What's Your Name?

The young man didn't know the exact translation his watch was creating. He could tell that something was being understood, finally. But he also noticed that it wasn't taken well at all.

That was perfectly displayed by LaRee, who leaped off his wolf while firing a rageful arrow.

The other hunters were fast to act as well. With their determination reforged through rekindled fury, both veteran hunters stepped back somewhat. They instinctively repositioned themselves to make room for LaRee and his wolf, forming a perimeter around the intruder

Ducking the arrow, the young intruder put on a serious face. Still, when surrounded by three hunters and a wolf, he didn't dismay or show fear.

"I'm sorry!" the man shouted some more, keeping both hands and knives up, ready to defend himself. "I'm sorry! This is my fault! But it was an accident, I can explain!"

While the tribesmen steadily circled the intruder, with LaRee switching to his dual tomahawks, they sharpened their stares and gradually stepped closer. Altogether. One step at a time. They planned to pressure and subdue the culprit behind the disaster. Then, the moment the intruder reacted and rushed one of them, they would hurriedly slam down on the culprit together.

And they again heard a few words of the new translation from the magic wristband, "I… Sorry! I'm Sorry! … My fault! … But… not fault… I reason!"

Taking another two steps closer, LaRee took charge of their formation, commanding the other hunters and his snarling wolf by example. LaRee had little to no sympathy for the alien intruder. Nor did LaRee understand anything about him.

But it was impossible for LaRee's eager, curious mind to not question the situation and the purpose behind the strange threat before him.

And there was one fact that LaRee was certain of. That the intruder could've killed his fellow tribesmen during LaRee's brief absence. It was too obvious to ignore.

Despite having plenty of knives on his person, the young man knocked out both wolves with kicks. Instead of slicing up the hunters in retaliation, the peculiar intruder only defended himself with parries and blocks. The intruder was even fast enough to evade short-range arrows from LaRee while blocking the other two hunters.

Yet, from appearance alone, LaRee wondered if the intruder was younger than himself.

So much conjecture stormed through LaRee's mind at a whirlwind's pace. All while LaRee slowly, threateningly stepped closer to the surrounded young man.

When the hunters and the wolf were only two arms away from the young man, on all four sides, LaRee's eyes hesitated. LaRee blinked out of reflex. He had locked eyes with the intruder. And the intruder's demeanor had shifted completely.

A few quick words escaped the intruder's mouth. And everyone's eyes shifted to the magic wristband when they heard a short phrase.

"I'm sorry. I… talk… not fight."

The middle-aged hunters were seasoned warriors, having bled on many fields before. And the wolf was ready to strike the moment an order was given.

But LaRee hesitated… and it had nothing to do with the words of the talking wristband.

It had everything to do with the daunting confidence oozing out of the intruder's gaze. Though the watch hinted that the intruder didn't want to fight, LaRee felt like he was staring down a caged beast while looking into the young man's eyes.

LaRee moved his foot. But failed to step forward, startling the others.

"... What's your name?"

Instantly, the young man's domineering glare lightened when LaRee paused the advance. The intruder heaved a long sigh and put on a soft smile. While covering the watch with one hand to keep it from translating his name, the young man replied, "Ayse."

When the magic wristband didn't reply, LaRee titled his head in question, asking, "You… are called Ayse?"

The young man nodded, keeping both knives out while still covering the watch.

LaRee was stunned. "... You understand me?"

When the young man nodded again, Laree felt some of his fears begin to crack apart. LaRee asked, "Then, what are you? Why did your boat hit Chief?"

Finally, Ayse let his face fully relax. His knives were still out but his former expression resurfaced, that of regret for causing the accident. Ayse brought his watch to his chest, keeping one knife pointed at the others while turning to face LaRee directly.

Ayse kept his movements slow to not draw suspicion. His statements were as clear and elementary as possible after finally understanding some basics of the tribal language, and that even the tribesmen spoke in short, non-complex phrases.

"It's my fault. But still an accident," said Ayse, trying his best to simplify his thoughts while keeping up an amicable air. "How can I help? How can I fix it?"

The watch translated, "My fault… But accident… I help. I fix…"

Both veteran hunters kept their resolve undeterred. Neither of them believed the intruder's strange magic wristband. Nor did they want to.

And the angry wolf still sought vengeance for the pack leader, as well. Although, the wolf didn't dare act so blatantly while LaRee was speaking with the intruder.

As for LaRee, he had no clue what to do.

Clearly, the intruder was a powerful, skilled warrior, especially for his age. Everything else about the intruder was foreign and unrelatable.

And the stark contrast between the intruder's formerly threatening eyes and his refreshed apologetic expression was too much for the young tribesman to handle. A split second ago, LaRee felt like he was about to confront his father in combat. Until the intruder quickly dropped that intimidating stare to show his renewed concern for the unavoidable accident.

But that didn't mean the intruder was trustworthy, that Ayse wasn't lying to get out of everything unharmed.

Split on how to act against the peculiar young man, LaRee shifted everyone's focus back to the other matter at hand, saying, "We can't forget Chief. We have to hurry. Or he won't survive…"

Slightly, the other two hunters eased their grips but continued to hold out their tomahawks. The wolf acted similarly with his fangs bared.

C-Crack! THUMP! THUMP!

An abrupt tremble in the ground startled everyone, drawing their attention to the initial skid marks from the crash.

Ripping through the tree line, a towering, wooly mammoth trumpeted in pain and anxiety.

Scraping against those trees, two sabertooth tigers were latching onto the mammoth's sides with their claws and fangs. But they were rattled, with both tigers having rough gashes from their battle with the mighty prey.

Then, as both bands of creatures spotted each other, a new scent reached the tigers' nostrils.

However, no matter what the tigers were thinking of doing, it wasn't going to stop the six-meter mammoth from charging the humans and the ship as well, powered by its blind rage.

Unlike the mammoth, LaRee and the hunters read the situation perfectly and instantaneously.

Out of impulse, LaRee shouted, "Protect Chief and Pack Leader!"

The first tiger to notice the scent of human and wolf blood quickly hopped off the mighty mammoth, ecstatic to find easy prey. And it bolted away while following the debris and blood left behind from the chief's and the pack leader's lethal tumble.

At the same time, in great part due to LaRee's fast orders, the wolf dashed away to confront that eager tiger.

One veteran hunter followed the wolf without question. But the second veteran hunter momentarily slowed his steps when he saw the second tiger hop off the mammoth.

The hungry beast had noticed the unconscious wolves near the ship. And it was no longer in the mood to battle its current, unstoppable prey.

"Go!" LaRee immediately yelled while switching to his bow. "I'll guard the wolves! Chief is the priority!"

"Yes!" the veteran hunter begrudgingly shouted back, dashing out of the crash-site clearing.

The mammoth was now one hundred meters away from LaRee, Ayse, the downed wolves, and the ship.

The tiger was just as far away. Except it was faster than the mammoth, with clear targets in sight.

LaRee rapidly shot at the dashing, two-meter tiger. But there were only seconds until the unconscious wolves would be collected by the predator. And LaRee couldn't sprint and move the wolves aside while also slowing and threatening the sabertooth tiger with arrows.

"I have… wolves!"

Utter shock urgently spread through LaRee's mind as he heard the distant words of the intruder's talking wristband. LaRee glanced out of the corner of his eye, failing to find the intruder where he had been a second ago.

Somehow, Ayse was already standing over the wolves, as if Ayse had leaped into action the moment LaRee had given the order to the hunters.

"Sorry pups…" Ayse lightly jested.

With two quick kicks, both big wolves were punted back to LaRee. Placing LaRee squarely between the incoming tiger and his supposedly easy prey.

"Why do you help?!" LaRee questioned, shouting over his twanging bow.

But Ayse didn't answer. Ayse was too focused on his true goal to pay the incoming tiger any extra attention.

Just as the tiger was about to leap toward Ayse, he bolted toward his ship without a single glance at the threatening beast.

And the sabertooth tiger didn't follow, though it did wish to kill the human for kicking its prey away.

Thwang, Frrip!

An arrow quickly caught the tiger's shoulder during that moment of hesitation. So the sabertoothed beast roared and resumed its charge toward LaRee and the wolves.

With one arrow landed and the wolves behind him, LaRee was at ease.

Except for LaRee's curiosity regarding the strange intruder. LaRee was especially skeptical as to why Ayse was sprinting into the direct path of the six-meter mammoth's charge of blind fury.