The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 68: You did such a fine job

"You seem just as excited as I was when I finished it," Harok said, going to sit on one of the rocks. "It was great working on it that I didn’t bother getting any sleep."

"Really?" I looked at him, surprised. He gave up his sleep just to do this?

I looked at the bowl.

It was sizable, around the size of a cereal bowl. It was made out of wood and though it had been made with such crude materials, it had a smooth feeling in and out.

He must’ve used something like sandpaper to smooth the sides after having carved it so well.

The bowl wasn’t a perfect oval, and a part of it was crooked, dipping lower than the other side, but I bet this is one of the best works he’s ever done in his life, and it’s his first time.

Gosh, I’m suffering, feeling so emotional, thinking of how hard he worked on this.

"Do you like it that much?" Harok asked, seeing my emotional expression and I nodded.

"You did such a fine job, I just can’t help but feel moved," I said and this old man laughed.

"If you’re already moved by the ’first’ piece, then how will you react to the others I made to try and reach perfection?" he asked and I paused.

Eh? What did he say?

He made others?

Harok stood up and then went to uncover the rest that he had made. He had used the pelt to cover them up, waiting for the big reveal, and then my eyes widened.

He made four more bowls, and these were more perfect than the first one I had been so emotional about.

Ah... How was he able to make things he was so unfamiliar with so fast?

And aside the bowl, there was the spoon I asked him to make.

The spoons had different... Styles.

Some of the handles weren’t straight, and some were straight, but I can tell he put his all into making them until he was able to make the straight version.

I feel even more moved.

Was this why he was sleeping in the day? He used the night to make as many as he could, even if I didn’t need so much.

Just how was he able to do it? How was he able to stay up making such complicated tools that he’s never even seen before?

"How did you...?"

"When making such fun inventions, I get so invested that I forget to do anything else." He said, scratching his belly. "The things you asked me to do are so interesting. It was fun making them too. Did you come up with them?"

"Uh, no. I actually heard it from a friend." I said, smiling awkwardly. "It sounded so interesting so I wanted to try it."

"Well, it is indeed interesting." He sat down again. "I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun while working on something. These days it’s just repetition of boring old tools." He said and then laughed. "If you want to make more things, let me know and I’ll make sure to help you."

"Thank you," I said, and then noticed he hadn’t made the pots. "Ah, what about the rock pots I asked for?" I asked and he bobbed his head back.

"I knew I was forgetting something." He said, his voice deepening as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess my old age is finally getting to me. Tell me about it again. I’ll work on it today."

I looked at him and then laughed softly.

"It’s not a big deal to forget," I said. "I forget a bunch of things and I’m still young."

"You must’ve hit your head a lot as a cub." He said and that sounded like a silly joke.

I laughed, even though I knew that was far from a joke.

"You think so?" My expression turned solemn as I remembered how the other kids used to throw rocks at Arinya. "I must’ve played rough as a cub."

Anyway, I let that matter slide and explained the pot for him.

I even showed him the one I had drawn on his wall the previous day so it would somehow refresh his memories.

It has to be able to withstand heat so it won’t break under fire. Also, it shouldn’t be too heavy.

Without a proper forge, this was quite the demand I was making, but the complexity of the pot made Harok even more interested.

He rubbed his chin for a while and then smiled.

"I think I can make it work somehow. I’ll need some materials but I bet I can find them in a day." He said. "It’s going to be exciting, but it’ll take a while."

"There’s no rush," I said, waving my hands in front of me.

If he can do such fine work within a day, then he can do better for the pot if I give him time.

Let’s not rush the process.

"But if the pot is going to dip this much," he said, pointing at the bottom, "then I might not be able to use the tools I have to create a perfect result. I need something sharp and hard, something that’s not rock."

I bet if we had metal, it would be better to use. Wait, no, if we had metal then he would be making the pot out of metal and not rocks.

I can’t think of anything to help him with but then the bear pointed at my neck, my necklace, to be exact.

"That... Why do you have a necklace made of snake scales around your neck?" He asked and I flinched.

He... He knows about the scales?

I touched the scales, my heart suddenly racing as I felt I had been discovered.

I could make up an excuse that I found the scales on the floor and then strung them into a necklace, but if he knows about snakes, well, he’ll know that that isn’t possible.

Unless I stumbled upon a snake that was shredding its skin, then I wouldn’t have found these scales, and even that was dangerous because the snakes were at full alert and would attack anyone and anything that got near them during their vulnerable moment.

Harok frowned heavily, looking displeased as he asked,

"Did you accept a snake as your spouse?"

My eyes widened and I felt my core shake.

Every hair on my skin stood in panic and my breath got caught in my throat.

This... This wasn’t a question I could deny.