Yaa could not help but think how much Giad would enjoy being greeted in such a way by the mammoth. Yaa pushed against the trunk that tried to snatch the treat from her hand and the Matriarch blew her breath out in frustration. Yaa giggled in delight as the great animal bent down to one knee so that she could peer closely at the girl.
The Matriarch huffed in satisfaction as Yaa superseded her trunk and placed the precious leaf bundle directly on the mammoth’s tongue. The mammoth rose to all four feet even as Yaa held on to her trunk in delight. From the rise above her Star Feather trembled in wonder as the mammoth turned and carried Yaa back to the mammoth herd as if she was nothing more than a little bird.
Yaa felt as if she were flying. She kept her arms wrapped around the mammoth’s great trunk but the Matriarch curved the end of her trunk so that Yaa didn’t slip off. The mammoth carried Yaa through the rest of the herd and the white mammoth calf approached and watched his mother with interest as she carried Yaa to the tree that stood taller than any Yaa had ever seen.
The mammoth stopped walking when she grew close to the tree and Yaa slid down, gaining her feet with a sense of exhilaration. She stared up at the tall tree and saw that their were some leaves at the very top, but it was higher than she had ever climbed, if only Giad were here, he could climb up and reward the mammoth with a few of the choicest leaves. Yaa studied the tree in consternation even as the mammoth used her trunk to push her forward. It was obvious that the mammoth were great problem solvers and Yaa wanted to help the herd and with that thought she started to climb.
“I-eee!” Star Feather exclaimed in fright as she saw her daughter climbing the massive tree. She began to move forward but both Kii and Taikiuu laid a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.
“You see with a mother’s heart.” Taikiuu whispered gently and for a moment the woman’s meaning was lost on Star Feather.
“She is strong. She can climb the tree and retrieve the leaves to thank the mammoth for us.” Kii spoke gently yet her words showed great confidence in her cousin.
“She will use her good judgment and be careful.” Taikiuu agreed as Star Feather put her hand over her heart to still its beating. She touched Mantiloff’s head as he lay against her breast and she took comfort in having one child nestled close to her body, while her son was scouting for any danger and her daughter found danger at every turn.
“Shah!” Taikiuu spoke reminding Star Feather of the power of women; even the power of a girl child not yet made into a new woman was strong.
“Shah!” Kii agreed as she watched Yaa climb higher and higher into the tree.
Star Feather stood firm as she kept her gaze placed firmly on her daughter who made quick work of gaining the first limb and then the next. She watched as Yaa balanced and then regained her footing before scurrying up to a higher level in the tree. Most of the ice and snow had melted away from the tree branches but there were still some areas that were covered in frost.
Yaa carefully worked her way around to the side of the tree that grew green and strong; obviously the snow had not caused the leaves to fall to the ground as winter had only just begun to settle into the mountain. Yaa grabbed handful after handful of leaves and tossed them to the ground where the mammoth gathered to enjoy the tasty morsels. She also stuffed many leaves into her small pack that she carried by a strap slung over her chest. High up on the ridge Star Feather stood with Taikiuu and Kii on each side of her and she whispered softly, “Shah.”
Yaa returned to her mother with a smile fit to rival the beauty of the sun. Dawn broke over the mountain in all of its glory and splendor, warming the land by degrees. Yaa noticed immediately that the Old One was not with them and she threw a questioning glance at Kii who signed that he went to find Giad who had not returned.
Only this news brought Yaa’s smile deep into her heart, where it waited to be born again. She worried now for her brother who could have met with trouble as he backtracked. If she had been here, perhaps her mother or aunt would have sent her to find Giad. She was a fast runner and an able tracker. But she had gone joyously to greet the mammoth without thought for her brother, even her worry for her father had settled to the far recesses of her mind.
She felt great shame and it was evident to her mother as she looked steadily into her daughter’s eyes. Star Feather did not know if Giad was unharmed or even alive. No one could know such a thing, but in the case that he had met with harm she would not allow this beautiful girl child, gifted with her own special power to assume the blame for any harm that may have befallen her brother.
“I have a brave daughter, who has made friends with the mammoth.” Star Feather spoke quietly yet her words carried to Taikiuu and Kii. Mar-ee smiled in agreement as she clapped her hands in delight.
“It is a good thing that you repay the mammoth for their agreement to lead us through the mountain. Because of the mammoth we have found food and water and much vegetation, because of the mammoth we live.” Star Feather nodded in agreement at her own words and Yaa lifted her gaze to meet her mother’s.
“Your brother will return and when he does he will want to hear the story of your time with the mammoth.” Yaa’s mother pulled gently at her daughter’s braids until the girl smiled in excitement, her eyes once again sparkled in excitement as she looked up hopefully.
“You must prepare your story and have it firmly set in your mind so that we can all hear it over this night’s hearth fire.” Star Feather pressed her lips against Yaa’s cool forehead and she felt more than saw the little girl beam a bright smile at them all.
“This girl will have a wonderful story to tell, mother.” Yaa whispered quietly as she envisioned the night ahead.
“It is a good thing.” Taikiuu signed so that Kii could see.
Kii nodded her head in agreement as she watched Star Feather settle in to listen to the makings of Yaa’s story about the mammoth.
Taikiuu had agreed that the Old One should return and look for Giad’s trail. He had straightened his back with pride at being asked to carry out such a task. She told him to be careful and to walk slowly so as not to miss a sign of Giad’s passing. The boy was careful never to leave a trail that could be easily followed, but the Old One assured her that he would find sign of Giad’s passing. Taikiuu looked into his eyes and she saw determination as well as knowledge buried there.
“Grandfather,” Taikiuu spoke barely above a whisper, “Find him.”
He nodded once and then he was gone and she was startled to see that he blended in well with the landscape. If one did not know where to look he would be almost invisible.
Kii felt uneasy and she couldn’t determine the reason that she should feel any worse than earlier in the day. She felt as if there were unseen eyes on her, perhaps with Giad to stand watch and with the Old One gone, she felt uneasy being alone with the other women and children. Still that did not account for the way the hairs on the back of her neck stood up or for the feeling of being watched by unseen eyes.
She carried her small woman’s knife in the palm of her hand and she approached her mother. She signed quickly so that her hands could not be seen by anyone watching from behind her and Taikiuu took a sharp breath before signing to Star Feather and Yaa.
Kii gathered Mar-ee to her bosom and carefully made her way down toward the mammoth herd. Her hands trembled and her back was stiff with fear but she did not stop walking. Yaa led the way, eager to reach the protection that the mammoth offered.
At their approach the Matriarch looked up, ever aware of any animal or beast that sought out the young of her fold. She saw the young creature that had given her sisters, daughters and grandchildren food to eat and she was not startled. She shushed the others in the herd that sought to trumpet a warning to the others, there was no harm here and she would be the sole source for announcing any warnings to the herd.
Yaa wandered in as close as she dared bring the others to the mammoth. She felt Star Feather clench her hand in fear and Yaa smiled brightly determi
ned to show her mother that they were safer here than anywhere else. Star Feather released Yaa’s hand and patted Mantiloff as he started to fuss for his morning meal.
Kii gasped when the mammoth turned as one to investigate the strange cry. Star Feather backed up a step but just as she did so, there arose a great shout from behind them and she turned to see men running towards them with spears raised and bows ready to launch arrows. The Matriarch trumpeted a warning as she sensed a foreign threat different from the ones that she had grown comfortable with.
They were still far enough away that she had time to position the young calves within the center of the herd. Star Feather was suddenly surrounded by the mammoth that she feared and she twisted to avoid being trampled as they shifted as one to guard their young from danger. Taikiuu raised her spear but she remained quiet. Yaa notched an arrow into the small space on her bowstring and she aimed for the man in the front. She would not hesitate to take a life if it meant defending her band from those that would harm them.
Star Feather drew close to Taikiuu and she spoke softly, “If they capture us, we will be tortured.”
Taikiuu nodded her head in acknowledgement but she did not speak.
“I will not allow my daughter to be taken by those men.” Star Feather’s lips trembled as she formed the words and Taikiuu met her eyes as she grasped her meaning. Yaa stood in front of her mother with her feet spread apart, ready to defend them with her last breath and Star Feather stood behind her weaponless except for a sharp boning knife that her people had used to skin animals from time beyond memory. Taikiuu grasped the handle of the knife that Star Feather held and she looked solemnly into her hearth sister’s eyes.
Star Feather nodded as she relinquished the knife and tears fell freely upon her cheeks. Taikiuu would not allow Yaa to be taken. Kii watched what went unsaid between the two women and she wondered if she would rather a quick death or capture by the vile men who would seek to enslave them. Anaay told her that he never sought his own death because where there was life, there was hope. She had not understood the true meaning behind his words at that time, but as the warriors drew closer the full understanding came to her in a rush and she knew that she would choose life, even if it meant great suffering.
Jon’lan rushed ahead heedless of any danger, he needed to reach the field where the warriors sought to capture his wife and children. He trusted Anaay and Roark to fight with him without question. There was no time for strategy or planning, their band was being threatened now, regardless of the weather or the icy conditions. The tall grass did nothing to conceal them as they rushed forward. The men were still too far ahead of them for their arrows to reach and they could only hope that they would be able to catch up to them before they attacked the women and children.
Marad led his men forward, certain of his victory despite the unease he felt as he studied the animals that stood before him. He had never seen anything living that held such mass and force. They were huge beasts without name. Never before had any of his warriors heard of such animals. Marad could tell that the men were fearful but he would show them all that these animals were flesh and blood yes, he would make them bleed.
Taikiuu peered over the cliff that edged the flat plain that the mammoth grazed upon. It was a sheer drop down and there was no escape, their only hope was to stand and fight. Perhaps if they could take down a few of the men they would have a chance of escaping. She considered giving herself up and while that was an option she would stand and fight first. She wanted to take down as many men as she could with her skill behind a bow and arrow before considering defeat.
She avoided thinking about her future if she was captured by these men, she could make out the form of the men but she could not yet see their faces. As they drew closer one man stood out from the rest. He was wrapped in garments dyed red, like fresh blood and she knew his face from her nightmares. It was Marad, son of Sirion.
Taikiuu notched her arrow and took aim even as he retreated moving outside of her range. Yaa shouted for them all to draw closer and the mammoth seemed to understand the command or perhaps it was the trumpeting of the Matriarch that pushed them into an ever tightening circle. The white mammoth was at Yaa’s back and he bawled softly in alarm, she reached out to offer him comfort and at first he flinched at her touch, but when none of his aunts reached out to shelter him between their large bodies he pressed himself into her side and stood shaking in confusion and fear.
Giad hid in the tall grass, he had been able to make his way undetected by way of moonlight past the men while they stopped for a break. They were walking, confident of their ability to track the others without hurrying. Giad crept past them carefully biding his time until he was outside of their range of hearing and then he had let the wind carry him towards his mother and sister.
He had never run so hard or so fast in all of his life and he had not paid any heed to the ice or the river that flowed in ever surging rapids below them. There could be no attempt at reaching his people before the warriors, Giad knew that to fail was to relinquish the freedom that he had gained and he would never willingly do so.
As the men stopped for a moment, showing a hint of indecision Marad raced forward running with all of his strength towards the animal that was closest to him. When he saw the whites of the great beast’s eyes he released his throwing spear and watched as it arched through the air, hitting his target. The animal never even tried to dodge the spear as it made a sickening impact with wooly hair and then bare flesh. The mammoth cried out in pain and fury as the spear imbedded itself in its foreleg. The Matriarch screamed in fury as she recognized the wounded cry of one of her sisters and she moved to the front of the band lowering her curved tusks in order to meet the threat head on.
Roark carried a spear in one hand and his club in the other. He left his traveling pack behind with Jon’lan and Anaay’s. The men wanted their hands and arms free of all burdens except the weaponry that was needed to fight their foe. Roark surged past Jon’lan in a rush of fury as he heard the cry of the mammoth.
Jon’lan sped up not wishing to be left behind, but it was Anaay that surpassed them both, moving swiftly through the tall grass, heedless of danger. Anaay broke to his left and Roark followed him by moving off to the right.
Jon’lan ran straight ahead yelling a war cry that seemed to break the air with its force. As he ran he thought of nothing except how best to defeat the warriors that were trained in the art of battle. They turned as a unit and faced the man that they sought, the trader.
Marad was reeling from his success at wounding one of the great beasts and when he turned and saw the trader running toward him he felt no fear, only the steady beat of winning thrummed through his chest. Marad faced the trader readily.
Many moons ago Marad stood before this man and he had been eager to fight for the hand of the Ada’na, he stood now, certain of his victory. He growled for his men to stand down and with a war cry of his own he lunged forward to meet the man that would attempt to best him in a fight.
Jon’lan never wavered in his course; he ran forward as Marad sensed his challenge and then turned to meet him. As they ran towards each other Roark and Anaay refused to look back to check on Jon’lan, they would follow his instructions to the word.
They approached the mammoth herd as it surged in a mass of woolly coats of fur. The mammoth scented danger and blew air through their trunks in upset. The smell of blood was in their nostrils. Roark spared not a glance at the great beasts although he had never walked so close to them before.
He reached the center of the mammoth herd and saw his wife and Taikiuu guarding the children. Yaa was posed to strike the first man to break through the circle of the mammoth yet she burst into tears upon seeing her father. He clasped her to him even as he grabbed for his wife and crushed her into his side, mindful of their son.
His wife asked after Giad’s welfare but he had no time to answer her. Right now he needed to get them moving down the cliff face and to relative saf
ety. Already the mammoth had started to move away from the edge of the cliff and towards the pathway that would lead down to the valley below.
Roark urged the women and children to follow and when they began scrambling down the side of the mountain he turned to check on Jon’lan and Anaay.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Anaay found himself surrounded by the Hetmos warriors, men that he had never met but that had marked themselves his enemy by their stance alone. He was quickly encircled by the warriors and two men in particular seemed eager for his blood.
He saw that they were of his birth father’s people and he realized that I’naram was relentless in his pursuit of that which was not his. He thought of I’naram’s son Chogan and was surprised to see that he wasn’t there with the other men, but perhaps he waited nearby.
Anaay could not be sure, but for now he focused his attention on the men and hoped that they kept their eyes on him so that he could allow Kii and the others to escape. He trusted Roark with the life of Kii and his hearth mother whom he still thought of as First Woman. Anaay wanted to peer over the men’s shoulders and see how Jon’lan faired, but he dared not allow his attention to be diverted.
One of the men from his former band let out a cry of challenge and the others moved back, eager to see the fight between the older man and the younger one.
Anaay recognized both men as ones that had done the unconscionable; they had eaten of the flesh of young children as if it was nothing more than another meal to them. They were an abomination that walked upon the ground and although he did not seek to kill, he would defend himself and his band against any threat.
Keeper of the People (Book One) Page 51