Ashwin didn't step outside the pit until the song ended. Though he regretted his decision the moment ants started stinging his legs. It turned out that impressive mandibles were not the only things he should have been afraid of. Every insect was armed with a stinger. The boy’s skin was covered in bite marks, his flesh had swollen and itchy. His resolve came more from a desire to prove himself as a human than to follow ape traditions. When the beasts stopped singing, Ashwin could barely move his injured legs. While enduring the torture, he pictured himself getting out of the pit triumphantly and proudly. However, in reality, he stumbled over the edge and collapsed right into Scarface's paws.

The next days, he spent inside the hut that, as well as part of the land, came along with his new "family". The apes were no less wary of him than Ashwin of them. While he was given a separate bed, the animals slept on the other side of the house. Zaris, Wez's son, stared at the human and became restless when the apes brought Ashwin to the hut. From then on, he only glared at the boy and refused to talk. The ape child was at least two years old, so right now, he wasn't a proper child, but still not a teenager. Ashwin felt uncomfortable just being around this sulking beast and decided to leave Zaris alone.

The female, Bea, ignored him most of the time. Her lack of knowledge of human language made it even more difficult to create at least some sort of amiable relationships. Only after witnessing the Choice ritual, Ashwin understood why Bea had agreed to take him as a spouse. The human was not a threat to her child. By making this decision, Scarface killed two birds with one stone: honoring Wez's sacrifice by protecting his family and raising Ashwin's rank. couldn't shake off the feeling that he had been used in the ape's scheme. Right now, he was incapable of feeling anything but resentment.

There were many things he wanted to ask about, but he couldn't until one day. Hegat came to visit him. Now the ape wore a loincloth with sewn claws in the same manner as the settlement's males who were never imprisoned. His muzzle was decorated with ochre paint, and he carried a knife on his leather belt. As soon as he sat down on the straw mat, Bea placed a cup of fermented berries in front of him. A strong smell hit Ashwin’s nostrils, making the boy wince. Female apes were making this drink, and the males seemed to enjoy it. But to Ashwin's human taste, the brown liquid with slimy clots was sour and simply disgusting.

"What happened to the former Main one?" sked the boy after Hegat had drunk and burped.

"Ubu? He didn't fight, so he wasn't sent away. And because he didn’t fight, now he is a gwaza."

The boy sighed. Although Hegat could speak pretty well, his way of explanation was difficult to understand.

"What is 'gwaza'?" Ashwin asked, remembering how Scarface had used this word.

The visiting ape scratched his armpit - a gesture used to show disdain - and replied, "The lowest ranking male. Everybody can beat and command him."

Covering his bitten legs with a new compress, Ashwin smiled bitterly. The brief description brought back too many memories.

"So, it's basically me."

"No, no," Hegat protested with sudden eagerness, "you have a spouse now."

Ashwin could argue about that. There were too many "buts". Above all else, the boy wasn't fond of the apes he shared a roof with. On the other hand, staying inside the hut, on a surprisingly soft bed, was so comfortable that Ashwin wasn't too eager to go outside.

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"You not do things inside," said the female ape in an odd way when he regained consciousness. As the boy understood lately - housework and harvesting plants were women's work. For the meantime he focused on getting better while Bea gathered supplies and prepared food.

Preparing was probably too strong a word for the process. She peeled the rough skin of the root and cut vegetables and fruit into smaller pieces. She also gave Ashwin some dried fish and some meat. But the apes never cooked over fire. They never used fire. At first, Ashwin thought that the beasts tried to keep low, and an open flame would reveal their position during their escape. But there was no reason to not use fire in the settlement. And yet there were no campfires.

When no one was around, the boy took the resin box and slowly examined it in his hands. It was his treasure. The temptation to use the torch to escape from the apes crossed his mind a couple of times, but he shook it off. Even if the apes were afraid of fire, just one accurate hit from a sling and he will be defeated. There were too many of them armed not only with impressive fangs and brute strength but also with spears, knives, and throwing weapons. To face them with just a torch was madness. 'Maybe if I could set the settlement on fire... But the huts are not close together.'

Hearing the noise at the threshold Ashwin hid a resin box. It was Bea who brought a basket full of roots. For the past few days, he had only eaten plant food. The task of getting meat was the male's responsibility.

"Men hunt and fight," Hegat said during his first visit to the wounded boy. "Get well and we'll go hunting together."

That was another reason why he didn't want to go outside.

Today, Hegat visited him again. He even brought a catfish with long whiskers and no eyes. Bea hurried to clean and cut the gift catch, leaving the men to chat. And Hegat did not waste his time.

"Whose side will you take?" asked the ape directly. Ashwin shrugged. The last couple of weeks had been too busy for him to even think about anything other than healing his legs or getting used to his new home and "family".

But Hegat was waiting impatiently for an answer, so Ashwin stated what he felt was obvious: "Why should I participate in a monkey's power struggle?"

"Don't call us monkeys!" Hegat bared his teeth and almost growled. "Monkeys are stupid, we are not!"

"Fine," Ashwin sighed, moving a bunch of strongly smelling grass that had been used to drive parasites away from his bed, "Still I see no reason."

"The reason is that you came out of the pit as a man. You need to make a choice. Will you support the leader? You will, right??"

"I thought he was the Main One. What does it matter who I support? I mean, Ubu has lost. It's not like he can change it."

"Don't be a monkey."

Ashwin could argue that calling him a monkey made even less sense than calling an ape a monkey. But Hegat didn't give him a chance to utter even one word. "There are others who can challenge the current Main One. Life is always strife, so we need to stick together, or we will lose our place. Or you could challenge the order and get a better place. Your choice."

'Again, the choice. They are really fond of this word.'

"Decide while you have time. The… what was the word… For a lot of food to eat with everyone?"

"A feast," suggested Ashwin.

"Yes," Hegat grinned happily. "A feast will be soon for our return."