Chapter Six:
Mut's Wrath
Latie followed the sounds of the chanting music as they flew together over the dark, cold land below them. The clarity of detail was amazing, they could see as clearly as if it were broad daylight, in spite of their rapid pace. She veered their direction slightly to the left as the sounds grew louder and closer, pulling them-there, there was the camp just coming into view in front of them.
As they slowed to a hover over the tent, Vicavec's voice came into her mind, Brenan's as well, saying. 'Go now'. She felt a solid push and she was suddenly inundated with the instant, crushing, constricting weight as she was back inside her body and she was momentarily overwhelmed as she slumped over and fell slowly backwards onto the ground. She felt Brenan's touch as he slumped onto her side and felt the warmth of his heart deep inside her as she shivered with the sharp chill of being back.
Talut's obviously relieved voice seemed so far away as she heard him say, his deep voice resonating as if in slow motion from deep within a cavern. "Ttthheeeyyy'rreee bbbbaaaccckk."
Brenan looked for Latie as soon as he was in more control of his mental faculties, and was relieved to see her shining, loving eyes looking directly at his from under the wraps that Talut and Tulie had covered her with. He turned to look over at Vincavec, and got a tremendous shock, his body was still rigid, shivering ever so slightly, and was as white as fresh snow-he was still out there.
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Vincavec still hovered over the tent, observing Latie and Brenan's recoveries through the roof of the tent, then satisfied to himself that they were alright, he turned and took off back towards the southeast. No stranger to metaphysical travels, he flew with a speed that turned the ground below him into a soft, colorful blur until he reached the main lodge of the Mammoth camp. He pulled up into a hover above it for a moment, gathering himself, then slid slowly and gracefully downward inside coming to a rest on the floor of the lodge. Vincavec looked at the six water bags of wine that hung on the wall near the rear of the domed lodge, and walked towards them, stopping at a drying rack of herbs and plants with bowls of prepared potions on the raised ground below.
He stopped at the drying rack and concentrated his mind on a single leaf of raspberry that was dry and brittle, hanging in front of him at eye level and brought his right hand up slowly to touch it. The leaf didn't move as he tried to pinch it between his fingers, he focused harder and tried again, he got the same frustrating results. Vincavec took a step back and gathered his wits and sharpened his mental power, magnifying it into a single knife shaped point and reached out to try and touch the leaf again, this time a small portion of it crumbled to the floor below.
"Well done, Vincavec, I wondered if you were strong enough."
Vincavec blanched at the familiar voice inside his head, and turned to see a shimmering, partially translucent Old Mamut standing casually beside him, with a proud smile on his old wrinkled face. "Mamut--how--I--don't--"
"There is no time now for this discussion, for the effects of the sacred root are already beginning to wane and you must return very soon, or not at all. Perhaps we could speak together at length another time. I assume now that you would like to add some of that ground datura in that bowl there to the wine bags on the wall."
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Averie was slipping another fur over Vincavec's shoulders as she felt the jerk of him as he returned to his physical body with a lurch. He tilted to his left as she caught him and allowed him to slip gently to the floor with her help. Talut and Tulie were at his side as Brenan and Latie quickly joined them, on shaky legs. Vincavec shivered involuntarily in waves that started in his legs and went rapidly upward and covered his entire nude body that gradually increased into a final violent, full body spasm, his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out as his body went completely limp. He barely breathed.
"Stand back, give me some room, Talut turn him over onto his back-gently Talut, Tulie get a folded wrap and put it under his head." Latie assumed control quickly, not questioning the soft, insistent voice from deep inside her head that was giving her these very specific and precise instructions. "Brenan sit here." She motioned to the place on the opposite side of Vincavec's prone body from herself as Tulie moved out of the way. "Take his hands in your own, and concentrate on my thoughts."
Latie put her hands on each side of Vincavec's head, cradling his cheeks as she pulled his face gently towards hers as she leaned down towards him, she touched her forehead to his and her mind was somehow amplified in its power, almost flexing its strength as she sent an intense, probing thought into him. 'Vincavec, come back to me, feel my thoughts, follow them, join me now..."
Brenan felt her plea inside his head and added his own mental power to hers as she repeated the probe. He could almost feel Vincavec's consciousness just out of reach on the second try together, and they redoubled their effort as a third mental voice joined in, an old male voice that was overly familiar to them both, commanding and strong, almost beyond comprehension.
Vincavec shook slightly, his arms and legs jerking in violent spasms as his steely grey eyes fluttered once-then again. His shaking body finally stilled. The deep breath he took in sounded like a roar of thunder to the ghostly quiet lodge, his second breath-then the third. His eyes finally opened, and just as he was almost able to totally regain his focus, he saw a slightly transparent vision of Old Mamut as he rose slowly and ever so gracefully upwards and disappeared through the roof of the tent.
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It was late, the stars above them were bright and sparkling and the moon glowed in its eerie fullness as a few thin clouds added to its proud majesty, the breeze was soft, but cold. The entire band of travelers were seated around the large fire outside, most had their sleeping wraps with them, thrown loosely over their shoulders or wrapped around them. They sat on the logs and on the ground, close to each other for warmth and companionship. Most were a little on edge, not really liking or understanding the esoteric trip and its aftermath that had been the focus of the discussions since their rocky return. Their curiosity was great, seldom were discussions of the world of spirits held in the presence of non Mamutii. Though uncomfortable, they all paid rapt attention.
Vincavec had been particularly, and very unusually for him, rather quiet and subdued. He had not participated too much in the general debriefing given, and discussions about it that had ensued. Latie had done most of the talking, although Brenan had put his input in as needed. Tulie and Averie had asked most of the questions, not that the others weren't included, but between the two of them, the questions that they had asked seemed to cover the subject extremely well.
Talut and Marec turned the discussion back to the immediate problem of attempting to fight an enemy with vastly greater numbers. Possibilities were thrown out, some rational, some from way out there.
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"...almost like driving a herd into a surround." Drazen was saying, floating an idea. "If we could stay out of their sight for the first barrage of spears from the spear throwers, then we could retreat and try to surprise them again later."
"Hit and run?" Jozen asked.
"This is possible, but we would not likely be able to surprise them the same way again, then what?" Marec asked, silently liking the idea, but he knew that the best weapon that they had on their side was the element of surprise-once.
"What if we simply rushed them at daybreak before they were awake and prepared, en masse?" Salen threw out. "A sudden lethal rush."
"I still like the ambush idea best, but it will be difficult to pull off this time of year. There is little to hide behind right now." Frebec said. "Unless we could have time to prepare a place in advance, and how could we know what route they will take?"
"We can't, not for sure." Barzec chimed in. "But I like that approach, we must eliminate a lot of them on our initial encounter with them-or we've had it."
"I still think that unless we give them a chance, and allow them to stop this madness on their own that we will anger Mut." Tressie said, her words carrying a lot of weight with all of them, for this was in the back of every one else's mind as well. "I don't want to risk Mut's wrath, how will we know?"
The discussion quieted, in the near distance a single wolf howled at the full moon, it brought a rash of sudden chills to many of them. The wolf song was so clear and complete, so appropriate to the discussion, so incredibly intense. It prolonged the silence by the sheer force of its presence, and the amount of thought that it provoked...
"Tressie, I can't help but to agree with you," Talut said, finally breaking the ominous, prolonged silence. "But if we lose our sole, single advantage, that of surprise and of the fact that they do not know that we are even here and are aware of their recent atrocities. We will be hopelessly outnumbered and cannot reasonably expect to defeat them, much less to survive the encounter."
"And if we are unable to stop them, what kind of horrors will they inflict on the rest of the unknowing Mamutoi, or any one else for that matter?" Tulie added, conflicted again inside by the dilemma. "We don't know if they will ever stop this lunacy."
"They must be stopped, even if we risk Mut's wrath, our first responsibility must be with the preservation of the Mamutoi peoples survival." Ginie said solemnly. "I will not risk going into the world of the spirits to face our ancestors without having given this my best effort. I cannot."
Talut had been quietly considering the discussions on incurring the wrath of Mut, he shivered inside on more than one occasion, his fear of the very thought of this was intense and overwhelming. He pulled his massive shoulders square, took a deep breath and making a final decision within his own mind, said with conviction. "Chaleg and his misguided cohorts will be stopped. I will not allow them to plunder the Mamutoi further. If necessary, I will do this alone. Ginie is correct, I too could not face Mut or my ancestors with this threat to all of us left unchallenged."
The rest of the entire camp was silent, no one doubted Talut's resolve. No one was willing to even challenge the big headman.
"I will leave here at first light, this will be stopped." He added with the finality of the leader and the man of honor that he was.
"There is something that I must tell you now." Vincavec spoke, his voice carrying the power that he invoked as Mamut. Speaking out now, after his long period of silence, got every ones undivided attention immediately. He looked up at Talut as he paused before continuing, his voice still strong.
"I have done something that may give us a reasonable alternative to the mass slaughtering of these renegades, there may be a way to stop this madman."
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They spent the morning relaxing and packing for a day trip that would probably be done at a forced, rapid pace. Weapons were checked and collected, and stowed into their traveling gear. They ate a hearty late morning meal of heated leftovers from the night before outside around the fire. The morning sun was bright, the breeze was crisp, and the temperature was just above freezing.
The Mammoth camp arrived in its entirety a little while before the sun reached the center of the sky above them. Weary from their fast paced march that had begun at first light, and heavily burdened with the most important of their valuables from home, and carrying small children. They were ensconced in the smaller of the two tents, and were treated to a hot late morning meal, that was shared by Talut and a few others, eating for the second time today. There were seventeen travelers in all, five of which were children.
Giving them an hour or so to rest, unpack, and settle the small children, it was determined that only Tazen, Morlie, Balaam, Frietag, Regan, and Stolie would be able to join Vincavec, Averie, and Jozen from the Mammoth camp. Three of those being visitors, relatives from other camps, to join the band of travelers on their mission. The rest of them would stay behind at the camp to take care of it and to look after and care for the children.
This gave them a total of twenty nine hunters from the unified camps to face the forty two members of the renegade camps.
Talut, Tulie, and Brenan, with Latie sitting beside him all sat on a log in front of the fire outside facing Vincavec, Averie, Jozen, Branag, Ludeg and Marec sitting on the opposite side of the fire. Ginie, Tressie, Barzec, Frebec, Frietag, and Salen sat on the last log between them. Most of the rest of them were hanging around close by. The final stages of planning were being discussed...
"...I think that Jozen, Frebec, and I can scout them from an area that overlooks the Mammoth camp from the northeast side in a small stand of trees." Ludeg was saying. "We can send two of us back to the wooded creek where you will all be waiting when they get there, then as darkness falls we can lead the two groups to sneak up on the camp from two different directions."
"I am not sure that we should separate into two groups, that gives us twice the chance of being detected." Tulie commented.
"What if they wonder why the Mammoth camp members are all gone?" Ginie asked, looking to Talut and Vincavec for her answer.
"I left instructions for Tazen to put out a protective Muta in front of the main lodge, to look as if we are off hunting or visiting." Vincavec said, then went on. "We don't as a rule communicate often with any of the three camps in question, so our not being there shouldn't be too suspicious to them, other than the fact that it is early in the season to be gone fore any reason."
"In reality, we are not all that close to them physically, either, they don't usually hunt or trade with us often." Averie added. "We don't normally see them except at the summer meetings like the rest of you."
"How long will it take you to get to your scouting position?" Barzec asked Ludeg.
"Somewhere around a quarter of the day, or maybe a little less than that if we hurry the whole way." Ludeg replied. "The direction that we will approach from will be out of their line of sight until we are almost there, so stealth will not be too necessary-we will be aware though, and very cautious."
"I'm sure we can get to the small grove undetected, it is an isolated spot not used often for anything but picking blackberries on the rocky slope in the late spring. It is up on top of a small grade that we will approach from a slightly wooded valley." Frebec said, confident of himself and his chosen companions. "It is pretty much out of sight."
"If I am right, they will take enough of our food stores to make themselves a feast when they arrive and find us gone." Averie said, thinking aloud. "Then see if there is anything left of value to steal."
"I think you are right..." Tulie began as Vincavec interrupted her.
"That should be when they break into our stores of wine, with their bellies full of our food for their nightly drinking party." He said, a small, wry smile cracking his lips. "That's when we must all be in position."
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Jozen was on watch when the renegades were first sighted, he quietly woke Ludeg and Frebec who were napping on a bed of dry leaves in the shade of the grove, between the small drifts of snow. They watched together as the large group stopped short of the Mammoth camp, just out of sight. The three men watched in amazement as they gathered themselves into four groups and suddenly charged as fast as they could run towards the camp, two groups from the front, and one group flanking the camp on each side.. They went quietly until they grew very close, then screaming like banshees as they finally encroached designed to cause mass panic-but no one was home.
They laughed and strutted around all full of their collective self importance, and Chaleg kicked the protective Muta down roughly to the ground with a definitive show of his arrogance and inflated ego. His close cousin Borgen, co-leader of the Beaver camp was close to him with Durgen, the co-leader of the Megaceros camp and they smirked their approval of his brash actions and bravado.
The renegades went into the various shelters bringing out furs and the few valuables that had been left behind, including food stuffs and a few weapons. The cold storage room of the main lodge yielded an entire, nearly frozen haunch of reindeer, and a large assortment of cold vegetables and roots that were all brought out to the outdoor fire pit and piled haphazardly onto someone's stolen sleeping fur from one of the lodges.
The stores of fuel for burning were raided and piled up near the pit as the large group of men rested and congregated in loose bunches looking over the confiscated goods, dividing them up amongst themselves, arguing and laughing loudly. The fire was started and stoked up heavily, and the spit and supports were set aside as the fingers of the flames reached for the sky and grew into a huge blaze. No sentries or guards of any kind were posted, their confidence was total.
Ludeg spoke in a low voice, though he knew he probably couldn't have been heard by the reckless band below him if he had shouted and waved his arms. "Go and bring the others up to the outer edges of the grove, and keep them there until I send Frebec for you." Ludeg looked to Jozen and smiled as he continued. "We'll start down shortly after they break out the wine."
Jozen nodded, then turned away and quietly made his way through the trees, the sun was almost touching the horizon as he disappeared from sight.
Frebec looked to Ludeg and said. "If we do this right, and Mut smiles on us, they may never know what hit them."
Ludeg's answer was soft, and sincere. "May Mut have mercy on them, for I feel no mercy in my heart for these human hyenas, these heartless killers."
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It was raucous and loud down below them as Ludeg, Frebec, and Jozen looked on with growing disgust. The feast was in full swing. Chaleg had set up a small section of raised seating for the three leaders in a prime location a little ways in front of the fire, from the furs and cushions taken from the lodges. Seated in the middle seat of honor, Chaleg watched the rowdy band cutting strips of meat from the spitted haunch, and crudely eating them with their often dirty hands. Most ignored the vegetables and roots, of which very few were even cooked-no one had bothered. The haunch of meat bled, dripping into the fire as it was eaten before it was any where near fully cooked. The sun began to disappear below the tops of the hills in the distance.
Durgen was on Chalegs left side and nudged his leg with the butt of his spear, motioning him with a nod of his head to notice the antics of several men tossing some woman's summer dress back and forth between them with the points of their spears off to their left. The dress was already torn and defaced from the sharp flint and carved bone points, and the grotesque game seemed to be evolving into just how much damage they could inflict upon it as they tossed it to each other. Chaleg and Borgan laughed, drinking wine liberally from their crudely shaped traveling cups.
Three bags of the wine were being passed around amongst the dirty men, most of them drinking clumsily directly from the bag, sloshing the deep red colored liquid down the sides of their faces, leaving streaks of maroon on the fronts of their travel stained tunics and parkas. Several men began a rough and drunken dance around the huge, bright fire, pounding their spear butts into the ground and stomping their feet in a rhythmic, primitive dance. Watchers gathered around the outskirts and began pounding their own spears adding to the deep thudding, ominous beat.
Two wine bags were now discarded completely deflated and thrown carelessly to the ground, and a fresh one took its place. Chanting had begun, adding to the steady pounding beat of the dancers which had grown substantially in number. The language used was crude and insulting, boastful and arrogant. The dance line was now weaving around the fire pit more loosely, weaving and turning, reminiscent somewhat of a slowly crawling snake. The dancers themselves were also beginning to have trouble with their balance, tilting and swaying and stumbling, running clumsily into the man in front of them. This caused good natured pushing and shoving and raucous loud laughter, men falling and having a hard time getting up for more.
Chaleg, Borgan, and Durgan sat back and slumped into their cushy raised seats sucking wine and watching the antics of their men, amused and entertained. This was their band of hunters, they were proud of them and swam in the power that commanding them had given to them all.
The last two wine bags were produced and passed around, first to the three leaders, then to the general crowd. Drunkenness was rampant now, and the first of the most inebriated amongst them began to slump and fall, unable to regain their feet, and many lost their battles with consciousness.
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Frebec and Talut spoke together, off to the side and slightly away from the rest of the group who were all now in the grove hidden by the darkness and watching the disturbing spectacle winding down in front of the Mammoth camp below.
"Watch Chaleg, he's fading." Frebec said. Seeing the man far below him as his head nodded lazily from one side to the other.
"It won't be long now, I wonder how long we should wait?" Talut replied.
"Vincavec will know." Frebec said confidently. "He knows the effects of the datura better than the rest of us. It must be awfully hard for him to stand by and watch all this happen to his own camp."
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The full moon was bright above them with a thin cloud partially covering its bottom edge and adding serenity to its magnificent glowing halo. It cast enough natural light to assist them in their stealthy descent down the gentle grade toward the Mammoth camp. Jozen led them cautiously, slowly, and very carefully down in a single file line. They were quiet, sure footed and confident. It took them a little while, but they quietly reached the edges of the light of the fire of the Mammoth camp without being detected.
With hand signals, Talut dispersed them into the midst of the sleeping, drunken, drugged crowd, quietly and carefully, as he and Vincavec started towards the three leaders.
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Dawn came slowly over the horizon as the gentle light of morning began in its usual slow motion envelopment of the earth. A few random songbirds welcomed the new day with their beautiful melodic songs, carried softly on the gentle cool breeze. The last of the banked logs crumbled down from their leaning positions to the center of the fire pit with a muted crash, kicking up a spew of sparks and a small cloud of ash from the sizeable bed of glowing coals.
This sound along with the softly growing light roused several of the renegades from their slumber, more than a few of them moaning with aching heads as some sat up, and others simply pulled their wraps closer and settled back to the ground to resume their sleep. Two of the men that sat up were decidedly uncomfortable with full bladders and struggled to their feet unsteadily and suddenly saw the horrific sight before them-and gasped aloud.
Their expressions were of total shock and instant intimidation, and one man muttered under his breath in a soft whisper that carried amazingly far in the near silence of the morning. "Mut protect us!"
This woke more of them as well as most of the men who had tried to simply roll over and go back to sleep. They rolled over, sat up, got up, and reached for their spears in loose groups and singly, startled by the strange happenings that their fuzzy minds couldn't quite grasp or make any sense of. Their weapons weren't where they thought that they had left them and they looked around for them in a growing sense of panic, confusion, and total bewilderment. Their movements and soft sighs and cursing exclamations woke more of them. Before too long, they were all up, to a man, staring in unarmed fright and wonder at the formidable sight before them.
Standing in front of them in a sweeping wide arc, all heavily armed with spears up and at the ready, were twenty five Mamutoi hunters, their stern faces outwardly showing no mercy. Terror began to set in. Behind them, on the raised makeshift dias, Talut, Tulie, Marec, and a seriously stern looking Vincavec stood over their three leaders, short stabbing spears menacingly at their throats.
Although a few of the renegades still had their knives, all but two of their spears were stuck into the ground behind the very angry looking group that stood in front of them. No one moved for the longest time, an uncomfortable silence ensued that increased their trepidation and fear. Two of the men had rapidly spreading stains growing from the tops of their leggings. Another man joined these two in short order as the situation became more obviously hopeless to him also.
"Who will answer for the horror that you have perpetrated on the peaceful Wolf Camp of the Mamutoi, and upon Mut Herself? Who amongst you? Who?" Vincavec's voice boomed out, angry and powerful, shattering the heavy silence, striking like a knife into the guilty hearts of the trembling renegades.
Many in the crowd muttered under their breath, 'they know', and their fears grew. Their nervousness increased two-fold as they realized that the force in front of them all knew. They knew it all. They knew everything. Their aching heads spun with this sudden, irrefutable knowledge and a hopeless reality crashed down upon them all.
Chaleg could not even move, two spear points of sharp flint held his neck completely immobile, one side of his neck had a small trickle of blood running down it from when he had awakened with a slight lurch from the fearful sounds from below. The first thing his red, slowly opening eyes could focus on was Vincavec's hard edged face. A face that told him all he needed to know with a single glance. His fear was so great, so immense that he began to lose his last ability to reason, an almost maniacal grin replaced his mask of horror, and he slowly and gradually began to laugh softly, hopelessly. His laughter increased as what was left of his sanity began retreating, the laughter growing louder and higher in pitch and volume.
Talut looked down at him, as did Vincavec, both shocked at his reaction as he suddenly screamed out in a high pitched, shaking voice, his face a twisted caricature of himself. "Rush them, they can't kill us all! Kill them all now!!"
Five of the men from towards the front of the panic stricken groups fear burst and they started forward in a slowly building, screaming charge, knives out and threatening. The two men that still had spears began to raise them as a sudden volley of hard flung, point blank spears cut them down one by one, screaming in agony and pain as they jerked from the multiple impacts of the projectiles, spinning and crumpling to the hard ground. One man who didn't join the charge was struck high in the chest with a full size spear that had missed its intended target, he felt his ribs crushed as the flint point pierced him with such an impact that it went completely through him. He screamed out and clutched the shaft that impaled him futilely with both hands, his knees seemed to collapse in slow motion as the pain ravaged him in sharp waves. By the time he finally collapsed to the ground, he felt the pain no more.
"Get them!! Get them all!!" Chaleg screamed again, as Vincavec scowled at him, his anger and frustration finally reaching the strong mans breaking point. He gathered his strength and shoved the sharp tipped spear through Chaleg's neck, all the way through, cutting off his crazed cries in a bubbling, gurgling, choking death rattle. Chaleg died with his maniacs grin turning slowly into a maniacs grimace as his head slumped slowly onto his red stained chest.
Vincavec turned to face the group, and held out his hand. "Stop! Stop if you want to live!" His voice boomed out, the force of his command and his obvious conviction stopping all but two of the frightened men. These who kept coming were also cut down by multiple spears before they got very far, the screams of the dying rattling them all, on both sides. The smell of death and fear permeated every one and every thing.
"Stay where you are, do not move again!" Talut commanded. His words were heeded completely and totally, and instantly.
The tenseness hung over them all like an evil spirit, the silence was complete now, the dying were dead-the living were frozen solidly in their places. Predator faced prey, good faced evil, the standoff was complete-this battle was won.
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Brenan looked out at the grotesque scene before him, bloodied bodies with spears protruding from them, twisted into unnatural lifeless positions, terrified men standing around them. His mind seemed somehow almost detached from his body, he felt nothing but the incredible surge of adrenaline that coursed through him, numbing all his other senses. His spear still poised menacingly in position in the spear thrower, ready. He glanced at Latie standing beside him, spear held high and ready in her strong arm, and felt a sudden surge of his love for her, seeing the grim set of her jaw, the solemn look of her purpose. She was a complete woman, his woman, his inner pride swelling with her.
Latie noticed his look, grateful for his closeness and protectiveness, the inner strength that his presence gave her, the security of his abounding love. Her strong mind was beginning to come back to the reality of the situation, and the fear of it all began to creep in.
Tulie also observed the tragic consequences of these events with inner trepidation. She knew the necessity of the actions that they had taken, but it made it no easier to do, or to cope with the awful aftermath. She looked down at Durgan still poised perilously on the point of her spear, trembling with fear. And, she knew, it wasn't yet finished.
Vincavec looked down at Chaleg's slumped over, lifeless body, and roughly jerked his short spear from his neck and a spew of fresh blood followed, splattering his travel stained tunic with red splotches. He took a deep breath and looked up at Talut, still holding his spear loosely in his large hands, his expression with the firm set of his jaws and angry eyes was not easily readable. Tulie held Durgan securely at the point of her spear, and Marec still did the same to Borgan, both of the captive mens faces were twisted masks of guilt and fear.
Vincavec took a few steps towards the mass of captured renegades, his flint tipped spear held firmly, still dripping Chaleg's blood as he walked. His voice was powerful and strong as he paused and addressed them. "You have brought this horror upon yourselves by your offensive actions against Mut. You are the dregs of this world, and you will all suffer terribly in the world of the spirits where you will answer for your atrocities to Mut Herself."
He walked forward a few more steps, and the phalanx before him parted just enough to let him pass through without relaxing the holds of their weapons. Vincavec stopped short in front of the renegades, and continued. "All who did personal harm to any member of the Wolf camp stand there." He motioned over to a spot to the left of the fire pit with his spear.
No one moved for the longest time, then one by one, four men slowly and fearfully walked tentatively to the edge of the pit and stood quietly. Their heads were bowed in deference and futility.
"Mut knows and I will find out who else among you are guilty!" Vincavec said angrily, and three more men took their places besides their cohorts at the pit. "Is this all? I will know if you are lying." He warned menacingly, his cold eyes boring into them without mercy.
One man tentatively took a step forward, then cautiously walked slowly over to the rest of them, trembling with his fears. Six armed members of the alliance, led by Salen took up positions standing directly in front of them, weapons ready. The guilty looked as if their fate was sealed, and more than a few wept silently.
"Tulie, Marec, please bring Borgan and Durgan here." Vincavec motioned to a place beside him.
Borgan stood slowly and complied, walking with shaking steps and carefully with Marec's spear just touching his back as he walked, head down and reticent. Durgan, however, was frozen with fear and couldn't-or wouldn't move. Talut took a couple of steps over to him and got behind him and roughly grabbed him under the arms and jerked him to his feet. Tulie prodded him forward with her spear at his back as his steps were forced, unwilling and unsure.
It seemed to take a long time, but the two renegade leaders finally made their way over beside Vincavec, guarded still from the rear. Talut stood beside Vincavec as Vincavec lifted his spear to Durgan's chest and addressed the crowd that stood uneasily before him. "These men have perpetrated the worst of all evils. They have killed their fellow men and incited others to join with them, murdering the innocent children of Mut, for no reason other than perceived personal gain and power."
Vincavec's voice was stern as he went on. "This is unacceptable behavior in any society of decent people, insulting to Mut, and it will not be tolerated, now or ever. The punishment for their crimes against the innocent people of the Wolf camp can be doled out only in the spirit world by Mut Herself."
At the conclusion of this pronouncement, Vincavec turned and thrust his spear suddenly and violently deep into the chest of Durgan, then he roughly twisted it and jerked it out and did the same to Borgan as Durgan screamed and fell to the ground clutching at the gaping, open wound that poured his guilt ridden blood onto the ground. Borgan fell over backwards screaming out in agony and surprise, his legs kicking and jerking spasmodically. In a few long, tense moments their screams finally ceased, and they did indeed go onwards to face the wrath of Mut.
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The silence hung over them all as the bands faced each other, no one knowing just what would happen next. All were on edge and the fear in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. A wolf cried out from the valley to the south, his ominous wolf song ending in a series of yips and a final, fading howl. It sent shivers of fright into the captives, all knowing that their fate was about to be handed to them-and there was nothing that any of them could do about it.
Vincavec looked down to the two men he had just killed, hot tears of anger slid down his blood splattered, square jawed, determined face. He cursed them silently for giving him no choice in his own mind, but to do what he had done. He took a deep breath and stood up a little straighter and looked to Talut, motioning to the smaller group of renegades beside the fire pit and asked forcefully. "What are we to do with this living, breathing scum?"
Talut was still recovering from the shock of Vincavec's sudden killing of the two leaders, and thought about his answer deeply, searching for wisdom for a moment before speaking. He looked over to Tulie, and she nodded imperceptibly to him and he turned towards the loose band and said. "They must be banished from all the territories of the Mammoth Hunters forever, they must never even be united with the families that they left behind to join with this abomination-to be destroyed immediately if they ever return or if they are even ever seen again by any Mamutoi." His words were strong and final.
The eight men next to the fire pit nearly collapsed with Talut's pronouncement, none expected to survive this dreadful day. The relief they felt though, was covered by their fear and their now very uncertain future.
"Go now, go in the shame that will hang over your heads until you too must stand before Mut in Her judgement." Vincavec's tear streaked face was impassive as he gave them back their forever tainted lives. "Go, never to return."
Slowly, the men backed away from Salen and his companions, and walked backwards for a good ways before turning to run. They ran at a slow jog to the south, away from the lands of the Mamutoi, and were out of sight entirely before too long.
Salen and the others that had been standing guard with him returned to the phalanx still standing before the rest of the disgraced men. Taking up their powerful positions as before.
Tulie saw that Vincavec was on the verge of losing his composure, and stepped forward as Averie broke ranks from the guards and walked towards him. She faced the captives and thought to herself silently, gathering her thoughts and ideas for a moment before addressing them.
"You are all spineless followers, unworthy to be called Mamutoi." She stared them down, one by one as only an experienced leader could, and continued. "You will return to your home camps, the names of which will cease to be from this day forward. You will pack up and leave these lands, taking all your befouled families with you. You are no longer Mamutoi." Tulie's final statement hung in the air.
"You have until the next moon cycle to be gone forever, or you too will be destroyed." Talut's voice was harsh and final. "Go now, and never return to the lands of the Mamutoi."
""""""""""
The twenty one renegades that were spared to go back home to collect their families, now banished permanently from the Mamutoi, made their way due east walking heavily in a loose group. They were watched closely as they slowly made their way, and finally disappeared from sight all together.
Ludeg and Salen followed them at a discreet distance for quite a ways to insure that they were indeed leaving.
The scene before the rest of them was so disturbing that most could do little but observe it as it lay out before them. The killing field was hard to look at, but even harder to look away from. The bloody bodies seemed to almost beckon to them to absolve them, and they silently preyed upon their sympathies. Mentally and physically drained from the horrific events they were all relieved that it was, at least for now, finally all over and done with. Tears flowed freely, and their bodies shook with the release of their pent up emotional trauma.
Vincavec collapsed into the arms of Averie, sobbing quietly but almost uncontrollably. His legs finally failed him and he slumped slowly to the ground, carrying her with him. Averie cradled him gently in her arms, allowing his emotional outburst to fully run its course.
Talut and Tulie looked over the macabre vision of destruction in front of them. They knew that they must soon begin to do something with the bodies, but did not know just exactly where to start.
"This camp is defiled forever." Tulie said, speaking softly. "I wonder what Vincavec and Averie will want to do here."
"I can't imagine that they will ever live at this camp again." Talut answered. "I don't think that I could."
"What should we do with the dead? The ground is still much too frozen to dig deep enough to give them a proper burial." Tulie asked, looking over the mass of twisted remains.
"I don't know."
""""""""""
Brenan led Latie slowly away from the phalanx that was beginning to disperse. Her face was starting to lose its blank stare gradually, and she was trembling slightly. He held her by the arm securely, and walked her around the far side of the main lodge. As they cleared the lodge he stopped and took her tightly in his arms and simply held her as her emotions finally broke. She sobbed into his chest, clutching him close with all her might.
Brenan looked over her shoulder to the clear view of the valley below, so peaceful and serene. The small feeder river glistened beautifully in the bright early morning sunshine.
""""""""""
Marec and Ginie gathered several men together and gave them instructions to start a fire behind the small lodges on the east side of the camp, a large fire. The men went about gathering stones to make a fire surround, and a few left to search for firewood.
Marec dropped his shoulder harness of spears to the ground, and Ginie did the same. They walked back over to where Averie still sat on the ground holding Vincavec.
Vincavec was quiet now, his face set in a blank emotionally spent stare. Averie still held him closely, speaking softly to him. "There are still a lot of things that we must decide now. I need your help, I cannot do this alone brother."
Vincavec was silent, but deep within his tortured mind he knew that Averie spoke the truth. There were a lot of decisions to be made, and soon. He felt his strength returning, but his mind was still in a state of terrible turmoil. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he seriously doubted the wisdom of his actions.
Salen and Ludeg returned at a fast jog and quickly went to where Talut and Tulie stood in quiet discussion. Talut broke off what he was saying to Tulie as they approached and looked to Ludeg as he spoke to them hurriedly.
"They are not coming back, they are still heading back to their valley. Not a one of them even looked back our way as they left." He said, slightly winded.
"But we may have another problem." Salen said, also gasping for breath. "There is a large pack of hyenas coming up from the south, undoubtably they smell the blood. They will not be the only ones, I'm sure."
Talut was almost glad of this new threat, it took his troubled mind off the decisions that he and Tulie had been struggling so hard with. This was something that he knew and understood and could easily deal with. "All right. Ludeg, get three or four men and post them on the south side of the camp. Salen, do the same on the rest of the perimeter. Take just enough men to be able to stop any predator, we will still need a lot of help here."
Tulie added. "Make sure that at least one in every group has a spear thrower."
Ludeg called out to a loose gathering of several hunters, and led them to the south side of the camp. Salen gathered his own small troupe in much the same way.
As the two men went about their tasks, Talut walked back to where Vincavec and Averie were still seated on the ground. Marec and Ginie stood over them patiently, still talking quietly to themselves. Tulie joined them after watching the guards being posted, satisfied that the perimeter was secure enough for now.
"Vincavec, we need you now. We need your help to make some hard decisions." Talut began, looking down at the troubled leader. He spoke softly, but firmly. "There is much that we need to do, and it must be done quickly."
Vincavec's blank look began to change, and with Averie's help he sat up. He took a deep breath, his body shivered slightly. The set of his jaw became firm, and he stood unassisted and looked directly to Talut and said. "Yes, Talut. There are many decisions to be made."
""""""""""
"...this being said, I feel that this camp is so defiled and dishonored that it can never be used again." Vincavec was saying, he looked to Averie directly as he continued in the soft monotone. "We will have to find and establish another camp, a new camp with a new name." He looked up at Tulie and Talut as he continued, his voice softer now. "I will be stepping down as leader and as Mamut. I feel that I no longer have the heart or the strength necessary for the responsibilities of leadership."
"Vincavec, whatever you decide to do in these matters should not be decided now." Tulie said, looking to Averie also as she spoke again. "There is still much to do and there is still a lot for all of us to consider. Changes will have to be made amongst all the Mamutoi as a result of this madness. A decision of this magnitude cannot be taken lightly, we could all very well be dead right now if not for the wisdom of your actions and the power of your spirit, Vincavec."
"Tulie is right, if not for your brilliant idea-and your ability to somehow spike the wine with the datura, these madmen could have easily defeated us and gone on to spread their terror and destruction." Talut said firmly, putting his hand on Vincavec's shoulder and giving it a little affectionate squeeze.
"What do we do with all the fallen, brother?" Averie asked, looking up at him through tear streaked eyes. "This is all that we need to decide right now, and I cannot think clearly enough to decide this on my own."
Vincavec listened to their words, he struggled mightily with his bursting inner emotions. The weight of the dead before him simply overwhelmed him. He questioned his actions still, his conscience just killing him inside. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, feeling his strength partially returning with their need of his help. "We will make a huge single burial cairn in the center of this-this horror." He said in a weaker than normal tone of voice, waving his arm towards all of their fallen foes. His voice now returned to its usual power and conviction as he went on. "We will build a huge bonfire over it and keep it burning for five days as is the custom for a winter burial. We will leave it here as a constant symbol for all to see and remember this evil, and what all has occurred here."
Talut was impressed by the wisdom of this solution, and nodded to him and turned away to gather the help of the available hunters to begin the grisly task of laying out the lifeless bodies.
""""""""""
Averie led the thirteen hunters not on guard duty to the nearest area that contained the materials that they needed. The task of gathering enough flat stones to build the cairn and the large amount of fuel for the funeral pyre was arduous and exhausting. The nearest supply of stones being upstream from the camp a good walk to the north. Up a small ways on the slight ridge above a gentle bend in the small river was a place where the seasonal floods deposited a large amount of deadwood and bones. A sledge that was normally used to haul meat was used to bring the stones and wood up from the creek, one heavy load at a time.
""""""""""
The first sign of the large pack of hyenas was the eerie sound of their cackling laughs as they approached through the sparse woods from the south. They made their appearance known with a series of cackling howls, the eleven of them strutted out into plain sight in fearless defiance of the human guards. The closest of the bravest and most aggressive of the snarling pack was hit from a long range cast from the spear thrower as he strutted forward, closing the distance between them. He was maimed severely and before too long he fell prey to his unfeeling and uncaring companions. They ripped him apart and were feasting on their own brethren while often fighting amongst themselves when the pack of thirteen wolves showed up from the southeast.
The melee that followed was almost like a slow motion grotesque dance, choreographed by the sly and cunning wolves. The pack was an experienced family group that showed their incredible hunting prowess by dismantling the hyenas defensive stance and position in a series of sudden charges and strategic retreats that were in fact fatal traps. By the time the hyenas realized that they were being outsmarted and dismantled piece by piece, three more of them had fallen to the wolves vicious attack.
The hyenas retreated to the northwest and continued their vigil in a somewhat more subdued and watchful manner, well away from the deadly wolves.
""""""""""
The hunters on guard on the west side of the camp, led by Tazen were startled by the sudden roar of a cave lion that shook the early mornings silence from an undecipherable distance. The ominous sound raised gooseflesh instantly on them all. Though not yet in sight, the three men all prepared quickly and accordingly. Spears were positioned into their spear throwers, and their eyes scoured the landscape for the approach of the unknown number of the huge and infinitely dangerous predators.
Finally emerging from behind a small stand of scrub bushes down a ways to their left, as if he had suddenly appeared from thin air, a large male lion with a scruffy, reddish mane stood proudly watching them closely with his cold fearless bronze colored eyes. A smaller lioness walked up to him from the rear and stood slightly behind her mate. She joined him in this precarious, potentially deadly showdown.
"Go and warn the others, and get back here with help, Ralen-do it quickly." Tazen told him, never allowing his eyes to even waver from the lions. Ralen nodded and turned and took off in a dead run back to the center of the camp.
Balaam heard, or felt something else and looked off to the right of the lions. A large dark brown shape was lumbering towards them. It was weaving through the thin bushes with ease-going in and out of his line of sight. He took a quick, deep breath and Tazen looked to the direction where his friend was concentrating. Balaam's voice was soft, almost reverent in its tone as he murmured softly. "It's a brown bear, and he's coming right at us."
"Well, this day is getting more and more complicated all the time." Tazen said with a sigh of apprehension, silently wondering-'what's next?'.
""""""""""
Ralen returned with Talut and Frebec, all of them running and heavily armed with spears. Talut also carried his huge axe loose in his hands. Tazen pointed out the lions and the direction of the temporarily out of sight brown bear to them as they arrived breathing heavily. The lions had not moved from their vantage point, and seemed as yet unaware of the bear that was coming towards them all. The bear came out from behind a small tree, and stopped and sat back on his haunches to look ahead of him in no particular hurry. He lifted his head and his nostrils flared as he tested the scents that had led him here that floated softly on the breeze, for his eyesight was not nearly as good as his acute sense of smell.
Of all the different species of bear that inhabited their lands, this was the one that was known to them as simply the 'brown bear'. Though significantly smaller than its massive cousin the mostly vegetarian cave bear, it was a large bear. This breed often weighed as much as two fully grown men-and stood taller on its hind legs than Talut did. This was the only bear around that actively hunted meat, the most aggressive and down right meanest bear in the land. The fur down the center of his back, neck, and head was most often a deep reddish color and wildly unruly and grizzled. He was universally feared and respected-and definitely avoided if at all possible. They were unpredictable, smart, and extremely strong and fast.
Talut smiled, admiring the huge predator that he had been so often compared to in jest. He knew first hand of the incredible strength of the beast, having had to face two of them in his adventurous life. Having survived the two encounters, his fear was considerably less than the younger and less experienced men around him. His appreciation and respect for this worthy adversary, however, was much greater.
""""""""""
The wolves began to drag away the dead hyenas, three or four of them pulling on each of the carcasses at a time. The incredible strength of the animals was obvious as they moved the much heavier hyenas with relative ease. They left the first hyena that was killed and mangled by the other hyenas where it lay because of the presence of a pair of wolverines that had snuck up and laid claim to it with their noxiously strong, musky smelling spew. The wolves would not normally challenge wolverines anyway due to the viciousness of the animals when they decided that something was theirs unless the wolves were in dire need. With three whole hyenas at their disposal, they let the wolverines have the other hyena without a backwards glance.
The hyenas left alive kept their distance still, laying around and patiently waiting. A pair of large males out in front of the group, standing guard and observing.
""""""""""
Talut looked to the large male lion sitting so serenely out in front of him, the female now laying down beside him. What a magnificent animal, he thought to himself, so proud and confident. The bear had disappeared from his sight again, walking back through the sparse bushes slightly in the direction of the lions though still well behind them.
Frebec had tried to follow the bears movements but had also lost sight of him for the moment, his spear thrower loose in his hands. He caught glimpses of the bear from time to time, and kept his eyes pealed. Tazen and Balaam stood beside him also keeping watch and searching.
Ralen stood next to Talut, and spoke softly as he asked. "What are they waiting for? Do you think there are more of them coming?"
"No, I don't think so Ralen." Talut said in a low voice. "I think that these two are trying to start their own pride, I think they are alone."
"Why do you think that?"
"If there were more of them, I don't think that the male would be here in plain sight. It is the female lion that is the primary hunter of the lion pride." Talut explained to the young hunter.
""""""""""
Tulie and Vincavec supervised the placement of the final burial stones on top of the long, rectangular cairn. It had been a massive effort to get it this far, and all of them were tired and sore. The finished height of the highest layer of rocks was just below Vincavec's chest. The cairn was eight of Tulie's paces wide, and the combined camp members were already starting the process of stacking the firewood around the edges. It took a little while to completely cover the large cairn, but it was finally done with the collective efforts of them all.
""""""""""
Tulie walked the perimeter of the camp, checking all the guard posts. She saw the last hyena being eaten by the wolverines, and moved on to the next post. Here she found the three guards watching carefully with nothing threatening in sight, and moved on. The next post had seen a pair of white foxes briefly, but nothing else but a great golden eagle sitting regally on the upper most branch of a small tree in the distance. Tulie went on to the last guard post. As she approached Talut and the others, she heard the roar from down in front of them.
The brown bear burst through the brush slightly behind and to the left of the pair of lions, and stood up on his hind legs and roared another challenge directed at the startled lions. The lions rushed into a defensive position, and stood up to the bear with powerful roars of defiance.
The children of the Mother above them watched in awe and fascination as the incredible scene played itself out before them down below.
The female lion rushed at the bear from the left side with a roar as the male advanced to the other side in a leaping bound. She took a swipe at his haunch just as the bear dropped down on all four legs and reached out with his huge front paw swinging out at her. Her claws bit into the right flank of the bear, drawing blood, but not doing any real damage as she quickly circled away. The bear roared as the male leaped at the bears unprotected left side and bit down hard on the shoulder and scampered back out of harms way, his teeth dripping blood.
The bear stood back up on his hind legs again roaring in pain and anger as the lioness tried to mimic the previous attack by the male and launched herself into the right side of the bear. He saw her coming and caught her in his strong front legs, and pulled her squirming and kicking into his thick chest roughly. He squeezed her tight as the sharp crack rang out and cut her screaming roar short as her spine snapped.
The male lion heard his mates cry and saw her go limp in the grip of the massive bears front legs as he was preparing to leap in for another attack. He was able to pull his leap short in a twisting, turning motion, and retreated quickly into the brush beyond. The bear tossed the lioness roughly to the ground and made a few rushing bounds towards the direction of the lions escape. He pulled himself up into a standing position again and roared, twisting his large head around and loudly proclaimed his victory to all that could hear.
The bear collected the lioness and drug her by her limp neck back into the scrub bushes slowly, leaving a sparse and sporadic blood trail as he lumbered away at his own slow pace. He was out of sight in no time at all.
Talut was in awe as the bear disappeared from their view, the strength and power of the brief fight to the death seemed to put some aspects of his troubled mind into perspective. In his mind he reasoned to himself the lessons that the Mother had just shown him-that the greater number does not always win, that not all confrontations are to the death of all involved, and that some may live to return another day. His mind wandered all around the third point, examining it from different angles. It bothered him deeply the more that he thought about it, what if they come back? What then?
Tulie saw Talut deep in thought, and had a vague idea of what was going through his mind, for she had seen the lessons of Mut herself. With the Lion camp being so far away, she did not have quite the same fears of the renegades reforming and coming after them. Her thoughts instead went more to the side of righteousness, and if what they did was right in the all seeing eyes of the Mother. If their actions were not correct, if Mut frowned on their handling of the situation-what would Her repercussions be?
""""""""""
Vincavec lit the fire over the cairn with very little ceremony, saying only the briefest eulogy phrases from the traditional Mamutoi burial ceremonies. The fire was slow in growing, many of the logs and branches were large and it took a while for them to break out into a strong flame.
There was little more that he could muster in the ways of the ceremony, his emotions were still too deeply in a state of constant turmoil. The flames grew and spread as the heat generated caught the larger pieces of wood, reaching skyward in long thin yellow fingers. In his heart, he felt that he was sending them on to the spirit world where they would face the immediate wrath of Mut directly. It was something that he himself now worried about for the first time in his life.
