called, "If a predator is around and can't detect you, it is a protector against lesser threats," which basically means that if you know how to avoid a predator and stay in its vicinity at the same time, that predator will protect you from other smaller threats.
After that, the elder explained how to find a safe place, how to choose which place is better to stay, and which direction to go in order to find a civilization based on different geographical locations for over six hours.
Everyone was now feeling tired, and the elder finally concluded the lesson.
"I have taught you as much as I could in this short period of time. The rest is up to you, as I cannot teach you the experience I have. That is up to you to gain. That is why I wish you the best of luck for tomorrow's hunt. Do not disappoint your well-wishers and return safely," the elder said in a stern voice.
"Yes, Teacher," everyone said respectfully to the elder and bowed to express their gratitude.
"Now, begone from my sight and do not return before completing the hunt," the elder said, turning around to hide his face.
Everyone went outside the training facility with much more confidence than before, hoping to survive the hunt. After everyone returned to the hallway of the building where they were staying, Hob went to the reception and asked Gordon, who seemed to be on duty today, "Hey Gordon, can I ask if we can get a compass issued for ourselves before the hunt?"
Everyone's ears perked up at this question as it would be of help to them too if a compass was given to them. "I think you asked Dell about my name. Well, anyway, yes, you can indeed get a compass, and you can get one compass per person, but we will not guarantee its function once you're out in the wild," Gordon answered Hob.
"Oh, that's very good. I'd like to get one for Friz and me each, if possible," Hob said to Gordon.
"Well, of course, here you go," Gordon said as he gave two compasses to Hob and Friz.
As soon as Hob went away from the reception, all other participants from group 3 swarmed towards the reception asking for their own compass, but to their dismay, there were a limited number of compasses available at the moment. So Gordon told the others that they'll be provided one before they go to the hunt, to which everyone agreed.