A few days had passed since my enlightening conversation with Enara. Today, I found myself walking toward the outskirts of the Ashaya and Wulani territory, where Silma and her Mayitan people had made their temporary settlement. I was met with curious stares as I approached, but Silma soon emerged from one of the newly constructed clay homes to greet me.

"Tak, it's good to see you again," she said with a smile. "How have you been?"

"Busy," I replied, looking around at the modest village that had started to take shape. "I see you've been too. The hunting is going well?"

"Better than expected," she affirmed. "And as you can see, we're making homes of clay."

I nodded, impressed. "It's a definite improvement compared to the tents and makeshift sleeping areas you had before."

She looked me squarely in the eye. "What brings you here, Tak?"

Taking a deep breath, I got straight to the point. "As I mentioned when we last met, the Ashaya and Wulani elders have recommended limiting our interaction with your people. But given that you're just a short walk away, that stance might change in the future."

Silma's eyes narrowed, cautious but interested. "Being this close might also pose a risk for my people if your tribe or the Wulani decide we're a threat. It's a precarious balance."

I nodded solemnly, acknowledging her concerns. "I understand, and I'm working on something that might help."

Silma looked intrigued. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"I'm attempting to have our people think more of the possibilities, especially among the younger members of our tribes. I believe they are the key to a more peaceful future. Once we've cultivated a more accepting attitude, the elders and Wulani against your people may find it difficult to ignore or refuse dialogue," I explained, aware of how ambitious it all sounded.

Silma pondered this for a moment, her eyes assessing me as if gauging the sincerity and feasibility of my plans.

Taking her silence as an invitation to continue, I pressed on. "I might not be able to get everyone to agree right away; that would be expecting too much too soon. But it's a step. If I can get just a few people from my tribe and the Wulani to connect with your people, learn more about your culture and ways of life, then we can start to build something. We can make them start thinking about tomorrow, and not just about today."

Silma sighed, looking momentarily weary. "Thinking about tomorrow is not a luxury my people and I often afford ourselves, Tak. Most days, we're consumed with the immediate needs of food, shelter, and surviving whatever challenges the day brings. The concept of planning for a future we're not even sure we'll have has never really crossed my mind."

I nodded, understanding the gravity of her words. "That's exactly why we need to change, Silma. If we only ever think about today, we'll never build a better tomorrow. And that's something we can work on together. If everything goes well, maybe some of our people could come here, help with construction, and in return, we could learn from each other's ways."

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A smile broke through Silma's reserved demeanor. "You're proposing a true exchange then? Knowledge, labor, cultural understanding? All in the hopes of securing a better future for all our tribes?"

"Exactly," I confirmed, meeting her gaze squarely. "However, having the others agree to this could take some time and they would have to gain something in return."

he chuckled softly, shaking her head in disbelief. "You really are different from the others, aren't you?"

"Let's just say, my ancestors offer me a different perspective," I replied, remembering my earlier conversation with Enara.

"Have you considered moving here? You'd still be close to your people but free to interact with us," Silma suggested, looking thoughtful.

The idea had its merits, and I paused to consider it seriously. "It's not a bad idea, Silma. But my presence here could cause a rift in my tribe, further straining already tenuous relationships."

She nodded, not looking particularly surprised. "Well, keep it in mind. It would also give you the chance to get to know us—get to know me—a lot better."

Before I could form a response to her somewhat provocative statement, she changed the subject. "How's Liora doing?"

"She's fine," I said, "but with everything going on in our tribe, she's been a bit busy. Especially with the first snow approaching."

"When she has a moment, see if she can visit. I'd like to get to know her as well," Silma said.

"I'll certainly mention it to her," I promised.

I guess the bit of conversation she had with Liora sparked some interest. Although that was a while ago, so it piqued my curiosity as to why she wanted to speak with Liora.

Silma sighed a little. "We have to prepare for the white to fall from the sky too. Need to store as much meat as we can."

I nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's too late to try and grow any vegetables now."

Silma and her small group of people were focused on building their homes and hunting, they have not even begun to plant crops. Even if they wanted to the season was soon to change so nothing would grow, unless they found some sort of grain that could withstand the cold. There weren't many that could, but I could share some of the corn we had so they could grow their own. However, they still had nowhere to grow it currently.

An idea came to mind, "Have you thought of smoking your meat to store it?"

Silma's eyes narrowed and her head tilted in confusion. "Smoking meat? What do you mean?"

"You expose the meat to smoke, which gives it a different taste and also prevents it from going bad. It could be useful in colder seasons when food is scarce." I explained.

Silma looked intrigued. "That sounds useful. How is it done? Can you teach us?"

I smiled but honestly, the way I smoked meat in my previous life was not the same here. There would have to be some testing done on my part to see if anything could come of it. If it did, then this would be another way we could store our own meat.

Advancing the taste of our food has never been a high priority for me. Sure, I can recall the various meals that could be made in the far distant future, but the taste was another story. So to me the food I had now tasted fine considering I had nothing else to compare it to at the moment. Eventually, we'd have to find spices but that could wait.

Seeing me be silent Silma seemed a little worried.

"Yes, but I only know a bit about it. The ancestors seemed to pass on the wisdom of this, but we'll have to try to make it on our own."

I nodded, catching Silma's eye as I spoke. "I'll do my best to figure it out. We'll experiment and see how it goes."

Her eyes met mine, filled with a kind of trust that felt both encouraging and heavy with responsibility. "I look forward to it."

"It's time for me to head back," I said, rising to my feet. "I'll return in a few days to tell you how things are going with the younger people in my tribe."

Silma stood as well, her eyes lingering on mine. "I'll be waiting."

As I made my way back to my tribe, my thoughts wandered, weighing the risks and benefits of the path I'd chosen. If the elders discovered that I was gathering the younger members of the tribe, would they see it as an affront? My position was unique: I was not an elder, yet many listened to me because of my peculiar insights and previous successes. Had I ever considered leading the tribe? No, not seriously. But Silma's proposal added a new layer of complexity.

If we were to join hands in marriage, it would undoubtedly bolster my own standing among my people. There was also the possibility that Silma might eventually defer the leadership position to me, given how progressive my ideas were compared to the current state of our tribes.

The thought was seductive: leadership would give me the authority to enact real change without the constant struggle of persuasion. Yet, it also posed a risk. Would I lose what I had already accomplished in my attempts to nudge my tribe toward a brighter future? Would my actions be seen as an arrogant overreach, leading to division rather than unity?

The more I pondered, the more I realized that this was a crossroads not just for me but for all our tribes. The decisions made in the coming weeks could very well set the course for generations. Was I willing to gamble the fragile peace and slow progress we'd made for the chance at something more?

As I neared the boundary that separated Silma's settlement from my own tribe's territory, I understood that I had much to consider. The weight of potential futures hung heavy in my mind, each fraught with its own set of challenges and rewards.