by A M Layet
Chapter Five
In the morning, Magna announced the school hunt would take place the next day. There were a lot of significant looks exchanged amongst the children. Dec winked at Ithil. Jet elbowed Ayat. Hohn nudged Ban and Olgan nodded at Lint. Magna raised her eyebrows.
‘Is there anything anyone wants to tell me?’
Everyone stared at their toes and shook their heads. Magna narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She knew something was wrong. She just didn’t know what. She was also well aware that on the school hunt last year the children chased Ekk away. This made her both wary and excited. Let them try it with me, she thought. They won’t stand a chance.
'Today will be spent getting ready your weapons ready for tomorrow.' Magna explained. 'Everything you have made will either be used in the hunt or on display for Clan Chief Chun and your parents to see.'
Olgan and Magna went off into the woods looking for Olgan’s net, which was still stuck in a tree. Olgan had since made another net, but she didn’t tell Magna this. She needed the excuse to talk to Magna in private. She had lots of good ideas for tomorrow’s hunt. Ideas that would help make it different, better, maybe even the best ever hunt. Magna listened with interest. She, too, wanted it to be the best ever hunt. She wanted to prove to Clan Chief Ghun and the parents that the children had learnt more with her than they ever had with Ekk. She knew that it wasn’t just the children who were being tested tomorrow, it was her too.
While Magna was busy with Olgan, the boys lost no time in getting on with their own preparations. For Dec and Ithil, this meant sharpening their tools, muttering Olgan’s name, and throwing their spears. Unta, for some reason, found this very funny. He laughed until he choked.
Lint also had some planning to do. He started by talking, very quietly, with Ayat. He knew he didn’t have a chance of persuading anyone else until he had Ayat’s support. Ayat, Lint had decided, was the person most likely to agree his plan. This was partly because Ayat had always liked Lint and partly because Ayat disliked Magna enormously. She had put him at the bottom of the line. No matter the reason for it, Ayat didn’t want to be there. It was an insult.
Ayat listened to Lint and agreed to help at once. He liked the idea of getting rid of Magna. It was a much better idea than getting rid of Olgan. Suddenly, Lint’s plan looked much more possible.
Next Lint approached Jet. Jet had been Olgan’s friend. But, since Olgan’s troubles started, he had not stood up for her once. Lint thought it was about time Jet showed his old friend some loyalty.
‘We’re going to get rid of Magna tomorrow, not Olgan,’ Lint told Jet.
Jet looked straight at Dec, who was on the other side of the clearing aiming his spear at a bird’s nest.
‘Don’t worry about Dec, I’ll going to explain it all to him later,’ Lint told Jet. ‘I just need to know you’ll help.’
Eventually, reluctantly, Jet agreed. This was not because of any loyalty to Olgan but because Ayat decided to help persuade him.
Next, Lint talked to Kelc, Ban and Hohn.
‘There’s been a change of plan,’ he told them, ‘Listen up.’
All three agreed readily to the plan. They had never forgiven Magna for insulting their tools the day they went looking for Dec and Ithil. At this point, Olgan and Magna returned, and Lint had to stop his preparations. There was no way he could risk talking about the plan in front of Magna.
By the end of the school day, there was still a lot for Lint to organise. First, he sent Ayat and Jet off on an errand to the girls’ school cave. Then he asked Kelc to explain the change of plan to Unta. He would have done this himself, except he knew Unta would refuse to do anything he asked. Lastly, and most importantly, Lint found Olgan and together they went looking for Dec. They found him on his own, sitting outside his hut. Olgan had brought with her the fox skin she had caught last year. Before anything was said, she offered it up to Dec in her two palms.
‘It’s for you,’ she told him, not daring to look him in the face. ‘I offer it as a sign of respect for your power and your leadership. I do not want the place in the line Magna has given me. I want you to be at the front of the line. But, to make this happen, we need to get rid of Magna as our teacher. Will you help us do this tomorrow?’
Dec was silent for a long time. Lint could see Olgan’s hands trembling. One tear fell upon her cheek but she could not wipe the tear; her hands were holding the peace offering to Dec.
‘Who is we?’ Dec asked.
‘Ayat, Jet, Hohn, Ban, Kelc, Unta and me,’ Lint told him at once.
Olgan’s head was still hanging but he was not afraid to look Dec in the face.
‘We have a plan,’ he told Dec, a smile breaking out on his face, ‘And I think you’ll like it.’
‘Tell me,’ Dec said, and as he listened to Lint, he, too, started to smile. By the time Lint had finished, Dec was laughing.
‘Let’s do it,’ he decided and took the fox fur from Olgan. ‘But don’t forget, no matter what happens, no matter who teaches us in the future, Magna, Ekk, or anyone, I am the head of the line, me, no one else.’
‘I promise,’ Olgan swore. ‘I’m sorry.’
For the first time in a long time, Olgan was actually in a hurry to get to school in the morning; Lint too. They were both excited about the plan. But Ma stopped them on their way out.
‘Hunt?’ she asked.
‘Yes, Ma,’ Olgan told her, ‘today.’
Ma nodded, satisfied, and let them past. She had not been happy with last year’s hunt. Olgan had brought back a fox, which was good, but Lint had brought home nothing, which was shameful. This year Ma planned to go and see a bit of the hunting herself.
When Lint and Olgan reached the clearing, the rest of the boys were already there. Dec was whispering to Ithil, explaining the plan. Magna soon arrived and shouted for them to line up. She was looking particularly impressive. Her hair shone like fire. Her eyes glittered like water in sunlight. She was as tall as any man in the village, taller than most, her arms rippling with muscles. In each hand, she held a spear, at her waist she had a belt of rhino hide, and tucked into she had a long stone knife, and several bones. Lint looked at her and his heart quailed. It’s not going to work, he thought. She’s so smart, so strong, she’s invincible.
But then Magna began explaining to them what they were going to do that day, and Lint felt hope once more. Magna did have a weakness. Olgan was her weakness. She had let her favouritism for Olgan blind her. She had listened to Olgan’s suggestions. She was about to make a very big mistake.
‘Today,’ Magna shouted, ‘The hunt is going to change. We do not live to hunt. We hunt to live. But it is not hunting alone that keeps us alive. Many things keep us alive: the fires that keep us warm, the other food we eat, the furs we wear, the cloth we weave, the women we live with, the families we have. All these things are part of our lives. So today, I am going to change the hunt. I will make it true to life. The first thing I want to do is invite the girls to join us on this important day.’
Magna waved a hand and from the far side of the clearing, Fen walked into view. Behind her came the eight girls who made up the girls’ school. They lined up alongside the boys, who stared at them open mouthed. The girls kept silent and watched no one but Magna.
‘Each of you will be given a task to complete: something to make, or find, or hunt. When you have completed your task, bring it here, to the clearing, where both I and Clan Chief Ghun will inspect what you have done, and tell you whether you have passed or failed.’
Magna walked to the top of the line, to where Olgan stood. She had to stand there this one last time.
‘Olgan, hunt and bring back a deer.’
Magna stepped down the line.
‘Dec, catch fish using a net, Hohn, catch frogs, Jet, make a net, Unta and Kelc collect weeds from the wheat, Lint and Ban, weave a basket, and Ayat, harvest nettles and de-sting them.’
Next, Magna moved over to the girls’ line, and gave them similar t
asks. Except that she didn’t ask any of them to hunt a deer. That distinction was for Olgan alone.
‘And you actually want us to complete these ridiculous tasks?’ Dec asked Lint as soon as Magna had sent them on their way.
‘We have to!’ Lint told him.
‘But not her,’ Dec pointed to Olgan. ‘I’m not catching fish if she’s hunting deer.’
‘No,’ Lint agreed at once. ‘Olgan, you mustn’t catch a deer. It could ruin everything.’
The boys set off to complete their tasks as badly, and as slowly, as they could. There was no point in hurrying back. They wanted to make sure as many people from the village had gathered before they returned to show off what they had done.
Ayat ambled over to the nearest nettle patch and began picking nettles. He had, at least, learnt to do this using animal hide to protect his hands. He purposely failed to remove most of the stings, then, when he was sure no one was looking, he wondered off into the woods to a large hollow tree where he had hidden the string skirts he had stolen from the girls’ cave yesterday. He spent some time handing out these skirts to the boys while keeping out of Magna’s sight.
By the time the sun was high overhead, the clearing was becoming very busy. Clan Chief Ghun had arrived, as had many of the boys’ mothers. Even Ekk was there, standing to one side and not talking to anyone. He had been in a foul mood ever since he returned to the village and found Magna teaching his boys and Clan Chief Ghun living in his new hut.
Magna was attempting to explain to everyone gathered the changes she had made to the school hunt. Clan Chief Ghun was looking bored. He had stopped listening long ago. Many of the women were looking confused. A few who were still trying to follow Magna’s explanation were looking concerned.
It’s time, Lint decided. He, Ban and Jet had spent the morning bending and weaving fibres just outside the boys’ cave. Lint was supposed to be making a basket, but it looked more like one of the girl’s skirts. Ban’s basket looked even worse, and Jet’s net looked like a pile of dead nettles, which it was.
They disappeared inside the cave, pulled on a skirt each, and came out carrying their misshapen baskets. Ma spotted Lint straight away. She looked directly at the skirt, and her face turned as dark as a thunder storm. She snatched up Tan from where he was playing by her feet, and started towards Lint. He quickly changed direction, and hurried towards Magna and Clan Chief Ghun.
They reached Magna just as Dec and Hohn reached her, fresh back from the river. Dec was looking very wet, and carried nothing in his hands. Hohn was less wet and had one slimy toad in his hand. They were both wearing skirts.
Clan Chief Ghun looked at the boys in front of him and did not know what to say. He couldn’t understand why they were wearing skirts. Magna scowled and knew at once the boys were conspiring against her.
‘Get those…’ she began.
Lint quickly interrupted her.
‘This is my basket,’ he began, and laid it at her feet for inspection.
The other boys followed his example. Beyond them, the girls were also gathering. They were carrying some very well made baskets and nets.
Clan Chief Ghun pointed to the skirts. Behind him were a group of very angry mothers. Ma stood prominently at the front, right next to Magna.
'Girls wear skirt, not boys,’ Clan Chief Ghun said.
‘It’s our new uniform,’ Dec told him, somehow managing to sound proud. ‘Magna made them for us.’
At that moment, the rest of the boys arrived. Ayat was using his skirt to carry the nettles. Unta and Kelc were each carrying armfuls of weeds but they, too, were both wearing a skirt. When Clan Chief Ghun saw his son, the future chief of the clan, wearing a skirt, he almost exploded. His mouth stayed shut, but his cheeks grew bigger and bigger and his face turned the colour of ripe fruit.
‘Get skirt off,’ he spat before Unta had even reached him.
When Unta was not quick enough to obey, Clan Chief Ghun hurried towards his son and pulled the skirt forcefully down to the ground. Then he pushed Unta behind his back and turned on Magna, enraged.
‘Unta boy, not girl. Girl wear skirt, not boy.’
He turned back round to Unta, grabbed the weeds from his hand, threw them on the ground then faced Magna again.
‘Girl pick plant, boy hunt.’
Behind Magna there were a lot of mothers nodding, Ma among them. This was exactly what they all feared might happen when Clan Chief Ghun chose Magna to teach the boys.
Magna should have known she was finished. She did know it really. But she was just so strong and proud, she could not accept it, particularly not when she could see Ekk hovering amongst the crowd, gloating already. She wanted Clan Chief Ghun to see what she had done, what the children had learnt, how she had changed things for the better.
‘Yes, Clan Chief, you are right,’ she agreed. ‘The boys do not wear skirts. There has been some kind of a mistake. I also do not want them in skirts.’
But Clan Chief Ghun was not listening to Magna. He was too busy looking around him: what he saw was boys arriving back carrying nets, baskets and plants. There was not a piece of meat in sight.
‘Walk with me, and I will show you what they have done, what they have learnt,’ Magna offered.
Clan Chief Ghun shook his head. He could see very well what they had done. He saw too that the girls were lined up with very well made baskets and nets in their hands. He had seen enough. He did not want to see anymore.
‘Magna teacher teach girls,’ he decided. ‘Not boys.’
There was a cheer from the crowd of boys and their mothers. The girls cheered too. They wanted Magna back. Magna stood still, and swallowed. Her face was expressionless.
‘Yes, Clan Chief Ghun,’ she agreed.
Her voice was like ice. Her back was straight as a tree trunk, her chin raised, her mouth tight. She looked around her, scanning the clearing, then left the boys and walked over to the girls. There, stiff with dignity, she inspected the girls’ work and found it excellent.
Clan Chief Ghun did not look at the boys' work. He told them to burn it all, and sent them home.
‘Clan Chief Ghun choose new teacher next year,’ he told them before they left, ‘Man teacher.’
Everyone left satisfied. Ekk was smiling for the first time since he had returned to the village. Clan Chief Ghun had not said Ekk would be the new teacher, but Ekk was very, very hopeful. Who else could it be?
It was only later, at home, that Lint realised Olgan had never returned to the clearing. He wondered whether he should go looking for her, but, before he could be bothered, he saw her appear at the edge of the forest. He went over to her at once.
‘What are you doing? Where have you been?’ he asked.
She did not answer him, but pulled him into the bushes, and brought a finger to her lips.
‘What is it?’ Lint asked puzzled, not very happy about being pulled through the branches.
Olgan pointed to the ground, at a fallen deer. It had been speared once in the neck.
‘Why did you do that?’ Lint asked, shocked and surprised. ‘You were not supposed to catch one. You were supposed to be at the clearing wearing one of those skirts.’
But he wasn’t surprised that Olgan hadn’t come to the clearing or worn one of the skirts. It would have been just too confusing for her: a girl, pretending to be a boy, pretending to be a girl.
‘I couldn’t…’ Olgan explained, ‘…betray Magna to her face.’
Lint rolled his eyes.
‘We agreed. We had to do this. It was either you, or her.’
‘I know,’ Olgan nodded, ‘but it was still a betrayal. And I didn’t want to betray her, what I really wanted to do was thank her for all she had done for me, for all she had taught us.’ She looked down at the deer. ‘I want to give it to her.’
‘The others won’t like it,’ Lint told her.
‘Then the others don’t have to know. I just need your help.’
So Lint agreed. Together, they
carried it to the girls’ cave, where there was no one to see them, and where they hoped Magna would discover it in the morning. They left no sign to tell Magna who it was from.
But when Magna saw it, she knew right away. It was the deer she had sent Olgan to hunt. She smiled then, and felt a little less bitter about her dismissal. Someone had listened. Someone had wanted her as a teacher. Someone had learned from her. For Magna, that made all the difference.
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