Since the first day they met in the grove, Ngu-gu became a frequent guest at Ashwin's hut. To the boy's distress, the Odd One ignored all his hints and simply had no shame. He demanded new stories from Ashwin and, in a confusing way, told a few of his own. Even Bea seemed displeased by his constant intrusions, but no one could drive Ngu-gu away. The absence of real doors also did not help the situation. After days of endless annoyance, Hegat took the unwelcome guest fishing. Both Bea and Ashwin were finally able to relax.

Lately his skills in making and setting traps have improved. Not to a point of marvelous success, but the boy brought a small game on a regular basis. His daily routine was filled with setting traps and checking them, resting and trying to avoid trouble as best he could (which included ignoring Ngu-gu as well). Ashwin got used to the village and learned about its nearby areas. From time to time, he joined the patrols. This was a good opportunity for him to study the territory without raising suspicions. Although he still did not have a decent escape plan, the things he learned could come in handy on his journey back to civilization.

Sitting in front of his hut, the boy wrote on the ground. Ashwin made a list of all the places around the village that could be used as landmarks. There was no paper in the village, and his catch was too small to make use of their skins. However, he wanted to create a map in the future. Going back to the wall would be easier if he gathered as much information about the land outside as possible and wrote it down.

"What you do?"

Ashwin looked up. Zaris was staring at the ground where the boy was writing. The child sat down beside his adoptive father. His awkward way of speaking took the boy by surprise less than the sudden approach.

"This is numbers and letters," Ashwin started to explain, wondering in his thoughts whether apes even had a concept of math and writing, "You can count items and people with numbers, and describe them with letters."

Zaris lifted his palms and showed the spread fingers.

"You can count," the child quickly lowered his paws and took the cloth side from his loincloth. He tied two knots and showed it to the boy. "You can count."

Ashwin remembered seeing thin ropes tied into knots in the huts. 'Do they count this way?' he instantly got more questions than answers, but Zaris's poor vocabulary made it almost impossible to get understandable replies. Remembering Ngu-gu's advice, Ashwin decided to start teaching the child step by step. He tried to ignore Hegat and a few other apes that approached them, staring at the symbols on the ground.

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"Yes, but if you want to count more things and work with large and complex numbers, it's good to write everything down," Ashwin continued, despite the audience whispering and talking about him at the same time. "That way, you can organize your time, materials, and other things, even people."

"How can a sign on the ground do anything?" Hegat pointed at the written symbols. "Any creature can scratch bark or the ground, but it only helps hunters find the game and doesn't help the one who made it."

Suddenly, his way of passing the time turned into a full-fledged discussion. Ashwin decided to face the consequences of his actions, even though he wasn't sure the apes would understand his explanation.

"That's a valid point. And this is why you need a set of symbols your troop also understands. In this way, you can leave warnings or other pieces of information for others to understand. Knowledge can be preserved and passed on to children..."

The apes, who listened carefully to the boy, suddenly started to step back. Ashwin turned around. Scarface was standing behind him. One glance from the leader was enough for the crowd to retreat. While the adults hastily returned to their work, the children simply fled. The Main One looked at the ground covered with numbers and words. To Ashwin's uneasiness, Scarface's eyes moved as if he was actually reading the text.

"Good skill," the ape finally said. "I want you to use it."

'I'm already using it,' thought the boy, but kept silent. He had guessed what Scarface meant and didn't want it to be true.

"Ubu lost almost everything I had gathered," the leader continued. "So now I need to collect it all again.

"Resources?" Ashwin asked to clarify what the ape meant.

"Yes, but not only that. There are other villages around Two Eyes. I will restore my rule over them."

The boy frowned. All this sounded too brutal, reminding him of the first day when the troop arrived at the settlement.

"Does it mean that other villages will have to go through the Choice?"

"No. No need to do so. All they need to do is submit. We will only accept females of fallen males if there is a fight."

Ashwin's expression showed he wasn't convinced. Scarface grumbled, "The Choice here was a forced measure. My retainers took what was theirs in the first place. Now, stop sulking and think about your task. Start by creating a list of all the supplies and members of the troop. Show me when it's ready."