'I'm not sure 'shy' explains that,' He thought to himself while nodding slightly. He looked at the lawn again. It had just looked like Issa had just carefully walked over it back and forth, but she had somehow managed to make the ground shake a little and erased the Roaring Boar's traces.
"Tell her I said thanks." It was nice work, and his lawn looked very cozy again.
Sosora nodded. She clasped her hands behind her back as she leaned forward and entered Nick's view.
"If I remember correctly, you had something else to talk about as well before Malak interrupted."
Nick blanked for a moment before widening his mouth in realization.
"Ah, yeah. I was attacked the other night—"
"Are you okay?!" Sosora asked mostly out of instinct.
Nick pointed at himself.
"As you can see. But I didn't bring it up because of that. I'm worried about the kid that attacked me."
Sosora raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. She would need more details.
"I…don't know which tribe he was from, and I don't know if this is an offensive way to describe it, but he was similar to a black cat. Dark fur on his arms and slit pupils. He might have had cat ears as well."
"Sounds like the Lowat tribe. They don't like humans in general. The former Heir was killed by a group of humans who invaded the forest a few years ago."
Nick's eyes widened.
"The one who attacked me said it was his mother who got killed."
"Ahh. Nuir." Sosora sighed and shook her head with pity and regret.
"Yeah. He did not handle his mother's death well. He…I'm not sure what happened after everything went down, but he had a few outbursts, and it seems like his tribe…I don't really know, actually. You said you were worried about him, right?"
"Yeah. He looked very malnourished and sad. Kai managed to drag him here and push a sausage down his throat, but…"
"Got it. I'll check up on him. If he attacked you alone, something has to be up with that tribe. Either they didn't notice him sneaking out, or they allowed it. He's just a kid. He should not be entering the center of the forest."
"Thanks. I also invited Malak to the next sausage party. I don't know when it'll be, but just so you know."
Sosora's eyes widened.
"Really? That's good. He needs more friends. He can't stay cooped up with the Elders all the time."
"The Elders?" Nick asked curiously. The way Sosora said it made it seem like it was more than just old people.
"Yeah, the ones who think they are too old to do anything to actually contribute but insist on dictating their tribe's affairs from a dark room in the center of their tribe. Most tribes have a similar system. Malak works as Elder Kobo's errand boy, or as Malak calls it, protegé," Sosora explained.
Nick nodded along. He could almost guess that Sosora did not like the Elders and the system that gave them power.
"Does your tribe also have a bunch of elders?" He asked curiously. He was pretty stuck in the forest, after all. It wouldn't hurt to know more about his neighbors.
"We do." She nodded. "But they aren't as annoying as the Bawin tribe's elders. They are more obedient," She said with crossed arms.
Nick wasn't sure if that was the term he would use to describe someone in a positive light. It also made him a little worried about how Sosora treated the elders, but that wasn't his part.
"How many tribes are there in the forest?" He asked curiously.
"We are known as the Thirteen Tribes of Tiabe Forest."
"I see."
"But I don't know if there are sixteen tribes or something," She added with a shrug.
"What?" Nick frowned in confusion.
"Then why are you called the Thirteen—"
"It's an old title." Sosora held up a hand and interrupted him before he could finish the question. She already knew and understood his confusion.
"As far as I can tell, it's because there were thirteen big tribes back then, who were active and in more frequent contact with the outside world. But the tribes have changed, grown, or shrunk over the years while the title has remained the same. Besides, it's not like it matters." Sosora had already given up on that matter.
So what if the title didn't accurately represent the number of tribes in the forest? What were they going to do? They could either get rid of a few tribes or change the title and get everyone in the forest to agree to it. Neither was happening.
"I understand. It looks like I'll be staying here for a while, so I was thinking about getting to know my neighbors. Would it be strange if I asked for the names of those tribes and some shallow information about each of them? You know, just what they look like in general and stuff like that?"
Sosora crossed her arms and tilted her head while tugging on the corner of her lip as she sunk into deep consideration.
It wasn't a big request. Nick wasn't even asking for more than what she could list from the top of her head. It wasn't sensitive information.
What was sensitive, however, was the fact that Nick was a human. Many tribes had inherited or acquired a strong personal distaste for humans in general. Many would be displeased if they were to find out that Nick knew about them or that someone had told Nick about them.
If she just told him a few things here and there, it wouldn't be much. But once the other tribes started interacting with him, they would realize that Nick already knew about them.
It could look like he had investigated them.
It wasn't guaranteed that the tribes would take it like that, but it was a possibility, a risk.
"You know what I'll do? I'll go around and talk to the tribes. I'll tell them that you want to know the people in the forest and want to get along with them. I probably should have been more vocal about your friendliness to prevent anyone from doing rude things, but it's never too late.
"I'll…I'll come back later today with an axe or two and a saw. Do you need anything else?"
"No idea." Nick shook his head and shrugged. He didn't know what he would need to turn a few trees into benches and firewood.
"A roof to cover the firewood?" He suggested.
"Will you be done in a couple of days?"
"..." Nick slowly shook his head.
"Great. I'll fix you the tools later today, and then I'll return in a few days with the results of my trip around the forest."
"Sounds good." Nick nodded. Sosora was doing a lot for him. He appreciated it.