Chapter Ten
A Hunt and a Feast
The six men left camp in the dark stillness of the night, heavily loaded with an abundance of weapons but very little else. It was their fifth day out on the steppes, and their supply of fresh meat was already seriously depleted. There was quite a crowd to feed, and appetites were fierce from the daily exertions of traveling steadily so heavily laden.
They paused once they got past the far edges of light from the three perimeter fires of the camp to let their eyes get used to the darkness. The three men on guard duty watched them until they disappeared into the shadowy black night.
Vincavec was at the eastern most fire, and followed them with his eyes for quite a long way before finally losing sight of them. He wished he could have gone with them, but he was really tired from having taken the second watch and he wasn't getting any younger. He silently wished them success and safety, then turned to walk the perimeter again.
Talut, Danug, Brenan, Ludeg, Jozen, and Branag all stood quietly in a small group staring out blankly onto the vast grassy flats, waiting patiently for it to come into some kind of focus. Gradually, they began to be able to see better as their eyes adjusted to the dim light of the full moon and clear sky of sparkling stars.
Danug licked his thumb and stuck it up over his head and gauged the direction of the wind, then he grinned at Ludeg and the two men took off at a slow trot to the southeast with the rest in tow. They jogged directly into the light breeze across the waving mid-calf high grass. The men stayed in a double wide line, being as quiet as they could as they went.
The moon was two thirds of the way down, and continued its nightly journey falling slowly. Their short range vision was pretty good, but it faded quickly as the distance increased. They were essentially blind very much past twenty five steps or so in any direction, so they stayed as close together as their long spears would allow.
The night sounds of the steppes were considerably more pronounced now that the soft murmur of the camp was well out of hearing behind them. The sounds came at them from all sides, it was almost impossible to ascertain the direct source of any of the particular sounds as they moved. The noises carried softly across the vastness on the breeze, almost with the sound quality of an echo. A single moo from an aurochs, a snorting bellow from a bison, the cackling of a hyena, the yipping of a pack of dholes. It was all there, nighthawks and owls overhead, wolves howling, the whinney of horses and the braying of onagers. Life on the steppes never really completely stopped to sleep, it just slowed for the night.
After a while, they heard the rumbling grunts of a cave lion coming from somewhere off to the south, it was really hard to tell. They veered off a little more northerly to hopefully put some more distance between them. Brenan and Jozen brought up the rear, and both of them tried to keep a sharp eye out in case the lion, or lions, came their way. They trotted on, looking over their shoulders often.
A little before the moon disappeared completely from of sight, Danug slowed them to a stop with a wave of his arm. Ludeg sided up to him, and they waited for the others to join them and gather around. Dark lumps were slightly visible a little way out in front of them, and the wind direction still favored the hunters by taking their scent directly away from the sleeping animals.
They were all still, silently looking and trying to discern what it was that was bed down, when the soft bawling of a calf came from off their southeast flank. They could hear the occasional snort from the animals, and it answered their first silent question.
"Aurochs." Ludeg whispered softly.
"Sounds like a lot of them." Talut whispered back, grinning in the darkness.
"We don't have too much time before daybreak, how do you want to do this?" Brenan asked, looking at the far western horizon.
The grass was considerably shorter here and much more sparse, barely rising up over the tops of their ankles for the most part, having been grazed on extensively. They all stood quietly, deep in thought of all the possible hunt strategies. It was a difficult task, not knowing how many aurochs there were ruled out a lot of choices of how the best way to hunt them would be.
"I think we should try to stay pretty close together on this one." Danug said.
"I agree." Branag answered. "We can't afford to get spread out too thin without knowing how many of them there are."
"Why don't we cover ourselves with grass, and crawl up a little closer before the sun comes up." Talut suggested. "That way we might be close enough to rush a straggler or two together."
It got quiet for a while as everyone thought about this strategy.
"That sounds good to me, but we had best get busy, look." Brenan said, pointing to the very beginnings of the first signs of a soft glow on the far western horizon.
"Let's do it." Talut said, setting his long throwing spear on the ground and kneeling down to pull up a clump of the short grass.
The rest of them spread out a little, and followed Talut's lead.
**********
As the first light crept slowly over the land, they were in position. Danug and Branag took the forward most position with the rest of them spread out behind them in a wide vee formation. Talut and Jozen were out at the farthest ends of the vee, with Brenan and Ludeg in the centers.
All of them were laying down on their stomachs with their heads lifted up just enough to see over the short grass. They were covered with the grass they had pulled up, with extra clumps stuck into the necks of their tunics. Throwing spears and spear throwers on each side of them, at the ready.
Danug and Branag watched the shapes in the distance begin to rise up, the aurochs were starting to get up to feed. There were a lot of them, and the shapes were close, and getting closer.
"Oh great Mother, we're too close." Danug whispered to Branag a few body widths to his right.
Branag's eyes were wide as he saw the same thing. A huge bull was no more than seven steps off to their left and out in front of them, and three cows were a couple of steps father away directly in front of them.
Danug looked back at Talut and Brenan to his left, by the looks on their faces they had already come to the same conclusion. The aurochs were indeed too close, this would be tricky—and dangerous.
Talut pulled his right hand up and made a crude Clan sign to Brenan. 'I'll take the bull.'
Brenan nodded, and decided that he would help him with that, and whispered to Danug. "We'll take the bull, the rest of you take the cows."
Danug nodded, and passed the information on to Branag who passed it on in turn. They all grabbed their heavier throwing spears, and got ready. The tension hung over them like a dark cloud as they waited for the right moment before exposing themselves to the aurochs.
The bull made the decision for them as he wallowed around and snorted as he slowly got to his feet. Just before he was fully erect, Talut and Brenan both jumped up at the same time and threw their spears. The bull was caught completely by surprise, and was hit hard in the center of his chest at an angle and his right shoulder at almost the same time.
The bawling cry of pain and anger from the bull rang out over the steppes, and he dropped to a knee under the shattered left shoulder. All of the sudden the ground in front of them turned into a blur of motion as aurochs from all over in front of them jumped to their feet. The quiet of the dawning was shattered with the rumbling of the aurochs heavy hooves and their cries of anguish and bellowing warnings of danger.
The bull lurched back up onto three legs solid legs and one wobbly leg and Brenan hit him in the neck with a spear flung hard from his spear thrower. Talut hit him as well with his last full length throwing spear, burying it deep into his rib cage as the pained bull twisted from Brenan's spear.
Danug and Branag both hit the cow nearest to them, and Jozen and Ludeg hit the cow beside her. Both animals were gravely wounded, but only the second cow went down immediately from the impact of the spears. The first cow faltered and tried to get away on very shaky legs, bawling loudly.
With a second spear from Brenan's spear thrower, the bull dropped. He hit the ground on his side, breaking one of Talut's throwing spears and one of Brenan's lightweight spears from the spear thrower. He kicked with his uninjured rear legs like he was running, but his movements slowed after only a little bit. The bull wailed in pain and anguish.
The herd was enormous, and most of the animals took flight away from the wounded bull and cows, and a stampede began heading both northeast and splitting off to the northwest as well. The thundering of their hooves and their bawling cries were deafening, so much so that Talut didn't hear the young bull that charged toward them from the north.
Talut was walking cautiously toward the wounded bull and the cow just past him, his spear thrower up and ready. Brenan pulled another spear from the scabbard on his back and slapped it into place and started to follow Talut. From his right side, he saw the look of panic in Branag's eyes as he pointed and shouted to get their attention. Brenan nor Talut either one couldn't hear him over the sounds of the stampede.
Brenan spun to his left, and screamed at Talut and reared back with his spear thrower and heaved it with all his might. Talut turned at the sound of Brenan's warning, to see the bull bearing down on him fast. Brenan's spear took the young bull in the shoulder, penetrating deep into his chest. The bull faltered and stumbled for a step or two, but kept coming.
Talut launched his spear, and dove to his right without seeing the results. The spear hit the bull in the lower part of his wide neck, just above where it met his torso. It went deep, but the maddened bull kept coming and lowered his head to try and gore Talut as he passed. He just missed the giant of a man, and instead of turning to try again, he saw Danug and veered toward him in a bound. The bull was slowed somewhat, but was still coming on hard and fast and still very strong on his feet.
Branag pulled back and let fly with his last heavy throwing spear. The large man put everything he had into it, then screamed out a warning to Danug. Branag's spear hit the bull in the neck just below his head, going all the way through with the bloody point sticking out a hands width through back side. The bull turned his head from the impact and Brenan's last spear hit him in the right flank. The combination of the two spears caused him to veer away from Danug just enough to miss him with his wide, sharp pointed horn. Danug had heard the hooves pounding as he got close, and dove to the ground to his left as the bull passed close enough for him to smell the fresh blood and get dirt kicked up on him.
Then, as quickly as it had all begun, it was over.
Four animals were down, and Talut and Danug both got up on shaky legs, covered with the light brown dirt of the steppes. Brenan eyes grew wide and he suddenly looked lost as he reached for another spear from the scabbard and found that he had none left. He suddenly felt as helpless as a suckling babe as the adrenalin continued to pump through him.
The men all looked around them for any other signs of danger. Through the dust of the stampede, they heard the soft bawling of a calf over the thundering in the distance. As the dust began to settle, they saw her a little over to the east struggling to get to her feet. The calf had been stepped on in the stampede, and had a broken front leg and heavily damaged rear leg to show for it.
Talut walked over to her and put her out of her misery.
Quiet slowly spread across the flat grassy land. The dust cloud covered the eastern horizon, shimmering in the light breeze and the soft sunlight of the dawn. This day was born.
**********
It almost became a contest, Danug and Talut each trying to out do the other. The more cut up meat Talut piled onto the aurochs skin, the more Danug put in his own. The skins were already piled higher than a normal man could carry, and still being piled higher.
Brenan and Ludeg worked over the second cow, slicing off large chunks of boneless meat and setting them on her own skin on the ground beside the carcass. The meat never got piled very high, Talut and Danug saw to that. They had skinned and cut up the young bull, harvesting only the choices cuts. Even that had looked like a contest as to which man could cut meat the fastest.
Jozen and Branag had the calf almost all butchered out, and Branag got up to go over and start on the older of the two bulls. He made a long cut right down the center of the back of the bull, following its spine. There wouldn't be too many choice pieces of meat from him, he thought as he pulled the heavy hide away from the back strap muscles. This is a tough old guy, he grinned, looking over to the bull's long chipped and scarred horns. Branag looked at Danug and Talut, he grinned again at their constant need to compete with each other, they had always seemed to enjoy the competition. Talut's face was split with a big, proud grin that just wouldn't quit.
The predators and scavengers started gathering long before the men were finished cutting up the meat. First came the vultures, circling high on the wind currents and eventually lighting on the ground around them at a safe distance in pairs and threes. Then came the first small band of hyenas and a pack of dholes, also content to wait in the wings—for now.
A pair of tuft-eared lynx came over from the north, and sat tall and proud watching the men's every move. A second band of hyenas were spotted making their way up from the southeast, it was a large group, they had several more animals than the first group that showed up from the west.
Talut kept an eye on the hyenas, he knew how aggressive they could be at times from personal experience. When he spotted the second, larger group he looked around to see how much longer he thought it would be before they were ready to leave. Most of the work was done, it shouldn't be too much longer.
**********
It was all Talut could do to hoist the heavily loaded skin up and over his broad shoulders. The load had to weigh more than he did. His arms bulged and rippled under the strain and he almost lost his balance under the heavy load when he first got it all the way up. Sweat streamed down his face and into his flaming red beard. He took a few clumsy, jerky steps forward.
Danug almost fell over backward when he first picked up his skin, the weight was enormous. He gritted his teeth and lurched fully upright, and swayed from side to side until he got control of the massive weight and bulk. His face was a distorted mask of strain, his brow furrowed deeply and his jaw set firmly. Danug tried a few steps himself, and found that he could walk, but it wasn't easy.
Brenan and Ludeg took one set of spears tied together with a hanging skin between them, and Jozen and Branag took the other. There were only four full length throwing spears left unbroken. Brenan had three spears in his scabbard for the spear thrower, the rest had been broken in the hunt. Branag had three scabbards of spears for the spear thrower strapped across his back, his own, Talut's and Danug's as well.
They started off, heading southwest. The gusty wind blew at their backs, they had a long way to go to try and catch up with their traveling caravan. Their pace was slow and measured with the heavy burdens they carried, but at least the ground was level and the grass was still short.
Jozen brought up the rear, and looked back over his shoulder often to make sure they were not being stalked by the growing number of animals behind them. Nothing was following them, but the hyenas and the pair of lynx were both moving toward the remains of the aurochs. The high pitched yipping and mournful cries of the dholes began in earnest as they approached the kills.
The hunters worked their way back to the southwest through the short, bright green grass. Talut and Danug both managed their loads relatively well after shifting the weight a few times to achieve better balance and they got relatively used to the weight.
Sweat poured off both men, and Talut kept sneaking sideways glances at Danug, grinning at his strapping son's silent determination. Before Danug had left on his journey, he and Talut had enjoyed a healthy competition with any task that required sheer physical strength or endurance. Since he had returned, Danug had missed no opportunity to challenge the man of his hearth. Danug was as tall as Talut now, but Talut was still the bigger man. The massive bulk of Talut's incredible physique, the heavy weight of the mass of pure muscle that he carried on his large frame was something that Danug might achieve eventually as he aged and matured, but he wasn't there as yet. His strength, however, was never in question.
Talut couldn't have been any prouder, Danug was strong and confident and as capable as any man in the group. He had a quiet demeanor, and never flaunted his strength as something to show any kind of dominance over the other men. Danug, like Talut, used his magnificent body to help his people, never to intimidate them.
The loads that the other four men carried between them in the hanging skins tied to the spears were so heavy that the spears flexed with each step they took. It would be a hard, long walk back and the sun beat down on them without mercy.
The grass thickened as they went on and the thick clumps of the taller, darker green grasses increased in quantity. This grass was made up of coarse, thick strands that few of the grazing animals ate as their first choice on the bountiful steppes. As the spring and summer wore on, this would not always be the case as the softer, more delectable grass was eaten down and became more scarce.
The soft, occasionally gusting breeze gave a little relief from the hot sun, but not much. The day was hot, though, and it only looked to get hotter as the bright sun climbed higher in the sky.
Behind them, the scavengers began to fight over the carcasses. Two of the downed aurochs were close enough together to be claimed as one, and they were contested by the first group of hyenas and the energetic pack of dholes. The other three dead aurochs were taken by the lynx, the large congregation of vultures, and the recent arrival of a small pack of dark grey wolves.
The hyenas were outnumbered by the dholes, but they were smarter and much better organized as a group. The crafty old dominate female used her pack to attack the smaller dholes with skill and cunning. Charging forward in mock attacks only to fall off in sudden retreat, spinning and returning to the fray in vicious, probing attacks. Two of the dholes fell victim to the tenacity of the hyenas, sprinting away with light, but painful wounds.
Before too long, the confused dholes abandon the fight and regrouped to run the vultures off what was left of the calf and eventually claimed it as their own. The wily vultures had no feasible way of protecting the carcass. They backed off to wait patiently for their share of the scraps that would be left when the high strung dholes had gorged themselves and moved on.
Skittish and always looking back over their shoulders expecting imminent danger, they were rarely able to slow their constant need to be in perpetual motion. The dholes ate in voraciously quick, violent spats. Tearing into the carcass for short, frantic bouts and backing off just as quickly to allow others to take their place, they all ate their fills. It didn't take long, and they scampered off to disappear into the grass as quickly as they had come.
**********
Talut was the first to see the large pack of hyenas encroaching from the southeast. He kept an eye on them silently for a while until it was obvious that they were taking way too much of an interest in the hunters.
The way they moved together made it hard to make an accurate count of their numbers, but there were definitely enough of them to be concerned. Talut had rarely seen this large a group and he didn't like it.
"We have company." He said, and slowed to allow the others to catch up to him and Danug.
The hyenas slowed their approach when the men stopped, but the way they moved as they came closer was intimidating enough all by itself. The lead female wound her way through the others, side to side. Several of the others did the same thing. It looked like a winding ribbon of movement. Twisting and turning, but all the while getting nearer, closing in quickly.
Talut dropped the heavy skin off his back to the ground and Danug did the same. Brenan and Ludeg set the spears off their shoulders, lowering the heavy skin to the ground with a thud. Branag and Jozen followed in kind.
Branag pulled the extra scabbards of off his back and handed them out to Talut and Danug. Everyone pulled their spear throwers into position and loaded them with spears. They watched the hyenas, and didn't like what they saw next at all.
The hyenas split into two unequal sized groups, the larger group circling to the north while the smaller group came straight on at the hunters. The larger group split in two and one part of them turned and went at the hunters while the other kept on to the north. They quickly surrounded the hunters in an obtuse triangle formation, though keeping a safe distance for the moment.
"This could get ugly." Branag said softly, eyeing the group that worked their way around them to the north.
"I've only got three spears left." Brenan said.
"I have four." Jozen echoed.
"Ludeg, you and Danug get the throwing spears from the hanging skins—we may need them." Talut said as he watched the lead female stop and yip at the others.
The eastern pack slowed and scattered out into a loose line, sometimes two deep. They trotted ahead slowly. The hyenas to the north turned and spread out as well. The group in the middle stopped, the dominant female sat back on her haunches and cackled loudly.
"We can't afford to miss, we're going to have to let them get close." Talut said.
The hunters formed a loose circle around the skins of meat in pairs, all looking out.
"Really close." Danug answered, returning quickly with four long throwing spears in his hands. He handed two of them to Talut, and kept the other two for himself. Ludeg hurried back to Brenan's side and pulled his spear thrower back up and to the ready.
Talut looked over the scene, he didn't like the looks this even a little bit. Since the pack had split, he had gotten a rough count. There were more than twenty five of them all together, maybe closer to thirty. They didn't have that many spears left between all of them.
A hyena from the group to the north started cackling, adding her song to the lead females. Two more joined her from the eastern group. Their ominous sounds carried easily across the flat ground, and more joined in. The hyenas began closing in, all of them cackling and yipping. The sounds were eerie and ominous, and growing louder.
"Wait 'til they're really close." Talut warned, raising his spear high. "Try to take the larger ones, the leaders out first."
Brenan tried to pick out the most aggressive looking animal in the bunch in front of him, and he pointed to a large one on the right flank of the approaching animals. Ludeg nodded, and sought out a target of his own.
The hyenas sped up, coming at them from three directions at once.
Branag picked the largest animal and took aim. Jozen held his spear thrower high, but waited and watched.
Talut and Danug squared off against the southern most pack, both seeking targets.
The hyenas broke into a full fledged run, charging hard. Hyenas didn't normally run in straight lines, and these were no exceptions. They zig-zagged and veered directions as they came making for very difficult targets.
Talut let fly, his spear hurtling forward with all the force he could muster. As soon as Danug saw which animal he had thrown at, he picked a different animal and let loose himself.
Brenan and Branag both threw their spears at almost the same exact instant, with Ludeg and Jozen following close behind.
The first wave of spears took down five hyenas, all mortally or seriously wounded, and a sixth with a superficial wound from a spear that glanced off the top of his skull. The rest of them came on, faster now.
Branag and Danug got off a second throw quickly, and Ludeg, Talut, and Brenan followed in quick order. Jozen took his time, and let fly his second spear more carefully this time, his first had not produced a kill.
Four more hyenas were hit with the second wave, three hitting the ground hard and a forth scurrying sideways with a spear protruding at a strange angle from his shoulder. The rest continued on.
Talut popped a spear into his spear thrower and heaved it with strength and agility, Danug did the same. Brenan threw his last spear, taking a hyena straight in the chest. He dropped his spear thrower, and pulled a broken throwing spear from the scabbard on his back, holding it defensively out in front of him.
Ludeg fired off his last spear, and reached into an empty scabbard looking for more. Jozen threw another spear, then loaded his last spear into the spear thrower.
Danug threw his last spear, and Talut did as well. Branag pulled his final remaining spear from his scabbard and slapped it into place.
Hyenas lay dead and dying on the ground all out before them. Danug's spear took the dominant female in the ribs, and the attack faltered as she went down. Branag hit the closest animal to him, rolling him head over heels with a hard shot to the upper neck. Talut caught a hyena in the chest, and the surrounding animals broke off. They circled back away from the hunters in both directions.
The remaining hyenas turned and fled, two of them had spears sticking out of their bodies. They joined back up to the east and one hyena fell out as they trotted away, writhing in agony as he tried futilely to run on three legs.
The cackling faded away slowly, and the cries and moans of the dying animals came from all around them. A collective sigh of relief came from the hunters, it was over—at least for now.
**********
Vincavec, Matera, and Latie walked side by side off to the right of the main part of the traveling caravan talking by themselves. It had been a long day, the sun was bright and hot with only an occasional gusting breeze. They all had sweat running down their faces as they walked.
Latie carried Bralut cradled under her right arm in a soft skin sling and had a large, heavy back pack strapped across the center of her back. Vincavec had a similar, but larger back pack and a heavily loaded skin bundle draped around the back of his neck that he carried across the center of his chest. The skin had a tendency to bounce against the front side of him with every step he took. Matera carried the same basic load that Vincavec did, though somewhat lighter.
The grass was well eaten down and short here, with a lot of light brown top soil fully exposed. A low cloud of dust rose up and moved on the soft gusts of wind from the main body of the group. Those in the back were pretty well covered with a layer of the fine dirt. Latie, Matera, and Vincavec stayed just in front of the dusty cloud.
"I've been thinking," Latie began. "I wonder if we could try a searching ceremony to go on ahead and see if we can find out where the Clan is right now."
Matera cocked an eyebrow, wondering just how accomplished this young Mamut really was in such a powerful metaphysical endeavor. She really hadn't known Latie all that well prior to their arrival at the Lion Camp. Latie was very young for this, and even though she had been trained by the most powerful Mamut that the Mamutoi had ever known, Matera had her doubts. Sizeable doubts.
"It's possible." Vincavec said, thinking out loud. "But it is very dangerous to search through lands that you have no direct experience in, it is very easy to get lost."
"If you get lost and can't find your way back, you can get trapped in the spiritual void." Matera chimed in, looking at Latie.
"I realize that, but if we went together we should be safe enough. Surely we wouldn't all lose our sense of direction." Latie answered, thinking about the adverse possibilities, yet again.
Matera watched her carefully, she saw the confidence in Latie's face and was more than a little surprised by it. Most young, inexperienced mamuts didn't have very much confidence in their own abilities in the metaphysical world, they usually feared it. Many older mamuts were reluctant to go into the spirit world at all. Latie wasn't afraid, that much was obvious. Matera wondered where all this confidence had come from.
"We had no problems communicating before, Vincavec. We could include Brenan, he could go with us just like before." Latie said, a little more forcefully.
Vincavec pondered this, it was true that the three of them had communicated very well together in the spirit world. But that was different, he thought, that was when we used the sacred root of the Clan. The attempt to recreate the effects of the Clan root he had tried with Matera had turned out badly, almost fatally, but maybe Latie was right. Maybe it would be safer if they tried with only Brenan and Latie and himself. He needed to consider this, it was not something he had given any real thought to.
"Let me think on this for a while, we'll talk about it again later this evening Latie."
Latie smiled, it was a good idea and she knew it. Surely Vincavec would see things her way. Surely.
Matera thought back to all that Vincavec had told her about that fateful spiritual trip he had taken using the Clan root. It was hard for her to be objective about it because of the truly bad memories she had of their effort to try and recreate it. The thought of metaphysical travel, with Vincavec going without her gave her chills. Matera knew that Vincavec was a highly accomplished Mamut, possibly the best there was besides herself.
The two of them had trained together under old Lomie of the Wolf Camp for an entire summer, actually a little longer than that, but still she was worried. Matera didn't feel safe going with them either, it worried her about any possible ill consequences to the child she carried. It was a lot to consider, all told, and her emotions were distracting her from a truly objective opinion. Matera had never felt quite so protective about anyone before as she did about Vincavec right now—and her child.
**********
"Look!" Danug said, pointing to the southwest. A dark, thin plume of smoke rose up into the bright blue sky, or was it more than one? It was hard to tell the way the smoke drifted on the breeze.
"That's good to see, I'm hungry!" Talut said grinning, carrying all the heavy aurochs meat only seemed to tease him, and his massive appetite.
"Talut, you're always hungry." Jozen said with a laugh. He wasn't the only one who thought the red haired brute funny and the other men laughed along with him.
"That I am, let's get on over there." He answered, veering their direction a little more due south. The others picked up their pace to try and keep up, they were all exhausted but the sight of the others invigorated them on.
**********
The meat sizzled over the fires, popping and dripping blood and juices into the flames. Three fires were going strong, a half dozen steps apart, and all of them had meat cooking over them. Fueled by a combination of dried dung and brown grass, they were smoky, unpleasant smelling fires. The smell of the meat was the only smell that anyone noticed, though, it had been another long hard day.
It was late afternoon, and the camp was already set up for the night. Several of the men were preparing the perimeter fires for later, and most of the women were involved getting the evening meal going. With all that was being brought out and worked on, it looked to be a feast in the making.
Large quantities of roots and tubers were soaking in a tripod cooking skin, floating in a thin layer of water. A basket of mixed fruits were washed and sliced up, then beautifully arranged on a wide mammoth pelvic bone platter. Carrots and onions soaked in a basket half full of water, and a small basket of crinkly dried mushrooms sat nearby.
The children helped the adults, and generally got in the way as they usually did. Especially the toddlers. Little Ralev was everywhere, under the feet of the men and sneaking bites of food from the women. He had a perpetual smile plastered across his soft pink face, a smile that allowed no one to get angry at him no matter what he did. When he got caught trying to saw a piece of meat off an aurochs leg fresh off the fire, Fralie laughed so hard at him she almost fell over onto the skin of vegetable stew she was stirring.
Deegie and Nezzie looked after the babies who crawled around on a bison skin on the ground under a small lean-to in the shade. Bralut and Brydag seemed absolutely intent on escaping. They were constantly crawling off the skin and into the dirt before they were collected and put back in the center of the skin, just to start the exercise all over again. The looks on their faces as they were snatched up and put back on the skin made both women laugh, over and over.
Talut and Danug napped just inside the larger of the two traveling tents, both end flaps were tied open allowing whatever breeze there was to flow through. Naked and stretched out on top of their sleeping furs, they seemed to be in the middle of a new competition as to which of them could snore the loudest. Talut was currently winning, but not by much.
Brenan and the other three hunters napped inside the other tent, too tired to even snore. Women went in and out of the tent putting the final touches inside it for the night, but none of the men were ever aware they had even been there.
**********
The meal was served just as the sun was going down. It truly was a feast, there was more food laid out than they could ever possibly eat, though Talut and Danug did give it an honest try.
The breeze picked up as the darkness encroached and cooled the hot air and ground around them rather quickly, it also helped to keep the heavy smoke from the fires from choking them out. It promised to be a cool night, and no one was sorry to see the sun slip slowly out of sight.
The general mood of the camp was weary, but festive. The freshly cooked aurochs meat was attacked with a vengeance, and it tasted even better than it had smelled roasting on the fires. Having the best cooks from two different camps competing unconsciously with each other didn't hurt anything at all. They all ate their fills, and relaxed with fresh hot tea around the fires in loose groups.
The older children caught their second winds from the feast, and pranced all over the camp burning off their newfound energy. The babies fell asleep one by one and were put into the tents or onto skins on the ground near their mothers. Many of the women retired to the furs early, and a few of the older men joined them.
A few high clouds blew in on the soft winds, partially obstructing the bright full moon and deep sea of twinkling stars. Thin and translucent, they glowed light yellow as they crossed over the moon creating a stunning light halo.
The leaders of both camps sat around the central fire, sipping tea and recuperating from stuffing themselves. Talut laid back on the warm ground looking up at the sky, slightly miserable from all he had eaten, but very content.
"Brenan, I have been trying to talk Vincavec into searching with us to see if we can find the Clan." Latie said, looking at her mate with sparkling eyes full of love and mischief.
Her words and the tone of her voice caught Brenan by surprise, then he realized that she had included him in her little plan. Brenan wasn't all that sure he wanted to try to do a metaphysical search, that was scary business.
"Me too? I have to go?" He asked, knowing her answer when she smiled sweetly at his obvious discomfort.
"Of course, we searched many times with Old Mamut—what is the problem?" Latie knew that Brenan would be reluctant, but she also knew he wouldn't deny her request either.
"I need you to go with us because we can communicate so well in the spirit world. Besides, Vincavec tells me that if we get lost we might not be able to find our way back—and that would be bad."
"What do you mean by 'bad'?" Brenan's face showed his trepidation, and a little of his fear.
"'Bad' means that if we get lost we might get stuck in the spirit world from now on." Vincavec answered. He had been considering Latie's request all through the meal and had grown to kind of like the idea.
Matera didn't like it though, and Vincavec couldn't really figure out why. She had been tight lipped since Latie first brought up the subject. This was not like her, and it worried him.
"Oh." Brenan muttered softly. That is just great, he thought. Mamut, where are you when I need you the most?
Talut sat up and looked at Tulie next to him. "What do you think, Tulie? It sounds like a good idea to me, I would like to know where they are. How far away they are, too."
"I don't know, it sounds a little risky." Tulie said, watching Vincavec's facial expressions closely. "Vincavec, how dangerous is it really?"
Vincavec thought about Tulie's question for a long, quiet moment before he answered her. When he spoke, he looked directly at Matera beside him.
"There is always a risk, but if we search in the daylight I think the danger is minimal. We will not venture too far, at least not on the first try."
Latie's eye lit up, he was willing to try. She wanted to jump up and hug him around the neck she was so pleased, but she covered her emotions and sat still.
Brenan lowered his head and looked at the ground in front of him. Whee, he thought, here we go again.
Matera stared at Vincavec, then her stern face broke into a soft, loving smile. The grey streak in her hair positively glowed in the soft fire light, enhancing her natural beauty.
"If you wait until daylight to try it I am sure it will be safe enough." She put her hand on Vincavec's thigh and gave it a little squeeze. "This is not a bad idea."
Vincavec smiled at his promised, finally seeing her confidence in him shine through her possessive behavior of late.
"We need to get the rest of the aurochs meat cooked tomorrow anyway." Tulie said. "That will take a while, your search won't delay us."
"Well, that's settled then. We will search in the morning." Latie said, looking to Tulie, and then to Matera for any other objections and finding none.
Talut grinned at the daughter of his hearth, he loved her strong will and confidence. He laid back down on the ground and looked back up at the sky.
Brenan sighed. What a thing to look forward to in the morning, he thought to himself wearily. He laid back on the ground, enjoying the warmth of the earth under him. Mamut, are you up there watching over us, he thought as he picked out a particularly bright star to watch. Brenan took a measure of strength in the thought that his old friend and mentor kept a protective eye on them all from the spirit world, and tonight was no different. Latie squeezed his thigh, and Brenan closed his eyes to a flush of warmth that rushed all the way through him.
**********
Brenan passed his morning water into the short grass on the outer edge of the camp, he looked up and over into the waning darkness of the western sky. The soft glow of the first light of the coming day framed the far horizon with a dark pastel blue color against the deep blackness of the darker skies above. Chills crept over his bare chest, and deep within him as well. Brenan had butterflies fluttering erratically throughout his empty stomach at the thought of what was to come in a little while.
Vincavec had said that it would be safer to search in the daylight, it would help them to not lose their direction in these strange lands. Brenan couldn't remember ever searching in unfamiliar territory before, the very idea of becoming lost in the spirit world scared him. It scared him bad. He took a deep breath and replaced his flaccid manhood, tucking it back inside his leggings. The soft glow on the horizon slowly increased in its intensity, he scowled at the usually welcome sight and turned to walk back to the fire.
Brenan saw Tressie bending over a small basket at the edge of the fire. The shimmering light gave her light blonde hair an almost surrealistic glow in the shadowy darkness. The badger skin medicine bag was open at her feet and for some reason the sight of it gave Brenan another soft stab of grief.
Thorec walked in from the darkness of the western perimeter, a long throwing spear in one hand and an empty tea cup in the other. He had been on guard duty with Brenan for the second watch, and he yawned when he got to the fire. He sat down across from Tressie, and yawned again, reaching over to the tea basket to remove the soft lid. A wisp of steam escaped from the top as he dipped his cup inside.
Brenan approached the fire, and sat down next to Thorec, reaching for a cup next to the steaming basket. They sipped the hot tea and watched Tressie as she prepared a small bowl with different ingredients from the pouches scattered in her lap.
"What are you making, Tressie?" Thorec asked softly, not wishing to disturb the peaceful silence of the morning any more than necessary.
"A light concoction of chamomile, datura, and raspberry leaf tea for Fralie." She answered without looking up.
"What's wrong with Fralie?" Brenan asked.
"Just a little morning sickness, I worry about her because she is so thin and frail." Tressie said, looking up at the two men with a soft smile. "She has had a little bit of a rough time the last few mornings and I thought this might help her. Fralie is in the very early stages of her pregnancy, it's being a little hard on her when she wakes up."
"Add a touch of linden flower if you have some, it will help sooth her deep queasy feelings." Matera said from behind the men as she walked up to the fire. Her long dark hair was loose and flowed over her shoulders down to the middle of her belly, thick and shining in the firelight.
"The ground up leaf or the flower itself?" Brenan asked as Matera sat down next to him.
"Either, but while the flower will work a little faster, the leaf will last longer." Tressie answered confidently, smiling at Brenan.
Brenan grinned back at her, he had asked merely to test the extent of Tressie's knowledge, and she knew it. She had been an astute student of Brenan's tutelage on the long trip they had endured together to try and save the Wolf Camp. He knew that she was more than competent now and she had probably treated more people on this journey so far than he or even Matera had. Tressie stayed busy with the little aches and pains of travel as well as the occasional sicknesses and injuries.
Matera grinned at their running conversation, as an accomplished healer herself, she never grew tired of talking about their craft. She took the cup of tea that Thorec offered and watched Tressie stir the steaming mixture with a small knuckle bone. Tressie stirred the mix for a while longer, then lifted the knuckle bone to her lips for a taste. She added a little more linden flower, just a pinch.
Frebec walked out of the tent, bare from the waist up rubbing his arms to warm his skin in the cool morning air. Tressie stood up as he approached them and handed him the carved wooden bowl, steam rose off the top. He smiled as he took it from her and muttered, "Thank you."
Tressie grinned back and said, "Give her two cups if she wants it, and give one to Regan also."
Thorec grinned despite himself at the obvious reference to Regan being pregnant too. The very thought of his promised brought a smile to his lips every time, his beautiful, lithe little woman. Her flat belly showed the very first signs of a slight bulge, a bulge that he caressed often. Thorec was one happy young man.
Frebec nodded and turned back around and walked back to the tent opening. He paused to allow Vincavec to walk out of the tent in front of him, then ducked down to go on back inside.
"Good morning." Vincavec said, walking to the fire. "Is there any tea left?"
Brenan made a sour face as Vincavec walked up to them, smiling. It reminded him of what was to come, and it made Vincavec grin even wider seeing his obvious discomfort. Brenan looked down at his bare feet, trying not to think about the search. It didn't work, he had never been able to clear his mind without going deep into meditation.
Vincavec filled a cup and sat down next to Brenan, patting his thigh. Brenan lifted his head and looked into the tattooed face, and grinned despite himself. Vincavec winked at him in return, and sipped his tea.
**********
A soft thudding was the only sound other than the crackled sputtering of the fire. Barzec moaned then started to sing a low, undulating melody without words. Marcie and Fralie joined in, mimicking his tones, one an octave higher and one somewhere in between in a pleasant dual descant. Marcie's voice was considerably deeper than Fralie's soft, almost shrill voice.
Salen and Tornec hit the ground with fat sticks wrapped in bison skins, accenting the off beat of the background drumming of the open hands on the ground all around them. The rhythms blended together nicely, in an eerie sort of way. Most of the travelers sat in a wide circle around the main fire, with Vincavec, Latie, and Brenan facing each other at the center of the circle several steps away from the main fire. A small fire burned between them in a shallow dirt pit. All three of them were bare from the waist up. Matera, Tulie, and Tressie sat back behind the three of them, watching their every move closely.
Latie pulled a light tan leather packet from a pouch on her belt, and deftly untied the knot that held it closed. She poured a measured amount of the mustard yellow ground powder into the palm of her hand, scrutinizing it carefully. She sprinkled it into a carved wooden bowl on the ground in front of her half full of warm water. Latie stirred it in with her finger, watching the water become a milky yellow.
The rhythmic drumming and soft vocals continued behind the three of them, surrounding them with the soft, persistent sounds.
Nezzie, Silvie, Tricie, and Deegie tended the small children and the babies away from the congregation on several skins laid out on the ground. Ralev was busy turning Brydag around as he tried to crawl off the skin and escape. The wide grin smeared across the toddler's face was cute and contagious, and the women all watched him work. Brydag tried to wriggle free of Ralev's grasp, but was unsuccessful. Ralev carried him back to the center of the skins, and set him back down gently on his back. Brydag rolled over and headed out again on his stocky knees, the direction didn't seem to be important. Ralev stepped back to watch, still grinning.
Latie lifted her finger to her lips, tasting the bitter, chalky liquid with the funny aftertaste. She closed her eyes, comparing the taste and the strength of the potion to the potions she had made before. Latie added another medium sized pinch of the ground sunami, and stirred it in. When she tasted it a second time, she was satisfied. Latie held the bowl out to Vincavec.
Vincavec held the bowl out in front of his bare chest, and looked up at the sky. He felt the rhythms around him, allowing them to creep inside his head slowly but in a measured way. Lifting the bowl, he took two swallows, then handed it back to Latie.
Latie took two swallows and handed it to Brenan, who did the same, then set the near empty bowl down to the ground behind him. The three of them joined hands and stared into the small fire between them. The flames curled to the side of the shallow pit with a gust of wind, reaching up in delicate fingers of bright yellow flame. Thin wisps of smoke rose up in a twisting path only to dissipate into the light breeze.
Brenan felt a wave of nausea start deep in his empty belly, followed by a slight swimming sensation in the front of his head. His balance faltered a little, and he felt power rising up his arms from the hands he held. The flames danced in front of him, growing brighter and more colorful as he concentrated on them. The beauty of the fire mesmerized him, holding him, the colors were just so bright and incredibly intense.
Latie felt the ground moving slowly under her, her head felt light and a bit dizzy. She squared her shoulders strongly and felt her whole body tingling, she felt the power rising up from deep within herself rising to the surface.
Vincavec felt the potion as it coursed through him. He examined the familiar feelings as they progressed, and at the appropriate time he lifted himself up and out of his physical body. The feeling of weightlessness overwhelmed him at first, then he conquered the sensation with his powerful mind. Vincavec hovered over the fire, and felt Latie rise up to his right side and took her hand.
Latie coaxed Brenan up and out of his body with a silent thought that penetrated his mind easily, and she took his hand as Vincavec lifted them up into the air. Spinning slowly, he led them higher and higher until the circle of travelers below them got very small.
Vincavec slowed their spin and pulled them into flight to the southwest. He looked for the river, but they couldn't see it yet, so he pulled them even higher. A low range of long, rock hills came into view, with the river bottom just past them. An eagle soared below them.
Latie saw the glimmer of water, and pulled them toward it. She sped them up and the ground below them blurred, they reached the river bank in just a few moments. They slowed and followed the river as it wound through the rocky hills and bluffs to the south. The far side of the river was heavily wooded in places, and was scattered with trees and brush between the heavier clumps.
The river narrowed and turned hard to the west at a sheer rock bluff, they slowed as they approached and Brenan's thoughts shot out into their minds.
'Ttthheerree, aaa rrraafffttt.'
The trio slowed to a hover, and dropped straight down closer to the ground. Brenan was right, there was a raft grounded up the rocky shore several steps away from the water. They saw signs of a camp, the fire pit and a lot of bare ground surrounding it. It looked like whoever had been here had stayed a few days.
They rose back up and followed the river farther south, staying high enough to see all around them for a far distance. The river started to slowly veer back to the east in a wide arc, and the low hills spread out in front of them. Vincavec slowed them, and pulled them higher up into the bright blue sky.
They hovered there for a while, looking for any signs of humans. Animals were everywhere, dotting the grounds below them. They saw nothing that resembled humans at all. No sign of any campsites, nothing.
Vincavec felt the power of the sunami as it peaked, and knew they had to go back. He sent out a powerful thought to his companions.
'Hhooomme.'
Latie turned them back to the northeast and sped them across the low hills and back over the grassy steppes. She listened with her mind and she could barely feel the rhythmic thudding and soft vocals pulling at her, and tried to follow it home. The sounds were weak and sporadic, but she felt herself pulled strangely toward it anyway. Latie went with it.
The ground blurred at the speed they traveled, and Vincavec veered them a little more westerly when he saw a thin plume of smoke in the distance. The sounds grew in volume as they got closer, pounding, thudding, pulling them. They covered the ground in a hurry, and Brenan almost lost contact with Latie's hand as they pulled up and slowed suddenly. His head ached with the constant effort and level of concentration he expended, and the waning effects of the potion. Latie dropped them down, and Brenan could see his body sitting a little crooked down below him in the center of the circle of people. The music tugged at him. With a sharp mental effort, he let go of Latie and felt his body pull him back.
Brenan's body collapsed backward and Tulie caught him in her strong hands and lowered him gently to the ground on his side and shoulder. When he looked up at Latie, he saw Tressie holding her up from behind. Matera had Vincavec wrapped in her arms, he had a sly grin on his ashen colored face. His tattoos looked a little more colorful and bright than they usually did on his pale face. Latie's eyes rolled back in her head for a moment, then she squeezed them shut and they were clear and bright when she opened them back up. Brenan felt the worry lift off his shoulders, and closed his eyes to nap.
The rhythms slowly faded, and silence washed over the small camp. The soft sounds of the fire soothed them all.
**********
Tulie wrapped a sleeping fur over Brenan, his body shivered and he rolled the rest of the way over to face the sky. The queasy feeling in his stomach grew worse. He opened his eyes and felt the warm ground beneath him, and took comfort in its solid stability and total lack of motion.
Latie and Vincavec both lay on their backs and were covered with warm furs as well. Matera caressed Vincavec's forehead gently, her eyes full of love as she looked down on him. His eyes were closed, as were Latie's.
Brenan felt a wave of chills pass through him, and when they finally subsided he took a deep breath. The early morning sky was blue and bright and streaked with thin clouds, he took another deep breath and slowly sat up.
The three searchers slowly came back to full consciousness from their mental absence. It took them a little bit to get their bearings and to feel more normal again. The pull of gravity always seemed greater after 'flying' through the air, their bodies were heavy and cumbersome. The memories of their journey came back to them in bits and pieces, and before long they were again aware of all they had just seen.
Brenan wanted to puke, but that would require standing up and he wasn't sure if he could quite manage that just yet.
The congregation around the fire broke up and scattered. Many of them crowded around the trio at the small fire, anxious to hear the results of the search. The majority, however, went back about their business. The rest of the aurochs meat still needed to be cooked and packed away, and the women had a few male helpers as they prepared to continue the process and to fix up a first meal as well.
**********
"...the only sure sign we found was an abandon raft on this side of the river near the rock bluff where the river turns to the west. There were signs of a camp having been there as well." Vincavec said.
"That is where I told Mog-ur that the river would be easiest to cross." Ludeg said.
"Well, at least we are all on the same side of the river." Talut added, scratching his beard. "I wonder how far they have gotten."
"Ludeg, the river looked to turn back to the southeast past the first of the low rolling hills, is that correct?" Brenan asked.
"Yes, it turns in a wide arc to the east around a large range of heavily wooded, taller hills before veering back to the south again." Ludeg looked over to Wymez, scrunching his forehead in thought as he continued.
"I think that there is another flat basin that begins behind the low hills and stretches almost all the way back to the river bottom."
"Yes, that's right." Wymez said in answer to Ludeg's questioning look. "There is a long, narrow oxbow lake that forms before the river is turned back to the south by a short mountain range there."
"Is that where the higher ground begins?" Talut asked.
"Yes, but the high wooded hills are not deep. The range is only half a moon's walk to cross through them, then we should be clear again." Wymez said. "After that, the country will become more wooded with gently rolling hills and a lot of creeks, valleys, and ponds."
"So what is the best direction for us to go in to try and catch up with the Clan?" Tulie chimed in, listening with fascination to their descriptions of what all lay before them. She had not traveled very extensively in her life, and never in this direction before, it was all new and definitely foreign.
Tulie's question quieted the conversation for a long time. Everyone started looking at Wymez and Ludeg, waiting for answers.
"If we cut back to the southeast, we could cut the distance considerably getting back to the river." Ludeg offered.
"That would mean cutting across the low hills at an angle which will slow us down some." Wymez said, pushing a loose tendril of hair back away from his eyes. "But it will shorten the distance to the river by several days."
"We can search again when we clear the hills, maybe we will be able to locate the Clan from there." Latie said, her voice reflecting the growing excitement she felt.
Brenan dropped his eyes, and squeezed Latie's hand a little tighter. Another search, he thought with a grimace, that will be fun. His empty stomach churned.
**********
The last of the aurochs meat came off the spit in the middle of the afternoon. The sun beat down on the camp without mercy, it was very hot with little relief from the sporadic breeze. The tents were down and everyone was packed up and ready to go, and they headed out to the southeast.
The long line formed with Talut, Danug, and Branag pairing up with Brenan, Frebec, and Barzec to pull the heavy sledges. Ludeg and Wymez led the caravan with Tulie and Salen forming up a rear guard. Ranec chased after Ralev and Brinan, the young boys always seemed to want to go their own way, only rarely in the right direction.
**********
The low rolling hills were just coming into sight out in front of the group as the sun began to set behind them. Tulie and Marsie brought them to a halt to take a break for an evening meal of cold aurochs meat and leftover vegetable stew from the feast of the night before. Having traveled for less than a half day, it was decided that they would continue on in the cool of the night following a brief rest.
Darkness set in as they moved on. The moon was just past being full and it cast enough light for them to traverse the grassy flat lands with relative ease. Ralev, Brinan and several of the younger children piled onto the backs of the sledges to ride and eventually fall asleep. Their minimal weight did little to hamper the progress of those who pulled them along.
Ludeg, Thorec, and Salen led them towards the hills with their eyes pealed looking for any signs of danger. Tathan, Gralon, and Wymez guarded the left flank while Druwez, Tornec, and Manuv walked the right. Tulie and Marsie brought up the rear again. All were heavily laden and well armed.
**********
Toward morning, they reached the base of the first of the low hills and stopped for a rest. Ludeg and Salen went out in search of fresh water to the southeast while Brenan and Druwez searched to the southwest.
The two traveling tents were set up and a quick meal was put together mostly from traveling cakes and cold meat. Both pair of men returned with full water bags from the same small creek that wound through the shallow valley. A perimeter watch was set up and the rest of the camp bed down for a nap as the sun rose.
Nezzie and Marsie took the first watch over the children, setting up a lean to for shade with a wide bison skin on the ground below. Tressie and her mother Tessie took over watching the small children after a brief nap, letting the others get some sleep.
They packed up and moved on in the middle of the morning, and some time well after noon they came up on the creek at the far side of the valley. It was a good place to stop and eat, and to bathe in the shallow, cold water. The children had almost as much fun as the adults did splashing and playing in the spring fed waters of the creek.
**********
It was a weary band of travelers that made camp at the top of the hill. They pitched the tents in a wide clear patch of ground between the numerous short trees and thick clumps of brush as the sun touched the western horizon. They were all tired and ready for a break, it had been a long, long day.
The women prepared a hot meal of reheated aurochs meat and a fresh stew of mostly young cattail shoots and some small onions and carrots they found along the banks of the creek from earlier in the day.
Everyone turned in early except for the four young men who volunteered for first watch. From the top of the small rise, it would be easy to see or hear anything that tried to approach them in the dark. Salen and Druwez stuck together walking the east and south sides, while Thorec and Danug took the north and west.
The top of the rise was ideal to catch the light evening breeze that blew in from the northeast, and it was much cooler and a little stronger than it had been down in the valley. The sky was full of bright stars and a few heavy clouds blew in as the night progressed, partially obstructing the brightness of the moon from time to time.
Wolves howled from the west and the south, a nighthawk screeched off to the east. Owls hooted from all around them, at varying distances. The night sounds were soothing and a little ominous, enough so to keep the guards awake and wary. A lion roared from somewhere out on the vast steppes behind them, telling the world of her hunting prowess and the fresh kill she had just made.
Mut's daily cycles of beauty, life, and death continued.