After some more walking, the forest began to change.
The trees became more spaced out, the terrain more rocky. Stone formations began to appear among the vegetation, first small, then larger, like teeth breaking through the skin of the earth. They grew as they advanced, rising above Hawke's head, connecting to one another until they formed veritable natural walls. Stone paths opened between them, labyrinths sculpted by millennia of wind and rain, all converging on an even larger structure ahead.
'Finally. The village must be around here. What will it be like? Stone houses? Tents? I imagine what a village amidst so many rocks must be like…'
Hawke could hear voices now. Female voices. Speaking in that different language that the system translated automatically, overlaying the strange sounds with words he understood. He also heard activity, something being dragged across the ground, wood hitting against stone, stone scraping against stone in a methodical rhythm.
Kaira quickened her pace, clearly excited. The heavy bag on her shoulders didn't seem to bother her at all. Her feet knew every stone on that path.
They rounded a large rock formation and...
'This isn't a village.'
Absolutely not.
It was just a cave.
A large natural opening in the wall of a giant rock, or rather a small mountain, was big enough for three people to stand upright side by side. At the entrance, pushed into the corners like macabre decorations, were the bones of some small animal. Hawke couldn't identify the species; they were roughly the size of a rabbit, based on the fragile skull and thin bones. There were enough bones to form a small mound, indicating they were probably their main food source.
On the ceiling, stone formations hung down like frozen prey. Tiny holes in the rock allowed thin strands of sunlight to filter in, reasonably illuminating the interior and creating a play of shadows that shifted slowly as the hours went by.
Inside the cave, there were people. But not many; only two. Both were women.
'Only two? Where are the rest? I thought large groups were common in this era.'
For Hawke, too many people meant problems, competition for resources, complex hierarchies, hungry mouths. But too few people wasn't good either. There was a lack of unity, a lack of manpower, a lack of strength. Moreover, since they were women, according to his previous understanding of his world, they were naturally weaker.
One of them was crouched near a fire, stirring something in a rough stone container. Young, perhaps Kaira's age. Straight black hair falling in two thick braids over her shoulders. Fair skin, surprisingly fair considering they lived outdoors, without the sunspots he had expected to see. Large, dark eyes that snapped open sharply when she heard the footsteps, like an animal sensing movement.
And the body...
"No chance." Hawke could hardly believe it.
She was thin. The delicate type. Slender arms, small waist, narrow hips. Elegant, almost fragile, like a dry leaf.
But the breasts.
They were gigantic.
Completely disproportionate to the rest of her body. Larger even than the artificial padding in Kaira's bag, and these were real. They swayed naturally under the leather strap that barely contained them, the fabric stretched to its limit, side slits revealing more skin than they covered. And it wasn't strange at all; it was magnificent. Hawke felt his brain stumble over itself.
'Is this even possible? This time they're real, and not... padding, not bags inside the fabric. Yes, it's real. This is what I'm seeing...'
He shook his head discreetly. He couldn't remember exactly what a woman's body should look like; his memories of that aspect were vague, fragmented, from who-knows-where, but he knew that, whatever time or world he came from, something like this was not common.
The second person was significantly older; much older, in fact.
A lady with loose, spiky white hair sticking out in all directions, so messy it looked like an abandoned nest. Skin wrinkled like crumpled paper, deep furrows marking her forehead and cheeks. Shorter than normal, perhaps because she was thin and hunched, her spine bent from decades of work. But her eyes, those were attentive, lively, instantly assessing Hawke with a precision that belied her age.
The old woman.
As soon as she saw Kaira, she began to shout.
"KAIRA! YOU FOOL!"
The voice was hoarse, but strong, cutting through the air like a whip.
"Where were you? WHERE? The rules are: stay here! Girls can't go out, they have to stay here, keep watch!"
Kaira rolled her eyes with a familiarity that suggested she had heard this speech hundreds of times. She dropped the bag on the floor with a heavy thud.
"Watching what, Grandma? There aren't any cubs here for us to watch. Nothing's happening. Do you want me to watch Yuka? She's quite grown up now." She paused, her lips curving into a teasing smile. "Maybe I should keep an eye on that rock over there. It hasn't moved in three days, I'm worried."
"Don't mock me, girl!" The old woman stamped her foot, but her anger was already fading. "Going out to hunt is men's work! It's dangerous to walk around alone. You know that very well! Some wild animal could attack you, or one of 'them' could kidnap you!"
"I wasn't alone, Grandma." Kaira pointed at Hawke with her chin. "He was with me."
The old woman opened her mouth to retort, but Kaira was quicker. She pointed to the bag.
"And besides... we brought food. Look, eggs and insects. Plenty."
The old woman's eyes, which always seemed half-closed, widened. She approached the bag with unsteady but determined steps, opened the leather, and peeked inside. The expression changed immediately: anger gave way to surprise, surprise to suspicion, and suspicion to a poorly disguised satisfaction.
"Eggs... three large eggs... and insects..." She looked up at Kaira with grudging approval, reluctant pride glistening in his tired eyes. Then he turned to Hawke. "I don't remember this hunter."
"He hunted and killed the insects, while I only collected the eggs," Kaira defended him.