Primitive Man

Telvi's heart raced as she rushed through the aftermath, the horror etched across her face. Her eyes widened at the sight of Toga standing amidst the chaos, his daggers still glistening with the blood of those who had challenged his father's honour. She could hardly recognize the boy who had, just moments ago, been a sweet little child.

As she approached Toga, the disapproval in the eyes of both Baktou's supporters and the fleeing villagers weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"Why did he do that? Is he really suitable to lead us in the future?"

"We could have solved this in a much more calm way. This kid needs to stay out of complicated things like this,"

They kept talking, but Telvi kept advancing without bothering to respond.

Telvi tore a piece from her own clothing and hurriedly wiped Toga's face, stained with both tears and the blood of his adversaries. She snatched the two daggers from his trembling hands and threw them away, the metallic clatter echoing in the uneasy silence.

Toga, looking up at Telvi with a mixture of fear and guilt, began to cry. He knew that if he had done something wrong, Telvi would obviously blame him. However, the silence she carried spoke to him more than her usual blaming; after all, it indicated that she was truly mad and disappointed.

"I'm sorry-I'm sorry, mother," He kept asking for forgiveness, but Telvi wasn't going to respond.

His actions had transformed him into a vessel of vengeance, but the reality of the consequences weighed heavily on the young boy. Telvi continued to wipe his blood-streaked body, her expression stern and unmoved, conveying her disappointment and sorrow.

Baktou, following Telvi closely, bit his tongue in frustration. He could feel the weight of the situation, the consequences of his son's uncontrollable rage. As Telvi tended to Toga, Baktou gestured to some of his supporters, instructing them to clean up the area. With a stern expression, he addressed the gathered crowd.

"Everyone, return to your homes. This matter will be dealt with, and justice will be served. Until then, remain indoors."

The onlookers, still casting wary glances at Toga, hesitated but eventually dispersed. The atmosphere outside Baktou's dwelling shifted from terror to a tense stillness. Baktou's supporters moved to clean the area, attempting to erase the gruesome evidence of Toga's defence.

Telvi continued to wipe Toga's face and body, but her gaze remained stern, refusing to console him. Toga, now realizing the gravity of his actions, cried unabashedly, his sobs echoing through the aftermath. The once-fierce defender of his father's honour was reduced to a scared child, seeking solace in the face of the consequences of his violent outburst.

'Where did he even learn to act like this? Is this because of our fault? Is this because we have been showing him nothing but violence over these years? Are we bad parents?'

Telvi kept questioning herself as if she couldn't believe what she was witnessing with some denial, and she knew this event would change their life forever.

***

Kiriah and his girlfriend loaded their cart with supplies. They were about to embark on a journey to the mining village, where Kiriah was set to take on the role of leader. His girlfriend took a moment to bid farewell to her family before joining him.

"Be careful! Visit us when you can," the girl's mother said while giving her a tight hug, knowing that being with Kiriah was what the girl desired.

As she spoke with her family, Ayra observed the scene with a knowing smile. Despite her seemingly ordinary expression, Ayra was anything but ordinary because she knew she had to be careful with Kiriah's girlfriend.

'I don't want her to underestimate me but I want to support her to the fullest'

Her thoughts were rather unique for what Ayra was, since normally she would be the kindest woman anyone could find.

Kiriah's girlfriend congratulated Ayra on her pregnancy, to which Ayra responded with a warm thank you.

"You're a good girl, so take care of my son. I better not hear any complaints from him." She said that in a soft tone, but Kiriah's girlfriend felt how intense Ayra's words were.

At the same time, curiosity sparked, and Ayra couldn't help but ask the girlfriend about when she would be giving her grandkids. Kiriah awkwardly coughed, and the girl blushed, sensing the unexpected turn the conversation had taken. Before the girlfriend could respond, Garnt intervened, urging Ayra not to make things awkward for the couple.

"Ayra, come here! Don't ask personal questions. They are adults now, so let them decide what they want," Garnt said and suggested that they take things slow and ensure they were comfortable enough to become parents.

Ayra, undeterred, hugged Garnt and mischievously proposed trying for a third child as soon as she gave birth to her second. Garnt, with a gentle kiss on Ayra's forehead, agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Anytime."

Both Kiriah and the girl felt like they were just there as catalysts for Garnt and Ayra's love life. After bidding farewell to everyone, they both departed from the village with a considerable amount of food, tools, and men, so Kiriah could start developing the mining village to benefit the main village.

Garnt then decided to go back to Gundo and ask her to make sure Ayra stayed safe and healthy. However, on his way back, he saw something rather interesting.

"Is she really okay? Why does she look like that?"

"These muscles! They are great, how did you build them, Aunty?"

"Guys, don't bother Thora. I brought her here, so she could meet more village people, not to play with kids like you."

Guni muttered while holding Thora's hand as if she were her protector, and Guni's two siblings followed her, knowing she would protect them if anything happened. She had already established her dominance over the kids in the village, so it was rather clear to everyone who was going to be the future leader of the village. However, right now, it looked like she had a personal follower whom she adored.

"I... I don't mind. These kids remind me of my sister," Thora said with a sad smile on her face. Guni felt sad, so she quickly tightened her grip on Thora and dragged her around the village, introducing her to the other villagers.

Garnt observed the scene with a smile, appreciating the camaraderie between Thora and Guni. He approached them, catching Thora's attention after dropping Ayra in Gundo's care.

"Thora, I hope you're enjoying your time here. Guni seems to have taken a liking to you," Garnt said, a friendly tone in his voice knowing she was no longer harmful to the village, rather she was a resource that was needed on his side.

[This woman! She is an asset to us, Garnt. I'm not saying that we should be villains and control her, but let's just treat her right and win her favour. She will be useful.]

Garnt knew Eva was right, since he wanted to learn more about the DNA syringes. Even though he hesitated to use them, he knew if they could give power without any side effects, they would be the most overpowered thing under his weapons.

Thora nodded, her eyes reflecting a mix of emotions. "Yes, it's nice. These kids are full of energy and curiosity."

"You like kids?" Garnt questioned, to which Thora nodded her head. "I don't know whether my sister is alive or not, but when I see these kids, I at least feel hopeful that somewhere she might be alive,"

Guni beamed at Thora, proud of her newfound friend. "Thora is strong, she is just like my big sister! A big strong sister!"

Garnt chuckled, "Indeed, she is. Thora, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Our village is like a family, and you're a part of it now. We will try to find your sister." He paused after telling those words, because he wanted to show that it was just a promise.

But when he thought things couldn't get any worse, Garnt suddenly heard the news that the wild animals of the forest had started running in a certain direction.

"Hunting teams have returned, and they said that it was as if they were gathering around something. They wanted to follow these animals and see what was happening but decided not to since they needed Garnt's permission," the person who brought the news about this wild incident said.

Normally, this wouldn't raise any alert in Garnt's mind since he could probably think that it might be something common. But when he was just about to say, 'Forget it,' suddenly, a huge gust of wind passed over his head. He quickly looked up, only to see the same flying dinosaurs that had migrated to their land flying over them with lightning speed.

Thora instinctively grabbed Guni's hand, her expression shifting from curiosity to concern and her blood started to react violently to them, as her protective instinct kicked out of nowhere to save Guni.

"What in the world is happening?" Garnt muttered to himself, his mind racing to make sense of the unexpected turn of events and he knew this might be a dangerous turn of events for his village.