It was another glorious morning. The sun was just showing as an orange light on the horizon, sweeping the stars away. The scattered clouds lit up in brilliant reds and purples. The birds competed to scream their lungs out, greeting the day. Tui wondered how parrots could squawk so hideously while looking so beautiful.

  Tui used to drink a cup of tea every morning. Tea had the effect of waking him and making him feel better about the world. It was a ritual that he had enjoyed for decades.

  On the island, his new ritual was recovering essence. Walking out into cold water with mist from the waterfall blowing onto his bare skin certainly woke him up. The rush of essence as it tried to blast through his control was invigorating and brought him fully alert.

  His control had grown stronger since the first day. Soon, he would be able to pull the essence from the crystal in a single, long session. His improved control increased his efficiency, granting him even more qi.

  The sparks multiplied as he poured in energy. He strung them onto the spiritual thread that kept them constrained. He focused on forcing more essence into each individual spark, concentrating it into a smaller space.

  The glowing string of sparks had grown long enough that there was a danger of it growing tangled as it drifted around his dantian. To prevent any issues, Tui rolled the string into a ball. This way he could unroll as much as he needed for any task.

  For his first task of the day, he spooled out fifty sparks and dragged them through the conduits and passageways toward the connection with Uncle Ari.

  The little passageway was easier to navigate than the first time he had used it. Dragging through fifty sparks would smooth it out even more. When he arrived at the curious little space with the door, he knocked and waited impatiently.

  His uncle's presence approached, emitting a feeling of pure, uncomplicated happiness to see him again. Tui knew his reciprocated feelings were not quite as simple.

  [Hello, Tui! It is so good to see you again. I told your Momma you are alive.] the booming voice came at him.

  [Hello Uncle Ari, I told you I would be back.] He replied, [How is my family doing?]

  [Your Momma is doing well, even though she is older than me. She always was a healthy one!]

  His uncle's aura changed to a gentle sorrow, [Your Pappa died ten years ago, out on his boat. His heart gave out]

  Tui felt a stab of grief. His father's passing was not surprising, but hearing about it was painful.

  Uncle Ari’s aura surrounded him like a hug, sharing his pain. They spent a long moment in silence.

  The aura shifted into deep concern. [And what happened to you? A pathway between two souls only forms in the presence of real spiritual pain.]

  Tui explained about the airship crash and his situation on the island. He hesitated, [Uncle Ari, I am in trouble here, could you please share with me the tribal mysteries?]

  What a joke. Tui scoffed at himself. Tui the high-caste imperialist, crawling back to the tribe he had forsaken, begging for a boon. His imperial position and rank meant nothing at all here on the island.

  Uncle Ari was awash in Tui’s feelings. He felt Tui’s insecurity. [Hey Tui, you are and always will be a member of the Radiant Islands tribe, stop feeling sorry for yourself!]

  [The tribal lore is yours by birthright. If we had kept you for another year, you would be wearing your tatau. We would have inducted you into the tribal mysteries! You belong to us.]

  His uncle spent the remaining time going over the most immediately useful of the tribe’s mysteries and explaining how Tui could put them to use.

  ***

  Following the conversation with his uncle, Tui went for a walk in the woods.

  It was a nice day for a wander. A slow breeze blowing off the sea kept the air fresh. It felt good to stretch out his hip, which now featured a huge purple bruise where the sow had butted him. He needed to keep the muscle moving to keep it from seizing up.

  These woods were not at all like the dark jungle. They were open, friendly, and well-lit. The trees were all different varieties from each other and unknown to him. They were well-spaced, with tufts of undergrowth between them. He watched his step to avoid any thorny bushes ambushing his bare feet. Along the way, he ruminated over the conversation as he munched on breadfruit.

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  His father was now lost to him. He had been a tall, muscular man, with a love of laughter. Pappa was quick to give a hug but would deliver a smack if he thought Tui deserved it.

  He often worked through the night hauling nets and gutting fish. During the day he would sleep. Little Tui remembered needing to be very quiet around their house while Pappa rested. This was one reason he spent so much time with Uncle Ari.

  The smell of rotting leaves filled his nostrils as he wandered through the trees, and a cloud of mosquitos swirled busily over his head. The birds were quieter than they had been in the morning but called out from time to time.

  It was a weird feeling to lose somebody he should care about but did not know well. He mourned the lost opportunity to see his father, to know him as a man, and to be known by him. The paternal relationships he most envied were ones where the grown son and father could enjoy time with each other over a few bottles of wine and a well-cooked meal. Now Pappa was gone, and he'd never have the chance.

  He walked a bit further, and found a grove of bamboo, growing twenty feet into the air. He was thrilled to see it. He spent fifteen minutes with his hand axe to cut and trim a long bamboo pole. It was a nice size and felt solid in his hand.

  After walking for another half hour, Tui found what he was looking for. A long dead tree, lying against the steep caldera wall, sheltered by a rocky overhang. The branches were dry and broke easily in his qi-empowered grasp. He gathered a stack and carried it back to camp. He was on a mission today.

  He shaved a six-inch flat spot onto a fat stick with his hand axe. Then he carved a shallow channel into the flat. Then he took a second stick, about an inch thick, and carved it into a plow shape, with a rounded point and a flat contact surface.

  Holding the first stick down with his foot, Tui pressed the plow into the bottom of the channel, sliding it away from himself. Using steady strokes, Tui kept even pressure along the channel. After a few minutes, the friction created a small pile of wood dust at the top of the channel.

  He increased the pace, and the wood dust began to blacken. The heat between the sticks was visibly increasing. Before long, the dust pile let out a tiny curl of smoke.

  Tui stopped the strokes and tapped the smoking stick, allowing wood dust to settle onto the tiny smoking ember, fuelling it and giving it air.

  He tipped the ember into some shredded coconut husk and blew gently on it. He waved the husk around himself, feeding the ember even more air. Smoke poured out of it. Abruptly, the husk burst into flame. He had fire!

  Laughing, Tui danced around the flaming coconut.

  Fire opened up so many possibilities for him. Cooked food! Warmth and light!

  Hastily he stacked twigs against the flame and built it into a full-sized fire. It was midmorning, in full sun. It was hot and bright, but he couldn’t help but stare at the fire, mesmerized.

  When the flames died down, Tui banked the coals against a flat rock and left it to heat up. He was looking forward to a cooked meal after so long. He nestled a green breadfruit into the ash near the edge of the coals.

  Tui grabbed the bamboo pole he had cut earlier, and sliced off the top at a long angle, leaving a wickedly sharp point. He held the tip over the hot coals, taking care to heat the wood, but not let it catch alight. The sap in the green wood sizzled quietly as it dried out. After a few minutes, Tui was satisfied that it was as dry and hard as it was going to get.

  He brandished the spear, and feeling a little ridiculous, practiced a few thrusts into the air with it. He had plans for this spear, but not while his leg was so stiff.

  He hiked back to the bamboo grove, chopped down a large stack of poles, and hauled them back to camp. He was tired of his leaky shelter, and today was the day to build something better.

  A parasitic palm plant was climbing up one of the breadfruit trees. After his discussion with Uncle Ari, he now knew it was rattan, a strong and fibrous plant with great utility.

  Confidently, Tui grasped and pulled at the rattan.

  “Ow!” Uncle Ari had failed to mention the small spiky thorns. He spent a few minutes picking them out of his palm.

  Tui much more respectfully gathered the rattan. He collected more from the breadfruit grove and brought it all to camp.

  He used the rattan to lash together a frame of thick poles, then tied a network of smaller bamboo over the top and sides. This would be a durable and sturdy shelter. He laid large flat leaves over the roof and bound them down tightly. Hopefully, this shelter would keep the rain off him tonight.

  To round out the day, Tui hiked down to his fishing spot. He waited with his fishing spear in hand, carefully keeping his shadow out of the water.

  He missed a few fish, then a large snapper flickered past. It returned a minute later, moving more slowly, and Tui quickly stabbed it. With growing excitement, he gutted the fish and filleted it.

  He laid the fish on the hot rock in the coals, watching the meat carefully as it cooked. It smelled so good that he had to swallow the drool. It didn't take long for the fish to be ready, and he scraped it off the rock onto a wide leaf in his hand.

  Unable to hold himself back any longer, he popped a large piece of it into his mouth. His rapturous groan turned swiftly into frantic huffing as he tried to cool down the steaming bite.

  Hastily, he set down the fish and ran to the water, scooping up a cool handful and pouring it into his burning mouth.

  Feeling foolish, Tui turned back to his fish. There were two fucking parrots cheekily eating his first hot meal on the island! Screaming wordlessly and waving his arms, Tui scrambled towards them. They ate another bite as he approached, then hopped up and flew out of reach onto a branch. They bobbed their heads to each other, then settled down to see if he would feed them again.

  Tui sat on his log and sulkily ate the remains of his fish. His mouth was raw, and his scalded tongue could barely taste the food anymore.

  He let out a long sigh. Today had been long and fruitful. There was no reason to let this mishap ruin it all. He breathed in deeply and let the negative feelings depart on the exhale.

  He sat with his back to a tree and watched the sunset, thinking about his father. Not all of his life choices had been the best ones, and he carried some regrets, but he was happy with the broad direction of his life. From this point, he needed to move forward and make the best choices available, just as always.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qihY8mp7aa0