It had made a campsite of sorts, with shining objects that looked crafted. Nothing in his memory indicated that his ancestors had ever come across such a thing. And it was alone. Could it be an outcast, a casteless one like himself? Casteless. So it was time to confront that thought. He had run away, placed himself beyond friends, beyond codes of conduct. Thinking that, he felt his childhood drop away. His northern nomadic forebears had survived; and so would he. Strangely without fear, he stood straight up, and headed back directly to the interloper’s camp. The creature rose, its head reaching barely halfway up Sharp’s chest. Yes, those coverings were clothing for sure. As the creature’s mouth moved, Sharp’s interior ear detected faint sound, not unpleasant. From a shining box, several small insects took flight, and joined their fellows who were hovering above the creature. Were they under its thrall somehow? Sharp broadcast his name, pointing at himself with all four thumbs. Then he waited. Possibly the creature’s face wrinkled.
