BECOMING AN ANCESTOR

I did it, I killed the panther, (laughter) and I'm still alive!

I looked down after shouting, grabbed the dagger, and cut off the panther's head, then walked toward the group.

The group calmed down after I did that; I don't know if it was instinctual, but the leader of the group came down and walked toward me.

Normally, he walks on all fours, but he walked on two legs, probably not to appear less than me.

Honestly, if I wanted to, I could easily defeat him, but I'm injured, and I don't want to cause a confrontation now.

When we got close to each other, I crouched and extended my head to him, as a sign that I didn't want to challenge him.

Then the leader took the head and lifted it and also shouted, and the monkeys went into a frenzy again.

Then he turned to me, placed his hand on my shoulder, and grunted, signifying that I had entered the upper echelon of the group.

For better context, this was like a soldier delivering the enemy's head to his general, earning the admiration of his superior and rising to a higher rank.

The monkeys started coming down from the trees; some began to approach the panther's body, but some still had some fear.

As I approached the body, those in front of me made way for me to pass.

When I reached the body, I removed a tooth with the help of the dagger and took off some of the skin. I intend to make a necklace from the tooth and clothing from the skin, even though I don't have much knowledge of clothing making. I think starting to develop a clothing culture could be beneficial for the group's development.

As I did this, everyone looked at me with curiosity, and finally, when I finished, I went up to the top of the tree, which is now my place.

Since the leader only recognized me, my mother couldn't climb up yet because hierarchy is individual, not collective, unless it's the leader's own offspring. Some things never change, I guess.

For the first time since I was born here, I saw that they really eat meat. This was one of my assumptions since many primates are omnivores, whether humans or chimpanzees; an ancestor of these species would also eat meat. But since it wasn't common, they mostly focused on eating fruits.

As it's considered a delicacy, only the higher ranks can eat it; perhaps, if there's some left, those in the middle can also eat. Since I'm now part of the higher rank and it was me who brought down the panther, the leader decided to share it with me too.

Of course, I accepted. I was a bit hesitant to eat raw meat, but I still think it's too early to introduce something like fire to them. I believe primitive tools are sufficient for now.

So, I put the meat in my mouth and chewed it. Thanks to my fairly sharp teeth, I had no trouble eating meat, but it was really awful. I took a piece and went to the middle of the tree and gave a piece to my mother. Normally, only the leader should distribute, but in some cases, other monkeys also share with others.

My mother took the meat and grunted in thanks. I responded with a grunt that meant something like, "Don't worry about it."