Rise of Man Book 1: Ascendance

by E. Wayne Stucki

  Chapter 1

  A blinding flash lit up the entire valley and the surrounding mountains then started to fade. Knowing there wasn’t much time before it hit Karg didn’t waste time by turning around but quickly glanced about for some protection. There were no large boulders or holes that would work; just trees. Picking a particularly large and bushy one that was close by Karg threw himself onto the ground under its thick branches, closed his eyes as tight as he could and curled into a ball with his arms covering his head.

  A few heartbeats later a deafening roar like the rushing of many waters falling over a cliff blasted his ears then a strong hot wind coming out of the valley struck the tree. The branches of the tree were thrown back from the force of the gale as Karg’s hair lashed about his head. Dust, sticks and small rocks picked up by the wind stung and poked at his skin and the sun dimmed. One of the branches above him broke off to disappear in the gale as Karg gasped and choked trying to catch his breath. This was worse than he remembered. Moments later the wind reversed and blew back into the valley carrying dust and debris with it.

  Karg remained in what little refuge the tree provided, coughing and hacking, until the wind stopped. When a slight breeze cleared the dust out of the air and the fit of coughing stopped Karg opened his eyes to peer through the twisted and broken branches into the valley below. His vantage point gave him a perfect view of what was happening. Dominating the scene was a large fiery black cloud like the top of a mushroom rolling higher into the blue sky standing atop a dark cloudy pillar. This cloud was closer to his end of the valley than the others he’d seen.

  Careful not to reveal his hiding place by touching any branches of the tree Karg checked the sky and surrounding area for predators. But with the wind and the noise he didn’t expect any. At last he crawled out from under the tree and walked along the sloping hillside towards his alcove. Although he hadn’t seen anything dangerous his stone tipped spear was always held ready as his eyes scanned the area for threats.

  Like the rest of the Clan, Karg walked stooped over and made use occasional use of his knuckles. A prominent brow that shielded his eyes sloped down into a simian-like nose. His mass of thick black hair now matted with dirt, sticks and leaves was pulled back and tied with a leather thong so it fell down his back. Hides of deer and other animals helped cover his nakedness and kept him warm when the cold winds swept off the mountains and through the canyons.

  He made his way through the clumps of scrub oak and bushes that dotted the slopes while slipping between or climbing over boulders that had fallen from the mountains. The only sound he could hear was the hiss of the slight breeze moving through leaves and bushes. It seemed the wind from the Sun-on-The-Ground had carried away any birds or insects that might have been in the area. The animals would have gone to ground like he had.

  A short distance from the tree he’d taken refuge under he climbed a rise then dropped down into the bay that was his destination for the day. Karg crept through the trees that bordered a small meadow and stopped to look before he moved out into the open. Unlike earlier visits there were no deer getting a drink from the seep or feeding on the grass. He really didn’t expect to find any after what had just happened but it was his habit to be careful. That habit had kept him alive over these many years. A deep breath brought in the faint aroma of the small yellow flowers that dotted the grass.

  Leaving the trees he continued across the meadow and jumped a muddy area created by a small seep of water to stand beside the large boulder located at the end of the grass. Its fall from the mountain towering behind had placed it next to the cliff edge and gave an excellent view of the entire valley. Karg climbed onto the rock and found a comfortable position. Pulling a piece of venison jerky from a leather bag, he took a bite and stared around as he chewed.

  It was beautiful. Snow capped mountains towered all around with trees climbing part way up their slopes. Between the mountains and the valley was a gently sloping area covered with trees and bushes. That small area ended in the steep cliffs that bounded the valley on three sides. Streams fed by melting snow on the mountain slopes fell over the cliffs in various places throwing mist into the air and watering the lush vegetation that edged the cliffs below. Small rainbows could be seen in at least two places. Creeks moved out of their pools by the cliffs then disappeared into the trees that covered most of the valley floor. Karg knew this could have been a wonderful home for the Clan if it weren’t for the flashes of light, the hot winds and brown snow.

  Whenever he looked into the Valley of Suns, as he named it, his thoughts went back to the time when he’d first discovered the valley. Turning away from the view he found the slope where he, Makto-the-Strong, and Jraf-the-Farseeing had walked down into the alcove tracking a small deer years ago. They’d just reached the small meadow when a sound behind Karg had caught his attention and he turned to see where it came from. Makto and Jraf hadn’t heard the sound but continued forward to look into the valley when the Sun-on-The-Ground was born.

  Startled by the sudden light and the rumble which followed Karg had turned around in time to see the glow fading and a black cloud with fire inside rolling into the sky at the far end of the valley. The other two men must have been looking directly at the flash of light when the sun was born because they were blinded. And if he hadn’t been distracted and looking the other way he’d’ve been blinded as well.

  Karg closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. After these many years he could still hear the anguished cries of his friends. When the hot wind had stopped blowing he’d heard Makto bellowing and saw him pawing at his eyes while, closer to the cliff’s edge, Jraf was shrieking in terror and pain. At the time Karg had thought something must have cast a spell on Jraf because the man had been moving along the edge of the meadow, stumbling and crawling over bushes and rocks.

  Yelling a warning that Jraf was heading towards the cliff Karg had climbed to his feet and ran to stop the man. But Jraf didn’t seem to hear. He’d tripped on a rock and disappeared from sight. Karg reached the cliff’s edge in time to see his friend’s body bounce off ledges and rocks then come to a stop at the bottom amid a jumble of boulders.

  The hunter remembered staring at the twisted and broken body sprawled on a rock far below hoping for any sign of life. But he’d been dreaming. No one could’ve survived a fall from that height. Then another sound had brought him back to what was happening behind him. There was his other friend.

  Turning, he’d found Makto stumbling into trees, over bushes and rocks, clawing at his eyes also heading for the valley. Karg had groaned in misery at the sight and tried to deny this was happening. Screaming in frustration he’d run across the flower covered grass and dove to tackle the screaming man when he was almost to the cliff’s edge.

  Ignoring the bruises and scratches he’d got from the struggle he cradled the thrashing, shrieking man in his arms and crooned as if Makto was a small child. It’d taken the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon for the touch and sounds to sooth the distressed man.

  Coming back to the present the hunter shifted position on the boulder and rubbed his eyes with grimy hands to banish the images he’d conjured. If he could he’d use his fingers to dig out the memories from that long ago time.

  When Makto had been calm enough to walk, Karg had climbed to his feet and coaxed his friend up. Then the two hunters had started their exhausting trek back to their home cave with Karg leading a whimpering Makto by the hand.

  Karg got down from the boulder, stooped to pick up a rock and threw it out into the valley. He watched the stone arc out and down then disappear in the scrub brush far below. Even after so many years he could vividly remember what had happened days after they’d arrived at Home Cave.

  When it became apparent that Makto’s sight wouldn’t return the Elders of the Clan had ordered him to take Makto away and kill him. The meager resources of the Clan wouldn’t support those who couldn’t contribute. There just wasn’t enough food. After he’d com
pleted his task and buried his friend Karg had taken the wives and children of Jraf and Makto to care for as his own.

  A low rumbling drew him back from his memories and he saw the dark cloud caused by the Sun-on-The-Ground reaching high above the mountains. He looked at the sun’s position then around at the shadows thrown by trees and knew he had just enough time to return home before it got too dark to walk. He’d spent so much time thinking of the past that he hadn’t done any hunting which could mean his family would go hungry tonight if his sons were just as unsuccessful in their hunt. But he wasn’t that concerned. They were better hunters than he was.

  Shouldering his food bag and holding his spear ready Karg headed across the meadow. Of course remembering past tragedies might mean he was getting old and couldn’t concentrate on his task. Perhaps it was time he left the hunting parties to join the Council of Elders where he could give advice to the younger men. Karg gave a slight smile and shook his head. He’d contributed much to the Clan and still had more to give. His wives had bore him a handful of sons and his chest pushed outward in pride. Those sons were the reason the Clan survived the winter now. They brought fresh meat when others returned empty handed and that justified his defiance of the Elders.

  Before leaving the meadow Karg paused to look down into the valley again. Even though the rainbows were still there it wasn’t as beautiful as he remembered from that first time so long ago. All the plants at the far end to the middle of the valley had been burned by many Suns-on-The-Ground leaving patches of burnt stumps, dirt and rocks. Glints of dirty light could be seen coming off the ground in various places. The streams flowing through the valley were choked with blackened logs, scum and ash.

  Turning away from the view he moved into the trees, climbed up the slope and out of the alcove. Moments later Karg crossed over the crest of a saddle between towering peaks and started down the slope into the canyon beyond. His spear became a walking stick because of the steepness of the mountainside. He pushed through a clump of bushes as his thoughts continued. Although they were different from most of the Clan God had made his sons the best hunters. He knew that Eiag, son of Cov, was the strongest and Aeb, son of Bren, could out run any in the Clan. A smile crossed his lips again and he grunted a laugh. His sons didn’t need to be the strongest or the fastest; they were the smartest. His sons out thought their prey; they acted together.

  After giving a shake of his head to clear his thoughts he continued down hill. If he didn’t concentrate on what he was doing he might trip. On this slope a fall could very well be fatal. And his family was too large to lose one of its providers now even if he was getting old. Careful to not leave any mark of his passage he moved down the steep slope, weaving back and forth, slipping through the trees, bushes and rocks that dotted the mountainside.

  About two-thirds of the way down the slope Karg moved out of a grove of scrub oak when a sound caught his attention and brought him up short. A few pieces of shale, disturbed by his movement, cascaded down the mountainside. Chagrined at his carelessness, he froze and cocked his head to listen. The rumble and crash from the rocks as they smashed through bushes and bounced off trees was loud but it couldn’t mask the new sound. It was something that seemed familiar but… wasn’t. He looked around to find where the sound was coming from and that didn’t work either. It seemed to be coming from everywhere and was getting louder.

  A quick glance around showed there was a bushy spine tree nearby large enough and with dense enough foliage to hide in. It wasn’t his ideal choice but he wasn’t sure he had a lot of time. Karg ran over, careful to not dislodge any more shale since moving rock would show where he’d hidden.

  Moments later he pushed through the screen of branches, making sure none of the branches were broken. Ignoring the pokes and scratches from the green spines and branches he found an area next to the trunk, rooted out a somewhat comfortable position between the limbs and froze.

  Karg was beginning to think his caution was foolish when an eruption of noise burst into the canyon. A heavy wind coming straight down from the sky blew dust, twigs and oak leaves in all directions. The branches of the pine tree whipped back and forth, scratching and cutting any exposed skin. Stifling a cry, Karg blinked to keep his eyes clear and shielded his face with his arms. It was obvious his hiding place wasn’t going to be enough shelter for this strange gale. He needed a cave or at least a big rock to hide under; something to get him out of the wind. A short distance away, down the mountainside and around a bend of the canyon was such a refuge. He could hide there.

  Leaving the trunk Karg inched to the edge of the cover where the limbs and spines drew bloody lines down the exposed skin of his arms and face as they whipped back and forth. His muscles tensed and he reached out to part the limbs.

  The thrashing of the branches worsened and the noise became a roar coming from directly overhead. He looked up and… breath froze in his chest as all thoughts of running left his mind.

  There was something in the sky that flew like a bird but… it wasn’t like any bird he’d ever seen. Moving back against the trunk where he was away from most of the whipping branches and spines Karg studied the new creature as best he could through the dust and branches. He could see that it had no arms or legs which was strange. Even the large leathery birds he’d seen at a distance over the warm forests had arms and legs. And there was the noise. With that much thunder how could it hunt for food? It would drive all prey into hiding long before it arrived.

  When the bird moved away his wonder grew. The wind went with it! Ignoring the pain of his cuts and scratches Karg watched the new creature move up and down the canyon as if it was looking for something. As it moved around he saw branches of other trees just below the bird whip from a wind he couldn’t feel. A dust cloud seemed to follow the bird. Even stranger, there was a blur above the bird like the blur from the wings of a humming bird.

  A chill ran down his spine when he got a clear look at the thing. Besides no arms or legs there wasn’t a mouth, nose or ears or head! It was all body with a long thin tail! At the end of the tail was another blur only smaller. And he could see… “Inside!” The word was whispered. The front part of the body was clear with figures moving inside, pointing at something in the canyon. Had the bird eaten those animals alive and whole? If that was the case how could it eat with no mouth? And why was the prey still alive?

  A blast of the strange wind returned as the bird came closer. Not wanting to be the creature’s next meal Karg wrapped both arms around the trunk of the tree and hugged as tight as he could. This time the wind stayed. Looking up and squinting his eyes from the dust he saw the strange bird had moved over his tree and stopped. His wonder grew. Other birds could stay in one place if the wind was right. But the other birds had wings and this one had just the strange blur above its body.

  Dust swirled, whipped up by the strange wind while small rocks and dead spines from the tree were blown around. Karg closed his eyes and clung to the trunk of the tree whimpering in fear. The bird remained over his tree for what seemed an eternity then moved up the slope and over the crest toward the Valley-of-Suns.

  When the noise faded completely Karg erupted from under the branches of the pine tree and headed for Home Canyon at a run. He wasn’t afraid the bird would sneak up on him. The noise it made would give him plenty of time to hide if it came back.

  Rocks bounced down the slope as he ran, slipped and jumped the rest of the way down the mountainside. Hot brown snow began falling when he reached the canyon floor but Karg didn’t stop running or care about leaving a trail. The Clan had to be warned about the strange bird that was in the area.