The Stone Scraper, Bow and Arrow

Stone Scraper

The sun rose over the mountain range, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and red. Inside a small cave on the hillside, a boy named Kro sat in silence, watching intently as his father—the tribe's leader—scraped away excess fat and flesh from an animal hide using a sharp stone tool. His father's movements were swift and skillful, and as the hide was cleaned, it became softer, ready to be turned into a winter coat for the coming cold season.

Kro was always curious about the things his father used. That small, sharp stone was unlike the ordinary rocks he picked up during hunts with the tribe. It had a thin, flat, and rigid edge. Each time his father scraped the hide, a rasping sound echoed through the cave—like the whisper of the earth itself.

"Father, what is that?" Kro asked, his wide eyes brimming with curiosity.

His father paused, smiled, and held the stone tool up to the light. "This is a stone scraper. It helps us clean hides, make clothing, and keep warm during winter. Without it, we wouldn't survive the cold."

Kro took the scraper, feeling its rough surface before trying to use it on a small piece of hide. He fumbled, unable to control the blade properly, and within moments, the hide tore apart.

His father chuckled. "Using tools is like hunting—you must understand them and become their friend."

Those words stayed with Kro. He observed his father for many days, noticing that the scraper was not only used for cleaning hides but also for making strong leather cords to tie spears and set traps. He realized that such a small stone could provide life for the entire tribe.

One day, while his father was away hunting, Kro resolved to make his own stone scraper. He wandered along the stream, searching for suitable rocks. But how could he create a sharp edge like his father's? He tried smashing two stones together, but they only shattered into useless fragments.

Still, he refused to give up. After many failed attempts, he discovered that striking the edge of a softer stone with a harder one caused small flakes to break off, leaving behind a sharp edge. After dozens of trials, he finally crafted a scraper that felt just right. Holding it in his hands, he felt an incredible sense of accomplishment—like he had unlocked a new power.

When his father returned, Kro eagerly showed him the finished scraper. His father examined it carefully, then nodded with pride. "You have found your own way. From today, you can help the tribe survive the winter."

From that moment on, Kro became the tribe's stone scraper maker. The scrapers he crafted grew sharper and more efficient, allowing the tribe to better prepare for long hunts. He even experimented with different shapes, discovering that certain angles scraped hides faster while others cleaned bones more effectively. Thanks to his innovations, the tribe grew stronger and endured even the harshest winters without losing a single member to the cold.

Years later, Kro became the tribe's leader, passing down the art of scraper-making to the next generation. His story was not just one of creativity, but also of perseverance and human ingenuity against nature.

And so, from a simple tool, humanity slowly began to conquer the world.

Bow and Arrow

Long ago, when the world was still wild and untamed, humans were but fragile creatures amidst the vast forces of nature. They lacked the sharp claws of lions, the strength of bears, and the speed of deer. But they possessed the greatest gift of all—intelligence.

In a small tribe by the Ka'ren River, there lived a young man named Kori. Since childhood, Kori had been fascinated by the art of hunting. His tribe relied on spears to stab prey or stones to strike them down, but hunting remained a difficult task. Animals were either too fast or too far away, beyond the reach of their primitive weapons.

One day, as Kori wandered through the forest, he witnessed a strange sight. A spotted leopard perched silently on a tree, its keen eyes locked onto an antelope grazing below. But instead of leaping down to pounce, the leopard suddenly flicked its tail and kicked a broken branch. The branch snapped forward like a whip, striking the antelope and startling it into flight. The branch, propelled by the force, flew in a curved arc before landing some distance away.

Kori stood frozen in awe. He realized that if there were a way to hurl weapons with great force and distance without relying solely on brute strength, hunting could become much easier.

Rushing back to his village, he experimented with the most flexible branches he could find. He pulled them back, but upon release, they merely snapped forward with little force. Determined, he continued to observe nature, searching for more clues.

One day, while playing with his younger sister, Kori used a vine to pull back a small wooden block. When the vine slipped from his grasp, the block shot forward with surprising speed. This was the breakthrough he needed! If he combined a flexible branch with a taut vine, he could create a tool that could propel weapons farther than ever before.

For days, Kori tested different types of wood and vines. At last, he discovered the perfect combination: a sturdy yet flexible branch bent into a curve and a sinew string strong enough to endure the pull. He carved a piece of wood into a slender shape, sharpening its tip so that it could pierce flesh. When he tested it, the arrow soared far beyond the range of a thrown stone, embedding itself deep into a distant tree trunk.

Kori let out a triumphant cheer. He knew he had created something that would change his tribe's way of life. When he presented his invention to the village elder, the entire tribe marveled at its power. For the first time, they could hunt swift creatures from a safe distance without needing to chase them down.

Kori's bow and arrow provided the tribe with more food, protected them from wild beasts, and helped them endure the harsh winters. But more importantly, it marked the beginning of a new chapter in human history. No longer were humans weak before nature—they had become beings who used their intelligence to master the world.

And thus, the first bow was born—a symbol of creativity, keen observation, and the boundless ingenuity of humankind.