Gu From the Mountains

by Isabeau de Navarre

Whether rebirth or happenstance, it is always hard to have to leave your home. - This story is set many, many, many years before the first episode.

It had taken Gu all day to kill the game that now lay at his feet, and he was somewhat ashamed of that. Gu had always been able to be proud of his skill as a hunter, but before that he hadn't understood how much that had depended on the place where Gu had grown up. Gu had never realized that he might not be as successful at hunting in other places. This had then become Gu's undoing after he had been forced to leave his home.

The young hunter, who until recently had belonged to the Cave Bear tribe, had grown up in the mountains and it was there that Gu had learned from an early age how to go about hunting the game there. Gu knew the place as well as any child of the Cave Bear and he knew exactly how the animals were doing there and where he could hunt down game. Of course, Gu also knew the places where he would find fruits, nuts or tubers and where fish were easiest to catch and shells and snails the fastest to collect.

Gu had grown up to be a strong, fast and skilled hunter and had gained his place in the tribe of his birth, even if he did not hold a particularly high rank in the hierarchy of this community. Gu knew that this would not change, because his mother did not call a soul mate her own. This would always be an influence in Gu's life and made it necessary for the hunter to be better than others his age. Despite these problems, however, Gu had come to find his place and believed he had a future in the Cave Bear tribe.

But then Gu had been forced to realize that the death of the man who led his tribe - and who some had claimed was Gu's soul donor, although he had never commented on this - put not only the future, but even the young hunter's life in danger. The new leader - who everyone knew had received his soul from his predecessor - saw Gu as a threat to the tribe. He was also supported in this by the shaman of the Cave Bears, and the two people now did everything they could to expel the younger man from the community of the tribe. This was not so easy, because the other members of the tribe of course knew exactly, no one could survive on his own in the wilderness. But still, Eom, the leader, refused Gu the support of the tribe and gradually forced the others to ignore him. Gu finally feared he would have no choice but to try to survive on his own. Gu was suddenly alone, although he was still with the others of his tribe.

For this reason, it was not surprising that, at the great gathering, Gu took the opportunity to become a member of another tribe, even though it was very hard for him to leave the people he had grown up with. When Gu received the invitation to become a member of the Willow Spring tribe at this gathering, which brought together many tribes - some of whom had come a very long way to trade, but also to find soul mates - he immediately agreed. At that time, however, Gu was unaware that Eom had sold him to Ror and Hur. The two brothers led the other tribe and were always on the lookout for young hunters. However, they had no intention of making Gu a full-fledged member of their tribe. Instead, Ror and Hur saw him as their property as they had paid a lot for him. When Gu finally learned of this, he was very surprised, for he did not know this practice from the Cave Bears. But by then it was too late.

After Gu arrived at the place of his new tribe, he found that all the knowledge he had about the mountains and the animals and plants that abounded there was of no use to him at all. Gu now had to start learning again. This new place, this plain where the Willow Spring tribe lived, was very different from the mountains where he had grown up. Gu did not know the forests, lakes, and rivers in this place, so he could no longer succeed as a hunter. Ror and Hur also did not give Gu time to acquire new knowledge. Every day they sent him out and if he returned empty-handed or with only small game, they beat Gu and sometimes they refused him food. This made Gu's situation even worse. Gu had to get used to being beaten every day and he had gotten used to going hungry some days. Still, Gu kept returning to Ror and Hur because he could not survive on his own.

But now Gu had finally managed to kill game, even if it had taken him all day. Gu was very relieved, for at last he would not return to his tribe's fire empty-handed. He also hoped that for once he would not be beaten. Gu also hoped that his life would be better now, because he believed he was now familiar with this place. Of course, that didn't change his problem that Ror and Hur saw him as their property. On top of that, the others of Gu's tribe would do nothing about the way he was treated by Ror and Hur. Gu had come to understand that the rest of the Willow Spring tribe did not consider him a person equal to them. Therefore, they did not mind when Gu was beaten or starved. Gu had not managed to find a single friend among them. His life turned out to be as bad as it had been with the Cave Bears after Eom decided to get rid of Gu. Nevertheless, Gu did not give up hope, because he had to live with these people.

When Gu looked at the spear he had used to kill the game, he was once again glad to be able to make his own weapons. Now Gu benefited from the fact that he had already been considered more of an outsider by the Cave Bear tribe. This had led Gu to learn all the skills he could. In his current situation, it was a great help to Gu that he could make his own spears, spearheads, blades, and even bifaces, for he possessed nothing that he could trade to the specialists of his new tribe. While the things Gu made might not be all that good, they were quite sufficient for his needs. His mother had taught him other things as well, and so Gu could now make baskets and vessels from the tough leaves of the reeds. Of course, Gu could also mend his clothes. He had even watched his mother weave plant fibers together, but he had never dared to try. And equally, Gu had never dared to use his knowledge of fire making. This was something reserved for the shaman of the tribe, because in Fire the power of the nature spirits was revealed. Gu had so much respect for them that he had never tried to use his knowledge.

Gu had just begun to cut up the kill when he heard a rustling from the bushes among which he was crouching. Immediately, Gu picked up one of his spears so as not to be caught off guard. However, he had expected another animal, possibly a predator, that had taken notice of the carcass. On the other hand, when Gu found himself face to face with a group of strangers, he didn't know how to react at first.

The others cautiously stepped out from between the bushes, but after understanding that they were facing only a single person, they boldly approached. They had no reason to be afraid, since there were five of them and Gu was only one. Nevertheless, the young hunter had no intention of backing down. After all, Gu was the first to arrive at this place and he thought there was enough room for everyone. The appearance of the other hunters had surprised Gu only because he had not known that there were strangers here. Gu had never encountered anyone else here, but he had never ventured this far into the woods to hunt prey.

Politeness reminded Gu to introduce himself. "Gu of the tribe of the Ca ... of the Willow Spring." There was no reason for him to hide his name. He was annoyed, however, that he had forgotten for a moment that he belonged to a new tribe. When Gu was alone, he still felt as if he belonged to the Cave Bear tribe.

The strangers eyed Gu with attentive expressions as he regarded them with equal interest. Except for one person, they were smaller than the young hunter, but they were all much sturdier than he was. None of them possessed hair as pale as Gu's. One of them had hair the color of dark soil, the hair of two others was brown like wood, and the remaining two - among them was a woman - glowed reddish like the blood that Gu's kill had spilled. What struck Gu as strangest, however, was that their clothing seemed to be made only of animal skins. And although they all carried spears for hunting, he could not see in any of them the device with which he threw his own spears. To what tribe might they belong?

And then Gu noticed that they were all staring at his kill, grinning unabashedly at him. Gu immediately wondered if they were planning to take the game from him. The idea had not occurred to Gu before, for in his opinion, five of them should have no trouble hunting anything down themselves.

"Gu's kill!" he declared to them for that reason, putting his foot on the carcass for confirmation, but the others' grins only widened.

"Guuu!" the dark-haired man suddenly gave out, aiming his spear at the young hunter. It took Gu a moment before he understood that the other had tried to pronounce his name, as the stranger had a peculiar way of making the sound come out.

Suddenly, the stranger slapped his chest with his other hand. "Rrro!" Was that his name, Gu wondered?

All at once Gu understood who was facing him here and he felt quite queasy. But Gu suddenly had no doubt that the five persons were Others. Gu had heard stories about them before, but couldn't decide whether to believe them. Gu had not really imagined that there were beings that looked almost like persons but were not. But now, as he looked at them again more closely, he noticed that they all had pointed chins, big noses, and broad foreheads. Gu had never seen such a combination of features on anyone before. His realization startled Gu, for if the five were not persons, he could not rely on them to act like persons. Suddenly Gu was afraid they would not only take away his kill, but might even consider him prey themselves.

"Gu's kill!" he told them again anyway, because if he lost that game, then he would have to return to his tribe empty-handed again. Then Gu would be beaten again and might not get anything to eat. Ror and Hur would again call him a useless dolt and would declare to everyone else that Gu was worth nothing. This was something Gu wanted to avoid at all costs.

The dark-haired Other just kept grinning cheekily at Gu and pointed his spear at him, and now the other four were advancing with their spears raised. Then suddenly everything happened very fast. In an effort not to get any of the spears in his body, the young hunter backed away and the tallest of the others rushed forward, lifted the carcass and put it over his shoulders. The five then retreated again, still grinning at Gu, but they did not lower their spears. Gu had no choice but to stare after them in despair as they vanished among the trees with his kill. At this moment Gu would have liked to throw himself on the ground and cry, for he was only too aware that he had no time to hunt once again. But neither did he dare not return to his tribe's fire, for it was far too dangerous alone, and so Gu could not stay in the forest in the dark. There was safety only in the group, so he could not stay here.

Gu had hoped so much that his bad luck would have left him. Now tears were running down Gu's face after all, for he had once again lost hope for a better life.

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On this day, Gu had little hope of hunting anything. Although Gu had managed in the past few moons to gain experience in these woods, in which he now had to hunt, and he was sure by now to know in which places he could find certain game, he was nevertheless convinced that he would not be able to be successful on this day. This was less due to Gu's skills as a hunter, however, than to the fact that he was having considerable trouble moving around. Although he had been bringing his share of food to the tribe's fire lately, Ror and Hur wouldn't stop beating him, and last night they had obviously taken out all their rage - at whomever - on Gu. By the time they were done with him, Gu was not even able to eat anything, although he had returned from the hunt quite hungry. Then, in order not to run into the brothers again, he had left as early as he dared that morning.

Since the sun had shown itself in the sky this day, Gu had now been out and about in the woods, but the only thing he had been able to capture so far was a snake. Because Gu was so hungry, he had eaten it directly raw, although it did not taste very good. Afterwards Gu had found some snails at a brook, which also immediately found their way into his belly. Now Gu wasn't as hungry as before, but his body still ached and he didn't assume he could throw his spear with the necessary force to bring down an animal. This was not changed by the knowledge that Gu would definitely be beaten again if he returned that day without any game. Gu would then certainly not be able to hunt anything the following day, but he did not know what he could do about it. Preferably, Gu would not return to the fire of his tribe, but then what was he to do if he got injured or sick. No one could survive without his tribe.

As Gu was exhausted, he took a break in a small clearing. As he sat there, Gu heard something approaching him from the bushes. Sighing, he rose again, leaned back against a tree, and raised his spear. Maybe he would get lucky and his kill would come to him, but actually Gu didn't believe it. Instead, he immediately had to think of the encounter a few moons ago, for at that moment it had occurred to Gu that he was in that part of the woods again. But if Gu did indeed encounter the Others again, at least this time they couldn't take any game away from him. Gu hadn't killed anything yet, after all. But then Gu remembered that it was not true they could not steal something from him, for he still had his weapons. At this idea Gu was frightened, for he could not lose his weapons under any circumstances. Gu simply didn't have time to make new ones, especially a new spear thrower. Therefore, Gu was determined to defend his weapons by all means, even if it cost him his life. Without them, Gu would be dead anyway.

And then what Gu had feared actually happened, for he was once again confronted by a group of Others. To his great horror, they were even the same as the first time. Now, however, there were six of them, for they were accompanied by an older, dark-haired man who had been absent at their first encounter. When the Others caught sight of Gu, they stopped as if rooted to the spot and stared at the young hunter, who was still leaning against the tree with his spear raised.

But instead of coming closer, they began to talk among themselves in a guttural-sounding language that Gu didn't understand at all. This seemed rather odd to Gu, for he remembered that at the great gathering of the tribes he had been able to converse even with those who had come from far away. Therefore, Gu found it quite startling to encounter someone here who could speak and whom he did not understand. Gu had never imagined such a thing.

Finally, the older man stepped forward. He held his spears in his left hand and now extended his free right hand to Gu, palm up, as if to show him that he meant him no harm. At this, he smiled at him and then put his free hand to his chest. "Naaaz", he brought out in a surprisingly gentle voice. Could that be his name?

Gu dared to answer him. "Gu", he introduced himself, refraining from naming his tribe on this occasion. Last time, Gu hadn't gotten the impression that the Others had understood him.

"Guuu", the elder repeated, smiling at Gu again. And then he pointed with his hand to the others waiting behind him, who - in contrast to last time - didn't look cheeky. They even seemed a bit embarrassed and couldn't look him directly in the eyes either.

Finally, that dark-haired man stepped forward, who seemed to have led the group of Others the last time. He smiled tentatively at Gu and said his name once again, though the young hunter hadn't forgotten it. "Rrro" he got to hear and then the Other held out his hand to him and in it was a fruit. Gu didn't move, but stared at the Other, who was still holding out his hand with the fruit.

"Guuu", the dark-haired man again tried his hand at the young hunter's name.

"Aaapooolooogyyy", the elder suddenly uttered. "Fooor kiiill."

Gu could do nothing but stare at him now. The other spoke in an odd way, yet his words were comprehensible. And the young hunter understood what he was trying to tell him, after all, Ro and the others had taken his kill from him. To show him that Gu had understood him, he finally accepted the offered fruit. It was no substitute for the lost carcass, but the dark-haired hunter of the Others seemed to mean his apology sincerely.

Then Gu directly experienced his next surprise, as the elder spoke up again. "Guuu waaait, Rrro huuunt, Guuu geeet kiiill, yeees? Guuu tiiired."

Was the Other just about to tell him that they would hunt for him and then he could have the game. Gu couldn't really believe that, but he also had nothing to lose. And the elder was quite right, Gu was indeed tired and had already given up hope of catching anything himself. If the others wanted to trick Gu again, then he was no worse off than before.

Therefore, Gu nodded. "Agreed", he declared and settled back down on the ground. The elder sat down with him and smiled kindly at him again. The remaining members of the hunting party also approached, but they only carefully laid down their simple pouches made of grass and then vanished into the woods.

The older man began rummaging in some of the pouches and then pulled out three bird eggs wrapped in a thick layer of moss. He offered these to Gu as well, who again could only stare at him in amazement. Finally, Gu struggled to take one of the eggs, but returned the other two, this time being the one who smiled. His gesture was obviously well received. The other carefully packed the eggs away again and instead took out another of the fruits, one of which Gu had been offered. Then he calmly began to eat, and the young hunter followed suit.

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The hunters of the Others finally returned with a rather large carcass - Gu knew he would never have been able to kill this game on his own - and helped Gu cut it up as well. Before Gu finally made his way back to his tribe's fire, the elder made him a proposal. They would meet Gu again the next day in this clearing. Although the other had some trouble making himself understood to Gu at first, the young hunter finally understood what the elder wanted. And then Gu didn't mind coming back, as he didn't care where he hunted, but he was looking forward to not having to do it alone.

After that, Gu met up with his new friends every day throughout the summer. They went hunting together, and as they did so, they tried to talk to each other. Every day they got to know each other better. Every day, Gu also found it easier to understand the Others. They taught each other their languages until they no longer noticed that they were communicating in a strange mishmash of words.

The Others, whose names Gu had quickly learned - besides Naz and Ro, there were Wis, Mus, Joh, Tu, and the woman Mai - couldn't always all go hunting with him, but that didn't matter to the young hunter. Gu could still see them often enough and he was no longer alone. Finally, he had found friends, even if they were not members of his tribe. So that Ror and Hur wouldn't spoil this for him, Gu hadn't told anyone about who he was hunting with.

Gu's new friends were interested in other things as well, and they asked the young hunter many questions. First of all, they wanted to know about Gu's spears and the device he used to throw them. They quickly understood that his spears flew farther than their own and hit the prey with a greater force. Eventually they were able to persuade Gu to let them try his spear thrower, and then they didn't let up until he showed them how he made it. By the end of the summer, Naz and Ro also owned a thrower and had learned how to use it.

They were also interested in Gu's clothes, but unfortunately, he was unable to explain to them how the plant fibers were woven together. He had more success showing them how to make the tough leaves of the reeds into durable pouches. Their own, made from grass and twigs, never lasted very long and they had to be careful when carrying anything fragile, like eggs, in them.

They, in turn, showed Gu what fruits the woods held and what tubers were edible. Gu also learned from them how to catch fish with a basket, which worked even better with those made of reeds. Until now, Gu had always used his spear to catch fish, but that was exhausting and didn't always work. Naz also tried to teach him how to catch fish with his bare hands, but he couldn't learn that. Gu's unsuccessful attempts only led to everyone rolling on the ground laughing after a while, Gu himself included. He had to resign himself to not being able to learn everything.

But there was something else Gu showed his new friends, although at first, he wasn't sure if it was right to share this knowledge. But after they always helped Gu hunt and he got to know them better, he wanted to share with them the most important thing he knew. Therefore, Gu showed them how to make fire. Of course, they also had fire, but just like Gu's tribe, it was the responsibility of the shaman. He was responsible for making sure that the tribe always had access to this gift from the nature spirits, and he was supposed to prevent it from being lost. But it still happened from time to time, and then his friends had to rely on lightning to set a tree on fire to replace their fire. They simply had not learned to set fire to wood themselves. Gu had never dared to try how to do it himself before, but he had often watched closely as the shaman of the Cave Bear tribe did it, and now he was giving his friends this gift. He showed Naz how it worked and the elder promised to keep Gu's secret as long as it wasn't a matter of life and death. Gu had no way of knowing that this would one day save his own life.

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In the fall, Gu's happy days ended abruptly, though not because his new friends abandoned him, but because he became ill. For several days in a row, Gu had hunted in the rain and cold, and as a result, he developed a severe cough. Actually, Gu should now have been given the opportunity to rest by the fire of his tribe in order to get well again, but Ror and Hur did not let him rest and finally drove him out into the woods again. He was to procure food for his tribe and this caused Gu to grow weaker by the day. He no longer had enough strength to get to the part of the woods where he always met with his friends. Because they had always refused to come closer to the Willow Spring tribe's home, Gu had no way to meet with them. The young hunter suffered from this as much as from his illness.

Every day Gu could only walk a short distance and he was unable to hunt anything. When he returned to the fire empty-handed in the evening, Gu was beaten by Ror and Hur, and the next morning they drove him out into the woods again. After four days, Gu was so weak that he only managed to curl up not far from the camp beneath a bush that did an inadequate job of protecting him from the rain. As soon as Gu lay on the cold ground, his eyes fell shut and he didn't notice anything after that.

It was already getting dark when Gu woke up again. At first, he didn't know where he was or why he had woken up, but then Gu heard someone calling his name and he was startled. For he immediately reasoned that this could only be Ror and Hur, and he didn't want to be found by them. Gu tried to crawl further under the bush, but he didn't get far, because suddenly someone appeared from behind. Gu just managed to pull himself together so he wouldn't scream.

But then Gu couldn't keep quiet after all, because the man who had found him was Naz. Relieved, Gu did cry out, but then he suddenly had to cough violently.

"Gu." He could hear how worried the elder was. "We Gu look for, afraid. You sick."

Gu stared at him. The others had always refused to come near the camp and now here they all stood around him. They didn't wait to see if Gu wanted to answer them, but grabbed him and helped him up. Without speaking to Gu again, they began to take him further into the woods. They did not stop again until they reached the part of the woods where they had always hunted together. By then, however, Gu was so exhausted that the others practically had to carry him. Finally, Gu didn't notice anything else, and as soon as he was on the ground again, his eyes fell shut.

When Gu next woke up, he was lying on a bed of boughs, covered with furs, and discovered above him a roof of intertwined branches, twigs, and leaves. And while Gu watched the rain fall beyond the shelter, he himself was lying dry. But then he saw an even greater miracle, for beside him a small fire was flickering, giving Gu warmth. And next to it sat Naz, keeping an eye on Gu. When he realized that the young hunter was awake, he rose and brought him water in a shallow wooden bowl. It was then that Gu noticed how dry his throat felt.

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It took a long time for Gu to recover and until then he stayed in the shelter in the woods and his friends provided him with food and other stuff there. Only later Gu learned that in the first days they feared he would die, because he was very sick. But the small fire that Naz had brought to life ensured that he no longer froze and it helped Gu to fight the fever that raged within him. Still, it took a few days for Gu to get rid of it. After that, it still took a long time for Gu to regain his strength to the point where he could stand up. And it took even longer before Gu believed he could return to his tribe's fire. His friends advised him not to, but where else could he go? So, he hugged the others and headed back.

But Gu was not to make it to the camp, for even before he did he met some persons from the Willow Spring tribe. As soon as they saw Gu, they all turned pale. And then, all of a sudden, they started yelling at Gu. They wanted him to disappear on the spot. Then they shouted at Gu that he was dead and that his spirit should leave them alone. They couldn't help it if Gu was stupid enough to go into the woods even though he was sick. And then they accused Gu of being a worthless member of the tribe in life and now they didn't want to be bothered by his ghost.

Gu tried to make them understand that he was not dead, but they would not listen and suddenly they started throwing stones at him. Gu was so astonished that he could not move from the spot, not even when he was hit by a stone. But then branches came flying from behind Gu's back and the members of his tribe fled on the spot. As they did so, they shouted that more spirits had come, of which they were clearly afraid.

After some time, Ro and Naz appeared at his side and led him back into the woods. Gu did not know what to do now. For the second time in his life, he was forced to leave his tribe because they no longer wanted him there. Where should Gu go now? What would become of him?

Gu did not pay attention to where his friends took him and he did not notice how long they were on the way. Gu just let himself be dragged along and trotted beside the others until he noticed that he was in a part of the woods that he didn't know. Where were they headed, Gu finally asked himself? But really, he didn't care, because Gu didn't know what was to become of him.

Finally, Gu saw that they had reached an area with hills. After going around one of them, Gu suddenly spotted huts in front of him that were very similar to the ones his people lived in. This place here, however, was not familiar to Gu.

"Naz", Gu finally dared to ask, "where are we?"

"Hill tribe", was the reply.

"Hill tribe?" Gu had never heard that name before, and he was convinced he had met all the tribes of this region at the great gatherings.

"Naz people!" the other explained, and Gu stared at him in amazement, for he suddenly understood that his friends had taken him to their own home. Gu would never have expected this and he no longer knew what to say.

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When the strangers entered the village, they were brought to the old hunter, who was obviously considered by the Others here as their leader. The latter asked them to take a seat by the fire and, unlike the young hunters who had led them here, they could understand him very well. His words sounded almost like the ones they used themselves.

The strangers looked around in amazement, for they had never seen a village of the Others so similar to their own. And some of the inhabitants even seemed almost like persons. But they were most amazed at the old hunter, for with him they were quite sure that he did not belong to the Others. And yet, he was clearly a part of this village and during the conversation with him they also realized that some of the Others - namely all those who were very similar to persons - must have received their souls from him. But they also understood that he was very proud of all the inhabitants of this village.

After observing that the Others treated the old hunter with a lot of respect, the strangers asked him who he was, because it had become obvious to them that he must be someone special. The old hunter did not answer them right away and they already assumed that he did not want to tell them his name.

But finally, they received an answer and then they suddenly understood that they had indeed already heard about the old hunter. Stories about him were told at the great gatherings.

"I am Gu from the mountains", he informed them. "I am Gu, who used to be of the Cave Bears and the Willow Spring, but who now lives happily in these hills."