The Explorer

The next morning, both Fred and the explorer notice that Max looks thin and like he has aged. The explorer gets up suddenly, eager to start the day. He tells the children to spend the day creating spears by using cooked intestines to tie a flint to a stick. While doing so, the group hears a strange roar that sounds like it came from the explorer, but they refrain from investigating, instead choosing to give him his privacy. Later, the explorer helps Lila bathe her pet sloth, and by nightfall, he takes the group to a lake where they can learn how to spearfish.

The water at the lake is black, and the group only has a couple of torches to light their way. They wade into the water, nervous about what might lie below, and watch as the explorer spears a fish. As the fish are caught, Max is asked to stay and guard them as the others practice their skills. Fred manages to spear a small fish after a few attempts, and the explorer catches an eel with his bare hands. Fred takes the opportunity to ask the explorer what he does during the day in his private space, and the explorer answers that he is trying to repair the canopy that covers the ruined city.