Warning: Cavemen
There's nothing as boring as watching someone else play an RPG - Kirigaya Kazuto, SAO
They'd traveled long, long distances already. Many, uncountable days had already passed, and there still seemed to be no end to the storm that began several days back. Even with the snow, they had to move on. The herds had long moved and if they stayed any longer, they would run out of food. They would starve. They had to move and move quick while their rations lasted. Luckily, they'd managed to stay with the herds so far, but that was the extent of their good fortune. The trees hardly offered good shelter, and if they didn't reach their destination soon, people would start dying.
There had to be an end to the storm. It couldn't last forever. They would survive. No matter what or who the group had to lose, they would survive. The ordeal they faced was one of the worst to have ever hit them. It didn't matter. As long as they kept moving, they would survive.
Repeating these thoughts, the scout carried forward with determination, walking many distances ahead of the main group. The mammoths cloak barely warded off the bite of winter, but it would not stop her. She was Rahn, one of the few hunters of the group. Hunters were strong. No petty storm was going to stop her or her clanspeople, but gods it was so cold. She needed to escape the cold and soon. She needed to survive. For her friend. For Atma.
Even with the self-encouragement, she couldn't calm the desperation in her heart. Already, several had died. It pained her to see the poor young, born out of season, fall the harshness of the world. It couldn't be helped. Those they left would join the spirits. They had at least that comfort.
Suddenly, Rahn felt an arm circle her shoulders from behind and she turned her cheek against the blizzard - if just barely, and managed to glimpse the figure of one of her fellow hunters. His name was Tet.
Tet rubbed his hand across her back comfortingly and she realized that she'd slowed down.
"Tet." She choked out.
The man smiled and moved forward, turning his head to urge her to do the same. Rahn nodded. They needed to reach their destination soon. They knew where it was, they just had to get there. They'd already been traveling so long, the caves had to be close. They just had to be. Clinging on to that thought, Rahn lifted her weary legs and continued her trek, barely keeping her fellow scout in sight.
Ahead, Tet shouted aloud. Out of the flurry of blinding snow, a massive rocky surface loomed into view and Rahn felt her spirit warm. Tet turned and gave her a nod before heading back to alert the main group. They'd found the shelter. They could finally rest.
As she ducked out of the snow, Rahn quickly lay down her pack to set up a fire. As she retrieved the first of the kindling, she noticed a light cast from deeper in another cavern room, and she stopped in fear.
She was the first to enter. There couldn't be anyone else here. A spirit? A lone Other? Was it hostile?
With a gulp, Rahn tentatively crept toward the deeper cavern room, the surrounding darkness and the eerie glow only adding to her fear.
She readied her spear. She was a hunter. She wouldn't be afraid. Human or spirit, she would have to face it. If it was a threat, her spear would be ready.
Rahn trailed down the tunnel leading to the cavern room from which the light was coming. With a burst of adrenaline, she peeked around the corner and was instantly rewarded with a flush of relief. Inside the cavern was a moderately dying ember. Next to that ember lay a woman in clothes that did not look completely foreign. The woman was fast asleep, nothing like a spirit nor an aggressive Other.
Others were rare, but the few encounters she'd had with them left bad memories. She was glad the woman wasn't an Other.
The woman looked to be one of them. Probably a stray individual from one of the other branches of the clan. With the ritual first-fire already set, Rahn's job was done. Hopefully the other woman would be willing to share.
Rahn approached and examined the woman's wear. She was dressed in plainly weaved clothes and wrapped in an old-looking skin. With a smile, Rahn returned to the entrance. Pack retrieved, she moved back to the cavern room and laid her things down before plopping next to the other woman.
She carefully examined the other woman's gear. There was some wood, a spear, and a bag of what she assumed was food, Rahn dug into the pack. Yes. Food. Nuts, berries, and dried meats filled the skin to the brim. It was a luxury of food items, and, unable to help herself, Rahn gave the berries a taste. Or she would have. The hand holding the berry stopped in midair as the previously sleeping woman next to her shifted and woke.
Rahn stammered out an apology and hastily put the stolen food-item back to where it came. "Sorry!"
The woman blinked, looking from Rahn to the bag and then, unexpectedly, she smiled. Shrugging off her furs, the woman stretched, showing off her lean hunter's build before reaching into her bag and retrieving the foreign-looking berry. Still smiling, the woman extended a hand, offering her the tantalizing fruit. Rahn hesitantly took the fruit and the woman nodded.
Without another pause, Rahn threw the tasty-looking treat into her mouth. "It's sweet." She said happily. "What is your name?"
The woman tilted her head and made a sound.
Rahn furrowed her eyes in confusion and asked again. "What is your name?"
Receiving no response, Rahn began to feel disconcerted. Did the woman have no name? Why was she just staring at her like that? Maybe she simply didn't understand?
Rahn tried again and pointed to herself. "Rahn." She said, and then pointed at the strange woman. "What is your name?"
The woman smiled and pointed to herself. "Oro."
"Oro." Rahn repeated.
The woman nodded, pointing to herself again. "Oro." She then pointed at her. "Rahn."
Rahn nodded and the woman retrieved another fruit from her pack, offering it generously. Rahn took the fruit and relaxed.
As she savored the rare delicacy, Oro once again spoke. The woman pointed to the fire and made a sound. Rahn examined the woman in confusion. The woman pointed to her. "Rahn." -herself- "Oro." And then to the fire, tilting her head and making a questioning sound.
The question clicked and Rahn shifted in place before extending her own finger towards the fire. "Fire."
"Fire." Oro enunciated with an accent.
Rahn nodded seriously. "Fire."
Oro sat back. She retrieved a strip of meat from her pack and pointed at it, making another questioning sound.
"Meat." Rahn supplied.
"Meat." Oro extended her arms to offer the meat.
Rahn shook her head. "No." She reached for her own pack and drew her own stores, offering hers instead.
Oro chewed into the strip that she held in her hands, ignoring Rahn's offering. "No." She said.
Rahn shrugged and bit into her own piece of dried food. The two ate contentedly for several moments.
Oro was strange, but she was kind. Rahn was happy to have met Oro. She was also very glad that she didn't have to go through the trouble of setting up first fire herself. With the cold and snow that had seeped into the woods she carried, it would've been an annoyingly difficult task.
Even if her companion was weird, she felt she and Oro would get along, and if the spear was any indication, Oro seemed to also be a hunter. Female hunters were few in numbers and to meet another one was rare. Oro fed more pieces of wood to the fire before pointing at other things, making her peculiar questioning sounds. Rahn happily obliged.
Scouting ahead with Rahn's company had been exhilarating. Rahn was beautiful, and although the huntress had rejected his advances in the past, Tet felt that if he remained persistent, eventually she would give herself to him.
Bearing the cold, the scout retraced his steps to share the good news with the main group. Hunters were held sacred in the clan and very few ever attained the Hunter's Mark. It was a sign of skill and a symbol which commanded respect. Once a member of the clan bore the Mark of a hunter, they were no longer bound by the ritual obligations of mating and were free to chose mates to their own liking - or not at all. Of course, this meant that he couldn't simply take Rahn for his own. She had her rights as a Marked Hunter, rights which he could not simply ignore.
Tet shivered as another blast of wind tore through his thick coat. He wouldn't have it any other way. Rahn was beautiful precisely for her skills as a hunter and the Mark she bore. She'd been by his side in almost every hunt he'd ever been a part of and she was wonderful. There were other Marked huntresses, and they were few in number. It didn't matter. Rahn was the one Tet desired. Most female hunters have long taken mates to their liking. Rahn had not. Tet found that confusing. Mating was a natural desire. Why was it that Rahn did not take a mate? It was not the first time he'd questioned Rahn's decisions, and it made him desire her all the more. Unlike the others, Rahn was pure. She was unspoilt.
He'd been her partner in many hunts and scouting expeditions and was one of the closest prospective mate in her life. And yet she either never noticed him, ignored him or rebuked his advances. Tet trudged forward angrily, despite the cold. He didn't understand. She didn't seem to have attachments to any other males. Why did she not chose him? He was her most obvious choice.
Lost in his thoughts and with the whiteness of the blizzard snow covering his vision, Tet nearly stumbled into the fore of the main group without seeing them. Several voices hailed him and Tet smiled, quickly forgetting his woes. He had good news for them. The hunter made a signal with his arms, shouting at the top of his lungs to hopefully exceed the shrieking loudness of the storm. His cry was immediately taken up, and soon, the news was flooding quickly through the tired migrants. The group's spirits tangibly lifted with renewed vigor, and Tet, happy to have spread the good cheer, joined the front of the group.
A sense of satisfaction shot through him as he marched with his fellow hunters toward the caves in which they would be spending the season.
Briefly, he wondered if Rahn had managed to spark first-fire. The cold snow must've made the wood difficult, but if first-fire was lit before the main group arrived, it would portend good luck. It was a luck which Tet felt he needed. Rahn would be his this season. He could feel it.
"Rahn!" He called loudly, his voice echoing far and deep into the massive chambers, lost in the void of the endless series of tunnels and caverns. Behind him, a crowd of veteran hunters and a few huntresses entered, flooding through the familiar space to claim seats for themselves and their kin. More came in, some cheering, others setting up for what would be their home for the season. The hunters were followed by the even larger group: the store-bearers. A few dropped the items they'd been carrying and collapsed in exhaustion.
Tet ignored them all as he made his way toward what could only be the light of a successful first-fire. Several others followed him, eager to feel and see the warm blaze. Tet led them. "Rahn?" he called as he stepped down the tunnel and rounded into the glowing room. He froze. His beloved huntress sat comfortably next to a cozy pit of flames, chewing away at a meat strip. The way she looked at him made him want to take her right there. What surprised him more was the sight of a second woman, clearly another huntress, whose gaze caused him to almost melt in place. Her dark hair and her shapely figure drew heat from his lower belly. She was almost as beautiful as Rahn. Who was this woman?
Unaware of Tet's thoughts, the ones who he'd led to the room filtered past him to sit by the fire. Tet followed, quick to take a seat next to Rahn before any of the others took it.
"Who is she?" Asked Groc, a fellow Marked hunter.
"Yes." Tet added as he dropped his luggage behind his back. "Who is she?"
They were soon joined by more clanspeople, obviously also there to witness and enjoy first-fire before the elders arrived to smother it.
"Her name is Oro."
Oro nodded, a universal gesture they all understood. "My name is Oro." She said.
Oro's voice was silky-sweet. Tet could see some of the men around him already captivated by her.
"Which tribe are you from?" A woman asked. The group that now stood in the spacious room now numbered nearly a hundred.
The beautiful stranger shook her head.
"She is lost." Rahn responded in her place. "She doesn't speak our tongue, but she learns. We will show her to the Shaman elders. She is not an Other, but she is a huntress. She is kind."
The curiosity that was Oro patted Rahn on the shoulder before standing, a pack in hand. Tet could not help but notice that, although the woman seemed built to be a huntress, she did not bear the Mark on her smooth-looking cheeks. The same observation was made by several others around him.
The woman approached the hunter Groc and drew a piece of fruit from her bag. "Fruit." She said and offered it.
Groc took the offered piece confidently and devoured it. "Good." He said.
A number of people started to move away. Oro was just a random huntress who posed no threat. They needed to establish territorial claims and to help set up the main camp. Many fires would be lighted to celebrate the arrival at their destination. A few stayed, including Tet, who was expecting to share the same camp with Rahn. Groc, on the other hand, was unashamedly taking more food from Oro, who seemed happy to share with him as they spoke to each other.. sort of. Oro apparently didn't speak their tongue very well.
"Rahn." Tet said gruffly.
The huntress snapped her attention away from Groc and Oro as if surprised. "Tet." She acknowledged.
"Who is Oro?" He asked conversationally.
Rahn stared at him for a moment before answering. "Oro is a friend."
Tet nodded. "Tet will share camp with Rahn."
"Tet.." Rahn said with a tint of resignation in her voice at the sudden statement. "Ok. Tet will share camp with Rahn.. and Oro and Groc and the others of the clan who would join us."
Tet stared into the fire in contemplation. Of course, others would join the circle. Groc's family would most likely be staying with them. Tet's family would be joining them. Rahn's own father would definitely be a part of the circle along with a small cluster of still-surviving elders. Tet looked over to his side to the two who Rahn had mentioned. He could see Groc talking animatedly, naming the things around them eagerly to Oro's questioning and broken words. Clearly his friend in arms was very attached to Oro.
"Ok." Tet finally said. He wanted once again to ask to mate with Rahn, but he was tired and a little fearful of hearing her rejection. He couldn't force the issue either. She was a Marked Hunter. Tet sighed and stood. The ritual was starting soon anyway. Once circles had been established and the cavern complex had been made habitable by the clan, there would be a gathering of prayers to appease the spirits of the cave, a festival of sorts. After that, everyone would rest as selected members from each circle were sent to fetch water from the snow and bring it back to their groups.
Tet snuck another look at Oro, who was now speaking with another woman, a weaver. Oro's interest and curiosity with all their proceedings and their language lay completely transparent as she fired question after question. Tet shivered with heat as he trailed his eyes across her figure. Oro was definitely strong, and she was also beautiful.
Belatedly, Tet asked himself whether or not Oro might be a spirit in human form. It would explain her inability to speak their tongue. Animals had their own tongue. It would also explain her charm. A spirit could craft whatever form they pleased. Oro might be dangerous. Already, he could tell that his fellow clanspeople, including Rahn, liked her immensely. They were being drawn to her too easily, and it made Tet weary and a little scared. He wondered what the Shaman Elders would make of her.
Word of Oro's presence spread like wildfire long before the last of the group reached the caves. She was strangely endearing, and most who saw her and almost all who spoke to her admired her. Their first-fire had been lit by Oro, a stranger. It was a free blessing of luck. While many took the blessing for granted, a few shared Tet's wary sentiments. The rumor that Oro may be a spirit spread equally fast. As such, it was unsurprising to the clan that the woman in question was standing among the Shamans, waiting to be presented to the gathered clan.
"Clan of the Mammoth!" Screeched one female Shaman. "We have made it home!"
Most had heard the ceremony at least several times before. They knew what to expect, and so they stood silently. The female Shaman retreated and another stood forth to speak. The second Shaman, an older male Shaman, boomed his deep voice into the silence. "We have lost some from among us. They have been taken by the spirits, to live among them for the rest of their existence! We will gravely miss them!" The Shaman looked around at the sound of a few sobs, and continued his speech. "But we will not mourn them!"
As one, the people hummed briefly, the sob vanishing into the spiritual noise. The humming continued until the Shamans began to speak once more. "They will live on! All must die and all must join the spirits in death. Our loved ones! Our fathers! Our mothers! Our sons and our daughters! They are not lost to us forever, nor are we to them." The Shaman focused his eyes to the place where he surmised the sob had come from, his voice softening kindly."May their spirits run joyous and free in the next world."
The Shaman retreated and was replaced by a third, younger male Shaman.
"And now!" The third Shaman stood with confidence. "A blessing!" At this, Oro was pushed forward for all to see. "A spirit or a lost clans member she might be. Her name is Oro."
A sea of over a thousand voices repeated the name, chanting it back to the Shaman who quickly silenced them.
The female Shaman spoke up in a loud voice. "Whatever she is, the Clan of the Mammoth accepts her. It is the Great Spirit's will. She gave us our first-fire, our fortunes bode well. Let us pray our thanks to the Great Spirit!"
The Shamans closed their eyes and began another deep hum. The hum was quickly taken up by those around them, and spread from the inner circles all the way to the outer-edges of the group. After several long moments, the hum of prayer receded in the same pattern. The Shamans stopped their humming, opening their eyes. Those around them did the same, spreading the silence all the way to the back in a radial pattern of noiselessness. At that moment in time, the people's spirits were soothed and unified. Their worries and desires forgotten in the moment of tranquility. Rahn stared intently at Oro from her position near the front of the clan's gathering cluster. The interest and curiosity which never seemed to leave the woman's eyes were further illuminated by the light of the circle of fires and torches struck up around the platform.
Breaking the silence, the Shamans spoke once more. "Now. We rest."
With that the people returned to their circles. Rahn waited for the crowd to filter away. She waited even longer as the Shamans spoke to the mysterious woman who had slid into the good favors of so many in so short a time. Oro seemed to be asking them questions, her command of their tongue was raw, but if she could speak with the Shamans, it must be at least coherent. Somehow, in the short span during which they'd met, Oro had learned, to some degree, to speak their tongue. Maybe she once spoke the language and had forgotten it. Maybe she was rediscovering the language she already knew.
Intrigued, Rahn moved closer to catch some of the exchange, but before she could hear any words, the Shamans gave a nod and Oro stepped down from the platform. Rahn quickly walked up to the woman. "What was Oro saying to Shamans?"
Oro's beautiful face lit up in a heartwarming smile. The woman pointed at herself and then to her. "Ask Rahn live same fire."
Rahn quirked her brows at the broken words. Maybe Oro wasn't as good at speaking as she'd initially thought. It didn't matter, she would help Oro learn. "Oro asked to live at same fire with Rahn?"
"Yes." Oro beamed to which Rahn could not help but grin.
Rahn cheered. "Oro share camp with Rahn!"
Oro gazed away thoughtfully. "Yes. Oro share camp with Rahn." She repeated.
Rahn stopped to point to herself and smiled. "Happy."
"Happy?" Oro pointed at her. "Name not Rahn?"
Rahn giggled, and despite the exhaustion of the previous days of marching, she pulled the woman into a brief embrace before running ahead with a burst of energy. "I am Rahn and Rahn is very happy!"
He watched her. He watched Rahn wait patiently for the newest member of their clan. Then, as the women walked, Tet could not help but catch Rahn's tone of excitement while she spoke to the enigmatic Oro. The sudden change in her attitude confused him, but gave him relief. Rahn had not shown such eagerness to speak with someone since she'd lost her previous friend, a rare Marked huntress with whom she had hunted many seasons long before she'd gained her own Mark. Her friend, Atma, had died in a terrible hunt, killed by a fierce tiger. It was a warrior's death, and Atma's spirit could not have been given a more worthy passing. Rahn had been there when it'd happened, and Rahn had killed the tiger, earning her Mark while losing her friend.
Tet let his wariness slide away. Perhaps Oro's presence wasn't so bad. Rahn needed another friend to lighten her spirit. A happy Rahn meant a more accepting Rahn.
Tet smiled as he followed his newest circle-members back to the fire. He would be living at the circle of the first-fire no less. It meant good fortune. The thought gave Tet hope.
The group circled around the fire, exchanging quiet words about the trek through the storm and about those who had died. Some of the elderly and a few too young to withstand the cold had been returned to the world of the spirits. They would not mourn, no matter how much it hurt them.
On a lighter matter, Rahn had appointed herself the one to introduce Oro to the circle. Most everyone accepted her. Oro was extremely charismatic.
Rahn was glad that everyone took to the woman so well. Her father and Tet had shared a look and a quiet whispered conversation before seeming to come to some kind of understanding. Both were extremely supportive of Oro's joining their circle. Their willing and joyous acceptance cheered Rahn's heart. Even with Groc trying to make advances on her, Oro also seemed happy.
After several more exchanges, the group had decided to retire. The march in the storm had been exhausting and many of them wanted nothing more than to sleep away their weariness.
Most had fallen asleep almost instantly, but Rahn couldn't sleep. She shooed Groc to the other side of the firepit. Rahn lay silently. Tet's mother fell into sleep to her right. Oro's sleeping form lay on her left. The woman was sleeping on her side, her face nuzzled into a thick mammoth fur.
Rahn silently let her eyes roam the woman's face in the dim firelight. It'd been so long since she'd last felt such a close bond with another, and she simply knew that she and Oro would be tight-knit. With that thought in mind, she made a resolve. She would not fail like she did with Atma. Oro would be protected.
"Never again." She whispered. Rahn turned to lay on her back once more, closing her eyes and instantly drifting into sleep.
She didn't know what woke her. Perhaps it was providence, a spirit of some sort that wanted her to catch a sight she'd otherwise have missed. Whatever the case was, it was clear she hadn't rested for long. Rahn was still exhausted and her legs still ached. Yet she was awake, her eyes opening just in time to see Oro slipping away from the fire circle. As Oro exited the cave room, Rahn sat up. The woman's every step was so smooth and soundless that she could almost imagine Oro to be a spirit, which was impossible. Spirits weren't tangible, and she'd felt Oro's own hand in hers.
Overcome by curiosity, Rahn crept after the woman, stepping out of the massive stone room into the smaller cave tunnel. She turned left as she'd seen Oro do before stopping dead in her tracks.
It was then Rahn realized that Oro had not brought a light. The woman was travelling blindly into the darkness.
"Oro." She whispered, her voice carrying down the empty tunnel, reverberating off the walls and sending a chill down her spine. Rahn turned to glimpse the little specks of ember littered all over the main cavern. Every single one a circle of people, and every person was asleep.
"Oro?" She called again, turning back blindly to face the dark tunnel. She stumbled and nearly fell when Oro suddenly melted out of the darkness to catch her and hold her steady. An electric twinge of fear ran up her arm at the point of contact between them despite Oro's soft touch.
The huntress let the sudden burst of fear reside slowly. Having someone jump out of the darkness at her like that was not something she liked to experience. "Oro." She breathed. "Where is Oro going?"
Oro made a shushing noise and tugged gently at Rahn's hand. "Rahn. Come."
For no reason she could discern, Rahn complied. She let the strange woman lead her deeper and deeper through the dark cavern tunnel, her feet plopping loudly compared to Oro's silent steps. A question began gnawing in her mind as they descended further into the abyss. How was Oro navigating without light? It shouldn't be possible. She'd heard stories of blind Shamans walking through familiar environments without trouble, but if Oro was the same, then she must be so exquisitely familiar with the cavern's layout that she could confidently stride through the otherwise dark and oftentimes dangerous grounds. Good people had fallen into deep crevices before.
"Oro?" She asked with a touch of fear in her voice. Everything was dark. Nothing but the sensation of her feet on cold stone and Rahn's hand on hers showing that she was still in the physical realm. "Where are we going?"
Suddenly, the hand disappeared and Rahn panicked. Before she could scream however, she felt what could only be an arm circle around her shoulders from the side along with a distinct chuckle. "Rahn is.. scared?"
Rahn scoffed at the obvious taunt. "No. Rahn is not scared."
Oro chuckled some more and rubbed Rahn's back in what seemed to be a comforting gesture. "Come."
Rahn sighed. She couldn't back down now. Not on this clear affront to her courage. Her name as a Marked Hunter demanded she follow, and she did. Without further hesitation, Rahn reached her own arm around to make sure she had a hold on Oro's shoulder, and side by side, the two progressed deeper into the darkness.
After another inestimable distance, Rahn stumbled yet again, this time, with an audible splash. As she fell in the water, Rahn realized that Oro wasn't there to catch her. She flailed about in the darkness for a few moments before picking herself out and yelling in fear. "Oro!? Oro where are you?!"
Suddenly, a light filled the area. It wasn't just any light. A massive ball of fire, larger than the largest of mammoths hung suspended in the air. It was the heat of the Sun, the roaring blazes of an impossible image, and it was balanced on Oro's fingertips. Oro herself stood in the middle of what Rahn could make out to be a large lake of warm water.
Everything told Rahn that this was impossible. That what she was seeing could not be real. Still in shock, what Oro did next surprised her even more. The woman pointed at her. "Rahn." She then pointed at herself. "Oro." She pointed at the inferno at her fingertips. "Fire." And finally she pointed down at her feet, waiting expectantly.
"Lake." Oro tilted her head and Rahn's mind went in a jumble. "W-water."
Oro approached her, causing an instinctual reaction of fear. "Walk." Oro said. The woman sat on the water as if it were solid earth. "Sit." Oro tilted forward, carefully keeping the ball of fire above their heads, and sniffed Rahn's hair while making the same questioning sound that she seemed accustomed to making.
"Smell." Rahn supplied. Everything felt surreal. Oro's ability to navigate the darkness had been disconcerting, but walking on water, balancing a giant ball of fire on her fingertips, and then asking her these insane questions made Rahn feel as if she were in some alternate reality. 'This can't be real.' She thought.
"Smell." Oro repeated and pointed to the water. "Water no smell. Rahn smell."
Oro dipped her free hand into the water and sent a splash into Rahn's face.
She woke with a start and sat up, memories of some dream fading away in her mind. Oro was still to her left, sleeping. To her right, Tet's mother, Ara, was already gone. The woman had a habit of waking early.
Rahn stretched, feeling oddly well-rested. Ignoring the other woman on her side of the fire, Rahn shuffled closer to Oro's sleeping form. "Oro." She tapped the woman on the cheek, and nearly jumped as the woman's eyes flicked open.
Rahn nervously took up her spear. Where previously she felt comfortable with the strange woman before her, Rahn was now fighting a feeling of odd discomfort which she couldn't quite place. Ignoring the strange feelings in her gut, the huntress hefted her spear. "Long Hunt for meat and food. Oro come?"
The dark-haired newcomer paused as if in thought before taking up her own spear and smiling. "Oro come."
Rahn smiled back and was about to make a response when another voice interrupted their exchange.
"Groc come too." The large, hairy Hunter stood and showed his teeth. "Tet will also hunt, right Tet?"
The man kicked at his fellow hunter who couldn't help but be pulled out of his sleep by the blunt foot to his shoulder. "Rahn!" He yelled as he woke before realizing where he was.
Groc laughed. "Groc no Rahn. Groc is Groc. Tet come hunt?"
Tet groaned, still sleepy, and took up his spear. Trying to ignore what he'd shouted when he'd woke, Tet responded quickly to Groc's inquiry. "Tet come hunt."
A gathering of over fifty hunters, less than half Marked, were sent out for the hunting expedition with the Shamans' spiritual guidance and blessings. Weeks later, the same gathering stood against a titanic behemoth, haranguing it toward their cave. It'd taken them a good number of days to track and find the herd. After that, it was another several days of waiting to isolate the straggler.
Finally, with the hunters in formation, their target was where they needed it to be, surrounded by nearly thirty hunters with sharp weapons stinging at its flanks.
The mammoth shrieked and charged forward to make another opening only to be hurt by spears. Fearful of the sting that the humans were giving it, the mammoth retreated unknowingly toward the human's living quarters.
Each and every hunter did their job, driving the mammoth back. It would be difficult to carry the thing home if they killed it here. If they did, they would be forced to cut it open here and cart it back piece by piece and leaving it open to other predators and to decay. Letting the living creature travel the distance they needed it to travel was the most efficient way of maximizing the bounty they received from its carcass.
Tired of being led around and wanting to return to its herd, the mammoth made another mad charge. Rahn took a peek at Oro as the woman stepped up to do her part. To no surprise at all, Oro, timed her steps perfectly, driving her spear into one of the creatures forelegs just as it landed and leaping back just enough to evade its sweeping tusks. The mammoth limped back, afraid of getting hurt once again, and resumed its way unharassed toward its grave.
Oro was a natural hunter, and, for some reason, Rahn felt proud for her. The woman could easily earn her own Mark. Nearby, Groc felt the same. Oro was simply stunning. If he wanted to take her, he would have to make his move before she earned her inevitable Mark, and he planned to do so when they finished the hunt.
Groc growled impatiently as the mammoth took a swing toward his direction. He and a cluster of other hunters around him roared to scare the creature and jabbed their spears at it. The mammoth retreated, once again trumpeting for its herd to no avail.
Soon, the creature grew weary and slept. The nearly thirty hunters did the same and were replaced by another group of the same size. The mammoth would not sleep unless they let it. The hunters stayed awake in alternating patterns to make sure of that. There would always a crod of hunters there, ready to keep the mammoth on track and making sure that it was weak.
It wasn't long before the creature stopped fighting, limping on its damaged leg to wherever the humans wanted it to go. A few short days later, the mammoth was cornered near the crevice of the humans' home. With nowhere to go, it trumpeted and made its final stand, a last chance at survival. Long alerted of the arrival of the hunters and their target, many clan members strolled out the cave to watch the hunt, keeping a respectable distance as to make sure none of them got in the way.
The hunters worked hard, poking at the dangerous pachyderm, wearing it down cautiously. Finally, due to sheer exhaustion from lack of sleep and blood loss from the wounds constantly being opened on its legs and sides, the great wooly mammoth, largest of creatures of its time, thundered into the earth, felled by the tiny humans around it.
A great cheer rang out from both the spectators and the weary hunters. The mammoth's carcass was almost instantaneously swarmed by hundreds of humans, plucking and cutting at its flesh and its bones. Not a piece would be wasted. The single mammoth itself could provide the clan with fuel, food, tools and furs. The food from the mammoth alone could last them several weeks, not counting the other smaller hunted prey or gathered plants.
Later that day, another snowstorm riddled the grounds as the clan gathered together. Led by the three Shamans, the people gave thanks for to the spirit of the mammoth for providing to them, honoring its sacrifice and, as with any of the dead. "May its spirit run joyous and free in the next world." Said a Shaman, finishing the ceremony. The people joined together in a hum. Regardless of their differences, they all sounded to the same tune.
As the hum died down, Rahn opened her eyes, her spirit feeling cleansed and at peace. She looked around the crowd for Oro and spotted the woman a few tens of hunters away. Strangely and to Rahn's slight dismay, the woman's countenance wasn't that of one at peace, as had been expected. Instead, her eyes continued to glint with that same light.. a light which simply emanated curiosity and interest.
Rahn felt like she should be worried or disconcerted, but Oro was Oro. If there was anything she'd learned during her time with the woman, it was that Rahn loved Oro. Rahn loved Oro more than anything.
"Tet.." The Shaman elder sighed. "Again?"
The Hunter ducked his head unhappily. "I must have her. I don't understand. All the signs say good fortune. Rahn and Tet are in the same circle. I don't understand. What do the spirits say?"
"Tet. Rahn is a Hunter with the Mark." The elder began.
"Tet knows."
"The Mark is sacred." The elder continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Rahn is beyond the powers of traditional mating obligations. She chooses her own."
"Tet knows! But Rahn hasn't chosen a mate!" The man yelled furiously. He'd already heard all of this before. He knew it to be true. The elder must enjoy doing this to him. Provoking his anger like this.. The elder closed his eyes, patiently waiting for the man before him to calm down. Tet slowed his breathing. "What do the spirits say?" He asked again.
The old man sighed. "Tet.. find another mate." He said bluntly.
"Why?!" Tet roared. "Why does Rahn not choose Tet? Why does Tet not get to chose Rahn?! Tet is a Marked Hunter too! Why?!"
"Tet could challenge Rahn for mating rights." The elder suggested. "But-"
"But Tet doesn't want to kill Rahn." Tet said despondently. "Tet wants to mate her."
"Choose another mate, Tet." The elder repeated. "Why not Oro?
Tet looked down at his toes for a few moments before responding. "Tet.. Tet does not want Oro."
"Tet.." The elder put a hand on the man's shaking shoulders and sighed. "Choose another mate."
With that, Tet turned heels and stalked off. Rahn had rejected him again. He couldn't understand. He did everything he could for Rahn. He loved Rahn. He wanted to mate Rahn. Why did Rahn not want to mate him? Tet wasn't ugly. Tet had mated with willing mates before, but Rahn wasn't willing. Why?!
Brooding as he walked, Tet failed to see the massive fist flying toward his face. Of course, failing to see the fist, he couldn't possibly have retaliated, and thus, he was knocked off his feet, his thoughts scrambling away in a daze as he was picked up by Groc's rough hands. "Groc see Tet talking to Shaman.." The large man stated. "Tet not ask for Shaman blessing for Oro.." Groc cuffed the man in the face. "Right?"
Tet grit his teeth, unable to hold back his tears. "No. Tet asks only for Rahn."
"Good." Groc grinned. "Oro belongs to Groc. Now Groc go ask Shaman's spirit blessing and then Groc take Oro for his own."
Tet stared at his aggressor mutedly. Seeing that the man had no will to fight Groc dropped him unceremoniously to the floor where he rolled to a stop. Groc grinned with anticipation as he made his way to the Shaman that Tet had been talking to previously. While usually the old elders didn't like to mate prospective Marked Hunters, Groc knew of ways to convince them. They would give Oro to him before she was given the chance to earn her Mark. They didn't have any real reasons to stop him. Groc would get what he wanted. Groc smart.
Rahn sat next to Oro as she regaled the curious children with stories of the hunt, occasionally receiving interference from Oro who helped either to clarify some points or to exaggerate others to great storytelling effects. The children were utterly captivated.
During her weeks as Oro's hunting partner, Rahn hadn't really noticed the way Oro had mastered their tongue in much the same way that she never really noticed how children grew larger and then became able hunters or mothers in their own right. It wasn't something she'd yet been able to experience firsthand. Oro's ability to help her tell the tales of the nights spent travelling and of smaller hunts was the proof that Rahn needed to know that her self-given task, the task to teach Oro to speak, had been immensely successful. It was, in fact, more successful than she'd imagined. Oro had picked up the language faster than she thought possible. As she listened to Oro speak of the armadillo they'd tracked together, Rahn couldn't help but feel proud.
Oro had learned to speak from her, and Oro had learned more quickly than any single person before her. Oro was perfect. She was beautiful, strong, incredibly smart, and kind. There was nothing not to love of Oro, and Rahn was entranced. Of course, she couldn't go to the Shaman for a spirit blessing. It would be asking to be shunned by the clan. Atma had known this, and had urged her to earn her Mark to ward off potential mates looking to take her out of her will. She'd worked so hard, done all she could to hone her skills, and then Atma had died. It had been the most crushing event in her life. Years had passed since Atma's passing into the spirit world, and now she had Oro.
They rarely had any moments alone with such a large group, and it had taken the excuse of a scouting mission before Rahn had finally been able to isolate herself with her fellow huntress. To her mild pleasure, Oro had not seemed shocked when Rahn had made her intentions known. The woman had allowed a moment of tantalizing contact, enough to tell her that she wasn't chasing an impossible goal, but brief enough to not satisfy her in the least.
Oro had taunted her since, knowingly. The strange woman's half-jests and illusive mentions to Rahn's desires were both agonizing and enticing,
"Rahn would chase the armadillo." Oro was saying. "And she would get close, just barely touching its shell, but it always runs away." Oro shook her head as if sad. "Rahn couldn't catch the armadillo."
"What was Oro doing?" One of the children asked curiously.
The woman smiled sweetly. "Oro helped the armadillo escape."
"Why?" Another child asked.
"Because-" Rahn broke in before Oro could give one of her snarky replies. "The armadillo was beautiful and belonged to Oro. Oro usually likes to share, but Oro likes her armadillo more than she likes to share." She gave the woman a meaningful glance. Oro feigned indifference as she nodded to Rahn's blatantly fictional narrative. "Rahn is waiting for the day when Oro will share it with her. Rahn likes Oro's armadillo too.. more than Oro knows."
"Oh!" A deep, throaty voice grumbled aloud. "Oro has armadillo? Groc no see. Where armadillo?"
Rahn laughed. "Oro's armadillo is hiding in secret place."
"Really?" Groc laughed back. "Can Groc see?" He asked, directing the question directly to the dark-haired woman.
"Groc wants to see armadillo?" The woman asked in her curious tone.
"Yes." Groc replied eagerly.
"Ok. Oro will show Groc armadillo. Wait." Rahn narrowed her eyes in confusion as Oro reached forward for a piece of charcoal from the firepit. Then, with quick, purposeful movements, she drew a near exact likeness of an armadillo on the cavern floor. Rahn's eyes widened in surprise. The greatest extent of art in her world so far were simplistic cave-paintings. The realism of Oro's charcoal drawing held her rooted in absolute shock and admiration.
Groc narrowed his eyes. "That not armadillo."
The children agreed, having never seen an armadillo in their lives. It was an animal that rarely made an appearance, if at all. Hunters were about the only ones who ever receive the opportunity to spy one of the shelled rodents, but few ever ventured to catch one. Armadillo's were crafty and their meat made stomachs turn against their will.
Groc chuckled and swept his foot across the charcoal drawing. "Run children. Groc have important mating to do."
With that, the children were gone. While many of them thought themselves brave, even the bravest of the young shared one thought with the rest: Groc scary.
Rahn, on the other hand was flabbergasted. Her previous shock of admiration had devolved into simple shock as her mind sifted through Groc's words. The man's advances toward Oro had been very blatant since the outset. Oro had never outright rejected him, which was worrying, but she never seemed to care for him either.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Rahn stood aggressively. "Oro doesn't want to mate Groc."
Groc laughed and shoved the huntress away. "Oro must mate Groc. Groc has blessing from Shaman elder."
That couldn't be true. Rahn trembled. Oro was a skilled Hunter. She practically had the Mark already. The Shaman elders almost never did this to those who were going to earn their Marks. It couldn't be possible. Oro wasn't just any huntress, she was the best. She couldn't accept this. Groc was lying.
With that thought in mind, Rahn made to return Groc's physical brutality but was stopped by a restraining hand.
Oro stood. "Oro will not mate Groc." She said calmly.
Groc laughed, something he did quite often. "Oro will mate Groc. Or Oro no longer part of the clan. Groc has Shaman blessing. Elder Cet gave it to him. Oro belongs to Groc now."
Rahn swayed in place as she felt a sense of vertigo overtake her balance. "No!"
"Yes." Groc said. Ignoring Rahn's distress, he made a swipe at the woman that he now owned and missed. Oro leapt just out of his reach, and Groc laughed as Rahn sunk to the floor in despair. "Come to Groc!"
The large man made his second attempt. It was the last thing he saw that day. Oro slapped a hand across his face, sending him flying into the nearby cave wall with a concussion.
A number of clanspeople approached, having expected to see Oro finally be mated. "What happened?" One woman asked. "Groc is defeated by his mate?"
"Oro is strong." Said a man with a shrug.
Rahn managed to stand to her feet and glare at the crowd with murder in her eyes. "Oro is not Groc's mate."
"Oro is Groc's mate." An elder's voice stated. The Shaman elder, guessing that there would be trouble with the blessing made with regards to Oro, shifted through the back of the crowd from which he was previously standing. "Or, like Groc said, Oro will be removed from the Clan."
"No." Rahn bit back stubbornly. She was running out of options, and a feel of desperation overran her usual reservation. "As a Marked Hunter, Rahn will challenge Groc to take the blessing for Oro."
"Groc will-" The elder stopped as he registered the words that were uttered. "What?"
"Rahn will challenge Groc for Oro."
Murmurs went through the crowd as the elder narrowed his eyes. "Rahn cannot. The spirits will not allow it."
"They will. They already have. The spirits allowed Rahn to mate Atma." There was a near-collective gasp which Rahn ignored. "Why not Rahn and Oro?"
"No Rahn." The elder said, his voice grave and sad. "The spirits took Atma precisely because they cannot allow it. We cannot allow it. I see now why Rahn chose to destroy Tet when he's done nothing but show devotion to her. Rahn. You are an abomination. You've killed Atma, destroyed Tet's spirit, and now you prey after sweet Oro. The spirits will not accept this. The spirits will not accept you. The clan will not accept Rahn's filth."
Rahn felt a sinking feeling in her guts as she espied the many faces of disgust voicing their agreement to the Shaman's judgment. Words of scorn stabbed at her spirit, and her eyes glazed over as her vision lost its focus. She couldn't bear to see them.. those faces. Some were people she'd known all her life. That the words of scathing revulsion were being uttered from those familiar voices crushed her. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to scream. This couldn't be happening. Ever since Groc had claimed Oro to be his mate, everything had fallen apart. How could her world be so completely shattered in so little time? Only a few short moments ago, she was telling stories with Oro, entrancing the children and making jests at the impossibly perfect woman.
That's right. There was still Oro. What was Oro doing?
Rahn looked up at Oro who was staring right back at her. She shivered with delight. Even if everyone else rejected them from the clan, she and Oro could brave the loneliness together. They were both capable huntresses. Her eyes regained their focus to the most horrendous sight she could possibly imagine.
Oro was glaring at her like the others. "You are disgusting." She said in a tone Rahn had never heard before.
Her eyes widened in disbelief at what she knew couldn't have been what came out of her love's mouth. "W-What?"
"You are an abomination." Oro continued in her sweet voice, every word sending shocks of cold fear down Rahn's spine. "Even if Rahn had beaten Groc, what makes Rahn think Oro would accept her?" The woman sneered. "You disgust me."
Rahn spluttered as she failed to process Oro's unexpected rejection. She sunk to her knees as Oro's words shot through her, crushed her and destroyed her spirit. Ignoring the sounds of jeering from the surrounding crowd of clanspeople, she looked up, hoping beyond hope that her eyes and ears and simply been lying to her about Oro. Oro couldn't possibly have said those words. Oro was kind. "Oro?" she whimpered desperately.
Oro smiled, and slowly walked up to her. Rahn gave a short, hopeful cut of breath. And then Oro shoved her to the floor with a kick of her feet, voice full of loathing. "Filth." The woman glared down at her. Rahn gulped as her heart shattered. Oro wouldn't do this to her. Oro was kind.
The huntress choked, a throat wrenching sob followed immediately by streams of tears down the side of her face. There was a certain clarity to the world that she'd never experienced before, and it hurt more than anything, more than her father had hurt her all those years ago.. more than Atma's passing to the Spirit world. Her clan was denying her. By the way they were speaking, it was clear that any worth she'd had was now gone. Her repute as a hunter and as a longstanding member of the clan had been replaced by disgust and loathing. Oro's denial had been the heaviest blow of all. She couldn't stand it. It hurt so much. She wanted to just make it all go away. She wanted to stop hearing her people's voices. She wanted to stop hearing Oro's words echoing in her ears.
The crowd of clanspeople watched the huntress with wonder as she collapsed piteously, wracked with sobs of grief. The sight of one of the clan's most respected members being so completely and utterly ruined was both mesmerizing and terrifying at the same time.
Her rational mind in shambles, Rahn reached for her spear. Distantly she heard a voice calling her name. She wasn't sure. All she could hear was 'filth' and 'abomination', repeating over and over in her head. It had to stop. Holding the spear over her chest, she wondered if the Spirits would be more accepting.
"RAHN!" Tet screamed as he forced his way past the few wide-eyed and indifferent people who stood in front of him. "STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! RAHN!" He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Rahn plunged the spear into her heart just as he reached her side, causing him to scream in anger and frustration. With a cry, he pulled her into his arms as she gasped to breath. She was bleeding everywhere. How could she do this to herself? To him? "Stupid Rahn." He sobbed. "Why?"
Everything was hurting. It hurt so much that she could hardly focus her thoughts. She'd known that Tet loved her. Every detail of Tet's anguish imprinted in her mind, despite her mental condition. If only she could've loved him back. "Rahn is sorry." She gasped sincerely as the blood streamed out of her lips and down the side of her cheeks. "Rahn is sorry."
"Rahn?" Tet's voice quivered as the huntress fell utterly still. "Rahn?" He shook her, as if she were asleep. "Rahn?"
Even as the crowds parted, Tet remained seated with the woman in his arms, calling her name and expecting her to sit up at any moment. She never did.
Rahn was dead.