Having two new people in our home has been a little difficult to adjust to all of a sudden. Most of the time we go about with life as usual, but they're there a lot of the time, sometimes they just watch us. They're probably trying to understand our lives better. Sometimes we talk to them, but we can't have complex conversations, because they haven't learned all the words yet, although it's getting better. They are still lying still every night, and I don't understand it, but they get up if we are too noisy, and they seem annoyed by it, so we have to be more quiet.
I've been thinking about whether we should just build separate rooms, so we don't have to be quiet during the darkness. I made an opening behind this room, and started building another wall, so the home would be divided in two parts. After a bit it was done, and when darkness came, I showed them the room. They took some skins with them and went in there. This helped.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdo4bz3ruK
We've been spending a lot of time taking care of Ellei. She's very vulnerable at this stage so we couldn't pay much attention to Bansel and Dinna. They often spend time together and are starting to have simple conversations now, where Bansel tries really hard to get coherent sentences out of her. But they seem more restless at the moment when they get less attention.
Some time goes by with no big changes to the world. Sometimes, I go outside during the dark times. We've decided to call the light "day" and the dark "night". I bring some of the lights with us. We've called the light plants "naia". I don't like being outside at night, though. Most of the anims are still active, but it's harder to see them. Luckily it looks like they also find it difficult to see in darkness. But I'm far more visible with the naia lights.
One day we discover that Filiny is carrying a human. Or a child, as we say now, as time goes by, we refine the language more and more and create new words; we have a lot of free time on our hands, especially at night, so we spend a lot of time talking and our language becomes more broad. I wonder if their child will have almer-skin, too. I hope they will be a happy family. We talk together much more now, and Arbella is speaking to Filiny about pregnancy and what it will feel like.
"Will it hurt?" Filiny asks.
"A little. But not much." Arbella says.
I hold Ellei, letting her grab my fingers, which she likes to do. I watch Bansel washing blood off a skin, and Dinna, sitting in a corner, stroking a piece of almer fur. She likes that fur... I gave it to her a while ago and she's kept it since. I'm not really sure what she's actually doing. I guess it just feels nice. Maybe the kids are a little understimulated. But I really can't come up with anything for them to do. I chat with them when I can. I hunt with Bansel sometimes but Dinna is still too young. Besides, we have plenty to eat, we really don't hunt that often. If only I could do something.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cdWkVTWGr
One day we're low on krilm and I went out to collect some. As I was going home, I saw a very young almer. It was a spotted white and brown colour and it looked quite thin. I wondered where it's parents were. Anims usually didn't leave their kids alone. Maybe they had been killed by some other predator and it had somehow survived. For some reason, I felt sympathetic. I had some meat on me, so I threw it in the direction of the almer. It was afraid and jumped back, but then it came over and looked at it and then ate it. I continued on my way.
I come home to see Dinna looking sad and Arbella looking upset.
"What happened?" I ask.
"She grabbed one of the sharp bones, and cut her finger. It is not very bad. But she should not do that again." Arbella says.
Dinna looks down.
"We only try to protect you." Arbella says. "When you are older you can have it."
The darkness falls, and I've noticed Bansel spending time building towers out of small bones. I sit down and help him build some more stable ones with different methods.
The next morning, I step outside to check if the light has returned, only to notice that near the entrance, the almer I saw yesterday is lying. It looks like it is resting, just like Filiny and Gatyk do every night. Should I wake it? I consider getting a weapon, but as I take a step, it wakes up. It looks up at me with it's brown eyes cautiously. Did it follow me because I gave it food? Maybe it wants me to give it more? I think about it. Do I really want this anim getting dependent on me? I'm just wasting food for no reason. But then again, it's far from the case that we don't have enough, in fact sometimes we have too much. I guess I might as well..? I get some meat and throw it to it. It eats it quickly, but looks up at me again with those pitiful eyes. Maybe it's thirsty? I sigh. I can't really throw krilm at it. I just go back inside.
The next day it's lying there even closer to the entrance. I can't seem to get rid of this thing. Unless I killed it. But there really isn't any reason. It's so small, there's barely any meat on it. I stare down at the anim. I don't know if I want it to be hanging around our home though. It's still a wild creature... even though it's been passive so far, it could decide to attack one day. I prod it with my foot and shoo it away.
The next day I notice Dinna sneaking outside. I hurry out after her, only to see her petting the almer. I immediately want to grab her and kick the anim away, but I stop myself for a second. It doesn't look aggressive, it seems to like the attention. I frown.
"Dinna." I say.
She turns around. "It is... friend..." she says. "I want... k-keep..."
I shake my head. "It is an anim, not a human."
"But... I like it.." she says.
I stare at her for a second. "You should not go outside without adult. That is very bad. Do not do that again."
"Sorry..." she says. "But...... keep it.... please..."
"...." I contemplate it for a long time. "It can stay outside. But only if you follow rules. And it can never come inside."
"Okay!" She says happily.
I sigh. Now she has befriended an anim... this girl...
The next day, I put a skin inside a frame of bones and fill it with krilm, placing it out so the stupid almer can drink something.
"Why you taking care of anim?" Gatyk asks.
"Dinna is friends with it now. For some reason I allowed it to stay." I say.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHGOvILUhu
He seems amused by this.
But the next days she does seem less restless. It looks like she has fun with the almer, and even plays games with it. I never let her be with it without supervision, but the anim does seem quite non-aggressive. It is still a young one, though. I don't know how it'll be when it grows older. I'm not lowering my guard just yet.
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