Star and Moon saw their sister picking magic grass that could kill people. At first, they were really scared, but when they remembered that the herb everyone once called magic grass—Agastache—had been eaten for a long time without problems, they quietly joined in to help pick it.
When Tanya turned around again, she saw those two silly kids picking even poisonous mushrooms. She quickly stopped them and explained, "The prettier and more colorful something looks, the more poisonous it usually is. If you eat these, you could die!"
She had just learned that from a guidebook herself, but it didn't stop her from teaching them right away.
Star was shocked, "I told you this stuff was magical! Some people even died after eating it."
Tanya nodded, but she didn't tell them to throw away the poisonous mushrooms. Even though they were toxic, they could be used to extract plant water.
She took the basket of mushrooms and told the kids to go pick something else. Then she quietly extracted a small cup of plant water and drank it, feeling the weak power flow inside her.
Suddenly, a loud roar came from the forest, along with crashing sounds.
Star jumped in fright. Tanya waved at them and said, "Climb up the tree and stay there. Don't come down."
The two kids quickly climbed the tree. Just then, a wild boar as big as a saber-toothed tiger charged out of the forest straight at Tanya.
Right behind it, Miles came running fast, spear pointed at the boar's head. Tanya also quickly climbed a tree to get away.
Miles was strong, and dealing with a wild boar wouldn't normally be a problem for him. But his weapon was too basic. His first attack didn't kill it, and the boar got even more furious, crashing through the trees like a mad beast.
When the boar locked onto him again and charged, Miles jumped off a tree and killed it with his bone knife.
Star cheered loudly, "Miles, you're amazing! A wild boar! A wild boar!"
Wild boars in this wild land weren't like normal ones. They were big, fast, and very fierce. Their tusks were deadly to humans. Many brave warriors had died from them.
But Miles could always hunt them with ease. That must mean he was fully healed now.
Miles was still the top warrior of their tribe!
The two kids jumped down from the tree and ran around him, cheering happily.
Tanya thought to herself, they really needed to start making better weapons. For example, if they had bows and arrows, they wouldn't have been in such danger dealing with that boar.
Miles patted Star's head with a smile and looked at Tanya, saying, "Wait for me. We'll go home together."
Then he went back into the forest. Tanya didn't know what he was up to, but Star said confidently, "Miles probably caught something else too."
Sure enough, Miles returned shortly, dragging a vine with more animals tied to it. There was a big and a small wild boar, plus some wild chickens and rabbits.
Star was so excited. She looked up at him with admiration, "Miles! You're so amazing! Three wild boars!"
Tanya also thought he did a great job. It looked like he wiped out an entire boar den—probably caught the whole family, no wonder the male boar had gone crazy earlier.
"Let's go home," Tanya said. With all this meat and mushrooms, they had enough food for ten to fifteen days without worry.
She was a little disappointed they hadn't found any chili peppers, though.
Miles thought she wasn't satisfied with what he hunted, so he quietly said, "Tomorrow I'll go farther. I'll definitely bring back good furs."
Tanya didn't mind. "As long as we have enough food, that's enough."
But Miles was firm. "My body is fully healed. Before winter comes, I'll get you the best furs."
The food was enough for now, but when he mentioned winter, Tanya remembered how long and harsh the winters were here. If they didn't stock up ahead of time, it would be tough to survive. So she didn't argue. "Then be careful."
If they were going to survive the winter, the bamboo house wouldn't be enough. They needed to build a house with mud bricks, and fast!
Tanya suddenly felt there was so much to do.
Miles smiled. "Don't worry about me."
Tanya thought his tone was a bit too serious. But if it were someone else, she'd also remind them to be careful, so maybe it wasn't that strange.
The two kids walking ahead had heard everything clearly. They glanced at each other and smiled.
Miles wanted to give their sister furs. That meant he had chosen her as his mate. How sweet!
When they got back to the bamboo house, they were surprised to see several fresh pieces of meat placed on the open space in front of it. It looked like it had just been hunted.
Beside the meat stood a few people. Leading them was someone everyone recognized—it was the village chief from the small river village.
Tanya raised her eyebrows and didn't bother with greetings. She said directly, "Chief, did you forget what I said before? This land is my territory."
"What, are you planning to leave your legs behind here today?"
The village chief didn't like Tanya. He had hoped they would die out there. But the village elders had told him to apologize and invite them back to the village, especially since the ancestral spirit had gotten angry yesterday.
The ancestral spirit had been gone for a long time, and now it had appeared again to defend Tanya. They had to show respect or the whole village might be punished.
The chief had to think about the whole village. If he didn't, they could easily remove him from his position. He was old now and honestly couldn't beat the younger warriors anymore.
That's why he had to come here.
"We misunderstood you before. Now that the ancestral spirit has punished Bogart, please come back to the village."
He definitely wasn't being sincere.
Tanya could see that and didn't bother with fake politeness. "We'll accept your apology, but we're not going back. You should leave now. The old agreement still stands. If you're not gone before sunset…"
She looked at Miles. "Break their legs and throw them out."
Miles nodded and looked at the setting sun. There wasn't much time left until it disappeared behind the horizon.
The village chief, unable to speak: This woman is way too wild!
The old men behind him: If she doesn't come back, will the ancestral spirit punish our village?
It was all Bogart's fault! And Maya too! They were the ones who insisted Tanya and the others were beast-people.
Now even the elders were looking at the chief with displeasure.
They weren't ready to give up. If Tanya wouldn't listen, maybe they could talk to her younger siblings.
But before they could even open their mouths, Miles stood in front of them without a word, holding a thick wooden stick in his hand.