Whether it was the sleep powder, or the fact that Guy hadn't had the most restful night when they had arrived at the village, he could not tell. But he found himself falling into a dream; something he didn't do very often. There were so many bright greens. The jungle around him lush and vibrant. It brimmed with life in every way.

Guy found himself standing the midst of towering trees. Flowers the size of his head bursting forth from their tangled vines which hung from the trees. It was all so familiar.

"Guy. . ." There was a voice that called out to him. This, too, was incredibly familiar. Suddenly, Eep stepped forth from between two trees not so far off in the distance. She held her hand out to him and beckoned for him to approach. Her eyes were almost shining; the green within the two orbs pulsing with life, as the rest of the forest did. His heart beat quickened and his lips formed a gentle smile.

He stepped forward from his place under the canopy and followed her through the jungle thick. Her laugh radiated through the trees, as every time he came close to her she appeared farther away again. Eventually she was out of his range of vision; vanished amongst the foliage. He paused and waited for her to appear once more.

"Guy…" She called to him, though she herself hadn't made her presence known to him this time. Guy followed the sound, fumbling over roots that protruded from the earth's depths. He placed his hand upon the curtain of vines that blocked the last part of his path. The sun shining behind them projected light between the tendrils. Upon pulling them to the side, he had fully hoped, and expected, to see Eep.

Two adults were before him, then. A man and a woman. The man looked strikingly similar to Guy, his hair only slightly longer and sandier. His eyes were a dark brown and his front teeth were ever so slightly crooked, just as Guys'. The woman was lean and lovely. Her hair was quite long, well past her shoulders, and a darker brown, much like Guys'. Her eyes were a vivid blue, her face a soft oval shape.

Guy looked on in horror at the pair, and then at himself. Guy watched himself, a much younger version, kneeling before the two adult figures. His dirty hands were clenched into fists and pressed hard against his eyes. Tears spilled haphazardly onto the stones before the child and he knew exactly what memory this was. His dream was easily becoming a nightmare, and with the sleep powder resting on his forehead, he didn't know how to wake up.

The smell of the tar came to him in waves that caused him to become nauseous. He knew that it wasn't real, but it was all so very sharp; from the smells to the images, it was as though he stood before his dying mother and father on the day it happened all over again. The thick black substance was up to their waists, and they were telling Guy that it was time to go. He watched the child struggle to his feet, a light panic setting in. His own heart raced and sank at the same time.

Without another moment spared, Guy jumped toward the tar. In that instant, he could stand and watch no longer. And perhaps, is some way, the way one feels when trapped within a dream, he thought he could save them. Before he could even land within the sticky black trap, though, his eyes fluttered open.

Gill parted the skin that served as the cover of the entrance to his hut. The hut itself was easily three times bigger than the rest of the huts any of the Croods had seen within the village up until this point. Once they had all stepped inside, the largeness of the hut was even more apparent. Grug was thankful for the extra space, as he had quite a bit of trouble remaining within the medicine woman's hut. Here, however, there was plenty of room for his hulking mass.

Eep was rather impressed with the space as well. But more so for the fact that she wanted to know why they built these places and furthermore, how they built them.

"Welcome, one and all," Gill said as cheerfully as he could without seeming false.

"Why is this one so big?" She finally asked.

"Ah, good question," he said as moved around some pelts at one end of the hut and directed them to approach. "A topic best discussed over our food tonight. In the meantime, this is where you can sleep tonight."

Grug inspected the pelts, fascinated by their quality. He had never had anything like this for his family to sleep on before. 'I bet Guy could figure out how to make them this way,' he thought to himself.

Before either of the Neanderthals had anytime to ask another question, there was a small commotion outside within the village center. Gill smiled and waved an excited hand at the both of them. "Come on! There is someone I want you to meet."

The two obliged and stepped outside of the hut with Gill in the lead.

Outside, in the village center, a small group of people had assembled. They were painted, carried spears, and seemed to be in their entirety, men. Eep was curious at the arrival of these people, and yet uneasy. Gill on the other hand seemed very glad at their return, and this was enough to put her had ease. Gill had not done anything to wrong her; had never been anything but honest and kind. And not just to her, but two all of the Croods that had come to reside within the confines of the village, albeit temporarily.

"Ah! Gill, there you are my son." A great hulking man stepped out from within the group of what now were easily identified as hunters upon further inspection. He wore many more furs than those that stood around him, and had markings upon his wrists, chest, cheeks, and brow. The man looked at Grug and Eep for a moment, a question mark written on his face. No sooner had he looked over the two, though, was his attention directed back at Gill.

The two exchanged a grasping of arms before engaging in real conversation.

"Was the hunt successful?" Gill asked with great enthusiasm. Grug had seen that look and excitement in the eyes of someone else he knew very well. He wondered why Gill had not been out hunting with the rest of the men. He appeared to be of age, and was not lame in anyway.

"It was! We spent the whole first night without even a sign of an animal. Then, Xan found tracks that led far to the south. So, we followed. For most of the next day, we grew concerned that we were following cold tracks, but then we found it. It must have been attacked by something before we got to it, though. Its left front leg was very weak, and it couldn't keep up with the herd. Lucky for us! We took the animal down in no time." Gills father moved his hands and body, adding to his expression of the story.

Gill watched and listened in complete awe. There was a yearning behind his excitement, though. As though he had not really been allowed the thrill of the hunt as much as he would have liked.

"And who might this be?" the man had finally decided to ask about the presence of Eep and Guy.

"Aura came upon the likes of another like us, and after him came these two. They are his family." Gill looked back to Eep and Grug and said, "Guys, this is my father, Untu, chief of the village. Dad, this is Eep, and Grug," he said, pointing to those he was naming, respectively. The chief smiled kindly at the two and then a small sigh escaped his lips.

"Aura. Can't go on a single hunting trip without coming back to hear of her causing mischief."

"Heh, you know her. Can't accept her place in the tribe." Gill said this with pride, but somewhere, behind the glow he had in his father's presence, there was uncertainty. It was as though Auras role in everything involved Gill, as well. "Anyways, their other tribe member is injured, and he is staying with the medicine woman. I gave them shelter with us for the night."

The chief nodded his approval. "Well! Don't suppose you've ever had mammoth before, eh?" the chief asked. The two shook their heads, and in the distance they could see other hunters carrying large hunks of the animal in question into the village to be prepared.

Guy clutched at his chest only to find Belt resting there. He sighed in relief, stroking the familiar fur of his best friend. The sloth look up into his eyes, and a concerned gurgle emanated from the animal. Guy smiled and slowly sat up. He had had his fill of rest and sleep and . . . dreams. He rubbed his forehead only to have it come away clean.

"It absorbs into the skin."

The sound of a voice gave him a start. He had somehow become unaware of the medicine woman's presence. It was her hut after all. Where else would she be?

"Ahah. . . So it does."

"You are troubled, young one," she said matter-of-factly. He looked over to see that she was no longer busying herself with her collection of odds and ends, but rather sitting off to the far side of her hut. Before her was a strange collection of lines drawn into the earthen floor of her shelter. Guy tried to make sense of them but it was a senseless task. Every line crossed in and out of other lines in no certain order; or at least that was how it seemed to his untrained eye.

"Troubled?" he asked. He gave an awkward chuckle as he crossed his legs to sit and face the medicine woman.

"I can tell that you have suffered a great loss. A loss that has weighed heavily on your mind, even if you choose not to acknowledge it."

"I had a strange . . . dream? Nightmare?" Guy struggled to find the word that fit the situation most appropriately. It had all started off so well, only to become, well, painful.

"Ah, yes, mugwood root can have that consequence," she said, "but, it is so good for the body."

"That's good?" Guy blurted out in disbelief, referring to the dream/nightmare he had incurred.

"Does your head hurt?"

His hand instinctively found its way to the spot that should have had a small lump blooming there, but instead found smooth, unharmed skin in its place. His eyes widened a little.

"Then it is good," the medicine woman concluded, tilting her head down as a smirk formed on her lips.