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The warm early morning sunshine flooded through the thiny gaps between the wood in Rico's hut. He felt the warm rays tngle against his small, cold body. A content smile appeared on his face as he felt instant warmth flood through his body. Rico wanted to just lay there all day, soaking up the sunshine. But he knew he couldn't. He had to carry out the plan before the adults woke up.
Rico grabbed a small brown sack made of Meep wool and quietly packed up two weeks' worth of food. He then tiptoed over to his father's bed. His dad was silently snoozing in what looked like a very deep sleep. Rico carefully stepped over him and looked at the spoocebow. You can do it Rico, he thought. Just grab it and hope for the best...
Rico cautiously rached for the spoocebow. If they catch me, he thought, I'm surely banned for good. I have to be very cautious. If I made one little noise, father would--
"SNORT!"
Rico jumped, startled at his father's noise...
His hand hit a pottery bowl high up on a discreet shelf...
The bowl slowly fell down, as if it were in slow motion...
He heard the bone-chilling sound of pottery smashing against wood, pieces shattering all over the hut floor...
His father stirred. Rico could not tell if he was awake. Trembling and whimpering, he grabbed the spoocebow off of the ground...
"RICO! Put that down!"
Rico felt his body turn to ice. He whimpered. He could feel his heart pounding against his small, frail ribs. A cold sweat bead dripped down his pale, nervous forehead.
He had awakened his father. His father saw him taking the spoocebow and food. Theft was punished in this tribe. It was considered a disgrace to the mudokon race.
It's now or never, he repeated to himself.
"Rico, I said put that down!"
Rico glanced at his father one last time. Stand up for yourself, he said to himself. it's now or never, it's now or never, it's now or...
"See ya, dad!"
Rico scampered out of the hut triumphantly, chest raised in the air. He could hear his father's yelling from the hut. He had just broken two tribal rules, yet he felt wonderful. He raced into the forest, food sack over his shoulder. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
He looked in his hand.
He forgot the spoocebow.
"Dang it," he muttered to himself. "I don't know how we'll make it without the bow."
But that was not important now. He had just Stolen and Left Without Permission, two violations in the ancient scripts. He could never go back now.
As he continued running, he saw his two best friends leaning casually against a large redwood in the distance. Sitting next to the two were two sacks identical to Rico's.
"Yo, Rico, why'd you call us here so early?" asked Perm. "We goin' hunting?"
"Yeah, and why do we need all of this food?" Joey chimed in. He pointed curiously at the two sacks he and Perm brought.
Rico took a deep breath. "We're going to run away."
Joey jumped at Rico's comment. "Run away?" he asked. "To where, Rico?"
Rico fiddled his thumbs. "We're going to the Paramonia and Scrabania proving grounds to become mudokon warriors."
Perm nodded. "Hey, I guess I'm in. I guess I could become a shaman."
Joey stared at Perm for a second, appaled by his comment. "Of course I'll come, Rico. I've always wanted to become a Tomahawker!"
Rico put his arms around the two. "And of course, you know, I'll become a mudarcher if all goes well."
Perm grabbed his wool sack. "So, let's get goin', guys!"
The three mudokon buddies trotted off into the depths of the forest.
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