Chapter 7: Clean

Recently, Hamoyin noticed traces of other people from his tribe in his usual hunting area. This morning, while checking his traps as usual, he found fresh signs of a beast in one of them. The bait was trampled, and the wooden spikes at the bottom of the pit were covered in blood from an injured animal, but the prey was missing. There were also human footprints around the trap, indicating recent activity. It was clear what had happened.

“…”

Hamoine looked at the footprints with an expressionless face. Previously, those people would at least try to cover their tracks when stealing his prey. It seemed that over time, seeing no resistance from him, they had stopped bothering to hide their actions. Even if he resisted, no one would care about an outcast like him. Azuran had only allowed him to stay in the territory because he had some value, so he wasn’t entirely under the tribe’s protection.

Azuran’s territory covered the fertile rainforest south of the Great Waterfall. Beyond that was a rocky area with sparse trees, where the tribe’s settlement and sacred places were located, safe from wild beasts. Except for Hamoyin and the border patrols, no one stayed in the rainforest overnight. The patrols rotated periodically, but Hamoyin lived in the rainforest permanently. Apart from handing over his prey, he couldn’t easily approach the tribe. However, Hamoyin didn’t mind this or have any desire to live among the tribe. He was quite content with his current situation. Although people stole his prey, it was a minor issue.

First, he needed to deal with the trap. With this thought, Hamoyin took the bow from his back, jumped into the pit, and removed the blood-stained wooden spikes, throwing them out of the pit. These couldn’t be used again. After fixing the trap and climbing out of the pit, Hamoyin was covered in foul-smelling blood. He gathered the discarded wooden spikes, tied them together, and slung them over his shoulder as he headed back to the treehouse. Ideally, he should have waited until after hunting to clean the traps, as the scent of blood could interfere with hunting.

However, Hamoyin had nearly collected enough furs for the season, and the human footprints were fresh. If he wandered around the rainforest now, he might encounter those people. So, he decided to head home and catch some fish in the afternoon instead. He also wanted to check on Nagu. While she was unconscious, he didn’t worry much when he left. Now that she was awake, he was concerned she might move around and reopen her healing wounds. When he returned home, he found Nagu sitting on the bed, crying miserably. She was so absorbed in her tears that she didn’t notice him enter.

Seeing this, Hamoyin immediately assumed her wound had reopened, which made him a bit angry, hence his stern expression. But he soon realized she wasn’t crying from pain but for some unknown reason.

“I was just… just crying for no reason.”

Apparently, crying for no reason was a thing. Hamoyin hadn’t interacted much with human women, so maybe it was normal for them to cry when alone. As long as it wasn’t because of her wound, it was fine. After confirming Nagu was okay, Hamoyin grabbed his tools and went downstairs. He needed to carve some thicker branches to put back in the trap and make a few more supports around the house before the rainy season. The bird feathers on the roof also needed replacing. Although he didn’t have to hunt every day, there were still plenty of chores to do around here.

Hamoyin swung his stone blade, chopping thick branches. He decided to stay home tomorrow to prepare for the rainy season. The stored food would last Nagu and him about six days, and he planned to hand over some of his stored furs to the tribe. While planning his schedule, Hamoyin heard a familiar creaking sound above him. It was the sound of a window being opened. He paused and looked up at the treehouse, spotting Nagu peeking out from the small side window.

Hamoyin didn’t call out to her. He just stared up at her until she finally noticed his sharp, reproachful gaze from below.

“Didn’t I tell you not to move around?”

“Sorry…”

“Do you not understand what I say?”

“I understand, I understand.”

“Then why did you sit?”

“I won’t do it again…”

Curiosity was truly a sin. Nagu lay in bed, feeling guilty as Hamoyin scolded her for several minutes. He usually didn’t say much, but he had plenty to say when he did. But this was the most Hamoyin had spoken to her in days!

Nagu felt a strange sense of satisfaction. She wasn’t afraid of being alone, but not talking to anyone for days was stifling. Even being scolded was better than silence.

Just talk to me more!

Hamoyin had no idea what Nagu was thinking. He just saw her face slowly break into a satisfied smile. “Why are you smiling?”

“Huh? I’m not smiling.” Nagu awkwardly pulled the blanket over half her face. “You must be seeing things.”

After spending a few days together, Hamoyin finally labeled Nagu in his mind: Weirdo.

“Actually, sitting up isn’t a big problem now.” Seeing Hamoyin’s silence, Nagu continued talking, unaware she had been labeled a weirdo. “I can move my arms freely, and my thigh and ankle don’t hurt as much as before.”

“Oh,” Hamoyin replied flatly, then turned to put away his tools.

“Are you going out again?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going?”

Hamoyin didn’t answer, busy taking bait from a clay pot.

“Well, it’s like this.” Nagu hesitated but finally decided to speak up. “When you’re done tonight, can I discuss something with you?”

“What is it?” Hamoyin stopped fiddling with the bait and looked at Nagu. “You can say it now.”

“Huh? Aren’t you going out now…”

“Say it.”

Nagu had no choice but to speak. She nervously met Hamoyin’s gaze. She usually avoided looking directly into his golden eyes, which she recently noticed had vertical pupils like a beast’s, unlike human eyes.

Maybe people hadn’t fully evolved a few thousand years ago, Nagu thought.

“Well, my hands can move now.” Her eyes darted from Hamoyin’s shoulder to his eyes. “So I thought maybe… I could help you with something. I can’t just lie here and let you take care of me forever.”

She didn’t say it. She still didn’t say it!

According to her plan, she should have said, “Is there anything I can help you with? And in return, could I stay a few more days after I recover?”

Nagu clutched the blanket, feeling conflicted. “I just wanted to discuss this with you…”

Hamoyin was about to say there was nothing she could help with, but then he noticed the light streaming through the skylight and remembered something.

“Do you know how to weave?” he asked seriously, looking at Nagu.