by Feath Pym
clan! But three was impossible, and all but one of the hunters ran for their lives.
“Calm, my friend,” Eh Cha said to the hunter. “I can handle these by myself!” And such was Eh Cha’s power the hunter believed him and simply climbed into a convenient tree limb to watch from a good vantage.
“Eh Cha roared a challenge, much like a male cave bear would challenge another, and the two cubs immediately responded. Now, I could tell you the tale of that epic battle, but that is the story of Eh Cha and The Three Cave Bears. Today I tell you of his Sky Fire.
“At the end of the battle, none lived. All three cave bears were dead and tossed over the last of them, Eh Cha lay dying as well. “I will find my Sky Fire now,” he gasped. “It was a good battle, but it is time to rest.”
“Yes,” sobbed the lone hunter, trying to gather the warrior in his arms, but unable to lift his great weight. At the absence of the roar of bears, the other hunters returned, horrified to find their friend starting his next journey. It took all of them to carry Eh Cha back to their camp.
“There was much wailing from the clan when they saw the broken body of Eh Cha. They cleaned the body of all the blood. They braided his hair. Each of them said their goodbyes. Then they carried him to his grave.
“The spirit of Eh Cha couldn’t go to his sky fire until his body is reunited with the earth. If a person’s body isn’t buried, the spirit wanders trying to find it. This is when the shadow people find them, and twist them to their own foul deeds. So a person must be buried quickly, for their own protection.
“Once they are buried, the person is free to go find their sky fire. But Eh Cha was the first for many things. He was the first great warrior, he was the first great man of the People, but many do not know, he was also the first to be helped in his new life.
“Wise men conferred and realized that we had not been as helpful as we could have been. When a baby is born into this world, they are born naked, curled and bloody. But we had been burying our dead flat out, clothed and unbloodied! So Eh Cha was the first to be reborn properly!
“To help his rebirth, they took his clothes from him, and buried him naked. They bent him in the birthing position, and when he didn’t stay, they helpfully tied him in place. They sprinkled the earth’s blood over him, to ease his passage. But they did not take his jewellery! Can you think of why?”
“Why, Eh Speaker?” asked a captivated Eh Bent.
“They could no more take his jewellery than they could take an arm! His jewellery was so much a part of him, they couldn’t take it! But babies are not born with jewellery, so what do you think happened?”
Eh Bent only watched Eh Speak with an open mouth.
“Those who are buried with jewellery in a previous life can be seen very easily – you even know one!” Here he pulled his loin cloth aside, to reveal the red birthmark just above his knee. “The jewellery becomes the splotches of color we see on some of the people.”
“Ah!” Eh Bent breathed.
“But there was one more thing they thought to do. That night, just before they buried him, they cut his forehead with the Ra See of Father Sun. They wanted to make extra sure that Mother Raven would find him, for he was special to them and they didn’t want any poor chance to happen.” Eh Speak ran his fingers over his Ra See, the Raven’s Cross. “Now we are wiser, and we put our Ra See on before we die. What evil chance that we die without help? Better to be prepared, our Ra See in place, before the Mother truly needs it.
“And so Eh Cha was the first of many things.”
Bonus!
Read chapter one of Season of the Sand Bird, out soon!