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Pangalawa

Inside the cave, there were at least fifteen kids lying around like logs. The kids were under the cover of tattered animal hides. There were other kids who were not wrapped in animal hides; some simply curled up and shrank their bodies. But at least, they were all sleeping soundly.

The cave was obviously not cleaned for a very long time, and there were also many kids in the cave. This results in a strong odor lingering in the air. There are also some holes in the rough walls of the cave that allow sunlight and heat to permeate inside, illuminating the dark cave.

Below the hole in the cave wall, a young boy was sleeping. He wore an almost undamaged hide that was clearly distinct from the others. Not only was that different from him, but there was also a wolf sleeping beside him. It was large, almost the same size as him.

Eugene opened his eyes. As the light of day shone on his shoulders, he rubbed his eyes and scratched his itchy skin. He crawled along the ground and cleared the hay from under his feet. Witnessing Eugene's actions, the wolf that had been sleeping and resting abruptly stood up and obediently knelt beside Eugene to pick up the bundle of sheaves that was lying on the ground.

After tying the sheaves together, he walked out of the dark and cold cave with one hand, he held the bundle of sheaves, and in the other, he held the leash made of tree roots that was attached to the wolf.

Staying in this underdeveloped tribe is indescribable. I feel like was a burden on the inhospitable wilderness. The body he possessed was weak and frail. It was likely that this body had not fully recovered from an illness. Over half a year has passed since he took over this body. He still hasn't gotten used to it, but he has to endure it because his survival is more important than the comfort he desires.

Never in his life had he expected that he would come to a world like this. The difference between this situation and what he had learned before was significant. Their appearance was clearly not noticeably different from that of ordinary people, except for their unkempt appearance. However, their aura was distinct and unusual.

Imagine seeing a person effortlessly carrying a large boulder down the street.

All the people here are abnormally strong and resilient. He had never seen people like them before, but he saw abnormally strong individuals here every day!

He emerged from Yungib Ubet, the cave where they had been sleeping. It was named Yungib Ubet due to its shape, which resembled a pair of buttocks. The horrible name was given by the tribe's past babaylan. However, many years have passed since then and they have relocated outside the cave. As the years and months passed, the tribe, as they grow, built rakuh and nipa hut around the cave. Since then, the cave has been used to house children who lost their parents in hunting accidents or those who died of natural causes. Then, they named the cave 'Yungib ng Paslit' for its purpose of housing the children.

Eugene hasn't seen any people from other tribes, which could only mean one thing. The Tribu Santelmo was the only tribe in the vicinity of their mountain.

It is a secluded tribe, separate from other tribes, but they lead a fairly self-sufficient life.

While walking the wolf, Eugene strolled leisurely.

He then saw a wooden house of disparate size. Some of the materials were also made of wood covered with rocks, grass, and dirt. If you compare it to the previous one, this structure made of wood and rocks is slightly larger and appears sturdier. This house could be considered a mansion compared to the other houses at the foot of the mountain.

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All in all, the entire house was overly simplistic, whether it was the wooden house or the house made of wood and rock. After spending a long time in the cave, Eugene has been yearning to have his own wooden house. But it still couldn't be realized. There were already people working around. The men already had their own stone tools, which they were grinding to make them more convenient for their next hunt. The women could be seen sewing hides and drying food.

The people gazed at Eugene as he passed by. Well, not at Eugene, but at the creature that was leashed and walking behind him. Their eyes were overflowing with hunger and greed. In their eyes, Eugene was taking care of meat that they could eat for several days or even weeks. Those were the eyes of people who haven't eaten and have empty stomachs for a long time. However, when they saw the necklace - dangling gold leaves around his neck - they suppressed their greed for the meat to avoid trouble and the wrath of the babaylan. They did not dare to touch him or the wolf. To them, Eugene was helping the babaylan take care of his wolf.

The wolf who was by Eugene's side was born in the mountains. When it was young, one of the tribe's warriors or a kawal found it. He brought the cub back for the children to eat, but coincidentally, the babaylan passed by and left a two-symbol mark on the wolf before leaving. Eugene named it "Dominic." He raised Dominic like a dog up until now. The tribesmen were quite peculiar. The babaylan deserves respect, but the attitude they show towards Eugene, whom the babaylan is caring for, is nothing more than ordinary. The only difference is their resistance to eating the wolf. After all, the babaylan did not tell the tribesmen to take care of the child. As time passed, all the people got used to the child who had a wolf. Ever since he marked Dominic, the babaylan has not appeared again.

Eugene ignored the stares of the people as if they were flies and continued walking as if nothing was happening. As Ricky said, the position of the babaylan in tribes was very high. The reason why the babaylan, who lived in a luxurious rakuh in the mountains reserved for nobles and held the highest or second-highest position in the tribe, gave Eugene, a timawa (commoner) with a two-symbol mark who slept in Yungib ng Paslit, was because of what Eugene said - to domesticate. Back then, Eugene said that he would take care of Dominic before eating him, but the babaylan overheard him. He allowed him to take care of it, and in order for the other tribesmen to eat it, the babaylan left a two symbol mark for Dominic, which was on Dominic's leash.

The babaylan had a great interest in domesticating the wolf, but it has been over six months and the man hasn't appeared even once. As a result, Eugene thought that the man is irresponsible. Raising a wolf is not an easy task. If he hoesnt have a great mental ability, he would have gone mad of the stares of the tribe men.

The tribe took care of the children's food in the cave, but they did not provide food for the wolf. So, he gave half of his food to Dominic. Eugene sighed at his own foolishness. He looked ahead and laughed inwardly.

In front of him, a person was holding a blunt stone bludgeon, but much thicker. If Eugene were to pick it up, it would be very tiring. The person seemed to hold it effortlessly, as if it were as natural as breathing. While yawning, he walked as if he had just woken up on the mountain. He was probably heading to the other kawal to discuss the matter of pangangayaw. As an ordinary person or timawa in this place. He belongs to the group of people who have not yet undergone their Talaghay ni Kabunian. When a person reaches around ten years old, their Talaghay ni Kabunian is awakened, and only then are they counted as a kawal with the ability to join the hunt. The talaghay was the only measure of skill that determined whether one was capable of becoming a kawal.

As for the Talagahay ni Kabunian, Eugene doesn't know anything. He will understand if the time comes.

The man, who was carrying a large bludgeon and appeared very sleepy, did not notice that a bundle of hair-like things had fallen out of his bahag, which was also slipping off too. In broad daylight, he continued to stroll as if nothing was wrong. The people also have no reaction to it. Eugene tried to hold it in, but he still shouted at man to tell him about the bahag.

"Hey! The one carrying a bludgeon! Your bahag is slipping!"

The man didn't pay attention to him. Only after he called out to him for the third time did the man take notice of him. He glanced at Eugene as if confused, then looked intently at Dominic before finally looking down at his bolitas and bahag. Afterwards, he annoyingly put o the bolitas in his genital and pulled up his bahag, tied it tightly, and continued walking towards the mountain. Eugene sighed and fell silent.

They are weird.

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