Cave Bear Mountain

by Jo Sandhu

  ‘We are dead, and walk in the Spirit World,’ the other boy gasped faintly. Kaija turned her attention to his wounds.

  ‘You are not dead, Miika. And nor are we.’ Tarin pressed his lips together and looked at Taavo’s arm in concern. ‘He’s still bleeding. We need to get them to camp and make a wash for their injuries. How’s Rohk?’

  ‘Shaken, but he will heal,’ Luuka said. ‘How far is Mammoth Camp from here?’

  Tarin chewed his lip and looked around. He took note of the trees, and the rocks, and the shape of the land. He was surprised they were so close to Mammoth Camp, and surprised that a dagger-tooth had wandered this close to a human settlement. He shuddered. This may have been the dagger-tooth that attacked his father.

  ‘Not far,’ he said finally. ‘And there will be help there.’

  Miika groaned as Kaija wrapped a length of soft buck-skin around his arm.

  ‘Don’t dagger-tooths hunt in packs?’ Kaija glanced

  behind her nervously.

  Taavo answered, although his voice was still faint. ‘This one is a loner.’ He tried to sit up straighter, and frowned as Tarin strapped the tunic in place around his arm. The bleeding slowed, but a red stain still spread slowly through the soft leather. ‘It’s been injured previously, and we think it could no longer defend a territory. That’s why it strayed so close to Mammoth Camp. Some of the men went out to hunt it . . . but we were the ones who found it first.’

  He closed his eyes and clasped Tarin’s hand. A frown of pain furrowed his brow.

  Tarin returned the pressure of his brother’s hand. He felt the colour gradually return to his face, and the tight band around his chest ease. He took a deep gulp of air and tasted the scent of spilt blood and animal flesh. His stomach churned, and he rose and walked over to the fallen cat.

  Its tawny fur was stained red around the throat. Its lips hung open to reveal the long, serrated teeth. The sight of them made Tarin shiver. His gaze followed the contour of its back, down over the short, hind legs. Its shape reminded him of a hyena, but it was muscled and heavier than a man. He felt the contents of his stomach rise into his throat and he turned away from it quickly.

  Behind him, the wolves still growled. They snarled at the fallen cat, and lunged towards it experimentally. When it didn’t move, Rohk grabbed it by its bloodied throat and shook it from side to side.

  ‘Rohk! Nilkka! Down!’ Tarin snapped sharply. They stopped their attack and dropped to the ground, whining.

  As they did so, two men ran towards them. They skidded to a stop and stared at Tarin with mouths open and eyes wide.

  ‘Tarin!’ Jarkko exclaimed. ‘Is that really you?’ He took another step forwards, and suddenly, he shouted in joy and gathered Tarin into his arms. Tarin felt the tension in his body disappear. He laughed and returned Jarkko’s bear hug.

  ‘We thought you dead!’ Jarkko released Tarin and took him by the shoulders. ‘Look at you!’

  He held Tarin at arm’s length and shook his head in amazement. It was then he noticed Utu. The owl hissed and fluffed his feathers. Jarkko dropped his arms abruptly.

  ‘There is an owl on your shoulder! And why do wolves heed your words?’

  ‘It’s a long story,’ Tarin mumbled.

  Markku also gripped Tarin’s hand and shook it so hard

  Tarin thought his arm might break again.

  ‘We need to move these two,’ Kaija said. Both Taavo and Miika looked as though they might faint. Jarkko and Markku hauled the boys to their feet. Nilkka sniffed Taavo, and he nearly fell again in fright.

  ‘What about the cat?’ Luuka said. ‘Tarin, you need to at least claim the teeth.’

  ‘You killed the dagger-tooth?’ Jarkko looked at him in amazement. ‘You? Little rabbit?’

  Tarin nodded, but now the immediacy of the attack was over, his legs felt weak and his head spun.

  ‘A dagger-tooth was your first kill?’ Miika sounded incredulous. He stared at Tarin with glazed eyes and hung onto Markku’s arm.

  ‘Actually, his first kill was a bison.’ Kaija raised her chin and stood with her hands on her hips. Miika stared at her a moment, then his gaze dropped to the cave lion tooth around her neck. Kaija’s hand moved to clasp the pendant.

  ‘The cave lion wasn’t my kill,’ Tarin said, watching the conflicting emotions flash across Miika’s face. ‘Kaija killed the cave lion herself.’ Inwardly, he smiled at the surprise in the men’s eyes, but he said nothing.

  ‘I’ll stay and skin the dagger-tooth,’ Luuka said. ‘If you can tell me which way your camp is.’

  ‘We’ll send someone back to help you.’ Jarkko picked Taavo up in his arms and started towards camp. Markku followed with Miika.

  Kaija clasped Tarin’s hand. The warmth was comforting. He hadn’t realised how close they were to his home, and he started to shake.

  A hill rose before them, and Tarin paused at the top of the ridge. A full year had passed since he had stood there with his father, yet the memory was strong. He remembered the tightness in his chest, and the way it had hurt to breathe. He remembered the wind in his father’s wild hair, and the scent of approaching snow. He remembered the weight of his pack, and how his leg and trembled and ached.

  Tarin shivered. And now? He was returning a hunter . . . a man. He was as strong as Taavo, maybe stronger after all their challenges. He no longer trembled at raised, angry voices. He no longer stumbled when he walked. He no longer felt the tightness in his chest whenever the cold winds blew across the steppes. He could hunt and kill and survive.

  But he still had no idea what to expect when he walked into Mammoth Camp. He may be a hunter, but he was still an outcast here, and even though he’d faced dagger-tooths and raging bison, he trembled to think what would happen when finally he came face to face with his mother and father.

  Kaija squeezed his hand, and they continued down the hill.

  The stepping stones over the river were still there, rebuilt after the Spring floods. Tarin stepped confidently from one to the other. Rohk and Nilkka leapt through the water, but didn’t run ahead. They gave Tarin their wolfish grins.

  ‘Yes, I can see you are being very good,’ Tarin said. He scratched them each behind their ears as a reward.

  From the river, the land sloped gently upwards to the terrace and the earth-lodges. Kaija touched Tarin’s arm.

  ‘Wait. Let them treat their wounded,’ she said.

  Tarin nodded and they paused, but now he was finally home, he could wait no longer.

  ‘Stay here,’ he said, placing Utu on Kaija’s shoulder. He touched each wolf on the head, then walked towards the lodges. They looked so familiar and dear to him, it was as though he had never been away. He gazed at his camp hungrily, drinking in the sights and sounds. He breathed deeply, smelling the smoke and the scent of the hides.

  A group of women working on curing hides stopped what they were doing and stared at the strange procession climbing the hill towards them. A small, rounded woman stood and shaded her eyes against the glare of the sun. Her hand went to her throat, and suddenly, Salla was screaming and running down the hill towards them. Helvi and Sanna-Leena followed.

  The hide curtains on the lodges were thrown open. People ran from all over the camp. Matti, Pia, Maija and Niko. Down the hill they flowed, a tide to surge around the wounded boys. Hanno and Matti helped carry them the final steps up the hill. Helvi and Sanna-Leena fussed with their wounds, even as the boys were carried into the nearest earth-lodge.

  ‘Niko,’ Jarkko called. ‘Run back towards the little canyon, near where the fireweed grows. You’ll find a boy there skinning the dagger-tooth. Help him and then bring him here.’

  Niko nodded and turned to run, when he suddenly saw Tarin walking toward him.

  ‘Tarin!’ Niko shouted. ‘Is it you? Or your Spirit?’

  As though they were one, the clan turned to stare at him. Tarin lifted his chin and returned their gaze thoughtfully. Then he strode forward and gripped Niko’s hand.
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  ‘You survived the river!’

  A smile broke out over Niko’s face. ‘And you.’

  A woman pushed through the crowd and Tarin’s heart sank. Maija!

  She grasped Niko’s shoulders and when her eyes met Tarin’s he was surprised to see tears there. ‘You . . . saved . . . my . . . son . . .’ The woman stopped talking and her mouth wavered. ‘You saved my Niko, from the river. Bison Clan told us!’ She collapsed to the ground at Tarin’s feet and sobbed.

  Blood rushed to his face and he tried to pull Maija back onto her feet. Salla grabbed the prostrate woman under the arms and hauled her up.

  ‘Well, there’s no need to scare the boy away, is there. Niko, you run and help like you were asked, and you, Pia, go and find Aila and Kalle.’

  But there was no need. A commotion parted the crowd, and Kalle pushed his way through. He stopped and stared at his son, as though he were looking at a ghost. Aila stumbled after him, grasping his arm for support.

  Tarin’s heart clenched as he stared at his parents. He couldn’t take his eyes from them. He lovingly devoured the sight of their hair, the shape of their bones, and the very way they stood and held themselves. He caught his breath at the sight of the livid, raised scar that ran down Kalle’s face. Tarin traced its length down his throat until it disappeared into his tunic, then his gaze returned to the flap of skin that now hung over an empty eye-socket. The big man was gaunt, his skin tinged with grey, but his hair was still wild and fiery red, and his remaining eye glistened with tears.

  Aila sobbed as she grasped Kalle’s arm. One hand flew to her mouth, unwilling to believe it was her son standing there. She looked thin and frail, and Tarin feared a gust of wind would blow her away. Before he could speak, or rush forward to take them in his arms, a cry came from behind him.

  ‘Tarin! Tarin! Tarin!’ Saara dropped the basket of mush- rooms she was carrying and rushed forward, closely followed by Tuuli. They threw themselves at him, and Aila and Kalle hurried forward to wrap their arms around them all.

  Tarin hugged his sisters, then gently pushed them aside to take his mother in a great bear hug. He felt her body

  shake with the power of her sobs. The arms around his neck were strong, but her bones stuck through her flesh. She lifted her head to gaze upon him, and wiped her tears from his face. Then Kalle grabbed him and gave a huge shout. He lifted Tarin from his feet and wailed.

  There was a loud shriek from above and Utu swooped to land on Tarin’s shoulders. Everyone jumped backwards. Tarin bit his lip as he put his hand up to Utu to calm him.

  ‘Aila!’ Sanna-Leena plucked at Aila’s sleeve urgently. ‘Taavo, he’s been hurt. And Miika. They were attacked by the dagger-tooth. The blood is still flowing, and we cannot stop it. I don’t know how.’ She wrung her hands.

  Aila stared at Sanna-Leena, uncomprehending. She shook her head. ‘Sanna, I cannot find one son and lose the other!’

  ‘Kaija is a healer,’ Tarin spoke in a loud voice, for them all to hear. He went to where Kaija waited with her arms around the wolves and drew her forward. He motioned for the wolves to behave, and his lips twitched as he watched the clan move back to give the wolves plenty of space.

  Tarin looked steadily around the clan. He had been so happy to see those he loved, he’d almost forgotten about those who were no longer there. Asa and Eero and Ilmi. He let his angry gaze rest last of all on Matti. Matti had always had the power to frighten Tarin, but no more, he realised Never again would he let himself be intimidated by anyone. He looked Matti in the eye and spoke clearly and loudly.

  ‘Since you have no healer, Kaija will help Taavo and Miika.’ He squeezed her hand and put her into the care of Sanna-Leena. ‘Ask Sanna for Old Mother’s herbs.’ Tarin’s voice wavered. A lump stuck in his throat and he swallowed it down. ‘Do . . . do you still have her supply of dried herbs?’

  ‘Yes.’ Sanna-Leena nodded and looked at the ground. ‘She tried to teach me . . . but I’m no healer. Come, girl.’ She took Kaija’s hand and pulled her into the earth-lodge.

  Matti sniffed and hefted a spear. ‘I will take care of the dagger-tooth.’

  ‘There’s no need,’ Jarkko spoke. ‘Tarin has killed the dagger-tooth himself. And here comes his companion with the skin and teeth.’

  The crowd turned to watch Luuka and Niko cross the river and walk towards them. Rohk yelped and, unable to restrain himself, bounded down the hill towards Luuka. Niko stopped in his tracks, his eyes as large as the moon, but Rohk ignored him and jumped up at Luuka, licking his face. The crowd gasped. ‘So, little Owl has returned!’

  Tarin turned to find Old Father regarding him. He lent heavily on a staff of mammoth bone. His shoulders hunched, and he had lost most of his long white hair. But his eyes were still as deep and as mysterious as always. He grasped Markku’s hand as the man led him forward.

  ‘I don’t leave the earth-lodge so much anymore, little Owl.’ He glanced around the assembled clan. ‘Unless someone cares to find me. I sit in my shadows and dream my dreams. I had a dream the other night, of a place where the water steams the air, and a river runs far beneath the ground. And then I was in a place of blue ice. All around me, and it was smooth to touch.’ The old man paused. His eyes lost their light. ‘Or was that another dream?’ He shook his head wearily. ‘I no longer know. Take me back to my lodge, boy,’ he said to Markku.

  But he had only taken a few, shaky steps when he turned back to Tarin.

  ‘But tell me first . . . the mountain. Did you reach the Mother’s Mountain?’

  Tarin felt the wind cease and the sound of the birds in the air still. The water no longer bubbled over the rocks, and the murmurs and whispers of the clan dissolved to nothing.

  Did I make it to the mountain?

  In Tarin’s dreams he had answered that question a million times over, and in a million different ways.

  ‘I reached the mountain.’ He spoke softly, but his voice carried to his entire clan.

  ‘Ha!’ Kalle slapped his hands together and the sound made everyone jump. Old Father raised one white eyebrow and his dark eyes gleamed.

  Tarin held his hand up to the clan to stop their excited murmurs. ‘But when I reached the mountain, I had no gift to give to the Earth Mother.’

  Tarin stared at the stunned faces and lifted his chin. He was aware of Luuka and the wolves standing next to him, and from the doorway of Mammoth Lodge, Kaija stepped forward, still covered in blood. He raised his hand to his shoulder and felt Utu’s comforting nibble.

  ‘My journey was long. Many times I nearly died, and but for my companions, I would not stand here now.’ He glanced at Luuka and Kaija and tried to smile.

  ‘Tarin saved me and the wolves from Boar Clan.’ Luuka raised his voice so all could hear. The circle around them moved closer.

  ‘He saved my life when I was injured,’ Kaija said. ‘And became a hunter of Worj’s Clan, a clan of the Esi.’

  ‘Once, we were hunting with the Esi,’ Luuka continued, as the clan murmured their surprise, ‘and Tarin jumped in front of a bison to save another hunter. Another time, he helped fell a charging donta.’

  The murmurs became louder as Mammoth Clan turned to each another in amazement.

  ‘Tarin made it to the Mother’s Mountain,’ Kaija said. ‘And entered the deepest caves. The mountain shook. Spirit of Rock fought with Spirit of Ice, and still Tarin survived. He returned to us, and has brought us safely here to Mammoth Camp, facing many dangers along the way.’

  ‘And he returns to his clan now with the skin of the dagger-tooth.’ Luuka waved the tawny skin. ‘He killed the dagger-tooth alone.’

  Stunned silence descended on the clan. Then a voice spoke.

  ‘He was supposed to bring back a token from the Earth Mother, to say she had heard our plea.’

  The clan turned to look at Miika, who stood in the doorway to the lodge. His face was pale. His hair and clothes matted with blood. He held his bandaged arm close to his side. Taavo stood next to him, l
eaning on Jarkko’s shoulder. The clan’s faces returned to Tarin.

  ‘There was no token.’ Tarin pressed his lips together and straightened his shoulders. He waited for them to turn from him in disgust.

  But before anyone could say anything, Old Father started to laugh. He threw his head back and shouted, ‘No gift. No token.’

  The old man’s laughter was shrill. He slapped his thighs and shook his head.

  ‘Little Rabbit makes it all the way to the mountain, and what does he have to show for it? A couple of orphaned children, an owl, and two wolves.’

  ‘Come, Old One,’ Markku urged, trying to pull him back towards his lodge.

  The clan shuffled their feet and looked worried. But Old Father pulled free of Markku’s grasp and opened his arms wide. He threw his head back and yelled, ‘Nothing!’

  ‘Valo!’ Aila’s voice was sharp. She grasped the old man by the shoulders and shook him. ‘My son has returned. I need no other sign.’

  Old Father lurched towards Tarin, so close Tarin could smell the scent of the powdered wormwood that had leached into his skin over the years.

  There was a sudden flurry of feathers and claws as Utu rose into the air. He stretched wide with his wings and flared his facial feathers. He opened his beak and snapped. He hovered in the air behind Tarin and the power of his great wings stirred the light covering of snow and sent it swirling in the air.

  Valo cried out and stepped back, arms raised to ward away the owl. He dropped to one knee.

  Tarin thought of Asa and Eero and Ilmi and he knew they were standing there with him. He felt their Spirits touching his, giving him their strength and their love. He thought of Old Father’s part in their fate and drew his shoulders back. He stood tall beneath Utu’s beating wings and faced the Spirit Keeper.

  He needed no words, but as his gaze met Valo’s, he saw the old man’s face change. Valo’s body shrank. His hands trembled. His eyes wavered and fell. He was suddenly a broken man, old and stooped, and Tarin wondered why he had ever been so frightened of him.