Chapter 6 - Truth
The distance from the lake to their den wasn’t so far away, and they were going at a brisk pace, so it didn't take them long to get home.
All the way, Bao Bei didn't say a single word to Hei, Xing, and Ye. They also were too scared and nervous to say something. They didn't know precisely why their mother was behaving this way, but they instinctively sensed that it was better not to ask questions for the moment.
Once at the den, Bao Bei positioned herself in the center, and she momentarily closed her eight eyes. Then, with her eyes closed, she said to her children, ‘Come here near me.’ Then, seeing that they hadn’t moved yet, she added, ‘Be at ease, as I told you before, I just want to talk to you. There are important things I want to talk about, and you have to listen carefully, okay?’
Noting that she was back to normal, Hei and his two sisters were delighted and prepared to do as their mother had said. But, since they still had some fear and remorse, Xing positioned herself on Hei's head while Ye rolled up around his neck instead.
This was an arrangement they had invented to move around together while hunting. After all, it wasn’t always better to split up to reach a goal as they could be in danger alone. So, since Xing and Ye were still small, they could be easily hidden and not be noticed in that way.
Seeing the little spider and the little snake climbing Hei's body with agility, Bao Bei couldn't help but smile inside herself.
Even if she was angry about what they had done this time, she couldn’t deny that she was happy that the three of them were becoming more and more inseparable. In her mind, she hoped that they could remain united forever as they were today.
'Well, then. I will begin by reiterating, first of all, that what you did was stupid and reckless. If I gave you rules, it's because there is a reason behind these rules. However, since you've already apologized, I'll let you go this time. But just for this occasion, try not to forget it, okay?’
Feeling that they had been officially forgiven, the three of them could loosen their tension. At the same time, though, they became curious about what their mother could want to talk so seriously if it wasn't because of what they had done.
‘The thing I want to talk to you about is the creature that you, Hei, saw in the forest. The one similar to you.' At this point, Bao Bei paused to think carefully about how to chose her words.
There were things she wanted to say, but she was reluctant to say them; likewise, there were things that it was better not to speak about yet, at least for the moment.
Meanwhile, Hei became full of excitement because he knew his mother would answer the question he had asked himself for so long.
‘What you saw was a human being, or to be precise, a female specimen called woman while you are a male specimen called man.’
‘Human being?’ Hei echoed, perplexed.
He knew the concept of male and female. Hence he immediately understood what the words ‘man’ and ‘woman’ meant. Nevertheless, he couldn’t well grasp the meaning of the words ‘human being’.
‘Yes, human being. As I told you long ago, there are so many existing species. For example, Xing is a spider, while Ye is a snake. The totality of animal-type species is called spirit beasts. Human beings are a collection of specimens different from spirit beasts. Although they are very similar to each other, they are at the same time different from one another. Besides them, there is a third group called demons. They are similar to humans, but they have horns of various sizes and differ, like humans, from one another.’
Human beings, spirit beasts, demons.
These were new terms that were difficult to understand for the young minds of Hei, Xing, and Ye. Fortunately, Bao Bei was talking to them mentally, projecting various images into their heads to make the explanation more understandable.
‘As I told you before, the one you met is a female human being. Depending on age, humans can be divided further, as well as by gender. As you described her to me, she seemed to be a young girl. Instead, since you are still small, you are called a child.’
Hei, listening to all this new information, couldn't help but become absorbed in his mother's explanation. At last, his curiosity was being filled, but at the same time, this was getting bigger and bigger.
‘And why I haven’t seen a human being until today? Here it is full of creatures, though.’
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‘It is because human beings and spirit beasts usually live in different places, far from each other. Furthermore, human beings are individuals who prefer to live together with their kind rather than live with other species.’
To this, Hei suddenly became sad. Humans lived with their fellows, and there were no traces of them here. So, according to this reasoning, Hei shouldn’t live here but with other humans, away from his mother and his two little sisters.
Ye and Xing, taking the meaning of this phrase, jumped from fright, and they clung even closer to Hei, saying in a chorus, ‘No, Hei will remain here! He's our big brother, and his place is with us!’
‘Of course, he stays here. It's natural. I said before, in fact, “usually,” but Hei is a particular case. Moreover, even if he is human, it doesn’t mean that something has to change. Hei is and always will be a member of this family in the same way as you are. Do you understand?'
The three of them, heartened by the words of Bao Bei, exulted in happiness. For a moment, they had feared that being different could separate them.
Although it was a present and undeniable thing, the concept of diversity was something that was up to individuals to decide whether to let this affect their relationships with others.
‘As for communicating, humans use what is called language, which is composed of words. To give you an example, they are similar to the sounds I taught you to communicate, and each of these words has a meaning of its own. Thus, if you don’t know their language, it becomes difficult to communicate with them. That's why, when you talked to that girl, she couldn't understand you.’
‘So, if I learned this so-called language, would I be able to communicate with them, right, mother?’
‘We spirit beasts cannot speak using our voices like humans, but it is possible to converse using their language through the mind. But, since you are a human, you don't need to resort to this expedient. Not to mention that, at the moment, you three can talk to each other with your minds, besides the sounds produced with your bodies, only because I act as an intermediary. To do it yourselves, you need what is called spirit power, but for you, it is still too early to talk about it in detail.’
Although Bao Bei had decided to tell the truth about the outside world and the creatures that lived there, she thought it wasn't necessary to say everything at this moment. Indeed, she could produce a negative result by mentioning everything right now.
Spirit power was a power that had to be handled carefully; otherwise, there was the risk of internal injuries. Considering their curiosity, Hei, Ye, and Xing could seriously injure themselves without realizing the danger of their actions while trying to stimulate their spirit power that hadn’t still formed.
The fact of today had also reinforced this conviction. Although they looked mature for their age, they were still cubs for their ages, and it was better for them to proceed cautiously.
At this point, Bao Bei asked Hei the question that she had held all this time. The question she most feared to ask.
‘Hei, listen to me and tell me the truth. Now that you know about humans, do you want to meet them again?’
This question made Xing and Ye stunned, and they hastened to look at Hei. He also was surprised by his mother's question, but seeing the serious eyes of Bao Bei, Hei finally answered.
‘I want to stay with you, Xing and Ye. I don't want to go and live away from you with other humans. But I want to know what these humans are and what's special about them. Maybe I can learn something useful to protect all of you in the future.’ Hei confessed with a smile.
He actually wanted to get to know humans and learn more about them. However, it was only out of curiosity. As interesting and attractive as they could be, they weren’t in the least able to make him dissuade from being with his family.
When Bao Bei listened to this, she could finally put her heart at rest and replied, ‘Alright. Since you want to know more, I will permit you to visit them. However, you will go with Xing and Ye each time, and you will be able to stay there for a limited period. Most importantly, you won’t have to reveal anything about our house and that you live in the forest, okay?’
Hei, who thought his mother would never consent to his request, looked at Bao Bei in amazement before answering, ‘Sure, mother. I'll always take Xing and Ye with me, and I'll do as you ask. We will no longer disobey your rules. Thank you so much, mother. ’
He ran to hug his mother in excitement. In the end, he had obtained permission to visit the place where the humans lived and to learn about them. Although it was only for a short time during the day, it was still sufficient for Hei since he considered the forest like his home.
Ye and Xing were also very excited and worried at the same time. They were happy for their brother, and they were curious about these human beings with an external appearance like Hei. But, at the same time, they were worried about having to go to an unknown place full of creatures they didn't know.
The reason why Bao Bei had chosen to send them together, instead of just sending Hei alone, was because, in her heart, she knew that Hei's response of this time was because he didn't know and hadn't interacted with humans.
Sending him along with his two little sisters was her way of always reminding him that he had a family near him waiting for him.
It was also a good thing that Xing and Ye could learn about human society. After all, if they wanted to remain with Hei, it was inevitable that they had to learn how to behave with humans, in the same way Hei had learned to live with spirit beasts.
‘I know you're excited and all, but it's still too early to send you to talk to humans. First, I have to do a reconnaissance to find out if they are dangerous or not for you. Then, you have to learn to speak the human language that I will teach you. The only problem is that the human language can differ from area to area and from era to era. I'm not sure that the one I know it's the same as the one used by these humans near the forest, but we can give it a try and eventually think about a solution if they are different.’
And by that, a new session was included in Hei, Xing, and Ye's daily training. In addition to the classic training of hunting and physical strengthening, Bao Bei would teach them various aspects of the human culture she had learned during her life, hoping that these customs were still valid since she didn’t know in which area they were or how much time had passed.