soldiers help the people and look at Stan with their hands shaking, Stan stay with his eyes on the forest,
Jorogumo comes near and says "good work Stan" the soldiers eyes wide open and Stan says "thank you" eremis makes a sign for jorogumo to come to her side, she leave and they continue, Kalevi goes near Stan and whisper to him "Stan, have you see anything unusual?" Stan turns and asks "like what?" "no soldier die or shoot one of the creatures " Stan open his mouth but Kalevi watch Egine Sia and Hierme coming and goes back.
Egine says with a smile "Stan can we speak?" "Yes" "we saw you taking down these creatures, you were amazing" a smile shows in Stan's mouth "thank you" "but it was really dangerous" "what do you mean? That I shouldn't shoot them?" "Not exactly that, we are just worried that you could kill someone, if you missed your shot the people in front of the creature could be dead" Stan raise his voice "so do you want me to give you the gun?" "For the time being" "I cannot give it back, not now that I have it" "Stan please for the sake of others give it" Sia left with her head towards Jorogumo "I have also people to protect" "then it would be better to leave it, before you harm anyone" Sia comes back and whispers at the ear of Egine, Stan look at them with wonder and Egine says "fine you can keep it" Stan says nothing and turn his head forward, they continue for much longer and the soldiers announce "we will settle here for now, we will scout the area ahead and then we can continue" Jorogumo and mamy soldier go deeper, Stan asks "should we follow them?" Sia replies "our task is to stay here" he turn at Jorogumo, the thick trees and canopies covering them, making them harder to see them.
Stan look at Aphrodite, Egine suddenly covers his view and says "we are going to sit in the
Trees with the others from your barrack
Do you wanna come?" "Go and I will find you later" Egine smile and leave, he continue staring at Aphrodite and after a while he leaves a massive sigh and goes to the others.
Finding Egine sitting beside a soldier Hierme and Sia discussing about their drawings and the other soldiers playing cards, one of the soldiers says "Stan do you know how to play
Swiasin?" I never heard of it"
It's a card game from neptune, come here and see" Stan sits down and sees four people , two on the opposite sides, eight cards down on the center and four beside the players, they pick one from their side and pick one from the center, they compare the numbers and the player with the biggest number takes the card.
Stan look carefully at them and when they end the soldier say "do you understand the game now?" "Kinda" "that's better than nothing, take my place for now, I got a bit bored" Stan sits and play with the soldiers, winning one of many games, the soldier comments "at least you do better than the monkey right there" the soldier reply "kahona don't be jealous because I beat you in almost everything" Kahona laughs "you do shit" they continue playing, talking, singing.
And as Everyone lay on the trees and the night is ready to rise and Stan watching from afar Aphrodite, Kalevi comes and stand in the tree and says "Stan tell me, don't you find anything unusual?" Stan spine sievers "why do you ask me this again? Nothing is unusual" "really?, Soldiers missing their shots and not dying, people getting kidnapped by the creatures "I cannot understand you, you are just making conspiracies " "you will see, just wait and I will show you" after hours Kalevi comes back "follow me" Stan follows him and behind him Egine Hierme and Sia watch him.
They follow the footsteps on the mulch canopies and they reach a tree with drawings and symbols, Stan left speechless looking at a drawing of a woman with high detail, lines atop of one another or making circles with gaps and nones inside circles , Kalevi's muscles don't move an inch "this is one of the first I found" "we better go back" "no, you haven't see everything" Kalevi continues and they see more symbols.
They reach an open area and from afar they see wooden houses in the trees, Stairs that extend until the ground, in some trees eggs with the small human creatures taking care of their eggs and the others big one protecting them, pipes made of wood inserted in the trees and to wooden carters Outside each house, farms of green round shaped fruits and the creatures using fire in a round tube.
Kalevi grab Stan's head and turn it to the right, Jorogumo with the soldiers at the opposite side from the creatures, both of them writing symbols, Stan's eyes wide open "why is she with this creatures?" Kalevi left speechless, Jorogumo continues writing and the creature use their hands to communicate, Jorogumo tilt her head right, watching Stan and Kalevi with her edge of her eye, Stan darts and they run behind a tree.
Kalevi moves back and says "let's go back we've seen enough" Stan stay in the tree and d continue watching Jorogumo perplexed, Kalevi drag him away and abruptly they hear the creatures screaming, they watch from their shoulder and they saw them running with the round tubes, Jorogumo leaves and so do Stan and Kalevi.
As they reach the camp at night, Hierme and the other drown Stan with questions "where were you?" "Have you seen anything extraordinary?" Stan heart skips a beat, with a calm and low voice he says Ii saw nothing" Kalevi leaves and Jorogumo comes behind him, benignly touching his back "Stan if you have a moment come with me" Stans forehead starts shining and follows her "is something wrong Jorogumo?" "I know you were there with Kalevi" Stan legs stop moving and she stare at him with her eyes narrowed "I don't intend to hurt you so you can calm" "dont you worry that me or Kalevi can tell what we saw to the people?" "Im only worrying about Kalevi, but he knows without evidence he can do nothing, as for you im sure you will not choose to tell anything" Stan raise his voice "what makes you say that?" "You know why we dont take the guns and kill them?" She make a brief pause "because they have the numbers, they know the environment better than us and they are fundemental for us to survive" "fundemental for our survival? What can this things benefit us to survive?" "You have not see it but in this planet a war is waging for a long time, this creatures against the fungus that consumes every organism, absorbing it on its own ecosystem, if we destroy the balance the fungi will expand before we could leave,The only way for us to survive is to offer them our people"
"Only a monster would do that" jorogumo takes her eyes on the sky "it is a road with only one line, a road that we have to walk wanted it or not" "how many people? Hiw many have you offer to the creatures?" "Fifty, giving them every time we went for hunting" her arm twitch but Stan doesnt notice it
"Stan i have one more thing to ask you "if the creatures come again do not shoot them, i tlod them to not take any female again" "i cannot let it pass like that" "and what will you do when they attack? Will you protect Aphrodite? And if you do what will you do when both of you are alone, with the fungi expanding" Stan mouth opens and close "you understand now how it feels to take decisions like this" "Yes" he sigh and he half closed his eyes "it seems we have no option, goodnight" "goodnight Stan" Stan go to his barracks and the soldiers welcome him, giving him smiles and laughs, asking for his day Stan ignore them and fall to sleep.
Saying inside his mouth "do you really have a fond of me or are you just playing nice?"
