Chapter 14

"Awesome! Awesome!"

"It's nothing, really..."

"You're amazing, Cloudy! Doing this all by yourself, impressive."

"Hehe... Really?"

Blushing, Cloudy scratched her head. After showing Titus the fence she had fixed, Titus kept praising her non-stop: "This makes it much safer."

Is it really much safer? Titus seemed fine when there was no point of reference, but now standing next to the fence, it seemed like a toy to him... He could easily step over it if he wanted to.

But it wasn't a big issue. If it were a large animal similar in size to Titus, as long as she hid in the cave, she would be safe. Although they could destroy the fence, they couldn't get into the cave. Right now, Cloudy was more concerned about last night's events than the fence.

Even though she had already confirmed that Titus had no wounds when they met, Cloudy's gaze occasionally drifted towards him, trying to see if there were any wounds beneath the animal hide that was not visible on the outside.

Lost in thought, Cloudy walked up to Titus and reached out to pull at his animal hide clothing. Titus seemed surprised but didn't stop Cloudy's actions; instead, he halted his steps and waited for Cloudy to see what she was up to.

"Um..." Not being stopped, Cloudy took it a step further and lifted the animal hide. The first thing that caught her eye was, of course, the brown, robust physique. Well, that wasn't what she came to see. She looked around and besides some old scars that looked like they had been there for years, there were no new ones.

"Titus, these..." Cloudy lifted Titus's clothing with one hand and pointed to a huge old scar above his abdomen. This scar was lighter in color compared to the other areas, looking very obvious and fierce. "Why?"

"Hmm?" Titus looked down at the scar Cloudy pointed out. "Wound."

I didn't ask you to teach me how to say that! But still, thank you for the lesson. Cloudy started to practice on the spot, "Wound! Why?"

Titus rambled on for a while, then furrowed his brow, probably trying to figure out how to explain it in a way Cloudy would understand.

"Fight, left behind. With enemies." Titus then bared his teeth and made a very fierce expression. "Enemies, attacked home."

"Enemies? Are they wild beasts?"

"No, enemies. Not wild beasts."

So, besides Titus's settlement, there are other settlements in the rainforest... and the relationships are not peaceful. This was undoubtedly another slightly heavy piece of information for Cloudy. "Last night, you said I would die if I went out. Why?"

"Because of enemies." Titus made a strange sweeping motion with his hand, as if he was sweeping the floor, then followed by a throwing motion. "Yesterday, night, enemies *&..."

Cloudy didn't understand, so Titus patiently started explaining to her. After about ten minutes...
Cloudy, with her strong abstract understanding ability, understood what Titus was talking about. Last night, the opposing force of Titus' settlement was pursuing something.

However, it was not intentional. During the day, they severely injured their prey in their own territory, but the wounded prey fled to this area, leading to a standoff from the afternoon into the night.

"Cloudy, I don't know. If we're discovered at night, we'll die," Titus patted Cloudy's head. "I'll stay here. If they chase the prey here, I can protect you."

Fortunately, the hunting range did not expand to Green Slope last night, so it ended, and after ensuring safety, Titus returned to his settlement. Cloudy fully understood... but this is not a frequent event, so she shouldn't worry too much, right?

As Cloudy was lost in thought, Titus took off his cloth bundle from his waist and handed it to Cloudy. "Food. Are you hungry, Cloudy?"

Annoyed at being given food again, Cloudy thought, "Am I being treated like one of those stray dogs or cats in the neighborhood that no one cares about?" Despite her inner resentment, Cloudy, being honest, quickly took the cloth bag and opened it to see what was inside.

Some smelly thin slices, some dried fruits, and a few pieces... What is this? Cloudy took out the soft, irregular grayish-white block and sniffed it. It had a strong earthy smell; she guessed it was dug up from the ground or something that grew attached to soil.

Seeing Cloudy sniffing the food, Titus, thinking she didn't like it, said, "This one isn't smelly," and took it from Cloudy's hand, stuffing it into her mouth.

Without minding Titus' forceful behavior, Cloudy earnestly chewed the unfamiliar food in her mouth. It felt rubbery, but would quickly break apart when bitten, with only an earthy taste and a slightly moist feeling after chewing a few times.

"What is this?" Cloudy swallowed the food and curiously asked Titus, "And what about this?" She picked up a thin slice.

It was a very challenging process of communication... with Titus gesturing vigorously and Cloudy trying her best to understand...

The irregular grayish-white block was, in simple terms, a type of fungus. It felt more like wood ear mushrooms than regular mushrooms, growing in the dampest parts of the rainforest, distributed on the ground and tree trunks. After washing, it could be eaten.

As for the smelly thin slices... it was more complex. Cloudy took about two hours to understand. These slices were processed, made from some unknown giant insect. Based on Titus' continuous hand movements towards the sky, Cloudy deduced it was a flying insect.

The slices were made from the innards of these insects, soaked in water for a period, then mixed and crushed with some raw meat, before adding some plants and flattening into thin slices. After sun-drying for a while, they were torn by hand into convenient sizes for carrying.

This kind of slice was...
For them, it's like long-lasting provisions for extended hunting trips, so they make sure it can be stored for a long time.

"Each time, I can't bring you too much," Titus said somewhat helplessly. "It will be noticed that someone is managing the food."

"I won't need you to bring me any next time; I'll figure something out myself," Cloudy hadn't realized that each time Titus brought her food, he was taking some risks. "Even if you don't give me food, I won't starve." This statement was insincere; before Titus appeared, Cloudy was always hungry.

Clearly, Titus didn't believe her either; he actually smiled in front of Cloudy.

"Go ahead and laugh; I'm so embarrassed," Cloudy felt annoyed.

"Cloudy, what's next?" After the laughter, Titus looked around and noticed a lot of soft grass placed on a rock near the cave. "What is this for?"

That was the fine grass Cloudy had dried here earlier, prepared to continue making fire. She didn't know how to tell Titus about fire, nor could she describe it properly. Had Titus' settlement entered the era of fire? If they had, then the food Titus brought her should have been processed with fire to some extent, but it didn't seem like it.

Or maybe they already had fire, but it was strictly controlled? After all, fire wasn't made with lighters; it had to exist. In Cloudy's memory, fire in this era could only come about through two means: natural ignition or intentional fire-starting.

Considering the complex terrain here, with rainforests, grasslands, and stone forests, incidents of lightning strikes causing fires or natural wildfires must have occurred. If Titus and his people relied on natural ignition, they would certainly find ways to keep the fire going, making fire a precious commodity that not everyone could obtain.

What could the situation be? Finding out was simple; she just needed to see if Titus knew about "fire." Taking Titus by the arm, she led him to the fine grass, then took out a small red fruit from her pouch, pointed to the fruit and then to the grass, making an unfolding motion with her hand while making a kissing sound.

Titus frowned, showing a puzzled expression.

Cloudy continued her performance until finally... when she touched the skin with the fruit and pretended to cry out in pain, blowing on the skin, Titus suddenly realized, "Moubha!"

After confirming several times, Cloudy was certain that "Moubha" in Titus' words meant "fire."

"Do you want fire, Cloudy?" Titus looked somewhat conflicted. "Food is not a problem; I can try to bring you some. Fire is very dangerous; we will be punished."

Cloudy quickly waved her hands; she did indeed want fire, but according to Titus' expression... it seemed that the fire source was strictly managed within the settlement. Cloudy believed that their relationship hadn't reached that level yet.
"But... Cloudy really wants it, I can give it a try."

Has it come to this point in their relationship?!

Cloudy gestured more vigorously, not wanting Titus to be tied up on the mountain and fed to the eagles for giving fire to outsiders without permission: "Just curious. I don't need it."

Seemingly because he couldn't give fire to Cloudy, Titus appeared somewhat crestfallen: "Food, tools, I can provide you with anything you need."

"I don't need anything today." She glanced at the sky to confirm the time; it was almost time to eat. Since she hadn't made the side fence yet, she had to climb over it laboriously to get back to the cave.

She took out some water, along with some fruits and roots she had stored, and invited Titus to sit near the workbench. It was a flat area she had deliberately cleared. After Titus sat down, she picked a few large leaves and spread them on the ground, then placed the food on top, including what Titus had brought today.

"Let's eat together." She handed the water to Titus, who must be thirsty after running all the way here. "Are you going back later?"

"No, not tonight, just in case. I'll stay here to keep watch." Titus sat cross-legged across from Cloudy, took a few sips of water, and ate some fruits. "And play with Cloudy."

What are they going to play... Cloudy ate slowly, not usually bothering to arrange the food neatly or lay it on leaves. The food on the leaves was very simple, but when placed together, it inexplicably gave a camping vibe, especially with someone else across from her.

She picked up a slice and put it in her mouth, while Titus was crunching on the mushroom he had brought. They continued to stumble through their conversation while eating. It was a very ordinary and tiring day, but Cloudy felt strangely at ease.