Clancreb
Chapter 9: Sling
With all the matings, almost the whole Clan began their time in their new cave in new mating isolation. The sole exception of Creb's hearth which had some new members, but no new mating. His sibling Iza had joined his mate Aba and her son: Cray. In addition to the baby Iza carried within her, she had also adopted two orphans: Oga, who in Creb's previous life had been mated to Broud and Ayla. Zoug was considered too old to have his own hearth so he stayed at Creb's hearth too.
The Clan did not have enough food stored up in their new cave. So while the other men were in isolation Creb had to do all the hunting of large animals. But he had to limit the numbers he took down in a hunt with his sling because, Aba and Iza were the only women to do the butchering. Though Oga and Ayla were a big help in this. In addtion, Zoug was able to bring in small game with his sling. The resposibility of feeding the whole Clan reinvigorated the two men and gave them Needs more often, which Iza Relieved for Zoug.
Ayla spent this time building up her stores of potion ingredients and brewing potions when she wasn't needed for other women's tasks. The period of isolation was nearly over when Ayla asked Zoug:
"Could you make this girl a sling?" Signed Ayla.
"You are a girl!" Replied Zoug. "Why would a girl want a sling?"
"If this girl had a sling of her own, she could help you hunt small game," offered Ayla.
"Girls can not hunt! It's not Clan!" Signed Zoug.
Later, Zoug signed this conversation with Creb The Mog-Ur.
"That girl of the Others signed the funniest thing," signed Zoug. "She asked me to make her a sling!"
"That is not so unusual for the Others," replied Creb. "Remember, Vara was offered the opportunity to learn the sling. The only reason she is not a Woman-who-hunts is because she chose not to be. Go ahead and make her a sling. When Brun and the other men come out of isolation we will discuss whether she should be allowed to use a sling."
When the men's period of isolation ended, Brun gathered them all together for a meeting.
"This Leader wishes to thank The Mog-Ur for providing the rest of the Clan with meat during our time of isolation in the new Cave," signed Brun.
"Zoug helped too," waved Creb. "Which reminds me: The girl, Ayla, has asked Zoug to make her a sling."
"Women do not hunt! It's not Clan!" Signed Zab.
"This is not the first time time we have discussed this," replied Creb. "Vara was given the opportunity to learn the sling."
"And she quit after one lesson!" Replied Grod. "It will be the same with the girl, Ayla."
"This man has already made her a sling, signed Zoug. "It will not hurt anything to give it to her. When she gives up, we can burn the sling."
"She needs to learn the ways of the Clan," replied Droog. "The sling is the hardest weapon to learn. Once she sees how difficult it is, she will change her mind about hunting."
"And if she does not, if she learns to use a sling, we will have another hunter for the Clan," added Zeen.
"Even if she never hunts, if she knew how to use a sling, she could help defend the women when they were out gathering," offered Broud.
"This man thinks this will be too dangerous," signed Droov. "What if she acts like a man in other ways? Tries to have her own hearth? Asked women to Relieve her Needs? No! It's just too dangerous!"
"If she touches a sling she should be put to death!" Waved Dorv.
"She will give it up the first time she faces danger," signed Crug.
"This Leader has decided, signed Brun. "The Clan needs to have another hunt. If the hunt is successful, the girl, Ayla will be allowed to be trained with a sling. After she gives up on the sling, it will be burned."
The next hunt was very successful. The men ran down and killed a bison while Creb used his sling to kill another. (Just to make certain that the hunt would be a success) The next day after the women finished butchering and drying the meat, Ayla was taken to a place where Zoug had set up two target posts for teaching her the Sling. He carefully explained to her how to use a sling and demonstrated for her. His stone hit the post squarely.
"Now you try, signed Zoug, as Creb watched, with amusement.
Ayla picked up a pair of stones and prepared to sling them. But before she did so, she closed her eyes, grabbed her totem bag and silently prayed for her totem to aid her. Once she opened her eyes, she took the shot.
THWAP! THWAP!
Ayla hit the post with both stones in rapid succession. Zoug coundn't believe his own eyes!
"Do that again," signed Zoug.
Grabbing two more stones, Ayla loaded one, spun it around and just after releasing, loaded the other one and slung it too.
THWAP! THWAP!
Both stones hit the post.
"How did you do that!?" Signed Zoug.
"This girl loads the second stone on the downswing," replied Ayla. "This allows her to sling two stones quickly."
"Brun needs to see this!" Signed Zoug, before running off in search of the Leader.
"You appear to have impressed him," signed Creb.
"This girl noticed that you have a sling, signed Ayla. "How to you use it with one arm?"
"This man holds the ends in his teeth to load the stone," replied Creb. "This man has even learned to do something similar to your two stone trick, only with one stone."
"Can you show this girl?" Asked Ayla.
Creb nodded before grabbing the ends of the sling in his teeth and loading a stone. He swung it around in a circle and released before using magic to cause the stone to hit one post, then the other.
"That was amazing!" Waved Ayla. "How did you do that?"
"This Weez-Ur used magic to direct the stone to hit more than one target," explained Creb. "This Weez-Ur has been able to teach many of the men of the Clan to do the same. Since you are a weech you could learn to do the same thing. This Weez-Ur has also learned to do another thing with magic."
After reloading his sling, Creb spun his sling around and released.
CRACK!
The stone shattered the top of the post as it passed through it. Ayla forgot herself and openly gaped at the sight.
"With this, this Weez-Ur can hunt large animals and has become a hunter of the Clan," explained Creb. "This Weez-Ur could teach you to do it . . . "
But just then, Zoug returned, with Brun in tow.
"Show Brun that two stone trick of yours," commanded Zoug.
Ayla grabbed a couple more stone, loaded one and spun her sling.
THWAP! THWAP!
Both her stones hit the remaining post. This result surprised Brun so much that she had to repeat this feat several times.
"There is nothing more the man can teach her," signed Zoug.
Brun nodded his agreement.
"This man will teach her how to use magic with a sling," signed Creb.
"She can learn that?" Asked Brun.
"Yes. She is capable of learning the magic of slings and Iza says she is already fully trained in medicine woman magic," confirmed Creb.
"The men will need to have a meeting about this, waved Brun.
CLANCREBCLANCREB
"This leader has called you all together because of the girl, Ayla," began Brun.
"What has that girl done now?!" Waved Zab, angrily.
"It happened when Zoug attempted to teach her the sling," signed Brun.
"The girl is much more skilled than this man, added Zoug.
"She is so skilled that The Mog-Ur believes that he can teach her the sling magic," signed Brun.
"Is this true?" Asked Grod.
Creb nodded his confirmation.
"So she is a weez-ur, like most of us?" Asked Zeen.
"Weech," clarified Creb. "Women with magic are medicine women and weeches. She can do some things that weez-urs can do, like sling magic. But other things are different, just as the magic of mog-urs and medicine women is different."
"If she learns the sling magic, she will be able to bring down large animals just like any other hunter," observed Broud.
"This is why this Mog-Ur would like to perform a special ceremony from the ancientest of time to make her a woman-who-hunts," preposed Creb.
"No! No! No! No!" Yelled Zab, before waving: "This is why Mog-Ur should never have been made a hunter! Using magic with slings is cheating! It is cheating so badly that even a woman can do it! Real men hunt with spears! They don't stand back with the women and cripples and shoot from far away! We get in close and run them down!"
"That is enough, Zab," waved Brun. "If you want to be a part of the men's discussions, you need to learn to sign calmly like a man, not shout like an Other."
"This is the point, is it not?" Signed Dorv. "The girl is Others. We have taken in a girl of the Others into our Clan,"
"Hunting is normal for women of the Others," countered Creb. "The spirits of the Clan will not be angered by a girl of the Others hunting."
"We have already allowed Zeen's mate, Vara the opportunity to learn the sling because she was part Others." Signed Droog. "But she is more Clan than Other and chose not to learn that skill. What if the woman, Vara, had learned to use the sling? Would not she have used that skill to hunt?"
"This is no diffferent than the woman, Vara," signed Crug. "We have already allowed one woman to learn the sling. That she chose not to is besides the point. If one woman can be allowed to do this any woman can be."
"Is this the kind of Clan we are going to be?!" Waved Zab. "A Clan where the women hunt and the men stay in the hearth and Relieve the Needs the women every time they give us The Signal?"
"Even if will allow of the women to hunt, this man believes that most will choose not to," signed Broud. "Our women are good Clan women. The strangeness of the Others will not change that."
"This is what this Leader has decided," signed Brun. "The girl, Ayla will be allowed to use her sling. If she successfully kills an animal with it, The Mog-Ur will make her a woman-who-hunts and can begin teaching her his sling magic. If she successfully bring down a large animal, we will allow her to join the men's hunts. But she will still be expected to do all the work of a girl and later a woman."
When Ayla was told of Bruns decision, she immediately out and hunted down a ptarmigan and it's eggs to cook for Creb. As she walked into the Cave with her kill, everyone in the Clan stared at her. That night, Creb The Mog-Ur performed the ceremony to make her a woman-who-hunts. After that, Creb taught her how to use magic with a sling, which she picked up faster than her.
The next hunt, Ayla was brought along to guard the women with her sling. The men were hunting a wooly rhino. Taking turns running it down, the men thought exausted the rhino. Zab was moving to to finish it off.
"Not yet," signed Brun. "It still has another charge in it."
"Nonsense!" waved Zab. "This animal is spent!"
Having turned to argue with the Leader, Zab didn't see the rhino make one last charge at him until he heard the
CRACK! CRACK!
of Ayla sending two stone at supersonic speeds through the head of the rhino. He had been saved! Not that he appreciated it. All through that night's hunt dance he scowled at her.
After this, Ayla was allowed to go on hunts to guard the women and like Creb, she would use her sling to pick animals off from a distance. After prey had been downed, Ayla and Creb would use their slings to keep preditors away from the meat while the women butchered it.
Brun (19) - Clan, Leader, Creb's sibling, (Bison Totem)
—-Ebra (17) - Clan, daughter of Iga, Mate of Brun the Leader
—Crun (5) - Clan, Ebra's son
—Broka (3) - Clan, Ebra's daughter
—-Uka (11) - Clan, Ebra's sister, daughter of Zoug's mate: Iga, Vorg's widow, Brun's 2nd mate
—Vuka (1) - Clan, Uka's daughter
Grod (15) - Clan, son of Iga (the mate of Zoug), Second Ranked Hunter, (Brown Bear Totem) weez-ur
—Goov (6) - Clan, Iga 2's son (would have been Mog-Ur's acolyte) (Aurouchs Totem)
—Grok (3) - Clan Greda's son, weez-ur
—-Ire (8) - Clan, from another Clan, (Brun's former 2nd Mate) Grod's mate
Creb (22) - Clan, Mog-Ur, Weez-Ur
—-Aba (22) - Clan, Ona's daughter, Creb's mate, (mouse totem)
—Cray (4) - Clan, Aba's son, weez-ur
—-Iza (16) - Clan, Uba's daughter, Creb's Sibling, Medicine Woman, Targ's widow
—Oga (3) - Clan, Dona's daughter (Broud's future mate OTL)
—Ayla (5) - Other, Iza's adopted Daughter, medicine woman, Weech, (Cave Lion totem)
Zoug (28) - Clan, second in command to Brac, the leader before Brun
Droog (17) - Clan, toolmaker,
—-Braca (12) - Clan, Uba's daughter, Creb's sibling, medicine woman, Crab's widow
—Crac (4) - Clan, Braca's son, weez-ur
—Brab (0) - Clan, Braca's son, weez-ur
Zeen (15) - Clan, Aba's son, weez-ur, acolyte
—-Vara (15) - 1/2 Clan, Vasa's daughter
—Veen (3) - 3/4 Clan, Vara's son, weez-ur
—Var (1) - 3/4 Clan, Vara's son, weez-ur
—-Vooga (7) - Clan, Vera's daughter, Zeen's 2nd mate
—-Drora (7) - Clan, Vera's daughter, Zeen's 3rd mate
Broud (11) - Clan, Ebra's son, weez-ur, future leader
—-Aga (9) - Clan, Drona's daughter, Broud's mate, (Droog's future 2nd mate OTL)
—Brac (2) - Clan, Aga's son, weez-ur, future leader after Broud?
—-Droka (7) - Clan, Drona's daughter, Broud's 2nd mate
Droov (9) - Clan, Vera's Son, weez-ur, toolmaker
—-Bona (12) - Clan, Drona's daughter, Vorg's widow
—Ovra (2) - Clan, Drona's daughter (Goov's future mate, childless) (Beever Totem)
Crug (8) - Clan, Braca's son weez-ur
—-Greva (8) - Clan, Brona's daughter, widow of Krug
Dorv (29) - Clan, former Hunt leader
Zab (7) - Clan, Aba's son
—-Breba (Broud) (7) - Clan, Ebra's daughter, Zab's mate