[center]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190809/757a092fb216836c38cb2c4697757a21.png[/img]

[img]https://paintingandframe.com/uploadpic/collection_14/big/sunrise_lake.jpg[/img][/center]

The sun was slowly rising above the mountains on the far horizon and the tribe members were waking up, moving around to warm up their blood and bodies. One male R’Bani stood at the side of the raft, finding himself unable to take his eyes off the scenery. The thick fog over the water was slowly dissipating - normally that would mean to him that the weather would be good this day, the sun will shine and no storms and heavy rains will threaten the raft. But today, there was something else, something deeper that he couldn’t really explain, that kept him almost frozen.

A sudden impulse made him pick up a large leaf and, dipping his fingers into warm lake water, draw a few lines on it. Just one straight long line and two smaller above it, forming a small triangle. After a short look at the horizon, he added a small circle peeking from behind the triangle. [b]“G’Arr!”[/b] he exclaimed, a previously unknown but very pleasant feeling filling him. But as he looked at the leaf again, he noticed that the lines he made were slowly disappearing, water drying up under the first rays of the morning sun.

[b]“G’ARR!”[/b] he yelled again, angrily. He liked that sound, felt like it is his own sound, like it describes him. At first he wanted to throw the leaf away, but a sudden idea came to his mind. Carefully laying the leaf on the ground, he jumped from the edge of the raft and swam to the lake floor, grabbing a load of mud. When he climbed back on the raft, he retraced the lines on the leaf, this time using mud instead of water.

A female came to him, curious about what he was doing. At first, it seemed to her like a result of mud battles the young ones tended to have from time to time. But then she raised her head to look at the horizon and opened her mouth in surprise, realizing that the long straight line is the lake, the triangle is the mountain above it, and the circle looks like the sun. [b]“G’Arr,”[/b] she whispered in awe.

The male jumped angrily. That was his sound, his own, and others should not use it. [b]“G’Arr,” [/b]he croaked at her, pointing at his chest.

She nodded, pointing at him, feeling a bit envious that he has his own sound. Now she wanted one too. She admired the painting on the leaf for a while and then picked up another leaf. Maybe she could make one too? But there was something else that caught her attention, she realized that the sun is not shining on her. Of course she knew that leaves provided shadow that was useful in merciless summer heat, so that her skin wouldn’t dry up, cracking painfully. But what if she used these leaves to actually create a protected place, instead of just hoping to find one when she needed it?

Soon she was deeply concentrated on trying to arrange the leaves into the shape that came to her mind. As the leaves wouldn’t stand on their own, she used some twigs as a support and mud to glue it together. She also found out that long straws of waterweed could be used to tie things together. It took her a while, but eventually she was satisfied with the results - a small hut supported by longer branches tied together, covered by leaves and mud. [b]“Reea!”[/b] she clapped her hands excitedly, comparing her old den, merely a hole between the twigs, and this new thing she just invented.

Her old den was small and empty, no one else lived there. A sudden pain in her chest surprised her. Was she ill? Or injured? But the pain did not seem to have a physical cause. The feeling that came with it was very unpleasant and brought tears to her eyes. Her den was empty, yes, but it hasn’t always been that way, has it? She used to have a mate, a strong male that always brought the best food. Before. And now she doesn’t have him, after a huge predatory fish came unusually close to the shore and dragged him away. That was some days ago, she couldn’t even tell how many, because the thought of past and present never crossed her mind before. But there will also be tomorrow and more days in the future, perhaps she could find a new mate? Especially now that she has a new comfortable place to live in.

The thought of past and future occupied her mind. There were several tadpoles swimming around the raft, who will soon sprout legs and arms and climb from the water to join the tribe. That was always the time for both happiness but also great hunger for everyone, because there were suddenly so many mouths to feed. The R’Bani only gathered as much food as they could eat that day, but what if they brought a little bit extra every day and put it aside? That way the young ones would have something to eat before they learn to hunt and gather their own food.

[b]“Reea,”[/b] she smiled and turned to the others who were already admiring her hut. It will be hard to communicate this complicated thought to the others, but she knew she could do it. After all, she managed to create her own sound. She wasn’t just one female R’Bani anymore. She was Reea now.

[hider=Actions][b][list]
[*] The R’Bani became self-aware, realizing their individualities
[*] They discovered simple art
[*] Started building primitive huts from materials found around them
[*] They started assigning themselves simple sounds as names
[*] They realized the concept of time - the past, future and the present
[/list][/b][/hider]