Next chapter, next narrator. Like in „Healer".

'Be careful, Faltiri, this was a dangerous mistake' sempu said. I nodded and raised my bow again. And lowered it just a while later.

'What happened?' sempu asked. I was used to his poorer senses, so I didn't call him skxawng like sanu does.

'Tsku'pey is coming back and he has prey' I explained. That was all I could deduce from his faraway, joyous whoop.

'Great, fresh yerik' sempu said. 'But I can't wait till you bring us one, 'ite.'

'I can't hunt' I said. 'These are only handicap' I pointed at my tiny so-called "pinkies", which were about half as long as sempu's and completely useless. Before sempu answered, Tsku'pey landed. He had two big yerik.

'Oel ngati kameie, Jakesully. Oel ngati kameie, Faltiri' he greeted us. 'Some bow practice?'

'Yes but I can't even aim properly!' I screamed. Tsku'pey was good at almost everything and it was annoying.

'Look at me' he said and took a bow. He held the chord in two fingers only and he had an aim needle in strap wrapped around his second hand middle finger.

'You must see the target through the needle eye' he explained. 'I wish I had pinkies, they must be great for a needle…'

'I don't teach her to use a needle until she can use a simple bow' sempu said, but Tsku'pey didn't seem to listen to him. He used a strap to get another needle on my pinky and gave me the bow.

'Try' he said. I pulled the chord. It wasn't very hard to do. Then I aimed.

'Keep your pinky straight' Tsku'pey said, 'and your back too'

I did as he told me, and let the chord lose. The arrow hit the target.

'Wow!' Jakesully said. 'You must teach me to use the needle!' he told Tsku'pey.

'I will, Toruk Macto' he said and bowed, 'But now I must take those yerik to fireplace until they go smelly.'

We all laughed and as Tsku'pey left, I tried once again the needle aim. It was much easier with it. And my pinkies, they turned up so useful!

'Sempu, I'm going to see auntie Grace, uncle Unoray and little Tiyan!' I claimed. After all, it was auntie Grace's idea to use aiming needles. Sempu just nodded. I rushed to the place they liked most: a natural shelter made by leaves. Just as I thought, they were there.

'Oel ngati kameie' I greeted them. Then I turned to auntie Grace. 'Good after-moan' I tried to greet her in inglisi. She giggled.

'Good afternoon, Faltiri. And oel ngati kameie. You want just to talk or maybe you have any interest?'

'I wanted to say irayo for aiming needles. Tsku'pey taught me to use this' I wagged my pinky with needle still attached to it. I removed it before I hugged little Tiyan. I thought that he also would have his aiming needle on his pinky.

'Tsku'pey, hmmm?' auntie Grace sneered. 'You two feel something to each other?'

I sighed.

'Auntie, you KNOW we are meant to mate. And good we get on so well together. Sometimes even better than sanu and sempu…'

Auntie Grace laughed. Loudly, like only Tawtute do. Tiyan giggled in my arms. I still called him little, even though he was already eight years old. He spoke inglisi better than I did, but I didn't care so much to learn it. Just a few words to make sempu happy.

'Auntie, Tsku'pey came back from his hunt' I said to break the silence that fell after the laughter ceased.

'So, we're having nantang broth again?' Unoray asked. I shook my head, laughing. Everyone remembered the story of first night when Tsku'pey stayed at hunt. Surrounded by a pack of nantang, he shot a few of them and called Kelu, and so we had nantang broth for dinner, as Tsku'pey never leaves his prey behind. Sempu said it tasted like mixed-meat broth cooked by his sanu.

'Faltiri, will you get Norm come for common meal tonight?' auntie Grace asked. I just nodded. Uncle Norm often missed common meals, as he still loved examining the forest, and so Tsku'pey still considered him Tawtute. He was one of Omaticaya though and even Tsku'pey agreed with this; he tamed his ikran, he made his bow with wood of the Kelutrel, and he chose a woman.

'Uncle Norm!' I screamed, approaching his improvised lab. Uncle Norm came out, to me.

'Oh, hi Faltiri. What happened?' he asked, stroking my hair.

'Tsku'pey brought prey, and I should drag you for common meal. Two yerik.'

'Yum, yum' Uncle Norm smiled. 'OK, I'll grab Ninat and kids and come. See you at meal, Faltiri.'

Okay, these two chapters were like an introduction to whole story and description of changes in and near Hometree. Next chapter will be proper action, I promise.

Please leave a review to make me update.