Arc 2, Ch 3
Five and five suns have passed.
Have learned much from one called 'Grond'. Grond teaches me many things.
Grond and other eaters use sounds called 'words'. Words describe things.
Grond teaches me words, and gives food when me learn new words.
Have learned lots words from Grond. Learned about fruit-food and meat-food. Fruit-food grows from tallgreens, but meat-food comes from food-eaters. Some food-eaters eat only fruit-food. Some eat only meat-food, like me! Tried fruit-food, but fruit-food tastes weird. Some ok, but most gross.
Me also learning to count better. Grond says counting better helps to plan better.
Learning to count groups of five, but still need to work on it.
...
Grond taught me about other eaters. Eaters here, part of 'pack'.
Pack is what call many eaters living together, without fighting. They still fight, but not much.
Our pack has many members. Can't count that many yet, but Grond says pack is strong, and that is what's important.
Have met five and two others in pack. Seems many in pack can swim.
Corvus and Fang are eaters who helped Grond catch me. They like fighting each other, but Grond says it's ok.
Brakk is like Grond, but dumber. Brakk talks loud, and thinks he's best. But Brakk is wimp, too scared to fight.
Do not think Brakk will do well.
Packs have leaders. Our pack has big leader, lives in river.
Leader is 'King of the River'. River is King's territory. Everyone follows River King's rules.
Grond is second-leader. River King tells Grond what to do, and Grond tells us what to do.
...have not spoken to River King since capture. Grond says River King doesn't speak unless it's important.
...
"Kree, come. Must keep up, don't fall behind."
"Yes. Kree follows."
Grond calls me 'Kree'. Said me needed 'name'. All eaters have names, unless they too dumb to talk.
Don't know why call me 'Kree', but now everyone does. So now am named Kree.
Grond leading group of us on 'patrol'. Every sunrise, sunpeak, and sunfall, patrol group walks along territory edge.
Makes sure no bad packs or bigger eaters come into territory. If they find bigger eaters or bad packs, they fight them until bad eaters run away or die.
Trouble is, ground still flooded. Our pack adapted to swim. Me am not, stuck to tallgreen crawling.
Follow best as can, but others faster. Better at water-swimming than me.
Me really wish could build sticky-trails above water...would help greatly.
...wait, Grond motions stop.
One of pack hears crashing branches. Invader!
Enemy comes! We go, strike swift!
...
End Ch 3