Chapter 2: Girls, This is Survival!

Adam arose, well before anyone in the village stirred, well before the first dawn even glimmered on the horizon. One learns to sleep light in potentially dangerous terrain behind enemy lines, and thus, even when disturbed by unanticipated sounds or unusual shadows, he could always slip back to sleep.

Which considering it, was odd. He vaguely recalled, in his now-previous life, having serious sleep issues, subject to horrifying night terrors. Oft reluctant taking anyone to bed, however close, fearing unintentionally harming them.

So how did he transition from that, to this, at the same time he was mysteriously transported to a far distant time, on a world utterly foreign to his own? It didn’t make any sense, thus he suspected whoever sent him back—because surely someone must have planned and executed it—also did things to his mind, though what, he hadn’t a clue. Yet another thing to endless fret over, as if he didn’t have enough to worry about.

Despite the various otherworldly nocturnal sounds, he didn’t perceive any as dangerous. If anything, he’d encourage the girls to pee around their campsites if they ever stayed overnight in the wild. The smell of humanity—or at least humanoids—was an effective deterrent. Just as a wild animal marking its territory, a designation to enter at their own risk, as mothers are often the most ferocious predators when attacked. Then again, given the terrifying creatures here, why should this tiny village represent any threat whatsoever?

The other thing he noted, he could tell when he slept soundly. Opening his eyes, they burned and teared if not been firmly shut or partially cracked, thus exposed for hours.

As a result, his vision was blurry, teary and he’d either rub them or wash his face to clear it. Without an adequate water supplies, washing wasn’t an option. And rubbing only worsened irritants.

Peering out their hide-curtain door, Tiss once more bettering her sister, he’d ensured their safety, having scanned for anything near enough to be a concern.

“Are you okay?” she inquired, her concern reflected in the windows into her soul, as they alternated between scanning the area and searching his own soul though the selfsame windows.

“I’ve slept outside often enough it doesn’t bother me. If anything approaches, the difference in sound awakens and alerts me. You don’t live long in my profession, if you don’t respond quickly.”

“Profession? What’s that?” She stepped out, carefully regarding him.

“It’s your job, what role you choose and what you do for others. I was not only a hunter, but a warrior, so alternated between sleeping in hostile environments and comfortably at home. Sometimes, the risks at home can be worse.”

She hesitated, eyeing him warily. “What’s a warrior? We have none here.”

“We can always hope, though it’s far from certain. A warrior is anyone who’s trained to combat enemies, whether friend or foe.”

“How can someone be both a friend and a ... enemy?”

“Hasn’t anyone you ever trusted betrayed you? Hasn’t a loved one stolen something you cherished? It’s often a short distance from someone ‘borrowing’ something unasked, to someone stabbing you in the back and stealing whatever they want.”

“Remind me never to visit your land!”

“Still,” as they spoke, Tor come out to see what was keeping them, “it’s something you’ll need to learn, because when you’re out hunting, there’s no telling who, or what, may accost you.”

“Accost? Please, I am not following any of this!”

“You have to rely on context and trust your judgement. Consider it, if you’re dealing with enemies, what’s most likely to happen if you unreasonably trust them. It means: just because someone looks like you, doesn’t mean they won’t try to hurt you. So even among apparent friends, we need to be on guard, watching each other’s back.”

“I prefer watching someone’s front,” Lor snickered, sotto voce.

“Hey!” he objected, turning and obliquely glancing over his shoulder at his own ass, “My backside ain’t nothing to sneeze at!” he teased.

“Why would we—?” Tiss began, before surrendering. “Are we ready?”

“Do we have any means of carrying water?” He stood, dusting himself off, again ignoring his nudity, unable to do anything about it. “One should always be cautious around unfamiliar water.”

“Why? Isn’t water just ... water?” Lor posed, as he led them away along an established trail, after Tiss shook her head, indicating they wasn’t any.

“I’ll explain when we encounter new water sources, but no. Some are foul, either naturally or because something died in it upstream. In which case, drinking it may make you violently ill.”

“But we know all the trusted water near us,” Tiss reminded him.

“Unfortunately, sometimes things happen. Poisonous gases seeping into the water from below, or some beast drowns in your local watering hole. That’s why, we’ll always have someone test the water, before anyone else tries it, to ensure we won’t all get sick, allowing us to care for each other.”

“It makes sense.” She nodded, her eyes peering far away at something unseen by the others.

“The risks, when out alone in the wilderness,” he continued, his crossbow at the ready, “are too vast and varied to take needless chances. So, always back each other up and expect the unexpected.”

“Expect the...?” Tor began, before reconsidering, so he left them to wrestle with the unfamiliar concept.

He waved, indicating the trees near them. “Note the treetops to detect the direction of the wind. While the wind is often steady, surrounding obstructions can change it, such as a wide berm or a hillside. Plus, when approaching prey, always stay upwind, to prevent them from smelling us and attacking, whether dangerous or easier kills.

“Remember, the smallest things can warn you of danger. Such as insects no longer buzzing, birds falling silent or even an unexpected scent. If you notice something like that, let us know, though do it quietly. If something disturbs the living things surrounding us, you won’t want to confirm we’re here to a predator.”

“Uh, how—?” Lor queried.

“Just tap us on the back, or even better, the hip. Or imitate a familiar bird.” He paused, catching a call he thought he could potentially imitate. “For instance,” and he tested his imitation, provoking raucous laughter from both girls. “Sorry, I’m still learning what’s familiar here.”

In response, Lor tried a different call, a long pierced clicking, so distinctive, it definitely captured your attention, while blending in with the surrounding sounds.

“You’ll have to teach me that, though I may have trouble learning it.”

“Good, it’s about time we taught you something,” Lor smugly said, her brow furrowing.

“Ah,” he said, holding his left hand up, signaling the girls to stop. Lor kept moving, bumping into him, though Tiss, having seen it before, stopped immediately and gigged, earning his side-eye.

“Shh,” he urged, his voice barely perceptible, unsure whether the sound had any meaning in this land. He turned, heading into the woods on their left, leaving the girls in his wake. They glanced at each other, before tentatively tailing him.

Not venturing far, he sighted a handy dead limb of a decent size, most of the branches already broken off. Leaping up, he caught himself, letting his dead weight hang, before pulling himself up and letting himself fall again, repeatedly jiggling it. Finally, it cracked, and letting go with his right hand, still holding it with his left, he let himself fall, steering the falling limb away from him.

Tiss cocked her head. “Kindle?”

“No, spear,” he clarified, clearing it from the underbrush and taking it back to the trail, providing sufficient room to work. “Knife?” he asked, holding out his hand. Tiss handed him hers, no one thinking to supply him his own yet. Breaking off the few remaining dead branches, he stood and examined it before lifting it to show them. “See how it’s relatively straight. That’s essential for a spear. He then sat cross-legged, leaning the branch to the side so the narrow end rested in his lap.

Again, glancing at each other, the girls imitated him. Tor succeeded, Tiss had trouble getting her one leg to properly fold under the other. Adam began slowly whittling the end of the wood, not wanting to rush and potentially damage one of the only two knives they possessed.

Only making slight cuts away from him, the girls watched intently. Being cautious took time. The birds fell silent after a few minutes, and everyone froze, yet they resumed moments later, so they relaxed, still partially on guard, ready and waiting for the ... unexpected?

Satisfied, he demonstrated it to the girls. Lor reached out, touching the end. “Not so sharp as knife.”

He stood, using it as a brace while standing. “It’s not meant for cutting.” R eversing it, so the sharp end faced him, he faced Lor, holding the end facing her down. “Attack me.”

Her brow raised—obviously a universal humanoid trait—again glancing at her sister, who shrugged, nodding. No dummy, she kept her short blade low, stepping forward before raising it and thrusting it at him. Raising his crude spear, braced in the dirt between his legs, she thrust right into it, coughing as it prodded her belly.

“If I’d used the other end, you’d now be disemboweled,” he cautioned.

“Try it again,” Tiss urged, “so we can see how you do it.”

He complied, and she tried a faint, coming in from a different angle. He just shifted the spear a minimal amount and swung the end again into Lor’s advance.

“Twice disemboweled,” he teased, smirking.

“Can it do more?” Tiss asked, guessing there was more based on his usual approach, teaching multiple lessons at once. “Definitely,” instead handing it to Tor, so she could try. She took it, making a couple lunges at an imaginary foe.

He grinned. “Very good. It’s both a defensive and offensive weapon, meaning you can stop someone attacking you, and also extend your reach, attacking someone without risking getting injured.”

Tiss demanded her chance, so they did, as Adam surveyed their surroundings, always alert, which both girls appreciated. When done, she returned it, and he stepped back a few paces. “I need to get a feel for how it flies.”

“Fly? Sticks don’t—” Lor protested, before he ran a couple steps, lunged forward and the spear left his hands, sailing through the air just as predicted. He indicated where it lay. “Notice how far and how true, it travels? If you’ve cornered an animal, and don’t dare confront it, or catch an enemy unaware, you can throw this, before rushing in and finishing them off with your knives.”

“This is ... terrifying,” Tiss marveled. “With this, we could venture anywhere, yet still be safe.”

“Within reason,” he cautioned. “The key is stealth, so animals won’t know you’re coming. It’s better catching enemies by surprise, rather than having a foe merely swat it aside.” When they both cocked their heads, he went and hefted it again, passing it to Tiss. “Try attacking me again.”

She again raised her brow, realizing she had the pointed end facing him, though he merely waved her in. Taking a step back, as demonstrated, she rushed him, and he almost casually swept the crude spear aside with his left. When she attempted to recover, he grabbed it, pulling her towards him and making a stabbing motion, again towards her gut. “You’ve both been eviscerated a lot today,” he teased.

Despite the more precise terms, they quickly grasped it, leaving him wondering how he understood their language and they his. It only then it occurred to him, they spoke their tongue, while he thought in English, yet spoke theirs too. It left his mind whirling, trying to imagine, not just why but how.

If, as assumed, he already knew both languages, why wouldn’t he just think and speak their language, applying the appropriate terms in theirs, rather than the overly complex English phrases.

The girls were adaptive and once he explained something, had little trouble remembering it—in whichever language he expressed it. So again, why would anyone—himself included—intentionally make things more complicated than necessary? Though again, knowing would neither help nor hurt, so was immaterial. It only further confused him, once more for no apparent reason.

“I see. It both powerful, and ... tricky. Will take time to master,” Tor noted.

“You have plenty of time to practice. Keep looking for any similar, long, straight dry branches we can us, so you’ll each have one. It never hurts being prepared.”

“But won’t you—?” Lor asked, when he suddenly grasped his stomach and toppled over, throwing his arms out dramatically, sticking his tongue out and closing his eyes.

“Ah,” she acknowledged. “If something happens to you, you need us to defend both you, and us.”

He again arched his back, leaping to his feet, further astounding Lor, though Tiss had already observed it. Which also left him wondering. He was sure, given his other previous-life symptoms, how the move came so naturally to him. He was sure, he never did it as regularly there. It’s not something a normal person would do. Yet another imponderable to consider.

As they proceeded, the girls practiced with their mutual spear—swords were too complicated to consider—paused and tried it at passing birds. Neither came close, though grew more proficient. It would take time, yet they learned, and the more they did, the safer the whole village would be.

Further on, he noted a gathering of birds in one particular area. Again raising his left hand, facing away from them, he pointed out the direction they were moving. Lor raised her spear, ready to respond, as he guided them to an unknown destination.

It wasn’t an easy trek, well off the regular established path. Fighting their way through a thicket of ever more entangled vines, their bare feet sinking into the ground, mud encased as they lifted them. Still, no one uttered a sound, Adam was proud of them.

Pointing out a likely dead branch in passing, they encountered a clearing, where a beautiful deep blue steam-fed pool the village never knew existed lay. Again raising his left hand, cautiously advancing on his own, ensuring there were no apparent dangers. He waved them forward, using the same raised left hand, they followed.