"Smell-hiding grass." Luis pointed to the plant and taught Ran how to say it, word by word.
"Smell-hiding grass," Ran repeated in his language. Then she saw Luis smile. His smile was really beautiful. Ran was stunned by it, and her face suddenly turned red.
Luis didn't notice her reaction. After using the smell-hiding grass to cover the wild boar's bloody scent, he easily lifted the boar onto his shoulder, which shocked Ran. Luis was so strong. The boar looked like it weighed over a hundred pounds, but he carried it like it was nothing.
Ran took Luis to the place where she found the thistle-like plant the day before. When Luis saw the large patch of thistles, he got very excited and picked a lot. With so many plants that could stop bleeding, the beastmen of the Lion-Tiger Tribe wouldn't have to watch wounds bleed without help anymore.
Ran had to stop him eventually because they had picked too much and couldn't carry it all back. Besides, there were many other types of plants here that could help stop bleeding, and she recognized them too.
They returned to Ran's tree cave, with Luis carrying the wild boar. On the way, Luis said the names of everything they saw in his language and asked Ran to repeat them. By the time they got back, she had already learned simple words like "tree," "grass," and "sky."
Luis looked around the tree cave and nodded to himself. The little female had found a very safe place—no wonder she had managed to live alone for so long. He still believed she had always lived in the Abyss Forest, not knowing she had just arrived the day before.
Ran took some wild fruits from her backpack. Luis had told her these were called red fruits, and the wild boar that attacked her was called a tusk beast.
She thought the way people here named things made sense. They named plants and animals based on how they looked—red fruit was red, so it was called red fruit. The wild boar had tusks, so it was called a tusk beast. On their way back, they also saw a rabbit. Before she could see it clearly, Luis quickly threw a spear and hit it. The rabbit here was called a long-ear beast.
Even though she and Luis could understand each other with gestures and simple words, deeper conversations weren't possible. Ran thought she should keep learning the language here. Once she learned more, she could ask Luis where this place really was.
She had already guessed a little—this place seemed like a primitive society. Luis wore clothes made from animal skins, and his weapons were made from wood and stone. When they were about to cook, Ran used her lighter to start a fire. Luis looked amazed, and she realized that fire was rare here. Otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted like that.
Seeing how interested Luis was in her lighter, Ran handed it to him and taught him how to use it. His eyes lit up with excitement.
Luis couldn't figure out this little female. How could she have so many strange and amazing things? In the Lion-Tiger Tribe, they also had fire, but it was precious and kept only by the priest. Yet she could make fire so easily.
Ran asked Luis to bring back some stones. She built a simple stove around the fire. But the fire was ready—how could she cook without a pot? She started to feel stuck.
She had Luis bring back a half-round-shaped rock, then asked him to dig into it with a stone knife. Though the knife was sharp, it wore down fast, and she felt bad for him.
Then she suddenly remembered her Swiss army knife. It was a birthday gift she had bought for two boys. The knives were expensive and high quality, with many functions. The shop owner had even said they could cut through metal.
Ran didn't know if that was true, but she hoped it could at least carve the stone. Luis tried the knife on the rock, and to their surprise, it cut through easily. He was amazed and carefully shaped the rock into a pot, following her instructions.
When he finished, Luis carefully cleaned the knife and returned it to her. Ran shook her head. "Luis, this knife is for you."
Luis understood and shook his head. "Ran, I can't. It's too valuable."
But she insisted. She took out the second knife and showed him, explaining with gestures, "I have another one, so this one is for you. You can make better use of it."
Luis finally accepted the knife. Seeing how much she trusted him, he silently promised that he would protect the little female well and help her leave the Abyss Forest one day.
"Ran, will you come back to my Lion-Tiger Tribe with me?" Luis asked seriously.
Ran couldn't understand. She looked confused, and Luis sighed. He would wait until she learned more of their language.
Ran showed him all the features of the Swiss army knife—big blade, small blade, scissors, saw, magnifying glass, ruler, and more than thirty functions.
Luis had never seen anything like it before. His hands trembled with excitement. With such a sharp and multi-functional tool, they could hunt more easily. Maybe during the snow season, no one in the tribe would starve again.
"Ran, I'm going to the river to clean the tusk beast and the long-ear beast. Do you want to come?" Luis asked, still playing with the knife.
Ran only understood the words "tusk beast" and "long-ear beast." Seeing she didn't get it, Luis pointed at the animals, made a skinning motion, then a drinking one. She finally understood.
"There's water nearby? I thought there wasn't!" Ran was so happy she almost jumped up. She hadn't had water to drink or wash since yesterday. She had planned to look for a water source tomorrow.
Luis didn't know why she was so excited, but seeing her happy made him feel better too. Carrying the stone pot and the animals, he took the little female's hand and led her toward the river.
Holding her soft, smooth hand made Luis's heart beat faster. It was the first time he had ever held a female's hand. He had grabbed her hand without thinking when they left the tree cave. But it was just to stop her from getting lost—at least that's what he told himself.