The morning wind carried a lingering chill, blowing through the treetops of the South Mountain Slope, stirring up a few unmelted snowflakes.
Most of the Flame Stone Tribe’s Tribesmen gathered in the open space in front of the cave.
The charcoal in the fire pit burned brightly, but it didn’t emit the usual aroma of food.
There were no hunting or gathering tasks today; everyone was waiting for Alex’s arrangements.
Since the successful trial of the improved stone hoe, the Tribesmen knew that living long-term in the damp, cramped cave was not a solution.
Finding a new settlement had become the most urgent matter.
Alex stood in the open space, holding a sharpened long wooden branch with a piece of charcoal tied to its tip.
This was the “marking staff” he had specially made last night to record terrain and water sources.
He looked at the Tribesmen gathered around, his gaze sweeping over each face:
There was the firm expectation of John, the gentle curiosity of Yuna, the rigorous scrutiny of Chi, the innocent excitement of A He, and a few elders.
Their eyes held a hint of unease—they had lived in the cave for most of their lives and naturally harbored concerns about “leaving a familiar place.”
“Today, we are going to do something big—find a new home.”
Alex’s voice clearly reached everyone’s ears.
“Although the current cave provides shelter from wind and rain, it’s too small to accommodate more and more people.
Moreover, the cave is damp, making elders and children prone to illness.
Most importantly, there’s no open land here; we have nowhere to plant crops in the spring.
We need to find a place where we can build houses, cultivate farmland, have stable water sources, and also defend against wild beasts, so that everyone can live in peace and eat their fill.”
His words quieted the Tribesmen.
Several elders exchanged glances.
Old Man Ku Mu leaned on his wooden staff and stepped forward, asking softly:
“Alex, is a new home easy to find?
If we can’t find a place better than the cave, can we come back?”
“Yes.” Alex nodded affirmatively.
“Today we are just scouting.
If we find a suitable place, we’ll mark it down.
If not, we’ll come back.
We won’t let everyone take risks.
And John will lead the Hunting Team to protect us, and Old Shaman will also come along.
If we encounter any emergencies, we’ll have ways to deal with them.”
Old Shaman, leaning on his wooden staff carved with a sun totem, took a step forward, his cloudy eyes filled with authority:
“Alex is right.
The Tribe needs to develop; we can’t always cling to the old cave.
I’ll go along and help see where the land is fertile and where the spring water is clean.”
With Old Shaman’s support, the elders’ concerns gradually dissipated.
John hoisted his stone spear and shouted to the Tribesmen:
“Those willing to scout, pack your things now!
Bring your stone axe and spear, and wrap some dry rations in a beast hide.
We’ll try to find the first candidate spot before noon!”
The finalized scouting team consisted of twenty people—John led five Hunters responsible for vigilance,
Yuna led three women from the gathering team to identify water sources and land, Chi led two young Craftsmen to inspect stone and wood materials, Old Shaman and Alex walked in the middle, and the remaining Tribesmen helped carry tools and dry rations.
A He also wanted to go, but his mother held him back:
“Scouting is dangerous.
You stay in the cave.
When we find a new home, I’ll take you to see it, okay?”
Although A He was reluctant, he nodded, clenching his small fists and saying:
“Then you must find a place with lots of wild yams!”
After the scouting team set off, they walked eastward along the South Mountain Slope.
Alex specifically had John walk at the very front, using his spear to push aside obstructing dead branches while vigilantly observing the surrounding forest.
After the snow melted, there were more traces of wild beasts, so they had to avoid sudden dangers.
After about half an hour, they arrived at a riverside depression.
The terrain here was flat, close to a water source, and there were many tall oak trees along the bank, making it seem like a good choice.
“How about here?”
Mark excitedly pointed at the depression.
“There’s a river and water, and trees!
We can build houses and fish!” The source of this chapter is g.com.
Chi, however, shook his head, squatted down, and touched the soil on the ground:
“The soil here is too wet.
When the snow melts in spring, it will definitely accumulate water, and houses built here would easily collapse.
Moreover, the terrain is too low.
If there’s heavy rain and the river rises, our home will be flooded.”
Alex also squatted down and poked the ground with his marking staff.
The tip easily sank into the soil, bringing up a lot of moisture:
“Elder Chi is right.
Although it’s close to a water source, the drainage is poor, making it unsuitable for long-term habitation.
Let’s go further ahead and find a slightly higher place.”
After another hour, they arrived at a hillside.
The terrain here was higher than the depression, with an open view of the distant mountains and forests.
The soil on the slope was dry and covered with low shrubs.
Yuna squatted down and pulled up a shrub.
The soil around its roots was dark brown.
She said in surprise:
“The soil here is very fertile; wild yams will surely grow very large!”
But John walked around the hillside and frowned:
“This place is good, but the water source is too far.
The river we saw earlier is in the depression, and it takes half an hour to walk down from here.
It will be too much effort to fetch water later, and it’s dangerous if we encounter wild beasts.
Moreover, there are no natural barriers here; if a pack of wolves comes, we won’t be able to defend ourselves well.”
The Tribesmen’s excitement subsided again.
Two consecutive candidate locations had obvious drawbacks, and even the most optimistic Mark was a bit discouraged:
“Is there really no place that has water, is dry, and can also be defended?”
Alex, however, was not disheartened.
He took out his marking staff and drew a simple map on a stone slab, marking the route they had taken and the water sources:
“Let’s follow the direction of the spring.
The spring we found earlier was in a crevice on the South Mountain Slope, and the spring water flows out from the mountain.
If we follow the spring downwards, we will surely find a place with high terrain and close to a water source.”
Sure enough, after another half an hour, the forest ahead suddenly opened up.
Alex was the first to see the place—behind it was a steep rock wall, and at the base of the rock wall was a clear spring, the spring water flowing down the rock crevices to form a small pool.
In front of the spring was an open flat ground, slightly higher than its surroundings, so it wouldn’t accumulate water.
At the edge of the flat ground was a dense oak forest, enough to provide wood for building houses.
More importantly, the rock wall behind was steep, with only a small path leading up.
The flat ground in front offered an open view, allowing them to spot wild beasts or people from other Tribes in advance.
“This is it!”
Alex’s voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement as he quickly walked to the edge of the spring.
The spring water was crystal clear and slightly warm.
A sip was sweet and refreshing, much cleaner than the river water.
He then walked to the center of the flat ground and poked the earth with his marking staff.
The soil was dry and loose, not compacted, making it excellent for cultivating farmland.
Chi also walked over and knocked on the rock wall behind them.
The wall emitted a crisp “clang” sound:
“This is hard rock; we can chisel caves and also use it as foundations for houses, much stronger than wood!
And there are many flat spots on the rock wall; we can carve things on them later to record our Tribe!”
Yuna, meanwhile, walked to the edge of the flat ground, pushed aside the shrubs, and found that wild yam vines grew abundantly beneath.
She exclaimed in surprise:
“There are so many wild yams here!
They’ll grow naturally in spring without needing to be specially dug!
And the soil is so fertile, anything we plant will thrive!”
John walked around the entire area, returning with a rare smile on his face:
“This place is perfect!
Behind us is the rock wall, with only one path leading up.
The flat ground in front is large enough to build a dozen houses and cultivate large areas of farmland.
The spring provides enough water; we won’t have to travel far to fetch water anymore!”
Old Shaman walked to the spring, dipped his wooden staff in the water, then touched the soil on the ground, his cloudy eyes filled with relief:
“This is a place bestowed upon us by the Sun God!
It has mountains and water, soil and trees.
We can live here, farm here, and defend it.
The Flame Stone Tribe finally has a true home!”
The Tribesmen all became excited, circling the flat ground and the spring.
Some discussed where to build houses, some pondered where to cultivate farmland, while others went to the oak forest to check the thickness of the timber.
Mark and Ashi even picked up their stone axe, tried to cut a thin branch, and excitedly said:
“This wood is thick enough; houses built with it will definitely be sturdy!
We’ll come and cut trees tomorrow!”
Alex looked at the lively scene before him, a sense of relief washing over him.
He took out his marking staff and drew a simple plan on the center of the flat ground:
“Everyone, look, here is the spring.
We will build our houses next to the spring for convenient water access, but a little further away to prevent dampness.
This flat area will be used for farmland, where we will plant crops in spring.
A warehouse will be built next to that oak forest to store food and tools.
A guard post will be set up at the path entrance below the rock wall, and some traps will be dug.
The open space in the middle will be reserved as the Tribe’s activity area, where we will make fires, eat, and hold meetings in the future.”
The Tribesmen gathered to look at the plan.
Although it was just simple lines, everyone could understand it.
Where the homes were, where the fields were, where the warehouse was, and where the guard post was.
Chi looked at the map and nodded:
“This plan is good; it will make work convenient later, no need to run around.
I think we can chisel out a few stone houses under the rock wall; they’ll definitely be warm in winter!”
“Good!
We’ll do as Alex says!” John raised his spear and shouted to the Tribesmen,
“Let’s go back today and tell the Tribesmen in the cave this good news!
Tomorrow, we’ll start moving things and clearing the flat ground!
We’ll strive to build our first house before spring arrives!”
“Good!” The Tribesmen responded in unison, their loud voices shaking the surrounding branches.
On the way back, everyone’s steps were lighter than when they came.
Mark and Ashi were still discussing how large a house to build,
Yuna was pondering what herbs to plant in the new home, and Chi was considering what tools to make from the rock wall’s stone materials.
When they returned to the cave, the Tribesmen who had stayed behind were already anxiously waiting.
A He was the first to rush over, tugging at Alex’s clothes and asking, “Did you find a new home?
Are there lots of wild yams?”
Alex smiled and nodded, recounting the scouting experience to the Tribesmen in the cave.
When they heard that the new home had a spring, fertile soil, a forest, and could accommodate many houses, the Tribesmen cheered.
Old Man Ku Mu excitedly said, “I’ve lived this long, and I can finally live in a house that I don’t have to worry about leaking!”
That night, the fire pit in the cave was exceptionally lively.
The Tribesmen gathered around the bonfire, eating roasted dried fish and discussing the plans for the new home, each face alight with expectant smiles.
Alex leaned against the rock wall, watching the Tribesmen around him—John was discussing tomorrow’s vigilance arrangements with the Hunters, Yuna was consulting with the women about what to bring to the new home,
Chi was researching building stone materials with the Craftsmen, and Old Shaman was telling the children stories about the new home.
The flames in the fire pit danced, casting a warm glow on everyone’s faces.
Alex knew that finding a new settlement was just another step in the Tribe’s development—there was still much to do, like building houses, cultivating farmland, and strengthening defenses.
But at this moment, looking at the light in the Tribesmen’s eyes, he felt full of confidence.
As night deepened, the wind outside the cave gradually subsided.
Alex closed his eyes, his mind envisioning the scene of clearing the flat ground tomorrow, the crops growing in the fields in spring, and the houses built in the Tribe.
He knew that the Flame Stone Tribe’s “home,” starting tomorrow, would no longer be a damp cave, but a land where they could take root, grow, and prosper.
A new settlement, a new beginning, the initial construction of the Flame Stone Tribe’s home is about to commence.
Everyone, prepare for anticipation!