Nobody here is a normal human. The rules are different.
"Hey!"
Hawke turned abruptly.
Kaira was there, a few meters behind, her head tilted at a curious angle.
"What are you doing with that rock? Where are you going to carry it? Do you plan to take it on the trip?" The trip she was referring to was the departure towards the vicinity of the village spotted by Tairo; he had already said earlier, "We'll leave a little later. Get ready. It's going to be a long trip to the place with food."
"That's not it." Hawke dropped the rock, which hit the ground with a dull thud. "It's just that I want to do something... cool. Different."
Her eyes lit up with genuine interest.
"Cool? What kind of thing?" She approached excitedly, curiosity overcoming any other emotion. "Break it on your own head? Duggi and Kuggi do that when they're angry. Or squeeze it between your hands until it turns to dust? Or—"
"None of that." He interrupted quickly, gesturing. "What I'm going to do is... well, you'll see. But first I need to get more stones. Several. And dry branches. Lots of branches."
"I'll help you!" The answer was immediate, without hesitation. "I don't have anything to do anyway. I'm already ready to travel."
They worked together, gathering stones of varying sizes. Hawke arranged them in a perfect circle, creating an improvised enclosure with an opening to feed the fire. Then they began to gather dry branches, carefully stacking them inside the circle. They did this inside the cave.
That's when Yuka appeared, attracted by the noise and movement.
"What are you doing?" Her voice was soft, curious.
"Surprise," Hawke replied with a mysterious smile.
"I want to help too!" She practically jumped into place, her enormous breasts swaying with the movement.
"Okay. How about you find a very thin and smooth stone? About this size."
He gestured with his hands, showing the approximate size. His hands were aligned at the height of Yuka's breasts, those absurd, disproportionate breasts, impossible to ignore.
And Hawke stared at him.
He couldn't help it. They were there, immense, swaying gently with her breath. The leather strap that covered them seemed about to give way at any moment.
"What is it?" Yuka asked, noticing the direction of his gaze.
"Nothing." He quickly looked away, feeling his face heat up. "I was just thinking that this is a... generous size."
"Generous?"
"For a stone, I mean. A generous size for a smooth stone."
She blinked a few times, confused, but accepted the explanation. She skipped off in search of the ideal stone.
They continued working. More branches. More organization. The stone circle was perfect, the branches stacked in the center in a tent shape, optimizing airflow.
'How do I know how to do this?'
He couldn't remember. He had no memory of learning. But his hands knew. His body knew. As if it were instinct.
Yuka returned triumphantly with a perfect stone, thin, smooth, as expected, the exact size. She placed it next to the circle, waiting for approval.
Kaira studied the structure, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "It's ready. But what is this? I don't think it's cool or fun. It just looks like a pile of rocks and sticks."
"It's not quite ready yet."
"It's not?" Yuka tilted her head like a curious bird. "What's missing?"
Hawke took a deep breath. This was the moment. "Remember that egg you hid last night? I'm going to need it."
The two girls exchanged glances. A long look, full of meaning, silently communicating something.
"Is it okay if you go get it for me?"
They nodded in unison and ran off in the opposite direction, disappearing among the rocks.
While they went to get the egg, the men approached. Duggi, already fully recovered from the fall, but still looking at Hawke with a certain cautious respect, Kuggi and Tairo. All curious, surrounding the stone structure.
"Hey, Kuggi." Duggi nudged his companion with his elbow. "What do you think this is?"
Kuggi studied the structure for a long moment, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. Finally, his eyes lit up with what he clearly believed to be a brilliant revelation.
"Well, can't you see? That's a shitter.!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN A SHITTER?!" Hawke almost choked.
"It is!" Kuggi pointed to the circle of stones. "Sit there, do your business, and the twigs hide the smell. Brilliant!"
"No, it's not that. You guys are stupid..." Tairo shook his head, but he also seemed confused. Then he looked at Hawke. "Hey, seriously. What is it?"
"Wait a moment and you'll see. Patience."
He picked up one of the thickest branches and began to chip it with a sharp stone, creating a deep groove in the middle. The wood was soft, yielding easily under pressure. Then he made a small mound of dry straw right in the groove.
Grandma was the last to approach, settling on a nearby rock with genuine curiosity on her wrinkled face. Her small but attentive eyes didn't miss a single movement.
Kaira and Yuka returned breathless, but triumphant. Kaira held the egg carefully, as if it were a treasure.
Tairo looked at the structure again, then at the egg, then back. His eyes gradually widened, understanding dawning like the sunrise.
"I get it!" He slapped his forehead. "It's a nest! He made a nest!"
"BWAHAHAHAHA!"
Duggi and Kuggi burst into laughter so loud it echoed through the rocks. Grandma laughed too, a hoarse laugh that quickly turned into a cough.
Hawke rolled his eyes forcefully, continuing to prepare the dry straw in the branch groove.
Yuka covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes shining with amusement.
"Are you going to hatch a baby? Are you going to be a dinosaur mom?"
"Of course not." His voice came out tired. "Just wait."
He positioned himself comfortably on the ground, picked up another thinner, longer branch. He placed the tip in the groove of the thick branch and began to rub it back and forth. Quickly. Friction generates heat; that's how you make fire. I know this. My body knows it; it just needs to work.
But nothing happened.
He continued, rubbing faster and applying more pressure. His tongue slipped out between his closed lips, total concentration etched on his face.
He glanced at the spectators.
Kaira had a bored expression. Disappointed, perhaps. Like someone who expected a spectacle and got a monotonous repetition.
The others looked on like they were watching a madman perform an incomprehensible ritual. Worried. Confused.
Tairo leaned in and whispered something in Duggi's ear. Hawke didn't hear the words, but he caught the tone perfectly. This guy is crazy. We should leave him behind.
Kuggi stood up, tired of waiting.
"This guy is an idiot. Wasting time with a stick."
He started to walk away.
'It's going to work. It's going to work, damn it! What am I doing wrong?'
He rubbed even faster. His arms burned with the repetitive effort, his muscles protesting.
Speed. He needs more speed. More pressure.
Then he saw it.
Smoke.
A thin line of gray smoke rising from the groove, rising lightly like a soul escaping from the body.
The spectators' eyes widened instantly. Hawke sped up even more, his arms blurring, his entire body focused on a single objective.
The smoke increased. It grew denser. Darker.
And then... FIRE.
A small, bright orange flame burst forth in the furrow like a flower blooming.
"HOLY SHIT!" someone said
Hawke wasted no time. He carefully transferred the burning branch to the nest of dry straw. The straw caught instantly, crackling hungrily, spreading to the larger branches.
In seconds, a real bonfire roared within the circle of stones.
Fire. Light. Heat. Now he had it all.
Absolute silence from the spectators.
No one breathed. No one blinked. No one moved.
Then Tairo whispered, his voice full of reverence:
"He... he's a sorcerer."
"WE HAVE A SORCERER!" Kuggi and Duggi shouted together, jumping like children. "WE HAVE FIRE! FOREVER! NEVER COLD AGAIN!" Kaira clapped incessantly, her eyes fixed on the dancing flames, her face illuminated by the orange light.
Yuka looked at Hawke with an expression of complete shock. As if she couldn't process what she had just witnessed.
Grandma just smiled. Satisfied. As if she already knew.
Hawke raised his hands, trying to calm the euphoria.
"No. I'm not a wizard."
"OF COURSE YOU ARE!" Duggi insisted, pointing at the fire. "You did magic! You created fire out of nothing! Only a wizard does that!"
"It's not magic. It's technique. Anyone can learn it. It's just friction, speed, patience."
Skeptical looks mingled with hopeful ones.
"Seriously. I can teach you. There's no secret."
Yuka's eyes widened, excited by the idea.
"But first..." She picked up the smooth stone. "Keep watching. There's more."