Part 4/9:

Years pass, and the once-young pair become adults. The hero’s challenge begins when the tribe prepares for another mammoth hunt, a contest that would crown a new chief. Delay is determined to prove his worth against his rival, Karin, an excellent hunter favored by many. When a mammoth is sighted, the hunting party aims to capture it, but while the others follow Karin, Delay acts independently and, amid a chaotic chase, manages to kill the mammoth through sheer luck.

To his surprise, Delay gains significant respect and the privilege to marry Eveet, transforming from the “son of a coward” to a celebrated hero. However, his triumph is shadowed by doubt; he struggles with feelings of unworthiness, eventually leading him to return the white spear, worried he did not earn it through skill.