by Kevin Ashman
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Chapter 27
Gradually, the clan had come around to Sky’s way of thinking and spent long hours at the fires each evening discussing the merits and drawbacks of her ideas. The plan that Neifion came up with to meet Sky’s requirements had been dangerous, but breath-taking in its audacity. All the preparations were made, and when an excited Alid ran into the valley with the news they had been waiting for, the clan were ready.
The youngest children stayed in the cave with the elders, while every other fit member of the clan, including the women, followed Ceffyl out of the valley and up to the plateau. They walked carefully to the edge, crawling the last few yards to peer carefully into the vale below.
Below them, the summer herds had returned from the south and a large variety of species grazed the lush green valley, oblivious to the audience watching from above. Horse and reindeer mingled with auroch, gazelle and the horned-sheep that had come down from the hills to taste the sweet grass on the plains. Families of tusked-pigs rooted in the moist soil for sweet roots and solitary deer nervously twitched their ears, constantly on the lookout for predators.
‘Everyone to your places,’ ordered Ceffyl and they crawled back from the edge.
While the rest busied themselves with the pre-arranged tasks, Fox-tooth, Sky and Ffion stalked downwind of the animals, each with their carefully attended packages hanging from their necks by plaited cords. For weeks before the return of the herds, the clan had spent days out on the plains piling dried grass and wood into a line of bonfires stretching across the vale.
Sky hid behind the first grassy pile while the other two women ran forward to hide behind two others. At the far end of the vale was the edge of the forest and Sky watched the tree line carefully for the pre-arranged signal. The remainder of the clan was split into two. The strongest and fittest hunters were at the forest edge, whilst the other half, the women and teenagers lay hidden by the shale slope leading into the valley. Smaller gaps between the trees had been filled with thorny bushes or any dead branches that could be found, arranged in a way to give the impression of insurmountable barriers. Between others, they had hung capes and skins, flapping in the wind.
Most ingenious of all, the women had stuffed spare reindeer skin tunics and leggings with grass and staked them into the ground so they looked like people. Finally, real hunters manned the larger spaces, whose job it was to run back and fore shouting and yelling. All careful preparations designed to stop any animals from escaping into the forest. Such tactics had been used before, albeit on a smaller scale during great hunts, when rows of spears awaited the frantic animals, but this time, killing was the last thing on their minds.
At the pre-arranged signal, Sky took the clay gourd she had been carrying and carefully blew the smouldering embers, gently feeding scavenged sheep’s wool to the sparks, and carefully nurturing the red and yellow flames into life. In the distance, Fox-tooth and Ffion repeated the procedure with each of their fire gourds, watching the horizon intently.
Finally, Ceffyl looked around. He could have done with more people, but it was the best they could do. Stepping up onto a rock, he was profiled against the skyline holding the Hell-farch in his hand. He lifted the spear high, waving it back and fore, signalling the three women more than two miles away at the bottom of the vale.
Sky saw the signal and carefully applied the hungry flames to the pile of dead grass. Quickly the fire took and leapt upward to seek more fuel. Within seconds, the grass pile was ablaze, and Sky sprinted forward to the next grassy pyre a hundred yards distant.
In front of her, she could see Ffion carrying out the same task, and in the distance, Fox-tooth attended to her own five beacons. Smoke bellowed upward from each blaze and the breeze carried the smoke northward toward the herds. Within minutes there were fifteen blazing pyres spread across the width of the vale spewing their smoke upward and caught in the breeze to blow up the valley toward the animals.
Very quickly, the sensitive nostrils of the herbivores picked up the scent of fire and nervously started to edge away from the source, up the hill toward the forest. As the smoke intensified, they started to run from the scent instinctively aware of the danger that fire presented. At first, individual animals appeared out of the smoke running up the slope toward the forest, but the now hidden Ceffyl allowed the first animals to run through the gaps; it was important not to turn the herds too quickly or they could outflank the fires and run back south.
Finally, as the panicking herds appeared on the bottom of the hill, running toward the hidden hunters, Ceffyl jumped out and gave the order they had been waiting for and the hunters at the forest edge ran out to cut off the approaching stampede.
They had fixed flags of torn animal skin to the top of their spears, waving them back and fore, screaming at the top of their voices to turn the now terrified animals to one side. Some animals, in their panic carried on forward past the screaming human line or jumped through the thorny barriers to their front while others swerved to the side, forced by the tactically placed hunters to go up to the plateau and though they lost half the herds through the forest, many had turned toward the sea, where another unseen welcoming committee awaited.
The animals milled around the plateau, safe for the moment from the smoke, but still wide eyed with fear. Different species mixed with each other, their differences forgotten in the circumstances. There were only two apparent ways off this plateau, back up the way they had came toward the forest, or down a slope to the south, skirting the now dying fires.
As they edged toward the slope, a line of figures rose from their hidden positions, blocking the animals escape route south. The women and children, themselves scared at the number of beasts in close proximity, controlled their fear to wave their own fabric at the milling herds, and shouted loudly as they ran back and fore along the edge, providing no escape in that direction.
Turning away, the panicky herds ran north again, only to be confronted with the frantically running hunters from the forest, chasing the beasts and closing the trap. Once again, many escaped through the inadequately manned gaps. Yet, far more of them milled around in fear, as the two human lines closed together. Finally, when they were about a hundred yards apart, Ceffyl gave the order and the two lines wheeled together at one end forcing the final beasts toward the only remaining exit from the plateau and the shale slope that led into the Long-tooth valley.
Slowly, they closed the human net and finally, one animal spotted the unlikely escape route and plunged over the edge, slipping and sliding down into the valley. Being the herd beasts that they were; others quickly followed and within seconds, all the animals trapped on the plateau were jostling for position to leap over the perceived escape route.
At last, the clan all stood on the top of the shale slope and looking down at the results of their endeavours. The animals that had survived the initial descent spread out and galloped away to the safe yet enclosed valley. At the cave entrance far below, the children sat in safety with the elders and watched in amazement as dozens of animals sped past them just below their position. Sky, out of breath from her long run back up the vale, caught up with the clan on the plateau.
‘Did it work?’ she asked breathlessly peering fiercely through the remainder of the smoke swirling around the plateau.
‘It worked, Sky,’ said Neifion, ‘go and count your beasts.’
Sky excitedly led the clan down the slope. At the bottom, they found a reindeer and a horse, each with broken legs, suffered when they fell down the loose shale. Ceffyl quickly dispatched them with his knife. Sky and Ffion ran forward, slowing as they approached the copse and in front of them was a sight that Sky had dreamed of for many months.
The animals had gathered in their natural groups, calmer but still nervous of the distant humans. Sky counted eight small horses, three deer, and six female auroch along with a dozen or so gazelle. In addition, several pigs had joined those already in the forest including two fully-grown boars, and
several of the horned-sheep were seeking refuge on the cliff face off to one side.
The two friends sat for hours on the hillock, watching the small herds as they settled in. Many of the clan joined them to stare at this source of meat so close to hand.
‘I didn’t expect so many,’ said Sky in amazement, ‘maybe two or three of each, but who’d have thought there would be so many; and also auroch?’
‘You will have many more soon,’ laughed Ffion, ‘look at the females, they are heavy with young. Soon there will be baby animals running around Long-tooth valley.’
‘I don’t know if there will be enough food for all these,’ said Sky. ‘It will be okay in the summer, but what about when the winter comes?’
‘We will have to make the most of the summer months and store their food for the winter,’ said Ffion slowly.
‘Yes,’ agreed Sky, ‘after all we are hunters, we just have to change our prey. We must become hunters of grass.’
They both laughed and sat on the hillock long into the night before the smell of freshly roasting horse flesh reached their nostrils making their mouths water. They walked together back up to the cave, stopping briefly at Euraid’s shelter to check on the deer. The now tame animal came forward to nuzzle Sky’s hands as usual.
‘Sky,’ said Ffion slowly, ‘now there are others such as Euraid in the valley, why don’t you release her to live with her own kind?’
Sky pondered Ffion’s words for a moment. It made sense and she would still see her every day.
‘I will keep her tonight,’ she said, ‘tomorrow I will take her over to the other deer and let her go.’
‘Let’s eat,’ said Ffion and held her friends hand as they climbed up to the cave, both anticipating the delicious horse steak they knew would be awaiting them.
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Hours later, Sky woke suddenly, her eyes quickly focusing on the low embers of the fire in the cave wondering what had wakened her. For a second she thought she must have had a bad dream, but it soon became obvious that others had been woken too. Shadows rose quickly from warm furs and hunters made their way to the entrance gathering up weapons as they passed. A child started crying and Sky bolted upright, now wide awake.
‘What is it?’ she hissed toward the nearby Fox tooth.
‘I don’t know,’ was the reply out of the gloom.
Sky’s father, Mon-du picked up his spear.
‘Stay here,’ he said and ran through the awakening cave to join the other hunters. Ignoring her father’s advice Sky gathered her furs around her and followed him to the entrance. She exited the small tunnel, the cold night air catching her breath as she left the warmth of the clan cave. All the hunters were laying or kneeling down behind a loose stone wall, a new addition to the cave since the attack of the Baal, their spears pointing outward. She heard Ceffyl talking to the two men who had been on guard.
‘What did you see?’ he asked.
‘I saw nothing,’ came the reply, ‘but there is something out there, the air feels all wrong.’
Despite the vague reasoning, it didn’t occur to Ceffyl or anyone else to doubt Neifion’s assessment of the situation. In these times, lives were saved or lost on action led by instincts such as these. They all re-gripped their spears and peered intently into the dark. The blue-black sky was peppered with myriads of stars casting down their welcome, but limited light, helping the honed night vision of the hunters as they searched for any danger in the valley. Ceffyl noticed Sky and gave her instructions.
‘If we are attacked,’ he said, ‘you know what to do. Waste no time for we will be unable to hold them long.’ Sky nodded and ran back into the cave to gather the women and children.
After the last attack, they had made plans to save as many as possible in the event of a further onslaught. Should the Baal reappear, they were to escape down the passage at the rear of the cavern and follow the tunnels back the way Golau had come with the strange people many months earlier. They had already scouted as far as they could until they reached a large lake and Golau had told them that on the other side lay a route to the outside should they ever need it, but they would not enter the water until their very lives depended on it. Food and lanterns had been placed along the way in case they had to move quickly.
Sky gathered all the women, children and old folk together and they all helped each other down into the shaft at the back of their cave. They sat silently along the passage looking up, fearing the sound of attack they hoped would never come. Sky was last down the hole and stood waiting for the dreaded signal.
Outside, Ceffyl stared into the darkness.
‘Do you see anything?’ he whispered.
‘No, but the moon is rising,’ said Neifion, ‘soon there will be plenty of light.’ Sure enough, the brilliant white moon lit up the darkest shadows of the valley.
‘Look!’ shouted Alid and pointed toward the crest of the ridge opposite. They all stared in disbelief at the silhouette of the largest cat they had ever seen leaping effortlessly from rock to rock and climbing the almost vertical cliff face as graceful as a Mountain Goat.
Startled by the shout the moonlight-bathed cat momentarily dropped the corpse of its prey and roared its defiance at the half-hidden group of puny men cowering behind their artificial barrier. The deafening roar was terrifying, but Ceffyl’s senses were totally overwhelmed at the sight of the two scythe-like fangs that hung majestically from the top jaw of the giant Sabre-tooth Tiger
Once again, it picked up its limp prey and leapt from ledge to ledge until it escaped the confines of the valley, a prison in all but name to all the other animals therein.
It seemed as if the group had collectively held its breath and as it disappeared, they broke into a babble of excited conversation, their relief that there was no Baal attack, momentarily forgotten due to this once in a lifetime opportunity to witness the king of beasts at close quarters.
Ceffyl walked quietly down into the valley, dreading what he might find. Beneath the shelter erected by Sky only weeks earlier, only a snapped grass rope and a pool of congealing blood lay witness to the one sided battle that had taken place minutes before, as the Long-tooth had taken the opportunity to take the tethered deer. Sky’s beloved Euraid had stood no chance!
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Sky sat quietly at Ceffyl’s hearth listening to the arguments of the gathered hunters. The beasts were now thriving in the valley, though the second boar had been killed to stop the two fighting and the clan had once again feasted on the flesh of the Mochyn. The death of Euraid had been hard to take, but she had lost lives that were far more important over the last year and she had no more tears spare to cry over an animal.
The presence of the Long-tooth had been seen as a sign by many of the clan, some as a good omen and others the opposite. Hunters and women alike held debate deep into the night as to the implications. Some thought it was yet another manifestation of the Sun-god’s unhappiness with the clan while others thought it was Tan come back from the afterlife to look over them. Sky was more pragmatic and argued that the very fact that Tan himself had killed a Long-tooth in this very valley many years ago proved that this was one of their strongholds and though seldom seen, they must still live in the area.
‘If that is the case,’ said Ceffyl, ‘then we have a problem that we did not foresee.’
The clan looked on expectantly.
‘As we know,’ he continued, ‘we now have many beasts contained in this valley. When the hunt fails, we will take these animals to feed our children and the killing will be easy. But if the killing is easy for us, then it will also be easy for the Rheibwr. Cats, wolves and bears may be attracted to this place and take the animals we have worked so hard to catch.’
‘It will give our children the chance to earn their names,’ said Neifion quietly, relishing the chance to take on some of the great beasts.
‘Or they could take our children,’ countered Mon-du angrily.
‘For the first time in our lives food is not a
worry,’ continued Ceffyl, raising his voice and short-circuiting the imminent argument, ‘our pits are full of the Pysgod and we have meat within bow shot. The new ways shown to us by Sky will ensure our children will grow strong and bear their own children without having to die on the hunt. But there is more to do. We will not allow the Rheibwr to take what we have fought for.’ The gathering sat quietly considering the implications.
‘Sky, do you have any thoughts?’ he asked.
‘We cannot protect the whole valley, Ceffyl,’ she said, ‘the animals are spread out too far. It would take ten times as many men as we have to stand watch along the cliffs to ward off the predators.’
‘We could make the valley smaller’ piped up Alid. All looked toward the young man. Despite the impudence of the boy for speaking at a council, he was well liked and easily forgiven. The gentle smile and raised eyebrows of Ceffyl encouraged him to continue.
‘Where the valley narrows between the cliffs,’ he said nervously, ‘we can build a thorn hedge to keep the animals in a small area.’
‘We will be building no hedges,’ said Neifion.
Sky stared at Alid, her mind working furiously.
‘Wait, the idea has merit,’ she said. ‘During the day they can run loose to feed in the valley, before being brought up to the gorge before last light where we can watch for the Rheibwr.’
‘We would have to chase the herds up every night’ said Ceffyl
Again, Sky interrupted.
‘Perhaps in the beginning,’ she said ‘but I think that soon they would learn.’
‘How?’ asked Neifion.
‘Euraid learned to feed from my hand very quickly. Perhaps if we feed them when they are up here, they would learn to come at night.’
No dissenting voices were forthcoming so Ceffyl made the decision.
