Chapter 478

Our boys learned to barter, in addition to everything else. Rose and I kept up their schooling, which was now more interesting as they saw most of what we talked about. Some thought our long travel would be disruptive to the children. It seemed to have the opposite effect. The boys were fast becoming competent little men.

It wasn’t four moons into the trip that we realized our boys were excelling. Mycah’s family could secure a camp as fast as any man. They knew the dangers that lay in different environments and how to prepare for them. Edas and his brothers were almost as quick. Both sets of boys were learning the new skills rapidly. Men had not had experiences like this in ages.

I was learning, too. Previously I’d been sheltered and protected. Here in the wild I fought as hard as any of my family and was exposed to all the same danger. My genetics made me different and I had to learn to keep up.

Less than a moon into our trip I adjusted my expectations of myself a