Nim sits against the cool stone wall of a cave. An older man named Col sits beside her with a melancholy look on his face. The both of them feel hopelessly vulnerable; Neither of them are capable of fighting off the wolves which threaten them at every turn.

"Do you think he'll be ok..?" Nim asks softly.

Col frowns, but he doesn't say anything. It's obvious what will become of Cain, but neither of them want to openly admit it. Their premature grieving is interrupted by the subject of Nim's worries. Cain walks in through the mouth of the cave; He's covered in blood.

"Oh my god! What happened to you?!" Nim asks with concern written on her features.

"This is mostly wolf blood. I fought with a wolf, and the others fled." Cain explains sheepishly.

Nim sighs in relief before giving Cain a rather harsh stare. She notices the wounds on his body, and frowns.

"You're hurt..." Nim says softly.

"It's not that bad. We need to focus on getting out of the forest before those wolves come back." Cain replies firmly.

With the threat of the wolf pack looming over them, the trio departs from the cave and through the forest. They constantly look over their shoulders; Each snapped twig in the distance sends them sprinting forward.

~

Tack sits with his back against the smooth metal block in the forest. The thing is pleasantly cold to the touch, and radiates a unique mood which comforts Tack. It feels as if he is sitting next to his creator when he sits here.

The peaceful birdsong coupled with the burbling of a nearby brook creates a tranquil atmosphere; Tack could sit here all day if there weren't chores to be done.

"I wonder if God will ever speak to us."

Tack is pulled from his reverie by distant shouting. He springs up onto his feet before running toward the commotion.

~

Beads of sweat trickle down Gol's forehead as he faces off against three wolves. The mangy hounds are skin and bones; It's clear they're dying of starvation. Gol's knuckles are white as he grips a heavy branch in his hands.

The wolves glassy eyes move between Gol's makeshift weapon and Dar's bloodied form. Dar is lying in a heap behind Gol while breathing raspy breaths. His leg has a deep wound, and his eyes are shut tightly as he struggles to deal with the pain.

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"Get back! Savage dog!" Gol shouts at the wolves.

The three wolves are too hungry to be cautious; They haven't had venison for many days. Yellowed fangs flash as the tallest wolf lunges for Gol's throat. The muscled man takes a step back whilst swinging his branch at the offending wolf.

Thwack! The wolf goes down with a yelp, and the other two snarl in frustration. Gol gives the wolves no mercy, and sends the unconscious wolf to its grave with a well placed wallop.

"Gol! What's happening?" Tack's young voice calls out.

Gol doesn't turn around; He lunges forward with a jabbing motion. The sturdy branch thrusts through the air to slam into one of the wolves' snouts. Several whimpers and a growl cause Tack to slow his approach.

"Grab a weapon." Gol says firmly to Tack without looking at him.

Tack obliges by crouching low to pick up a whip thin stick. The wiry branch is elastic, yet Tack feels he can put the hurt on the wolves with such a weapon. Gol doesn't even glance away from the two canines as they circle in front of him.

Snarling turns to a bark shortly before the two wolves pounce on Gol simultaneously; Gol swings his branch to fight back, but one of the wolves gets its jaws on Gol's bicep. Blood splatters the grass as Gol lets out a groan of pain.

"No!" Tack shouts angrily.

Tack's whip thin branch smacks into the wolf's body, and he tugs it back to give the wolf a bruise on its back. The creature doesn't let go of Gol despite the pain as Gol's free hand brings his branch onto its back again and again.

Blood oozes from Gol's wound as he manages to beat the starved wolf to the brink of consciousness. The creature falls to the ground in a daze while Gol grips his wound.

~

"Will we be safe here?" Col's asks softly.

Swaths of tall grass billow in the wind across an expansive grassland. Three people stand atop a low hill overlooking the region; The trees stand behind them like an ominous wall marking the wolves' territory.

"We can only hope." Cain replies in a solemn tone.

The three of them set off down the hill with their sights set on what looked like a small cave some near the foot of the mountains. The caves provide ample shelter from both wind and rain, albeit they lack food and water.

Nim's eyes light up as she spots a colony of rabbits grazing nearby. She smiles; Cain can't help but feel relief seeing the woman finally find joy in something again. The death of their compatriot Zen had torn her asunder.

"Look! Do you think we could befriend them?" Nim points out the rabbits.

"Befriend them? Can you be friends with a rabbit?" Col scratches his beard as he replies.

Cain shakes his head softly at their conversation. He's focused on the necessities: food, water, and shelter. The nearby cave can provide one of those, but where do they find something to eat?

"God taught us that animals can be eaten, but we don't have fire."

Cain observes the landscape with a lost look in his eyes. Several slightly shiny grey rocks are scattered across the grassland; Each deposit of the odd stone looks jagged and a little blackened around then edges.

"Have we seen these rocks before?" Cain asks.

He walks up to a chunk of the odd stone, and with a soft tap of his branch the rock erupts into a shower of glowing orange sparks. The branch nearly catches fire as smoke wafts off it. Cain's eyes widen as he strikes the rock again.

Sparks shower off the stone once more, and the other two's jaws drop at the sight of it.

"Could this be a gift from God?" Col stammers wistfully.

"Perhaps it is." Cain smiles while inspecting his burnt branch.

The three of them thank their creator for his blessings, and set about arranging a place to create controlled fire. They may not have been told about creating fire, but they had been told of its dangerous tendency to spread.

Unbeknownst to them, their creator watches on from beneath.