Chapter Eleven
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So lost was he in his despair, he paid no mind to the sound of running footsteps behind him.
.
Something slammed into Ewar's back, the impact expelling air from his lungs. Had the wolves finally tracked him down? With an all-encompassing dread, he twisted around to face his doom.
All he found was a woman.
She was sprawled on the ground, dazed from her fall. She had dark hair and eyes to match. It was the most interesting pair of eyes he had ever seen. They sparkled with life.
The woman rubbed at her forehead and had not yet attempted to stand. Had the fall hurt her in some way? Concerned, Ewar reached out to help her up.
"Ahhgh!"
Her scream was loud enough to wake the dead. He found it baffling. What was there to scream about? There was nothing around except the two of them.
She began crawling away. A thunderous noise froze her before she could get too far. No wonder the woman had screamed! Ewar was equally horrified. A mammoth was storming in their direction. It had been years since he had last seen one. Their population had taken a severe plunge in the region. This particular specimen was enormous. The tusks alone were double Ewar's height.
He glanced at the woman who still lay defenseless on the ground. The mammoth was male, belligerent, and - judging by its curled trunk - readying itself for attack.
Call it stupidity or bravery, Ewar seized his spear. He had never fought a creature of this size alone. There was little chance he would survive such an encounter on his own. He would have to be smart about this. The only safe option was to scare the animal away.
He lifted his arms above his head to make himself appear larger and more intimidating. "Leave!" he bellowed. "Get out of here!"
The mammoth slid to a stop, eyeing him as though he were merely an insect to squash. Undaunted, Ewar glared back, hopeful the animal wouldn't call his bluff.
With a roar, the mammoth charged forward.
Ewar was ready with his spear. He knew to go for the animal's weakest point first, which were the eyes. Before he could do so, the mammoth's powerful trunk smacked the spear from his grip. Now weaponless, Ewar understood a hard truth.
He would die that day.
Beep, beep... beeep. Beep, beep... beeep.
The bizarre sound stopped the mammoth mid-step. Both man and beast were terribly confused. It grated on the nerves and hurt the ears. What on earth could produce such a horrible racket?
Ewar was struck dumb when he saw the answer. The woman was now upright and fumbling around with something. It looked like a block of stone, but it was startlingly different from the types Ewar was familiar with. Whatever it was, the incessant noise was coming from it. Not only that, this curious stone was evidently under the woman's control. The beeping sound burrowed into the mammoth's thick skull like a worm. There was no defense against such an attack. The woolly beast had no choice but to give up the fight and run for its life.
Once the threat was gone, the woman silenced her magical block of stone. For the first time, Ewar took stock of her fully. Her hair was long and glossy. Her clothes were oddly form-fitting and colorful - unlike the skins and nettle-fiber clothing his people wore. But it was her face which truly arrested him. Her lips were an unnatural shade of red, and her eyelids were a smokey brown. She was truly a sight to behold.
The clues were right there in front of him. The woman was beautiful, performed an extraordinary magical feat, and had appeared in a certain sacred forest. Who else could it be except...
Ewar smiled for the first time in weeks. Damara hadn't forsaken him. She had finally appeared. She even saved his life!
He fell to his knees so that he may worship her. But Damara took a step backwards and said something to him. Something being the key word. Ewar couldn't understand what she said. She spoke in an unfamiliar tongue.
The Great Spirits had their own language!
While he groveled at her feet, Damara motioned impatiently for him to rise from the ground. She was satisfied only when he followed her command. He couldn't comprehend why she refused to be worshipped. Still, he knew better than to disobey. If she wanted to be treated like a normal person instead of the goddess that she was, he would try his best to respect her wishes.
Once again she spoke in her exotic tongue.
"I apologise, my Goddess," he replied. "But I am unfamiliar with the language of the Great Spirits. If you would please speak in the language of Man, I would appreciate it."
Damara only blinked at him. Ewar knew what that meant.
She couldn't understand his language any better than he did hers. How would he fulfill Damara's commands if they were unable to communicate with one another?
As he attempted to think of a solution, she held the magic block of stone underneath his nose for his inspection. One side was lit up, like the moon at night. And inside the stone were small animals frozen in place! Not once did they move.
Ewar was thunderstruck. The magic stone was the second most amazing thing he had ever beheld - right behind the Goddess herself. Damara was a stronger goddess than he gave her credit for. She held more power in just one hand than all the spirits who controlled the weather combined!
That being said, why was she hyperventilating?
Her odd reaction snapped Ewar out of his bemused state. He swept up her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, hoping she would find comfort against whatever was bothering her.
Instead, Damara winced.
He turned over her hand and frowned. "You're hurt."
Since his uncle was a healer as well as leader, Ewar knew how to treat the small cut on her palm. The mullein leaf in his belt pouch would stop the bleeding and keep her wound clean. Damara looked at her bandaged hand, then at Ewar. Her softened gaze told him she was thankful for his assistance.
He followed her eyes towards the setting sun. It was getting late, and Damara was already shivering.
"Come," he said to her. "My fire will keep us warm."
Damara shrugged in ignorance of his generous offer. He waved his hand, gesturing for her to follow him. This she appeared to understand. Wide-eyed, she began babbling again and creeping further away. It was almost as if...
Could it be? Was she afraid of HIM?
Before he could come to terms with the revelation, an ominous howl startled them both. Damara seemed to forget who exactly she was scared of. She rushed back to Ewar's side, looking half ready to jump into his arms. Her babbling grew louder and more panicked. It would surely draw the hungry beast's attention. Ewar was forced to cover her mouth with his hand. A second howl came immediately afterward.
"Wolves," he breathed.
A lone wolf he could handle, but a pack was a different story. They were almost fearless when working together. He wasn't convinced Damara's magic stone could frighten them away. Ewar found his spear - miraculously unbroken after the confrontation with the mammoth - and again urged Damara to leave with him.
"Come," he pled. "Hurry!"
She seemed torn on what to do. To his immense relief, she decided to leave with him.
They arrived unharmed at his camp site before dark. Ewar built a large fire which soon put color back into Damara's cheeks. He stressed over how best to cater to her needs. Belatedly, he noticed how disheveled he must appear. He had recently made it a habit to coat dirt over his skin before venturing into the forest. It was an effective way to hide his scent from predators. It worked well for the purpose - but it would no longer be appropriate now that the Goddess was here. He had to show her the respect she was due. He had to get clean!
He set up a skin of water over the fire. While it warmed, the rabbit he had caught in one of his rope snares was cooked on the hot coals. Damara was given the best piece, yet she merely stared at the edible offering with knitted brow.
That's odd. Does she not know what to do with it?
He thought back on what he had heard about the Great Spirits. They were known to dwell in a magical land where suffering and death was unknown. Perhaps hunger was unheard of as well. But life was different here on earth. Damara must have forgotten that food must be consumed in order to survive. He suspected she had never eaten before.
It was a good thing he was there to show her how!
"Eat," he said gently while gesturing for her to put the food into her mouth.
After more urging on his part, she hesitantly gave the rabbit leg a nibble. Her bites got progressively larger and more enthusiastic as time went on. She must have liked the taste too. It wasn't long before she had devoured every morsel. She even licked the remaining juices off her bottom lip.
Not once did Ewar look away.
With their stomachs full, it was time to move on to other things. He offered her the use of the warm water first, which she gladly accepted. She washed her hands and then her face. Ewar was momentarily stunned when the color of her lips faded to a normal pink. Had that red color only been painted on? Her eyelashes seemed slightly less noticeable as well. Although she was still beautiful, she was different from how she appeared before. She looked almost like an ordinary woman.
She smiled at him when she was finished washing up. But as soon as he went to clean himself, that smile of hers dissolved into a grimace. He couldn't think of a reason why. All he did was remove his clothes so he could wash his body.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
She was currently staring stubbornly up at the stars. No matter what he said or how much he waved his arms around, she refused to look in his direction.
What a strange goddess. Was there something wrong with her?
He did a quick scrubbing of himself and slipped on a tunic to fend off the chill. Upon returning to check on her, he noticed she was leery of him again. He hid his disappointment and crouched down to her level. He had to somehow let Damara know that he was her faithful servant - not a threat. But the way the fire light played against her hair was distracting. He found himself mesmerized by the sight.
His fingers sunk into her hair before he was even aware of doing so. It was soft, like dandelion fluff. He lifted the fine strands and received a further shock.
Her hair smelled like spring!
"Flower," he breathed out.
She pulled away from him. Her widening eyes reminded him of a young doe being hunted. Frightening the Goddess was inexcusable. He sought to put her mind at ease.
"Damara," he said while stroking the side of her face.
"Damara?"
The inflection of her voice seemed more confused than afraid. This troubled him. It was worse than he had first thought. Not only had she forgotten how to eat, she had also forgotten her own name.
He showed her the goddess pendant hanging around his neck. "Damara," he repeated. She studied his creation in undisguised admiration. It filled him with pride. "Ewar," he proclaimed while pointing at himself. She repeated his name with no trouble. He then placed a hand above her heart and looked deeply into her questioning eyes. "Damara," he reminded her.
She shook her head, and after a bit of back and forth, she offered an alternate name. "Bella."
He was stumped once again. Why would the Goddess not want to be known by Damara? After careful consideration, he came to the only logical conclusion - Damara was only a title, like leader would be to a tribe. Bella was her true name.
What an honor. She revealed it to him before anyone else!
It was with a light heart he offered her the exclusive use of his tent for the night. The next morning, he was up early in preparation for going home. He hoped the Goddess would accompany him. There was still much he wanted to learn from her. And surely his tribe would want to meet her too. But he had an additional reason he didn't want to part with her, one that he would keep to himself.
He genuinely liked having her around.
She was refreshingly unpredictable. Her reactions to ordinary, every day things was often as amusing as they were baffling. He never knew what she would do next!
It was to his great delight when she agreed to travel with him. It would be inexcusable for the Goddess to walk all the way to the gorge, so he insisted she ride on the drag sled. The drag sled's origins were both wondrous and mystical. The Great Spirits taught the Wise Man, Mayant-hattatar, how to build the very first one. He, in return, spread the knowledge to all the tribes in the region. The Wise Man called it a travois, but it became known as the huettiezzi instead. No matter what it went by, it eased the heavy burdens people had to carry.
That's not to say traveling long distances was easy. Far from it. It was extremely dangerous. Predators on both four legs and two were a potential problem. And with a Goddess in tow, Ewar was especially paranoid. Not all tribes were of the friendly sort.
He relaxed only when they crossed onto his own people's territory. The Tupi cen - or Bat people - were a peaceful tribe. However, they were also considered unusually powerful. While most tribes of the age followed the herds of grazing animals and lived in tents, Ewar's people had discovered something life changing a few generations earlier. They found that living in the gorge and building permanent housing was preferable to a wandering lifestyle. The gorge provided safety from most predators and protected its inhabitants from the worst of the winter winds. And with an abundant forest surrounding them as well as having the grassland within easy walking distance, food was almost always accessible - at least for those willing to search for it.
Ewar and Bella reached a familiar landmark within the gorge. It was the spot where a lookout was usually posted. Ewar whistled the tribe's "All is Well" signal. A blink of an eye later, a man came out of hiding.
"I can't believe it," said Jas. "You're back!"
"Yes I am. It's good to know your eyes still work."
Jas snorted. "And I see you're just as delightful as ever. So, what took you so long? Winter's almost here. Your family has been worried sick."
Ewar glanced at Bella, who was standing off to the side. "I had to wait for something before I could go home."
Jas followed Ewar's line of sight and startled when he noticed the unknown woman. "Who's that?"
Ewar couldn't keep from smiling. "You'll find out soon. Come on."
The two men started walking. Bella followed quietly behind them. The village was just around the corner and down a short trail, but Jas still managed to fit in more questions.
"What's going on? You were supposed to go to Damara's forest."
"I did."
"Then where did you find the girl?"
"The forest."
Jas lifted his eyebrows. "You found a woman in that awful place? And here I thought you were the only person crazy enough to ever go in there."
Ewar answered Jas with a scowl.
The village was exactly as he left it. Word of his arrival traveled fast. Everyone dropped what they were doing so they could come and gape.
Ewar was alive!
A few offered friendly greetings behind their shocked facial expressions. Naturally, his family was the most animated upon seeing him walk into the village.
Alie captured him in a hug. "I knew you'd get back before winter!" she chirped. "We missed you so much."
"You did?" answered Ewar in faux surprise. "You even missed me doing this?" He then ruffled up her hair in the annoying way only a big brother can accomplish.
"Stop it!" she whisper-yelled. "Jas is watching."
"I know. That's why I did it."
Ehmay bypassed a pouting Alie to welcome Ewar home. She held his face and smiled through watery eyes. "It's been too long. I feared we had lost you."
"I promised I would come back," he reminded her.
"You did, and I'm so happy you followed through." Ehmay laughed lightly while tugging at his thick beard. "Is that really my Ewar underneath all that hair?"
He self-consciously rubbed his jaw. "It looks bad, huh?"
Arl chuckled. "I don't think your aunt cares what you look like. She's just glad you're home!" His gaze wandered where almost everyone else had already been staring. "Who is she?"
Ewar glanced at the Goddess. The intense curiosity surrounding their arrival had affected her in a less than positive way. She looked ready to run out of the village screaming. He moved to her side as a reminder she was not alone.
"I have an important announcement to make," he said loud enough for all to hear. "As some of you know, Damara commanded that I travel to her forest. I did as she ordered and was eventually rewarded for my troubles." He smiled at the woman next to him. "Everyone, this is Bella - also known as Damara."
A collective gasp echoed through the gorge. Arl was the first to recover.
"Is... is this a joke, Ewar?"
"No! It's the truth."
He went on to describe how he met the Goddess. The story of their encounter with the mammoth earned a few more gasps. But for the most part, he was met with disbelief.
"She doesn't look much like a goddess to me," said Essa to her younger sister, Len.
"A magic stone?" scoffed Ichel. "What an imagination. Ewar must have gotten into Old Man Bannar's fermented drink!"
A majority of the villagers erupted in mocking laughter.
Ewar was taken aback. To be met with such derision. And from people he had known all his life! He turned pleading eyes to the woman standing next to him. "Please, my Goddess. Prove to them I am telling the truth."
He was relieved when Bella seemed to understand what was needed. She held up the magic stone to her lips and took a drink from it! Every man, woman, and child had an abrupt change of heart. In an attempt to make up for their previously blasphemous comments, some even dropped to their knees right then and there.
Arl clapped his hands enthusiastically. "Wonderful, wonderful! You truly are a most powerful goddess, Damara."
"She prefers to be called Bella," corrected Ewar.
"Oh, yes." Arl regained his confidence when Ewar introduced him to the Goddess herself. He smiled broadly. "We are honored that you have come to our humble village, Bella. We will serve you in whatever ways you may desire. Please, make yourself at home."
"She doesn't understand what you're saying, Arl. Her language is different from ours."
"That's too bad... But no matter! We will find a way to make her as comfortable as possible." Arl looked to the side. "Ehmay, Alie! Come and meet Damara... I mean, Bella."
Ehmay was strangely silent when Ewar introduced her to Bella. Alie, however, was effervescent as ever. She spoke in a stream of consciousness style.
"She's so pretty!" Alie exclaimed as she bounced on her toes. "How is her hair cut so perfectly even? And her clothes! They're the most gorgeous things I've ever seen. Her tunic feels so smooth, like a flower petal." Alie sucked in a breath. "And her earlobes have stars in them. Look how they shine!"
Bella smiled and said a string of words in her peculiar tongue. Alie didn't seem to care that the meaning of those words were unknown. She interpreted the Goddess's smile as encouragement. Without another thought, Alie grabbed Bella's arm and began leading her towards the family hut. Who knows what the girl was up to now.
"Alie," called out Ewar. "Bring Bella back!"
She waved away his demand without stopping. "Learn to share, Ewar."
His face flushed red. Had Alie seen his infatuation with the Goddess already? No, it wasn't possible...
"Well," said Arl. "The Goddess will certainly make things more interesting around here. How long does she plan on staying?"
Ewar frowned. He hadn't thought that far ahead yet. The Goddess couldn't stay in the village forever. She had more important things to do. Ewar understood, but that didn't mean he had to like it.
"I'm not sure," he eventually answered.
Arl slapped him on the back. "That's fine. We'll just have to make the best of what time we do have! Isn't that right, Ehmay?"
His aunt seemed hesitant to answer at first. She hummed and gradually nodded her head. This was unlike her. Ehmay was usually more talkative.
Ewar leveled at her a piercing stare. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She resurrected her previous smile and playfully pushed him in the direction of his hut. "Why don't you go shave while I start on supper? There's so much hair on your face, you look like you're about to go into hibernation!"
"Are you implying that I look like a bear?"
"Yes. Now go!"
He was grateful to find his hut had been carefully maintained by his family while he was away. It had been his home for several years. When he became of age, he moved out of his aunt and uncle's hut and into the one his long-dead parents once owned.
His beard had grown so long and thick, Arl had to help trim it before anything else could be done. It was a slow process using a razor sharp rock to shear off the hair. Ewar thanked his uncle and said he would do the actual shaving on his own. Arl playfully wished him luck before making an exit.
Ewar sharpened his stone knife before putting the dangerous edge against his stubbled jaw. His movements were slow and steady as the scruffy hairs were cut. It felt good to be free from the beard. He was busy cleaning up the mess left behind when he heard a voice from outside his closed doorway.
"Ewar, I need to speak with you."
He recognized the voice but hid his surprise well. "You may enter."
Oza walked inside. She was heavy with child - her third since she married Mett. Ewar looked at his ex spouse apathetically. Although they lived in a small community, they rarely spoke beyond the bare niceties. "Hello, how are you" was usually the extent of their conversations. They both preferred it that way. He because of the awkwardness; she because of the guilt.
"How could you do this to me?" she cried.
Ewar raised his eyebrows. "I just got back today, Oza. I haven't had time to do anything to anyone."
"You know what you did. I can't believe you brought the Goddess here!"
Ewar held his temper in check, but just barely. "What does Bella have to do with you?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
"You sound insane. Why don't you go talk to Mett. He'll help calm you down."
Her glare turned murderous. "The only insane person is you. Whatever deal you made with her needs to end right now."
Ewar sighed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't lie! Why else would you summon the Goddess? You just had to have your revenge on me, didn't you? Well, I won't stand for it. It's not my fault those rumors about you won't go away. I told the truth for you, but no one wanted to believe me!" Suddenly, tears sprang to her eyes. "What does the Goddess plan to do? Kill me? Take away my children? Please, just tell me!"
Ewar clenched his fist but kept his voice level. "Bella isn't like that. She wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Then what's she doing here?"
He opened his mouth but quickly snapped it shut. Why did the Goddess follow him back to the village? He had no clue. But inside his heart he knew Bella wasn't there to seek revenge.
"All I can say is that I asked for her help, Oza, so she came. It has nothing to do with you. She's the Goddess of Fertility - not some monster!"
She stood silently for a short period, just waiting to see if her unflinching gaze would force a confession out of him. When nothing further was revealed, she gave a curt nod. "All right, I believe you. But until we find out exactly why she's here, you make sure you keep her far away from my family, Ewar. Understand?"
"That won't be a problem. Now, would you please leave? My family is expecting me for supper and I have to finish getting ready."
She left without another word. He grumbled to himself. He just got back home and already the drama had begun. He half wondered if he and the Goddess would be better off returning to her sacred forest. At least there the only disagreeable creatures he had to deal with were the wolves.
He found Bella in Ehmay's hut, sitting by the central hearth. His pulse quickened. Her hair had been styled into his tribe's traditional braids. Alie had been very busy, apparently.
Bella had a similarly startled reaction upon seeing a beardless Ewar. She touched his smooth chin (which he enjoyed very much) and looked so surprised by his new appearance, she couldn't stop making the most amusing expressions. He chuckled, feeling lighter than he had in years.
Supper was of the usual fare. Grain meticulously gathered from the grassland was pounded and cooked into porridge. Meat which had been smoke cured was the main course. Ewar ate heartily. He had missed his aunt's cooking.
Bella had a different reaction to the meal. As everyone else sipped the porridge contentedly from wooden bowls, she seemed lost. It took her awhile before she figured out how to put the bowl to her lips.
Ehmay kept up an appearance of a smile, but her words were anything but happy. "Ewar, what on earth is wrong with the Goddess?"
"Don't mind her. She's new to eating."
"Why wouldn't a goddess know how to do something as simple as eating?"
"She can't help it. Where she's from they don't need to eat, so she never learned."
"Where did you hear that?"
"It's just a guess," he admitted reluctantly. "But don't worry. She's getting better every day."
"That's... odd," said Ehmay with a slight frown.
"Well, I like her," interrupted Alie. "I don't care if she knows how to eat or not. We're going to be friends, you know."
Ewar eyed her skeptically. "You only like Bella because she can't complain about you playing with her hair."
Alie smiled back. "I didn't 'play' with her hair for my benefit." She leaned over to whisper privately into his ear. "I fixed up her hair for you! And I didn't even need to ask if you liked it. Your face said it all!"
"Alie..." he growled in warning.
She laughed. "It's good to have you back, Ewar. We missed you."
Arl nodded along. "Every single day someone would ask when you were coming home. By the way, the entire village wants to meet the Goddess after supper. Do you think she would allow it?"
Ewar mulled over the question. "I suppose we could at least see how it goes. But remember - Bella doesn't want to be worshipped, so no wallowing on the ground. Treat her with respect and she will be satisfied."
Arl expressed his surprise but readily agreed.
The villagers were ready and waiting. Bella took a seat in the village center with Alie as her companion. Although Alie was being somewhat annoying this evening, Ewar was privately pleased. She and Bella had bonded quickly. There was a disturbing lack of young women in the village for Alie to befriend. Essa and Len had always sneered at Alie's upbeat attitude, so she kept far away from them. And after Ewar and Oza's marriage ended, Alie distanced herself from his ex out of loyalty to him. She deserved some female companionship.
Arl spoke up and did an admirable job in explaining the rules of meeting the Goddess. The villagers filed by and were properly introduced. The Goddess gave them all patient smiles and repeated each of their names. All went well until it was Oza's family's turn. While they were all visibly excited at meeting Bella, Oza looked as though she was being forced at knifepoint. And when her children wandered too close to Bella, their overly protective mother jerked them back to her side - to the utter embarrassment of her husband. Mett apologized and quickly ushered his family away.
Ichel made the already tense situation even worse. He was the last person to meet the Goddess. His typical self-important swagger was reduced to a glazed over befuddlement. Arl was required to nudge him forward to snap him out of it. Ewar found it funny... until the fool dropped to the ground and started worshipping Bella. Her grimace said what her words could never convey.
In a rage, Ewar forced Ichel back to his feet. "Are you touched in the head? Arl told you not to worship her."
"It's a dumb rule. What else are you supposed to do when there's a goddess in front of you?"
"You could show her your respect in another way - you just didn't want to bother trying," Ewar fired back. "Bella didn't like what you were doing."
Ichel snorted. "Why should I listen to you? From what I've heard, you don't know anything about women, let alone what a goddess would like or dislike. Maybe fertility isn't your only problem." He gave a meaningful glance towards the bulge in Ewar's loin cloth. "Maybe you don't have enough of what it takes to keep a wife happy either."
Ewar's hands itched to punch Ichel's sneering face. But before anything physical could ensue, Jas intervened. "I don't think the Goddess would want the two of you fistfighting on her account," he said calmly. "Let's not spoil her first evening here... All right?"
Ewar glanced at Bella. Her worried eyes were the only reason why he relaxed his fisted hands.
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It was morning. Life in the tiny village reverted back to its typical peaceful existence. With Ewar home and available to work, he had a few requests to fill. Nothing too demanding. Jas broke his spear tip during his last hunt. Since they were good friends, Ewar agreed to make a new one.
He had just gotten started when he happened to notice that Bella was awake. A thrill shot through his body. She had seen him and was coming over! Unfortunately, she took approximately five steps and something went wrong. If it hadn't been for Mett swooping in to save her, she would have landed in the dirt.
Ewar frowned.
In the handful of days he had known her, he had noticed she occasionally seemed unsteady on her feet. He always found an excuse to explain it away. But there were no tree roots or slippery rocks where she currently stood. It appeared she tripped over nothing except the air itself.
Shouldn't a goddess with her almighty powers be able to walk without falling flat on her face?
His suspicions were put on hold after she finally sat down across from him. Bella watched him work with a flattering amount of interest. It was obvious she was unfamiliar with the art of tool making. He couldn't help but wonder if she would like to learn the craft herself. It was a generous offer - though, he did have an ulterior motive. Teaching her the trade would make for a decent excuse as to why he watches her so frequently.
She was given tools and a block of stone of her own. Patiently, he showed her the steps of flint knapping. The lesson didn't turn out as he had expected. She had neither the physical strength nor the skill to split the rock. Her eyes flashed and her lips smashed together in almost child-like frustration. It was altogether too funny. He couldn't stop from laughing.
Bella glared at him. As their gazes locked, her eyes morphed into a dazed stupor. Her hammering stone was on course to smashing her other hand! He just barely caught her by the wrist before she could inflict damage to herself.
To keep her out of trouble, he rounded up all the tools she had borrowed. This seemed to jolt her back to life. She lifted her chin and stared him down defiantly. He stared right back, completely unmoved. What did she expect him to do? Let her keep the tools, giving her another chance to hurt herself?
"My turn, Ewar!" piped in Alie in the middle of the standoff.
He looked up at Alie in a state of semi-panic. "No. We're working!" he insisted.
"Working?" She giggled. "I could have sworn it was more like you were gazing lovingly into her big brown eyes!"
He glanced at Bella. Thankfully she looked as mystified as ever by their conversation. He heaved a sigh. "Fine. Go have fun with her, Alie. But watch out for her today. She isn't used to how things are around here."
"No need to worry. We're only going to the stream."
Most of the women - including the three most important ones currently in Ewar's life - left the village. They stayed gone for hours. He found himself unusually restless even with a full workload weighing him down. The feeling resolved itself only when the women returned. One look at Bella told him that something unpleasant had occurred. She shuffled inside his family's hut without so much as a glance in his direction.
He pulled Ehmay aside. "What happened?"
"How did you..."
"I have eyes, Ehmay. Just tell me!"
His aunt kept her voice low. "Essa made Bella fall."
"What! Is she hurt?"
"No, it was only a scrape."
His pulse thundered in his ears. "Why would Essa do such a thing?"
"Can you not guess, Ewar?"
He nodded begrudgingly. Essa had always been catty towards other women she disliked - which included almost every female in the tribe except her younger sister. She also craved being the center of attention. Then, just the day before, a legendary goddess took everyone's eyes away from her. Even Ichel, the man Essa favored, had given Bella his undivided attention. It was natural for her to be jealous, but Ewar had little sympathy.
"I'll have to go remind Essa we treat guests here with respect," he gritted through his teeth.
"That won't be necessary. I don't believe Essa will pull any more stunts on her."
Ehmay briefly filled Ewar in with the details. All Bella had to do was glare a little and Essa quickly changed her tune. Ewar smiled at how effectively Bella stood up for herself. "She's amazing, isn't she?"
Ehmay pursed her lips, seemingly hesitant on how to answer. "She's..."
"What?"
Ehmay checked to ensure no one was around to eavesdrop before answering. "There's something very strange about her," she replied reluctantly. "I don't know how to explain it... Goddess she may be, but I'm not confident of her loyalty towards us. We should be cautious when we deal with her."
His blood boiled. "You're talking just like Oza! Bella being a little different from us doesn't make her a threat. Don't forget, Ehmay - she saved my life. I wouldn't be standing here if she hadn't intervened."
"Yes, and I will be forever grateful for what she did for you. But you have to admit she isn't anything like what we imagined the Goddess of Fertility would be. She's ignorant in so many areas! This morning Alie and I watched her make a mess with the nettle threads we gave her. She doesn't know how to make cloth!"
"I don't know how to make it either."
"That's different. You're a man and that's a woman's job. You were never taught the skill."
He nodded along. "Exactly. And Bella has her own set of skills. She knows how to use her magic stone - something none of us could do. So, why would she bother to do something as ordinary as making cloth when she has magic at her fingertips!"
Ehmay narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "You defend her admirably well. Is there anything you would like to tell me?"
He avoided her probing gaze. "I don't know what you mean."
Ehmay went on staring at him for an uncomfortable length of time. Her gaze gradually softened. "I've seen the way you look at her, Ewar. You must know there's no future there."
His face fell. "I do. She's a goddess, and I am only a man."
A temporary silence ensued. Ehmay broke it with a whisper-quiet sigh. "Has Bella given any hints on why she chose to appear for you?"
"None."
She tapped his drooping chin upward with her finger. "Don't let that get you down. If Bella is even half as wonderful as our stories have made her out to be, she probably already has a special reward planned just for you." She brought out a winning smile. "The Goddess may even know who your future wife will be. Isn't that exciting?"
He had nothing positive to say in response, so he wisely kept silent.
Ewar was in a sour mood for the remainder of the afternoon. He retreated inside his home and brooded. What Ehmay had said about Bella irritated him. And even worse, she had a point. Bella was a mysterious creature. She acted in ways that boggled his mind. But did that really matter? He may not have any means to communicate with her, but he could see what was inside her heart. She was kind, curious, and full of life. All were qualities he admired.
Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he could not ignore a few nagging questions.
Why did Bella look so different from the Goddess pendant dangling from his neck?
It was something he had pushed from his mind from the very start. The Goddess of Fertility had always been portrayed as an expectant mother. Bella, however, had a slimmer figure. Her belly was flat and her breasts were smaller. They were both beautiful, but in very different ways.
And, why did Bella have so much trouble staying upright? He had never seen someone trip and slide over nothing at her level of frequency. Surely a goddess had better coordination than a newborn fawn.
A startling thought assailed him. All of the Great Spirits were said to be nearly invincible. But when she heard the wolf's howl the day they first met, she showed great fear. Would a mere wolf really be a threat to an immortal being?
Ewar paced inside his hut - back and forth relentlessly - in search of the truth. After much consideration, he skid to a stop.
Of course! Why hadn't he seen it sooner? She had never wanted to be called Damara. She insisted she was Bella. And did she behave anything like the Goddess of Fertility? No! She hated being worshiped and showed little interest in anything related to the role. He shook his head at how blind he had been. He had misinterpreted everything.
Bella was no goddess. She was a woman of the non-deity variety.
Now that the threads were before him, he continued trying to unravel the mystery that was Bella. His theory explained some things. Others remained stubbornly unanswerable.
Why had Bella been in Damara's forest that day?
He found her alone, weaponless, and without food or water. It was as if she was dropped there completely unprepared. Had she been expelled from a tribe and left behind intentionally? It was possible, but he felt it wasn't the right answer.
His thoughts swerved to a different direction. Bella was an ordinary woman who wasn't ordinary in the slightest. Her possessions, such as her clothes and shoes, suggested she came from a far away land. And her magic stone held unimaginable powers. How had she gained ownership of it? It was undoubtedly a gift from the Great Spirits...
And there lay his answer.
His mind became a whirlwind. It all made sense now. Why Bella was in the forest that day. Why she appeared directly after Ewar appealed for divine help.
Damara had heard his plea and sent Bella to him. She was his reward, a second chance at having a mate!
All that was left now was for him to prove to her that he was worthy.
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A/N -
I was insane when I initially believed Ewar's pov would fit into only one chapter. Or even two. So, yeah. It's going to spill into a part three. You'll get a hint of what ol' Snake-Eyes has planned, and you will soon read of the many other headaches Ewar had to deal with just because he got himself a weird new wife!
I forgot to warn you. You will want to strangle Bella and Ewar at various times during this story. (Yes, you heard me right. Even Ewar!) They will experience what is called "a slow, slow burn". People who review can roast the writer over the coals.
Thanks for reading. :-)