Book 1: Chapter 3 – Fuzzy Heart of a Grumpy Old Man

Jabari lay sprawled across the floor, stark naked, desperately trying to regain a hold of his senses.

As the ringing in his ears faded and his vision stilled, Jabari turned his head toward the blast site, only to see the barbaric young warrior casually walking in his direction.

At any other time, Jabari would have stared in amazement at the man who seemed to be without so much as a scratch on him despite facing the brunt of such a terrifying attack. But in that moment, Jabari felt an intense wave of fear and inferiority well up inside him, the likes of which he had never felt before.

Over the years, Jabari had run into several nobles from the tribe's main settlement, and they would always give him looks of disdain and disgust, but he had always paid it no mind. As far as he was concerned, they could only look at him like that because they were lucky enough to be born into families of noble lineage. Had they been given the same start, he would be inferior to none of them.

But this was different. As Jabari made direct eye contact with Simian, a stifling pressure overwhelmed him. It was as though it didn't matter where he was born or what he did; he would forever remain inferior.

If that wasn't bad enough, Jabari watched as Simian lifted his eyes from him. There was no scorn, no disdain, and no disgust. There was only apathy.

Even though he was naked and sprawled out in his path, Simian remained completely indifferent as he stepped on Jabari's stomach as if it were the floor, carrying on with his day as usual. It was the look you'd expect a human to give an ant on their path.

Other than the involuntary gasp caused by the lack of oxygen, Jabari showed no other reaction.

His eyes glazed over as he stared at the clear blue skies, his face void of emotion as Simian disappeared into the distance.

He lay in the same position for over two hours before calmly getting up and returning down the cobbled path, the gains from his hunt still in his hand. What was going through his mind was a mystery. It was only when he was nearing his destination that he finally woke from his daze, light finally returning to his formerly dull, big brown eyes.

Looking ahead, Jabari saw the path continue toward a tall, ornate gate. Several domineering guards were stationed outside to prevent unwanted intruders from entering. Each looked far more alert than usual.

That was the gate to the Umeme Tribe's main settlement, where all the nobles lived.

It was said that no one ever went hungry inside and that water didn't need to be recycled. Even from his position, despite being almost 100 meters away, the air smelled far cleaner than the polluted oxygen in the slums.

Jabari would usually sigh when he thought about how lavish their lives must be behind those gates, but today, he barely gave it a passing glance before stepping off the main path and following a worn and tired trail toward the slums.

It was utterly rundown and smelled like a freshly used toilet. Unlike the entrance to the main settlement, there was no one standing guard or even gates to enter through.

All the buildings were made of discarded materials such as wood, cardboard, and mesh. Still, it didn't bother him; the slums were the only home he had ever known.

Only when he re-entered the slums did his eyes regain their usual focus. He pushed all thoughts of what had happened earlier to the recess of his mind.

Making his way through the dreary streets, Jabari barely acknowledged the shouts of a man missing nearly all his front teeth, save for a single bright yellow one in the centre of his mouth. The man also had a bald patch in the middle of his afro, large enough to fit a crown.

"Oi brat, what did you hunt this time?" he hollered.

Jabari didn't bother to look, let alone respond.

"I know you got something. The only time you come back naked is when you use that shameless naked lunatic act to protect your food," the man continued, a greedy light flashing in his eyes. "C'mon kid, don't be like that; I just want to-"

"MOOOOOOOOO!" Jabari bellowed, imitating a cow as he leapt toward the man, wildly spinning his not-so-little snake like a windmill.

"Forget it!" the yellow-toothed man grumbled, rolling his eyes at Jabari's antics. "I was just going to tell you that if you joined our hunting team, you wouldn't need to resort to that shameless little trick of yours anymore."

"So I could do all the humping and dumping and only get a tiny piece of the gains?" Jabari asked sarcastically.

"A tiny piece of something is better than all of nothing," the man retorted, ignoring the boy's sarcasm.

"True, but all of everything is better than a tiny piece of something," Jabari replied lazily before walking away, still completely nude.

It took the toothless man a moment to register Jabari's rejection before replying, "Your luck won't last forever, brat. Sooner or later, people are gonna figure out a method of dealing with your stupid nude technique, and then you're going to beg me for a spot on my hunting squ-

... Insolent brat!" he grumbled to himself when he noticed Jabari had long since disappeared.

Jabari, who had already turned a corner while the man was still ranting, made his way down a lane filled with shops and stalls selling various low-quality miscellaneous goods.

His nudity caught the attention of everyone he passed, but he paid them no mind as he entered a small, bleak shop. Despite the bustling foot traffic outside, this was the only shop devoid of customers.

In the corner of the shop, behind a counter made of rotting wood, Jabari spotted a grey-haired, hunchbacked old man snoring away in his rocking chair. A snot bubble as large as a child's fist expanded and shrunk with each breath.

Jabari wrapped his bony, malnourished fist against the counter surface, waking the old man from his dreams.

"Huh…

Ooh, it's just you, kid." The old man jolted awake and was about to drift back to sleep when he noticed the teen's attire – or rather, lack thereof. "How many times do I have to tell you to put your damn clothes on before entering my shop? I don't want to wake up to such an off-putting sight!"

The old man continued his little rant as Jabari began putting on his blood-stained clothing. "And why do you always come when I'm napping? Has no one ever told you not to disturb the sleep of the elderly?"

"I grew up with no parents, so I had no one to teach me the manners required when speaking to wise seniors such as yourself," Jabari replied with the most pitiful expression he could muster.

"What do you want this time?" the old man asked, ignoring the boy's blatant attempt to rouse his compassion.

As the elderly man's eyes fell on Jabari's body, he noticed the various cuts, bruises, and burns that covered it, but if the boy didn't wish to say anything, he wouldn't pry.

"I am forced to risk my fragile little life on a daily basis to provide food for my sweet younger sister and myself, and today, all I managed to catch after a lot of effort is this rabbit. Can you believe it? This tiny little rabbit is supposed to feed two growing and very hungry children," Jabari voiced, throwing in a few sniffles for dramatic effect.

"I even had to risk my life to make sure that those cruel adult hunters didn't steal our meal. But as much as we need this food, we need fresh water even more so that neither I nor my pitiful baby sister dies from dehydration," he said humbly.

The old man raised his eyebrows, grabbed his cane, and knocked Jabari on the forehead with surprising speed. "Enough with the sob story already. Hurry up and take a litre of water from the back."

"I don't think that just one litre will be able to cut it this time," Jabari said shamelessly. "We need at least four if we are to survive another ni-"

Just as Jabari really started getting into the negotiations, he saw the look of warning in the old man's eyes. He didn't need to say a word for Jabari to understand that he would reduce the amount offered if he continued speaking.

Jabari's expression immediately went from one of self-pity to extreme glee. He flashed the grey-haired old man a radiant smile before grabbing a large container and rushing round the back to fill it with water before asking for a bag to carry everything.

He packed the water and rabbit and then deftly packed the second rabbit he had slyly hidden in his clothes from the old man.

He then walked back into the room where the old man was sitting. Looking him directly in the eyes, Jabari sincerely thanked him before preparing to take his leave.

He knew better than anyone that the old man didn't have to give him any of his water for free, especially in the slums where water was a highly sought-after commodity. So, despite always cheekily asking for more, Jabari was genuinely grateful for the kindness he showed them.

Just as he passed the old man to head for the door, Jabari felt an unexpected whack at the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Jabari asked while rubbing the back of his head.

"For doing such a crappy job at hiding the other rabbit," the old man snorted with a knowing smirk.

Jabari didn't seem the slightest bit surprised by the old man's deduction as he merely shrugged. "One of these days, I'll get one over on you."

"You're a thousand years too young to accomplish that," the old man said drily as he closed his eyes, no longer paying the teen any attention.

Seeing that, Jabari knew it was time for him to leave. He thanked him once more before continuing towards the exit.

At the door, he turned and looked back with a grin. "I don't understand why you pretend to be grumpy all the time; if you were to show the rest of the slums your warm fuzzy heart, things would..."

Before he had time to finish his sentence, he was forced to quickly duck down as the old man's cane flew towards his head with surprising accuracy.

Jabari chuckled as he opened the front door.

"Oi brat..."

Turning around, Jabari saw the earnest expression on the old man's face.

"Is everything alright?"

Hearing his question, Jabari subconsciously thought back to the moment he made eye contact with Simian.

"I'm just thinking about our lack of water," Jabari replied with mock anxiety to mask his true emotions.

"Just get out already!" the old man barked as he reached for his shabby sandal to throw.

"Haha, I'll see you tomorrow, Gramps!" Jabari said before taking his leave.

"Cheeky little brat! He's becoming more and more disrespectful by the day!" the old man snorted as he closed his eyes once more.

As he leaned back in his chair, he couldn't help but think back to the cuts and bruises on Jabari's naked body and the glazed look on his face when asked if the boy was alright. A soft sigh escaped his lips before he drifted back to sleep.