by C. S. Bills
Paven snorted. “These strangers are staying. I saw them unpacking. We need to leave. Why risk meeting these people if we know we can’t beat them in a fight?”
“I agree with Paven,” Bruna said.
Many of the Seer hunters and most of Paven’s Clan also agreed. The men and women debated what they should do, the Seers in loud voices, the Expanse Clans quieter, but each intense in their opinion. Some were saying they needed to remain hidden, others that they needed to risk finding out the strangers’ intentions. It looked like Attu’s group was in the minority.
Attu turned to ask his father a question, but Paven had motioned to Ubantu and the two were walking off. Paven was obviously angry at Ubantu, his shoulders hunched, his hands gesturing as they walked. Attu watched as others broke into smaller groups as well, hunters, families, Seers and Expanse Clans, heading back to their camps for the evening meal while they continued talking with about what needed to be done.
“He’s been angry ever since you and Rika were bonded,” Yural said, watching Ubantu and Paven as they disappeared around a bend in the path. “Your father needs to talk with him, alone. Besides, it’s time for the evening fire and food. The debating will continue next sun. You can speak with each of our hunters then and convince them we need to take a chance on these strangers. Now, we all need to eat and rest.”
Yural and Meavu began walking back toward the caves. Attu followed. Yural sighed. “Killing Moolnik has seemed to bring out the worst in Paven’s spirit. I’ve seen this happen before. When a man leads as Paven does, everything he doesn’t understand becomes a threat to him, something to be faced with violence and not wisdom.”
“He never learned how to be wise with his own woman, or his daughter,” Meavu said, “and he’s angry that we want to go separate ways.”
“And if he can’t fight the strangers, he wants no part of them. He feels threatened by your leadership, Attu, by Ashukat’s Gifts, and by his own shortcomings. You know he hasn’t been able to learn to swim?”
“He can’t swim?” Meavu and Attu turned to Yural in disbelief.
“One of the other women told me he’s afraid to even put his head in the water. She saw him hanging on to a branch in the small river by our camp, working to put his face under the moving water. He couldn’t do it. I’ve never seen him in water past his knees or in any of the boats. Have you?”
“No,” The two replied.
So of course Paven would be angry to think we want to head north by boat. He’s too afraid to come with us, even if he wanted to.
“He’s begun to despise your father for learning to hunt from skin boats. He blusters in an effort not to lose honor with the other hunters.”
“So he may feel forced to frighten tuskies over a cliff. He may hate the grasslands as much as we do,” Meavu said.
Attu realized his sister was right. And so was his mother about Meavu. Meavu had grown into the wisdom of her Clan as a true Nuvik woman. He needed to see her that way from now on.
And I need to listen to her.
“But he has no other choice,” Yural continued. “None of us wants to stay in this damp place that chills our bones like no deep cold ever could. It is not the place it was before, Ashukat says. It’s not warm as in the last Warming, or Cold as in the time Ashukat’s ancestors waited for us. It’s somewhere in between. Not a good place for a Nuvik. Already my hands feel stiff each morning from the damp. And our hides are rotting.”
“Perhaps he still dreams, Mother,” Attu said, still thinking of Paven. “Just because he didn’t listen to his own dreams while we were still on the Expanse, just because he didn’t get his people off the ice sooner, doesn’t mean he may not still be dreaming... as I am.” Attu thought about Paven’s anger and considered how it would feel to continue to deny possessing a Gift. “I’ve told you of my dreams of the fire mountain and the place to the north. Maybe Paven is feeling the unsettling that you and I are feeling as well.”
“I feel it too,” Meavu added. “And it’s getting stronger with each day we remain here.”
“Do you dream, Meavu?” Attu asked. “I’m sorry I never asked you this before...” his voice trailed off and he suddenly felt embarrassed.
“No, brother,” Meavu said, “at least not yet.” She touched his shoulder lightly as they walked. “But mother says I feel the moving of the spirits very strongly, and this will help me as I make decisions with the other women of the Clan.”
Yural nodded then turned the conversation back to Paven. “Perhaps if you asked him about it-”
“He would call me a fool,” Attu said. “The man cannot accept that he too, has a Gift.”
“That might be,” Yural said, “and it may be why he acts as he does toward Ashukat, a person who has embraced his Gifts. But I think there’s more. It’s as if he wants to get away from the open water, and away from his life from before.”
“And I only feel at home anymore when I’m on the water. The rest of the time I feel very troubled.”
“Do you think these canoe people have been troubling your spirit from afar?” Yural reached out to touch Attu’s cheek, and he remembered a time so many moons ago, when she had risked freezing her hand to touch his cheek as they walked the great Expanse toward this new land.
“You must make a choice, Attu,” Meavu said. “You must choose what to do when you’re faced with the fire of the mountains before you. You must have the strength to lead us all to safety, no matter how dangerous it might be. You are being called to lead our people to a new place again. I feel it in my spirit.”
“But what if my leading causes Rika’s dream to come true?”
Attu told his mother and Meavu of Rika’s dream, of the infant gone Between in the arms of the woman of fire. “What do you think Rika’s dream means?” Attu hesitated to ask his mother and sister if they thought his woman would indeed lose a son, for to speak about it aloud might invite danger from evil spirits.
“I will pray to Yuralria for the safety of Rika’s child, and to be there whenever your moment of decision has come. You will be guided, whatever you must do,” Yural said. “My name spirit of dancing wind over water and ice will help you in your moment of choice. And when the spirits choose to give Rika a child, all of us will be there for her.” She stopped and turned toward Attu, placing her hand on his chest in the gesture of promise.
Meavu placed her hand over her mother’s and Attu remembered the day he had become a hunter, a man of the Ice Mountain Clan. Their hands had rested on his chest then, hands covered with the blood of his kill as he promised to hunt for them, to protect them until he had a woman of his own. Now Meavu’s voice held that same promise in return to him, and Attu felt as if Elder Nuanu were present with them once again in the bodies of these two women of his Clan. “I, too, will pray,” his sister said. “You will succeed. We will keep Rika and your son safe. I promise.”
Chapter 6
“It appears our most important question is answered before we have even decided whether or not to let ourselves be seen,” Attu said.
Attu, Ubantu, and Bruna hid behind a slight rise above a fine pebble beach near the mouth of the wide river. Twenty huge canoes had been pulled above high tide and stood in a row, taking up the entire beach.
Before them, near the trees, lay three rectangles of gathered stones, each at least two spear throws long and almost a spear throw wide. Attu couldn’t believe some of the stones had been moved by human hands, they were so large, the size of a full grown male nuknuk, but as he watched, a dozen men slid another stone into place, using tree branches positioned under it at various angles to lever it alongside the rest.
One pile of stones held up a huge tree, newly cut from the forest. Its tree blood ran in clear streams down its sides from where all its limbs had been cut off. It appeared to be one of what would be four massive posts, to hold up a structure so large Attu couldn’t even imagine how big it would be when it was finished.
“Where will they get enough hides to
cover it?” Ubantu asked.
“I think they’re going to use those slices of trees,” Bruna answered, pointing to the edge of the clearing. Men were working there, near a pile of long wood pieces cut from the tree so they were flat on both sides. As they watched, four men strained to add another to the pile as sweat glistened on their bodies from the effort of lifting. The single piece of wood was the length of the stone rectangle.
“No one goes to such great effort if they’re not planning on staying a long time.” Ubantu shielded his eyes to see better.
Something moved behind them. Attu sprang into a crouch, the others beside him, weapons at the ready.
“It’s just us,” Suka said, keeping his voice low.
Attu’s group let out a collective breath of relief.
Suka and Kinak, along with the other Seer hunter named Stannik, crouched beside them and peered over the rise. Kinak whistled low.
“That’s impossible,” Stannik, said. “How could they have built so much so fast?”
“I think it’s because they have so many people working at once. Imagine what we could do if we had that many strong men and women.”
The Clans had been watching the strangers for the last two days. Each group of hunters had returned with wilder stories than the group before. Now Attu had seen it with his own eyes. The fiery canoe people were going nowhere. They meant to create a permanent settlement near the wide river. And it was turning out to be an amazing sight, huge shelters like none of the others had ever seen, even Ashukat and the Seers. And the number of people was more than Attu could have ever imagined. Most of the watchers agreed that there were almost two hundred hunters in the Clan. It was hard to tell with many of them going into the surrounding forest and up the river to hunt and fish. They had at least that many women with them, and everywhere they looked, there were children.
Twenty fires surrounded the clearing, each with a cluster of women working to cook food. Children ran everywhere, screaming and playing and fighting among themselves. Occasionally, a call in a strange language rang out through the clearing as people shouted to one another over the clamor of the crowd.
“That settles it,” Stannik said. “I’ll tell the others of my Clan that we need to leave as soon as the tusked animals begin to move with their young. Until then, we should remain hidden.”
“These people don’t appear threatening,” Ubantu said. “Even though there are so many.”
“But we’re leaving anyway, so why take the risk that they might be?” Stannik seemed very sure of himself.
Attu felt sick. What do we do now?
Attu and Rika walked from the cave they were staying in toward Ashukat’s fire. Ashukat had said that with the appearance of the canoe people, their training was now even more important.
“I wonder if something will come up again, like the last two times Ashukat tried to meet with us.” “I’m getting anxious about it. We need to know more about the Gifts.” Attu quickened his pace. Hopefully, today is the day.
Tingiyok approached them on the path. “The Seers have asked Ashukat to assist them with something. Ashukat asked me to tell you he will be too busy again today to instruct you.” Tingiyok ducked his head in a gesture of leaving and moved his hands out to the side as if saying, “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do about it.” Then he turned back toward the Seer Clan’s central fire.
“What about you, Tingiyok?” Rika asked. “If Ashukat is too busy...”
Tingiyok stopped and turned back to them. “I’m sorry. I can’t.” He ducked his head again and hurried away.
“I’m beginning to think this is no coincidence. Ashukat always being called away whenever he sets up a meeting with us for training in the Gifts,” Rika said as the two of them turned to head back to their cave.
“Let’s go to the crest of the pass, instead.” Attu turned and Rika followed him up the hill. “It’s like some of the Seers don’t want us to know anything more about how the Gifts work.”
This is so frustrating.
“We need to know.”
They had reached the top and as they walked along the rocky ridge, Attu kicked at a stone in the path and watched it skitter along in front of them. He kicked it again. He knew it was a childish thing to do, but ever since they’d made it clear to the Seers that they didn’t want to join them on the grasslands, but wanted to move north along the coast instead, some of the Seers had been openly hostile toward Attu’s people. More seemed to be warming up to Paven, however. Perhaps this was one more way they could get back at Attu and Rika for not wanting their Clan to be curved tusk hunters.
“It’s like they believe we think we are better than they are, just because we want a different life than what they’re offering us. They’re acting like pooliks.” Rika scowled, her hair falling across her face as she walked, staring at her feet like she used to do when her father was watching her.
“Let them play their games,” Attu said. They reached a bend in the path. Around it the ocean gleamed out on the horizon. Attu looked out over the bay. “We will be fine without them. You and I can work together to try and discover what else we might be able to do with these Gifts. We don’t need them.”
“I think Ashukat does want to teach us,” Rika said. She sat down on a flat boulder, overlooking the water.
“I wish I could go out in a skin boat today,” Attu said. “We can figure something out later. I’m too angry at the Seers right now to think things through. I thought seeing the water would help me, but it’s just made me angrier. Let’s go.”
Attu and Rika walked back to their cave in silence.
Attu awoke with his eyes burning and his head pounding as if someone were trying to break it open like the women broke open the mussels on the beach rocks.
“This is the third time you’ve had a headache like this since we came off the ice.” Rika placed a cool wet hide on the back of Attu’s head where the rock had hit him over a moon ago. “It worries me that this injury is still causing you pain.”
“Must have been a big rock that hit me,” Attu mumbled, then shut his eyes again against the light coming into the cave. “I need to get up, go with the rest. They’re hunting the paddle antlers to the north. I need to see the fiery mountain.”
“You’re going nowhere, mighty hunter.” Rika’s voice was firm. “As your healer and your woman, I’m telling you.”
Most of the Ice Mountain Clan and Great Frozen Clan men were going on a hunt. Bruna would guide them through the forests to the north to hunt the paddle antlered animals that lived just east of the fire mountain. They needed food, and the further they hunted away from the canoe people, the less likely they were to be seen. The other Seer hunters had volunteered to guard all the women and children, although no one had seen the strangers venture any further north than their camp. Attu suspected what the Seers really wanted was time to talk among themselves without the others interfering.
Tempers were still flaring among the hunters of all three Clans. Some hunters wanted to go, others to stay and meet the strangers, trade with them. A few of the younger hunters of all three Clans expressed an interest in possibly trading for some of the strangers’ women. Attu had seen the look of jealousy on Bruna’s face whenever Attu was with Rika. Hunters were watching each other with suspicion and holding their women close. Attu wasn’t the only one concerned that violence might erupt among them at any time.
Ashukat had suggested the hunters go, and Bruna had volunteered to show the Expanse Clan hunters the way. Attu had been eager to go also, to see the mountain he had dreamed of and to see these animals, which were smaller than tuskies but still very large. The Seer hunters said they usually came this far south in the winter, staying near the hot springs and grass that grew all winter long in the shelter of the fire mountain, having their young in the spring, then moving north again. They had once been a main food source for the Seers, but when the other Expanse Clans began coming off the ice and they had enough men to hunt the tuskies, the Seer
s grew to scorn the paddle antlers as being unworthy of them. They preferred the tusked animal meat, even though Bruna admitted that the paddle-horns were much smarter.
“And much faster,” Tingiyok had declared.
“Sometimes, the smallest fish can be the most worthy game, for it is quickest,” Attu had said. But Bruna hadn’t seemed to agree with the old Nuvik saying. He’d scowled at Attu and Tingiyok and turned to make preparations for the hunt.
“And I say that every day we linger here, is a greater chance the strangers will discover us. We need to leave now.” Ashukat stood at the central fire in front of the caves, surrounded by his people. For once, most of the other men of the Clan were seated and listening as the Elders of the Seer Clan argued among themselves. Attu sat off to the side. The conversation had awoken him, and although his head still throbbed with the beating of his heart, he had slipped into the group to listen.
“Always before, the Clans have come off the Ice and we’ve sent them out as the weather warms and the herds begin to move north and east. But this time, the strangers have come. This is not good. We need to go now.” Ashukat looked to the rest of his hunters. “I know some of you desire to wait, and a few of you even to venture into the stranger’s camp. But there is a danger there.”
Several of the other Seers nodded.
Do they feel danger? Attu wondered. Or are they simply going along with Ashukat because he is one of them, and their leader?
Ashukat looked at Attu. His face was a mask, as if Attu himself were now a stranger to him.
All because I wish to go north and not east with his Clan?
The arguing continued among the Seers until Attu’s head began throbbing again. Attu turned away from them and sought the darkness of the cave and his warm furs.
“You have decided to leave,” Ubantu said, his voice strong at the central fire. The fire was small, and made of wood that would not smoke, all precautions to keep themselves hidden, even though Attu suspected the fiery canoe people couldn’t see their fire or smoke from their lower elevation near the ocean, even if they were watching out for others. And from what anyone had been able to tell, the canoe people hadn’t ventured farther than necessary to cut the great trees they were using for their dwellings and to fish a short walk up the river where it was easy to stand on flat rocks and spear or net them.
