Civ went inside the Shaman’s hut.

  Kivrah called Civ, who sat unnaturally.“Come inside Civ. Tell me what the situation is in the North.”

  Civ sat down. He noticed the gaze from Shaman Mashu. Her eyes were clear. She nods.

  “So right now, the boars have already left the area. They left in earlier days, and it seems they were in panic when they left.” Civ summarized what they observed.

  Kivrah clenched his fist. “They left. Do you think they are still near?”

  A hopeful question.

  “No. We followed their tracks, and the boars likely went to the further forest.” Civ replied.

  Kivrah’s throat feels like it's starting to dry.

  But he takes a deep breath. “Then, what do you think? Should we also run away from here?”

  Civ looked at his Father and relaxedly said. “We don’t need to. With the weapons we have right now, I believe we can repel those monsters!”

  Kivrah did not leave his gaze on his son. He asked. “The things you requested earlier. Is it part of the plan to repel the giants?”

  “You are right Father! I have a plan to fight those giants!” Civ confirmed it with confidence.

  Shaman Mashu from the side smiled.

  “I understand. Then what other things do we need to do?” Kivrah asked.

  “For now, we can continue what we are preparing. But for Luk and me. I would like to ask your permission.” Civ respectfully asked.

  Hearing the tone of his son, Kivrah’s brow raised. “Tell me.”

  “Luk and I need to look for the giants!” Civ said it firmly. He looked at his Father with assertiveness.

  “No! It will be dangerous for you all!” Kivrah cannot control his emotions and shouts at his Son.

  Everyone from the tribe jolted upon hearing the voice of their Tribe leader.

  “What is happening inside the shaman's hut?” someone asked.

  “Shhh let’s not talk about it and focus on making the arrows,” his friend replied.

  Back at the hut, Civ wants to justify his plan. But looking at his Father’s red face, he stared at him. He is ready to be scolded.

  But what his Father stopped after that sentence. Kivrah calmed down his emotions and asked with a trembling voice.“Tell me. Why. That. Is. A good plan?”

  Civ wants to smile since his Father is giving him a chance to explain his plan. But he fixed his posture and replied.

  “Father, to know how to fight the giants, we need to know their location. It is better also to know if they are different giants,” Civ explained.

  Kivrah did not show any emotion. “Continue.”

  “If we know where they are coming from and what they can do. We can prepare for the best approach. Like setting up traps or what weapons are the best to use.”

  Kivrah right now nodded. “I know you want to make sure that we can protect the tribe. But don’t you think it will be too dangerous? What will you do if you are found by the giants?”

  “They can’t. I will observe from a distance. What I just need to know is where they will be coming from and how far they are from the camp.” Civ replied.

  Kivrah wants to argue more about it with his son. He looked at the Shaman. Shaman looked at her, relaxed. Then she just replied with a smile.

  Kivrah paused for a second and then-

  PHEW A whistling sound came from Kivrah. His shoulders slumped for a moment, but he fixed his posture and looked at Civ in the eyes.

  “Can you make sure you and your group can return safely?” Kivrah asked.

  “Yes Father!” Civ quickly replied. He looks back also to his Father in the eyes. Not losing focus. “Alright, if you can make sure you and your group are safe, I will allow you to look for the giants!” Kivrah finally gave in. He still has an unresolved feeling. But as long as they can safely look for these giants. He also knows it will greatly help in fending off or escaping from the giants.

  “But Civ, even these are giants. The whole forest is bigger. How can you look for them?” Kivrah asked.

  Shaman Mashu also awaits Civ’s reply.

  Civ looked down and touched his chin. Then he looked back at them and said. “From the footprints we saw, I think I have an idea!”. Civ replied.

  Kivrah's eyes sparked and responded in a rush. “Tell me Civ? Where will these giants be coming from?”

  Recalling the footprints Civ saw, even though it was in panic, it was only filtering in one direction.

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  “The boars ran west. If my guess is correct, they will be coming from-”

  “East!” Kivrah finished Civ’s idea.

  Civ nodded and confirmed his father's conclusion. “That is right Father. If they are coming from the East, we can look for them there. If we are right, we can prepare for their attack!”

  Kivrah felt a relief in his heart. Hearing this conclusion made him more confident that they could face the giants.

  “This is great, my son! Thank you for looking at the north. When are you planning to head east?” Kivrah asked.

  “There are things I need to prepare before going there. I also need to talk to the hunting group about what to do while I’m away.” Civ replied.

  “I understand Son. Just tell us what will be needed. I will have the tribe work on it.” Kivrah wants to make sure that Civ is well prepared before leaving for this dangerous task.

  “Thank you Father. If there is anything I will need. I will tell you right away!” Civ replied.

  After these discussions, they ended the meeting.

  Civ left the hut first while Kivrah and Shaman Mashu talked separately. For what they discussed, Civ wanted to listen. But Kivrah insists on having Civ left first. Then Civ walked back to the hut while looking at the sky.

  The sky was already dark, and a faint orange cloud was slowly disappearing in Civ’s vision. It was replaced by the moon and the sparkling stars. Then he felt a cool air touch his body.

  “One day, I will take a look at those beautiful stars!” Civ is hopeful he can unravel as many things as he wants in his lifetime in this world.

  As he arrived in the hut, the whole hunting group was already taking a rest. They are asking Arsh, Safi, and Luk what is going on in the North.

  “Civ is here! Civ, what did the tribe leader say?” Ras asked and held his breath. Waiting for Civ’s reply.

  Civ sat between Arsh and Horm. “Let me start from the beginning.”

  Civ talked about what happened in the North and what was discussed in the Shaman’s hut. The group went silent after Civ finished.

  “Good thing that you are here, I have a favor to ask you.” Civ looked at the group and clasped his hand.

  “Please protect the tribe while I’m away,” Civ asked the group with a trembling voice.

  But when he finished, everyone looked confused.

  “Do not worry Civ. We will always protect the tribe. Even in exchange for our lives!” Pil replied, pumping his chest.

  “That is right Civ. Do not worry about the defenses at the camp. We will make sure no danger will befall the camp!” Arsh, next to him, replied. Civ felt an assuring warmth from her voice.

  Civ took a deep breath and fixed his posture. ‘That is right. I already taught them how to protect.’

  “Thank you everyone. But still, I want you all to remember these things.” Civ gave them some instructions for maintenance and protocols if there is an attack.

  The group happily listened and suggested some other ways of approaching the defense. Which Civ happily collaborated with them.

  Their discussion was lengthy. It was already night when they finished.

  After that, Civ looked at Safi and asked. “Safi, was the thing I gave you earlier. Is it in the cave?”

  Safi nodded and replied in a soft voice. “Yes Civ. I was placed on top of the cordage. Also, the vines you collected. We put it in a jar with water and placed it inside the cave.”

  “Got it. Thank you!” Civ left the hut to check the sweet potato.

  When he checked the sweet potato in the cave, the whole tuber was only the size of a fist.

  “This is fine. I just want to make sure it is edible.” Civ was hesitant to cook this. But this is the only way he can make sure that this is the same sweet potato he remembered.

  Then he picked the jar with the vine and put it outside. Looking at the vine, it seems that the plant did not have enough nutrients to prosper in that area. It was a miracle that it was still growing in that kind of environment.

  “Hmmmm, hopefully this is really edible.” Civ looked at the sweet potato in his hand.

  He returned to the hut and sat down in front of the campfire.

  “What is that thing you're holding Civ?” Horm asked,

  “This, honestly, I don’t know yet. But hopefully it is a food.” Civ revealed.

  The group started sitting around the campfire. This piqued their interest.

  Arsh asked. “That is the root right? How can we eat that?”

  Everyone also waited for Civ’s reply. From what they know, roots are not edible. It has a bitter taste and sometimes can upset the stomach.

  “I have an idea. Let’s try it together!” Civ excitedly grabbed the stick.

  Then he pushed aside the wood with fire on the other side. What’s left was the wood with ember and ash.

  Next is, Civ covered the sweet potato in mud. Then, put the potato with mud sealed in the clear area of the campfire. After that, he pushed back the wood with embers and some fire to retain the heat around the potato.

  “What do you think he is doing?” Pil asked Ras.

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him?” Ras replied.

  These two quietly bicker for a few minutes.

  “How long do you need to place it there Civ?” Vel, who was silently listening to the group earlier, asks Civ.

  “This is the other way of cooking. Like when we made the soup. This one is a different way. A longer way.” Civ explained.

  What Civ is doing is baking the potato. By covering it with mud, it serves as a protective shell and cooks from the inside. It also prevents the potato from drying out. Usually, it needs to stay there for thirty to sixty minutes to fully cook.

  While waiting, the group talked about their day. From the firewood team to the hunting group. Everyone happily talked to each other while eating their smoked meat.

  Since this is not that big, Civ pulled out the sweet potato after thirty minutes.

  Next, he hammered it with a stick. Breaking the protective dry mud, steam is released from the sweet potato.

  Using his stone knife, Civ cut it open in the middle. A sweet, earthy aroma was coming from it.

  Then he scraped some of it. Then he put it in his mouth.

  Civ involuntarily closed his eyes.

  Even though it was hot. The sweet, earthy, and creamy texture started to overwhelm his taste buds.

  “This tastes delicious!” Civ exclaimed.

  “Here, please pass it to the group.” Civ handed it next to him, which is Kes.

  Everyone has the same reaction.

  “This really tastes good. It's nothing as we tasted before!” Ras replied.

  However, they only have a small taste of it. Hoping for more, but they cannot do it yet. Since they needed to stay at the camp for a while.

  “I know everyone wants more. Luk and I will look for this while we are away!” Civ assured them.

  “Thank you Civ. We will look forward to that when both of you return!” Arsh replied.

  The taste of the sweet potato was really etched in their memory. They talked more for the rest of the night until they fell asleep around the campfire.

  The next morning, Civ quickly went inside the cave while Arsh woke up the hunting group.

  Grabbing the doplet like leather that they sewed and stuffed with cordage yesterday. He checked if it was already dry.

  Civ smiled. “It dried quickly! Then let’s do some waterproofing!”