While Nate, the unrecognized prodigy child, was exploring the mysteries of the human body, mind and spirit, his mother had much more mundane worries.

With the tribe beginning its migration towards the promised lands, toward this 'City' of untold opportunities, the responsibilities of each tribe's people kept getting heavier. By the time the reincarnated child was eight months old, they had already reunited with another three groups. Only the first was a single tribe like them, the second and third groups being made of three, then four tribes already merged. Their next migration, in a few week time, would be their last. The increased number of messengers going to and fro the horde to others was visible proof. Before, they had a message every few months. Now they had one or two couriers every other week.

For Dew, it meant less time to savour the quietness of the morning and a much more stressful day overall.

With the increase in population and the fact that nine chieftains had to get along, conflicts were bound to rise. The warriors sometimes started fighting among themselves, each believing their tribe to be the best or just because they were prideful and lustful people. Wounds were much more common, despite the increased safety such a large group granted them. Indeed, now that their numbers were close to five thousand, very few beasts deemed it worth it to hunt the human horde. Not to say they dared go to the more dangerous areas or were completely safe. Only that, compared to the risks they faced before as a single tribe, it was now much safer. And yet, to children, it seemed their fathers were much less likely to return every evening. Not that there weren't any female warriors, but those who were weren't allowed to be mothers.

Dew's mate, Whistler, wasn't spared from the drama. He often returned to their dwelling covered in wounds and became overly possessive of his woman. No questions were asked. The young mother had already heard enough gossip during the day to know what had likely happened.

Despite this chaotic situation, Dew kept busying herself with applying the knowledge she glimpsed through her dreams. She was on her fourth harvest of potatoes and had minor success cultivating taro and parsnip. She also could grow enough potatoes to share them with others but was convinced by Whistler that waiting for them to arrive in the City would be better. Once they had a fixed home and the various tribes settled themselves, conflicts would hopefully calm down. Otherwise, there was a good chance their crops would get destroyed for one reason or another. Some neighbours had already wrecked a few dwellings by misplaced pride, jealousy and anger.

On the other hand, she was willing to share the improvements she learned to make on their tools, clothes and daily amenities. A knowledge she learned either by making new items or by discovering new techniques to create them. It sometimes was still the cause of friction. Nobody was content to see their neighbour improving their lifestyle while unable to do the same.

The most important of those improvements was on the wheel. To go from a plain and heavy circular slab to a carved frame made from several parts, like the more modern form that existed in Nate's old World. The version she learned to make consisted of a rim made from wood or bone, protected by a tire made out of rope. The structure was then supported by spokes converging around a hub, which would hold the axle in place.

While it was decided for the spokes to be of the same material as the rim, the hub was often made with bones or even stone, as it was more resistant than wood when hollowed. Crafting those wheels was much longer than the first version, but the result was worth it. With the weight better distributed and the wheel lighter, the wheelbarrows and rickshaws became easier to pull. This advancement made the tribe's journey much easier and more comfortable. It didn't allow them to speed up much, as only the youngest children were allowed aboard the rickshaws, but at least the tribespeople were less tired.

Since many of Dew's fellow sisters had contributed to this, the credit for the idea was shared among them. Words of Dew being the one thinking of it in the first place still reached her chieftain, who provided her with a better reward. It was mostly a better share of food and materials along the journey to the City. For Dew, though, it was also the promise for her family to be granted a better home once they reached their destination. How it would happen was still undecided. They might get a better plot of land, either by its location or its fertility. Or just more materials to build their home.

Another insight was to use a spinning table while making pottery. With their knowledge of the wheel, it was surprising that none had thought of it. Other examples were gloves, shirts and pants. It didn't matter much to those staying in the tribe, but it was a practical change for the warriors.

Some of her enlightenments were more about herself than something that could profit everyone. Like the benefits of undergarments to her health, the importance of hygiene, or how to care for her body by meditating and stretching exercises. Not that it wouldn't benefit others, but the dreams let her know it was more essential for Dew to do it for herself than to share the knowledge. On those, only her well-liked fellow sisters benefited. For now, Dew couldn't spare time for others.

Finally, some information was things she glimpsed during her dreams but weren't taught. It was, for example, clothing designs, be it their form or colour. Ideas of cooking. Or of how a home could look apart from a hut or a teepee. Examples of arts, like painting, calligraphy and songs. But also puzzles, like jigsaw puzzles, a version of Tetris and other ways to stimulate her mind.

Nate made it a duty as much as an exercise to diversify what he showed to his mother inside her dreamscape. Both to not become complacent in how he was using his abilities and to ensure Dew developed a more flexible mind.

He might dearly love his mother in this new life, yet his maturity also made their relationship much different. Not to say awkward at times. While he would feel content enough to have a loving mother, he hoped for her to become an accomplice, someone to confide in, who could support and understand him. Although the people in the tribe weren't simple-minded, there was still a chasm compared to modern people. It was best if he could nurture his mother's mind so she would accept and understand his plans more easily.

To say he wasn't modifying her personality was probably wrong. Something that made him aware he was skirting the line he imposed on himself at the beginning. While she still had her self-will, the changes he was inducing into her mind made it closer to mind control than to simply making suggestions. Dew might be able to ignore what she saw during her sleep and not apply anything she learnt. Yet, similarly to when a person is shaped by their environment, it was doubtful she could keep ignoring tips and lessons that could help her.

Two persons raised in opposite environments will behave very differently in the end. e.g., One raised in a house with black walls, the other white, one with crying faces, the other with laughing ones, one being demeaned for everything they do, the other being encouraged every time.

In the same manner, what Nate was making his mother go through was equivalent to changing her surrounding to reshape her behaviour. That she was forced to go through those events made it different than if Nate could reach out to her physically and speak with her. The debate he had with himself about not revealing his abilities to his mother was a recurring event in his mind. He hoped he could, at some point, stop the deception. For now, though, he'd instead behave as an amoral but alive person.

For the same reasons, he'd rather keep his mother in the dark regarding the source of her knowledge than risk attracting unwanted attention to her. It was okay if she was believed to be intelligent and inventive. On the other hand, if she was deemed possessed or their prophet, it was more trouble than it was worth. In the worse case, she would get killed. In one of the best, she would be treated as a rare resource, kept on watch permanently. Living as a princess, maybe, but without any form of freedom.

No, in this case, Nate believed that ignorance was bliss.

Better for his mother to worry about their last journey before arriving at the City.

As a young mother, she was still expected to help with many tasks. Compared to mothers with four or more children, one child was not deemed a distracting enough charge.

During the weeks that preceded the beginning of their sedentary life, resources were funnelled into the tribe. While before, their warriors would only harvest the minimum amount of food and materials, from now on, they started hoarding. Thus, the meat was smoked and turned into jerky, while the berries and other fruits were stored and sealed inside jars or similar containers. As for materials, leather, bones and wood were, as much as possible, turned into usable products. Primarily to stockpile weapons. Then to increase the number of vehicles they had or to enlarge and reinforce them. Lastly, to make more clothes, accessories, and overall to improve their appearance. It was deemed important to improve their standing once in the City. The chieftain kept whatever was left and distributed it to those contributing the most to the tribe. Dew's rewards for the improvement of the wheel came from that reserve. Most warriors were also allowed some profit.

A good part of the drama plaguing the tribe since the exodus started came from that. Indeed, with the resources being funnelled to the most worthy, the oldest members of the tribe called for their descendants to regroup as a family. Until now, the two or three eldest children had to leave their parents and establish their household. Considering the mortality rate from wounds, disease and age, a family would have around twenty persons. If no children ever left the family, this number could increase to up to sixty.

For a family, it meant a three-fold increase in resources allocated to them. Even then, it was without compting that the elders and seniors (4th and 3rd generation) might bring together their more distant family members, starting from their brothers and sisters.

The need for materials to build a home was much less significant for one large household than for the same amount of people living separately. The same applied to other amenities and even to weapons. It was the same principle by which the tribes were formed. Strength in unity. With more people working toward a common goal, each task became more manageable.

It was all of those inter-family disputes about who should join whose family that was causing friction in the tribe. Since barely more than five hundred people lived in the tribe, all families were related. Then it was possible to add the other tribes since some had relations with another. It happened even more frequently since they started converting toward the City.

On this, Dew wasn't expected to join her parent's household, as both had died some months prior. Her father died during a hunt, while her mother died during her seventh pregnancy. Although she only had five children, having suffered through stillbirth.

While Dew's misfortune in her parent's death made it a given for the woman to join her mate's family, she still had to try to convince her younger siblings to join their family. She was the eldest, after all, and thus was their closest relative. Because of that, she was harassed on her partner's side to convince her siblings to reunite with her.

And on the other side, her siblings told her they had an obligation toward their partner, who wanted them to join their family. Among her three siblings, one having died of illness in their youth, only one was willing to join, the eldest of Dew's brothers. Even then, it was because her brother's mate was a direct cousin of Whistler.

The last bit of drama arising as they got closer to the City was due to their increased numbers. With everyone calling each other by a nickname, there was a puzzling number of people being called the same way. Dew didn't know where the idea came from, only that she would have to choose a name for herself. Then, each family would also select a name, as would each tribe, which would be called a clan from now on.

They could still use their nickname, but once in the City, they would be expected to identify each other using those three new names. (First name - Family name - Clan's name)

On this, Dew wasn't sure what to think. She had always liked her name, but the idea of changing it wasn't unpleasant. She also needed to convince Whistler to find a new name. His current one was indeed widespread among the warriors. As for Nate, it seemed wrong to change her baby's name; it was already different enough from its original meaning of night.