"The next few crevices belong to the family and students of a hunter." Aldar said as they continued walking. "So family units are structured around a hunter?" Elene asked. "Typically, yes. But they can be centered around a medic, blacksmith, or a member of The Meeting Of The Highest Order just as easily." Aldar said as they continued past the wary families. No one was really sure how to deal with Aldar, and no one really wanted to make an effort to find out. So he was always alone until Elene showed up. A stranger in his own cave.

  "My mentor was a female hunter, and her spouse was a hunter-gatherer. Women can be head of house, it's just rare. And not exactly... appreciated." Aldar said in a pained tone. He almost wished he hadn't admitted this to Elene or to even himself. This discrimination against outsiders and females was the culture he was fighting so hard against to earn some respect for himself and his mentor.

  "I see." Elene said in response. There wasn't much to say other than that, but she was clearly speaking with a hint of resignation. "So what is that meeting of the highest order you were talking about?" Elene asked in a much cheerier tone. "The Meeting Of The Highest Order is a group of the most respected individuals of all caves. They come from various fields, and one is chosen amongst their apprentices only once every five years. It's the highest honor one can receive to be connected to that group." Aldar said, his voice dripping with admiration.

  "Is that what you want to be when you get older? Part of the meeting?" Elene asked innocently. "The Meeting Of The Highest Order." Aldar corrected. "And yes, I don't know a hunter that doesn't aspire to be a member of The Meeting Of The Highest Order." He continued. "I hope you make it." Elene said kindly. Aldar guided her towards the other side of the cave. "Me too."

  "This crevice is in the center, across from the rock, and is the largest. It belongs to the Chief. You can only get inside with an invite from the Chief himself." Aldar warned her. He doubted the Saviour would be able to find its way around without help, but just in case, he warned it sternly. "Absolutely never go inside, even by accident." Aldar spoke over his shoulder. Elene took the warning seriously; she was a little scared of what these magically endowed people could accomplish. "Understood." She said clearly.

  Aldar kept guiding Elene, past a crevice most of the clan ignored. Everyone knew Aldar had gone down the path numerous times, but to them, it looked like a plain dead end save for it being their source of clean water. Elene saw the faintest bit of light coming from the short winding tunnel. Sneakers ran past Elene's feet towards the crevice. "Aldar, there's a bit of light coming from there." Aldar directed his senses towards where she was pointing.

  "That is the crevice of running water. Maybe light comes from water?" Aldar tried to venture a guess. "No, water doesn't produce light. There is a type of moss that can glow, if the light is coming from moss, I could plant it around our crevice, and I would be able to see!" Elene said excitedly. Hearing the happiness in Elene's voice, Aldar guided her to the crevice of running water.

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  Elene saw a waterfall cascading down at the edge of the cave. The sunlight trickled in from behind it. Elene walked over to the gap in the wall that could easily fit a standard human. It was like a rectangle was carved into the stone, and there was a dent along the waterfall, creating a path inside of the rock cliff. In the not far-off distance, Elene could see the clan's entrance.

  Inside the crevice of running water, Aldar noticed a young clan member who was placing buckets to catch the trickle from a weird contraption. Sticks angled towards the ground, the tips being attached to the ceiling next to the waterfall. Small amounts of water followed the path of the branches and collected in the buckets below. "Hello, Davier." Aldar greets the young man stoically, a small nod of respect. "Hello, Aldar." Davier says tersely, but reciprocates the nod of respect.

  "Aldar!" Elene calls over her shoulder. "The sunlight is filtering through the waterfall, so its sadly not a glowing moss I can put around our crevice." Elene says in a disappointed voice. After a moment, she kneels to whisper to Sneakers, who seemed to have developed a habit of keeping next to her. "You could go out to hunt with this, though, couldn't you? If it wasn't so dangerous, it would also have been a way for me to exit the cave without disturbing everyone." Elene mused thoughtfully.

  "Shame." Aldar said, his voice an odd mixture of disinterest and disappointment. He didn't really sense a path, just a wall of running water. Elene knelt and rubbed her hand along the path. Elene was about to mention it to Aldar when someone else entered the room.

  "Greetings, mentor. What brings you here?" Davier asked the stranger. "Greetings, Davier. I have come to ask you to treat a patient with me." The stranger said. Elene looked at the three of them carefully, realizing this was her first time with a chance to look at clan members properly. All of them were clothed in short, dark robes. Hoods loosely hung around their shoulders, a convenient way to shade themselves from the sun when they stepped outside. Davier and the stranger looked thin, almost underfed.

  Elene supposed it could have something to do with the recent winter, but that didn't explain their stature. They were shorter than her by a great amount. Elene, having her memory remarkably improved from her trip to this world, recalled what was likely a passing moment of interest in the past, and used the memory to deduce that they had suffered from malnutrition-induced stunted growth. She glanced at the third figure, which she recognized as Aldar's. Aldar was not much shorter than her, but she could see from his wrists and ankles that he was slightly underfed. Elene noted all three were wearing roughly sewn pants, which relieved her greatly. Pants were a modern comfort she had gotten used to. Robes, togas, and the like weren't nearly practical enough for the clan's way of hunting.

  The stranger spoke once more as he and Davier left, his words an afterthought. "Aldar, could you bring back some Sweetleaf when you're next out?" The stranger asked kindly, clearly making a request rather than issuing an order like he had with Davier. "Yes Snarkle. How many bushels?" Aldar responded. "Four will do." Snarkle said before turning his head and continuing to walk away with Davier.

  Elene was trying to figure out when the conversation had ended when Aldar came up to her. "Let's keep moving." Aldar commanded her. Gloves materialized on his hands, and he grabbed her arm. Elene looked around one last time, wishing the whole cave were lit up, before she closed her eyes in acceptance and followed Aldar back into the dark tunnels that were his home.