Death on the Trek (10 page)

Vala stumbled and fell into Tog. Tog had to let go of Enga and support Vala so she would not fall. Enga danced off, away from them. Vala had intended to fall against Tog. Could he not see that? Every time she looked, Vala was close to Tog. Enga danced faster, spun and spun and spun until the ground tilted.

* * *

How could Enga Dancing Flower dance so long? Jeek did not understand how this would help the tribe. They needed to get across the river, not to dance until they fell down and could not get up.

Jeek had to sit and rest long before Enga did. Most of the tribe took twice as many breaks as Enga did. It was growing dark and many wanted to quit, but Enga urged them on.

At last Hama stepped in front of Enga.
It is time to rest. We must all rest now.
She thought-spoke to Enga so that everyone could hear, but softly, in the colors of the sky and of pure, shallow water.

After that, they quit dancing, one by one, but Enga was the last to stop.

Jeek slept very well that night, except when some vivid visions came to him. The visions were of the flowing water, and of Jeek sitting on the bank thinking. There was a vision of him leading the tribe across the river. The river of his sleep was narrow and shallow.

When he awoke at first sun, he ran to the river. It was still very wide and flowing swiftly.

As soon as everyone had chewed a piece of Hooden jerky, Enga again started dancing. This time she held the Aja Hama figure high, so everyone could see, and she led most of the tribe in another circular, unending dance. Tog Flint Shaper pulled her out of the dance and thought-spoke with her, but she shook her head and resumed, leaping and twisting even more than the day before.

Tog sent a harsh message to her that everyone could pick up.
You must rest. You must drink and eat. You will lose our baby.

Enga ignored her mate and kept on.

By dark time, the Hamapa were exhausted. Lakala had stopped singing long ago, after her voice grew scratchy and hoarse. Sannum occasionally drummed out a weak beat with two sticks he had picked up that day. The dancing of Enga had turned into a dirt-kicking shuffle. Most of them stood in one place and swayed, heads hanging down and eyes closed.

Now there was grumbling because Panan One Eye had done no dancing. Most thought he should dance also, not stroll around with Tikihoo, resting, going off into the woods, and giving no help with the infant Sooka or with Whim, the small child of Fee Long Thrower and Bahg Swiftfeet.

Some, though, did not think the dancing would do any good. No response from the Spirits had been received. This was the most dancing they had ever done at one time. If the Spirits had not answered by now, there was no use continuing.

Sister Sun continued to burn them with her hot eye and they could almost see the grasses withering around them. Jeek thought the water mocked their dancing with its gurgling and splashing on the rocks in the middle. Mother Sky did not send her breath to stir the leaves or to dry the damp hair of the dancers. If anything, Jeek thought the Spirits might have turned against the Hamapa.

When Enga started dancing again the next day, Jeek had to leave so that his angry thoughts would not betray him.
This is not right. This is not the way to cross the water.
Those thoughts whirled in his head like the dancers whirled in the dirt. He kept them cloaked in the darkest shade he knew, that of Mother Sky when Brother Moon was not there and her cloud garments hid her eyes. Out here, on this trek, there was not even the central fire that had always burned in the Paved Place. He used thoughts of that darkness to help guard his thoughts.

He walked into the woods and stopped, breathing in the coolness of the shade and the lush smell of the growth, trying to calm his mind.

Where are you going?
Gunda had come up behind him.

I do not know exactly. I want to follow the water. You could get your spear. We could look for game.

The others have looked. No one has found any for several suns.

Everyone was so exhausted that Jeek did not know how much effort they had put forth.
We can walk all day while they dance. We can find food.

The eyes of Gunda glowed and she smiled like Sister Sun. She ran back to retrieve her spear and they trotted into the woods, keeping within the sound of the water so they would be able to find their way back.

Jeek felt that his steps were lighter than they had been lately. He stole shy glances at Gunda, smiling when she returned them.

After they had traveled along the river for a bit, Gunda pointed at the dark cloud garments far ahead of them.
If we go too far, we will get wet.

That is very far away. Those clouds are not moving toward us.
Jeek scuffed his foot against the hard, dry ground.
It has not rained here for moons, I think.

By the time Sister Sun was directly overhead, they realized they had not brought anything to eat. They had stopped twice to dip their faces into the river and drink, so they were not thirsty. But Jeek knew that Gunda could hear the sounds his hunger was making inside him.

Gunda halted and put up her hand.
Do those look like berry bushes?

They were! Jeek and Gunda ate their fill, foraging into the forest, then sat and leaned against two tree trunks. Jeek felt drowsy and his vision from his dreams returned, the vision of leading the tribe across the water.

Should we go back to our tribe now?
asked Gunda.

He shook off the lethargy, but the vision persisted.
I want to walk a bit more. I want to look at the water. Then we can tell everyone about the berries.

Gunda followed him through the spruce and poplars toward the bubbling of the river.

Walk with me a little ways more,
Jeek thought-spoke. He wanted to be alone with Gunda longer.

The shore of the river here was crowded by the forest. They stepped carefully along the banks so they would not fall in. Jeek heard a difference in the water ahead. After a short distance they parted the trees and came to an open space beside the stream. The water flow was quite narrow here. Jeek looked back the way they had come. The waterway had been narrowing as they had moved upriver. He could see the banks spreading out and widening behind them.

We could walk across here if it is not too deep
, Gunda thought-spoke in a burst of joy and golden color.

Jeek stepped into the water and took a few steps. It swirled gently around his legs. He made it to the middle before it reached his waist. His joy was so great that he sent out brilliant, radiant pictures of himself in the water. He waded on to the other side.

We must tell the tribe
! Gunda exclaimed.
I will send pictures to them also.

Chapter 15

“They could certainly communicate, as can all social animals, and they no doubt spoke, albeit simply and probably slowly.”

—
In Search of the Neanderthals
by Christopher Stringer and Clive Gamble, p. 217

“Many anthropologists came to believe that Neandertals could have spoken any modern human language, whatever their accent may have been.”

—
The Neandertals: Of Skeletons, Scientists, and Scandal
by Erik Trinkaus and Pat Shipman, p. 391

Enga Dancing Flower saw that everyone was stopping. Just as she was about to exhort them to put more effort into the dance, she received the thought-pictures that Jeek and Gunda were sending to everyone.

Hama herself let out a screech. Her grin was almost as wide as her face.
Bahg Swiftfeet and Teek Bearclaw, do you have strength to run? To see what the young ones have seen?

It seemed everyone was renewed by the thought that they would be able to get to the other side of the river, at last.

The two males nodded. They checked with Jeek and Gunda for more information on their location and took off for the woods that bordered the water.

Enga collapsed onto the ground. Her sobs were quiet, but her birth-sister, Ung Strong Arm, always tuned in to her emotions, came and squatted beside her. Ung draped her muscular arm around the shoulders of her birth-sister. Enga wept harder. The mate of Ung, Lakala Rippling Water, ran over to them and helped soothe Enga.

I am going to be fine. I am joyous. I am relieved that my dancing worked.

It
was
her dancing, she knew. Dakadaga, or maybe Wawala, the Spirit of the Waters, had shown Jeek and Gunda where they could cross.

Her tribal brothers and sisters were mostly squatting or lying on the ground, breathing hard and recovering from the dancing. They regarded her with curiosity. Several of them sent her cautious messages of gratefulness for her dance. A few sent thoughts of scorn that she would take credit for what Jeek and Gunda had done.

In spite of that, Enga knew she had saved the tribe.

Sister Sun journeyed almost one hand length through her Mother Sky before Bahg and Teek sent back thought-speak messages that they had found the two youngsters. The four of them stood at the edge of a narrow stream in the picture they sent.

Bahg sent the thought,
I have seen young Jeek wade to the other side. We can all cross here.

Hama summoned them.
Come back now. We will rest through the coming dark time and will cross at first sun when we are fresh.

Hapa had been gazing at his feet. He looked up.
Let us go to the place where they are. We can camp there. It is not far. From the scene that Jeek and the others sent, we can see there is a clearing that lies beside the stream. It looks large enough for us to stay there for one dark time.

Hama considered this for a moment.
What you say is good. We will then be fresh as we start across the water. We must be alert and be careful. The water can conceal many things.

It was agreed, then, that they would make their way through the dense woods and rest before attempting the crossing. Hama made it clear that she would decide whether or not they should cross there, but what else could they do? Warm, grateful feelings flowed to Jeek and Gunda.

* * *

Soon Jeek could hear people coming through the thick growth. He basked in the glow of the pride he felt from Gunda.

The birth-brother of Jeek used to be called Teek Pathfinder because of his skill in tracking and finding game to eat. His name was changed to Teek Bearclaw after he survived an attack by a bear that left deep scars on his back. It was understood that someday Teek would become the Healer, after their birth-mother passed the role to him. Before this trek had started, Teek had studied much with her. He would take that up again when it ended. Jeek wondered, with the most private colors he could manage, if he, Jeek, could become Jeek Pathfinder at his Passage Ceremony. No one had that name now, although Teek was still skilled at it. Jeek had three summers to go, but the tribe would remember how he led them over the water until then, would they not? He was lost in thought, contemplating the ceremony and his new name.

Gunda poked him with her elbow.
They are almost here. I will run out and guide them the last part of the way.

I will go with you!
He must show them the way. He would not be named Pathfinder if it was not clear that he had found the path.

When the tribe followed Jeek and Gunda and saw that there was room to camp, and that the stream looked safe and shallow, relief flowed from every sister and brother. The older men clapped Jeek and Gunda on their backs.

Gunda sent out a public thought.
This was found because of Jeek. He is the one who insisted we come here.

Jeek had feelings of love for Gunda so intense that they burned his chest. They flowed like water from his eyes. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Then he grabbed Gunda and hugged her tight.

He thought, for a small moment, that he and Gunda had forgotten to tell the tribe about the berries. They would not want to go back to that place now, though. It was not near.

Enga Dancing Flower approached, smiling at them.

Jeek, what made you go here? How did you know this crossing would be in this place?

He hesitated. Would she understand? It was not something that usually happened. He always trusted Enga. So he told her.
I dreamed about this. When I was sleeping, I saw a crossing like this one and I saw myself leading the Hamapa across the water. I could see it as clear as I am seeing it now, at this moment. It looked very much like this place.

Enga nodded, accepting this vision.

* * *

Enga Dancing Flower was overjoyed about the vision of Jeek. She knew that a Spirit had come to him in his sleep and given that sight to him. That had happened because of her dancing. It was because the tribe did so many Asking Dances and because Lakala Rippling Water kept singing for so long. The Spirits might have let them find this place sooner if Panan One Eye had played the flute.

She felt a cold wave and turned. It came from Panan. She had let a bit of her thought spill out and he had received it. He frowned at Enga and turned back to Tikihoo.

Tikihoo was pointing to the water and saying the same thing over and over. “Ayoo. Ayoo. Ayoo.”

Enga wondered if that sound meant
water
. It was possible that, since she did not seem to have any thought-speak, she had to use clumsy spoken words for everything. It was reasonable that she would have a spoken word for water.

Panan repeated the sounds. “Ayoo, ayoo, ayoo.” He pointed to the water and she nodded with vigor.

Enga thought the word might mean “fear” because Tikihoo looked frightened when she said it. Everyone had noticed the storm cloud garments at the edge of Mother Sky. They did not threaten the Hamapa in this place, but Tikihoo glanced at them as she kept repeating her one word.

Hapa sent Panan an angry thought.
Do not rejoice. You did nothing to help find this place. We should leave you on this side with the Hooden.

Enga waited for Hama to correct him. Her back was turned and she was speaking to some of the females. She had to have received the thought of Hapa. It was strong and full of venom. Enga had not been this worried about the unity of her tribe since before the last Cold Season— when the Hama was killed.