I hold the spear in my hand securely. This weapon can be thrown, I got pretty good at throwing during my childhood, so I started using this. A lensel creeps through the maze, it's back is turned on us. Hast is standing behind me, staying silent...
I am about to throw the spear, but it's upper eye looks back far enough to spot me. It suddenly turns around, jumping at me.
I throw the spear, stabbing one of it's limbs, but it's not enough to kill it. It leaps out, it's jaw open. I quickly reach for the sword in my belt, but Hast kills it faster than I can.
"I missed that one... what unluck..." I say.
"It would be bad if you died on our first hunting trip alone." Hast says.
"Do not joke about that... I only just managed to convince Armun to let us go without one of them!"
"We are grown ups now, anyway. They can not decide for us anymore. What would they do? We could probably beat them in a fight." he says.
"I would never fight my family! And they would not fight me either!" I say.
"Yes, yes..."
"Let us go home, I do not think we could carry any more anims."
We had a pretty successful hunt. I carry the anims on my shoulder. We always make sure to keep the pile stocked.
I am 65 skulls old now. I have become as tall as my parents... I think I am a grown up, but Armun still doesn't agree... I don't think he will ever consider me a real grown up.
We pull the skin aside to enter the yard. The home is very big now, and yet still feels crowded. I think I am going to make my own home soon. Ikus and Katika almost looks like grown ups too, and Leon and Laut are big too...
"Ellei, look here!" Ikus says. He throws a spear that perfectly hits a skin across the yard.
"Stop it! You are going to be better than me soon." I say.
"I AM better than you." he says.
"Maybe we should find out..."
"Yes, take me with you next time!"
I laugh at him. "I am not the one you have to convince."
"How did it go? You did not have any problems?" Armun says. Clearly he has been concerned about our trip.
"Everything went fine. Do not worry so much." I say. I know why he's always worried... my older sister and brother are still gone. My memories of them are pretty distant... I was only a light old at the time. At this point, we're pretty sure they aren't alive anymore...
Arbella holds my youngest brother. They have had a new one, named Orlan. Filiny and Gatyk also had another daughter a light ago, named Rinka... she has just learned to walk.
Armun and Arbella have been getting lines on their faces. I don't know what they are. They also seem more tired than they used to be. But other than that, they seem to be fine...
A morning, one bone later I wait for Hast to wake up. "Hey... let us do it today."
"Huh?"
"Let us go as far down the road as we can."
"Okay... let's get some things."
We get our weapons, and pouches of meat and water. The light is still returning to the sky. The family is inside. I see Laut is in the first room. "Hey, Laut." I whisper to him, "Come out here a second." I know he won't tell on me...
"What is it?"
"We are going out travelling. We will be back in... not too long. Please tell Armun and Arbella in a little while, once we have gone."
"Okay." he says without questioning it. He doesn't pay much attention to others...
We leave the yard, entering the long road carved through the walls. Apparently, Armun created this whole road when my siblings disappeared, and he would search for days and days... I can't believe how much time he must have spent digging it. We walk on and on...
"I do not think there is an end to the maze." Hast says.
"Do you think it is possible that is can continue forever?"
"If not, then I do not think we could make it to the end. It is probably too far."
"Well, I do not want to spend my whole life at home. I want to find out."
It takes many hours to walk. Eventually, I see the end of the road. This is where he stopped digging.
"We are very far away... I do not know if we can walk back on the same day." Hast says.
"Should we turn around now?" I ask.
"I do not know... there is not much to do here... but there is nothing to do at home either..."
"Look!" I point to a plant in one of the maze's passages. It doesn't look like mapong or naia... there is something different growing on it, small round things. "I have never seen this before!"
"Is this a new thing?" Hast comes closer to it.
I pick one of the things off. It feels soft. I put it in my mouth.
"Be careful! You can not just eat it... you do not know what it is!"
"It tastes good!" I gasp. It tastes different from meat, water, and mapong... it's completely different, and very pleasant. "You should try it!"
"I do not know if it is dangerous..."
"It is not hurting me!"
"Hmm..." he tries to eat it too. "Wow... it is really different..."
"Let us take it home with us!"
We dig the plant out of the ground and start walking back.
"Do you think that if we continue going out into the world, we will find more new things?"
"I do not know, but I hope so." Hast says.
As I walk, I sigh.. I think my parents will be upset when we get home. And I'm right... it's getting dark when we arrive back at the gate, and Armun is waiting for me.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcMIirmwMw
"Ellei, why did you leave?"
"Sorry that we did not ask... but we had to see the end of the road!"
"You can not go without asking. What if something happened?"
"We can protect ourselves. And she is a grown up now. It is not different from when you go out, anymore." Hast says.
"You know why I am worried." Armun says.
"I know. But Hast is right. We are not kids... you do not have to ask for permission either. And we are careful."12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqr8XtR9TMX
He sighs. "..."
"And look what we found!"
"What is that?"
I show him the plant. "You can eat these, and they taste very good! Let us put it in the ground so it can grow these for us!"
"This was all the way out there?"
"Yes, and I think if we keep looking, we may find more new things! We should not stay here all the time..."
Armun crosses his arms. "I see... it is interesting... well... you promise that you do not leave without telling anyone, and you never go out alone."
"Yes! I promise!" I say, excited for the idea of exploring more.
ns 15.158.61.12da2
