Death on the Trek (3 page)

Help me, Tog Flint Shaper,
Vala thought-spoke.
I can not get anything done with the baby in my way.

Enga clenched her teeth. She felt the warmth Tog was sending to Vala. Tog was
her
mate, not that of Vala. Enga stepped forward.

We can help you.
She stressed the thought-word “we” with a smile that showed her teeth.
What is it that you cannot do?

Tog sent Enga a private thought.
You know that her baby is most unruly and hard to manage.

That was true, Enga had to agree.
But why does she always ask you and no one else?

Panan One Eye had seen them standing together and came up behind Vala, his eyebrows lowered toward his eyes. Only one of his eyes had sight, the other had been injured during a hunting accident. He had no beard and no hair on his head, but his eyebrows were thick.

Sister Sun glinted her light from his shiny head and also reflected bright rays onto the golden hair of Vala.

What is your problem now, Vala Golden Hair?
Enga could feel the irritation in the thought-speak of Panan. It was not directed solely toward Vala. It was sent so that she and Tog could also understand that he was impatient with her.

Vala took her baby from the sling and jiggled her on her hip.
It is Sooka. She has been fussing for a long time now. She did not sleep in the dark time and she is not happy.

Panan asked,
Why have you waited until it is time to depart to ask for help? I have been ready for a long time. So has Sannum Straight Hair and Cabat the Thick. We could have helped you.

Enga caught a shred of the private thought from Vala, not cloaked carefully enough.

None of you are as young and strong as Tog Flint Shaper. Those other two are old.

Panan had caught the stray thought also. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward her pile of belongings, not yet wrapped and ready to drag. He sent an appeal to the other two he had mentioned and Sannum and Cabat both came and made quick work of tying up her bundle.

You must not cause dissension. Most of all, not at this time.
The thought-speak of Panan was meant to shame her in front of the tribe, but Vala tossed her long hair, the color of Brother Moon when at his most pale. It fell in smooth waves onto her shoulders.

Enga thought, with some shock, that Vala Golden Hair did not care about the tribe at this moment. She did not always think like a Hamapa. Maybe that was what had made it more easy for her to mate with Stitcher, the outsider. The stomach of Enga had roiled at the thought when Stitcher had made it known to her that he wanted to mate with Enga. She had made sure that did not happen.

Hama spoke privately with Panan One Eye. They did not keep their discussion entirely private and Enga could tell that Hama blamed Panan for some amount of tension in caring for Vala.

Panan argued that Vala had no one to help her, but Hama insisted she had the whole tribe.

Panan had been one of the mates of the Aja Hama when she was the leader of the tribe, so he had been Hapa, the Most High Male. Aja Hama was the name that had been given to the Hama they had all loved so much. She had been called that only after she died. She was their leader for many, many summers. The words “Aja Hama” only meant “Former Most High Female,” but they were used to bestow honor on the memory of her. All the Hamapa had mourned her for a long time.

Enga wondered how much Panan missed being Hapa, Most High Male, and having more ranking than he now had. Maybe that was why he disagreed often with Hapa, the mate of Hama. He and Aja Hama had been the birth-parents of Lakala Rippling Water, Fee Long Thrower, and also Tog Flint Shaper. The two had been good leaders. But the ones who were Hama and Hapa now were also good leaders. At least, Enga hoped they were. They had to be good enough to lead the tribe to a new land where they could live and not starve.

At last, the small band set out. Several males took turns dragging the bundle of Vala, along with their own, while she juggled Sooka either on her back or in her arms.

They covered a good amount of distance over the rolling terrain. In low places where Sister Sun did not reach, Brother Earth was still spotted with small patches of the cold white flakes Mother Sky had sent during the Cold Season.

The tribe soon fell into a rhythm. It seemed to Enga that they were making good progress. The individual bundles were not large and not heavy. The most strong males worked with the older males, in pairs, hauling the large pack. Hapa, who had been named Donik Tree Trunk for his large, thick stature, before he was Hapa, was also the most tall male. He worked first with Sannum Straight Hair. Sannum, though he had thirty-six summers, more than twice the seventeen that Enga had passed, had more than enough strength to pull his share. After Sister Sun had traveled four hand lengths, climbing through Mother Sky, Hama called a halt to rest. They laid down their bundles, squatted, and sipped from their water gourds sparingly. They had not encountered any streams and no one knew how much farther they would walk before finding one. They were not going the direction they used to go for hunting, so this land was unfamiliar.

After the stop for rest, Bahg Swiftfeet and Cabat the Thick paired up to drag the heavy pack. Cabat had a slow stride and Bahg was very fast, so they were awkward together. Soon Teek Bearclaw, the birth-brother of Jeek and a strong young male, took the place of Cabat.

Tog and Enga walked side by side. He occasionally took her bundle from her and gave her some relief. That made her smile inside and out. He was concerned for the seed growing within her. He did not glance at Vala Golden Hair, who mostly stayed behind them with Panan One Eye. Their shoulders sometimes rubbed together and Enga felt the warmth of his touch long after they separated.

When Sister Sun had hidden half her face and was beginning to send streaks of color across her Mother Sky, Hama halted once more. She had picked the place wisely. There was a small stream nearby. She pointed to the water and everyone dropped their bundles with eagerness and knelt by the stream to drink.

Enga listened to the noisy lapping, but could also hear rumbling inside her. She was hungry from walking all day, from carrying the seed of Tog inside her as well as her bundle of belongings.

They all knew that their meal would consist of the dried jerky they had carried. No one would have the energy nor the time to seek and kill fresh meat, prepare it, and cook it.

After they ate, everyone looked to Hama expectantly. They did not know what rituals should be followed in this unusual time.

She sent a thought-speak to all of them.
There will be no Saga tonight. We are all tired and must rest for the continuing trek. Perhaps, another time, we will stay in one place for a few days and have music and Saga.

Hama had indeed chosen the place well. Enga had a fleeting thought that it would be pleasant to dwell here. However, there were no mammoth to be seen or smelled. There were enough tall needled trees to shelter them for dark time. They sat and gnawed on the jerky, each one trying not to eat too much, so it would last as long as possible.

They got their sleeping furs from their bundles. Enga and Tog shared one since they were mates. She was glad that the growing seed had not made her too large to enjoy her mate yet. She knew it happened sometimes.

Ung Strong Arm and Lakala Rippling Water approached.

May we spread our sleeping fur next to yours?
Ung asked her birth-sister.

Enga was pleased to have them near. She had been happy when Ung and Lakala had started dwelling in the same wipiti. Ung was the best hunter and Lakala the best singer. It was fitting that two such females should be together.

As she eased herself onto her sleeping skin, Enga noticed that Vala spread her own fur next to that of Panan, but that they did not share one. Perhaps he did not want to be too near the restless baby, who would probably interrupt his sleep.

Enga thought about the amount of jerky in their pouches. It should be enough to get them through the Warm Season, in normal times. Would they all want to eat more when they walked all day? Would they run out of it?

Then, for some reason, she thought about all the tribe members they had lost recently, during the last Cold Season. The last two Hamas had been slain. The tribe nearly fell apart when that happened. Two youths had also been lost, both banished. Kokat No Ear had died on a hunting trip, gored by a peccary. Maybe it was good the tribe was fewer in numbers. Maybe, with less of them, the dried meat would be enough for those on the trek and would last them until they found the place where the game had gone.

There were no sounds of night creatures, no night birds singing. They had fled the Great Ice that destroyed everything in its path. They were still in the area where the icy blast could be felt when the breath of Mother Sky came from that direction, so many creatures had fled, not just the Hamapa.

She looked up at Mother Sky, gazing down on them with so many twinkling eyes. Enga found the Guiding Bear. At least it was still with them. It had served them well on long distance hunts and on visits to other tribes in the past, but now she did not know where they were going, so maybe it would not always be seen and could not help them.

They were following the trail of the vanished small horses, but who knew where that trail would lead? Enga knew that Hama did not know where they would end up.

Chapter 4

Very early, before Sister Sun appeared, when Mother Sky was taking on the barest of light-hued tints, Hama sent out a picture of the tribe trudging on. Jeek sat up, rubbing his eyes. When he had gotten all the grit out, he reached behind him and rubbed the sore spot on his back from the lump he had slept upon. Closing his eyes again, he brought up the thought of the wipiti he had shared his whole life with his birth-brother, Teek Bearclaw, and his mother, Zhoo of Still Waters, the Healer of the tribe. Their father, Mahk Long Eye, had died many seasons ago.

But that wipiti did not now stand. A new one would stand in the new village. It was that thought that got him up and going.

Everyone arose and packed up the sleeping furs. They grabbed a few quick bites, filled their water gourds, and started off.

The second day was very much like the first. They encountered no more streams. They smelled no more game. Sister Sun wrapped herself in thick cloud garments and Mother Sky blew cold breath across the barren land.
Why was her breath so cold at this time?
Jeek shivered. It should be getting warmer.

Hama overheard his thoughts and answered,
We must travel far to get to a place where Mother Sky will be kinder with her breath, where Sister Sun will want to show her face.

It wasn’t long, only a journey the length of one hand for Sister Sun, before Mother Sky started shedding frigid tears, soaking everyone and everything that they wore. The animal hides would protect the things wrapped in them, but the skin of Brother Earth got softer and softer until each foot was coated in heavy mud.

Jeek, go to that rise.
He looked in the direction that the thought-speak had come from. Hama nodded at him and pointed to a small high place not far away.
See if there is any shelter in sight.

Eager to help, Jeek handed his pack to his birth-brother, Teek Bearclaw, and ran like the quickest gust from Mother Sky to the knoll. He scrambled to the top and surveyed the land. Endless rolling plains stretched out before him. He turned in every direction and, at last, spotted something different. They were not trees. They were people. Two tall males, loping across the ground toward them. Jeek waved his arms to hail them and they waved back.

He sent the picture back to Hama, adding the thought that maybe they would know this land and would be able to tell the Hamapa where to go. He did not get a return thought, but felt a stir of caution.

Stay there until they are more near to you,
she thought-spoke to him.
But come back with speed and join us before they reach you.

To Jeek, the two looked like Hamapa, sturdy people with strong limbs. They drew closer and he studied them. One had hair the color of fire, like many Hamapa, braided with leather strips. The other, a bit more tall, had hair the color of dark mud, done in a top knot with, he thought as he squinted, a bone through it, much like Tog Flint Shaper, whose hair was held by a bone Enga Dancing Flower had carved for him.

They wore fur capes similar to the ones the Hamapa wore. Jeek hoped they were enough like them that all could understand each other. If they were a different kind of people, it would be difficult to communicate, since thought-speak would not get through to them.

He sent back to Hama a picture of what he was seeing. When the two got close enough that he could clearly see their eyes, he scurried down the hill and rejoined his people.

The two males slowed as they approached the tribe. The brothers and sisters stood still, waiting for the strangers to reach them. It had happened in the past that strangers had meant harm. That was rare, but it was best, Jeek knew, to be cautious. He noticed that the females did not hold their spears, but stood near them. Some of the males would have chopping stones in pouches that could be extracted in a flash. The direct gaze of the wise Hama did not waver until the pair stood before her.

Do you understand this thought?
Hama directed this to the males, but in such a way that the tribe standing close behind her could also receive the message.

The male with the fire-colored hair moved only his head, to look at his partner. They exchanged private thoughts. Then the one with mud-colored hair, who was taller, answered.
We do understand. We are Gata. Do you know the Gata?

There was a stirring in the tribe. They all knew of the Gata. They had been a tribe who dwelt not far from the Hamapa, people they had traded with. As the last Cold Season had approached, the Gata leader had sent a message in thought-speak to Hama and had asked if they could take any of them in as they did not have enough food for the whole tribe. She had been forced to tell them that her people did not have any to spare. Part of that tribe had traveled far away to try to start a new tribe.