Brenan's Search

by willieworks01

Ever wonder what happened to the Lion Camp and the Mamutoi after Ayla left that fateful summer meeting? Well here you go. This is a long story written in book form, with a large cast of both familiar, and new characters. All critiques and comments welcome

14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen:

Throwing Spears

The rain stopped sometime during the night. The thunderstorm that threatened had never completely materialized. The showers had been light, then increased a little for a while before eventually fading away. The majority of the cloud cover blew on through the area before dawn.

Talut was up early, and wandered outside to check the fires. The main camp fire was still burning lightly over a central bed of coals. Muddy ashes surrounded the coal bed, radiating the heat inward. He pulled a few limbs from the center of the stack of firewood, it was all wet and heavy.

Carefully leaning over into the edge of the rock lined fireplace, Talut stuck the bases of the longer limbs deep into the ash mud. He leaned them over the center to touch and overlap well above the flames. Talut worked his way around the fire, and soon completed the task having placed over a dozen branches into this rough cone shape. This configuration allowed the wood to dry out somewhat before it too caught fire.

Talut moved over to the pit oven and saw that this fire was still burning well, and smoking heavily. The hides that were laid out over the top of the fire had helped to keep the rain out. What rain that did get through helped to generate even more smoke. Talut added more of the freshly trimmed willow twigs, green with leaves, to the fire. He reached up to feel edges of the draped skins to find that they were already dry, and a little bit stiff.

Averie came out of the tent with a large water tight basket with herbs already mixed up inside it for their morning tea. She set it down on the nearest flat heating rock just outside the flames, and went back into the tent for a water bag.

Talut pulled the nearest megaceros skin off the flimsy frame gently. He folded it over a couple of times and threw it over his shoulder and carried it into the lodge. Inside the lodge, the paving stones were mostly dry and he set the folded skin on the floor. Talut picked up two of the rolled megaceros skins from the floor between the first two hearth fires and carried them back out to the fire pit. Setting these down he pulled the skin on the opposite side from where he had taken the first one down, and pulled it down also. He folded it up also and took it back into the lodge.

By the time Talut had replaced all four of the deer hides onto the frame over the smoky fire, Averie had the tea ready and waiting for him. He took the cup she offered him gratefully as Vincavec and Brenan came out of the tent to join them.

The sun was just appearing over the eastern horizon, glowing softly pink.

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Green Eye awoke with the sunrise, well rested and energetic. He took a long drink from the cool waters of the creek. His thirst satisfied, he looked off into the rising sun restlessly. Starting out walking, he slowly sped up into his familiar ground covering trot as he wound his way through the brush, briars, and short trees.

A small band of spotted deer were surprised at Green Eyes sudden appearance from around a stand of short brush. They fled in haste to the north, up a gentle rise and out of sight quickly. Green Eye barely gave them a sideways glance as they disappeared through the elevated thicket, he wandered on aimlessly.

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Barzec and Rug drank hot tea outside as they stood together near the freshly stoked fire. The fire smoked as the wet firewood popped and sputtered. Etra and Tulie were outside also, relaxing and watching the sunrise together in silence.

The sky glowed in pinks and oranges, casting brilliant streaks off the few thin clouds that were left straggling from the rains. The songbirds sang in the new day with vigor. Tulie pointed up to an eagle soaring high on the thermal currents gracefully and Etra's deep brown eyes glistened at the beauty of the sight. The bright morning sun was halfway up over the horizon, and the color slowly faded from the edges of the clouds. The day was born.

Tornec and Rug spoke of organizing a hunt to practice the new methods needed to be successful with the new throwing weapons. Barzec suggested that they send out a couple as scouts to try and locate game. Crag and Branag both agreed and volunteered their services as did Ludeg and Draag. In the end it was decided that both pairs of men would scout in different directions and return to camp before the sun was up to a quarter of the way into the sky. The four men gathered a light assortment of their hunting supplies and returned to the group.

Mog-ur sat on his preferred spot on the log, watching the morning activity while sipping his tea. Ooga sat in his lap while her mother helped the women to prepare a first meal. The little girl watched the women as they worked, her young eyes taking in everything as she sat comfortably. Mog-ur gently caressed her thick, wavy hair unconsciously.

Rug and Gorrnak talked with Barrzak and Troog outside of the tent of the Others. Brug was with them, and carried his short spear as always. He looked up as Bran-nag and Crag returned. The men were discussing hunting, again. Mog-ur wasn't surprised, the hunters of his Clan seldom talked of anything else. What did surprise him was that the boy, Brug, stayed closest to Bran-nag. Equally astounding was that Bran-nag had his hand gently on Brug's shoulder affectionately.

We are so different, Mog-ur thought, but if I could see the Others as if through the eyes of these children perhaps the differences would not appear to be so great. His mind wandered as Ooga gave him a gentle one arm hug and squirmed to get down. He helped her down to the ground and she walked over to the women and sided up to Tress-ee. Tress-ee reached down and hugged the small girl to her leg as she sipped a cup of tea. If the children are so accepting of these odd ways of the Others, they will be more open to all these new ideas.

Mog-ur thought on this unusual concept, running the logic of it through his mind from a couple of different perspectives. Children learn from watching, what they see and who they see doing it. They also had memories that gave them knowledge of the past and the old ways. The old ways-Mog-ur was stunned at this revelation. If there are old ways, then could there also be new ways? Without realizing it, Mog-ur was thinking in terms that the Clan in general were not capable of.

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Vincavec and Talut sat on the ground and stretched the megaceros skin, hair side up, over the wooden hoop between them on their laps. Morlie poked holes through the edges of the hide with a sharpened bone burin just in front of the wood as Vincavec held pressure on it with his strong hands. She completed three holes in both layers of the hide on each side of Vincavec's outstretched hands and then went around the hoop to Talut's side to repeat the procedure.

Regan knelt beside Vincavec and threaded a thin strip of rawhide through the holes and wrapped it tightly around the wood before tying it off, repeating this operation on Vincavec's other side. The hide was now secured at these two spots and Vincavec relaxed his grip as she followed Morlie to the other side.

When all four spots had been secured, Latie and Brenan took over and began poking holes and threading long thin wraps between the secured spots. Talut and Vincavec started over with another hoop.

Averie and Jozen stretched out one of the bison skins on the wet grass outside the lodge. Frietag brought over a hip bone platter of steaming melted fat and set it down on the ground next to them. Jozen picked it up and poured some of the thick liquified fat onto the center of the hide. He and Averie started spreading the piping hot liquid with pieces taken from the furry bisons mane.

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Branag and Crag slowed up from their jog and walked much more quietly as they approached the top of the rise. Branag was surprised at how quietly Crag walked beside him, stealth seemed to be so natural to him. They peered over the tops of the short brush, looking down into the slight valley below.

They saw nothing initially, but as their eyes swept over the brushy land small bits of movement would catch their eye. They examined each possibility, seeing a single hare, a pair of gerboa, and a wily wolverine. None of them were aware of the hunters above them.

Crag motioned with the tip of the spear that he was so proud of along the edge of the ridge, Branag nodded and they went back down the slight incline quietly. They traversed the rise for a short distance before slowly moving back up to the top again for another look.

Crags eyes grew wide as they both spied the large moose in the middle of a stand of gnarly, short trees. She ate the fresh green leaves and twigs from the lower branches, looking up only when she had a fresh mouth full. Branag smiled as he watched the large, clumsy looking animal eat. Crag could feel the adrenaline spike inside him.

Branag used his best rudimentary signs to try and convey his thoughts and plans to Crag. 'I go hunters-you stay watch.'

Crag got the gist of his meaning, and nodded to him accordingly. Branag ducked down and retreated quietly down the hillside. As he neared the bottom, he broke into a slow run back towards camp.

By the time Branag reached the camp, the sun was almost as high as the designated time for the scouts to return. He filled in Rug and Tornec on the details of their find. The rest of the men already had their hunting weapons and supplies ready to go.

Mog-ur watched the bustling activity and excitement of the men. He sent out a silent plea to his totem for a safe, successful hunt.

Ludeg and Draag were spotted on the far northeast hillside, and Troog hustled off to meet them. As the trio reached the outskirts of the camp, all the men congregated there before starting off with Branag leading them.

Mog-ur watched them until they were completely out of sight, the excitement of the hunt infecting him also. If they are successful, he decided, I will conduct a ceremony and elevate Rug to full leadership status tonight.

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Vincavec and Talut talked as they stretched megaceros skin number six around the stout willow pole hoop. Their helpers worked in stages around them as before.

"...it looks like to me that we will be far enough along on the lodge to move into it in a few days," Vincavec was saying as he released the grip of his right hand from the hoop as the small tied off area now supported itself. Regan moved behind him to where his left hand had a firm grip on the hide.

"When are you going to fetch the rest of the women and children?" Talut asked as he watched Morlie poking holes in both layers of the skin near his left hand.

"I was thinking of sending Jozen after them."

"Won't they have a lot of gear to bring?"

"You're probably right, I should also send a couple of men to help out." Vincavec thought on this for a while. "Maybe Balaam and Frietag should go with Jozen. The three of them should be able to get there in less than a full day if they hustle."

"It will take them longer to get back, all loaded down and with the small children." Talut wrinkled his forehead as he concentrated before continuing. "Didn't it take us a day and a half to get here from the Amber Camp?"

"Yes, Talut. We got to the far edge of the valley at the end of our first days travel. It took us half a day to get up to here the next morning, well almost half a day." Vincavec grinned at the recent memory of seeing his special valley for the first time. "Talut, we followed pretty close to the river when we came, didn't we?"

"Pretty close, why?"

"Well, if they were to cut straight south across the brushy lowlands that we skirted on our way here Jozen could lead his men back a lot quicker." Vincavec tried to retrace their route in his mind, looking for any possible flaws in his thinking.

"Yes, that would save some time," Talut said, grinning broadly. "They may want to cut a trail as they go, it would make for an easier return trip."

"Absolutely, that's a great idea. I'll send them out first thing in the morning."

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The band of hunters reached the base of the sloping hillside and slowed gradually from their easy jog, coming to a stop in the shade of a short, stunted maple. Branag signed for them to wait as he walked slowly and quietly up the hillside at an angle. As he approached the crest, Crag backed down from his concealed vantage point between two bushy briars.

'Is still there?' Branag signed, knowing by the look on Crags face that she was.

'Yes, she has moved to another stand of trees nearby.'

The two men walked back down to where the rest of the hunters waited anxiously. With Tornec translating for better accuracy, Crag explained the scenario to the group. Branag proposed an idea for them to consider, then together they planned their next move.

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Early in the afternoon Green Eye changed the direction he had been going. He was heavily influenced by the strong smells of warning that he was encroaching on the claimed territory of a sizeable pride of his fellow cave lions. Cutting sharply to the northwest he picked up the pace of his trot for quite a while until the smells of the cave lions were just a distant memory.

Green Eye stopped for water at a small creek and lay down to rest for a while in a nice shady spot to escape the building heat of the day. The breeze was cool and comfortable. He lay his head down and he slept.

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Branag led Crag and Borg down the slope to the northeast, they moved in stealth keeping low and out of the line of sight of the moose. They moved from one standing patch of undergrowth to the next as she would occasionally look down to get another bite. The hunters got steadily closer.

Barzec and Tornec took Draag and Rug around to the southeast moving in much the same way as Branag and his hunters did. Incrementally, slowly, and quietly. The light wind was almost coming to them directly from the position of the moose, hiding their encroaching scent effectively.

Ludeg and Troog went straight at her, slow and low. Patiently they worked their way up to the last clump of leafy bushes covered with bright red berries that was between them and the stand of trees where she fed. Troog looked a little nervous, or was he just excited? Ludeg couldn't decide which, Troog's face gave little away in the way of emotion.

A soft meadowlark whistle that ended with an unnaturally rising high note came from Ludeg's far left. Another whistle that imitated the first came from his right a little bit later. Both teams of hunters were now in place, they had successfully put the moose in the center of their triangulated position.

Ludeg looked to Troog and nodded, and got a fresh grip on his long throwing spear. Troog took a deep breath and adjusted his grip on his own prized spear, and picked up his other two spears in his left hand as Ludeg did. Then suddenly they jumped up together and ran at the moose from around each side of the bush.

The large female moose was startled by the appearance of the two men as they ran toward her, and she scrambled out from the tight confines of the small trees. She came out on Ludegs side and hit full stride running away from him to the northeast. Moose have no stamina for a long run, and she slowed up just a little as she veered around a group of straggly briars.

Crag jumped up and flung his spear hard. It flew straight and true and hit her in the side just a little bit back from her front shoulder. The spear was thrown hard enough to shatter her ribs and lodge deep into her lung. The impact knocked her sideways a step, and she pivoted and ran away with a limping, clumsy gate. She hadn't gotten very far when she realized that she had run right at Troog who let fly his own spear.

Troog's spear hit her high in the neck and she tried to turn away from him and she went down after a few more bounds, her rear legs still struggling to keep running. Troog was the first to reach her and cut her throat to let her finish dying quickly. The hunters pounded in from all three directions.

Ludeg gave Troog a hearty pat on the back, and a big grin. Troog was elated, and he smiled back at Ludeg before he thought about it. Ludeg noticed.

Crag, Branag and Borg arrived next, and Crag was pleased that the moose had fallen on her right side and his spear was left undamaged. He touched the end of his spear reverently, he could still see its flight in his mind. So straight and powerful, so deadly accurate. Crag knew that his spear alone would have stopped her after just a short run, and the implications astounded him. He could almost hunt by himself for large game, he thought, how extraordinary.

As the rest of the hunters got there, she took her last breath and was still. Troog held his two back up spears high above his head and let out a guttural scream of triumph. Crag followed him, and the rest of the men picked it up as the mood came over them all.

As the moment finally subsided, Tornec and Barzec gutted the moose and field dressed her for the trip back to camp. They tied her feet together and stuck two spears through the bindings of her legs on each end. It took four men on each end to carry her with the two pairs of long spears as handles. With eight men carrying the large animal, it wasn't too much weight on each man and they walked pretty easily once they got a rhythm going with each other.

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Vincavec found Jozen outside cutting a small, straight branch that had a small, natural 'V' shape at the end of it. He was sharpening the straight end with his knife, whittling away. Balaam was helping, cutting the branches off the 'V' shaped extensions. There were seven or eight finished sticks on the ground next to them. These sticks would be pounded into the roof of the lodge to hold the skin covered hoops over the tops of the smoke holes. It would take three sticks for each hoop cover.

Vincavec told them both of his wishes for them to return to the Amber Camp to escort the remainder of their camp back here to their new home. They readily agreed, glad for the last phases of work to be finished. Balaam and Jozen were as anxious to move into the new lodge as anyone.

Jozen got up and went off to find Frietag and fill him in on the plan.

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Ruvan's head was spinning. He walked north at a rapid pace along the east bank of the river as he left the Amber Camp. The bright, hot sun was past its peak above him and starting its gradual decent towards the western horizon. He considered the incredible tale he had been told there, though outwardly finding it hard to believe-all the while knowing deep inside that it all had to be true. The Aurochs and Lion Camps had started the tale, but they had no idea of the outcome-as yet no one had returned home from the expedition to finish the story. The Amber Camp knew the rest, now he did too.

Ruvan was the new designated runner/messenger for the Mamutoi since Ludeg had retired last year to live at the new Aurochs Camp. A strong, lean young man of sixteen with long legs and sandy colored, sun streaked hair and a significantly darker colored short beard. He was a durable long distance runner of great stamina born to the hearth of Nadie and Ruvanar. Ruvanar was the trade master of the Fox Camp, and the son of his hearth had accompanied him for the last three years or so as he made his rounds among the Mamutoi and other neighboring camps. Ruvan knew his way around the lands of the Mamutoi and then some rather well. He reached back over his shoulder and rearranged how his pack was hanging on his back, the wide leather strap had been digging into the muscle of his left shoulder.

The Wolf camp gone, completely destroyed. All the people killed-killed by fellow Mamutoi. This was just too much to fully comprehend. The very concept of people killing people, much less Mamutoi killing Mamutoi was so foreign to him. Totally unbelievable. No more Megaceros, Weasel, or Beaver Camps-they were all gone forever. Disgraced and dishonored, to be thought of no more.

Ruvan replayed the story that Ginie and Marec had told. Of the drunken, drug induced feast of deer and stolen wine. He tried to imagine the scene as it was described to him, of a deadly phalanx of spear wielding Mamutoi, so vastly outnumbered yet ultimately prevailing victorious and triumphant. The horror of it all still resounding through his troubled young mind.

Ruvan had been spreading the word from camp to camp that the annual summer meeting had been moved again. The Red Deer Camp had been the designated host camp, but a strange sickness had struck them hard at the end of winter. The sickness had stricken most of the camp with red spots on their skin and a high fever, and some of them even had strong stomach convulsions. Only six of the younger adults and two of the older children had survived, sixteen camp members had perished. The Red Deer Camp was absolutely devastated.

The new location of the summer meeting was to be held at the Badger Camp, several days farther northeast of the Red Deer Camp, over a short hilly range of evergreens. Ruvan was out spreading the word, and now he four less camps to visit. The summer meeting began at the next full moon, some three and a half weeks away. He had only three more camps to inform, the Mammoth, Lynx, and Grey Wolf Camps.

The new Mammoth Camp was only a day or so farther to the north. Ruvan had mixed feelings about going to the Mammoth Camp, he really didn't quite know what to expect when he got there. He decided to make camp early so he would have some time to think, to let all this sink in.

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Etra spotted the hunters as they crested the rise to the northeast. Barzec walked out in front of the eight men carrying the moose. She and Tulie were slicing mushrooms, carrots, and onions and tossing them into a basket with a little water covering the bottom. Etra nudged Tulie, nodding her head in the direction of the men in the distance.

Tulie smiled as she saw the moose dangling between them, hoping that at least some of the Clan men were responsible for the kill. Seeing Barzec's proud face as he led them gave her the distinct feeling that they had.

Mog-ur walked out of the Clan tent with the boy, Brug, at his side. Brug carried his little spear as always, and when he saw where Etra and Tulie were looking he spied the returning hunters. He sprinted as fast as his short legs would carry him towards the men. Mog-ur watched him as he ran off, and walked over to the women.

"Etra" we will have a ceremony tonight for the whole camp,' Mog-ur signed as he looked to Tulie and continued. "Trul-ee" would it be within the customs of your people to join in on a ceremony with the Clan?'

Tulie understood most of the Mog-ur's signed words, and was pleased that he would want to include everyone in the ceremony. She knew from Ayla that women were not usually included in most Clan ceremonies of any kind.

'Yes, we pleased to join.'

'Good, "Etra" please make the evening meal a feast. We will be naming a new leader and a new hunt master.'

Etra glowed as she realized that the Clan was moving on past their recent tragedy, and perhaps this was to be a new beginning.

'Yes, "Mog-ur." Her deep brown eyes glistened with feeling.

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Green Eye was on the move. He trotted through the thick, scattered brush with an uncanny grace and moved so quietly that he startled many unsuspecting animals along the way. For the first time in days he was starting to feel the soft pangs of hunger, but none of the animals he flushed appealed to him. He watched them dash away from him in panic fueled bursts of speed. Hares, squirrels, marmots, gerboas, roe deer, and even a pair of fox had all given him the respect that he was due. They all scattered at the very sight of him. This was such a rich land.

The scent of a woolly rhino was faint, but distinctive as he slowed to sniff a pile of dried dung. He lifted his head and smelled the air, he caught a familiar scent that pleased him. Green Eyes stomach growled at the memory of the smell and he changed direction and started following the tantalizing scent on the soft breeze.

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Jozen, Balaam, and Frietag had their light traveling gear set out and ready to go first thing in the morning. It made a neat, small pile just inside the tent. The three men went back over to the lodge to help the others.

Stolie was perched outside the third smoke hole forward from the hillside on top of the lodge. She had her feet planted firmly on the tops of the overlapping mammoth tusks. Stolie pounded a small sharpened stick into the turf with the blunt end of a small flint axe attached to a small leg bone handle. As the pointed stick reached a depth the width of her hand, she pulled it out and replaced it with one of the short braces with the 'V' notch at one end. She drove this into the prepared hole, 'V' side up.

Behind Stolie, at the first smoke hole Regan was busy tying the hide covered hoop to the three support pegs from inside the lodge. She was standing on top of Talut's wide shoulders, leaning her body against the edge of the hole as she worked. It was all she could do to reach the edge of the hoop to tie it into place, her arms reaching out as far as they would go.

Regan finished the last knot, and squatted down back inside the smoke hole. Vincavec and Brenan were standing by to help her the rest of the way down. She hopped off Talut nimbly and the two men caught her by the arms and softened her decent to the ground.

The three men went back to where Stolie had just finished placing the three supports and helped her down. She gathered three more posts, sticking them into her loose belt along with the small axe and the pointed stick. Vincavec and Brenan helped her up to Talut's shoulders and as he stood up she climbed onto the tusks of the next smoke hole and started again.

Averie, Tazen, Latie, and Thorec smeared the last of the melted fat onto the two remaining bison skins. They worked it into the hide with woolly pieces taken from the manes of the huge beasts. There were two freshly coated skins laid out on the ground to soak and dry nearby.

Jozen, Balaam, Morlie, and Salen were near the entrance of the lodge attaching a cured bison hide to a thick willow pole. The pole had been cut to the width of the front doorway of the lodge. They cut holes in both layers of the skin and tied it around the pole, hair side out, with two long pieces of rawhide. Finishing it all the way across the length of the pole, they folded the skin over itself into a straight line down each side. They started poking more holes down the folds. Morlie threaded another piece of rawhide through the new holes and tied it off as Salen did the same to the other side.

As they finished the sides, they picked up the heavy hide and carried it over to the entranceway. Jozen and Salen lifted it up by the pole to the large cross brace and let the bottom of the skin drag the ground. Balaam and Morlie got on each side and folded the skin to where it would just overlap the ground a bit and held it tightly.

They walked it back a few steps away from the entrance and laid it back down to the ground. Jozen started on one end and Salen on the other, they poked another series of holes all the way across the bottom of the hide. After threading in another rawhide strip, the hide had been turned into a nice rectangle shape that would then be tied to the cross brace around the pole at the entrance making a nice new front door flap.

Frietag and Frebec came out one of the back doorways of the lodge with two thick willow poles loose in their hands. They sat down on the ground and started cutting the poles to the measured notches they had made from the width of the cold storage room entrance. The widths of the poles were critical so the men used their knives to slowly whittle the poles to size. It would take a while, and they made themselves comfortable as they worked.

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The moose was laid out and butchered at the far edge of the camp. All of the mixed camp members were there and most helped out. The men of the Clan watched intently as the men of the Others pitched in along side the women. Their skills and knowledge of butchering the large animal was evident as they worked, this surprised the Clan men as they had no memories of how to do such things.

The large skin was removed first and set flat on the ground close by. As the pieces of meat were cut and rinsed in a large basket of water, they were placed onto the skin neatly.

Rug sided up next to Ludeg as Ludeg started the cuts to remove the large back strap muscle on one side. Rug watched him carefully, and as he worked his way down the spine Rug started on the other side mimicking what he had seen Ludeg do. Ludeg looked back at him, and nodded his head as Rug worked slowly and meticulously. As Ludeg reached the neck of the moose, he paused and waited for Rug to catch up.

Ludeg demonstrated how to pull the muscle gently away from the bone. Using his knife to reach in and cut away the stringy, clinging strands that were still attached to the bone. Rug watched for a while and then started on the other side, using what he had learned.

Mog-ur observed the activity with interest, the fact that Rug was helping to cut up the moose was strangely encouraging to him. He noticed that Troog also seemed interested in the butchering, and Mog-ur was pleased when he stepped forward and started watching closely as Branag worked on the rear haunch of the moose.

Crag and Borg watched but had no real inclination to join in. Mog-ur wasn't too surprised, they were older and not as easily accepting of these strange new ways. He noticed that they were paying attention, though. Mog-ur wondered who had done what at the hunt, and if the men of the Clan had been full participants. He thought that they probably were, but he wouldn't know for sure until the hunt re-enactment later. Mog-ur looked forward to this more than he could ever remember before, and this amused slightly him for some reason.

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Green Eye followed the scent and as it grew stronger he slowed into stealth mode. The breeze came across his body, carrying his scent well past his prey. He could smell water ahead of him, and he crouched down low as he approached a wide, low bush. As he looked through the bush he saw him. His prey was hunched down over a small pile of twigs and branches facing away from him.

Ruvan struck the firestone against the flat piece of flint again, aiming a little more to the left this time. The spark landed on the edge of the fluffy pile of dried moss and he leaned down to blow on it as he heard the low rumbling behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see the lion in the air in mid leap, coming straight for him. The last thought he had before the lion grasped him by the throat was of the unusual coloring of the huge lions eyes.

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Regan tied the last hoop in place, she was tired. Peering under the hide covered hoop she looked across the top of the lodge to see the rest of the smoke hole covers neatly installed and felt proud, and more than a bit relieved to be finished. She got a firm grip on the edge of the hole and squatted down back into the lodge as Talut reached up to steady her, grabbing her thighs with his strong hands. Regan hopped off her perch from atop his wide shoulders and Brenan and Vincavec caught her from each side as her feet hit the rock floor gently.

"That's it," she said with a weary smile. Her upper body was covered with dirt and streaked with mud, as was her pretty face.

"Why don't you take a break and get cleaned up," Vincavec said. "Good job."

Regan smiled at him and walked out of the lodge and headed toward the tent.

As she walked through the new entrance flap that was tied back to the post on one side, she saw Frebec and Jozen approaching with a large rolled bundle. Behind them, Frietag and Salen carried a second bundle that looked just like the first.

Talut and Vincavec saw Frebec leading Jozen into the lodge and cleared away a small pile of leather strips from the floor in their path. The four men carried the rolled hides to the back of the lodge with Talut, Vincavec, and Brenan following them.

Talut and Jozen unrolled the hide and picked it up with the pole secured inside one end. They lifted it high up against the cross brace above the entrance to the cold storage room. It was heavy and cumbersome and even Talut had to strain to get it up and over his head. They lifted it the rest of the way up to the top of the cross brace at the back side of it with the hair side facing into the cold storage room.

Salen put his legs on either side of Brenan's shoulders as he squatted down in front of him. Brenan stood up and Vincavec handed Salen a handful of the rawhide strips.

Salen tied off one end of the pole to the cross brace, then Brenan walked him over to the other side. Talut let his side of the pole go as Salen finished tying his end down, the bottom of the thick bison hide just dragged the floor. Salen worked a long, thick strap of leather through all the holes in the top of the hide around the pole and the cross brace as Brenan walked him down the entranceway. He threaded it all the way across the width of the doorway tightly. After tying it off securely, he repeated the process from the opposite direction.

Talut and Jozen unrolled the second hide. They lifted it up with the hair side facing the interior of the lodge and placed the pole against the front side of the cross brace. Brenan took a few steps forward for Salen to tie off the end of the pole where Jozen held it.

""""""""""

Green Eye sat back on his haunches and started the deep voiced grunts that slowly built up into a full roar. The sound carried in all directions proudly proclaiming his kill. His face was bloody and he looked around his immediate perimeter for any signs of danger. Seeing none, he stood up and grasped Ruvan by the neck and dragged him between his legs into the brush a little way to a large willow tree. The tree was at the edge of a stand of mixed trees in a grassy knoll. The willow limbs hung low, some even touching the ground out at the farthest edges.

The large lion nosed the lifeless body, rolling it over as he knelt down to feed.

""""""""""

The sun was well into its decent as the first piece of the back strap muscle of the moose was rolled around the hanging pole of the spit and set up over the flames. The camp was a happy hive of activity. Men of both cultures milled about drinking fresh hot raspberry leaf tea, several of the women busily prepared a large basket of vegetables. The two children were everywhere.

Mog-ur watched the men passively. They seemed to have a lot less trouble communicating today. They talked in two loose groups, discussing and dissecting the successful hunt again and again. Men always did this, he thought to himself as he watched. Borg went happily from one group to the other, not wanting to miss any of the conversation.

Tressie walked into the tent of the Others. Mog-ur got up from his spot on the log and walked over to where Tulie was talking to Etra off to one side of the fire.

"Trul-ee" would you get "Tress-ee" and come over to the other side of the tent to speak with me?' Mog-ur signed slowly, exaggerating his motions.

Tulie smiled and nodded, she turned to go into the tent to get Tressie.

Mog-ur watched the two women of the Others as they approached. Tress-ee was not nearly as tall or as powerfully built as Trul-ee, but still she was tall compared to the people of the Clan. She was thin, though, by the same comparison. He gathered his thoughts as they walked to him, and tried to discipline himself to speak simply and distinctly for their benefit.

Tressie looked hard at him wondering if anything was wrong, he looked all right to her. 'Everything all right, "Mog-ur?"

'I am fine, "Tress-ee," Mog-ur took a deep breath and started signing slowly and simply. 'I want to talk to you both.'

Tulie and Tressie gave him their rapt attention, and Tulie translated aloud as Mog-ur signed.

'Can you train "Etra" to be a medicine woman?' Mog-ur asked. 'And if so, how many days would it take?'

Tressie was stunned at the question, and thought about her reply for a long time before answering through Tulie.

"Yes, I can teach her what I know. But Mog-ur, I am not a fully trained healer myself."

'What you know will be enough, "Tress-ee," Mog-ur signed, his deep brown eyes shining with intelligence. 'How long would it take for you to give "Etra" your knowledge?'

Tulie was still getting over her shock from the first question, and her translation was a little slow in coming.

"I don't know, but we can try." Tressie's mind raced at the thought of having to teach the healing arts, she had never even considered such a thing. She still went to the older healers at every summer meeting to continue her own education. Tressie still didn't consider herself a fully trained healer, she had serious doubts about all this.

'Our "Clan" must have a medicine woman,' Mog-ur began. 'There are ways that I can tap into "Etra's" memories to help her learn, but she will need a lot of instruction and teaching. Will you help?'

Tulie had a hard time with some of the meanings of his signs, but eventually got the gist of his thoughts across to Tressie.

"I will do what I can, but we need to be leaving for home soon, Mog-ur," Tressie said, looking to Tulie as she spoke with a questioning look on her face.

Tulie thought about the conversation as a whole, knowing that it entailed more than just what was appearing here on the surface. She also realized that the Clan would not be going back to their home lands any time soon. If Mog-ur was wanting Etra to become a healer, he was not planning to seek out another Clan to join with either. Her mind raced with this revelation.

"Mog-ur" our people home soon. "Tressie" say can teach what know, take time.' Tulie thought about her next signs carefully. 'Where "Clan" go?'

Mog-ur gave them both a shock when he smiled broadly at them. 'This "Clan" will be going to a new place, far away. "Etra" will need to be trained before we go.'

Tulie translated this for Tressie as her mind spun from his words. She needed to talk with Barzec and Branag, and soon. Tulie looked at the serene face of the Mog-ur as he watched her, and got the distinct feeling that he could read her mind. She smiled at Mog-ur and nodded her head at him again. This summer will be long remembered, she thought.

""""""""""

The feast was served at dusk, and it was a delectable success. The foods were succulent and plentiful. The camp seemed to relish the combined flavors of the two cultures, especially the children. They ran around sampling from the platters of the adults, much too excited to sit still with plates of their own. The children added to the bright and festive mood, all the adults enjoyed their youthful glee.

As the feast finally wore down, Mog-ur gave Rug a nod to begin the hunt re-enactment. Rug had earlier explained the event to Tornec who had informed the rest of the men of the Others who had enthusiastically agreed to participate.

The entire camp was captivated and enthralled by the hunt. The men of the Others quickly grasped the magnitude of the Clans skills of pantomime and acting and joined in with their best efforts. Mog-ur was pleasantly surprised that the Clan duo had made the kill unassisted, and suspected that the Others had purposely put them in place to do so. Brug ran around the outskirts of the men as they acted out the hunt, alternately brandishing and stabbing his small spear.

The women watched with wide eyed enthusiasm and awe at the bravery and skill of the hunters with their new weapons. The Clan women had often seen hunts acted out both at their own cave and at the summer gatherings. The women of the Others had never seen anything like it before and were mesmerized at the incredible spectacle.

At the end of the story, the women of the Others applauded in the usual Mamutoi fashion by slapping their thighs with their hands. Etra saw how it was done, and after a moment to get over her shocked surprise at their reaction, joined them in like kind. The other Clan women shyly followed her lead after a while. Mog-ur was so shocked by this that he just watched them, then he began applauding himself in the same way.

The men all returned to their seats around the fire, mixing amongst themselves with no cultural boundaries or restrictions. Mog-ur noticed this, and knew that it was time as he saw Branag and Rug stoke the already blazing fire. He stood and walked to the front edge of the fire and held his arms up to attract the attention of the camp as the two men returned to their seats.

Mog-ur motioned for Tornec to join him. Tornec walked up beside him and stood next to and just in front of him to translate.

Mog-ur held both hands high and outstretched to the darkening sky garnering attention, a hush fell over the camp. Far to the north, a wolf howled.

'People of the Others of "Mut's" earth, people of the "Clan" of the Cave Bear,' Mog-ur signed eloquently as Tornec spoke his words. 'We honor the ways of the "Clan" and the ways of "Mut" by this ceremony that we hold before you.'

A significant murmur rumbled through the gathering in spoken words and signs at the acknowledgment of both cultures. Neither group expected any thing like this.

"Rug" please step forward.'

As Rug walked up to stand in front of Mog-ur, he swelled with pride and a sudden little stab of fear.

"Rug" has been a productive and important member of this "Clan." He has taken on the responsibilities and duties of leadership without hesitation since tragedy befell this "Clan." Mog-ur reached out and touched Rugs wide shoulder as he continued. 'With this tooth of the mighty Cave Bear, I proclaim you to be the new leader of this "Clan."

Rug bowed his head as he took the Cave Bear tooth, he pulled the amulet off his neck and carefully and reverently untied the bindings and placed it inside. As he placed the amulet back around his neck, he felt the increased weight and responsibility that it represented. He looked to the Mog-ur and made a small gesture of acceptance before turning to face his Clan.

'I present "Rug," leader of our "Clan." Mog-ur signed as Rug stoically stood strongly beside him. "Crag" please step forward.'

Crag stood and walked to join the new leader and the Mog-ur.

Rug looked directly into the eyes of Crag. "Crag" you have served this "Clan" well, the value of your knowledge and skills of hunting have benefitted this "Clan." It is in the best interest of the "Clan" that you are our designated hunt leader, will you accept this important position?'

Crag nodded his head solemnly.

Mog-ur reached out and touched his shoulder, "Crag" take this tooth of the Grey Wolf and with it the responsibilities of the hunt leader of this "Clan."

Crag took off his amulet and added the weight of the tooth and replaced it around his neck as he turned to face the group.

'I present to you "Crag" hunt leader of this "Clan."

Though it was probably out of place, the Mamutoi applauded the elevated Clan leaders. This action was pleasing to the three men as they watched the reaction of the Others, and even more so as the people of the Clan joined in with this strange show of their appreciation.

""""""""""

Talut and Vincavec sat outside the tent on the log drinking hot tea. It was still dark, though the faint glow of the rising sun had just begun on the far eastern horizon. The camp fire popped and sputtered with the recent addition of fresh firewood, and the slender fingers of the flames reached gracefully for the sky.

Jozen came from the tent with his light traveling pack loose in his hands. He set it on the ground next to the log and accepted the cup of tea Vincavec offered him. Jozen sat down next to Vincavec as Balaam and Frietag came out of the tent and over to join them.

Talut yawned, his mouth open wide and his yawn was loud, he shook his head at its completion. He took a sip of tea and looked over at the two men dipping tea for themselves. Balaam sat next to him as Frietag stood next to the fire, the morning was still cool with a slight breeze. The men all grinned at Talut.

"Just like the bear that you look so much like," Jozen said affectionately. The other men chuckled, all of them thinking much along the same lines.

Talut roared under his breath, ending it with a grin of his own. His bright green eyes sparkling in the firelight.

Brenan came from the tent carrying several small hand tools and walked up to Jozen. He handed him a short tool made from the smoothed pole of a willow branch that had a long thin flint point sharpened on one side attached to the end of it. It was as long as his forearm. Jozen took the tool and turned it over in his hand, inspecting it and feeling the heft and balance.

"Thank you, Brenan," he began as he swung the tool lightly from side to side. "This is a finely made tool. It will help a lot I'm sure."

Brenan stepped over to Balaam and gave him a similar tool, he took it with a smile of appreciation. Balaam also inspected the tool, holding it out and seeing how it felt in his hand.

As he approached Frietag, Brenan held up the last tool to him. It was a small hand axe mounted to the short leg bone of a small deer of some kind. The wedge of the small piece of flint was tied securely to the end of the bone. Frietag took the axe and looked over the thin wedge of flint, admiring the workmanship and sharpness of the long tapered edge. It was not a tool to chop anything heavy or thick, but made for clearing away light branches and brush.

"Don't try to make a perfect trail, just get the shortcut route established." Vincavec was saying to the three men as they packed up to leave. "We will continue to clear the way as we travel back and forth to the Amber Camp. If you can, I would like for you to be back as soon as possible. I would like to have the dedication ceremony in three or four days."

"I understand," Jozen said as he pulled his light shoulder pack into place. "We will be back on time, I'm sure."

"Jozen, you all be careful." Talut stood and patted him on the shoulder.

Jozen nodded as he turned and started walking at a brisk pace to the south, Balaam and Frietag following.

""""""""""

Tulie and Barzec sat in front of the fire as Branag added dried limbs and branches to it. A basket of hot morning tea sat on a flat rock nearby absorbing its heat. Tressie and Etra sat on the log off to the west side of the fire serenely watching the soft colors of the dawn. Branag sat down next to Tulie with a fresh cup of tea.

"Mog-ur has asked Tressie to train Etra as a healer," Tulie was saying softly to both men. "Tressie has agreed to try, but I don't know how we can do this-we really need to be getting home soon."

Barzec looked at her, deep in thought from her words. When Barzec replied, his voice was also soft. "We do need to get back, but I can see the need for this Clan to have a healer of their own."

"We need to help the Clan men learn more about hunting with our kind of spears. They could probably learn on their own given enough time, but I would feel better about it if we taught them." Branag paused before continuing. "They will learn quickly, their hunting prowess and desire is strong."

"What do you think about taking them home with us?" Tulie asked softly, thinking aloud. "If Etra was at the Aurochs Camp, Tressie could train her full time."

Barzec was slightly stunned at her statement, but he saw what she was leading up to. "We could take in the men and take them hunting with us. We will need to begin laying in our winter stocks soon anyway."

"So you're suggesting that we split the Clan into two groups and house them through the summer?" Branag asked, analyzing the proposal.

"It's the only way I can see it happening," Tulie said. "I don't think that we have quite enough room to keep them all at the Lion Camp. Especially after Talut and the rest return."

"Are we sure that we want to do this?" Barzec asked.

"How can we not?" Branag asked in reply.

"Let's see how the Mog-ur feels about this, he may have some other immediate plans for the Clan," Tulie said. "If they stay with us, they would have to winter with us as well, wouldn't they?"

"It would be awfully hard for them to travel in the dead of winter..."

""""""""""

Jozen stopped to check the position of the rising sun as the three men skirted a short stand of trees. Getting his bearings, he led them to the south side of the trees and on toward a wide brushy patch directly in front of them.

Balaam swung his short flint tipped stick and the leaf tipped twigs of the bush in front of him scattered about. Jozen followed suit a few steps behind him. They kept swinging the tools as they made their way through the brush, clearing a rough path as they went. Frietag chopped away the bare brush stalks at ground level, kicking the remains to the sides as they worked their way forward. The path they cleared was wide enough for two men to walk side by side though.

The ground was clear as they passed through the patch of brush, and walking was easier for a while. The sun rose up past the horizon, and they could feel its heat as they continued on.

""""""""""

Talut and Vincavec carried the heavy rolled bison hide over to the east side lodge entrance where Salen and Frebec waited. The four men set up to hang the hide, as Talut and Vincavec set it down and unrolled it on the ground.

Brenan walked up with a bundle of freshly cut strips of thin leather bindings laying over his arm. He dropped them to the ground at each side of the doorway while Talut and Vincavec picked up the hide by the pole and walked it over to the open entrance. Frebec took Talut's end and held it up as Talut backed away a few steps and squatted down. Brenan slipped his legs over Talut's wide shoulders and balanced himself as Talut stood up and walked him back to the hide.

There was only one more entranceway left to do after this on was completed.

""""""""""

Green Eye knelt at the bank of the river. He reached his bloody head down to the water and took a long, cool drink. His stomach was pleasantly stuffed, and he was becoming lethargic as he always did after gorging himself.

Looking out across the river as it spread out in front of him, he saw a pair of moose drinking passively on the opposite shoreline to the north. It was a full grown adult female and a gangly, knobby kneed yearling. Normally his mouth would water at the very sight of them, and it confused him that he felt no interest in them at all, even with his full belly.

Green Eye had started to become something other than a normal lion. It was well beyond his own mental comprehension to understand the nature of this change, but deep inside he knew that something was different now. He did not question the changes he was beginning to feel about his preference of potential prey, who and what they were. He did not have the mental capacity to do so. Green Eye simply was what he was, a predator of the highest caliber. A killing machine that happened to have developed a real taste for the puny human animal.

He took a long, last look at the pair of moose, then turned and walked slowly back to the remains of his meal.

""""""""""

Tornec translated as Mog-ur signed to Tulie, Barzec, and Branag. They all sat on the log looking up at the two men standing in front of them. The top of Mog-ur's head barely reached the bottom of Tornec's shoulder.

'If it is acceptable to you, we will travel with you to the camp of the Others,' Mog-ur was signing. 'It is important that "Etra" would learn the ways of your medicine woman along the way. We can start our journey from your camp.'

"Mog-ur, we feel that the hunters of the Clan would benefit much from hunting with the men of the Others." Barzec went on. "It will be time for us to hunt and put in our winter stores of meat when we return, your hunters could join us in this effort."

'This is wise,' Mog-ur signed.

"The only problem as we see it is that neither of our camps are large enough to house all of your Clan," Tulie said. "Tressie lives at the camp of Branag which is a few days travel from our camp. It will take many moon cycles for her to teach Etra adequately."

"We think that the Clan should live at both camps, that the Clan should be divided so that we can accommodate you all better." Branag continued. "The Clan will need to winter with us also if you are planning to travel to find a new home. It is just too hard to travel in winter."

Mog-ur felt a chill inside as he watched Tornec sign the thoughts and ideas of the Others. These people are wise, he thought, and very kind to make this offer of selfless hospitality. We cannot possibly travel in winter, not with the women and children. If their camps are not too far apart as they say, this could be an adequate solution. Mog-ur made his decision.

'I will speak to the Clan, the offer you have made to us is the best solution. The kindness you have shown will be forever remembered and appreciated.' Mog-ur waited for Tornec to finish before he continued. 'This man, this Clan is truly grateful.'

""""""""""

Jozen and Frietag chopped through the low hanging limbs of a pair of short trees. The path they had cut through the thicket had led them into this stand of willows and cedars. Balaam tossed the small branches and leafy twigs off to the sides behind them. It was hard, slow work.

The sun was high in the sky, and the warmth of the day was blunted only by the shade of the trees and the cool breeze. The end of the stand was in sight, and the men increased their efforts. As they finally reached the clearing beyond, Balaam looked back to see the results of their work. A nice, neat path winding through the trees and into the brush all the way through to the opposite side clearing. It would do, he thought tiredly with pride.

The ground was rocky and knee high with grass and weeds as they walked on. Balaam and Jozen used their small swinging tools to knock down the grass and weeds as they walked slowly forward. Frietag stopped occasionally to move some of the larger rocks and stones from the ground in the walkway of the path.

The clearing was fairly long, and dropped into a gradual descent toward the next wide brushy clump. Off to their left three megaceros bolted from the outer edge of the next thicket. They had been feeding from the lower limbs of a stunted oak, heavy with acorns.

A golden eagle screeched above them, a large rat dangling from his low held talons as he pumped his wings hard against the gentle wind.

""""""""""

Mog-ur walked slowly along the edge of the brush behind the tents of the camp, deep in thought. As he approached the same log he had sat and meditated on before, he decided to utilize this most serene spot again. Mog-ur had a rare twinge of doubt at his vision for the Clan, and he thought it best to meditate on the subject.

Taking a seat on the log, he took a deep breath and stared forward blankly to begin the process of clearing his mind. His concentration level grew in strength as he blanked out his surroundings, he could feel the tranquility of his inner being coming to the front of his powerful mind. The wealth of his memories began to spread out in front of him, waiting patiently to be tapped and explored.

Mog-ur considered the predicament of his Clan, the real problem that caused his lingering doubts were in the definite break this would be to the well established Clan traditions. The path he had chosen for his Clan was without precedent, so Mog-ur decided to look for any other times that the strict Clan traditions had been bent or broken all together. He delved deeper, looking for any deviance. And deeper still.

Mog-ur saw the first example clearly, it was a Clan that had been decimated by sickness. This Clan had used three women to help the men hunt, they had only helped to chase an aurochs cow-they did not use weapons. This hunt was successful, and this Clan had used the women more than once in this fashion before the sick men were well enough to return to hunt again. He searched deeper.

There was a hunting party that had taken on a woolly rhinoceros. The rhino had gored a hunters leg. The hunt leader had come to the hurt mans aid and done his best to bandage the wound. This hunter had survived. The Clan men had abandon their kill and carried him back to the cave where their medicine woman had cared for him. Mog-ur needed more, he went back even deeper.

The memory he found next was not a first hand experience of his ancestors. It was from a summer meeting of the mog-urs. It was the tale told by a the Mog-ur of a nearby Clan. A tale told to him by a runner from a far distant Clan. It was the story of a medicine woman of the Clan healing an injured man of the Others...

""""""""""

Talut and Vincavec worked in the cold storage room. With the new heavy door flaps closed, the room was already beginning to get cold inside. The two men had a red deer hide stretched out on the floor between them with a growing mound of dirt piled up in the center of it. It wasn't their first.

They worked with the digging tools made from the palmate moose antlers to dig back down to the frozen layer of the permafrost. The frozen ground began about the width of two fists stacked together below the current surface. Neither man felt the dropping temperature of the room too much, the physical exertion from digging kept them plenty warm enough.

Inside the lodge Averie supervised the placement of the bed platforms, marking the corners with loose stones. Work crews were already busy stacking flat rocks to establish the perimeters of the knee high platforms. The rocks were fit tightly together as small, rectangular shaped walls.

A deer skin with a large mound of dirt from the cold storage room was near the first bed platform in what would eventually be the Mammoth Hearth. There were six raised platforms marked out in this hearth, two at one end, and the other four along the wall at the other end. The first two platform walls were completed, and Latie and Regan began to fill in the void with the freshly dug dirt.

Frebec stood by with a section of tree trunk the width of his thigh and just about as long. When the women had a layer of dirt covering the entire bottom, they stepped back and he pounded the dirt with the end of the trunk to compact and even out the layer of soil. This method was repeated until the level of the dirt was just below the surrounding rock walls. They moved on to the next one.

""""""""""

Green Eye caught the scent of humans on the light breeze, it woke him from a light sleep. He thought at first that it came from the remains of the human in front of him, but as he lifted his large head he knew that it was a different smell. It was a fresh scent, more of the puny humans were near.

There was still over half of the carcass remaining, and he was not inclined to hunt again as long as he had food readily available. Somewhere in the recesses of his hunters mind, he figured that he may have come across a trail of the humans. If this was the case, it meant for a steady supply of his new favorite food.

Green Eye listened carefully to his surroundings. He caught the sounds of multiple songbirds, the snorting of a pig, the distant screech of a hawk, and the chattering of a pair of squirrels. He heard nothing else.

The scent of the humans was faint and traveled on the tops of the slight breeze, they were not very close. Green Eye lowered his head back down between his huge paws and went back to sleep.

""""""""""

The mixed camp members were loosely grouped around the fire for the midday meal. A huge skin of stew along with a freshly cooked slab of the moose haunch made for a quiet meal. The fresh moose meat was tender and the stew was full of a variety of vegetables.

Mog-ur returned from his meditation in time to join the rest of them, though he was the last to get a platter of food. As always, he was really too mentally exhausted from his deep meditation to have much of an appetite. He ate sparingly, and observed the interactions of the mixed group as he pretty much always had.

The after meal tea was passed around, and the camp relaxed and lounged about to let their food settle. They had adequate food supplies so there was little that needed to be done at the present time. The men had spent the morning working on hunting weapons, the women had worked on processing the moose hide and cooking.

Finishing his second cup of sweet tea, Mog-ur stood and walked over to the front of the fire. He looked out over the mixed humans and saw that they were all well within his sight. Mog-ur raised his hands and face to the sky, palms facing up, and held this position until he had their attention.

Tornec walked up to him, and stood beside him ready to translate.

'People of the "Clan," the people of the "Others" have invited us to travel with them to their homes.' Mog-ur watched the reactions of his people carefully as he signed. 'The medicine woman, "Tress-ee" has agreed to teach "Etra" in the ways of healing. This will take some time, so I have been told. The hunters "Barzek" and "Bran-nag" have volunteered to further instruct and train the hunters of the "Clan" in the methods and techniques of the new throwing spears. This will also take some time.'

Mog-ur paused to allow Tornec to catch up, seeing confusion in some of the Clan members. He continued. 'This "Clan" cannot safely travel in search of a new home without a medicine woman and proficient hunters. Though the skills of our hunters are vast, they have had little practice and experience with their new weapons, and there are not nearly as many of them as they are used to hunting with.'

Again he paused until Tornec's translation was complete before signing on. 'Therefore I have decided that the "Clan" will travel to the camps of the "Others" and we will stay with them through the rest of the summer and through the winter season as well.'

The mixed people were stunned, signs and spoken words flew about with their surprised reactions. Mog-ur patiently waited for them to come back to order before he signed to them again.

'The "Clan" will split into two groups and stay with the "Others" at their two camps. At the end of winter, we will travel on to a place a great distance away. We will travel through the cycles of the moon many times to get there. It is the most ancient home of our ancestors. It is where the earliest memories of the "Clan" as a people began.'

Mog-ur pulled the ends of the bandage loose from under his arm and slowly unwrapped the wide strip of smooth leather from around his chest. He dropped the wide strip to the ground at his feet, and signed on again with one hand while holding the small square of skin that still covered his wound with his other hand.

'I have meditated on the future of our "Clan" and the sacred Cave Bear himself, Ursus has given to me the direction that this "Clan" must take.'

The crowd was silently engrossed in the Mog-ur as he signed to them, the hair on the backs of their heads rising with fear and trepidation. Any direct sign given by Ursus was absolute and unquestionable-though none of them had ever seen a direct sign from the mighty Ursus in their own lifetimes.

Mog-ur signed on with one hand, eloquently. 'The land we will venture to is a land of perpetual summer, Ursus himself has named this land the 'Land of the Sun.' Ursus has given me the sign that this is our destiny,' Mog-ur dropped the square skin from his chest, exposing his tattooed scar in all its glory. The black fingers of the flames of the sun protruded outward from the bright pink skin and deep red scab at the center of the wound.

In the deepest recesses of their memories, this symbol of the 'Land of the Sun' came forward in their minds. There was no doubt now, this was a definite sign from Ursus. It could be nothing else. The future of the Clan was plainly written on the Mog-ur's chest, and they would never question or doubt this sacred path. For this was foretold by Ursus, and no Clan member would ever question that.

""""""""""

Talut dragged the front corners of the red deer skin piled high with dirt out into the lodge as Vincavec held the twin rhino flaps aside. Droplets of fresh sweat formed almost immediately on his forehead as he felt the heat of the open lodge. It wasn't that it was so hot in the lodge, the cold storage room was just getting that cool.

He looked around to see that all three of the rear hearth bed platforms were packed with dirt. Two of them in the rear of the Mammoth Hearth even had fresh cut grass spread out on top. Talut saw that Frebec was pounding the dirt in the first platform of the fourth hearth forward.

It was late in the afternoon.

Brenan and Salen saw Talut and rushed over to take the heavy skin from him. Together they dragged it over between the raised platform that Frebec was working on and the next one down. Stolie and Latie waited patiently for Frebec to finish.

Averie approached Talut with a large water bag and two cups. He took the cup and she poured it full. Vincavec came up to them and she handed him the other cup, and filled it also. Each man drank his fill, they were mud stained and wearing only foot coverings and pants.

"You've made good progress on the beds," Vincavec began as he looked around. "There may be enough dirt left inside to finish them all. We are only a little more than half way finished in the cold room."

"Thorec and Morlie are down at the river gathering sand, and Tazen and I are going to go out around the back side of the hill to cut some fresh grass." Averie pointed over to the Mammoth Hearth and continued. "If you two will get cleaned up you can try out the new bed platforms-I tried something different on them."

"I'd love to, Talut are you ready to call it quits for the day?" Vincavec wiped a loose strand of muddy hair from the side of his face.

"Yes, I think we can finish the rest tomorrow," he replied, smiling. "I need to go down to the river-I stink."

Averie laughed at the big brute of a man, and wrinkled her nose at Vincavec standing beside her. "Brother, you should go with him, you don't smell so good yourself."

""""""""""

The mixed camp was busy packing up. They were working in a leisurely manner, but steadily getting things done. Most of the loose clothes and small tools were already bundled up and packed into the smallest of the three Clan tents. Tied bundles of the new flint tipped throwing spears and the more traditional fire hardened points of the stabbing spears leaned against the outside of the large Clan tent.

Etra and Inca quit packing and started helping Tulie and Tressie prepare the evening meal. There was still almost half a hanging skin of leftover stew and Etra and Tressie placed it onto the support posts near the fire.

Tulie added fresh wood, and the flames were partially smothered for a while and the smoke thickened until the fire broke through the fresh limbs.

Inca began slicing a front shoulder strap of the moose into thick slabs to be wrapped around the spit to cook slowly above the flames.

Barzec, Rug, and the Mog-ur walked around the perimeter of the camp. Mog-ur was testing his stamina, it had been a long time since he had been able to get much exercise of any kind, and he was not a young man.

The conversation was light, Barzec doing his best to converse without the benefit of Tornec's translations. He wasn't doing too badly, the men of the Clan were intentionally keeping their signs simple for him to better understand them.

"Mog-ur" we travel soon, I need show fire magic,' Barzec signed.

'Fire magic?' Rug asked, obviously puzzled.

Mog-ur just looked at Barzec, waiting for him to continue and explain himself.

"Others" make fire with stone, firestone,' Barzec signed, concentrating on the signs as he went on. 'Will show.'

Barzec watched the ground as they walked, and stopped and stooped down to pick up a fuzzy ball of dead grass that had been trampled. He motioned for the Clan men to join him as he sat down on the ground. Rug assisted Mog-ur to sit, then sat down facing both men. Barzec pulled two stones from a well worn pouch hanging from his belt.

Rug thought that the belt and the pouches that hung from it was clever, deciding to try and make himself one like it soon. He was thinking about the way the belt was made when suddenly a wisp of smoke and a small flame grew out of the fuzz ball of dried grass on the ground in front of him. Rugs mouth dropped open in shock and amazement, he gave Barzec his undivided attention.

The Mog-ur was also shocked, he felt the cold chill of the spirit world enveloping him from all sides. He shuddered involuntarily. Rug did the same.

Barzec calmly crushed out the small flame, and held the stones out in front of him for them to see. He struck the firestone against the piece of flint again. The spark flew a little too far this time, going past the clump of grass. The glowing ember gave off a thin wisp of smoke as it faded out on the bare ground. Barzec struck the stones together again and hit his target, he leaned over and blew on it and a small finger of flame popped up.

The flame grew quickly as the men watched, consuming the small fuzzy ball of grass entirely. The strands of the grass glowed red and turned black just as quickly as it burned itself out. The crisped black strands crumbled as they fell back to the ground.

Mog-ur and Rug stared at the small wisps of smoke as the fuzz ball expired. They were both very perturbed, but as their initial reaction began to wane, their curiosity started to grow. As unsettling as this was, Barzak had made this incredible feat of magic look easy.

'Magic in firestone,' Barzec began signing slower than usual. 'Not hard-must practice.'

He held out the two stones to the Mog-ur who hesitated ever so slightly before reaching out and taking them. One stone was just a piece of flat shaped flint, the other was an odd color and angular in appearance. Mog-ur rolled it over in his hand, studying it carefully before handing both stones to Rug.

Rug almost flinched when Mog-ur held the magical stones out to him, but he dominated his fear and took them to examine them closer. He noticed the same odd characteristics of the stone that Mog-ur did, and after a long moment looked up at Barzec.

'Will you teach us this magic?'

Barzec nodded his head, and smiled.

""""""""""

Frietag chopped at the base of a small, thin tree. It only took a few swings of his small sharp axe to fell the tree. Balaam held the shaft of the skinny tree and as it was freed from the ground he tossed it off to his left into a thick patch of briars. He followed Frietag over to the last small tree in the center of the path they were clearing.

Jozen swung his small clearing tool, scattering the small branches of the bush in front of him. It was the last of a pretty thick stand of short bushes with green berries clinging to the outer most twigs. He left the thicker bases of the bush for Frietag and Balaam behind him, and worked on toward the clearing ahead.

The three men were hot and sweaty, the heat of the day and the hard physical labor taking its toll. Dripping sweat profusely off their bare upper bodies, they had also finished off the majority of their water supply.

Jozen reached the edge of the brush, and looked out over the next clearing. A few lone trees dotted the rocky ground that was knee high in tall grass. He took a sight bearing off the falling sun and gauged their direction anew. Frietag and Balaam made their way into the clearing to join him.

The three men walked across the clearing, swiping away the tall grass as they went slowly along. The clearing was large and long. Way up ahead of them a thin band of trees, mostly willows were strung out in a long line.

A small herd of Aurochs fed on the tall grass to their east. The large animals paid them only scant attention as they walked through the rocky field.

"I hope that is a creek up there," Balaam said as he walked behind Jozen, leaning down to cut a clump of the tall grass at ground level.

Jozen reached up to feel the water bag hanging over his chest. He squeezed it gently to find it almost empty.

"I am almost out of water, how about you?" Jozen asked as the two men checked their own water bags.

"Me too."

"I am out," Frietag said.

"Well, if that's not a creek someone will have to go on across the field and back down to the river." Jozen walked on, picking up his pace a little. He wondered how far away from the river they were at this point.

""""""""""

Green Eye heard the soft rustling in the brush, something was coming toward him. He lifted his head and yawned, then looked in the direction of the sounds. A scent came to him riding on the soft breeze. This smell got his attention, and he stood up and stretched. He caught a glimpse of a large brown shape coming at him just beyond a berry covered bush. Green Eye was at full alert, and moved into a defensive posture as the huge bear became visible behind the bush.

The bear saw the large cave lion, and slowed his approach snarling viciously. He stopped ten paces away from him.

Green Eye snarled back, standing tall and holding his huge maned head high and threatening.

The bear held up his massive front right foot and gave Green Eye a warning swipe. His huge claws were outstretched and lethal.

Green Eye growled again a little louder and lifted one paw menacingly, his sharp claws protruding. He held his paw out to his side slightly, and flexed his claws again in warning. His deep growl rumbled with menace.

The bear was a young adult, and totally fearless. Though he would gain more size and weight as he grew older, he was already a very large, extremely powerful animal. He sat back on his haunches growling loudly, his lips quivering in anger and anticipation.

Green Eye jumped forward the length of his body and roared loudly, his strangely differently colored eyes were cold and fearless. The bear dropped back down on four feet, startled by the volume and ferocity of the roar. In his young life, he had never been challenged by any animal, ever.

The lion saw the brief moment of hesitation and charged, the bear tried to rise back up on his rear feet-but he was too slow. In two huge bounds Green Eye hit him full force in the chest with both front feet while his huge jaws locked on the bears exposed neck.

The momentum and weight of the lions sudden attack carried them back, the bear rolling onto his back. The bear tried to wrap his big front legs around the back of the lion, but just as he did, Green Eye lurched back ripping out half of his throat as he tumbled safely away from the fatally wounded bear.

Green Eye regained his footing nimbly and spun around to face the bear and he saw him writhing about on the ground. The bear futilely grabbing at the gaping wound that was once his throat. The lion was smart enough to wait him out, knowing that the strong bear was still very dangerous. The bears movements slowed, then finally stopped altogether.

The lion walked up to his dead adversary cautiously, and nosed his back. When he was satisfied that the bear would threaten him no more, he sat back and began the grunts that built up to a full fledged, earth shattering roar.

""""""""""

Jozen knelt down at the edge of the small creek, cupping his hands to hold the cool water as he brought it up to his lips to drink. Frietag and Balaam knelt beside him. The water fell free as he jerked his head up at the sound of the roar of a cave lion off to the distant west. The sound was slightly distorted by the distance and the somewhat hilly terrain. The three men all stood up and looked out to the west, their view obstructed by the trees along the creek.

"I'm not too sure I like the sound of that," Balaam said softly.

"I don't like it much either, but we do need to think about making camp before too long. I don't want to travel at all after dark." Jozen looked back to his friends as he continued. "Frietag, why don't you see how deep this thicket is while we fill up the water bags."

Frietag nodded and pulled his water bag off his shoulder. He handed it to Balaam and pulled out a long throwing spear that was tethered to his back. Frietag got a fresh grip on the spear and waded through the shallow creek and walked on through the trees on the other side. Before long, he was out of sight.

""""""""""

Mog-ur rapped the two stones together again, this time the spark hit the left side of the small pile of shredded grass. He leaned down and blew on it softly and a wisp of smoke rose up and a small flame burst to life. He sat back as Rug fed the small fire carefully with a few more strands of dried grass.

Barzec smiled at Mog-ur as he watched the satisfied look spread across his face.

Mog-ur handed the stones to Rug, and signed. 'You must hit it with a glancing blow.'

Rug nodded and held the stones out in front of him, concentrating. He struck the stones together drawing off a bright spark that nearly hit the fuzzy pile of grass in front of him. Rug took a deep breath and changed the angle of the flint slightly and tried again. This time the spark landed in the pile and he blew the flame to life.

Barzec signed as Rug looked up at him with wide eyes. 'Good "Rug." Now try again.'

""""""""""

Talut and Vincavec walked down to the river carrying a few loose skins over their muddy shoulders. They followed a newly worn trail that petered out as they reached the beginnings of the scattered willows. Bare dirt surrounded several of the first trees that they came to, having been stripped of sod for the lodge. The land began to drop off as the river came into sight, sloping down to the banks.

Talut slowed as he approached a willow that had most of its lower branches removed, hearing the sigh of a woman. He looked to the source of the sound and reached his hand out to stop Vincavec beside him. Vincavec looked up to Talut as he put a finger to his lips to signal, 'quiet.'

Up ahead of them to their left in the shade of a short willow just up from the river bank, sat a large carrying basket with bulging sides. Near the basket Thorec lay nude on his back with Morlie, equally naked straddling him, sharing pleasures. Her head was thrown back and her hands pressed hard against his chest as Thorec grasped her thighs, encouraging her movements.

Vincavec smiled and turned his head away from the coupling pair, and motioned for Talut to join him. He sat down on the short grass just outside the shade of the tree. The two men smiled at each other as the sounds of the pair increased in volume slightly for another few moments.

Talut looked over at the sun, it was nearing the horizon in a cloudless sky.

"I think they are finishing up down there, care to take a peek?" Vincavec said softly with a mischievous grin.

"No, you look," Talut quipped in return, grinning back at him.

Vincavec smiled as he too looked at the setting sun for a little bit, then his face turned much more serious.

"Talut, I want to thank you for all your help," he began, his voice low and sincere. "Not only for your help on the lodge, but for saving the Mammoth Camp. I shudder to think what our fate would have been if you hadn't come, if we had been caught completely unaware as the Wolf Camp was."

"It was Mamut," Talut said with a sudden tear in his eye. "He was the one who saw it all, I only wish that we could have gotten here in time to save the Wolf Camp."

A single tear ran down into his red beard. "I feel as if I lost Ranec twice, once when he went to live with Tricie, and again when I had to deal with the remains of the Wolf Camp."

"I still ache inside with the loss of the Wolf Camp, Lomie was one of my mentors." Vincavec wiped his eyes with the back of his dirt streaked hand. "Losing her and old Mamut both has left a void within me that will probably never be filled."

Tears rolled down Talut's face freely now as he looked up to the sky. "I have never known life without Mamut, going home to the Lion Camp will not be the same with him not there. As much as I love the daughter of my hearth, she will never be able to take his place-no one will."

"It will be so strange going to next years summer meeting and neither Mamut or Lomie being there, Mamut was always the voice of calm and reason within the Mamutii." Vincavec thought for a moment, then went on. "The Mamutoi people are in for some definite changes."

"I dread this coming summer meeting, I would really rather just go on home to the Lion Camp." Talut closed his eyes tightly, a fresh spate of tears forced out onto his face. "I miss Nezzie and the Lion Camp so much."

""""""""""

Green Eye heard the cackling of hyenas approaching as he walked from the carcass of the bear back toward the human remains. Looking towards the sounds, he stopped as he saw them as they loped in from the river. There were a lot of them, a whole lot of them. At least a dozen, maybe more. Hyenas in a group this large were overly vicious and aggressive, this he knew from experience. With a full belly, and coming off the extreme adrenaline rush of his life and death battle with the bear, Green Eye was in no mood for another confrontation today.

The hyenas started to spread out into a loose group, approaching the body of the human slowly. Four of them started to flair off to the north, trying to flank the lion. Three others veered to the south. The pack encroached incrementally. The avenue of escape was growing thinner, and thinner.

Green Eye had seen enough, the hyenas did not particularly frighten him, but the numbers were well in their favor. He conceded the remains of the tasty human and the bear without remorse, and turned and trotted off to the northeast into the thicker brush. He didn't look back as the sounds of the hyenas steadily faded away. The sun was beginning to set behind him.

""""""""""

Jozen chopped his way through a half dozen stunted scrub trees, Balaam working beside him. As he reached the clearing he paused to look at the setting sun, half way down the far eastern horizon.

Frietag chopped the stubby trunks off at ground level, tossing them into the brush to his sides as he went along. He was hot and tired, and his back was sore from all the leaning over, pulling, and chopping that he had been doing all day.

All three men were glad to stop and pitch camp, it had been quite a long day.

Frietag dropped his pack and started gathering stones to set up and line the camp fire. Balaam went back into the thicket after dead limbs and twigs to burn. Jozen pulled out his spear thrower and walked slowly down the edge of the thicket to the south searching for supper.

The sun was almost completely down when Jozen returned with a rabbit and a ptarmigan tied together at the feet and draped over his left shoulder. The camp fire was going strong, and Balaam was whittling on the second support stick for the spit while Frietag smoothed the bark off a cut shaft to be used as the center pole. A small freshly woven basket made from green, broad leafed grass sat off to the rear of the fire on a flat rock, leaking amber colored tea slowly through a few of the seams.

Balaam finished the 'Y' shaped stick, and drove it into the ground close to the rocks surrounding the fire. He got up to help Jozen clean and prepare their supper.

Frietag spitted the rabbit and the fat bird over the fire, and all three men used a soaked piece of the rabbit skin to clean the sweat off them while the meat cooked. They sat off to the east side of the fire, and cleared away the rocks from where they would later spread out their sleeping wraps on the ground.

Tea was passed around and enjoyed, the breeze was cool and dry. They had traveling cakes made from crushed maize and wheat, with diced pieces of dried bison meat mixed in.

The stars glittered above, dwarfed by the nearly full moon that shone brightly. There were many night sounds out in the open, from the repetitious droning of insects to the various species of night birds, and the occasional screams of successful predators. A nearby owl hooted softly from the thicket.

""""""""""

Mog-ur stood in front of the fire to address the mixed camp with Rug, Tornec, and Barzec at his sides. The camp members were all relaxing with their after dinner tea, and gave him their attention. Tornec translating as usual.

'The people of the "Others" have given us a gift of magic, a new way of starting fire,' he signed, pausing to allow Tornec to keep up. 'They have shared this with us graciously, and given us the means to possess this magic. It may startle you to see this, but it is an acceptable method of making fire, Ursus is pleased with this gift.'

Barzec and Rug knelt down and sat facing each other in front of Mog-ur, Barzec set out a wide fluff of moss and dried grass on the ground. Rug took the stones and set them on the ground in front of him, he held his amulet tightly sending a powerful thought of appreciation to his totem.

He picked the stones back up and carefully aimed them, then he struck them hard together. The bright spark hit the fluff, and he leaned down and blew the flame to life to the stunned amazement of the Clan watching. More than a few of them grasped their own amulets in fear as Rug handed the stones to Barzec.

Barzec quickly aimed and struck the stones together and blew another small fire to life on the outside edge of the fluffy kindling. The men both sat back as the two small fires grew slowly into one, the flames rising up briefly before beginning to wane and dwindle, and finally go out in a plume of smoke.

The Clan members all watched closely, their minds racing with thoughts of the powerful magic that they had just witnessed. The fact that Rug had made the magic first helped to slightly ease their fear and trepidation. All was quiet for the longest time, and the dwindling plume of smoke finally disappeared into the breeze. Rug and Barzec stood up and returned to Mog-ur's side.

'This magic belongs to all of you, and during the course of our upcoming travels you will each be taught the secrets of the firestone.'

Mog-ur watched them for their reactions, and was pleased to see that though their fears were present, so was their curiosity. He was proud of his Clan, and glad to know these people of the Others, these strange people that he could call friends. What must the ancient spirits and his ancestors think of all this, he thought as he looked out over his beloved Clan.