[hider=The path of the future open up, and it is blinding.]
The path of the future open up, and it is blinding.

[b]Day ?, Week ?, Cycle ?
Sobek marshlands.
Springtime, 32 C*, Sunny[/b]

Arriving post sundown after the butchering of the krollan had completed was the hunter Gar. Perhaps the most skilled of the hunters of the Sobek, carrying a large lizard, a couple of metres counting the tail, over his shoulders.
Gar was more wiry than other Sobek, he was also smaller than many Sobek being only around 50. His lanky build compared to other Sobek however didn't mean he looked weak or wiry. He just had thinner and much more sinewy muscles.
The term 'lean mean killing machine' was apt and Gar used his lighter weight to sneak unnoticed and ambush prey.

Ata and Gar was friends and upon noticing his kin arrive late, Ata stopped looking at the sky and went to him.
-"Successful hunt i see, how are you?" Gar smirked and lowered the dead lizard to the ground before answering.
-"Hardly, only this small lizard, but it's an interesting story about it." Gar almost sighed, Ata quizzically looking at him when he began telling his story.
-"Under a mangrove, largest i ever saw. Was odd rocks used to construct a Koibra nest. You know how they prefer the ones they can close? But the boulders, magnificent! They caught the sun and shone in turquoise, it was blinding so i even had to squint my eyes.
Some of the animals about looked with awe at the shining rocks." Gar sat down and dried off his neck with a piece of moss. Ata was listening intently and nodded.
-"It was there i saw this blighter, inside the cave. So i snuck up and pinned it in place with a bola toss, before leaping in and impaling it. There were tracks, bones and feces, Stillio. They had taken this cave as their home.
There was another lizard there, a young Stillio. I tossed my spear at it and displayed it at the door. Then brought this back.
It seems they were out hunting, but they will doubtlessly return."
Gar was pleased with his story here and was waiting for Ata's usual questions of the kill. As he waited a puddle jumper began to nibble at the carcass, Gar chucked it inside a pot and closed the lid on it. Looking back at Ata expecting something else instead Ata asked.
-"So what do you think the gleaming rock was?"
-".... no idea, strange rock. It was the sun that made it shine."
-"Do you think we could do something interesting with it?" Ata was smiling and looking dreamingly to the night sky. Gar was honestly confused with his antics, he also noticed Ata's large bruise.
-"How did you get that? You're hardly one to get into fights."
Ata shook his head and answered after some hesitation.
-"Thrûl, he does not approve of me taking the title of first speaker. When i thanked a krollan for its sacrifice he hit me with his staff."
Gar listened with a confused look on his face. After a while his curiosity caught up.
-"Soooo.... why were you thanking a krollan for its sacrifice? And what is a speaker?" After this Ata shone up and beaming with pride gave his answer.
-"I thanked it for its death gives us life. And a speaker, is the one that speaks what the Sobek think, a speaker gives words to what is without name, a speaker asks questions when none else will ask them! I am Ata, i am the first speaker!" Ata was gesturing with his arms and beaming with pride, finally having found his calling. His audience however was a hard sell and gave him a look like he was actually insane.
Ata went on.
-"Have you not wondered why the lights in the sky shine? Why the sun is warm or why the spear is sharp? Why some are born and why some die? Have you not thought of this?"
Gar looked for a while at Ata before answering, with a literal raised eyebrow.
-"I know one of those, the spear is sharp because i sharpened it."
-"But why did you sharpen it?"
-"So it cuts better."
-"Ah, but why does it cut better?"
-"Because i sharpened it?" Gar was beginning to raise his eyebrow again.
-"But why is it sharp after you sharpen it?"
-"I see why Thrûl hit you...." Gar said with a hint of annoyance but them both being used to their banter knew that it was just that.
Ata smiled contently, Gar spoke again.
-"Honestly you were always an odd one Ata, but i'm happy you found what you want to do. I don't know if a speaker is something the Sobek need, guess you need to prove we need one then." Ata set his hand on Gars shoulder and looking to the sky said.
-"I will prove them, i will show them the Sobek need a speaker..."

[b]The next day.[/b]
It was a day like all others, Thrûl was overseeing todays plans, Grazh was gathering his hunters and the large village was abuzz with activity. As Gar walked past with his kill to go to the skinning area Ata shouted so everyone could hear.
-"Hear me! For i am the first speaker! Gar has something you should hear!"
Thrûl was ready to hit Ata again for his insolence but Grazh got in the way, however turned to Ata and with his deep growling voice angrily addressed him.
-"Didn't i tell you to keep that to yourself? Do not come up with nonsense that has no importance in the planning of today."
Ata was almost cowering, Grazh a massive over 3 meter tall male, easily the strongest in the village and perhaps strongest of all Sobek. But he took heart to himself and puffed up as much as possible in front on the massive male.
-"I have not brought up nonsense, Gar has made an amazing discovery the elder should hear off!" The fear in his voice expertly hidden, but still noticeable. He kept going.
-"Go on Gar, tell them the story you told me yesterday!" Gar was terrified to suddenly be part of this engagement between the village elder and the great hunter of the Sobek. But he did speak.
-"I... i don't think it's... that important."
Ata looked over at him, so did the others, then they turned to Ata, then back to Gar.
-"Well, Ata here thinks it is important enough to bring up during todays planning, SO TELL IT!" Grazh intimidated Gar into submission and had clearly woken up on the wrong side of the moss-bed today.
-"YES GREAT HUNTER! I... i saw this mangrove... biggest i ever saw....."
Gar told the story, everyone listened.
When he was done there was a silence, eventually broken by Thrûl.
-"So you would claim, boy, that this hunting story with young Gar being blinded by watery rocks and killing two little lizards is worth stopping the entire day of work for!? You are sorely mistaken little one!"
The old Thrûl now walking up to Ata, Grazh giving him way out of respect, the gait and blazing anger in his eyes told that he would not be kind to Ata and Ata shook in fear.
-"STOP THIS NONSENSE!" A voice boomed out, everyone stopped to look, even Thrûl, whom answered.
-"Who interrupts my judgement?"
The speaker stepped forth, a heavy built middle age Sobek male with a brownish grey colour.
-"I am vorak, the maker! Let not your anger blind you to what possibility the young one saw."
Taken aback Thrûl regained his posture and turned towards Vorak.
-"He saw water on a rock glistening in the sun!" He spat. Vorak countered with.
-"Water does not glisten in turquoise, nor does it mesmerize the animals of the swamp, have anger blinded you judgement elder?"

Vorak was playing a dangerous game here, Thrûl as the oldest in the village was strong and wise, to question his wisdom was a clear challenge to his authority. Ata was petrified with fear and didn't understand why Vorak was standing up for him, but was glad he did.
-"Watch that tongue maker Vorak. You only have one! Now why should i not wring the life out of this so called 'speaker'" The word speaker spoken with such spite that he visibly spat.
-"He stands for what he believes, something all Sobek should do. He believes there's something important to this story. Let him state it, for i think i know what it is." Vorak's words were strong and had force to them. Thrûl turned to Ata before saying.
-"Very well maker Vorak, now BOY Ata, do tell us what it is in this story that we should know."
Ata swallowed hard.
-"Yes... elder Thrûl... i believe this rock... hold great possibilities." He was staring the massive elder into the eyes, Ata's eyes wavering while Thrûl's were still and intense. Ata kept going.
-"Imagine if it can be carved, or... be hewn into even sharper spears? Or... the makers can make... something even better with it?" As Ata was wavering Thrûl stepped in and Ata instinctively backed off. The massive male was now growling.

Several moments passed. Several long moments.
-"Very well Boy! Go and see if these rocks hold value. But if their only value is looking interesting you will be exiled! For insolence! Now go! Take hunter Gar with you! Claim us these 'treasures' you speak of!" Thrûl's voice was calmer but had such force that Ata could swear they shook his insides.
With hasty nods Ata and Gar scurried off and disappeared into the woods. Thrûl shouted after them so they could hear.
-"And do not come back without this 'treasure', do not dare come back!"

[b]Treasure hunt.[/b]
-"Ata, do you know that i hate you?"
-"Please, not now, it's not helping." Ata's answer was shameful and low. Gar was more angry about the situation than at Ata, but it was Ata who had gotten him into this mess.
Gar was expertly guiding the way to the cave, it took several hours to reach the site.

After reaching the cave the two Sobek hid nearby out of sight and were looking at it. Several large Stillio lazily moving about inside the cave and one going by outside, sniffing the dead Stillio hung up on the entrance.
-"I thought you said they were out hunting?" Ata asked disappointedly in a whispered voice.
-"Well obviously they are back now!" Biting whispered words Gar's response.
-"How are we gonna defeat them?"
-"I dunno, perhaps use your 'speaker powers' to command them to leave, perhaps bore them to death with questions."
-"Oh shut it!..." Ata's response was a bit hurt, but he knew he did deserve a lot of this. He didn't mean for Gar to get into trouble.

The two were sitting there looking at the rocks, they gleamed with turquoise and flakes of something they had never seen before, it seemed to shine like the sun after the Stillio scratched their hides upon its surface.
-"You weren't kidding." Ata said with a clear fascination.
-"Why would i? You should have seen it yesterday, the midday sun was at its peak and no clouds in the way." Gar was calming down by now. Both speaking in whispered voices.
-"... i have an idea." Ata retreated.
-"What is it?" Gar asked when he joined him out of sight from the cave. Ata began to gather grass and moss. And ordered Gar.
-"Get firestarting bark."
-"You know i am your senior right?" Gar gave a skeptical look. Ata bit back with the words.
-"Oh not now, do you want to fight them all? No? Get a fire going."
Ata and Gar got a fire going, Ata also made a large ball of moss and wet grass that he bound together with vines. Gar was constantly skeptical of Ata's fascination with fire but he seemed to have a clear idea.
After some time, Ata set fire to the inside of the ball, which began to smoke, soon it belched with thick grey smoke. It began to get so much that it was hard to see.
-"Great, now we can't see..." Gar gave one of his banters. Ata snapped back.
-"Oh shut it, help me carry."
The two of them began to carry the smoke belching ball of moss and grasses with two sticks run through it, towards the cave.

Gar was frantically trying to keep track of the Stillio and to see the extent of how mad Ata had gone, he glimpsed Ata's focused determination and was inspired to follow.
When they got closer to the cave, the Stillio began hissing and standing up. Their fronts low and their hind legs high, ready to pounce.
But holding them back was the smell of fire, the smoke of fire.
Soon their instincts took over, backing off more and more and soon the entire pack was scurrying off into the woods as the cave was beginning to fill with smoke.
-"Ata, you're a genius, you know i always say that right?" Gar said, in a half joking manner.
-"We don't have much time, help me get some of the gleaming rock!"

The two worked, coughing from the eye watering mire smelling smoke which still filled the area but less and less with each moment.
Hitting rock trying to get a lump loose.
The smoke began to subside more and more, soon a strong wind blew away the last of it as the ball had fallen apart on the ground.
The calls of the Stillio was closing in and with a crack, Gar got a nice lump of colourful rock, the size of a puddle jumper.

They ran, they had the rock! They could return to the village.
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[hider=TL;DR]
Ata hears the story of his hunt from Gar, interested in the mysterious stone mentioned he bring it up to Thrûl.
A heated argument ensues where Ata's life or continued existence in the village was at stake, Thrûl is convinced by Vorak the maker to let Ata and Gar go and get some of the stone.

The two use cunning and stealth to get hold of some of the stone. But unable to kill the pack of Stillio guarding the cave where the rock resides.
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