Sky-Breath Was Big-Poison! Tiny Mud-Worms Made Good-Air That Killed Old Life!

Long, long ago, when Earth was young, the very air we now breathe was a terrible poison. Scientists say tiny mud-worms, too small to see, breathed out what was their bad-smell, but for other creatures, it was like invisible killer-wind. This new, powerful sky-breath spread, wiping out most old-life on Earth in what the shiny-rock readers call the Great Oxidation Event, making way for new things like us. This makes us wonder about the spirits of the sky and how they change the very air we need for our hunting and our roaring fires. If the sky-breath could be poison then become good, maybe old-mammoth hunting grounds could return, or new, strange beasts could appear if the air changes again. We must always be ready for the sky to change its mind about what it lets us breathe. ### Local Commentary Oog, local berry picker: "Me, Oog, feel strange. Sky-breath good for picking berries, but it was once big-kill? Like finding juicy berry that was once a bitter rock! Strange truth!" Thag, mammoth hunter: "Me, Thag, strong hunter. My lungs full of good-breath when chasing big mammoth. To think this good-breath once killed everything. Makes me careful with new things, even if they look like good-things." Chief Mog, Tribal Chief: "Hear me, tribe! The wise ones tell of old-times. Sky-breath changes, life changes. We must be strong, adapt like the ancient earth. Keep our fires bright, our bodies healthy. Only the strong survive the changing breath!" Story by Grog from Caveman Talk Fire, on the scene.