Primitive Man

Garnt, Rona, Ayra, Unami, and Baktou gathered near the entrance, ready to leave for the main village. The air was heavy with the weight of recent events, and the wounds of the battle were still fresh.

Garnt looked at Telvi, concern etched on his face. "Are you okay, Telvi?"

She nodded with a small smile. "Thanks to everyone, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She still had some wounds on her hands and legs, but none of them were bad enough for others to worry too much about her.

Baktou approached Telvi and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. "It wasn't your fault. Kalina deceived all of us."

Telvi nodded, accepting Baktou's words, but a tinge of sadness lingered in her eyes. "I thought I found a friend, but it looks like I was delusional,"

Others felt her guilt and sadness, as she muttered those words, but Garnt knew it was time for them to leave.

As the group prepared to leave, Garnt shook hands with Baktou. However, Garnt couldn't shake off a strange feeling about Baktou's demeanour. His handshake was firmer, and his gaze held an intensity that Garnt hadn't seen before. Yet, in the rush of leaving and the weight of the recent events, Garnt brushed off the oddity, attributing it to Baktou's discontent with their departure.

With the group mounted on horses, they set out on their journey back to the main village. The atmosphere was tense, and the unspoken acknowledgement of the challenges ahead hung in the air.

While they were riding on their journey, Rona had one thing she wanted to confirm. "Garnt, what are we going to do about Kalina? We didn't find her body and it looks like she is still alive despite our group confirming she is dead,"

As she uttered those words, Garnt's memories flashed back to the day they battled against Kalina, remembering how her chest was pierced. He didn't know if surviving that attack was possible, but it wasn't impossible after all. Being careful is better than worrying later.

"I told Baktou to increase security. If she is alive, she won't attack immediately because I know she is not foolish like that, and her main aim will be me. So let's just see how this develops."

Others nodded their heads, and Ayra decided to lighten the mood with a little gesture, so she quickly decided to pinch Garnt and hug him from the behind since they were riding the same horse, unlike Rona and Unami.

Everyone saw how Garnt reacted to her little teasing, and they laughed, lightening the mood. However, it also took them a considerable amount of time to get back to the main village since they were walking rather slowly as a whole group.

After a few days of slow travel, the group finally arrived back at the main village. The atmosphere was still somber, but the warm welcome from the villagers, especially the wives of each warrior, offered a bittersweet comfort.

Gundo, accompanied by the other women, approached the group as they dismounted their horses. Tears welled up in the eyes of some women who had lost their husbands in the recent battle, but they smiled through the sorrow, understanding the necessity of such conflicts.

[I'm glad people our people have come so far both in education and common knowledge. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to build a healthy village like this.]

Eva commented on what she witnessed and Garnt couldn't help but agree.

Then he stepped forward, acknowledging the grief in the eyes of those who had lost their loved ones. "My fellow villagers, today we return not only as survivors but as witnesses to the sacrifices made by our fellow villagers. Each one of them fought valiantly, and the spirits of the forest shall honour them as true warriors."

He continued, "To the families who have lost their loved ones, I promise you that their sacrifices will not be in vain. The spirits of the forest will recognize them as heroes, and we shall ensure that their memory lives on."

Gundo, with a solemn expression, nodded in agreement. "We have decided to provide compensation for the families who have lost someone, and we will support the education of their children under the guidance of our main village school. None of you will be abandoned."

Rona, Unami, and Ayra exchanged glances, appreciating the gestures made to honour the fallen warriors. It was a small solace in the face of loss.

As the crowd dispersed, Gundo pulled Garnt aside, a sense of urgency in her eyes. The other girls followed suit, sensing that something was amiss. Gundo led them to a quiet corner where Garnt's pet wolf, a loyal companion, was lying, visibly unwell.

Garnt's heart raced as he observed his beloved companion. "What happened to her?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

Gundo sighed. "It's not about the wolf, Garnt. It's about Garo."

Garnt's eyes widened. "What happened to Garo?"

Gundo explained that Garo, the baby dinosaur and an adopted child to Maro, had been missing since the battle. Despite efforts to find her, she seemed to have disappeared without a trace. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on Garnt, and a sense of dread filled his heart.

Maro was looking rather depressed as she considered Garo to be her own son, and she whipped like a wounded animal while looking at Garnt asking for his help.

Determined to find Garo, Garnt rallied the group. The search for the missing baby dinosaur became a priority, overshadowing the recent victory and losses, but unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found. It was almost like something must have happened to him and this worried Garnt.

Though he didn't love Garo as much as Maro, it didn't mean he didn't consider him a part of the village. He still desired that playful little dinosaur by his side, even though it was dangerous.

For a few days, the entire village tried to find him, all while not forgetting about Garnt's promises to the other people. Since several schools were now established in the village, most of the people considered Gundo's education to be the most superior. After all, she was the matriarch of the village, and all the kids who had parents killed in the war were admitted to this school, along with children from leader-like families.

Finally, on the seventh day, they managed to find a clue about what might have happened to the dinosaur baby, thanks to Guni despite all of these things going on inside the village.

Ayra knelt down and carefully picked up a delicate necklace made of seashells. Her eyes widened as she recognized it – a craft she had made for Guni, intending to place it around her neck as a playful adornment. The realization hit them like a thunderbolt, and the group exchanged worried glances.

"This is Guni's necklace! I remember her putting it on Garo's neck without even asking my permission," Ayra said, her voice tinged with concern.

As they continued through the forest, signs of disturbance became more apparent. Trees were bent and broken, as if something massive had passed through. The once serene atmosphere now held an unsettling tension. Garnt and Maro exchanged a knowing look, realizing that they were on the right track.

Following the trail of destruction, they reached the edge of the forest, where the terrain changed into a more rugged landscape. The path led them to the base of a towering mountain that loomed before them.

Maro growled, expressing her frustration at the imposing obstacle. However, Garnt, undeterred, approached the mountain and gently pet Maro's head.

"We can't climb it like this," Garnt said, looking up at the mountain's formidable peak. "But we'll find a way. For Garo."

Maro seemed to understand, her growls softening as Garnt spoke. With a determined nod, they turned away from the mountain, temporarily putting aside the ascent. Garnt wished silently for Garo's safety, hoping that the little dinosaur was still alive and unharmed.

[Garnt, do you think he went back to his real family? After all, we already saw two dinosaurs here, so it won't be a surprise if he was curious after seeing something similar to his race.]

Garnt was a little confused because he didn't know how to take these pieces of evidence he had gathered. Should he even try to find Garo if he really went back to his family? But Garnt knew that sooner or later, he would have to face the dinosaurs and kill them because they were a threat to his village.

"I wish I won't meet him when that time comes. Otherwise—"

He wanted to complete his thought, but looking at Maro, who still appeared rather depressed, he refrained.

Instead, he thought about something he could do to make Maro cheer up again, and he knew that finding her a real family might be the best choice from now on.

"Is there even a stronger wolf that can impress Maro?"

[Ehh~ I'm not sure, but it is not impossible. Let's try to search. Also, now that we don't have any enemies, we can freely expand and explore this land, so let's do that also.]

Garnt nodded, and a few days went by like that, the whole village busy with various activities to impress each other. Suddenly, one day, Garnt noticed a huge group of people walking toward his village, looking rather sad.

"What is even happening?" he questioned and climbed the wall, only to see some familiar faces among this group and quickly realized who they were.

"Wait a minute! What is this? Aren't these people from Baktou's group? What's going on here?"