“REEEEEE!”

  The bleeding boar pounced at Civ!

  “Noooooo!” Both Horm and Arsh's hearts sank.

  They did not expect that the boar was still alive if they only knew. They will throw all of the remaining spears at this boar before they go near it.

  Because of this, Civ was caught off guard, and the stone knife was knocked out of his hand!

  He fell down, and the boar took this opportunity to deal with this human, but suddenly-

  There was a single ray of light in a cloudy sky that shone straight to the boar!

  The boar was blinded by the lights!

  Civ did not waste time and grabbed the stone knife next to him and stabbed and then slashed the boar's neck!

  “”RREEEEEEeeee—-” The boar stops moving.

  Lying down, Civ was drenched in blood as he looked ahead at the ray of light that was leaving the cloudy sky.

  The ray of light disappears. He looks at the sky like lying down in bed as it starts raining, and he hears the screams coming from his friends. He felt accomplished. But suddenly-

  “ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!” - screamed his heart out.

  That scream startled Horm and Arsh. It is a scream where you can feel his anger.

  For Civ, he can only scream at himself ‘WHY!’

  A few moments later, Horm and Arsh slowly walk toward Civ.

  “Civ, are you fine?”. Horm asked Civ while they approached him.

  Civ stops looking at the rainy sky. He stared at his worried friends. He sat down and smiled.

  “Do not worry. I’m fine.” Civ replied.

  Horm heaved a sigh of relief, but Arsh just went silent.

  “That is good!” Horm exclaimed to brighten the mood.

  “Now that we've killed this boar, we can bring it to the camp!” Horm’s mood right now is getting better and better as he thinks of eating the boar meat.

  Horm was able to eat boar meat in the past when they encountered a fight between two boars and ate it afterward. It leaves some parts, so he takes advantage to taste it. After eating some, he cannot forget the flavor.

  “Horm, go ahead and help me bring this boar.” Civ stands up and asks his friend for some help.

  “Sure!” Horm happily answered.

  They first removed the spears that were pierced in the boar’s body.

  Civ grabs the feet of the boar in the but side, but he notices it is heavy!

  “Oh no!” Civ was surprised it was around 120 kg (265 lbs.)!

  Horm noticed Civ’s face was red.

  He grabs the two feet that Civ’s holding and swings the boar effortlessly to his shoulders.

  Civ and Arsh were jaw-dropped!

  “What?” Horm was confused about their reaction.

  “Nothing. Since you can carry it, let's go back to camp.” Arsh was excited to bring the good news.

  While going back to the camp, the heavy rain starts pouring in. Civ is having a bad feeling about today’s weather. He asked Arsh to help him collect some sticks that were on the ground, similar to the one they used on the spear.

  Preferably, the drier stick.

  Horm was a bit exhausted now, so he was the last one walking in the group. While Civ and Arsh were collecting wood ahead of them.

  Civ was walking at his standard pace and lost in thought about the battle. Recalling the strategy he used, it was really reckless. If he can convince the tribe to hunt the boar, maybe they can do it safely. He comes up with a plan and is hopeful for the next hunt.

  When they arrive at the camp, chaos ensues. Their tribesmen were running away from them, and some of them went straight to the Shaman's hut.

  Civ is dazed and confused.

  “Civ did you not hear me! I’m calling you many times!” Arsh was rushing his walk towards Civ. While Civ was lost in thought earlier, he was actually walking fast, leaving his friends.

  “Sorry Arsh, I was lost in thought. But why did the people run away?” Civ was still confused.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Huh? Look at yourself. You are still drenched in blood. The rain did not wash it all!” Arsh reminded Civ.

  “Oh right!” Civ remembered now, but he can’t help but laugh a little bit.

  “My Son! My Son!” The Kivrah was running towards them.

  “My Son what happened to you!” Tribe leader Kivrah was restless and drenched in the rain, checking his son’s body.

  His father’s grip on his arms was firm, and his gaze was brought warm in his heart.

  Civ holds his father’s hands. “I am fine my Father. But before that, please calm our tribesmen.”

  Looking around, he sees that the people are hiding and scared. But when he faced his son again, he was frozen solid.

  Far back from the woods, Kivrah saw a bloodied, tall man walking forward with the head of a boar! His eyes widened, and he pointed at that creature.

  “A Moonnsst-”

  “Shhhh calm down father, that is Horm!”. Civ covered his father’s mouth. Preventing further escalation of the pandemonium in the camp.

  Since it is raining heavily, he cannot clearly see Horm. But when the creature came near to them, it was really Horm. He was bathed in blood and breathing heavily.

  Horm walked slowly in front of the tribe leader. He bowed and dropped the boar.

  “Tribe leader! We made our promise! We killed a boar!” Horm exclaimed.

  The trio looked at each other. They smiled and felt a sense of satisfaction. Even in exhaustion, they felt a newfound energy coming from their smiles.

  “Go-go-good job! Let me calm down our tribesmen and bring the boar to the Shaman’s hut.”

  Tribe leader Kivrah ran back to the people. He explained that it was his Son and friends who came back from hunting the boar.

  When the people noticed Arsh, who was not drenched in blood, they calmed down. Kivrah called the trio back. The camp was shocked to hear that the trio of teenagers was able to kill that monster.

  Boars have taken so many lives in their tribe. It was their second most-feared monster, below the giants. Despite their fear, they also spite that monster even if they can’t fight back.

  When Horm brought the boar inside the camp, the people who witnessed it were more than astonished. Seeing the lifeless body of the boar intact while it was being carried by a human. This is something they didn’t think about. But seeing it makes them believe.

  It is possible to hunt a boar!

  Recognizing this is possible, there is a sudden shift of perspective on the camp. They can’t wait to hear what the tribe leader will do and tell them.

  Nearing the huts camp, Civ still heard murmurs, but it was murmurs of amazement. He wanted to show his excitement and boast about their accomplishment. But he is trying his best to hold it as he is still not done yet.

  The Shaman was going to welcome the trio, but she heard a scream from the south. An agonized scream. When the people of the camp followed the scream, it came from a woman holding her daughter.

  “Shaman, please save my daughter. She is feeling hot!” The mother was crying and begging the Shaman.

  She handed her daughter, and the Shaman wasted no time assessing the condition of the child. The little girl’s body was indeed hot. The people outside the hut were starting to increase.

  One of them is starting to tear up. “That kid was being punished by the Sun Goddess!”

  Hearing this, Civ was taken aback. ‘Isn’t that a fever?’

  But remembering in Civ’s memories. They treated fever as a curse from the Sun Goddess, making your body hot from the inside. They believe that when you hate the Goddess, the Goddess will hate them too. If you ask forgiveness from the Goddess, the hot sensation in your body will gradually go away.

  The Shaman got her green ointment. She placed it on the forehead, armpit, and groin, but the little girl started shivering.

  “Noooo!” The mother starts panicking.

  “Not good! Arsh, go get the mother. Please calm her down.” Civ commanded Arsh with urgency. He grabs Horm, who was just setting aside the boar. Horm was also curious about what was happening in the shaman's hut.

  “Horm, come with me. Help me bring some wood from the cave.”. Civ did not look back at Horm. Noticing the seriousness around Civ, he did not hesitate to follow him to the cave.

  At the cave, the dry sticks that Civ and Horm had collected for the past day were arranged neatly in the place where Civ slept.

  “Grab a bunch of those sticks. I’ll bring this.“ Civ is holding a bunch of sticks, dried palm leaves, and other tools he has created over the past days. The stick was 1 inch thick and the length of a ruler, and the other stick was a flat one. He covered those items in the animal skin.

  They rush back to the Shaman’s hut. The Shaman, Tribe leader, Arsh, and the mother are inside the hut. Civ makes his way inside the Shaman’s hut and prepares the area. He hears uncontrollable sobs coming from the mother. He told Arsh to take care of the mother and asked them to leave together. While the Shaman was checking the little girl.

  Arsh nodded and persuaded the mother. Seeing that the shaman is taking care of her daughter, she agrees and leaves the hut. Civ went to the center, facing the altar. Then he started clearing out the area with a flat surface and moved the dried wood he and Horm brought.

  He called his Father’s attention. “Father”.

  Kivrah was startled as he was called by his son in front of the altar and went near him.

  “Father, I need your help.” Civ grabbed a stick and broke it in two using his knee.

  “Please separate it in this way.” Civ using a stone knife, split the stick into four.

  “Lastly, please shave it like this,” He grabbed a stone flake and ran the wood to the stone flake, but not all the way. It was a short and curly shave.

  “If the stone flakes break, please get more from the stone flakes I put here.” Civ pointed to the tools he had. Some of the tools Kivrah saw were not familiar to him.

  Kivrah replied with a nod and started to replicate what Civ did.

  With the help of his Father, Civ moved his attention to preparing the area.

  First, he makes sure the surface area is cleared. Using one of his stone knives, he digs a shallow pit.

  Satisfied with the pit, Civ prepared the palm leaves. He rubbed it between his hands until it was fluffy. Then he arranges it like a bird's nest.

  He grabs one of the long sticks and the bone-dry flatwood. He placed the flatwood and put a small bark below it. Then, he stepped on it while he was kneeling on his other leg. With the long stick, he placed it on the flatwood. After that, he held the stick on top of it. With downward pressure, he started rubbing his palms. Generate a rolling motion to the stick. After a few seconds, he noticed there was a faint smoke and dark dust showing at the end of the stick.

  When he noticed it, he got his knife and created a “V” shaped carve next to the circle indentation.

  He continues his rubbing motion.

  Outside and inside the hut, everyone was curious about what Civ was doing. Other people think this teenager is just playing around, but they wanted to ask him. The Trible Leader and the Shaman especially want to stop Civ and ask what he’s doing. But seeing the full focus expression coming from Civ. They held back from asking.

  A few moments later, more visible smoke and dark dust are coming from the tip of the stick. Seeing this makes Civ’s heart beat faster. But then -

  CRAACKK

  His stick was broken in half.