Anaay and Giad sat in watch over the camp. It was Giad’s turn to sleep but he felt a renewed sense of energy and excitement since the Ada’na, his Aunt, he corrected himself, had last spoken to them over the fire. “Do you think she knows?” Giad whispered to Anaay as he came to stand beside the young boy.
“Knows what?” Anaay asked, puzzled by the question. His thoughts had been on the sleeping form of Kii and he was wondering if she was warm enough, close enough to the fire or perhaps too warm.
“Do you think your hearth mother knows that she is a Beloved Mother of the people?” Giad asked reverently.
Anaay gave the question some thought before responding. “I hope so.”
“I hope so too.” Giad agreed before falling silent. He had never seen such a display of power before and his aunt wielded her power with words alone. He remembered that Yaa had sat as if entranced and Kii’s eyes had widened with each word.
“Anaay, what is the Creator?” Giad asked abruptly as Anaay started to make another round of the camp.
“I don’t know for sure,” Anaay spoke truthfully, “But it sounds like someone of power.”
“Yes.” Giad agreed, “It does.”
Anaay looked at Giad for a moment and said, “You know you have only to ask my hearth mother and she will tell you more.”
Giad blushed fiercely and shook his head. “No matter, all things will be revealed with time, I would rather wait.”
“As you wish. Now go and take your turn sleeping, I will wake you when it is your time to keep watch.” Anaay pushed Giad gently towards the others and the boy did not protest. It seemed that all the questions that were in his heart had been asked and answered for now. Anaay’s teeth flashed as he smiled into the gleaming darkness that surrounded them and the wind seemed to laugh in return.
Several days of traveling through the treacherous mountains had worn on the small band. In certain areas it was as if others had carved a walking place specifically for them with their own footsteps. Elsewhre there were rocks and large boulders that blocked their way.
It had been days since they last heard the trumpeting of the mammoth and Jon’lan feared that with all the caverns and twists and turns they had somehow lost their way. He did not relay his worries to the others, yet he asked Anaay and Roark to be on the lookout for any sign of the mammoth.
It was while they were taking a much needed rest that Yaa stood suddenly and spoke, “Listen!”
Everyone took notice of the child’s flushed face and the excitement that sparkled in her eyes. Since Yaa was prone to daydreaming even as she walked, it was difficult to pay heed to her initial reaction. But as the adults respectfully inclined their ears playing along with the little one’s hopes they sat quietly. At first it started as a small sound that was almost imperceptible but the noise increased until it seemed to echo around them, it was the lowing and bellowing of the mammoth herd that traveled ahead of them through the mountain. Jon’lan stood expectantly unsure of the direction that they wonderful sound came from. Yaa spun around excitedly as the sounds reached a crescendo and then subsided. Anaay and Giad were already on their feet, ready to scout ahead and this time Roark spoke up, “Watch out for your sister.”
There was no need to keep Yaa behind with the other women, her spirit had already raced ahead and she was there with the mammoth’s in her mind. Roark cautioned Yaa to keep her eyes open and her ears alert as they ran ahead. His daughter nodded meekly, but he was not deterred from holding her there a moment longer as he once again admonished her to take care. Yaa looked him in the eye as the dreams seemed to fade from before her and nodded again this time with finality. She would take heed and use caution.
Roark set Yaa on her feet and she was off like a well aimed arrow as Giad and Anaay followed in her wake. She seemed to have a kinship with the mammoth that no one but Jon’lan could understand. Roark had spoken of his concern with Jon’lan and his hearth brother had admonished him to use a firm hand with Yaa but not to smother her spirit. It was exactly as Roark and Star Feather had always handled Yaa.
When he expressed this thought, Jon’lan had only regarded Roark with a smile that said he knew as much. Roark had given a mighty chuckle at the other man’s wisdom and use of humor. His daughter was a dreamer for a certainty but she was not without common sense. She only needed a few reminders because her years were tender still and she had no fear where others did. Roark thought of the battered pair of children that he had taken into his hearth and then he thought of them now as he watched their retreating figures. Their faces shined with good health, their bodies were strong and unblemished and their hearts full. He looked at his wife, who smiled at him in kind even as she patted their youngest son on the back as he scooted towards his father on chubby legs. Although they faced one of the most trying times of their lives this band that had come together from nothing. It was indeed a good thing.
Anaay held back, allowing Giad and Yaa to take the lead. Anaay knew that Giad sought only to protect his sister as she ran with fluid grace. They charged around a huge boulder and Yaa skidded to a stop with her moccasins digging tracks into the ground. Anaay came to a halt he blended seamlessly in with the mountainside, allowing Giad and Yaa to take the lead as they all caught their breath. Giad jumped when Yaa grabbed him by the arm and spun him around. He was embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming.
He gave Yaa a fierce scowl before smiling into her impish face and ruffling her hair the way his uncle was fond of doing. Yaa smiled showing the space in her mouth where she recently lost a tooth and this made Giad laugh before he asked, “What is it pest?” Giad spoke to Yaa gently even though his words were harsh. He was her older brother after all and could not always let her have her way or she would run over him with her quick words.
“The mammoth are close.” Yaa whispered in awe as she looked down the mountainside and scouted the area for sign of the herd they sought.
“I figured they were close pest, we heard their sounds just like you did.” Giad spoke tolerantly, already Yaa’s eyes were full of dreams again and she had turned her ears from hearing his words. Giad was used to this and he waited patiently as she closed her eyes and listened. Her body swayed slightly like a willow in the wind and still Giad stood waiting.
“This way!” Yaa blinked her eyes open and took off at a fast lope up a slope that Giad hadn’t noticed. Anaay marveled at Yaa’s accurate choice of direction. It took a skilled tracker to see the signs of the mammoth on this rocky soil. There were not any foot prints or droppings that would tell them which way they had gone. Anaay had only guessed by observing a few indentations in the ground that did not seem natural, but somehow he did not believe that Yaa had made her decision based on the same observation. She seemed to sense the mammoth as if drawn to them from some internal yearning.
Anaay did not doubt that such a thing was possible. Until someone proved to him that it was impossible, he would believe what he witnessed with his own eyes. That was his way and so far it had never failed him. Even as he the thought came to him, he crested a large hillside and there below him in a huge cavern was the herd of mammoth that they sought. They were a vision of majesty and power.
The Matriarch, ever aware of her surroundings was the first to notice the trio. She lifted her trunk and trumpeted and Yaa took this as a greeting. Yaa clasped her hands over her heart to show her respect and she spoke softly, though her words carried, “Hello Grandmother.” Anaay and Giad looked at her for a moment as she bowed reverently from the waist and held the pose for a few moments before once again standing to face the herd.
Giad was aware that his sister Yaa felt things deeply, but he could not remember ever seeing her so affected by anything before. He felt happy for Yaa, always before she walked in his shadow, staying tucked as close to him as possible. But over the last few moons she had slowly started to gain an independence that their parents nurtured. Instead of feeling jealous of Yaa’s new found freedom, Giad felt relieved and grateful. It had been
a heavy burden that he carried on his young shoulders when Yaa relied solely upon him for her survival. He had always done his part as her older brother to protect her and he would continue to do so, but now they both had Roark to rely on.
He was glad that Yaa had something rare and wonderful that captured her attention completely. He watched as his sister closed her eyes and he knew that she was imprinting a picture of the scene below so that she would remember it always. Already he could imagine the story she would tell of their journey as they followed the mammoth through the mountains as they sought safe passage and water.
Anaay broke the silence after a few moments, “Let us return and tell the others what we have found. But we must hurry, so that we can remain close to the mammoth as they travel.”
Giad and Yaa needed no further prompting. Yaa turned away from the beautiful sight below and followed behind Giad as he took the lead in racing back the way they had come.
Jon’lan was relieved and thankful that all of the members of his band were together and safe. He shared a smile with Taikiuu as she caught his eye while listening to Yaa repeat every detail of the mammoth herd. The group decided as one to travel onward as far as possible so that they could camp closer to the mammoth. Jon’lan believed that they had earned the animals trust and he hoped that his reasoning proved true. Everyone was tied on to each other as they walked carefully in a single file line. The adults were relieved to know that the travel they faced directly ahead of them would be less difficult than what they had been through so far. Anaay assured them that if they moved quickly they could find the mammoth again before dark.
Star Feather marveled at the ease with which she traveled. Walking day in and day out had caused the muscles in her calves and thighs to strengthen drastically. Her arms were stronger as well from carrying her pack as well as the weight of her young son Mantiloff. She still felt the strain of their trek at the end of each day but it was not as strenuous as it had once been. She caught sight of Taikiuu who walked directly behind Jon’lan and she realized that the other woman had always been lean and strong, muscular yet feminine.
Now as Star Feather looked at her own sun-kissed limbs she realized that her body had changed over the course of time and she too had the same lean figure. She snuggled Mantiloff’s warm body head against her breasts and hugged him through his sling.
He was awake and he watched the world as it went by. His mother knew that her son would kick his chubby legs in delight if not for the binding of the sling that carried him.
Already her son had started to crawl and although Star Feather was a first time mother, she was not unaware that Mantiloff was strong for his age. He would walk soon and Star Feather smiled to herself as she imagined chasing after him as he careened around their camp.
She hoped that by the time her child found his footing and was able to walk they would be settled into a home of their own. She kissed his rounded cheeks and he grinned at her with two teeth just starting to show through his gums. Roark watched as his wife nuzzled their son and Mantiloff made baby sounds that only his mother seemed to understand although she talked to him with words.
Roark’s heart warmed at the sight, but he shifted his attention from his wife so that he could do his duty by taking up the rear where he kept watch. Ever since yesterday the hairs on the back of his neck had been standing on end from this time to that time and Roark could no longer ignore the warning that someone or something stalked them.
Only time would tell them the nature of the thing that watched and waited, but until then Roark would be ready. He grabbed his long spear and used it as a walking stick, careful of its deadly sharp tip. He could throw the spear with startling accuracy and he would do so at the slightest threat to his family. His bow and arrows were within easy reach and he could shoot both right and left handed if necessary. He was trained as a warrior for his people and he had been a diligent student. Now he would protect his band with his life or die in the effort. But he preferred to live, so that he might witness his children grow season over season. He kept alert, ever watchful for any threat that might seek to cause them harm.
Anaay walked without any rope to tie him to the others. Many days had already passed and Kii was no longer under the restriction of a woman during her moon flow. Anaay tried to keep his mind off of Kii, but now that she was a woman she threw him captivating smiles that at times kept him so distracted that he stumbled before catching himself. Jon’lan and Roark knew exactly what he was going through and the men had taken him aside to tease him after making camp for the evening.
“Will you be able to take the lead tomorrow Anaay or should we tie you to us, so that you do not fall?” Jon’lan joked as Anaay flushed a bright red over the easy teasing.
“I will not fall.” Anaay wasn’t used to being teased but he liked the feeling as both men laughed when Kii shot him a glance and he paused in the middle of his sentence before remembering what he wanted to say. “I am careful.”
“No man can be careful when he is captured by a young maiden of rare beauty, both inside and out.” Jon’lan spoke truthfully, even as he complimented his hearth daughter. Earlier he explained to Anaay the process with which a father would determine a suitable mate for his daughter. In Jon’lan’s band there had always been a boastful father who spoke with pride over his children’s accomplishments and appearance. A young man who hoped to win the daughter would top each compliment with a better one and then when he was ready, he would offer a bride price. Often the first offer was denied but generally the second or third offer was accepted as a matter of custom. Jon’lan explained these things to a very confused Anaay, he was a mere boy when he ran from his first band and had no memory of many of their customs and traditions.
Taking his cue Anaay said, “She is more beautiful than the morning and more comely than the night.”
Jon’lan and Roark laughed uproariously as they agreed. Roark was taking his time enjoying the young man’s discomfort. They could not make Anaay’s pursuit of Kii too easy otherwise the young man might one day forget why he valued his wife so deeply. It was important that they make his courtship of Kii a challenge from the very beginning.
“You don’t think that when we get to the other side of the mountain some other young wild man, reformed into a band brother will be waiting for a chance to marry Kii, do you Jon’lan?” Roark asked with a belly laugh when Anaay scowled fiercely. He appeared as if he were ready to do battle. Jon’lan was startled by Roark’s words, he had been so focused on getting his band safely through the mountain that he hadn’t taken the time to consider what would be waiting for them on the other side. It was true that others had made this journey successfully before them, although it must have been at a time before memory began, because other than the knowledge that such a thing was possible, there was no other evidence of anyone else. Jon’lan’s mind spun for a moment and he realized that Anaay was waiting for an answer, keeping up with the fun of things Jon’lan said easily, “It’s possible. Who would know?”
Anaay fumed for a moment before he realized that his hearth father was trying his best to hide a smile.
“I will offer a bride price.” Anaay spoke solemnly and both men understood that he had endured enough of their teasing for now. Jon’lan cleared his throat as he thought about his hearth daughter taking her place at Anaay’s fire one day soon.
“First she will have a becoming a woman ceremony and then we will speak of a bride price.” Jon’lan’s words brooked no argument and Anaay nodded in agreement.
Jon’lan looked at Anaay carefully, seeing before him a man that would make any father proud. Anaay was a hunter, skilled in the use of all types of weaponry, he was a tracker with a practiced eye and he was a scout that walked and ran without tiring or complaint. But inside, Anaay had true qualities of value, he cared for his band and wanted to provide for them in any way that he could, even if it meant great sacrifice. Jon’lan could ask no more of any man. Still, he couldn’t help but give Anaay some
thing to consider.
“Kii of course, must be willing to accept your courtship and that will be your duty to gain her agreement.” Anaay looked at Jon’lan sharply and as his words sank in the young man’s face blanched and Roark slapped him on the back as he walked away laughing. It was obvious that Anaay never considered the possibility of Kii denying his advances and request for a marriage. Jon’lan laughed as he walked away, leaving Anaay speechless.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kii giggled inside of the circle of women that danced around her. Taikiuu and Star Feather were not aware of the crisp cold air that only a few moments ago had touched their bare arms and legs. They swayed to the silence of their own dance as the girl who had become a woman watched them with bright shining eyes. Yaa stood at a distance, wanting to join in but not knowing what to do. Star Feather motioned to her daughter, who looked like a frightened young doe, eyes round and wide with wonder as she watched her mother and aunt.
Yaa stepped into the circle of their dance as Star Feather directed her arms and legs showing her the steps that only moment before Taikiuu had demonstrated for them all. Kii contained her giggles so as not to make Yaa feel self conscious. It was not difficult to be silent as the women and daughters of her tribe honored her. Mar-ee was not one to be put off, she shed her leggings and warm parka and came closer to the fire as she too twirled and danced with enthusiastic excitement. Kii clapped her hands as she bent at the waist showing them her appreciation in the only way that she knew how.
Keeper of the People (Book One) Page 40