The little girl held Mark's hand tightly, her fingers cold. The thorns on the branches of the bushes scratched Mark's sleeves, making a slight tearing sound. When he came to the tall trees, Mark found that there were some spiral symbols engraved on the trunks, with different depths, like some ancient text. He curiously reached out to touch it, and his fingertips slowly moved along the uneven lines, trying to identify the meaning.
The little girl climbed up one of the trees flexibly, like an agile squirrel. She picked a few leaves, then jumped down lightly and handed the leaves to Mark. "Mark..." She pointed at the leaves and said.
Mark took the leaves and looked at them carefully. The shape of the leaves was slightly different from the leaves that the little girl used to cross the river before. The leaves for crossing the river were larger and rounder, while these leaves were smaller and pointed, with some tiny serrations on the edges. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light spots on the ground.
The little girl took a leaf from Mark, rolled it into a tube, and blew it to her mouth. A clear whistle broke the silence of the forest and echoed among the trees. A moment later, a whistle of response came from afar, getting closer and closer.
The little girl immediately pulled Mark to hide behind a big tree, her expression became alert, and her eyes were fixed on the direction of the sound. Mark felt her little hand tremble slightly. The light in the woods was dim, and the air was filled with the damp smell of soil and leaves.
Two men wearing animal skins and painted with colorful paint came out from the depths of the woods. They all held wooden sticks in their hands, walked lightly, and scanned the surrounding environment with sharp eyes. One of the men had a few bright feathers in his hair, and the other man had a string of animal teeth necklaces around his neck.
Seeing the little girl, the two men obviously relaxed and smiled. The feather man asked, "Lily, did you find him?"
The little girl nodded, walked out from behind the tree, pointed at Mark and said, "That's him."
The animal tooth man looked Mark up and down with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "He doesn't have the energy fluctuations of the holy stone."
"But I saw that he could resonate with the raw stone," Lily explained.
"Just last night." Lily added another sentence for fear that everyone would not believe it.
The feather man walked up to Mark and stretched out his hand, "Maca Maca."
Mark hesitated for a moment, and also tried to stretch out his hand and shake hands with Carl.
"Hello, my name is Mark."
The beast tooth man also came over, patted Mark on the shoulder, and motioned Mark to follow him.
Bill and Toby walked in front, pushing away the branches blocking the way. Mark followed them, through the dense woods, and walked towards an unknown direction. He looked back at the road he came from, which was already tightly blocked by dense leaves.
A path in the bushes, almost covered by vegetation, meandered forward. If there was no one leading the way, Mark would hardly find this hidden passage. Lily was like a bird jumping in the woods. She also crossed her hands in front of her chest to show Mark, looking serious and cute.
Mark observed the surrounding environment. The tall trees blocked out the sun. The sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, forming mottled spots of light on the ground. The air was filled with the damp smell of soil and leaves. From time to time, a few birds chirped in the distance, adding a bit of tranquility and mystery.
After walking for about half an hour, the trees gradually became sparse, and the view in front of him suddenly became clear. A village hidden in the valley appeared in front of Mark. In the center of the village, there was a huge ancient tree with lush branches and leaves, reaching straight into the sky. The tree was hung with various decorations: animal bones, feathers, colorful stones, and patterns woven from unknown plants, swaying gently in the breeze, making a tinkling sound.
Mark noticed that the houses in the village were all built of trees and animal skins, with different shapes and scattered around the ancient trees. The houses were connected by wooden bridges and ropes to form a three-dimensional network. The villagers wore animal skins, painted various colors on their bodies, and had friendly smiles on their faces, looking at Mark, the outsider, curiously. The children chased and played in the open space, making crisp laughter, adding a touch of vitality to this quiet village. The smoke from the cooking rose, and the air was filled with the aroma of food, which made Mark feel hungry.
Carl and Toby led Mark to the largest tree house. This tree house was built on the trunk of an ancient tree and was much taller than other houses. A huge animal skin with some strange patterns painted on it was hung at the door. Carl and Toby stopped and made a "please" gesture to Mark, indicating that he should wait outside. They turned around, lifted the animal skin curtain, and walked into the tree house. The animal skin curtain fell, blocking Mark's sight.
Mark stood in front of the tree house and waited patiently. He looked around and observed the scene in the village. Several women were cooking food on a fire built with stones. The aroma drifted away, making Mark's stomach growl. Several old people sat in the shade of the trees, chatting leisurely. Their faces were full of traces of time, but their eyes were bright. Several young hunters came out of the woods carrying prey, their bodies covered with mud and blood, but their faces were filled with the joy of a good harvest.
After a while, the animal skin curtain was lifted again, and Bill and Toby came out of the tree house, nodded to Mark, and signaled that he could go in. Mark took a deep breath, adjusted his mood, then lifted the animal skin curtain and walked into the tree house.
The interior of the tree house was much more spacious than Mark had imagined. A thick tree trunk supported the entire roof, and various patterns were carved on the trunk, which were lifelike. The ground was covered with thick animal skin, which was soft and comfortable to step on. There were some decorations made of animal bones and animal skins on the walls, as well as some unknown plant specimens. There was a faint herbal fragrance in the air, which made people feel relaxed and happy.
A gray-haired old man sat on an animal skin mat with a wooden stick in his hand. The wooden stick was made of some unknown wood, with a smooth surface and some complex patterns carved on it. The old man was wearing a white fur robe, his face was covered with wrinkles, but his eyes were extremely sharp, as if he could see through everything.
Mark secretly looked at the furnishings in the tree house and found some dried herbs piled in the corner. There were many kinds, and he didn't recognize any of them.
The old man reached out and scooped out a cup of steaming liquid from the pottery jar beside him, handed it to Mark, and motioned Mark to drink it. Mark took the cup and found that there were runes flashing in the liquid inside. The hot water vapor transformed into an ice beast, jumping on the cup. Mark took a sip lightly. The bitterness of the herbs was accompanied by a hint of sweetness, which made him feel an inexplicable sense of peace, and the ice shadow of the ice beast in his soul also jumped.