Durc

by PeterLion

This is the story of Durc of Broud's Clan Of the Cave Bear, from the time of his mother's departure to his reaching adulthood.

4. Chapter 4: Gatherings and Encounters

Chapter Four: Gatherings and Encounters

The clan was on its way to the Gathering, Vorn and Grod led the way while Crug and Broud kept the rear. The women and children walked all behind Uba, who in her double role of medicine woman and mate to the leader was, without question, the highest ranked female. The four remaining hunters flanked the group, Brun and Groob to the right, Goov and Borg to the left; walking at a slow pace the band of twenty four travelers crossed the prairie, still muddy from the last rains of spring, heading a little north from northeast.

It was too early in the season to be traveling, but there were several considerations that had been taken into account by Vorn. The spring thunderstorms and heavy rains had ended several days earlier, and even if the soil was still a little muddy the good weather seemed to hold; and the most important, the herds of browsers and grazers were beginning their annual migration which not only confirmed the end of the wet season but had allowed Groob to have his manhood hunt. Broud, whom Vorn was stubbornly decided to take to the Clan Gathering, still limped badly and not only would slow the pace of the group but would not be able to make the trip nonstop. Since it was known that there were Others in the vicinity of the Gathering's chosen location, a fair chance of an Others encounter during the trip had to be considered. Finally, Brac hadn't been ready for his manhood hunt; he couldn't run with the clan, so a pit-trap kind of hunt had to be planned for him if he was to be a man. The early departure solved all the problems allowing for slow traveling, camping halfway through the trip to rest and to plan Brac's manhood hunt, and for a detour if there was a chance of running into a group of Others.

Groob had taken advantage of his newly acquired condition to signal Igra every time he had a chance, and, as the days went by, was getting more and more anxious to be mated with her. The possibility of Brac becoming a man during the trip, and being given the woman he wanted, cooled a little bit the friendship he had shared lately with the older boy. But Groob had been lengthily talking with Droog on the subject before leaving and he knew there were only three things he could do about it. One was to talk to Vorn and ask outright for Igra to be given to him, as was his right as a man. The second was to talk to Brac to find out what he thought about the matter; it was a risky move, because it gave Brac the opportunity to express interest for Igra and it was never wise to get in the way of a future mog-ur, but it also gave Groob the chance to convince Brac. The third thing to do was to do nothing; there would be plenty of women at the Clan Gathering and he could easily find one, maybe one even better than Igra.

But Groob didn't want a better one; he wanted Igra. But Droog had been clear, what he could never do was to let some adult learn what was he so worried about; it was considered unworthy of a man to be so emotional about a mere woman. One night, after relieving his need with her, Groob was seated at the fire when Durc came to talk to him. The young boy was all excited with his plans to find the Others during the gathering and wanted Groob in. The young hunter let himself to be carried by the boy's enthusiasm and by the memories of last summer's search for the wolves, but after a while his dark mood returned and Durc noticed it.

- You look worried, - commented Durc, - and it is not about the Others. Are you worried about the contests at the Clan Gathering?

- Not really, - said Groob, - I am only competing at toolmaking, and since I am so young there is no shame even if I come out last. For me, there is no way to lose.

- Then what is worrying you so much? - insisted Durc, - You don't talk to us anymore, not even to Brac, who is older. Is it because now you are a man and we are still children? I know you, and I don't think so. What is it then? Tell me, aren't we friends anymore?

Groob looked up to the strange boy who, being a full head taller than he was, still was but a young child. He doubted if Durc would understand something like this being so young, but they had become close this last year and the boy might be the future leader; Groob decided he had nothing to lose.

- It is about Igra, I want her to be given to me, as my mate, - said the young man, - but I think she will be given to Brac.

- Brac is not a man yet.

- No, but he will be, soon, Vorn is planning a manhood hunt for him during the trip. - said Groob - Also he is older, and is going to have more status than me when he becomes mog-ur.

- But I don't think he likes Igra, - said Durc very thoughtful, - he has never played mates with her as far as I remember; even Grev and I had once played mates with Igra, but not Brac, ever.

- But she likes him, - insisted Groob, - she is always looking at him when she thinks nobody is noticing.

- Igra likes every one, she is very outgoing, - said Durc showing his strange half-clan smile - and every one likes Brac, he is such a great guy. But I think she wouldn't like to be the mog-ur's mate; it is very hard, look at Ovra. Besides she likes you too, I've seen her looking at you when you are not noticing.

- But she never uses the knife I gave her.

- Nope, but she always carries it with her, even to her sleeping furs.

- Are you sure?

- I have seen her, - said Durc, - and so would you if you paid attention.

Just then Brac came along with Grev to join their two friends. Durc stood up, took Grev by the shoulders and walked away with him talking enthusiastically about the Others and his plans to find them. Brac sat in front of Groob.

- How does it feel to be a man, Groob? You don't look too happy to me.

- I am happy, - countered Groob with a slight touch of aggressiveness, and then looking directly at Brac - I think I will ask Vorn to give me Igra to mate, I don't understand why I must be the only hunter without a mate. What do you think Brac?

- I think you will have to wait until after the Clan Gathering; - said Brac calmly, - there is no time for the isolation period, and I understand that is the reason why Vorn didn't want you to mate yet. But you are lucky Groob; Igra is beautiful and very hard working.

- Soon you are going to be a man too, - said Groob, - and you are older than I am; maybe Vorn will give Igra to you.

- I don't think I would accept her, - said Brac very seriously, - she is too restless; and she wouldn't be happy being mated to a mog-ur anyway, I need someone more quiet.

- Yes, Brac, - said Groob, - I think you are right. You might find someone to your liking at the Clan Gathering, you know; with your status you should not have any problem getting whomever you wanted.

- Yes, I too think so but, you know Groob, Igra is so very beautiful... I might get envious of you; maybe I am already, lucky man! - And Brac shoved Groob hard in his left shoulder sending him to the ground.

Groob stayed down lying on his back and breathing deep. Brac was a great guy and the best friend one could have, what a shame that he wasn't going to be leader; right there and then Groob decided that Brac's manhood hunt would go as smooth as could be. He would help to the best of his ability to see his friend succeeding in his first kill, he would do whatever it took to make sure of it; deep inside he felt that, somehow, he owed that to Brac.

Broud surprised everybody by not needing to stop for a rest even though the clan had traveled almost three quarters of the distance to the Clan Gathering. The slow pace set by Vorn was not pushing the former leader anywhere near to his limits, and the moderate by continuous exercise was making wonders to his leg. It was just as well; they had not found any chance to organize Brac's manhood hunt and they had now entered what, according to Crug's reporting, could be Others hunting territory. Traveling along the north shore of the inland sea, Vorn planned to cross the boundary river, which emptied into the small sea at its most northern point, as soon as they got there. The young leader had decided to take this shorter, direct route, after consulting with Brun, Grod, Goov and Crug; although the Others were known to be at the right bank of the river, they were not supposed to be found as far south as the point where they planned to cross. Still this was not the best time to stop for hunting or resting.

Crossing the river turned out not to be an easy task; fed by the spring rains the river was full and it took the clan two days of upriver travel before they found an affordable crossing. But once in the Clan side, instead of traveling east directly to the Clan Gathering Vorn decided to go northeast following the left bank upriver, sending scouts ahead looking for prey to organize Brac's manhood hunt. On the fifth day, the young eyes of the clan's forward scouts found their opportunity, a medium size herd of female reindeer could be seen crossing the river far ahead in the distance; after checking that they were downwind from the deer, Vorn ordered to set camp. Later that night, the hunters met with the leader and the three older boys.

- A large herd of reindeer has been spotted by Groob crossing the river a half day walk ahead, - said Vorn, - and I think this is the chance we were looking for.

- If they are already crossing, - said Broud, - it is already too late to hunt them. I don't think setting camp here will do any good, I say that we should continue traveling.

- Is it a male or a female herd? - asked Durc.

Realizing his own mistake, not having waited and analyzed the situation before speaking, Broud raised in anger and his face turned deep red. How dared this insolent deformed brat to interrupt at a hunter's meeting? And why was a boy allowed to attend an adult's meeting in the first place? This would have never happened if he still were the leader.

But before Broud could move against the boy he so much despised, Vorn's angry voice kept everybody quiet.

- Durc! - shouted the leader, - How do you dare to interrupt! You are not part of this meeting, boy; you are allowed only to observe, not to participate! If you cannot behave at a formal meeting you may as well leave!

Durc, shocked by Vorn's reaction, looked around and saw the same disapproving look in Brun, Grod and Goov's face. Not daring to answer, the boy lowered his gaze looking very contrite; with a sharp nod, Vorn allowed him to stay.

- Groob says that it is a herd of does, - continued Vorn, while Brun, Grod and Crug glanced amused at Broud, - and Borg confirms his opinion. Tomorrow we will scout the site to see if there is a good place to dig a pit-trap; the bucks should be here in a few days following the same path.

After inspecting the site the next day, Vorn decided that it wasn't the best place for a pit-trap; it was an open land with no narrow paths, bush barriers, trees or any other thing that might restrict the wandering of the deer. But it was also very unlikely that they found another chance, at least the reindeer's migration pattern where the male herd followed the path of the female herd gave them a slight advantage, the slight but very important advantage of knowing, beforehand, where their prey would be.

- I think everyone will agree that Broud is among us the one who knows more about pit traps, - said Vorn, - and since it is the son of his hearth who is having his manhood hunt, I think it only fair for Broud to decide where to dig the trap and how to disguise it. These are not the best conditions for a pit-trap strategy, and our only chance of success is to put the best man we have in charge.

Broud was filled with mixed emotions. Still angry for having been ridiculed by that boy at the meeting the day before, he couldn't fail to appreciate being recognized by all as the best hunter. And with this being Brac's manhood hunt, he decided to show them all who was Broud; he recognized that the chances of success were slim but he could make it happen, he would make it happen, he would build the best trap ever, there was no way he would fail.

As bad a leader as Broud was, few men knew as much as he did about hunting. The man spent the best part of the day pacing the ground, inspecting the terrain, backtracking the herd from the crossing point over and over again. Before noon he had decided where to dig. Being given the leading role, he put some men to dig while the others carefully recovered every bit of deer droppings they found. Dirt from the deer path was picked here and there, but not too much from any specific point. The dirt from the pit was carried in hides and thrown to the river, and the three older boys were sent to collect as much wood and driftwood as they could find, far away down river from the place of the trap. Broud insisted in nobody disturbing the area around the trap and the reindeer path any more than strictly necessary.

Broud had the dirt recovered from the path mixed with powdered deer droppings, and once the pit was dug, he had its walls and bottom sprinkled with that mixture. The pit was then covered with small branches off bushes and driftwood, a layer of dry leaves and, on top of that, a very thin layer of the mixed dirt and deer droppings; a task which Broud reserved for himself. Then, the rest of the dirt and deer dung was spread all over the area where the men had been, to mask their scent. Once the trap was ready, the men stayed long hours looking at it to familiarize themselves with its location. Without any marks to point at it, the trap was so well made that it was impossible to see, only the incredible memory of the clan hunters would let them know at all times where it was.

Two days after the trap was finished, the deer came. Broud's leg prevented him to participate in the hunt and Vorn, not wanting to take risks, put Grod in charge of the decisions on where to place the men and when to begin the chase. With the excuse of protecting the young man, Vorn stayed with Brac at the boy's designated stand. They didn't really need the meat, so the main target was not to secure the kill but to make sure it was Brac's kill; everyone helped, they all wanted Brac to participate in the rituals, ceremonies and activities reserved for the men at the Clan Gathering.

The trap worked perfectly, so much in fact that the biggest buck in the herd, the one leading it, ran straight into the pit. The problem was that the big reindeer didn't break any leg in the fall, and being the biggest and strongest of the entire herd, threatened to jump out of the pit and escape before Brac could get there. Groob, inspired by the hunt dance when Broud had wrestled down an aurochs, took the deer from its antlers before he could jump out and pushed him back to the pit falling into it with the big animal but never letting go. Brac arrived a second later and plunged his newest spear, made by his brother Grev, right through the buck's heart. Completely covered in blood, all bruised and scratched but essentially unhurt, Groob climbed out of the pit and stood in front of Brac.

- Great kill, Brac! Fast and clean! - said the young hunter.

- It was fast, yes, thanks to you, - answered Brac, looking critically at his dirt/blood covered friend, - but, what do you mean clean?

Brac's manhood ceremony held special additional significance for him and for Goov; it meant that the young acolyte would be allowed to participate in the most secret esoteric ceremonies reserved only for mog-urs and adult acolytes and held only at the Clan Gatherings. The ensuing feast included a lively hunt reenactment that elicited a loud gasp from Igra, the other women and the children when Groob jumped into the pit trap with the big male deer. The invisibility of Broud's pit trap was duly stressed, making the former leader beam with pride; so much that he even let Durc tell him what a great hunter he thought Broud was.

Early next morning, the First Clan was on its way to the Gathering; heading east by southeast, they were no more than two and a half days away walking at their now not so slow pace. The remaining fresh meat and the uncured deer's hide were added to the gifts that were going to be given to the host clan. Two days later at about noon, Grunt, flanked by his mog-ur and his second-in-command, greeted the exhausted travelers and offered them the hospitality of his cave; it was barely past mid-spring and they had been the first clan to arrive.

Grunt's cave was a medium sized one; big enough to hold a clan much larger than Grunt's, it was not even close to the size of Norg's cave. Being the first ranked clan, Vorn was invited to settle inside, but it was evident that no more than three clans were going to be in the cave and most would have to camp outside. That night the two clans gathered around the fires in separate groups to share news. The men gathered outside the cave around a big fire while the women and children remained inside; the older boys made a small group apart but were not allowed to go out of the cave, the younger children and the girls stayed with the women. The main topic of interest was however the same in all the groups, the Others; and Durc became the center of interest.

- I was surprised to learn that you were the new leader, - said Grunt, - and that your heir was that deformed boy. Norg sent a runner to let us know your clan had been found, and gave us the news.

- I was even more surprised, - said Vorn, - nobody expected Broud's accident, he is the best hunter; and I had already accepted the boy to my hearth even before I became second-in-command.

- He doesn't seem to have any problems with his legs or his neck, - said Grunt, - but is he strong and wise enough to be leader?

Broud had to make a big effort to refrain from speaking, but he and Vorn had spoke about the subject the night before; if was bad enough for the clan to have Durc as future leader, there was no need to make it worse by speaking bad about him. Some things, as Durc's peculiarities and the reasons behind Ayla's death curse were best left unmentioned.

- The boy is strong enough although not very much so, and has no problems with his legs or his neck; - said Vorn, - he is the fastest runner of our clan and very good with the sling and the bola. He killed his first fox in his growing year and scared a full grown wolf away with his sling in his learning year; he is two years older now and is doing very good with the bola.

There were some appreciative nods among the hunters of Grunt's clan; the sling and the bola were the two most difficult weapons to master.

- A few deformed children were born the winter after we moved into this cave, commented Grunt's mog-ur, - but they were not only deformed, their necks were so long and weak that they couldn't hold their heads up, we had to dispose of all of them.

- It was a great loss, - added Grunt, - but it couldn't be avoided. I think the spirits wanted us to reach an agreement with the Others, since the agreement no more deformed children had been born.

- But how did you reach an agreement with them? - asked Vorn, - I have heard that they cannot speak, that they are dangerous but not very smart.

- We didn't actually talk to them, we just stopped crossing to their side of the river and attacked any one of them crossing to our side. - answered Grunt - After a while, even they understood.

- Are they really as dangerous? - It was Borg who asked.

- Yes they are, - said a young hunter of Grunt's clan, - they are very tall but not too strong, still they throw their spears into the air so it is very difficult to get close once they have seen you.

- But they are not too smart, - said another, older, hunter, - it is too easy to hide from them, I don't think they know how to look. And they are easily spotted; they are very noisy.

- They act very strange too, - said the young hunter, - I've see their women carrying spears and their men cooking, I think their men are weak if they let their women behave like that. Isn't that strange? They are weak, and still they are very dangerous.

Goov was listening with great interest, he became more convinced that Ayla had been right; Durc was not deformed, he was a mixture. He was tall, he had learned a little about cooking and healing, and he had even asked Brun about throwing spears; he also remembered that he used to make a lot of strange noises with his mother when they thought nobody could hear them. And those deformed babied born to Grunt's clan after they had problems with the Others; they were not deformed, they were mixtures too, probably made by the Others totem spirits when they were frequently close to the clan women. And their necks, Goov still remembered how Durc couldn't hold his head up when he was a baby, and look at him now; maybe all the Others babies had weak necks. He thought it would be interesting to see an Others newborn, but dismissed the thought; it was very unlikely that he ever had the opportunity.

The women were talking about the Others too; how rude they were and how strange. Uba was particularly questioned about her late sister. All the women remembered the tall woman of the Others with the deformed baby who had been acknowledged the first ranked medicine woman of the Clan at the last Gathering. The pain shown in Uba's face when she refrained to expand on the details of Ayla's death curse was understood and respected, the woman had considered herself a sibling of the stranger.

- Remember that poor woman Oda? - said the medicine woman of Grunt's clan, - the same happened to several of us, and some gave birth to deformed babies. It was terrible! My heart ached with every child that had to be exposed to the cold weather. They were otherwise strong and healthy, but their necks were useless; Grunt really didn't have another choice. Mog-ur said that the Others were bad luck, and that their proximity caused the babies to be born deformed. He must have been right; there have not been any more deformed babies since they stayed away from us.

- Durc's neck was weak, - said Uba, - it took several moons before he could hold his own head. It is very fortunate that he got so strong. Oda's baby had a weak neck too, I wonder if her neck is all right now; she was promised to Durc and will be returning with us after this summer. To think that she was allowed to live only as a punishment to her mother and now she might end up mated to the leader of our clan. Who could have thought it then?

At the mention of Durc's status, the women turned to look at the boys; all the older boys, aged six or older, were gathered around a small fire listening awed to Durc, who was very expressively telling them about the wolves near their cave. Durc's theatrical vein was an unconscious imitation of Broud's, whose vivid recreations at the hunt dances had always inspired awe and admiration in the impressionable boy. The clan would never know, of course, but Durc had inherited that particular talent from his biological father. The women could tell the boy was speaking about wolves, but it didn't surprise them since that had been the boy's greatest interest the whole last summer, and didn't pay too much attention. They could never imagine that he was telling the other boys about tracking and later observing a real living wolf pack. Later, that night, Durc and Grev would take the two older boys of Grunt's clan aside to talk about the Others.

- What do you think of that Durc? - Asked Gub, the youngest son of Grunt's hearth, to his friend Zorg, a year older and the youngest of the second-in-command's - My mother says he is deformed and bad luck, and that we should stay away from him. His mother wasn't even mated when he was born, she lost her milk before his walking year and she was cursed with death when he was in his weaning year.

- I don't know if he is bad luck, - said Zorg, - but he sure is deformed, and the ugliest guy I've ever seen.

- That is true, but he is going to be the leader of his clan, - said Gub, - and ugly as he is he already has a mate arranged for his hearth. Have you seen him with the sling? He got two hares and a fat willow grouse yesterday when all the hunters came back empty handed. That doesn't look like bad luck to me.

- Maybe, but that has nothing to do with luck, he is just too good with that sling; and I've seen him practicing with the bola, he is just as good with it. He is also the fastest runner there is, I think he can run faster than the Others.

- Nobody can run faster than the Others. - said Gub matter-of-factly - Do you think he is really going after them?

- He might, - said Zorg, - he looks crazy enough to me; and that other guy, Grev, he is even crazier. Going after a pack of wolves without telling the adults, I would never dare to do that.

- But you must admit that was awesome, and I'd give anything to see a living wolf pack up close. If he is really going after the Others, I might go with him.

- You are as crazy as they are, Grunt would kill you if he found out. There is no way you are going with him... not without me at any rate...

Goov was walking with Brac, alone and away from the cave, and talking about the Spirit World. The conversation began with ceremonies in general and drifted to the one that used Iza's secret drink.

- It will be a great setback for our clan forgoing that particular ceremony; - was saying Goov, - not only for not having it but mainly for loosing its secret. Creb never came around to explaining me how the sacred drink was used. He changed a lot after that last gathering, like as if he lost his will to go on living; he never showed me anything new since then, he just reinforced everything I already knew so I could become mog-ur as soon as possible.

- Isn't there anything we can do about it? - asked Brac.

- There might just be something, but it will be very dangerous, - said Goov, - and it could be too late already.

- What is it?

- The secret of the root is in Iza's line; Uba was trained on its preparation along with Ayla and, even if she weren't, it must be in her memories. But the secret of its use is not in my memories, and I've searched thoroughly; I think it might be in someone else's memories, it must, and I think it might be in yours or in Durc's.

- But why mine or Durc's? How are we related?

- I don't know. All I know is that I've been receiving very strong signals pointing to both of you; I knew one of you would be mog-ur and the other one leader, only I thought you would be the leader. You are both strongly linked in the spirit world in any case, you will always work together and neither of you will succeed without the other.

- And Grev? Grev will be leader if Broud recovers, and I think he is recovering.

- The ways of Ursus are always mysterious, - sentenced Goov, - you will learn to observe, to be patient, and to be prepared for every turn in the events. I've been patiently waiting for you to become a man and I've been prepared for a long time, now I want you to come with me in a search within your memories; going both of us, together, is something all mog-urs must learn to do. Here, this seems to me a good place to do it, let's make a fire and then I will show you how to mix the mushrooms, the datura and...

The two men were completely alone in the middle of the open endless prairie, not a living creature was within sight distance and that was a long, long distance. They lighted a fire from a live coal Goov had brought and then built several small fires, closely spaced, in a circle. A small ceremonial fire was lit in the center of the circle and both men seated opposite to each other around it. Goov took the ingredients from his bag and began to explain to Brac its uses; several hours would pass before they began their return to the cave.

Sssswwwack-flack-flack!

The loud noise made by the heavy weapon wrapping around the stump of an old tree filled the air, but there was no one there to hear it save for one man; satisfied with his throw, Broud went slowly to recover his weapon. Limping noticeably but with great ease since his leg and hip didn't hurt at all, the big, strong man untangled his weapon and went back to the throwing line. He was at a secluded spot, near the cave, where he had been going every morning to practice. Concentration was the trick, and he had found it very difficult to concentrate, especially when he thought of his fate. Seeing Vorn acting like the rightful leader and his clan following him, filled the former leader with anger coupled with frustration. Seeing Brac turned a weak invalid follower of a weak mog-ur instead of a proud hunter and leader-to-be and, worst of all, seeing Durc being accepted by everybody and being trained to be leader while Grev happily trained along, infuriated him almost to the limit.

But he had learned to control his fury and bid for his time, he had learned to clear his mind and to concentrate in the target, and had developed some tricks to help. He saw Ayla standing there instead of the stump, sometimes he saw Durc, sometimes Brun, even sometimes Vorn; and he learned to close his eyes, his ears and his mind to everything else but the bola, the wind and the target. He felt the leather straps of his weapon as extensions of his own arms, the heavy stones as his own fists; and when he threw, his mind followed the flight of his bola as if it was still attached to him. And he became good at it, the best there was; he hadn't missed a throw since mid winter and he could throw farther and more accurately than no one ever before. He had channeled his anger, his fury and his frustration to his new skill; practicing was like therapy, and anticipation was like food to his tormented soul. "Someone could come out and surprise you" had said Goov to Brun; well, Broud was set out to surprise everybody.

The hunters of Vorn's clan went out hunting with the men of Grunt's clan almost every other day. Whenever Vorn participated he was the leader of the hunt, in deference to his status as leader of the first ranked clan; if Vorn were not going, Grunt, Grod or Grunt's second-in-command, in that order, would lead the hunters. The clan's hierarchy was very rigid and very well defined, so there were no possible discussions, but no leader liked to submit to another's authority; therefore Grunt avoided taking part in a hunt when Vorn was going, and made a point in participating whenever Vorn didn't. Vorn in turn declined to participate in half the hunts, at Brun's suggestion, as a deference to the leader of the host clan. Hunting with so many men was easy and most hunts were successful, sometimes even getting two animals, which was a rare achievement the clan hunters were not used to.

These communal hunts were unusual and during Clan Gatherings the various clans usually hunted by themselves, but Vorn and Grunt began talking about continuing this way throughout the whole summer since so much meat was being obtained with so little effort. Goov encouraged Vorn to strengthen the links with Grunt, knowing that this time it would be very difficult to maintain the first place and that the support of the host clan might prove invaluable. Grunt's mog-ur also pointed to his leader that they were a small clan of medium-high status, and that a close relationship with the first ranked clan, plus the advantage of hosting the gathering, was bound to raise their rank among the other clans.

The immensely big cave bear held in a cage made of sturdy poles was like a magnet to all the youngsters of Vorn's Clan since the first day. Having the chance to share the daily life with the children of the host clan, without the pressure and the excitement of the competitions and ceremonies that filled the days during the Clan Gathering, the children of Vorn's clan quickly lost the fear inspired by the big beast. Soon they were calling him Tuck, the name given to the bear cub by the children of Grunt's clan as a ploy to avoid the risk of inadvertently calling him Bear, Cave Bear or Ursus. Durc used to scratch him behind his ears, something that Tuck loved, while feeding small apples or other choice treats to the tame bear; looking at him, Uba's heart ached for her lost sister, who surprised everybody doing the same since the first day at the last gathering.

- It is too far to the river, - said Gub, - one day to go, one day to return, and if you plan to search for the Others that is one more day. There is no way we can leave the cave for so many days without permission. There is no way to get permission. I tell you, there is no way to do it.

The four boys were gathered behind Tuck's cage, talking about Durc's plan to find the Others; their chosen location offered them some privacy, away from the adult's eyes but without actually leaving the cave.

- But, can't we go with the hunters as if we were going to observe the hunt? - asked Grev - Like training, we are old enough to be in training.

- But the hunters don't like to go that way, - said Zorg, - and they certainly won't go that way if they are taking us along. The Others are too dangerous, more dangerous than the wolves.

- I was not afraid of the wolves, - said Durc trying to look self-assured, - and I am not afraid of the Others either.

Zorg and Gub looked with disbelief at the strange deformed boy who seemed too skinny to be as brave as he claimed to be.

- It is true, -said Grev backing his milk brother, but teasing him as well, - he is afraid of almost nothing; he is only afraid of Broud.

- Broud? - said Gub, - That old cripple who came with your clan?

- That old cripple is the bravest and strongest hunter there is, - said Durc hotly, - he once wrestled down an aurochs with his bare hands and kept it there until the other hunters came to kill it.

Right then Broud appeared carrying his bola, leaving the cave to go to his hidden practice field. He passed by the children without even looking at them and got on his way while the four boys observed him.

- Did you see his arms? They are bigger than Grunt's legs. - said Durc, - Believe me, pal, you don't want to see Broud angry, you really don't want to see that.

Broud's arms were of course not that big, but a year of training with the club and the bola had developed him an amazing musculature; not being tall, even for the clan, his short stature only emphasized his tremendous muscular build up to the eyes of the children. In an era of inherently strong men, where the struggle for survival was the best if only training, Broud was probably the first man ever to dedicate the best part of a year almost exclusively to prepare himself for a competition.

Away from the cave, and alone with Goov, Brac was floating in a dark cold terrifying emptiness where he felt completely lost. He could feel the presence of his mentor with him but he couldn't see him. An intense fear began to grow in the young acolyte as he understood that Goov was as lost as he was; they were both floating in the dark void but they had no control, they were drifting away, and away, and away. This was the strongest preparation Goov knew, and this was the first time he had used it since the death of The Mog-ur. With it, Creb could travel trough the spirit world and through the racial memories of his kind, as far back as the very beginning. It was not as powerful as the secret root, and didn't allow for the deep intimate mind sharing, but the root could not be used for practice, so this was as close as they could get. And it was too close already; both men drifted away lost in the spirit world with no sense of direction or purpose and with no control.

Brac understood that they were doomed unless he did something; Goov could not do it, he didn't know how, but Brac should for in his memories Goov had found the evidence of some sort of control. They didn't know what it was or how it worked, but they had been so excited with their finding that decided to risk this attempt. Brac concentrated, cleared his mind of everything including the comforting presence of his mentor, and tried to focus in a point ahead of him. Slowly the dark emptiness gave way to a dark mist, and then a blue-gray light began to replace the darkness; the sound of strange drums filled the void and Brac felt himself drawn to that sound, then he saw her.

There was no doubt about the identity of the yellow-haired naked woman, her body painted in the sacred red and black markings, lying on her back inside a strange cave made of dirt; Brac didn't understand how, but he could see inside the cave. A man was lying beside her, the oldest man Brac had ever seen, a man he knew even without ever having seen him, a man of the Others who was a hunter of the Clan. They were not alone, Brac could feel the presence of several Others but he could only see two; a man with black skin and dark curly hair and a man with yellow hair and violet-blue eyes. They were both hovering around the woman, their anguish so strong that even Brac could feel it; she was not dead, but she was dying. She was so far-gone that couldn't see him hovering high above; she was as lost as he was. Then the tall man with yellow hair began to desperately call her, his love and his anguish so strong that was almost solid, and she began to come back; suddenly Brac knew what to do to save himself. Drifting away from that unnerving place of Others, Brac focused on his own feelings; he thought of his cave and of his friends, he thought of his mother Oga and of his brother Grev and the love he shared with them. He centered his mind with a strong purpose and suddenly felt himself flying through the luminous mist towards them.

Soon the mist began to dissipate and he could see the land below, he was flying high over the prairie, a land he hadn't seen before, but the strength of his feelings for the ones he loved was like a guiding beacon. Ahead in the distance was a small band of hunters stalking a herd of bison, Brac flew over them and saw it was a band of Others; then he reached a river and recognized the place of his manhood hunt. As he came nearer to Grunt's cave his speed increased, his heart beat faster and his breathing became panting. He saw Grev seated at a fire with Durc and Oga bringing them some food; but he could not stop to watch them, his head ached and his eyes seemed about to explode. Brac closed his eyes to ease the pain and when he opened them again, found himself lying on the ground on his back, looking at the sky; Goov was lying flat beside him.

- That was not the spirit world, - asked Brac, - was it? That was the real world.

- Yes, - answered Goov thoughtfully, - that was the real world. We were traveling in the spirit world but looking at the real world. I don't know how you did it; it's never been done before.

- She is not dead.

- No, she is not dead.

- But... How...?

- I don't know, Brac, - said the mog-ur, - but deep inside I have known for a long time that she is not dead. She is one of the Others, maybe the Clan curse won't work on the Others. We know she survived a first death curse and I always thought she survived the second; now I know for sure.

- That's what she told Broud, - remembered Brac, - " I'm not dead, Broud," she said, "I won't die. You can't make me die. You can make me go away, you can take my son from me, but you can't make me die! "

- You saw her then too, - said Goov, - I think every one saw her then; that was not her spirit, that was her. I first thought that I had made some mistake, that I didn't do the curse right, but I have gone over it countless times in my memories and I know the curse was right; it just didn't work on her.

- We must tell Durc!

- We must tell no one!

- But...

- But nothing! - Goov was adamant - Powerful Others with hunting women immune to Clan death curses. Do you really want to tell that to your people? We won't even tell the mog-urs of the other clans; we will meditate and investigate the subject, and the next clan gathering, when we are ready, we will tell the other mog-urs. Better yet, we will show them. Then they will investigate and meditate and by the time we gather again we will all together reach some conclusions and only then we tell our leaders. It is the leaders who will decide what to do, but only after we, the mog-urs, know everything there is to know on the subject. That is the clan way.

- If she is alive, where is she?

- Far, far away to the north, I believe.

- But how did we get there?

- You got there, - said Goov, awed and at the same time proud of his pupil, - and took me with you. But how did you get there? And how did you get back? I don't know, but I thought we were gone forever.

- The drums draw me there, mog-ur. Did you hear the drums? - Goov nodded affirmatively and Brac went on. - And she was lost too, but she was called back by the force of that man's love; I never thought it possible to love a woman that much, I envy him. Then I focused my mind in the ones I love, and they guided me back; their love, or more precisely my love for them, guided me back. Who was that old man with her? I know him, but I have never seen him.

- His name is Dus, I wasn't born yet when he came to live with the clan. - Goov was straining his memories to answer Brac, - He was a wandering hunter of the Others who broke his arm in an accident; Uba, the mother of Iza's mother, healed his arm. Brun was young boy then, like Grev, Creb was not acolyte yet. He stayed after his arm healed; he was given a woman and hunted with the clan. When the clan left for the Clan Gathering, he went back to the Others. I can't believe he is still alive.

- Maybe he is not, maybe he is dead, maybe all of them are dead and living in the spirit world. - Brac was still confused - The man was an adult when Creb was a boy and Iza wasn't even born; they both died very old, the man cannot be still alive.

- I don't understand it either, - said Goov, - but I know they are all alive; maybe the Others live longer, we don't know. That is why we must tell no one; we must understand everything first.

- But if Ayla is alive, - said Brac mentioning her name for the first time, - I think Durc should know.

- Why? What for? Durc thinks his mother is dead. He begged her to take him along but she left him here with Uba, because she couldn't take him with her, because she was a spirit. But if she was not dead, then it means that she could have taken him; it means that she left him on purpose.

- She couldn't have taken him, - said Brac, - he was a baby and she was alone and only a woman; he was much better of left here with Uba, it was for his own good!

- Will Durc see it that way? Would you if it was your mother and you were his age?

Certainly not, thought Brac; he might, but Durc certainly not. But the boy had the right to know; it was something requiring deep analysis and long meditation. Being mog-ur, Brac realized, was a very complex thing, far more complex than being leader.

- Let's go back to what you did, - Goov was excited with the experience, - looking at the real world while flying like a bird in the spirit world is something I had never heard of. It has nothing to do with the drink we took; it is something within your mind. Do you think you could control it? Go where you want to go?

- I don't know, mog-ur, - said Brac, - It was frightening at first, but I think I could do it if I had a reference, something like a spiritual landmark, several landmarks, something to guide me.

- I don't know how to find spiritual landmarks, - said Goov thoughtfully, - but you are right, you need some sort of reference.

- The drums, maybe, - said Brac, - it was the first thing I noticed and I was drawn to the sound; that is how I found Ayla, Dus and the Others, they had a drummer or drummers with them. If we had a drummer with us, the sound would be a reference; it would let us fly around without drifting too far away, and we would be able to find our way back.

- Yes! A drummer! - Said Goov excitedly - I'll find us a drummer while you mix the ingredients. Do you remember the procedure?

- Yes, mog-ur, - said Brac, - but not now. The drink is good to go to the spirit world, but bad for my health; my head aches, and my stomach too, I think we should wait a day or two before another attempt, and I think I should see Uba.

- Pain and aches! - said Goov irritated, - It is not proper for a man to complain about pain and aches. The service of Ursus and the service of the Clan require of us to make a sacrifice of ourselves; there are some things that are far more important than a little pain or a little discomfort.

- I know, Mog-ur.

- And this is important! Think on what it could mean to the Clan! - insisted Goov - No more failed hunting trips; you could scout the area and find where the animals are before the hunters leave. You could find a woman, or a child, who gets lost and cannot come back to the camp. You could see if there are lions or wolves stalking the men or the camp. Think about it Brac!

- I know, Mog-ur, and I understand it is important, but our health is important too. - Brac was trying to be calm, and convincing - What good can I be to the Clan if I am dead? Or even if I am very sick? Look at yourself Mog-ur; you are younger than Broud and look older than Grod! How much longer are you going to live if you don't begin to care for your health? What are we going to do if you die, Mog-ur? Or if you become too sick before I am fully trained?

Goov agreed reluctantly that his acolyte might be right; Uba and Ovra had been telling him the same for years. Did he really look older than Grod? Surely Brac was exaggerating, all of them were exaggerating; maybe the young man was just afraid, the spirit world was always frightening at the beginning. He would give him time, a couple of days, but then he would repeat the experience; it was too exhilarating to forgo, and only Brac could take him there.

Brac walked slowly to find Uba, thinking about his experience and about his conversation with Goov. This spirit-world-flying-over-the-real-world could be really important, and he might try it again a couple of times before the Bear Ceremony. It would boost their standing among the other mog-urs. But he needed to be careful, Creb had lived long years while it was evident that Goov wouldn't, so it was up to him to decide what kind of mog-ur he wanted to be. Creb relied in his own concentration to meditate while Goov resorted more frequently to magic mushrooms, herbs and roots; and Brac's aching body was telling him those were harmful.

There was something else that worried him far more than developing this new skill or controlling his use of magical preparations, and that was the Others. He wanted to find out as much as he could about the Others, about Ayla and about Dus. He wanted to find out who was the tall man with yellow hair who loved Ayla with such force that could call her back from the spirit world. Who was that man with black skin who obviously cared for her too; was he one of the Others or was he a third kind of human? How could have Dus lived for so long? Why was a woman taking part in a ceremony with the sacred root? How could she have survived a death curse... twice?

Too many questions, too few answers; he was not going to meditate for seven years to find his answers, nor wait another seven years to decide what to do; he was going to do something soon, and that meant now. Looking around the camp, trying to find Uba, he saw Durc leading a small group of children; there was Grev and two boys of Grunt's clan. The boys reminded him of the wolf puppies he had observed last summer playing and training under the supervision of an adult wolf; even at that young age you could tell which one would become the alpha male, the leader of the pack. Durc was clearly that one despite his being the youngest of the four, and he was a restless boy; he was the one who convinced him to go after the wolves. Brac was too far away to see well what were they talking about, could it be something about the Others? The boys were talking with guarded gestures and that raised Brac's curiosity. Durc couldn't be talking about going after the Others, he was not that crazy. Or was he?

It was early in the evening and Brac was seated with Borg, Groob, Durc, Grev, Gub and Zorg around a big fire. Durc had been very, but very convincing, and having secured Brac's participation gave his plans a better chance of success. Brac had enlisted Borg and Groob, all of them had been accomplices in the wolves' affair last summer. Gub and Zorg were astounded to see three full-fledged hunters, one of them a future mog-ur, listening to Durc; and their admiration towards the strange deformed boy grew. With the three hunters their possibilities of actually getting to see the Others became real, and their excitement reached new and higher levels.

- This is just how many we are going to be, - was saying Brac, - and I don't want anybody else knowing about our plans. You are all forbidden to talk about this subject within the cave and its surroundings. Anybody else finds out and I am calling the whole thing off. Understood?

- What will we say if someone asks? - asked Gub

- We tell the truth, - said Durc making the boys of Grunt's clan nervous with his un-clan-like smile, - that we are going out with Brac, or Borg, or Groob, for tracking lessons and tracking practice; we don't have to say what are we going to track down. It worked with the wolves.

- But how do we get to go out for many days? - asked Zorg - We are going to need many days to find the others.

- We will work out a plan, - said Borg, - Brac is good at plans; Durc is good too, although his plans are a little too risky sometimes. But nothing gets done unless I approve first; I am the oldest one here and the most likely to get punished if something goes wrong. Understood?

- Understood, Borg, - chorused the four children.

- Now let's talk about something else, we are within the cave's surroundings, - said Groob. He was the youngest hunter and was as nervous as he was excited with the prospect of seeing the Others.

- Why don't you tell us about your womanhood hunt, Brac? - said Grev, - I am sure Gub and Zorg would like it.

- Yes, I am sure, - said Brac, - but it is Groob's story to tell.

- I think Durc should tell it, - countered Groob, - even if he wasn't there. He has seen the story told by Brac and me many times; he is a very good storyteller and he knows this one by heart.

- Well, - said Durc, who didn't need to be asked twice when it came to telling stories, - we were traveling along the river bank, searching for animals to organize Brac's manhood hunt, when Borg saw...

Durc, standing in front of the fire, mimicking Borg and Groob while stalking the reindeer, was quite a sight to his audience. His theatrical talent captured the attention and fired the imagination of adults and children alike. Soon a small group of women and children of all ages congregated around the fire to watch him; and after the first one, more stories were told by the untiring performer, until Uba came out of the cave to call everybody to bed.

The spring went by very quickly and soon the summer took hold of the prairie, the big herds came to feed in the tall grasses in great numbers and the hunters had their pick of prey to choose. One day at mid-afternoon a boy came running to where Grunt and Vorn were talking about the distribution of the meat, hides and other proceedings from the last hunts.

- A clan is coming! A clan is coming from the south!

It turned out to be Norg's Clan. They had been the second-ranked clan at the end of the last gathering, so they were given a space within the cave to occupy. All other clans coming to the Gathering would have to camp outside for the whole summer; not being able to provide a suitable accommodation within the cave to all their visitors was a setback for the host clan, but one that couldn't be avoided. The alternative was to pass and give another clan the chance to host the gathering, and that was unthinkable.

Norg was old; younger than Brun but older than Crug, he would probably be the oldest leader at the gathering. His clan was diminished too; they were either too old or too young, most young adults had left the clan to start a new one, and Norg's refusal to give up leadership had been the main if not the only cause. But Norg wanted to be leader of the first clan; he knew that Broud would be leader this time, and he knew he could beat Broud. The news that Vorn was the new leader of the first clan took him by surprise, but in the time since Crug visited his cave had had the time to asses the new situation. Vorn was, after all, only a temporary leader ant that by itself debilitated his position.

The arrival of Norg's clan changed the whole mood of the cave; it marked the beginning of the Clan Gathering. Soon, more clans would be arriving and setting their traveling tents to one side of the clearing in front of the cave; the excitement of seeing new people, and meeting old friends and relatives, replaced the comfort of daily life. It was known that two clans were not coming; one had been disbanded, some of its members joining the new clan formed by the young adults of Norg's clan, the others scattered among several other clans. The other clan had disappeared; their old cave destroyed by the earthquake, no one had been able to track them to their new home. Grunt, at Vorn's suggestion, sent two hunters to keep guard at their old cave to see if they went there; but the two men were gone a week already and would only wait for three more weeks.

With the arrival of Norg's clan, Durc became again the target for gossip and curiosity. Many remembered the tall pale medicine woman of the first clan, and the news that she was dead only confirmed their opinion on the bad luck that marked the life of children born to unmated women. Nonetheless, Durc's acceptance on the part of the host clan's children, along with his personal magnetism and natural leadership, had him most of the time surrounded by a small, but growing, band of children of about his age. Despite his outgoing personality, Durc was very careful not to say a world about the Others in the presence of the new children; now that his plans counted with the backing of Borg, Brac and Groob, he was not taking any risks.

Not being able to talk about the wolves or the others, conversation often centered on his late mother; and inevitably drifted to his promised mate. Ura's clan hadn't arrived yet, Norg's clan has visited them in their way to the gathering and it was known they were coming a couple days later. Durc was too young to think about mating or to really get interested in girls yet; but all the talking made him begin to think about it, and made him curious. Who was that Ura? How would she look like? All he knew was that Mama had arranged for her to be his mate, and now the boys said she was deformed. Was he really being given a deformed woman to mate?

- You are just as deformed as she is, Durc, - said Uba, - and you don't look deformed to me. You are just a little like us and a little like your Mama, Ura will surely be a little like us and a little like the man of the Others whose totem defeated Oda's.

- But mother, - Durc was actually worried, - what if she is really deformed? I mean really, really, really deformed? The boys say she is going to be very ugly.

- I've told you, Durc, - insisted Uba, - she will not be more deformed nor uglier than you are. And the looks are not important anyway, what is important is that she is hard working, obedient, worthy of you; and I am sure she is.

But Durc was not convinced, and the day when the clan with the deformed girl that was promised to the son of the first clan's medicine woman arrived, Durc stayed away until it was time to go to bed. When he finally came into the cave, Uba called him to their hearth. Seated in front the small fire, their backs to him, were what seemed to be a woman of about Oga's age, a girl of about his age and another girl two or three years younger, he knew who they were. But as he came around the fire to see them and greet them, his worst fears became real, his face blanched and a knot tightened the pit of his stomach. In front of him, seated between a middle-aged woman and a normal girl, was the ugliest young woman he had ever seen.

Ura stayed at Vorn's hearth that night. As the leader, it was his responsibility to provide for any unmated woman or any motherless child in his clan, unless and until some other man agreed to take him or her. Sleeping, for the first time on her life, away from her mother in a strange hearth and among strange people, was very hard on the girl and she cried quietly the whole night. Here eyes had always been weak, and she tried to hide her tears knowing how upset they made other people; she had wanted to make a good impression on the clan of her future mate, but everything had gone wrong.

All her life, while she was being ridiculed, despised and called "ugly useless brat" by the other children and most of the adults of her clan, she had clinged to her mother's promise of a high status mate on the first ranked clan. In the long nights, alone in her bed, she had dreamed herself a bright future with a strong handsome mate who would find her beautiful and who would give her and her children lots of food and wonderful furs; and would not let anyone speak badly of her. But the real life had its own way to crush a girl's dreams; not only was her future mate a horribly deformed ugly child, but even he despised her. He could see it in his eyes, and in his whole body language; he found her as disgusting as everybody else did. But who was he to despise her? He was as ugly and deformed as no man had ever been! And he was certainly not a man, not even a grown up boy; he was just a child! Almost a baby! Was she really going to be given to that ugly deformed baby child? Life was so unfair!

Durc was out of the cave before the first light in the morning; he didn't want to think in that Ura girl, he didn't want to see her, he'd rather think in his plan to find the Others. It was a good plan, and he was impatient to find Brac alone to talk about it; but Brac had been up earlier than him, and was with the mog-urs and their acolytes in the place of the spirits. The boy went to Gub's hearth, shared breakfast with his new friend and then went to look for Zorg and Grev. By the time the four friends got together, Brac came walking across the clearing in front of the cave and was quickly sequestered by the boys.

- I think I know how we can get away for a few days, Brac, - said Durc, - but Borg and Groob will have to help.

- I am listening, - said Brac.

- Remember Grod's new net? We could organize a fishing trip for you to teach us how to use it. - Durc was enthusiastic - We could plan to stay a few days by the river. Nobody will object if three hunters are going with us.

- It is not bad idea, - agreed Brac, - but we will have to hurry; soon other clans are coming and when the competitions and ceremonies begin we won't be able to go away for more than one day. I will talk to Borg and Groob; maybe we can leave tomorrow.

As it turned out, Brac and Durc's plan was facilitated by the fact that Grunt left the cave with the older hunters for an extended hunting trip; Vorn stayed at the cave while Brun, Grod and Crug joined the hunting party. Being more aware of the danger posed by the Others, Grunt would most probably not allowed the expedition; but Vorn, being used to Brac's outings with the children, found no reason to object, all the more so given that Borg and Groob were going along. Gub and Zorg's mothers were accompanying the hunters, and the old woman in charge of the children of Grunt's cave didn't dare to object to an invitation to the children from the young hunters of the first ranked clan. When the sun appeared over the horizon, the seven young men were already traveling northwest at a fast pace. The only restriction set by Vorn was to stay in their side of the river; none of them would dare to disobey.

As soon as they arrived to the river, they set up their traveling tents and began their preparations. The first thing was to actually train the boys in the throwing techniques of the round umbrella shaped net, so they could tell at their cave what had they learned. The net was a difficult tool to master, but by the evening Brac had managed to catch a few small fish that they ate that same night. The children of Grunt's clan hadn't seen a net like that before, and were genuinely interested. After the practice, and before going to sleep, the young men had identified a place in the riverbank, close to their camp, where to build a pool to keep their fish. Since there were no women with them to prepare the fish, they had to keep their catch alive or it would spoil very fast. To do that, they looked for a place they could isolate with medium sized rocks and stones from the rest of the river, forming a small shallow pool from which the fish could not escape. Having done that they all went to sleep.

The next morning they were ready to begin their search for the Others. They divided their group in three. Borg and Durc went looking upriver for a party of Others that could be seen from their side of the river while Groob and Grev went exploring down river. Brac stayed at the camp with Gub and Zorg, building the rock pool and practicing with the net. If some Others were found, one of the two who found them would run back to call the rest of the group while the other one would stay stalking them. Unfortunately no Others were found that day, but Gub and Zorg managed to catch their first fish, which they ate raw. Brac got a handful of medium sized trout, which were put in the rock pool. The second day at the river was pretty much like the first one, and no Others were found; but Borg and Durc reported having seen a high cliff on their side of the river from which would be able to see very far into the prairies of the Others side. The place was about a day upriver, but Brac said that it was too late already and that they should return to the cave; Borg and Groob agreed to the disappointment of the four children.

The morning of the third day at the river, the fourth of their expedition, the seven young men started the trip back to the cave very early. Even though they were carrying several handfuls of good sized fish, the mood was down and the pace was far less enthusiastic than it had been three days ago; they had found no Others. To make things worse, Grunt had been back from the hunting expedition earlier than anticipated; and despite the high spirits associated to a successful hunt he hadn't liked to learn that two of the boys of his cave were gone in an expedition to the river. Although the boys had been properly granted permission and therefore no one deserved a punishment, Grunt forbade any future trips of the boys of his cave to the river. Not wanting to be unfair, he also congratulated the boys for the fish they caught and for their interest in a new fishing tool. In fact he was very interested in the possibilities offered by that net and announced that he was going to ask Grod to show it to the hunters of his clan. But for the four boys, their failure in finding the Others was worse than any reprimand or punishment they could receive from Grunt, and not compensated by his praise.

Brac was flying over the same landscape he had traveled with his six young friends only a few days before, the steady beat of the clan drum eased his mind and gave him a sense of safety. It was his third travel and like the two first times, his mentor was with him, but it was Brac who guided. The second time they had tried this new ceremony Brac had hovered close around the cave, afraid of getting lost, but the sound of the drum played by the acolyte of Grunt's mog-ur had given him the point of reference he needed. This time he was confident enough to attempt going farther, still he was very aware of the sound of the drum and very decided to abort the trip as soon as he began to loose it; but it didn't happen, and in a few minutes Brac and Goov were looking at the rock pool where the boys had kept their fish and flying upriver towards the cliff Borg and Durc had seen. The place was a day's walk from the fishing camp, but Goov and Brac took less than an hour to get there and, seeing something far to the north, Brac turned towards it flying over the Others territory.

Goov's anxiety was so strong that it became noticeable even to Brac's untrained senses, but the sound of the steady beat of the drum plus his youth gave Brac the confidence to go on. As they approached they saw it was a large herd of onagers running south, something had scared them; then the strange, yet familiar, sound of another drum suddenly jolted Brac's brain. Fear replaced the excitement and the young acolyte turned fast south, away from the frightening and at the same time compelling strange sound. Concentrating on the clan drum, Brac closed his eyes and let himself to be drawn to it; when the feeling of floating in the air ceased the young man opened his eyes to the ceremonial fire in the place of the spirits of the host clan. Goov opened his eyes too, and, with an almost imperceptible nod, ordered Kaz to stop the drumming. The young acolyte looked at the mog-ur of the first clan with mixed feelings of fear and awe, not being a man yet, he could not participate in ceremonies and was only allowed to help; but he could tell both men had been traveling the spirit world.

- You did well, Kaz, - said Goov, - I might even ask your mog-ur to let you help us for the Bear Ceremony. But now we need to meditate alone.

The Bear ceremony! Kaz was overwhelmed, and terrified; but he would not let his fear show. Quietly he stood up, took his ceremonial drum, and left the two men alone.

- We have to go, - said Brac, - the onagers will be there by tomorrow night, and we have to be there too.

- Why? It is a day's walk at least.

- We must know for sure if they are real.

- And if they aren't?

- We must know for sure.

Goov meditated for a long time; Brac was right, of course, but the perspective of walking for a long day and climbing a high cliff didn't appeal to him.

- Nobody must know yet, - said Goov, - not until and unless we are completely sure. What are we going to say?

- We could take Durc and Grev for a short expedition before the Gathering occupies all of our time; - said Brac, - one of hose boys is going to be the leader of our clan, they require special training. And they must learn about this new ceremony eventually.

- But we cannot go away with the boys without further protection, - said Goov, - you and I are not the strongest hunters of the clan.

- We could take Borg for protection, - said Brac, - we could also take Groob if more protection is needed.

- Borg and Groob, - repeated Goov slowly looking directly at Brac's eyes, - with Grev and Durc; the wolf pack rides again, ah?

Brac couldn't hold Goov's gaze and looked immediately down, embarrassed, worried and a little afraid.

- You cannot hide anything from me, Brac, - said Goov, - but your explanations can wait; we have to focus in what we have at hands now. I think yours is a good plan. I will talk to Vorn, he will tell Borg, you tell the children. Tell them only that they are going out with us for a couple of days, don't tell them anything about the ceremony yet. They will be happy with just a second trip to the river.

The six young men arrived to the top of the cliff long after the sunset; the light of the full moon along with the gentle slope in the south face of the cliff helped them to get there. They set up their traveling tents and built a small fire to keep away unwanted visitors, then the group sat around the fire where Goov began to explain the meaning of some of the most ancient legends of the clan. Despite the long trip and having stayed awake until very late, the whole group was up before the first light; for different reasons they were all filled with anticipation, this time none of them would be disappointed.

Across the river, a herd of onagers was grazing on the new grasses of the prairie; Goov and Brac realized very excitedly that they were the same herd they had seen two days ago in their spirit travel. Both men realized the powerful implications of the new ceremony; they were bound to give the other mog-urs an astounding demonstration at the bear ceremony. They exchanged looks realizing that the boys accompanying them were going to have to be told; and therefore, Vorn and most of the hunters of their clan would have to be told too. But the day had more surprises for them; Borg's young, trained eyes had seen something else to the northwest.

- Look! Something is stalking the onagers! - said the young hunter pointing to the prairie beyond the herd.

They all looked and saw several small figures, hidden in the high grasses, crawling slowly towards the herd. The onagers were downwind from the cliff, and they could surely get the scent of the men of the clan, but the men were high on the cliff and at the other side of the river so the horse-like animals were not really afraid of them. Their stalkers, however, were downwind from the herd, and the distraction provided by the scent of the clan hunters facilitated their approach. There were about eight small figures, spread wide apart in a line parallel to the river, but the clan hunters could not tell what they were and their hunting tactic was incomprehensible to them. When they were close enough that the onagers began to show some nervousness, one of the stalkers jumped and run to the herd screaming loud sounds that the clan men couldn't recognize; the other stalkers jumped and ran ahead too while the onagers, trapped between the river and the screaming predators panicked and scattered in all directions.

- Others! - It was Durc who expressed what all of them were thinking.

The Others were carrying long but very narrow spears, obviously too fragile to be effective, and they had no chance of ever getting close to their fleeing prey anyway. Charging all of them at the same time was also the best way to scare off the onagers; these Others were the worst hunters they had ever seen. But the clan hunters were in for a surprise, after running a short distance the Others began to throw their spears at the onagers, and when the dust of the escaping herd settled, six animals were down with the tiny spears sticking out from their sides. The Others, there were nine of them actually, run to the downed animals to finish them off; the clan hunters were agape.

That night, at the fire, the conversation went around the events of that last day. They had moved their camp a little downhill so that the others, who had camped at the riverbank, couldn't see their fire.

- Six animals! - it was Vorn, the only one who knew the counting words to express it that way, who stressed the point - Six animals with only nine hunters!

- And three of the hunters were women, - added Brac, who was also begining to learn about numbers, - I am sure of that.

- And the men went to work on the animals, - said Groob, - doing the women's job.

- Yes, that is true, - confirmed Brac, - I think that only two of the women went to work on the animals, one of them was on guard duty with a spear.

- Calm down everybody, - said Goov, - I am sure there is an explanation to all what we have seen here today. Brac and I will meditate and find the answers we are all searching for; but now there is something very important I have to tell you. We knew we were going to find the onagers here today; that is, Brac and I knew.

The four youngsters stayed quiet waiting for what their mog-ur had to tell them. Goov explained about the new ceremony that Brac and himself had been practicing and about the necessity to keep it as a secret of their clan until after the bear ceremony. For the second night in a row, the clan men stayed late into the night talking. Early next morning, after checking on the Others who were working at their prey, the six young men started the trip back to Grunt's cave. Another surprise awaited them there; while they had been away two more clans had arrived, the second one bringing a girl of the Others with them. The whole camp was in an uproar; a meeting of the six leaders and their mog-urs was being called for that very night to deal with the problem.

The six leaders and their mog-urs gathered around the fire to discuss the problem of the girl of the Others brought by one of the clans. This simple fact was a clear indication of Grunt's lack of status; seven years earlier Norg, as leader of the host clan, had taken upon himself the prerogative of accepting or refusing Ayla.

- I think this must be done quickly, - said Norg openly challenging Vorn's position as leader of the first ranked clan by speaking first, - anyone with a reason to let Roug's clan stay with their girl may talk now; otherwise…

- Otherwise we will act with precipitation, - interrupted Vorn, standing up and looking around at the other eleven men, - which is something we must not do.

This first test of willpower was to go Vorn's way. Looking at each of the four remaining leaders in the eyes Vorn secured the support of Grunt, Roug and Dorn, who was the young leader of the newest clan. Nobody said a word, but the set of their jaws and the way they looked at him and at Norg was enough; only the leader of the clan who brought Uba supported Norg. Secure in his position, Vorn continued.

- I think we must hear the complete story before we commit ourselves to an opinion, - said Vorn looking at Roug, - Tell us, how is it that a girl of the Others happens to come to a Clan Gathering?

Vorn took seat while Roug stood up to tell his story.

- The girl is the daughter of our medicine woman, - began Roug, the leader of the least ranked clan, - and she is Clan.

Looks of shocked annoyance were exchanged among the audience, but no comments were made. They were the highest ranked men in their own clans and no one was to repeat Norg's breach of protocol at a formal meeting.

- As you know, we live very far to the northeast, no other clan is known to live farther that way, - continued Roug, - but no clan of the Others is known to live anywhere close to us either. When we came back home from the last Clan Gathering, however, we found our cave taken by a group of Others. They had killed the one hunter we left behind to protect the cave and the elders who stayed behind. We found out they were not too many and, fortunately, not too strong either; it seemed like as if they had been wandering for some time, looking for a cave, they were half starved and very weak too. But they fought us viciously, men and women alike, and we lost our leader before we could kill them all. They had no children with them but a couple of their women were pregnant, and when we finally came into our cave, we found a newborn baby girl hidden inside. She couldn't have been born more than a couple days earlier.

Roug had everyone's attention now.

- The baby was very small and very weak, probably born too early, she couldn't even hold her head up; but seemed an otherwise normal healthy girl of the Others, - continued Roug, - and we decided to keep her. Our medicine woman was old and only had sons, and we had failed getting a daughter of some medicine women at the gathering; so we decided to give the girl of the Others to her to train. We knew that the medicine woman of the first clan had been born to the Others, and didn't have the memories, but still became first medicine woman at the last gathering; so we decided to try. When the mog-ur said it was her naming day we named her Ena and accepted her into our clan. She was born to the Others but she is Clan now, she has been clan all her life.

Roug sat down and Vorn nodded, the story was somewhat similar to that of Ayla.

- So now she is your future medicine woman - it was more a statement than a question from Vorn.

- Not exactly, - said the mog-ur of Roug's clan, - A girl was born to our medicine woman the following summer; she will carry on her line. But the girl Ena is well trained, the first medicine woman had a son and I thought it was unlikely that she would become pregnant again, not with her Cave Lion totem; I though that she might want Ena, that is why we didn't leave her at the cave when we came to the gathering.

- Ayla is dead; - said Vorn, slowly, - my mate, Uba, is our medicine woman now and she was born to Iza's line. Uba is very young and she has already produced a healthy son to my hearth; - continued saying Vorn, unable and unwilling to hide his pride, - there is no reason to think that she won't produce in the future a girl to carry on with her line.

Without saying it, Vorn was politely refusing Ena; he still expected Broud to recover his leadership and he knew Broud wouldn't like another woman of the Others in their Clan. The downside of it was that his refusal would probably cost him Roug's support. But Roug had knowingly put himself in trouble by lack of good sense and Vorn was not about to help him out of it; that was why Roug's clan was the least ranked anyway, the lack of good sense of their leaders. The discussion went well into the night but one thing was evident, Ena had been named and accepted into the clan and there was a precedent; Roug couldn't be sent back home because of her. At the end it was decided that Roug's clan could stay, but Ena wouldn't be allowed out of her tent except late at nights and she wouldn't be allowed to participate in any of the activities of the gathering. In the following days three more clans had arrived, and the hunters sent by Grunt to their old cave were back without having found anyone; the lost clan seemed definitely lost and the official activities of the Clan Gathering began with an opening ceremony conducted by the nine mog-urs led by Goov.

Durc was beginning to feel the pressure of the prejudice against his deformity; with almost two hundred disapproving people gathered, his charismatic personality had little chance to be noticed. Still, his position as future leader of his clan did cut him some slack, mostly out of courtesy, and he was allowed to participate in the informal competitions for boys. His speed at the races called more attention to him than his deformity, but it was his skill with the bola and the sling what really gained him notoriety and made him the main subject of gossip around the camp. But the boys' competitions didn't really count, and it was Broud who became the center of attention when he surprised everybody announcing his participation in the strength competition with the club. The surprise was complete when the limping man won easily the competition over other taller and actually bigger men; so when he announced his intention to take part in the bola throwing contest he was immediately considered the favorite.

The bola throwing contest was a direct elimination process. All clans had to name at least one and no more than three hunters to represent them; Crug, Borg and Broud were named to represent Vorn's clan. At the first round Crug managed to hit the post, but failed to wrap the weapon around it Borg and Broud made perfect throws as well as five other hunters, two of them from Norg's clan. After the second round, only four of the seven contestants were left; Broud, Borg, Dorn and one of Norg's men. By the third round the arms of the men were tiring and aching from the effort of throwing the heavy weapon, only Broud and Dorn managed to make perfect throws. The two men paired against each other two more times without any of them failing the throw, but by the sixth round Dorn's pain was evident, he was covered in sweat and massaging his right shoulder with his left hand while Broud limped to the throwing line. Broud was covered in sweat too, but the look on his face while he turned to look at his competitor was one of boredom; without much preparation he made a perfect throw, his sixth, and limped slowly to recover his weapon while everyone looking made awed and admiring comments, that was when he won. Dorn understood that it was useless, that cripple was just heating up, he would make a handful more perfect throws before beginning to get tired; standing at the throwing line, he knew he was ultimately going to loose and he did; his throw missed the target entirely.

Broud was aware of all the attention his triumphs had drawn to himself, but he wasn't really happy, nor was he enjoying the many activities of the clan gathering; the former leader stayed mostly at his fire inside the cave with his mate and her little daughter. He hated to be around the camp, the name, Ayla, followed him everywhere; not only was everybody asking about the late first medicine woman, but it also seemed that every single little girl born after the gathering had been named after her. He felt better alone in his hearth, Erga was at her crawling stage and the baby was inexplicably attracted to the grumpy mate of her mother; against his own will, Broud melted to the freely offered love of the daughter of his hearth. But even as he hugged the little baby that crawled up his lap to play with his beard, Broud dreamed of the time when he would make all the traitors pay. He had proved them that he was the strongest, that he was the best; his arm hurt as if it was about to break apart at his elbow but he hadn't let anyone notice, he had showed them all who was Broud. Soon he would find a way to hunt again and then he would demand to be reinstated as leader, soon, very soon.

Groob was very nervous standing in front of his work and was unable to hide it, a jury conformed by all the nine clan leaders had been closely examining the stones he had selected and the tools he had displayed on a mat. The toolmaking contest was a subtle one, the qualification was entirely subjective; the leaders would judge his ability to select the best raw stone as well as the quality of the tools he brought to show at the gathering. Any man could enter the contest, there was no limit, but only the five best would be selected to make a public demonstration of their skill; Groob was the only one from Vorn's clan and the prejudice against his young age was his first hindrance. After judging the work of all thirty contestants, Grunt, the host leader called the five finalists.

- Daub!...

A man, older than Crug, sat down slowly in front of his mat.

- Creb!...

A young man of about Borg's age sat down clutching fervently his amulet. Creb had become a popular name in that generation.

- Brug!...

Groob grabbed his amulet hard and sent a silent prayer to his totem; twenty other young men were doing pretty much the same.

- Groob!...

The young man fell heavily on the ground in front of his displayed work, too agitated to hear the fifth and last name. Looking ahead he saw the nine leaders take seat in front of the five finalists while all the other contestants were taking their tools and stone to clear the field; behind the leaders, in front of all the women and children, Igra was looking at him. Groob examined critically the stones he had brought, he had selected them without the help of Droog, as was the requirement of the contest; he would have to take two stones and obtain one axe, one awl, one scraper and as many knifes as possible... as fast as possible. The sharp sound of the stone hammers prompted him into action, but once the process began, his concentration was absolute; when he was finished only two new knives were on display apart of the obligatory tools. Groob stood up and looked around, he was the second one to finish; the first one, Brug, had three knives.

Daub was the third one to stand up, he had four knives; a few moments later the man whose name Groob hadn't heard was the fifth and last to finish. The judges would take into account the speed and the quantity, but most of all, the quality of the tools; Brug's work was examined first, his awl and one of his knives were discarded due to poor quality. Groob work was judged and all of his tools elicited approving nods from the nine leaders; Daub's work was also approved in its totality, it was clear that he was leading the contest. Of the other two men one had his axe discarded, it was a disastrous blow, the hand axe was the easiest tool to make; the other one had all his tools approved, Groob felt his chance at the second place lost, the man had three knives. But the leaders discussed for a long time and at the end Groob was awarded the second place; he had made one knife less but his tools were of a superior quality, in spite of the fact that he had worked faster. Daub was undisputedly the best toolmaker, but he wished he could have measured his skill against Droog and not against the son of his hearth. Right after Grunt announced Groob's second place Vorn took him by the shoulder to congratulate him.

- Well done Groob, - said the leader, very ceremoniously, - Droog will be proud of you, we all are.

All the hunters of Vorn's clan crowded around the young man to congratulate him. He had been the youngest man ever to enter a competition where experience was just as important as skill. Nobody doubted who was to be the best toolmaker of the clan in the years to come, and Vorn took the merit not only for his training, but for his maturity. Groob looked around hoping to see someone, but Igra was nowhere to be seen.

Ura stayed most of the time within arm's reach from Uba, she helped the medicine woman with the gathering and the cooking, she also took care of baby Creb, who was in his nursing year, but liked to run away all around the camp causing his mother to worry. With Ura's help, Uba soon could spend more time with other medicine women, exchanging knowledge and experiences. The birth of Ovra's daughter was a particularly impressive story that began to circulate boosting the prestige of the novel medicine woman of the first clan. Broud's leg, however, was something more open to discussion. While some said it was amazing how Broud could have traveled to the clan gathering and even managed to win some contests, his incredible recovery was in itself a set back, for it made more notorious the twisted way in which his leg bone had healed.

Ura thus became a familiar figure within Vorn's hearth, and even Durc grew slowly accustomed to her once he stopped thinking that he would have to actually mate the ugly girl. Ura also began to get accustomed to Durc, and to appreciate his intelligence and personal charisma; she specially admired and found inspiring the way he made other boys, even older boys, forget about his deformity and actually follow his lead. The fact that he was the future leader was also something that changed entirely her point of view, being mated to the leader of the first clan largely exceeded her wildest dreams. Besides, not only Uba but every one in her new clan was nice with her, well, everyone but that big bad cripple who won the bola contest; except for how much she missed her mother, she liked this new clan very much more than her own. So she decided she would win that boy's interest; if he could make other boys, even the son of the mate of the leader of the host clan, forget that he was deformed and follow him, she too could make him forget about her own deformity.

Durc was wandering in the night around the camp, alone, thinking. That throwing spear of the others was simply amazing but he would not have believed it if he hadn't seen it. Grev had made a couple of long thin spears and they had been trying them in secret, but the damm things didn't fly well; they couldn't make them fly straight unless they made slow, weak, throws that lacked the force to pierce a hide. The new spears tended to fly nose up and land nose up; and worse, Grev seemed unable to throw them any appreciable distance, his friend's arms were not capable of some movements he could do. Was there some magic in those spears of the Others? Something that made it impossible for the Clan to use them? Maybe Brac could have an idea; Brac was the most intelligent person he knew, well, after Brun of course. Would it be wise to ask Brun? No, Brun had said spears were not for throwing, Brun had been wrong; it would be very unwise to tell Brun that he was wrong. Suddenly a muffled sound caught his attention, and sent his heart pumping wild; it was a sound he hadn't heard in years.

- Mama? - Whispered Durc, and immediately heard an audible gasp.

After a long silence, Durc heard another muffled sob; someone was crying, nobody else in the Clan cried; only Mama cried, alone and hidden, when Broud had been mean to her.

- Mama? - Durc had all his senses at maximum attention, and he was good at it; tracking the wolves had taught him a lot.

And then he saw her in the dark. Sitting on the ground and almost hidden under a bush, with her arms bracing her long straight legs and her chin buried in her knees, was the strangest of all girls. Save for her long hair, raven black instead of golden, and her tearful eyes of the most amazing green instead of blue, that girl looked just like Mama; to Durc, she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

- There is a girl of the Others somewhere in the camp! - said Durc, - I saw her last night, Brac!

- Yes, there is one; she came with Roug's clan.

The boy and the young acolyte were gathered with their five friends, including Gub and Zorg. The seven young men used to hang around together most of the time. Now that the competitions were almost over, Brac had very little free time and spent most of his time involved in the esoteric activities of the mog-urs; therefore he cherished the time spent with his young friends. Most boys at the gathering avoided Durc due to his deformity, and sometimes called him names; but Gub and Zorg were used to him, and being with Durc gave them the opportunity to hang around with three real hunters. Despite the insults, they knew the other boys envied them.

- Have you talked to her?

- Can she talk properly?

- I heard she is too tall and very ugly, have you really seen her?

All the boys were talking to Durc at the same time.

- Yes, I did see her, - said Durc, - but only for an instant, and it was very dark. When she saw me she ran away and disappeared.

- She can't be so ugly then, - said Groob, teasing the boy, - you scared her off because you are uglier!

- Did she really outrun you? - Gub was incredulous - How could she do that?

- Actually she didn't, - said Durc, - I tripped in the dark and fell, when I got up again there was no sign of her.

- Her name is Ena, - said Brac getting immediately everyone's attention, - and she is staying inside one of their tents. - Being acolyte he had better sources, the best in fact. - She is not allowed to leave her tent except at night and on condition that she talks to no one.

- She is about your same age, Durc, - continued Brac, - she talks properly and has been training to be medicine woman. She is also very tall, I'd say she is half a head taller than you, and yes, she is very ugly, but not half as ugly as you are, man!

Durc fell to the ground after a hard shove from Brac, soon all of them were teasing him over his ugliness, but in that friendly way Durc was used to.

- Is she uglier than Ura? - asked Grev after they all calmed down.

- I don't know if she is ugly, really, - said Brac, pensively, - she is just different. She reminds me very much of Ayla, only with black hair. And Ura? Come on Durc, Ura looks just like you!

But the boys of Grunt's clan were not interested in Ura.

- Ayla? What Ayla? - Zorg knew it was not the young daughter of his clan's medicine woman.

- Ayla is, was, Durc's real mother; - said Borg, - she was born to the Others, she is dead now.

Brac had to make a conscious effort not to contradict Borg, but the boys of Grunt's clan were very excited.

- Your mother was one of the Others?

- Why didn't you tell us?

- How was she like?

- What...?

Durc tried to answer the best he could to the infinite questions; but the truth was, he didn't remember all that many details about Mama, he just missed her so much...

The nine mog-urs were gathered in the seclusion the cave's place of the spirits, Goov did his best to explain that the root ceremony, as Creb did it, could not be repeated without Creb; but that a new ceremony could be held with the same root. The loss of Creb's incredible mental powers was a considerable set back to his standing; and the flute-playing mog-ur, a new one almost as young as Goov himself, was making the most of it. But Goov counted with the strong support of the mog-ur of the host clan, Goov has asked him for his young acolyte's help with the drum, which was a privilege; of course it had to be explained that the boy would help without actually participating in the ceremony. After a long discussion, Goov was allowed to proceed.

The selection of the three men for the bear ceremony was a hard one, this time no man had been protagonist in many competitions, many different names were heard at the various contests. Vorn had easily won the races, just as he did seven years ago against the very same men when they were boys, and Dorn had won the running-an-spear-stabbing; but they were leaders, leaders were not usually considered for the dangerous ceremony. Broud was the only man to win two competitions, but he was a cripple; just as Daub, who won the toolmaking contest, was considered to be too old. Norg's clan had won the hunt dance competition, but none of his hunters had won an individual contest. At the end, three young men were selected, including a young man from Norg's Clan, who had ended second in one competition and third in another two; Grunt's clan was also represented but no man from Vorn's clan was selected. The bear ceremony was as dramatic as always, but no one died or got too seriously hurt. Goov ordered Uba to prepare the sacred drink from the secret root and gave her a new red-dyed wooden bowl to put it in; telling her that the new ceremony required a new bowl. That way he came around the problem of the broken ancient bowl without mentioning its loss, which might have called the attention of the spirits in a not so favorable way. Uba was not too happy about it, but she had to obey Goov; she had been trained along with Ayla in the magic preparation seven years ago, she had the root in her medicine bag, she had no excuse.

The secret drink from the root was, for Brac, a mind blowing experience; suddenly he could feel the minds of the other twelve men inside his, he could see and feel their most intimate thoughts and feelings and knew they all shared his. But after the initial surprise, Brac took control, he had practiced this with Goov, he could not afford feeling afraid or even undecided. Making a conscious effort, and surprising everybody by taking the initiative despite being an acolyte, Brac flew over the camp and took the eleven astounded men and Goov with him. Using the knowledge in each of the other men's brains, Brac took them west, reached the small inland sea and followed its southern coast to find Dorn's cave. Then, after a short fly-by, he took his awed entourage in a round trip to all of their caves, one after another, ending at Roug's cave. To finish the trip, Brac decided to find some animals to hunt, closer to Grunt's cave; after the shock of realizing the practical side of Brac's power, the nine mog-urs and their acolytes helped him in the search. Soon a small herd of red deer was found hidden in a secluded narrow valley less than half a morning away. Having found what he wanted, Brac closed his and everyone else's eyes and concentrated in the sound of the drum. Drifting back to the cave, Brac reminded himself not to open his eyes until the floating sensation ended and shuddered in fear at the possible consequences of doing it too soon; all the other mog-urs and acolytes shared his thoughts. Suddenly, as he had practiced with Goov, Brac broke contact with the other men and left them to find their own way back; feeling, despite their training, their blood chill as soon as they were alone, they remembered to keep their eyes closed. When Brac opened his eyes to a circle of astounded magicians, no matter how hard they tried, no one was able to disguise his awe; Goov was looking at him with pride.

- Hunters, a small party, - said Goov ceremoniously, - one of every clan. Tomorrow, first light.

The mog-urs looked at each other, they had to know for sure; if the deer were found, Goov would secure the first ranked position Creb had held... and Brac would too after him.

The hunting party was rapidly assembled, Dorn decided to go representing his clan but Vorn, the youngest of all leaders, decided to send Crug, his best hunter. He had plans for that morning. The night before, while the mog-urs were at their private ceremony, he had held a private meeting with his advisors.

- Are you sure? - asked Vorn. They were inside the cave; everybody was outside making good use of the last days of the gathering to socialize with the exception of Broud, who was alone in his hearth.

- I am reasonably sure, - said Brun, - You count with Grunt and no one else, Norg counts with two supporters and Dorn counts only with Roug, the two other leaders are undecided. If you convinced one of them it wouldn't matter that the other went with Dorn; Grunt, being the host, would tip the balance to your favor.

- But if he went to Norg... - Grod left it there.

- You could pull a master move if you took one from Norg, - said Brun, - and you could do just that by asking for Oda. She is a third woman at the leader's hearth; her former mate gave her away when she produced a third girl.

- But how would it help us? - asked Vorn.

- Three ways, - explained Brun, - first you show that you can afford to take three new nonproductive women into your clan and provide for them. Second, you will be doing that man a big favor, and he is sided with Norg now; just make sure to let him know that you expect his support in exchange. And third; once you prove yourself by snatching one of Norg's supporters, the undecided will most assuredly lean to support you.

- Dorn will be no problem, he is too young, - said Grod, - he just wants to get back at Norg, but he tries too hard. And Roug is with him only because Norg is the one who wanted him out of the gathering.

It was very unusual for Grod to speak so much, Vorn thought carefully about his second-in-command's words.

- I am younger, - countered Vorn. - I am the youngest leader here.

- Youth usually means inexperience, selfishness and impulsiveness, - said Brun, - so you must show maturity, self-control. Dorn loves to be noticed, you must prefer your clan to be noticed. Show confidence; call attention to you by calling attention to your clan. Uba is first despite her young age, as Iza was. Broud won two contests with his bad leg. You won the race yourself, and Groob's second place at toolmaking is worth two first places. Goov and Brac have all the other mog-urs open mouthed and even I was considered the second best storyteller. Ebra won the women's story telling and our other women also did well with their handiwork; even our babies are the healthiest and best behaved of all the clans. This year the competition is very even and if you weren't so young, and worse, a temporary leader, you could have been considered first already.

The conversation had lasted until the feast of the bear ceremony began, and Broud, listening in silence from his fire, hadn't missed a word. Vorn had meditated the whole night about the things said, and now he was planning not one but two daring moves. Before the hunting party returned, he talked to Roug about Ena. He implied that his clan had not enough women, since their women produced so much more boys than girls, and that they had the experience to deal with girls of the others. He also implied that he highly appreciated Roug's foresight at training the girl in medicine, and how considerate had Roug been bringing the girl to the gathering for Ayla. It worked beautifully. Roug knew that being asked for one of his women by another clan was considered a big honor; being asked by the first clan was bound to increase his own clan's status, as long, of course, as Vorn's clan continued to be first.

The ploy worked with Oda too, just as Brun had predicted; and Vorn did let everybody know that increasing the number of women, which would have to be provided for, was no problem for the hunters of his clan. Vorn also made some offhand comments about how good a leader Norg was, surviving with his clan after loosing all of his best hunters, and how brave and strong Dorn was, taking part himself in most of the competitions despite being the leader of the newest clan. Somehow Vorn managed, without actually saying it that way, to make everyone wonder why all the best hunters of Norg's clan decided to leave. And also, by complimenting his prowess, made the other leaders aware of Dorn's lust for notoriety. When the hunters returned to tell how right Goov and Brac had been regarding the deer, Goov was confirmed as The Mog-ur and Vorn was finally acknowledged the best leader of the gathering and the youngest ever to rank first.

But when the time came to begin the journey home, two things still worried Vorn; he had only one young woman available for two unmated young hunters. But it couldn't be helped, he had planned to find a young woman for Brac or for Groob and to give Igra to the other one; but he had already brought four new women into his clan; into his hearth actually. It was not wise to increase too much their numbers when he only had four strong hunters, Brun was too old, Groob too young, Brac too weak and Broud still a long way from recovery; as for Goov, he didn't count the mog-ur as a hunter anymore. The food shortage worried him also; trying to make a display of his clan's ability to provide he had donated most of their share of the hunting and the foraging to the host clan, as compensation for the depletion of the resources in their zone. To deal with the second problem, at Brun's suggestion, Vorn decided to leave the gathering at once; his clan had been the first to arrive and now was going to be the first to leave. As was the clan way, there were neither farewells nor good-byes, only Grunt standing with his mog-ur at the edge of the camp signaling "Walk with Ursus"

Lightly loaded, and in the high spirits of having unexpectedly retained the first place, the clan journeyed back home at a much faster pace than when they were coming to the gathering. Vorn guided his people directly to the crossing, and found the river with much less water which made it far easier. Once in the Others' side, the clan traveled downriver to reach the small inland sea, and then continued southwest following its north shore. They started every morning before the first light and traveled until it was too dark to see, and soon reached the point where the shoreline turned sharply south; from that point the clan continued directly westwards and, after crossing another river, reached what was acknowledged as clan hunting territory. Relieved to be finally safe from an Others encounter, Vorn ordered to set up camp and decided to organize a hunting trip while the women and children rested. He took all the hunters except Broud, of course, Borg, Brac and Goov, who would stay to protect the camp; more men were required to guard the camp than to guard the cave. Of the women Oda was left at the camp, Vorn was still not comfortable with the new woman. Since Oda and her two daughters as well as Ena had been taken into Vorn's hearth, Uba was asked to stay and mind them. Oga and Ona were also left at the camp, since their mates were not going, but Ovra was selected to accompany the hunters and Igra was selected too given that she was not a girl anymore. The hunting party left the camp with the first lights.

With the hunters gone, the women prepared breakfast for the remaining men, the children and themselves. After finishing his breakfast, Durc and Grev asked Goov for permission to explore the area around the camp; Goov agreed on condition that Brac went with them and that they went neither too far nor for too long. The youngsters were more than happy and promised not to go too far away and to be back by noon. Brac, as the only adult of the trio led the group upon leaving the camp, but then, as usual, it was Durc who took the lead with his exuberant personality. Soon the small party found tracks of a wild boar and decided to follow it; after stealthy following the animal for some time through the bushy vegetation of the riverbank they finally caught up with it.

The boar was at the center of a small clearing looking aware and nervous. Brac checked the wind; they were neither upwind nor downwind from their prey so he signaled Durc to prepare his bola. The young hunters were trying to close the distance very slowly while moving downwind from the animal when Durc noticed something strange and called for a stop. The boar was very nervous and acting wrong, it seemed to have noticed them but didn't run away; suddenly Durc realized what was happening, something else was stalking the boar from the other side of the same clearing! The three young men froze, looking for the other predator, when suddenly a spear came flying over the bushes in front of them and stabbed the boar from side to side, instantly killing it. They all paled, they knew what kind of spear that was, they had seen it once before and not so long ago.

The man of the Others came out of the clearing to claim his kill; they could see he was alone. Brac's heart raced faster than ever before and he found himself unable to refrain, signaling the boys to follow, the acolyte walked boldly into the clearing; he knew this man, and he remembered too well where and when he had seen him.

- Greetings! - said the man of the Others looking very nervous, almost afraid of them.

The three youngsters were agape. The man could talk! But nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.

- You must be Durc, - the man said looking at the youngest of the group, - This man knows of you, this man is called Ranec.

Many moons ago, at the beginning of the summer, Ranec stood alone looking with tearful eyes the woman he loved, going away to never come back. In his hand he held the carved ivory icon in which he had expressed his love and his now dead hopes. Ayla was gone with the man she loved, a man who was not he. This had been a disastrous summer for the gifted artist, harder than what his sensitive soul could handle. He had been always the heartbreaker, never before the broken hearted, and Ayla's promise of a son of his own was too alien for him to comprehend. After crying his heart out one whole day with its night, Ranec meditated on his fate. He didn't love Tricie, not anymore; and Ayla was right in one thing she said, Tricie's love, supposing she still loved him, was not going to be enough. How long would she love him knowing that he didn't love her back? That he could never love her back? And her son, Ralev, was not the only child of his spirit; there were many of them. Were they all "his" children? Would he be willing to mate all of their mothers?

Life was not fair, and was not supposed to be easy either; he thought of Jondalar, the man who traveled three years to find a woman to love, the same woman he loved. He thought of Wymez, the man who traveled so far, and for so long, that no one expected him to come back; he too had found a woman to love in a foreign land. A woman he loved too, his mother. Slowly, he felt the need to go away growing within himself, a strong need to break off with it all. He would travel back to his mother's people; nothing retained him there. All the people and places he loved were too painful reminders of Her. Maybe if he traveled long enough, if he went far enough, maybe he would find a woman to love; one who would love him back. He prepared his traveling pack in secret, it was easy because everyone respected his wish to be left alone in the tent; and after a second sleepless night, before the first light, he left without saying good-bye.

But his leaving did not go unnoticed; as he stepped out of the big tent, something compelled him to turn around and look back. A bright pair of eyes, shining in the semi darkness of the dawn, was staring at him. The incredibly old shaman did something odd, he didn't say anything, he only made a purposeful gesture with his hand. Ranec was puzzled; turning around he walked away without answering. Had he really seen what he thought he saw? Had the old Mamut really addressed him with flathead signs? He was confused, he didn't know flathead language that much, but it seemed to him that the old man had actually said "Walk with Ursus". Then it came to him, with the force of a blow, the revelation; the old Mamut knew he was not ever coming back, and now, for the first time, he knew too.

His first intention had been to travel southwest, to find the valley where Ayla had incredibly lived alone for three years, but he changed his mind almost immediately; he would still be chasing after her. Then he considered taking Wymez route, east until finding the north end of a large inland sea and then south along its eastern shores; the western shores were flathead territory and should be avoided. But that route would take him too close to Lion Camp and he wanted to be as far away from home and as soon as possible. So he decided to travel south, the way Mamut had gone in his youth. It was flathead territory indeed, but he would be careful. Unlike Mamut when he was a young man called Darus, he was not leaving late in the season. This was the best time to begin a journey, he had no reason to expect weather problems, and he could easily avoid a flathead encounter. Besides, Ayla had said this was the year of their meeting, she called it Clan Gathering; Clan, he should remember that; not flatheads, Clan. Anyway, the territory would be empty of flatheads, Clan, Clan, CLAN! He surely wouldn't be so unlucky so as to stumble right into the CLAN Gathering. Well, he could ask for Ayla's son if he did, he had learned some flat... CLAN signs to communicate with his late little brother, Rydag. He would be able to speak to the CLAN men if worse became worst.

The first days, he questioned the wisdom of his impromptu decision to leave. He had to deal with his guilt feelings for the worries he must have caused to Nezzie, his adoptive mother, Talut, Wymez, and all the members of Lion Camp at that. But Mamut knew he was leaving, and why; the old shaman knew more than anyone thought possible, he would take care of the explanations. Ranec fell into the routine of his journey; he slept late, traveled slowly, hunted when he felt like it, foraged for greens and fruit and, usually, set up camp early. He spent his evenings carving and trying not to think in the past nor in the future, anything but the present. He observed the stars at night, the moon as it changed its appearance, the serene loneliness of the sunset, the unblemished beauty of dawn in a clear sky. He immersed himself in a journey, no only into far away lands but also into the depths of his soul, forgetting about everything else. Once he found a small cave and stopped a few days to hunt and to preserve some meat, he had not taken much from cattail camp, but after a week he was traveling again.

Traveling well into the season, Ranec lost the count of the days and the awareness of his relative location. He didn't know, nor care, whether he had entered clan territory or was still away from it; he just walked south, more or less. One day, stalking a wild boar, he failed to notice the strange behavior of his prey, and failed to notice that he was not the only one stalking it. When he was retrieving his spear, and before he could cut the wild pig's throat to drain the blood, three young flatheads appeared suddenly behind him. He was taken completely by surprise, and he was shocked twice. Rydag! But this wasn't his weak sickly brother returning from the spirit world; this was a tall, strong and healthy, young man of mixed spirits. Ranec's mind raced, he couldn't be... Could he? Ranec knew he had to do something soon; those flatheads looked ready to attack him. Now, what was the proper way to address a flat... man of the clan?

- Greetings! - He could see they had understood him, and that they were surprised to see that he knew their sign language; so he decided to risk it all. - You must be Durc, - he said, and the look in the face of the youngest of the group was all the confirmation he needed, - this man knows of you, this man is called Ranec.

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MAP:

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