Death on the Trek (6 page)

Jeek saw Panan sitting and holding his leg. He drew closer and noticed Red gushing from the leg. He called his mother, the Healer, and she dressed the wound with honey and dried grasses, then bound it with a strip of hide.

Hama and Hapa both urged the tribe to get out of the area quickly. All obeyed. Several more roars sounded as they fled.

Vala Golden Hair had seen the injury of Panan and let him lean on her as they went.

When they had marched quickly for as long as they could, dragging their burdens, and those with young carrying them when they could no longer walk, Hapa told them to stop.

We have gone far enough. No one is following us. We must see how much food we have left.

Vala still had her pouch, since Tog had pushed the thieves off her. Hama also had hers. The Elder males and several others had made a barrier around her. But there were only those two pouches of jerky. Cabat the Thick looked upward and shuffled his feet, then thought-spoke to his tribe.

I have some dried fish in my bundle.

Jeek felt the disapproval aimed at Cabat. They all knew he had meant to keep the fish for himself. He would never have shared it if this disaster had not happened. Jeek kept the thought to himself, but he wondered what else could go wrong. Were the Hamapa, the Most High People, beginning to act a bit like the Mikino? Keeping food to oneself was not the Hamapa way. He had thought the troubles within the tribe, the large troubles, were over after the killer of the former Hama was found. He thought his tribe would all see that they had to pull together to make it to a land where they could live. If they did not pull together, they might not make it there.

An even darker thought came from Hama.

We have traveled in the wrong direction, fleeing the small people. We are going toward the Great Ice. We must keep going away from it.

The three Elders, Hama, Hapa, and Panan conferred together after Vala helped Panan to sit by the other two.

The rest squatted and caught their breath.

* * *

Enga Dancing Flower was hungry. She wondered if she was hungry only in her mind, because she knew how little food they had, or if she was truly hungry from the fast pace they had kept up for half a day. She knew, as did all of the tribe, that she needed to eat an extra amount to feed the growing baby inside her. Enga was the only female carrying a baby. That would not be a good thing for the tribe if they were settled. That was because the tribe needed always to have more babies. Members were often lost. The Hamapa were sometimes slain during the hunt, sometimes fell ill and did not recover, and sometimes had other accidents. To replace those who were lost, more needed to be born. On the trek, however, having only one pregnant female was easier.

Now she felt pains. Were they in her stomach? Or were they in the sac of the baby? She wrapped her arms around her knees as she squatted, and held tight, her fingers squeezing the color out of her knuckles.

Tog came up behind her and put his strong fingers on her shoulders. He rubbed them and she felt her shoulders lower and her mind relax. She uncurled her fingers and flexed them.

He sat behind her and she leaned against his broad, solid chest. She moved only her eyes to see that Panan One Eye had returned to the side of Vala and was tossing Sooka in the air to amuse her.

Are you in pain?
Tog asked.
I felt your aching just now.

I was
, Enga answered.
But my distress is easing. I think I am just hungry. But we will all be hungry before we reach the end of this journey. I must not complain, but must learn to accept these feelings.

I will give you part of my share of the jerky when we stop for the night.

That was as it should be, but she was glad he was doing the right thing.

At last, the Elders nodded at each other and stood to listen to Hama address the tribe.

Hama held her arms high and turned her face up to Mother Sky.

The tribe stirred. She was going to give them a Pronouncement.

“Hoody!” she spoke aloud. The tribe heard the word,
Listen!
They obeyed.

“Yaya, Hama vav.”

Yes, the Most High Female speaks.

“Hamamapapa nasa ba wa Mikino. Hamamapapa poos wa Dakadaga kal dy.”

The Hamapa cannot stay near the Mikino. The Hamapa must go where the Spirit of Mother Sky goes to sleep each day.

She closed as she always did.

“Dakadaga sheesh Hamamapapa.”

The Spirit of Mother Sky, bless the Hamapa.

Hama raised one arm slowly in a great arc, indicating that they must make a journey in a large circle that took them far from the Mikino. Only then would they be able to move in the direction they must go. Some more progress was made before they stopped for sleeping. A few of the remaining pieces of jerky were passed around and each person took one bite. Tog made Enga take two. She could have eaten many pieces. Her stomach made noises like an animal.

Chapter 8

The flat land was endless. It was the same every day. For all of her life before this trek, Enga Dancing Flower had rejoiced when she saw Sister Sun appearing after dark time. A new day had meant good things then. It had meant being safe with her tribe, being with her birth-sister, being near Tog Flint Shaper—and getting closer and closer to him. Every new sun was cause for joy.

Now she groaned when a new sun appeared above the rim of Brother Earth. It meant another long walk across land that looked exactly like all the other land. Another dark time in a place that looked just like the last one. The only differences were that sometimes there was a bit of water, a trickle from a stream. Some of the water they found was still and tasted sour. When there was no water, they were careful to sip slowly out of the gourds they carried.

What if this land never ended? Could it go on and never stop, never change?

Everyone was so tired. They got more hungry every day.

Fee Long Thrower speared a small rabbit one day and Sannum Straight Hair managed to trap three tiny voles once, but they were eaten uncooked, as the savage Mikino ate their food. Hama told them they had to protect the fire they carried. Akkal Firetender was doing a good job keeping the smoldering embers in his horn from going out. She did not want to disturb his good work.

At the next new sun, Enga bent her sore legs and looked at the bottoms of her feet before she rose. They were raw and cracked. The tribe no longer had enough skins to wrap the feet of everyone. The remaining foot skins went to the Elders. Their feet were older and more tender. The leg of Panan had healed after Vala Golden Hair had helped him walk for several days, but he still limped.

How could any of them walk one more sun?

When Enga surveyed the surroundings, she knew they could not stay here, either. There was nothing for them in this place. They had to walk.

Tog waved his arms at her.
Look. In the far distance.
Tog put his hands on her head and turned it in the direction he was looking.
Do you see it?

She did. Her smile broke through her gloom.
The land is different. There are hills.

Finally, they would be off this plain, so barren, so devoid of life. The slight rolling hills looked far, but they would have to make it there. Enga rubbed the smooth, wooden tummy of the Aja Hama. She drew it from her pouch and showed it to Tog.

His eyes grew wide. The Aja Hama had been his birth-mother and he recognized it immediately.

You still have this carving? You have kept it all this time?

She leaned close to him.
She has gotten us this far. Her spirit is with us. She is guiding us.

Tog mumbled something about guiding them to the Mikino, but he patted her arm and continued packing up with a smile on his broad face.

It was three more suns before they drew near the hills. If they had been stronger, that might have been only two. They were all so weakened and moving so much more slowly than normal. However, when they could smell the verdant trees on the hills, the pace quickened. Enga could see faint smiles on many faces. She studied her tribe mates as they stepped up their pace.

Bodd Blow Striker, the shorter red-haired Gata male, had carried the baby of Vala Golden Hair for the last two suns. But Enga saw the way Vala looked at Panan One Eye. Panan had left her side after he could walk unaided. Now Vala was trying to make Panan jealous and was trying to win him back. At least she was not going near Tog. That was a relief to Enga.

From so many rough days, dissentions had sprung up. Hapa had always resented the fact the Panan had not supported his mate in the last election for Hama. She had been chosen by the rest of the tribe in spite of that, but sometimes it seemed that Panan still opposed Hama and Hapa for no good reason.

Mootak Big Heart also aimed ill will toward Panan at times. Especially when Panan gave the Saga and Mootak could have given it as well. During the first part of the trek, Mootak sat for lessons from Panan, as he had done for many seasons before they left. Enga did not think he was doing this now.

Hapa had even been heard telling some of the tribe that it would be better when Mootak took over the Saga from Panan and when Panan retired from any leadership in the tribe. Hama did nothing to stop her mate from spreading his opinions. Enga did not think that was right. Enga pondered how so much discord swirled around Panan One Eye.

As soon as they reached a place with animals to eat, they would all behave as Hamapa should behave. Full bellies would help everything look better. Enga sent a plea to Dakadaga for that time to come soon. She had begun to wonder if Dakadaga was receiving the thoughts that the Hamapa sent to her.

Chapter 9

“Scientists have reconstructed the whole…genome of a group of ancient humans called Denisovans. …(T)hey had dark hair, eyes, and skin, the journal Science reports.”

—
UK Natural History Museum online
(http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2012/august/denisovan-dna-suggests-a-dark-complexion-and-interbreeding113697.html) 31 August 2012

At last they were close enough to see the trees clearly. Jeek was a little disappointed that they were so small, but any trees were better than the endless plain they had been across. He blinked when he realized that there were beings standing in the trees, watching them approach. Some were almost taller than the scrubby growth. They were all taller than the Hamapas. But they did not look like the Tall Ones that he had known. Some of the brothers and sisters of Jeek had dark hair and dark eyes, but these new people were like none he had ever seen, with hair, eyes, and skin darker than a night when Brother Moon stays away and cloud garments hide the many eyes of Mother Sky.

The dark ones watched the tired band approach, not moving, not speaking. They were so different, they would probably not understand any Hamapa words or thoughts, Jeek thought.

Hama raised her hand for them to stop at the foot of a hill. The strangers stood slightly above them on the side of the small rise.

Hama sent a greeting to them with thought-speak. Jeek knew it would not work, but it was good to try, to be certain. Next, Hama tried loud speech.

“Vishoo?” Hama asked. That meant
hill people.

“Hoo hoo,” one of them answered.

“Hoo hoo hoo,” echoed the rest.

Hama pointed to her group. “Hoody. Hamamapapa,” telling them to listen, these were the Hamapa people.

Several of the tall dark strangers took up the chant, “Hoody, hoody, hoody.”

Vala Golden Hair, who had been lagging behind, caught up to the group. Bodd Blow Striker had walked with her and carried the baby. Jeek thought she looked more pale than she usually did. She staggered forward to the front of the group, held her hands out to the strangers, and fell to her knees. Then she pitched forward onto her face before anyone could grab her. Her hair flowed around her face and onto the dirt like a golden river.

Panan and Tog started forward, and Bodd reached out with the arm not carrying Sooka, but one of the strangers darted down the hill and got to her first. “Woo woo? Moo moo?” he asked. Without waiting for answers to his incomprehensible questions, he gestured to one of his companions. One other came forward with a skin sac of water, and held it to her lips.

When Vala had revived enough to stand and walk, she and the exhausted band followed the strangers to their village. Bodd stayed close to Vala.

Jeek could see that these people were friendly, so far, but would they stay that way? How could anyone tell if they would or not? Were they luring them to the village to eat them? He was almost to the point that he would have gone along with that. He couldn’t go much farther without more to eat. None of them could.

Jeek was cheered when he smelled smoke, then saw the ashes of a fire. Fire meant food—he hoped. Beyond the firepit were some huts, but they were not proper houses. Instead, they were made of large pieces of a skin he had never seen, and were propped up with poles of tree branches. There was a peculiar odor spread throughout the settlement, vaguely unpleasant. He approached the one who had brought the water sac to Vala and sniffed him. These people had their own peculiar smell.

He overheard Enga and Tog speculating about the flimsy dwellings.

I think they might be portable
, Tog thought-spoke.
Maybe they move about following their prey.

That is possible
, Enga answered.
Do you remember the Saga of Our Ancestors, the one that tells about the time when they roamed much of the while?

Jeek had not heard that one for a long time, but now he recalled it. Of course, there was also the Saga of coming to the village from a faraway land. That one was about travel, but Enga referred to another Saga, one that told of the Hamapa when they were not settled in one place and moved to follow the animals they hunted. There were not so many animals at that time as there had been later. All his life, until the recent moon cycles, game had been plentiful, so there had been no reason to move about.

He noticed the strangers conferring with each other. They were clothed in animal skins, as were the Hamapa, but these skins were not mammoth or bear, or even deer. The fur, worn on the outside, looked stiff, like the bristles of a peccary, about as long as bear fur, but not so dark, more the color of mammoth. Jeek wanted to touch one of their garments.