by Inmon, Shawn
It was a warm day and sweat poured off of Alex as he chopped at the base of the tree again and again. The axe was sharp, but it was more of a weapon than an actual axe, so the going was slower than he would have liked.
Eventually, the tree started to sway and lean with each chop. Alex gave it a few more blows, then pushed on the tree and it toppled over in the direction he wanted it to. There wasn’t room for the tree to fall completely to the ground. Instead, it lodged across the opening about six feet off the ground.
“Any sign of him?”
“No,” both women said in chorus back to him.
Alex hustled across the opening to the bowl to another tree he had picked out. He repeated the process and that tree also fell, partially blocking the opening.
Neither tree was enough of an obstacle to stop godat-ta. He could easily clamber over both trees. Alex’s goal wasn’t to completely stop the bear from entering, though. He just wanted to slow him down somewhat.
Moments after the second tree fell, Senta-eh shouted, “I see godat-ta!”
Alex hurried back up the hill and took his place.
Godat-ta had ripped out of the basin like his tail was on fire, but he was much more languorous on the return trip. He stopped at every berry bush and helped himself. At one point, Alex thought he was going to lay down and take a nap. At another, he answered the age-old question as to whether a bear defecates in the woods.
Finally, he reached the opening to the salt deposit and was obviously puzzled to see that the trees had fallen in his brief absence. He sniffed and snuffled around them, then reached out a giant paw and scratched at them.
From seventy-five feet above, Alex shouted, “Now!”
Versa-eh tightened the rope that had been wrapped around the boulder and pulled. At the same time, Alex stuck the pole he had crafted into a small space between the boulder and a smaller rock he had wedged against it.
Give me a lever long enough... Alex didn’t take the time to finish the expression. He put all his weight on the pole.
Between Versa-eh pulling and Alex using a fulcrum to push it, the boulder did not want to move.
Godat-ta had heard Alex shout though and climbed straight up the hill toward him.
The more Alex strained, and the more the pole bent, he was afraid that the boulder simply wasn’t going to move.
And then we are all dead. There will be no escaping from godat-ta.
Alex redoubled his efforts, but the boulder refused to budge. From the other side, Versa-eh cried, “He’s almost to the top!”
Alex refused to take his concentration away from the boulder, but knew at any moment that he would see a gigantic paw appear from the edge of the cliff.
And that will be it.
Finally, the huge boulder shifted a bit, loosening itself from where it had rested for so long.
Senta-eh flew across the ridgeline and threw her shoulder into the boulder. The combined forces of the three of them was enough. Once loosed from its resting place, the rock scooted toward the edge.
For a brief moment, the bear and the boulder tried to occupy the same spot at the top of the cliff. As big as godat-ta was, he was no match for the weight of a ten-ton piece of granite.
Both the animal and the rock tumbled over the edge of the cliff and hurtled toward the ground.
The heavy thud of the boulder bouncing down the cliffside mingled with the hoarse roar of godat-ta.
Alex rushed to the edge and looked down just in time to see the bear land on its back with a tremendous thud. A split-second later, the boulder landed on top of the bear, then bounced away.
Alex’s plan had worked perfectly.
I killed godat-ta. Again, with anguish: I killed godat-ta.
Alex, Senta-eh and Versa-eh looked down at the crushed bear with surprise and instant regret.
I killed godat-ta. And it was wrong. He was magnificent, and simply living his life.
Alex took a knee and his head drooped.
Alex had never before executed a plan perfectly and immediately felt like a failure.
Senta-eh put her arm on his shoulder but did not speak. Even Versa-eh, who normally had a quip for every occasion, had nothing to say.
Alex stood, shook himself off and said, “We won’t want to waste the meat. Versa-eh, as soon as Harta-ak comes back, I’ll need the two of you to go back to the bridge and build a fire. When they come get you, tell them we killed godat-ta, and ask them to send people to help us butcher him. There will be enough meat here to feed the village for months.”
At that moment, the dead bear proved to be somewhat less than dead. It took a deep, rattling breath, snuffled it back out, and shook its head. It continued to lay on its back for several more long moments, then rolled over and tried to stand.
It failed, rising briefly before collapsing back to the ground, shaking the ground with its weight once again. It stayed flat for a heartbeat, then another and another. Eventually, it found its footing. Whatever interest it had once had in the humans was gone. Limping badly on its right front leg, and bleeding in half a dozen places, the mighty bear wandered away from the salt deposit, weaving from side to side.
Without saying so, all three knew that they were glad that the great bear had not been killed. He was simply too magnificent for such a fate.
“Do you think he will come back?” Senta-eh asked.
“No, not after we get done here. He only stayed for the food he got from the wasta-ta. Once we get rid of them, he’ll have no reason to come back. And, even if he does, he’ll have no reason to stay.”
“How do we get rid of the wasta-ta?”
“I have a plan,” Alex said with a smile.
Chapter Eight
Alex vs. the Wasta-ta
Harta-ak was gone long enough that Versa-eh said, “Do you think something’s happened to him?”
“Godat-ta came back so fast, I don’t think he had time to catch him.” He tried to smile reassuringly. “As scared as his horse was when it saw godat-ta, it might not stop until it hits the big mountains.”
Versa-eh said, “I’m sure you’re right,” but Alex could see she wasn’t sure at all.
They waited another fifteen minutes and had just decided that they would form a rescue party and go looking for him when they heard the clatter of approaching hooves.
When he crested the rise above their camp, Harta-ak was still riding his horse. The animal was much worse for wear. Its coat was lathered and its eyes were still wild.
Harta-ak slid off the horse’s back and led it the last few hundred paces to their camp. Versa-eh ran toward him and threw her arms around his neck. She didn’t need to say how worried she had been.
Unlike his horse, Harta-ak seemed to have recovered his sense of humor. “What did you do to godat-ta?” he asked with a broad smile.
“Did you see him?” Alex asked.
“Yes. He didn’t chase us that far before he gave up.” He patted his horse’s neck. “This one ran like its tail was on fire, so there was no way godat-ta was going to catch us. Once he gave up, it took me a while to slow down. When I did, I didn’t want to turn around immediately. I didn’t want to stumble upon godat-ta stripping a berry bush or something. I don’t think we had a second sprint like the first one in us.”
“Good thinking,” Senta-eh said.
“I found a small stream and watered the horse. Just trying to settle her down. I admit I needed to catch my breath a bit, too. After we rested, we headed back here. We only made it a short distance when I heard a thundering, crashing sound just ahead. It was godat-ta, but it did not look well. It wouldn’t put any weight on one of its front legs, and blood was pouring out of a wound in its head.”
Versa-eh put her hand to her mouth, picturing the scene. Some gestures are universal, it seemed.
“I thought that was it. It was only maybe fifty paces away from me. It looked right at me and shook its head. I led the horse off the trail, hoping to be able to skirt around it and make a run for
home, but there was no need. It wanted nothing to do with me. It limped on by me and went on without looking back. I think you broke his spirit.”
Alex took no pleasure in that, though he was glad the mighty beast was still alive.
“I will have a story to tell our grandchildren now, when I am old and bent,” Harta-ak said with a smile. “That’s one obstacle down, one to go. How do we get rid of the wasta-ta?”
As one, Senta-eh and Versa-eh said, “Manta-ak has a plan!”
Alex actually had several plans, each of them increasingly dangerous.
The dead tree that the wasta-ta had built their hive in was not far from the southern lip of the caldera. The group headed back to the entrance, which was now partially blocked by the two fallen trees and the fallen boulder.
They set to work clearing the trees, though doing so with the boulder proved much more problematic. The rock seemed to have moved from one resting place on the lip to another in the middle of the entrance.
After a few minutes of pushing and pulling, Alex admitted defeat. “The way it sits right now, its blocking the entrance to the bowl enough that there’s no way a wagon will be able to get in. That may be good or bad, depending on how things work out. For now, though, it is what it is.”
The way the boulder had fallen, the rope they had looped around it was partially hidden beneath it. It was obvious there would be no way to get the rope loose, so Alex took his knife and cut it. He looped the rope around his right shoulder, measuring as he did.
Once he knew the remaining length of the rope, he eyeballed the distance from the tree to the lip of the bowl.
“I think this will still be long enough. Come on, let’s give it a try.”
Ever since they had arrived at the salt deposit, they had crept quietly from spot to spot, never speaking in a normal tone of voice. They had not wanted to attract the attention of godat-ta. With the bear gone and licking its wounds, they reveled in not having to be so quiet.
They climbed back up to the lip of the caldera and worked their way around until they were right next to the tree. It was a seventy-five-foot drop from the lip to the base of the tree, but even so, the tree rose another twenty-five feet over their heads. It had once been even taller, but there had been a lightning strike at some point and now there was a single jagged edge that pointed skyward.
Versa-eh tied another lasso out of the edge of their homemade rope and threw it at that jagged edge. Her throw fell short, but no one else stepped forward and said, ‘Here, let me try.’ They all knew Versa-eh was the best at this skill.
It took her half a dozen tries to get the rope over the top, but she managed to nestle the loop softly over the top. It fell a few feet down, then was stopped by the nub of a branch.
Proudly, she handed the rope to Alex and said, “Now what, Manta-ak?”
Alex grinned a bit at the simplicity of the plan. “Now we pull.”
Senta-eh looked at the rope, then the tree, then the rope again. “You think we can pull the tree down?”
“Actually, I don’t know. It’s just the easiest solution.”
Monda-ak danced at the edge of the cliff, wanting to add his prodigious strength to the project, but Alex said, “Sorry. This is one of those jobs where opposable thumbs are needed.”
Monda-ak immediately turned away and looked for some shade to lie down in.
The four humans gripped the rope tightly and pulled.
Nothing happened.
Senta-eh turned her face to Alex while she pulled. She didn’t say anything, but it was easy to see that she did not think this was among his better ideas.
After a few minutes of straining, the most they were able to accomplish was to make the top of the tree sway a bit. Even that was enough to agitate the wasta-ta, though and a few dozen of them swarmed out of the hive and rose toward the humans.
A few dozen bees flying at four humans is not a big deal, unless those bees are each the size of a large man’s hand.
The fight or flight instinct kicked in for all four of them at once. They dropped the rope and hurried down the edge of the bowl, hoping to escape. Monda-ak, whose feelings still seemed to be hurt, barely opened his eyes to notice their leaving.
Escape was not that easy. The wasta-ta looked slightly awkward in flight because of their sheer size, but once they got up to speed, they were able to cover ground quickly.
Alex glanced over his shoulder and saw that the wasta-ta had not given up the chase. In fact, they were closing in. Because godat-ta had constantly been in the bowl, the humans hadn’t dared get close to the wasta-ta before. Now they were getting much more of a close-up view of the insects than they wanted.
ALEX LET THE OTHER three pass ahead of him. “Run to the stream!”
Harta-ak jumped into the lead and cut over toward the burbling water.
Alex took off behind Senta-eh, but he had fallen behind and the first of the wasta-ta punished him for it. It zeroed in on his exposed right leg. It landed and deployed its stinger.
An explosion of pain burst from Alex’s right thigh. It was so burning, so intense, that it made him stumble and almost lose his footing altogether.
Fall now and those things might sting me to death.
Alex found his balance and redoubled his speed, trying to catch up to the others.
Harta-ak reached the stream first. He turned and extended a hand to Versa-eh. “Go under!”
She did as he instructed, picking out the deepest part of the water. She made a flat dive, cut the water, and submerged. Senta-eh followed next, just as a wasta-ta closed on her. She hit the water running, ducked under, and the bee flew back toward Harta-ak.
Harta-ak saw it coming, though, found another pool in the water and dove in ahead of it.
Bringing up the rear, Alex saw a small swarm of wasta-ta waiting for him. He ran straight for them, leaping up into the small yellow cloud. His momentum moving one way and theirs flying the other caused them to bounce harmlessly off him. He landed in a pool of his own and kept himself submerged, waiting for the cloud to pass.
Harta-ak ran out of oxygen first and poked his head up to take a breath. As he did, a yellow bomber flew at him and buried its stinger in his cheek. He screamed at the instant pain and brushed madly at it before falling back in the water.
One by one, they each were forced to surface to breathe and were attacked each time. All four of them received incredibly painful stings to the face, neck, and arms.
Finally, as one, the small attack squad of wasta-ta turned and flew away.
Alex popped his head up just in time to see the bees retreating.
Monda-ak had gotten over his snit and had followed them to the bank of the stream. He sat there panting at them. The wasta-ta flew right past him, completely uninterested.
Senta-eh was the next to surface, glancing wildly around for another attack. When none came, her natural calm asserted itself. She turned to Alex and said, “That plan did not work very well.”
They sat in the cold water for long minutes and eventually Monda-ak splashed in and joined them. The wasta-ta stingers were so big that they were easy to pluck out of each other’s skin, though they did tend to leave a jagged edge like when a fishhook is removed.
Red welts around the affected area turned into large areas of swelling as the poison spread.
Alex had gotten the worst of it, with four total stings. He felt light-headed and slightly nauseous.
“If I had gotten a few more of those, I think I would have passed out.”
“They are nothing to be messed with,” Versa-eh agreed. “Maybe our next plan can be from farther away.”
Harta-ak had taken a brutal sting to his left eye in addition to the one on his right cheek. That eye had completely swollen shut.
Senta-eh had gotten the best of it, with a single sting to her upper bicep. She stood, water running off her, and said, “Stay here. Try to keep cool water on the wounds. I will be back.”
Alex was in no frame of mind to a
rgue with her. He found a flat rock and rested his head against it, letting the water flow over his stings.
After a few minutes, Versa-eh sat up, looked at the two men and laughed. “Please tell me I don’t look as awful as you both do.”
Harta-ak turned his head so he could see her through his one open eye, took in the massive swelling on her nose and forehead, and said, “No, no, your beauty is untouched.”
After nearly an hour had passed, Monda-ak left the creek bank and ventured into the middle of it, semi-damming up the flow with his massive girth. That increased the water depth for Alex and Harta-ak and both were grateful for it.
Finally, Senta-eh reappeared with a fistful of green and red leaves. She found a flat, round rock and another, sharper stone. She laid the leaves out on the flat rock and ground on them with the sharp stone, mixing a few drops of water with the concoction. Soon enough, she had a thick paste. She looked at Harta-ak. “Come this way.”
Harta-ak was reluctant to leave the cooling water, but he did slide over and pulled his face up. Senta-eh scooped a dollop of paste and gently applied it to the lumpy mass that had previously been Harta-ak’s handsome face.
She repeated the process with Versa-eh and Alex, grinding more of the leaves when needed.
Harta-ak stood up in the knee-deep water and said, “The pain is leaving!”
Versa-eh stood, held his chin, and turned his face one way then another. “The swelling is going down, too. You’ve found a miracle medicine here in the wilderness.”
“I didn’t find it,” Senta-eh said. “Werda-ak showed these leaves to me.”
The mention of the dead boy brought a sudden heaviness to the air.
“I think we can go back to camp, now. Time to try something new.”
Alex’s something new was nothing complex. Remembering how they had burned the mighty city of Lasta-ah, Alex decided that was the best course of action. The plan was to find pine tree pitch, cover one of Senta-eh’s arrows with it, light it on fire, and fire it into the dead tree.
