Chapter Nine:
Construction and Flatheads
Talut and his hunters left at first light walking directly into the brightness of the rising sun. They worked their way due east out onto the steppes speeding up into a slow jog. Clearing the side of the wooded hill that bordered the valley, they jogged on for a little while before Talut slowed them to a stop to observe the steppes. Shading his eyes with his hand, he looked out over the vastness of the grassy plains, searching. He saw several lumps sticking up above the level of grass far off to the northeast, the dark brown color standing out in the primary tans and greens. Looking into the rising sun made it difficult to distinguish very much detail. It was too far to tell what they were for sure, Talut guessed either aurochs or bison-probably aurochs. It seemed from where they were to be a small herd, but it was hard to be sure. Frietag stood beside him and spotted the lounging herd also, thinking that they were aurochs as he concentrated solely on the long distance shapes.
Looking directly east Frebec spied a large dark brown shape accompanied by a smaller one of a lighter shade of brown. He figured it had to be a female rhino or a single mammoth with young. Probably a rhino since she is alone, he thought. He looked hard through the glare of the sun for more clues. Tazen and Thorec saw the far away shapes that Frebec stared at, and studied the sight as well.
Looking down to the southeast off to the side by himself, Salen saw a herd of megaceros walking leisurely right at them, still a long distance away. They approached slowly as they stopped to graze every few steps, as yet unaware of the humans in their path. Salen licked his finger and held it up above his head to test the direction of the wind. He smiled as he realized the slight breeze was blowing from the direction of the giant deer towards them. Moving slowly and deliberately, he backed up closer to Frebec while trying to get a count of the herd.
Twelve-no thirteen, Salen counted to himself as he bumped into Thorec who didn't see him coming. Thorec grunted as Salen stepped on his foot and hit him in the chest with his shoulder inadvertently.
"Sorry Thorec," he whispered as he looked up at his old friend and smiled as he continued, "we have a herd of megaceros coming right at us."
Thorec stepped back tentatively and looked past Salen, seeing the deer. Tazen heard the whispering, and looked for himself while reaching over to touch Frebec's arm to get his attention.
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The hot morning tea tasted even better than usual to the clean and refreshed group of nude travelers. They sat around inside the tent pulling and stretching their leather tunics and leggings to help regain some of the flexibility and softness. Even well worn leather clothing tended to stiffen up uncomfortably after a good washing. Spirits were high and jovial after the previous short days trek.
The sun just cleared the eastern horizon as they started out, naked from the waist down to traverse the sparkling stream. They all finished dressing and pulling on their foot coverings on the other side and continued on through the scattered brush.
Ludeg led them through the low brush in a weaving trail generally heading southeasterly. The morning was cool and the gentle wind they walked into was stronger than it had been since entering the lowlands. The sky was bright and a brilliant light blue and striped with long thin white curving bands of rippling clouds. The bushes and scrubs were now greening out nicely, the grasses and weeds growing taller in clumps and patches. Wild flowers sprung up all over, adding reds, blues, oranges, and pure whites to the colorful land. Spring was in full swing in the lowlands.
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Brenan drank another cup of steaming licorice root based tea, sweetened with dried rose hips. It was his third since he had left Latie still wrapped up tight in her sleeping furs deep in slumber. Milling around the front of the construction site, he tried to concentrate on the impending days tasks. His mind kept returning to his nagging worry about Laties unusual behavior of the last few days. She had been sleeping later than normal, and going to sleep earlier in the evenings. With the training of healing he had received from his mother, Brenan tried in vain to diagnose whatever was wrong with Latie without having asked her any questions of symptoms or pains. He was becoming a worried and frustrated young man.
Vincavec and Balaam approached him at the entrance of the lodge, Vincavec carrying a cut off mammoth knee bone mallet in one hand and a small axe in the other. Balaam carried a double armload of reindeer antlers. He let the antlers fall to the ground with a rattling clatter that startled Brenan who was deep in thought and had not heard them as they came near him. Balaam grinned at Brenan's jerky reaction as he walked away chuckling to fetch another load.
"Vincavec," Brenan began thoughtfully, "do you notice anything unusual about Latie lately?"
"In what way?"
Given the unexpected opening, Brenan spilled all his thoughts and confusions in a sudden rush. "She has been sleeping later and later, and going to sleep earlier and earlier. She disappears for long periods of time in the mornings, and she eats like a bird one day and like a gorging lion the next-what's wrong with her? I've tried to remember all that my mother Priva taught me of the signs and symptoms of different illnesses, but I can't seem to figure out what is wrong with her. Vincavec-I'm worried, is Latie sick? What is going on? What is causing all these strange symptoms?"
Vincavec tried not to laugh at the young mans concerns for his promised, and took a deep breath to steady his voice before answering him. "Brenan, these are only the signs of her advancing pregnancy. There is nothing wrong with Latie-this is all normal, positive behavior."
It took a moment, then Brenan's worries all seemed to fall off his face as the Mamut's words took hold in his deeply troubled mind. Though well trained in the basic healing arts and practices, he had never really participated in the caring of pregnant women or the birthing processes at all. A proud smile slowly spread over his face, the very idea of having a child together with Latie at his own hearth again filled him suddenly with a deep flushing rush of satisfaction such as he had never known.
Vincavec watched the anguish disappear from his talented young friend with a knowing smile, wishing in some ways that he too was experiencing the joys of establishing a hearth with a mate-and a child. His thoughts involuntarily strayed back to the last summer meeting when he had been so infatuated with the beautiful stranger named Ayla, and the very thought of setting up a hearth with her still excited him. What a gorgeous, mystical, and powerful shaman she would be one day-and to know that she was to be gone forever had just devastated him at the time. Sometimes it still did. Vincavec had been completely unapproachable to the bevy of available women that had vied for his affections throughout the remainder of the meeting, oblivious to their advances. I should find a mate of my own, he thought again, having entertained the idea many times before. I should.
Vincavec put his hand on Brenan's shoulder and gave him a firm squeeze, slightly envious of him. "Everything is fine, Brenan, and your life is only going to get better and better."
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Tulie reached as high as she could to pluck another blossom from the linden tree. She stepped back to the gathering basket sitting on the ground and pulled open the fold in her tunic and let the clump of flowers and buds fall down into it. The basket was over half full and a few bees buzzed around its edges, flying away as the flowers fell.
Mamie stood patiently behind her, and Barzec was waiting his turn as well. The linden tree was in full bloom, and they had all smelled it for a while before finding the short, stunted tree. Fresh linden flowers had a lot of different uses, and the thought of the fresh sweet flavor that it would add to their morning and evening teas had prompted them to take a break to gather all they could hold.
As Tulie returned to the lower branches of the tree to pick some more, she froze as her eyes picked up a thin wisp of smoke off to the south. She studied it for a moment before realizing that it had to be the smoke a camp fire.
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Vincavec and Brenan stood on the large lower cross brace each holding on to the mammoth tusks for support and balance with one hand. Balaam and Jozen mirrored them on the opposite side of the structure facing them. Each side of the lodge skeleton had a helper on the ground, handing the loose antlers up as they were needed. Morlie helped Vincavec and Brenan, while Stolie handed them up to Balaam and Jozen. They worked to position the large antlers into place where the willow poles stopped short of completing the roof of the building at the very top. The antler bases were wedged tightly in between the willow poles and the top cross brace at the intersections and tied with wet leather strips, with the long tines pointing reaching upward. These were in turn tied together at the tines. Working from the tusks out, the spaces filled in rapidly meeting at the center. At the very top a good size space was left open directly above a hearth fire pit down below.
The first sections of installing the antlers were completed, and the four men hopped down and followed their helpers on to the next wall section.
Averie, Regan, and Latie walked to the northwest from the lodge along the base of the hill. They each carried large woven grass gathering baskets, along with their digging sticks. Though still early in the growing season, the land was rich with choice edible greens and vegetables.
The first that they found was near a large rotting log, the ground was covered with short, fat mushrooms. As they gathered them Latie saw the leafy green tops of carrots, and Averie located a small patch of young squash. Their baskets began to fill nicely with fresh bounty of the Mother.
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Salen slowly and carefully reached out in front of him and gently pulled the wide clump of grass apart with his fingers. He peered through the slim break, watching the lead stag take a few steps closer and pause to graze again. Four large does and two yearlings stayed close behind him, the rest followed in a loose group a little way back.
Talut was stiff and sore from staying so still for so long in the almost-but not quite-hands and knees posture. He was huddled down almost on his side behind the widest and tallest clump of knee high grass, as close to the ground as he could get without lying down entirely. His hunters were all hidden in much the same way, in a wide vee shaped phalanx that he anchored with Frebec several paces off to his right side.
Each of them had cut an arm load of the tall grass and used it to loosely cover their bodies after they had settled into their well camouflaged hiding places. They had taken positions and hidden six paces apart flaring wider and farther apart as each pair went farther forward away from Talut and Frebec.
They had gotten into their final positions early in the morning. The sun was now approaching its apex and the long wait was nearing its end. The megaceros were almost to their front lines manned by Salen and Thorec.
The first five megaceros cleared Salen and Thorec on the front row of the hunters. The lead stag stopped suddenly and looked around as if he heard or smelled something, two of the does watched him as he searched for any danger. He snorted, getting the attention of the entire band of the giant deer. Three of them stepped forward toward the stag quickly. Though he could find no imminent danger, his senses were fully alert, he was ready to bolt.
With a sudden sharp shrill whistle, Salen jumped up and flung his spear with the powerful spear thrower at the nearest doe. Thorec, Frietag, and Frebec all followed suit a blink of the eye later. Talut and Tazen were close behind them as Talut's large throwing spear took the stag in the center of the chest as he leaped forward with the beginning of the confusion and carnage. Five of the deer lay struggling on the ground after the first volley, a large doe with two spears impaling her right behind the stag lay kicking and dying.
Frebec and Salen got off a second volley and took two more megaceros as they wheeled away from the ambush and the remainder of the herd scattered quickly out of range, thundering away. Talut and Thorec quickly finished off the suffering animals.
In the briefest of assaults, seven giant deer were down, and enough fresh meat had been procured to last the combined camp members for weeks.
The hunters were jubilant at their success. The task of gutting and field dressing the largest three deer began, with all six men taking part. A whole skin of a young aurochs was laid out on the ground and utilized as a carrying bag for the usable entrails. The first three deer were made ready, and the bag of useful organs was full.
Talut leaned down and picked up the front legs of the stag. Twisting his body as he stood up with the megaceros on his wide back holding the front legs over each of his massive shoulders. It appeared as if the giant deer was riding on his back as he started the walk back to camp, the deers back legs dragging the ground behind him.
Thorec and Tazen mimicked Talut's method of carrying the deer. Frietag pulled the heavy skin of organs over his shoulder, and they all fell in behind Talut, walking heavily.
Frebec and Salen worked on the remaining deer, and would stay and stand guard until the others returned. Frebec used his bone handled flint knife to make the first cut on one of the yearling bucks, Salen watched him work for a moment before moving on to the next deer.
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Tulie watched the thin wisp of smoke off to the distance in silence, her mind raced. If it's the raiders we are sorely unprepared, she thought to herself, and probably badly outnumbered. Her brow wrinkled in concentration, and her worries compounded. They could have regrouped-all of them, her active mind reasoned. She contemplated their situation for a moment before speaking out to the others.
"We have company." She said softly, her voice carrying easily in the near silence of the early afternoon.
Ludeg and Barzec were the closest to her. Barzec was busy pulling down on a long limb rich with blossoms while Ludeg plucked all those he could now reach.
"What are you talking about?" Barzec asked, looking around them quickly, seeing nothing.
Ludeg stopped what he was doing and swept the immediate area within his vision also. Branag and Mamie stopped their efforts as well, and came around from the back side of the tree where they had been to listen in. Tressie and Tornec saw the gathering and joined them from over by the basket, a few steps away.
"Over there, see the smoke?" Tulie said, pointing to the south. They all looked in the direction she directed them to. "Looks like a camp fire to me."
Barzec's face grew instantly serious. "But whose fire is it?"
"And why are they camped in the middle of the day?" Ludeg joined in.
"You don't think..." Branag began as Tulie cut him off.
"I don't know just what to think-yet. But one thing is for sure, we are not in a very good position if we have to defend ourselves." Tulie's voice was as serious as the expression on her face.
"Oh great Mother, surely it can't be the raiders-can it?" Tressie moaned, fear gripping her hard.
"We do need to know, I'll go find out who it is." Ludeg said, looking to Branag as he spoke.
"Hold on, Ludeg-let's think about this for a bit." Branag said, and looked back to Tulie as he continued. "I think we could check them out from a distance, try to see who it is, don't you?"
"Yes, but we'll need to be more than a little cautious. If we stay downwind of them and..."
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Three adult female cave lions and one that was not quite full grown sat watching as the two men finished field dressing the last megaceros from a respectable distance. They waited patiently for the moment.
Salen had seen them as they approached, and he and Frebec had kept a wary eye on them as they finished getting the deer ready to transport. Talut and the rest were in sight on their way back, but were still pretty far away.
Frebec cut the heads off the four remaining deer. The majority of the internal organs, save for the livers, bladders, and stomachs, were left on the ground. These would be bagged as soon as their help arrived.
It should be enough, Frebec thought, unless the lions are waiting for more of their friends to show up.
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Vincavec and those helping him were on the last wall sections, tying the last of the antler tines together in place at the highest point of the roof. It was deep into the afternoon now-and hot. They had worked almost non stop since early morning, and it showed. The framing of the lodge was nearly complete.
Averie, Regan, and Latie had returned to prepare them a mid day meal, their gathering baskets overflowing with fresh goods. Now the three ladies sat in a semi circle at the base of the mound of fresh cut grass weaving large, tight mats. Each mat was as long as Talut was tall, and almost that wide. They were stacked neatly on the ground behind them as they were finished. The pile grew steadily.
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"Let me go on ahead, I'll scout them out and come back for you," Ludeg proposed to them. "It will be hard to stay concealed this time of day, so I'll have to go slow as I get close to them."
They all stood in a loose group under the shaded branches of the linden tree. Bees buzzed around them, the sweet smell of the blossoms drawing them in from all around.
"I don't think we should separate," Tulie said, the leader in her being cautious as usual. All she really wanted was to get back home.
"Ludeg's right, Tulie," Barzec said gently to his mate. "We don't know who is out there, but we definitely need to see them before they see us. How else will we know?"
"I'll go with you. Together we can sneak up on the camp and see who it is," Branag said, looking to Ludeg as he continued. "We've hunted enough together to keep from being seen if we take our time and be extra careful."
Ludeg nodded as Tulie considered the idea with a concerned look on her face. She didn't like the plan too much, but she had no better alternative to offer. It wasn't safe to simply ignore the situation and move on. The distance between the small wisp of smoke and where they were now was really hard to gauge, drifting on the breeze its exact location could easily be distorted. Her best guess said that it was a pretty solid hike in any case. She thought about it some more and somewhat reluctantly made her decision known.
"All right, we'll do it your way. Branag you go with Ludeg, but whatever you do-stay well hidden. Do not let them know you are there, no matter who they are. We'll follow your trail until we get close and make camp behind you," Tulie continued, "you can come back for us before making any kind of contact, after you see who it is and find out if it is safe. Agreed?"
"Agreed, we will leave you markers as we go, and three stones to let you know where to stop and wait for us," Ludeg replied. "With any luck we'll know something before dark, but you may not see us until in the morning."
"Understood. You two be careful. I mean it," Tulie said with obvious feeling. "We'll stay here and have a cold traveling meal before we start out behind you. Take only your weapons and food, we'll bring the rest with us."
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Vincavec, Jozen, and Balaam worked on cutting and removing small squares of frozen earth from the rear most section of the lodge at the base of the hill. It was the area where they would eventually have as their cold storage room when the lodge was completed. They stacked the cold bricks of earth around the edges of the hole as they enlarged and deepened it. It was hard, dirty work and the pit was only large enough for one of them to be inside at a time. They made quick progress by digging two squares at a time and then getting out and letting the next man dig two.
Averie had several helpers skinning and butchering the megaceros. They cut the meat into large pieces and wrapped them in their own skins after washing them in the river. She kept a large haunch out and prepared it for cooking on the spit after they finished.
Vincavec pulled the last square of frozen mud from the bottom of the pit and stacked it into the wall of frozen bricks they had built around the perimeter of the hole. The bricks around the outside were tightly packed together. He and his helpers then retrieved and stacked some of the large, flat paving stones against the outside of the walls, almost straight up and down. They covered the top by laying a large stone carefully on top of the walls, leaving only a small opening at the front wall. They covered the front opening with a doubled over bison hide, the hair facing into the hole, and anchored it with small rocks on the top of the cold cairn.
Averie and her helpers brought them the wrapped meat and Vincavec stooped down and leaned inside and stacked them into the back of the covered cold storage area. When all the bundles of meat were stacked neatly inside he closed it off with the bison skin and weighted down the bottom of the hide with more rocks.
Though it would not freeze the meat completely, it would keep it plenty cold enough not to spoil any time soon. It would be some time before the lodge would be complete enough and the cold storage room would be insulated well enough to freeze anything. For now, the cold pit would meet their needs.
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Talut kept a sharp eye on the four cave lions as the rest of them prepared to tote the remaining giant deer back to camp. The lions had not moved since he and the other hunters had returned. Majestic and fearless, they simply sat patiently and watched. Talut liked Frebec's idea of leaving the heads and entrails for the lions, and hoped that it would be enough to keep them satisfied. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal directly with a pack of hungry cave lions.
They loaded up the deer and began the long walk back, Frebec watching their back carrying only his spear thrower loose in his hands as a rear guard. The rest of them were heavily loaded and walking slowly.
Frebec watched the lions over his shoulder as they all trudged back to the Mammoth camp. The lions began to mill about as they watched the hunters leave, and began moving forward only after the hunters were a good distance away. Frebec watched their every move closely.
The lead lioness was the first to get to the remains of the megaceros, and began to nose around the area, still keeping a watchful eye on the departing hunters. The adolescent lioness grabbed the first deer head she came to and grabbing it in her powerful jaws began dragging it between her front legs back the way they had come. She struggled with the weight of her load, not yet having the full strength of an adult cave lion.
The rest of the lions began to feast on some of the discarded organs. They ate their fill and began to drag away all they could carry back out onto the steppes without a backwards glance.
Frebec could still see them as they began to leave and breathed a sigh of relief as they moved away from them. He caught up to Salen, and took over part of his load telling them all about the lions leaving.
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Ludeg and Branag approached a thick stand of short trees and dense bushes surrounded with knee high undergrowth. Moving ahead slowly and quietly, all their senses highly alert. They were close enough to the camp now to smell the tantalizing aroma of meat cooking over the fire. It was in the last stages of dusk, and their vision was waning considerably. They heard no sounds from the camp site, though they were close enough to see the soft glow of the fire as darkness came over the land.
Ludeg bent over at the waist as he skirted the last gnarly tree and crept up behind a chest high bush, with Branag a step or so behind him. He raised up slowly to peer through the leafy top twigs of the bush. His vision was partially obscured but he could make out a meaty leg spitted over the fire and three low tents in the background close behind it. Several people sat around the outside the tents and two tended the cooking meat. At this distance he couldn't see well enough to determine whether the people were male or female.
Ludeg motioned for Branag to join him, and they watched the slow activity of the camp together for a while. Branag tried to get a body count as he watched, the diminishing light making it more and more difficult.
"I can count six so far," Branag whispered softly.
"I've seen seven, one went into the tent before you stood up," Ludeg whispered back, still looking hard at the camp.
"That meat is almost ready, we'll probably get a good count of them when they gather outside to eat," Branag replied quietly.
Two came out from the center tent and walked to the fire, they picked up a few more limbs from a pile nearby. As one of them leaned down to place the wood on the fire, his face became visible in the fire light and Branag gasped.
"They're flatheads," he whispered in astonishment.
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The evening meal at the Mammoth camp had turned into an impromptu, but very welcome feast. It was the first really well provisioned meal that they had taken the time to put together since they had begun the construction of the lodge.
The feast had turned this evening into an unplanned special occasion. Weary from the hard days work, it lifted all their spirits considerably. The variety and quantity of the fresh vegetables gave them all additional hunger pangs. The megaceros haunch that was roasting slowly over the fire dripped with succulent, rich fat that dripped into the fire causing small spikes of sizzling flames to shoot up. The fresh mushrooms and baby onions were simmering in with tender young cattail shoots and an assortment of ground nuts in a large hide off to the side of the fire.
The aromas wafted out in all directions, torturing the tired Mamutoi who sat around lounging and drinking a sweet alfalfa and raspberry leaf tea that only seemed to make them hungrier.
Vincavec was particularly pleased with the progress made on the lodge even though he had been short handed for most of the day. The small cold storage vault was a necessity that was sorely needed, but he had hated having to stop work on the structure of the lodge to build it. He was glad it was finished and out of the way, and almost full.
There were enough woven grass mats made and stacked up to begin the next phase of construction in the morning. Vincavec knew that he would need a lot of strong hands ready to work long and hard, and hoped that the big meal and a good nights sleep would find them ready. It does smell really good, he thought as his own stomach growled in anticipation. One look at Talut told him not to be the last one in line when the meal was served, the red haired brute looked as if he could eat the entire feast all by himself.
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Ludeg and Branag worked their way slowly back in the direction to where they had left markers for the others to stop and make camp. They felt their way along carefully in the darkness, trying to make as little noise as possible. The quarter moon above them cast just enough light for them to be able to see a little, but details were vague at best. They felt their way using the blunt ends of their spears as prods to better get a better feel for the ground in front of them.
Ludeg was startled by the sudden sounds of a small animal running away from them in the rustling dead leaves and grass. Must have been a rabbit, he thought hopefully. Branag breathed a sigh of relief as Ludeg took another few steps ahead. They would both pause to study the ground in front of them as well as they could, then take a couple of steps forward. Then do it again. It was slow going and they were both tired and hungry, it had been a really long day.
The moon had slid a long way across the sky when Ludeg heard the faint, sharp tapping off to their left. He changed direction toward the rhythmic sounds and continued on as before, skirting a growth of twisted briars that stood in their way. As they cleared the far edge of the briar patch, the ground seemed to explode in front of them as they disturbed a group of feral hogs rooting around and feeding on fresh new grass and shallow roots.
Ludeg jumped backwards into a defensive posture, crashing into Branag who was only a step and a half behind him, just as Branag was pulling his spear up and out in front of him. They tumbled to the ground in a tangled mess of arms and legs as the panicking pigs scattered in several different directions all at once. A couple of the frightened swine almost running over the men as they thrashed around on the ground, trying to get back to their feet.
Ludeg finally rolled over and got to his feet and as he tried to turn to help Branag, he found that he could not turn all the way back around to face him. Branag's spear was stuck through the bottom of his twisted tunic preventing him from moving any farther. He quickly stepped back to give himself more room to move about, and reached up under his ripped shirt and hurriedly felt around for any wounds.
Branag felt the pressure of his spear as it was hung up on Ludeg and loosened his grip immediately, fearing the worst. His fears subsided somewhat as he heard Ludeg begin to chuckle softly.
"You owe me a new tunic, my fearless leader."
Branag was so relieved that he had to laugh also, as Ludeg pulled the spear out from the ripped tunic and held it out to him. They had all but forgotten to stay quiet, and were shocked to hear a voice from not too far in front of them.
"Over here, guys," Barzec said softly.
They both jumped at the sound, and it set them off on another round of laughter, though they were able to keep it much quieter this time. Barzec came up to them from out of the darkness and guided them back to the tent.
"Don't tell me what you've found out, you'll just have to tell it all again to Tulie," he said as they walked on. "I'm glad you found your way back."
The tapping sound grew louder as they made their way almost blindly up to the tent. Tulie sat on the ground outside the open flap tapping two small stones together as a homing beacon. A small basket of cold tea beside her on the ground.
Tulie handed them each a cup of tea as they sat down in front of her. Barzec sat next to Tulie, the others were all asleep inside the tent. There was no fire as they had not wanted to give away their location or presence unnecessarily. Over half the night was gone.
"You're not going to believe this," Ludeg began, taking a drink, "it is a camp of flatheads."
"Flatheads around here?" Tulie was astounded, they were not all that far away from the Aurochs camp. It was just three days or so on ahead of them.
"You're kidding us, aren't you?" Barzec was no less surprised as his mate.
"No, they are Clan alright," Branag said. "We counted nine of them, but there may be more."
"We waited until they ate their evening meal, but three of them took food into one of their tents, then came out later to eat themselves," Ludeg continued. "We really couldn't get an accurate count, but they also had some children with them."
"Well, it is not a hunting party then," Tulie said, thinking aloud, "and their summer meeting was last year, according to Ayla there won't be another for six more years."
"I wonder what they are doing here then," Barzec mused. "I don't remember any Clan living any where near here."
"Actually Barzec, there is a Clan cave not too far to the southwest of here-at least there used to be," Ludeg said softly. "I have known of this camp for quite some time."
"Where, Ludeg?" Tulie asked him. "Why haven't you told us of them before?"
"Several days walk to the southwest of here is a jagged range of rocky cliffs along the banks of the last river that we crossed. Where it makes a sharp turn to the south, I once stumbled across a camp of the Clan that lived in a large cave facing the river a few years back. At the time I was looking for a short cut to a Sungea camp to the northwest of there," Ludeg explained. "I didn't really think anyone was interested too much in a camp of flatheads anyway."
There was a prolonged moment of silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
"Why are they here?" Barzec asked to no one in particular.
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"Good morning, Talut," Vincavec said with a smile as he watched the large man eating from a huge platter of cold leftovers from the feast of the night before. Talut merely nodded at him with a full mouth grin as he speared another piece of meat with his knife and bit off a chunk and chewed on it with relish.
Vincavec sipped a cup of tea and looked out at the skeleton of the lodge, already planning his day. The morning was cool and damp with a heavy coating of dew, and the sunlight glistened off the damp tusks and bones of the frame of the lodge. The structure was simply magnificent, he observed.
The camp was waking and milling about slowly this morning, well rested and in a collective good mood. The huge basket of hot tea and the abundance of cold food got worked over pretty hard as people got up and around.
Latie appeared at the entrance flap of the tent, and clutched her stomach with both hands as she walked quickly towards the waste pit. Brenan came out of the tent just behind her, and watched with an almost smug grin as she left. He walked over to the fire and dipped himself a cup of tea. Sipping the steaming sweet liquid, he watched as Talut filled his plate with food-again.
Brenan saw Vincavec over to the side of the lodge, and walked over and stood next to him.
"I wanted to thank you for pointing out what Laties morning problems are to me," he said, taking a sip of tea.
"It is the way of Mut, especially for first time mothers," Vincavec answered, seeing the confident pride in the young man.
"I seem to remember Priva making a tea from chamomile and the inner bark of wild cherry for women who were having problems with this type of morning affliction. Do you think this would help Latie?"
"You are correct, but a little datura could also be added to help relax her and help to settle her queasy stomach," Vincavec answered, impressed with the young mans knowledge of the healing arts. "I have what you need in my medicine pack, let's make her some. We should probably fix her a plate of vegetables before Talut wipes them all out as well."
Brenan smiled at this, looking over at Talut still eating as if there would be no tomorrow. The large headman looked over at them as if he knew they were talking about him and grinned, a trickle of juice running from the corner of his mouth into his flaming red beard.
""""""""""
Tulie poured a cup of water and sat down with the rest of the travelers. She was still sleepy, having been up late waiting for Ludeg and Branag to return. They look more tired than I feel, she thought as she watched them chewing on dried meat.
Barzec told the others of the news of the Clan camp, and after their surprise began to wane, the real discussion began.
"This seems so out of place, I think we should try to talk with them," Barzec said in conclusion.
"I don't think I could communicate with them very well," Tulie said, shaking her head, "besides, I am a woman, and they don't hold women in very high regard."
"I could probably converse with them, I could certainly try," Barzec said, looking at Tulie with a smile. "At least I'm male."
This brought a bit of laughter from them all, and Tornec spoke up as the levity gradually subsided, "I probably know more of the Clans language than the rest of you, the children of my hearth used it often. Rydag spent a lot of time with Nuvie and Hartal, I learned from them. Let's try to talk to them, I think I can do it."
"All right, let's get packed up then," Tulie said after looking to each of them, and seeing their approval.
""""""""""
Talut and Brenan waded in the ankle deep mixture of mud and dried grass near the large pile of dirt excavated from the floor of the lodge. They were pushing the dried grass into the mud with their feet making a thick slurry mixture. Averie and Morlie continued to spread additional grass on the surface as it disappeared, absorbed into the mud. The consistency of the mixture thickened as they worked.
Frebec and Salen brought up two more water bags filled from the river, and set them down. Gathering the two empty bags that lay nearby on the ground, they took them and went back for another load. The bags were the largest they had, and quite heavy when full.
Vincavec and Jozen were busy tying one of the large woven grass mats across the bottom section of the wall framing as it protruded from the hillside on the far side of the lodge, working from the ground up. They used flexible twine of twisted grass to secure the mat to the angled willow poles at close intervals. The mat was wide enough to span the distance between the farthest tusk at the back to just past the large wooden support beam at the center of the wall. They tied the next one overlapping the first mat and stretched it on forward to the next tusk. The mats reached a little higher than Vincavec was tall.
Tazen, Frietag, and Balaam began to transfer the thick mud mixture onto a hide laid out on the ground next to Talut and Brenan with flat sided palmate antlers with their tines cut off using them as scoops. They made a large pile, then grabbed the edge of the hide and drug the heavy load over to the area that Vincavec and Jozen were just finishing.
The rest of the workers started pulling huge clumps of the mix from the skin and began shaping it against the grass mats, at ground level. They worked it with their hands, pressing it out smoothly and roughly about the thickness of a forearm. They started at the hillside and worked forward. The first group piled and shaped the mud mix about ankle high, the next group took it about the same distance higher. The last group took fresh water from a basket and smoothed the wall of thick mud with their hands, slicking it out nicely.
As the first wall section grew almost to knee high, they continued on to the next section and began the same procedure there. The work continued on in this process for the rest of the morning without stopping, circling the framework of the lodge. The warm sun and light breeze dried the mud slowly behind them as they went along.
""""""""""
Ludeg stopped his fellow travelers at the same clump of bushes that he and Branag had hidden behind the night before to observe the Clan camp. They watched the activity of the camp for a while seeing nothing unusual as the camp women prepared their morning meal in a leisurely manner at the fire.
Ludeg led them around the edge of the bushes to show themselves and walked on towards them out in the open. They didn't get very far before they were noticed by the women who were tending the meat as it cooked. Their initial reaction surprised them all.
With guttural shouts from the women, the men of the Clan emerged from the large central tent with spears brandished. Their faces were as hard and as menacing as their weapons, it was rather obvious that the Others were not welcome and were considered a threat.
Two of the men strutted past the fire and took a strong defensive stance in front of the camp, the three other men flanking them. They held their spears across their wide, powerful bodies and flexed their strong arms in a warning gesture. The women and children simply seemed to vanish from sight.
Ludeg and Tornec walked on side by side, leading the rest of them directly towards the unhappy Clan men. The men of the clan were getting more and more agitated as they came closer. At about twenty paces away, Ludeg and Tornec held their arms out in front of them, palms up and stopped.
Tornec signed a simple gesture of greeting, and the men of the Clan were astonished. It seemed to agitate them even further, and they bared their teeth in a symbol of their confusion and unhappiness at the presence of the Others.
The Clan man on the left grunted and shoved his spear out in front of him in such a manner as to ward them off.
Tornec repeated the sign of greeting, then made a sign meaning 'friend'.
The Clan man on the right signed quickly and gruffly, 'What do you want, men of the Others?'
Tornec had a hard time with the fast signs, but got the gist of the meaning. He thought hard for a moment, then signed back, 'To talk only. Why Clan here?'
Though the signs of the man of the Others were crude and almost infant like in presentation, he was understood. The man on the right signed again, 'Where did you learn to talk properly?'
Most of the nuances of the finer meaning of his signs were lost on Tornec, and his own limited grasp of Clan language made his reply more difficult. He tried answering as well as he could, 'Know woman live with Clan-she teach talk Clan way.' He paused before pointing roughly at his own chest and speaking, "Tornec."
The man studied him for a moment, then pointed to his own chest and said, "Rug." His voice almost a grunt, and he spoke again as he pointed at Tornec. "Gorrnak."
Tornec replied quickly, "Rug."
"Gorrnak," he said again, then continued in signs with a hard look on his face, 'What do you want with us? There is no cave here to steal. Or are you here to try to destroy the rest of this Clan with your strange throwing spears?'
Tornec translated roughly what Rug had said for the rest of them, to their surprised horror and confusion.
The men of the Clan saw their reaction and were completely puzzled by it. The Others were upset and made those annoying mouth noises rapidly amongst themselves, bothering them even more.
Rug turned to the man next to him, speaking and signing quickly. "Borg" 'what do these Others care about us, why are they concerned?'
Borg was as confused by the reactions of the Others at least as much as Rug, he had no answers. 'We must ask "Mog-ur", only he will know.'
""""""""""
Rug didn't like the suggestion made by Borg, but he saw no other good alternative. He was still at odds with the Others that spoke correctly, even if it was barely understandable. Borg was right, only Mog-ur would know what to do.
'Follow me,' he signed and turned and signed to the other Clan men behind him. 'I will speak to "Mog-ur," these Others seem to be no threat.'
The entire group moved down to the fire, and stood around as Rug went into the large central tent alone. He was gone for a while before coming out of the tent and signaling for Borg to follow him back inside.
Tulie noticed the women partially hidden in the tall grass almost out of sight behind the tents, cowering down as she looked towards them.
When Rug and Borg reappeared at the front of the tent opening they were flanking and supporting an older man by the arms. He was obviously grievously wounded, there were bloody skins wrapped around his upper chest. They assisted him to a flat rock near the fire and helped to ease him down to sit.
Tornec and Ludeg looked to each other, both thinking the worst. Tornec approached the Mog-ur slowly, and sat on the ground in front of him at a lower level to show proper respect. He bowed his head for a moment, then looked directly into the deep brown eyes of the wizened old man who sat stoically before him. The old man acknowledged him with a slight nod.
'Why are you here, people of the Others?' he signed.
"Tornec" he said tapping his chest. 'Want know what happened Clan,' Tornec signed in return.
The Mog-ur was surprised, even though he had been forewarned that these Others could speak correctly. It was unnerving to see it for himself for the first time. The expression on his face gave none of his misgivings away as he pondered his next words.
'This Clan lived many days walk there, "Gorrnak," he signed and pointed to the southwest as he continued. 'Men of the Others came with strange and deadly throwing spears and killed the people of our Clan. They gave no warning, they killed women and children. Some of us got away, they were away when the Others came, out hunting or gathering food. This is how we came to be here, my Clan is waiting for me to go on to the spirit world. Then they will go on and search for a new cave.'
Tornec translated his words as well as he could for those who didn't understand, they all sat in rapt attention as the old Mog-ur signed so eloquently.
'Others throw spear Mog-ur?'
The Mog-ur simply nodded.
'How get away?'
"Borg" and "Rug" found me in my place of meditation away from the cave as they returned from hunting with these men. I was wounded.' Mog-ur went on as he waved his arm toward the three Clan men off to his right. 'The Others had thrown a spear and hit me in the chest, the men of my Clan carried me to a small hill across from our cave. The men of the Others had killed all the Clan who were there, we left and found some of our women and children gathering food at the river away from the cave upstream.'
Mog-ur paused as he looked out over the Others. He was startled to see their looks of disgust and horror as the man of the Others made the mouth sounds to them.
'We went away, trying to save what is left of our Clan. This is how we came to be here, our medicine woman was killed with the others at the cave. I will walk with Ursus soon, then this Clan will move on.' The Mog-ur allowed Tornec a moment to translate, then continued. 'The men of the Others came from the south, we came north to avoid any more of them. The other caves of the Clan are to the south, we don't know if they survive or not.'
Tornec watched as the Mog-ur signed, seeing his difficulty as his strength began to wane. "Mog-ur" we have medicine woman, will let help?'
Mog-ur was surprised, 'Why do you care about the Clan, it was your kind who attacked us?'
'Not all Others hate Clan,' Tornec paused, trying to remember the signs for his next words. 'Not all Others evil.'
'It is too late for "Mog-ur," I will walk with Ursus very soon. Even our Clan medicine woman cannot cure a spear to the chest. It is my time to go.'
'How many Others? Women too?'
The old Mog-ur was perplexed, in the Clan only the Mog-ur could count much past three. He held up both hands extending his fingers only, signaling eight. 'No women, men only.'
As Tornec translated, Tulie gasped aloud. "There were eight raiders that admitted to harming the Wolf camp. Surely they haven't..."
""""""""""
The walls of the Mammoth lodge were up to almost waist high by mid afternoon. The supply of cut grass was almost depleted, and the mound of excavated dirt had been roughly cut in half. The pile of woven grass mats was almost gone as well. The workers were all tired and covered with sticky mud. As the last wall section was slicked out, Vincavec called a halt to the days construction.
"Let's all get cleaned up and call it a day."
Talut approached him, his huge bare chested body streaked with mud and sweat. The grin on his face was almost playful in appearance.
"We'll need more woven mats and the cut grass to make them with soon. I'll get cleaned up and take a few men to cut some if you like."
"I'll go with you while the others get some rest and fix us something good to eat." He smiled at Talut, then looked back at the progress of the lodge with satisfaction.
"It's going to be a wonderful home, Vincavec." Talut's face glowed with the pride he felt at their growing accomplishment. It is really a magnificent structure, and the valley is so incredibly abundant, he thought. What a great place to call home.
""""""""""
Tornec looked to the Mog-ur, 'We camp here, leave morning?'
'We will share a meal with the people of the Others,' the Mog-ur signed, seeing the distress his words put on the faces of the men of his Clan. "Rug" have the women prepare enough food for our guests.'
Rug nodded and signed, 'Yes "Mog-ur." Then turned to Tornec, 'Set up your tent there.' He pointed to a flat area off to the far side of the fire.
Barzec and Ludeg left to go and retrieve the traveling supplies from the stand of trees where they had left them before approaching the camp. As they reached the top of the slight rise at the start of the trees, a movement caught Ludeg's sharp eye over the top of a bush out in front of them. He reached out and touched Barzec's arm, they both froze.
Ludeg pointed ahead as the top tines of a deer were barely visible as he moved slowly, seeing the movement just over the top of the bush. Barzec smiled as he spotted it, and both of them quietly positioned a spear into their spear throwers. They watched the tops of the antlers as they moved slowly.
Barzec pulled his spear thrower up and nodded to Ludeg as he let it fly. His spear struck the deer high in the neck and it stumbled from the impact. it straightened up to flee as Ludeg's spear hit him in the upper shoulder and knocked him down for good.
They both hurried to the fallen animal, but there was no need as he was quite dead. It was a yearling spotted deer, and Ludeg removed the spears as Barzec went on to gather their supplies.
""""""""""
The men of the Clan were surprised as Ludeg and Barzec cleared the gentle rise and into their line of sight with the deer as well as their supplies. Rug and Borg rushed out to meet them as they came into sight, walking heavily under their loads. They helped the men of the Others bring the fresh meat and supplies on into the camp.
The Mog-ur observed the interaction between the men, the beginnings of an idea forming in his mind. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to concentrate clearly and for him to mask his increasing pain as the strength of his body continued to diminish. His health was going downhill fast. As much as he would really have liked to have gone back into the tent to lay down, his curiosity of the Others and how his Clan would get along with them intrigued him.
The four men unloaded their burdens on the ground away from the fire a few steps, and Tulie and Mamie took the tent from the pile of supplies and began to set it up with Branag's help. Mog-ur watched them with his interest piqued as the three of them all worked together with no obvious difference in the gender roles of tasks performed.
Rug and Borg stood beside and looked over the deer, showing their appreciation for the accuracy of the fatal wounds. Barzec and Ludeg conversed with them in a jovial way, explaining the details of the impromptu hunt. The tension between the men seemed almost nonexistent as they discussed the kill. Mog-ur observed them also, they could have all been men of the Clan the way they talked together, almost.
Mog-ur saw from the corner of his eye as Crag approached him from his left, followed closely by Troog and Draag. They all still carried their spears. Coming around and stopping a few feet in front of him, Crag knelt down on one knee to look Mog-ur in the eye.
'Should I get the women to clean the deer, Mog-ur?'
Mog-ur nodded and then signed, 'Have them come back to camp, and to bring the children also. Set your spears aside, you will not need them.'
Crag nodded and waved his hand at Draag who turned and walked quickly behind the central tent and beyond to fetch the women and children. Crag took Troog's spear from him and leaned it and his own spear against the outside of the nearest tent. He returned and knelt again before Mog-ur.
'Do you wish for anything, Mog-ur?' Crag asked, concern etched across his face.
'I wish for a hot meal of fresh spotted deer.'
The men relaxed at the signs of their Mog-ur, they knew he was in bad shape physically, and his words encouraged them. It had seemed that until the Others had come to their camp that he was almost ready to leave them for good. He looked decidedly better to them as he sat stoically on the flat rock. They had no wish to lose their beloved holy man.
""""""""""
Talut and Vincavec walked side by side leading the other six men and women back towards the distant smoke of the camp fire still far out in front of them. Talut could already smell the cooking food in his mind and it quickened his steps as Jozen struggled to keep up with him. They each had a pole on their shoulders with a bulging hide stuffed with fresh cut grass hung between them.
Vincavec grinned as Talut went past him and watched with amusement as Jozen tried to match Talut's incredibly long strides.
"Talut, there will still be plenty to eat even if you are not the first one back to camp-I promise!" Vincavec laughed as Talut looked back at him over his shoulder with a grin as big as the headman himself splitting his flaming red beard in half, his green eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Yes, I'm sure that you are right Vincavec," he said as he continued his increased pace, "but will there be any left for you?"
Jozen howled with laughter as he almost had to jog to keep up. Balaam and Thorec sped up also, dragging Regan and Brenan along with them. Vincavec laughed as he watched it turn into a good natured race and sped up himself to join in on the fun as Morlie squealed behind him, laughing as they ran.
""""""""""
The meal would be served around dusk, the cleaning and cooking was all being done by the women-both Clan and Others. It had begun a little awkwardly, but gradually things smoothed out as they performed the tasks that they were all so familiar with. There were differences in specifics and techniques, but they seemed to learn from each other with good humor.
Tulie knew enough about the hierarchy of the Clan from Ayla's discussions to know that the cooking and cleaning was considered women's work, so she had told the men to let them handle it. She had been surprised at some of the herbs and spices that the Clan women rubbed into the rear leg of the deer before it was put onto the spit. The array of fresh greens and vegetables were arranged in different baskets to be cooked in differently prepared dishes. Tulie was impressed at the rich selection of the Mothers bounty that they had gathered.
The men lounged around the fire, close to the Mog-ur. Rug and Draag seemed especially interested in the flint points on the spear tips of the full size throwing spears of the Others. They had already seen the devastating results of the weapons. Branag explained the flint knapping techniques and subtleties to them, mostly through Tornec who acted as his interpreter. All the men of the Clan were taken in by the conversation centered on the flint tipped spears.
Mog-ur watched as the differences between the cultures faded somewhat as the commonalities came to the forefront. He suspected that on most cultural specifics there would not be so much in common between the two factions of humanity, but it warmed him to see the hunters comparing the tools of their trade. Hunters were hunters, despite their differences he mused. Mog-ur also enjoyed the two flint knappers dissecting their various techniques and general knowledge of the specific skill of working the stone. The Clan and the Others were actually enjoying each others company. This pleased him, and he made a decision, beckoning Tornec with a gesture.
'After our meal. I would be pleased to allow your medicine woman to take a look at my injuries.'
Tornec was pleasantly surprised, and signed, 'I make happen, "Mog-ur."
Talut filled a third heaping platter of food and sat back down on the log between Vincavec and Brenan. Latie sat next to Brenan and chuckled as he returned with his food.
"They will probably allow us to eat again in the morning, Talut," she began with a huge, beautiful smile on her face, "that is if you don't eat it all by yourself tonight."
Talut would have laughed at the daughter of his mate had his mouth not been so full, but the others made up for his lack, howling and joining in on the banter.
"We will have to hunt mammoth soon, if he keeps this up," Brenan quipped.
"Maybe the giant sturgeon will come this far north," Vincavec added.
Talut's face turned redder and redder as they continued, but he never missed a bite through his distorted, bulging smile.
"Leave that hard working man alone," Averie said, smiling. "Talut, I'll cook you all the food you want as long as you keep building this wonderful lodge."
"Absolutely, Talut, eat all you want-we can build another cold storage area-or two," Vincavec said as he barely controlled his laughter.
Darkness fell on the happy camp, and the cool breeze soothed them. Clean from bathing in the river and content with full bellies, they all sat around drinking tea and enjoying each others company. It had been a really productive day.
""""""""""
Dusk fell at the camp of the Clan, and the succulent aromas of the feast announced that the meal was finally ready. They were all hungry, it had been a mentally trying day for everyone. Too many variations from all their normal routines.
The cultural problem of who received the choicest portions of food was resolved before it ever came to a head. In the strict hierarchy of Clan tradition, the serving order was determined by status. With the Others, the serving order was more random and relaxed, the children usually being served first. Both societies, however, always deferred the first choice to their guests.
Tulie and Inca, the Clan woman with the highest status, sent the rest of the women to sit and relax as they took over the situation wordlessly between themselves. They both filled platters of food and began to pass them out as everyone else sat around, starting with Mog-ur. From there, they simply worked their way around the circle of people as they came to them. It was not technically correct for either culture, but no one seemed to be overly bothered by the deviations from their normal ways. Everything was so different and strange on this day anyway.
Ova, Aba, and Etra were probably the most uncomfortable with the serving order, but they hid their reservations well by keeping their heads demurely low most of the time. The children, Brug and Ooga, sat wide eyed and curious as the food was passed out, between Ova and Aba. Their young, inquisitive eyes were everywhere at once, they were both three years old.
The meal was enjoyed, slowly at first as the awkwardness of the mixed group of people had everyone a bit self conscious, but this passed as they ate from the delectable fresh dishes. Having been cooked by women of both cultures, it was not the usual flavorings that either group was used to. The variations of tastes pleased and intrigued them all, even the children commented favorably with all the enthusiasm of their innocent youth.
Mog-ur was taking it all in, very little escaped him. The food was pleasantly exotic, reminding him of the huge feasts of the summer Clan gatherings. The women there all strived to out do each other and many new and different things were tried. The thing that surprised him the most was the odd behavior of the men of the Others. How they seemed to have as much respect for their women as they did for each other. They treated the women as equals, and perhaps even more than that. It appeared to him that the incredibly large woman might even be considered a leader of sorts. She certainly commanded the respect of the men and women alike. How very odd.
Mog-ur felt slightly intimidated by this large woman, though he allowed nothing of this to show outwardly. The Others as a rule, all seemed to be larger in stature than the people of the Clan, generally. Though the Clan were much stockier and more heavily muscled, these people were all so tall-especially Trull-ee. She didn't seem to use her size to intimidate, though. She wore her strong body with the quiet confidence of a hunter-that's it-it came to him in a sudden rush of realization. This woman is a hunter! His mind reeled with the thought, the Others don't have the normal demarcation that we have between males and females-how extraordinary. How incredibly different they are, he thought, do they all have the same memories?
There was not a lot of conversation during the meal. Several of the Others made occasional favorable comments and compliments of the fine and unusual tastes of the different dishes. The Clan women were pleased but slightly embarrassed by the open compliments, this was just not normally done in the Clan. To them, a job well done was enough, too many compliments could make the spirits jealous or even angry. They were pleased in a general sort of way that they had represented their Clan well to the people of the Others.
Tulie and Inca began to collect the empty platters as they motioned subtly for the other women to stay seated. As uncomfortable as it was for them to sit still and not help, they complied with Incas wishes.
Inca transferred hot cooking stones into a sizzling large basket of tea as Tulie dipped out cups of the sweet tea and passed them around.
Branag and Draag got up and stirred and rearranged the scattered coals and remnants of burning sticks in the fire pit. They piled them up into a small pyramid that brought up a sudden plume of thick smoke. They added fresh sticks to the glowing coals and soon had a renewed fire going as the smoke cleared and the flames reached delicately skyward.
The little girl, Ooga, yawned and leaned over against her mother who put her arm around the young child and pulled her close to her chest. They cuddled like this for a few moments before the child fell asleep in the comfort that only a mother could provide.
Tulie watched the touching scene, reminded pleasantly of similar memories from long ago as her own daughters had done the same thing so many times.
Mog-ur looked to Tornec beside him, "Gorrnak" I am curious to know why "Trull-ee" was so surprised at the number of the men of the Others who attacked my Clan,' he signed.
'Will try explain, "Mog-ur", is long story...'
""""""""""
'...this how we come be here,' Tornec signed, finishing the long tale of their journey and mission.
'I have heard stories of leaders doing strange and evil things before. I think that the evil spirits sometimes take over the minds of weak men, making them do bad or stupid things. I must meditate on this, "Gorrnak". Mog-ur was fascinated by the story of the Others, it gave him a multitude of insights as to who and what these people really were. It also added to his confusion.
The rest of the people of the Clan were also thunderstruck at the long tale Tornec had laid out. It was unfeasible that the Others were actually fighting amongst themselves over the humanity of the Clan. They had never even considered that the Others were not human, this was obvious to them, they were just not Clan.
Silence fell over the mixed group of people as they each pondered the story and all its implications to themselves. For the same band of raiders to have wreaked such havoc on them all was a twist of fate that was almost impossible for the Clan to even begin to comprehend.
Brug had long since fallen asleep in Aba's lap, and she took the lull in the conversation as an ideal opportunity to put the sleeping boy to bed in the tent. Ova did the same with Ooga. Both women were amazed at the story, and still uncomfortable that they were allowed to be party to the conversation at all. This was normally the domain of the men only. It had been a full day of the strange and unusual. They returned to their seats, not wishing to miss anything.
A lone wolf howled off in the distance, his clear ringing song putting a fitting end to the long silence within the camp. Mog-ur felt the song deeply within himself, the grey wolf was his birth totem. He knew now that his totem was telling him that it was the proper time.
"Gorrnak", please ask your medicine woman if she will treat my wounds now,' he signed eloquently with all the grace of the Mog-ur that he was.