Since then nothing changed in Stone's life despite the conversation that took place that day. Zephyr who started all of this seemed as if it didn't concern her and was still the same as before. Kaoran was still the same old man who taught him every day something new.

On the other hand, Stone felt his mind was clearer than ever before.

He was surprised by this since he expected he would be more absent-minded after realizing what was missing in his own life. But it was the exact opposite. Now that he knows the path he wants to venture in the future he has a goal in his mind. For that, he put an effort into all he was doing so he could be prepared at that time.

He was even more serious when learning under Kaoran or fighting in the woods with other tribes than before. But he wasn't tired be it physically or mentally. In truth, he felt as if he was finally alive after so many years. Just this small aspiration could make such a big change in his mentality.

And that mentality resulted in big progress in his meditation. He even felt that he managed to see spiritual energy flowing in the air! It was just for a split of a second but he was sure. This achievement, he did despite his poor talent, showed how much his mental state improved and got in synch with nature.

Of course, on the surface, he didn't seem different at all and only a few could see this change. Old habits are hard to get rid of and he still looked as expressionless as anyone could be.

But that didn't hinder him in the things he did at all. In recent days he lowered his time with the Misty Bear's team and went out with Kaoran to gain more experience. That was the first time for the Stone he ventured farther from camp with him. He was used to going out with Degres who taught him all the basic hunting skills but he didn't expect this old man to go with him at all.

Degres went out with him and taught him a lot of trivial knowledge but also some of the essential skills that could save his life in the past. He taught him all the basic knowledge that a hunter should have like the knowledge about the animals and their behavior, butchering and skinning, bowmanship, creation of simple traps, and moving in the shadows without making a sound or breathing without making a sound.

Those skills were taught to everyone since everyone hunts in the tribe but learning from Degres had its own benefits. Degres was an expert at this and nobody was better than him in hunting in the entire tribe. He was probably one of the best in the entire Valas.

But now Kaoran, who was so old, seemed to be even more fit than Degres. He could climb the trees faster than squirrels, run faster than deer, and hunt prey better than bears. It made Stone doubt his appearance and age. This seems to be the result of the latter meditating using the 'Nature Breath Method' which helps you to merge with nature itself. The vigorous training since the youth was also an important part, though.

But Kaoran wasn't here to teach him how to hunt but to teach him more about the flora of this place. Knowing herbs is important but knowing about the other plants is also important. If you know that herbs grow only under certain trees wouldn't your search be several times easier? And that is just one small example of this knowledge's importance. So Kaoran found time to take Stone out so he could see and understand it firsthand.

Things like foraging herbs can't be learned just by hearing the theory. Each herb has its own way of collecting and collecting them incorrectly could destroy their medicinal properties or even turn them into poison. But that is just the worst situation and most of them would just be a little damaged if handled incorrectly.

Thus he passed his time going from herb to herb carefully collecting each part be it its roots, leaves, stems, or even flowers if it has any. Sometimes he found some mushrooms that could be used for some medicinal soups or were just simply edible so he collected them too.

Everything he collected he put inside of the leather basket he hung on his back. The basket itself was big enough to cover half of his body so they could collect everything with ease. Kaoran also had one but he mostly collected only something rare or herbs that could be eaten or cultivated for the tribe since he had no need for most of the materials this place could offer. He was just teaching Stone how to collect every herb even if common one and once they get back to camp he will use them to teach Stone how to concoct something out of them.

Unfortunately foraging wasn't so easy in this place since almost everything was covered in snow and ice. Many herbs found were completely frozen and couldn't be used anymore. Only the deepest roots could be still used. Only a few herbs could be entirely fine in this cold weather.

That was also one of the reasons why they started to cultivate those edible herbs under the protection of the Totem's boundary. But despite all of this Stone's experience rapidly grew and his gains were bountiful so he was fully satisfied. He learned a lot about herbs and how could they be salvaged despite their damage. Of course, some herbs could be collected only in warm spring but who knows when that time will come.

.........

Stone continued collecting herbs one by one and was grumbling to himself at the state of some of them. He saw some of them were half-eaten by some animals or even trampled upon. But still, he tried to salvage as much as he could. Even if he failed it didn't matter since he was trying to gain the experience of the foraging and not the herbs themselves.

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So he was going around while Kaoran was following from a distance doing his things and only when he didn't know something and needed to explain or show how to do it Kaoran would show by his side. He wondered what he was doing. Yes, he collected a few of the herbs that Stone missed but it seemed he wasn't focused on that in the least.

'Is he looking for something? Or someone? Wondered Stone as he turned around to see Kaoran crouched on the ground looking for some kind of tracks. He wasn't stupid so he already guessed, that one of the reasons Kaoran ventured this far from the camp with him, was because of this thing he was doing and not just to teach Stone.

Otherwise, he wouldn't just leave the camp. As a Grand Shaman leaving the camp was reckless. Not only because of danger outside but also because shamans also the mental support of the tribe and whenever something happens they need to be present to calm and guide the people. Not to mention when someone was on his deadbed and nobody could heal him then the only hope would be the shaman. Shaman has more authority than the Chief but has also more responsibilities it is hard to leave the camp without any good reason.

But soon Kaoran who was far from Stone turned his head and signaled him to come over. It seemed that this time he finally had something he was looking for whatever whatever it was. Stone quickly but quietly came over to him and looked at what was Kaoran pointing at.

"Blood... Maybe of some animal. And signs of big struggle, probably fight to the death." Said Stone slowly as he looked at the tainted snow covered in the red flowers of blood. But Kaoran immediately shook his head as he clarified to Stone with a firm and low tone.

"It is the blood of humans. And since the blood is still clearly visible then it was not long ago this happened. Otherwise, another layer of snow would already cover it. By the marks on the ground, three people were fighting... "

"Yes." Stone nodded to this as Degres also taught this to him in the past.

"The real question is whose blood it is if he is alive and what his affiliation is." Concluded Kaoran as he started to track the next tracks leading somewhere deeper in the forest. Once in a while, they saw also little trickles of blood along the way. It was actually so thin that even Stone missed it despite his superior sense of smell. The unfavorable weather was also the reason for this as his senses dulled in such chaotic snowstorms. In truth, the snowstorms were becoming so common these days that Stone managed to get rid of his bad habit of relying only on his senses when outing.

In the end, they only followed the tracks and stopped collecting the herbs. They had almost full caskets anyway. During the way Stone pondered about it but the easiest way was to ask so he did so.

"Kaoran, has this something to do with what you were looking for ?"

"Maybe." But Kaoran shook his head his question. "After those tribes invaded the southern part of Valas they were manhandled by us, some other tribes, and the Blood Crow Alliance in their forest. But lately, those guys were probably unsatisfied that we also hunted their 'sacrifices' and started to take the initiative in attacking those northern tribes before they entered the forest. But because of that, they started to be more and more bold going farther from their villages deep in the Blood Crow Forest." Said Kaoran with a cold face.

Stone's face also turned cold at the mention of those lunatics."So they became a problem ?"

"So they became a problem." Answered truthfully Kaoran. "They already had conflict with us before and now it is escalating even more. Some of the teams disappeared without a trace lately which is probably their work. That's why we need to find their temporary camps and try to annihilate them or at least push them back where they belong."

Soon they arrived at the end of the tracks where two dead bodies lay in the snow. They seemed to be across themselves as if they were facing each other before dying together with spears piercing each other. When Stone focused his eyes on those bodies he realized they were actually from the Ohera Tribe which ambushed him and Urchin a few months ago.

Stone who saw this felt something was wrong so he stopped and hid behind the trees. Kaoran who was already hidden nodded in approval.

"Degres didn't slack off when teaching you at least. So go out to check them but be careful." Said Kaoran with a cheerful expression as he pointed at the corpses.

At this Stone choose to be silent. He looked at Kaoran for a second but when he saw he was serious he grumbled under his nose. He put down his casket and started to sneak forward despite both of them knowing it was a trap or some other trick. It is important to say it was a badly done trap.

Firstly the signs of a fight were far away from this place so it was obvious their bodies were set up like this. Furthermore, those two were from the same tribe. That didn't mean anything since the inner fights were common but it was already reason to have suspicion. The most important is that their bodies were mutilated.

They had limbs bent at wrong angles and big pieces gouged out of their bodies. Even their masks were destroyed into several pieces. Their weapons made from obsidian which is both fragile and sharp wouldn't be able to recreate this scene.

So the one who did this had to be mentally impaired to do this expecting it to work. Or... Stone looked at the tip of the spears they wielded.Or he was poisoned and can't keep a straight mind. But then if you are poisoned the first thing you do is to ensure your survival.

Why would you set up traps at this moment?

Stone forcefully stopped the track of his thoughts as he focused on his surroundings and slowly got closer.

Once he got out of the cover of the surrounding trees and bushes he stood up straight and went towards the dead as if without care. That was of course just an act for whoever was looking. And it worked.

As soon as he got closer his keen hearing heard the rustling of branches above him. Without hesitation, he rolled forward dodging some kind of projectile but before he could do anything else he felt that there was another attack above him as the first one was only feint. This time he wouldn't be able to dodge so he holsted out his axe to block. Unfortunately with a basket on the back, he didn't have the shield so he could only block and parry with his trusted axe.

*Clank*

The impact that Stone felt was so tremendous that his body was lifted from the ground. This was the first time for him. The sudden force turned his arm numb and ruptured the skin between his index finger and thumb. Before he could even register what happened he already flew away. The only thing he was able to do was throw his weapon at the assailant before he collided with a tree with cracks in his bones.