Heavenfall

Ik'tch'krit had fashioned a crude weapon out of both rope and a common stone instead of the precious jade. He had made a tight noose surrounding the rock and hoped to therefore swing the rock and have it come back via the rope.

The wetlands were close enough to the camp where he could have enough space to not hit anyone. He made a small circle above his head before swinging it forward at a nearby tree. Then he'd heave the rock back to him, sometimes having to avoid it hitting himself. The process continued as he tried to master the way of "hit-hit bad-things before get too-too close."

It was a terrain that Taiko was fairly unfamiliar with, and he thought that some of the hardier vegetation might prove useful as simple bindings or maybe a new kind of arrow shaft. Either way, his curiosity got the better of him as it lured him out, out to see a rat with a rope and a rock.

"Well I suppose it saves fetching the rock after each throw, although the tether will change the flight pattern, and limits range." He muses, possibly loud enough to accidentally be overheard.

"Jade-stone must be retrieved!" he hollered. He brought the stone back to him and sighed. "Maybe rope is not good-good for this."

Taiko's brow furrowed as he walked a little closer.

"Sorry to be the one to tell you, but that ain't jade there buddy."

And these are the creatures so technologically advanced from us? he thought to himself.

"No-no, jade-stone too precious to use-use for experiments. Is just-just," he trailed off, looking for the right human word. "Thing before thing-thing!"

He scratched his whiskers. "Is no good-good yet. Bow much better weapon in most cases. Jade too precious to make-make arrow out of."

"Yes, bow generally beats rock." Taiko replied dryly. "Better range, better control, better power."

"But Jade is far too soft to be effective in a weapon. Some obsidian is nice and sharp?"

"Jade-stone must be made not-soft then," Ik'tch'krit enthused with a few nods. "Or maybe power still work-work inside a harder-hard shell."

He then tilted his head. "What is obsidian?"

"Sharp, black rock. A little fragile for long blade, but knives, arrows work well."

"It's hard to find though, so I don't have any here."

The Nezumi scratched his whiskers. "It protect man-things like jade-stone does? I hear-hear jade-stone also hurt-harm bad-things. Why I craft-make weapon to reuse."

"I don't know." Taiko answered honestly.

"I didn't even know Jade was protective until a few days ago. Or especially HOW it's protective?" Stroking his chin he pondered for a few moments, losing himself in his thoughts.

"Is good-good to know-know," Ik'tch'krit affirmed. He swung his contraption again at the tree and then growled out of annoyance. "I do not think-believe arrow with rope-rope tied to end-end would work-work."