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Sounds resonated off the myriad walls of the cave and Stillbird’s imagination formed an eerie music from them. She stared into the fire that burned incessantly, giving her the light and warmth she needed, the gift of the doe killed by the bobcat at the mouth of her cave. She had heard the chase through the woods above the cave, and then the doe had stood absolutely still at the entrance of Stillbird’s home and their eyes met. The doe waited there for the cat and had given her life then for Stillbird. After the cat had eaten all she could of the meat and fed her young cubs, she fended off the wild dogs so Stillbird could eat as well. After Stillbird had taken chunks of meat inside her cave to cook, the vultures came and cleaned the bones. Stillbird brought the bones deep inside the cave, into the second room that could not be seen from outside, and lit her fire of bones and wood she had gathered by moonlight. The doe’s bones burned long and hot and lasted until Stillbird found other older bones, skulls and hip bones, bones that were caught in flight and bones that still smelled of fear. Sometimes the big cat dragged her prey to the mouth of the cave and ate there in Stillbird’s presence, leaving some meat and the bones behind.
Once Abel felled a doe with his arrow and tracked the carcass to the cave. He would have found Stillbird then, but the cat ran down from the hill above and frightened him away.
Stillbird listened to ancient, magical music and watched the flames, remembering the events of the past fifteen winters that led up to her living in this cave with animal guardians, entrusting her life and death to the earth that hid and nurtured her.
Stillbird Page 7