by Paul Telegdi
“Welcome all to the domain of the Black-Pearl Clan, my home and the home of the ibis and the crane that fly high over your lands on their travels. This is the land of the lakes and forests of reeds, pastures of water lilies and acacia trees that grow by the wayside. A land covered with flowers, blessed with abundant fertility. All around you, open to your eyes, nothing is hidden from view. To this land of my ancestors I welcome you.” Corrigan’s mouthpiece repeated faithfully his master’s words but injected a little more enthusiasm into them than his master had. Thus he finished his speech and his master said no more.
Laars stood for his clan and replied, “With gratitude the Lesser-Bear-Claw accepts your kind hospitality,” and as abruptly as he began he sat down giving the occasion the shortest mention that the protocol allowed.
The wily old Tascar stood next and accepted the honor to the Sharp-Owl. It was rumored that he had a list of concerns to bring to the attention of the clans and everybody in the know listened carefully to his speech to gain an indication of his intent.
“Indeed your land is blessed. We crossed the hills and its slopes saw the variety of game, sure-footed mountain goats and sheep, the fleet and graceful chamois bounding from rock to rock. We saw the eagle soar above the clouds and strike down like a lightning bolt. We saw the kingfisher rake its talons through the surface of the lake to hook a fish sunning itself. Yea, we saw the thick-pelted bear in the clearing, picking berries and clawing his mark into the trees. But our eyes were truly filled with wonder at the sight of all the lakes sparkling near and far and reed beds that edge them. The countless flocks of birds that populate the ponds and waterways. Yeah, you are blessed with all abundance, you people of the Black-Pearl.” Most people thought the speech, so full of praises, signaled that Tascar wanted some favors in the right quarters. Ushi gave Chaiko a significant look and then winked at him.
Rowan now stood; being only a sub leader he kept his speech short, accepting gratefully his host’s promised generosity in the name of Tobu and all his people.
Baer clambered to his feet, and to everybody’s surprise, satisfied himself with the shortest of speeches. “We, who live on the edge of clan lands, know and value the hospitality of brother clans. We thank you therefore for your welcome and you shall find all of us of Standing-Rock most willing participants in all the celebrations.”
Corrigan pulled his mouth into a straight line of disapproval, but then he quickly hid his thoughts: a strange speech that did not give either credit or praise to the host. “Welcome,” he said again as he rose and the mouthpiece thundered “Welcome,” right into his master’s ears. “You have my leave to enjoy yourselves,” the great man said and dismissed the assembly. His procession withdrew to a lukewarm spattering of applause. Corrigan could console himself that though he was less than popular, so much more was he feared and obeyed. Who would risk challenging the most powerful man of the clans, the Head-Shaman of the Council of Shamans? Who would dare?
The crowd, thus released, soon melted away, certainly much more quickly than it had formed into the assemblage. It flowed into camp and beyond, freely mingling and discoursing. Chaiko soon found himself separated from friends and kin as people gawked and pointed him out to each other: “He is the one; full of magic it is said; the master of the lebow; he can walk through fire unharmed, it is said.” Ushi found him wandering through camp and guided him to the campsite assigned to the clan. Already, they had erected a flar to keep their provisions cool and safe, buried in a hole in its shade.
The odd shape soon attracted attention and people stopped to look and ask what it was. “It is a flar,” Ushi set about explaining to them. “From the land of the Ekulan where they follow the elk.”
The flar gave a focus for the Standing-Rock Clan, just like a fire gave a heart to a cave. Young and old alike could say, “I am camped in the shadow of a flar,” and everybody soon knew where. At a Gathering, finding people was often quite a challenge, so the flar turned out to be an excellent waypoint.
The rest of the day was spent settling into the campsite, discovering where things were laid out for them. Where to obtain water, where to relieve oneself, where to gather firewood. Most of the time it was a matter of looking for somebody in the crowds since family and friends were often very hard to find.
Chaiko soon lost track of Dawn and the kids. He found out later from Lana that Tanya had taken Dawn to introduce to her family. Still later he heard from Ushi who had seen Dawn watching some jugglers on the other side of the camp with Ido there to help with the little ones. Chaiko could not prevail upon Ushi to show him where, as the trader was hurrying on to an assignation with an old conquest he had met up with again. “She’s older for sure. But nicely ripe and rounded. I could never forgive myself for not tasting her charms so willingly offered and I would not be able to stop wondering about her.”
“Search her out afterward,” Chaiko suggested.
But Ushi would have none of that. “Pick the fruit while it is ripe in the time of its ripening. Do not hesitate, for tomorrow the opportunity could be gone and you would be left only with the sour taste of regret for passing up the chance.” And with that wisdom, he was gone.
The rest of Chaiko’s time passed like that, looking for people he had lost. Baer was gone too, as were most of the Standing-Rock Clan. Losing his people was highly disconcerting for Chaiko, who, like all of his clan, was so used to living within sight of one another, day in and day out. He thought how the brook joined a river, and then flowed into a lake, at each joining losing its individuality. Looking at the multitudes, meandering around constantly, he felt like the brook that could not find itself in the waters of the lake.
Finally he merged into the moving throng, finding this and that to look at. There was no one he knew, but plenty of strangers who were not aware of who he was. Free of the weight of peoples’ expectations, he started to feel like a kid again. His face lost its perpetually intense expression and lit up with curiosity. Everywhere people drifted by, paused, conversed and argued with one another. The sound of voices and laughter filled every corner of the camp. Little clusters formed as people were held for a moment by some novelty, then drifted on.
Chaiko saw a young man who had a fox kit on a string and was showing the animal to everyone. He said he found it in the forest, lost and motherless and adopted it. The fox seemed genuinely fond of the man, rubbing against his legs constantly and would come running every time the man clicked his tongue. The crowd marveled at this oddity, though most disapproved.
“Animals do not belong in camp,” a large woman said scandalized, then shuddered with revulsion when the fox licked the man’s cheek.
“He is looking for food,” he explained, and reached into his furs to take out a piece of dried meat which he put into his mouth to chew. When the meat was somewhat soft, he let the piece hang from his lips and on cue the fox extended itself and delicately took the meat right out of the man’s mouth.
“Uhhjj,” the woman exclaimed and nearly fainted.
An older man started berating him for bringing vermin into the camp and looked ready to club the small creature. The young man grabbed the animal, hid it in the folds of his wrap and scurried off to find a more sympathetic crowd. The curious wandered off, most shaking their heads, not sure of what to think of the display.
Chaiko came upon someone who had a sizeable collection of stones and crystals spread out on a hide and offered to trade with anyone. He had some colorful geodes, smooth faced stones, and even a piece of obsidian. There were also some bright green, yellow and blue rocks which he carefully guarded, because kids sometimes “forgot” to give these items back. Chaiko reminded himself to tell Lana for she too had a passion for “pretty rocks.”
By one of the huts a Black-Pearl woman with a smiling face, flush with generosity as host, pressed a seed cake into his hand. It was tasty and he munched gratefully on it, but immediately forgot all the hunger that the mouthful awoke, distracted by all the goings-on.
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nbsp; At the edge of camp he found a group of men and boys practicing with Falcons, shooting at targets. They talked animatedly about a contest that was going to be organized sometime later on and bragged about their prowess. Intrigued, Chaiko paused to watch. A few had feathers attached to the talons which Chaiko could see helped to stabilize the flight.
“Can you use a l’bow?” a man with one eye beside him asked.
“L’bow?” Chaiko asked. “Yes, I think so. It seems easy enough.”
“Hey Chou,” the man called cheerfully, “lend this man your weapon. He thinks he can use it. Well, let him prove it.”
A round faced man came over and pressed a Falcon into Chaiko’s hands. “Go to it, lad,” he said not unkindly. The others collected about, interested in a bit of fun.
Chaiko felt the weapon. It was of fine quality, made of white-ash, perhaps a little lighter than the ones he made. He looked at all the faces and pretended, “Now let’s see, you hold it like this, fit this stick-thing to it just like this, pull back, right?” and as he spoke he matched his words with action, then release. The talon flew but missed the target by a wide margin. Still Chaiko pretended, “I do not understand, I had the target in full view.”
The rest of them vied with each other to instruct him and he nodded his head seriously at all their helpful hints. The next shot came close enough to the target to evoke delight from all of them. The third shot actually grazed the target. They clapped him on the back and told him he was a good pupil. His next shot missed, as did the next but they were all quick to encourage him.
Finally he gave the Falcon back to its owner and allowed that it was a fine, smart weapon and wanted to know who invented such a thing.
“Corrigan Lebow,” said one but the others booed him down.
“It was some Master of Magic, from the west I think,” others hazarded.
“Well in your hand it certainly is a weapon,” Chaiko praised. “I fear in mine it is just a piece of wood.”
The one eyed man was quick to reassure him, “Never you mind, before you know it you will shoot like the best of them. I wish I had two eyes to improve my aim.”
Chaiko thanked him and moved on before they could discover his true identity. He had wrapped a soft hide about his middle letting it hang almost to the ground to hide his wooden leg, but knew he could not hide it for long. He let a stream of people carry him along, pausing here, looking there, gawking with the rest.
Growing tired of just walking without a purpose, Chaiko sat down on a rock to rest and lifted his face to the sun, enjoying the caressing warmth of its rays. He sighed; he had not felt this relaxed for a long, long time. Before he knew it, other people sat down as well, and soon a sizeable group collected, some looking around expectantly for something to happen. A passer-by addressed Chaiko’s neighbor, “Tandar, what are you doing here?” The other looked a little surprised but said evenly, “Waiting I guess, but don’t ask me for what, I could not tell you.” Then he leaned over to Chaiko and asked, “What are you waiting for?”
Without hesitation he replied, “I am waiting for the singers and the dancers to come. I heard Killebrew women will perform soon and I did not want to miss it. They have such a good reputation.” This statement caused a bit of excitement, for the Killebrew women indeed had the best reputation as dancers. “In fact I will go and see what could be keeping them,” Chaiko offered helpfully as he rose. Before he disappeared among the huts he looked back to see the sizeable crowd growing even more at the expectation of such a performance. He laughed silently to himself; he had acted on an impish impulse which had just slid out of him.
It was near evening when he returned to his campsite to be accosted by his mate with, “Where have you been all day?” Dawn was uncharacteristically short with him, her nerves frazzled by the constant goings on and the unending demands of her children. Unceremoniously plopping the twins into his arms, she muttered, “Here, you take care of them.” Luckily Yael had become so tired from their adventures that he instantly fell asleep. Dawn herself lay down on the furs and stared up at the darkening sky. She, too, was soon asleep, her bosom heaving lightly, her muscles finally relaxing. Watching her face, Chaiko smiled. It had been a busy day for her. In the curiosity of the others, she was once more aware that she was not born of clan. Now she also had her sister, Fire-Dancer to shield from the intrusive interest they aroused.
After a while, he snuggled the children into bed, carefully covering them. In the darkness people were stumbling back, and several times Chaiko had to hiss a warning at a person coming too close, threatening to step on them. The moon rose, with a pale halo around its half size, promising a cold night.
*****
Chaiko awoke into a stiff, cold dawn just as the grey was taking command of the sky. For an instant he was surprised to be out in the open, then he remembered where he was, camping at the Gathering held in the homeland of the Black-Pearl.
It was unusually cold for a summer morning, and his face felt stiff with dew plastering down his hair. He grimaced, the muscles of his face resisting, almost to the point of pain. Briefly, stars were visible then they too dissolved in the rising light. A few birds stirred, complaining about the damp and the cold.
Awkwardly, Chaiko got to his feet, wrapped his furs tightly about himself and went behind a screen of bushes to relieve himself in a spot prepared for that purpose. The smell of urine was already so strong about the place that he wondered what it was going to be like over the coming days with even more people yet to come. He then trailed back, shivering from the cold dew on the grass.
People were stirring, yawning and stretching. One hardy soul, the bite in the air notwithstanding, poured a skinful of water over his naked upper torso. Chaiko shivered at the sight of him. Back at the clan’s campsite, Nebu was struggling to light a fire with dew-soaked reeds. She blew into the smoldering heart of it, but could not coax a flame to take hold. It was too cold and wet even for the fire.
Chaiko checked on his sleeping family. They were still quiet in the warmth of the furs. He peered into Dawn’s face, realizing that he had not looked at her so closely in a while. Her countenance was relaxed, smooth, free of any expression, almost childlike. It reminded him of when they first met and he was filled with a sweet longing. Now they had three children! Time was passing; soon he would wake up an old man. He pushed the moody thought from him. He considered crawling under the covers again, but decided not to relive the shock of rising in the cold dawn. Instead, he went for a brisk walk, clutching his coverings tightly to him.
People were wandering about already, a little lost without their routines. Coming back, he found a man standing at the campsite, gazing open-mouthed at the flar.
“What is that thing?” the man asked.
“A flar,” Chaiko answered with the word Dawn first used to describe the contraption and explained, “Skin on sticks.”
“Skin on sticks? Whatever for?”
“To shelter oneself. Easy to pack, easy to carry and erect... wherever.”
“What clan are you?” the man asked suspiciously.
“Standing-Rock,” Chaiko offered, as the man’s eyes flashed in some recognition.
“Ah, the ones that fought the Tolermexs?”
“Yes, we fought the Tolmecs,” Chaiko affirmed.
“And your shaman grew new legs?”
“No. He carved a leg out of wood.”
“He fashioned l’bow from music?” the man persisted.
“Lebow?” Chaiko was momentarily taken aback, again reminded how Corrigan Lebow had appropriated the name to garner the glory for himself. “We call it Falcon for its deadly accuracy. And it too is made of wood.”
More people were getting up now. Stow, Crow and Ela were stumbling around. Then Tusk rose and flexed his muscles and limbs.
“Ah that must be the man. Their shaman,” the man said, watching with avid curiosity. Chaiko had to smile at that conclusion and supposed that Tusk’s size matched the reputation the stories inspired
about the shaman of the Standing-Rock Clan.
“Actually, he is the Chief-Hunter,” Chaiko said, keeping the smile out of his voice. Then noting the disappointment on the man’s face, he quickly added, “The shaman is much taller.”
“Yes no doubt. It is said he’s a Master of Magic,” the man tried once again.
“Yes, he is certainly full of tricks,” Chaiko allowed. There was not going to be any way of fighting a reputation, he realized. The man wandered off, to find something else to gawk it.
Chaiko returned to his sleeping place and found Dawn nursing Sun. The boy, in spite of his tender age, insisted on being fed first. His parents could not figure out how he knew but the baby definitely did and put up a huge fuss when he was not first. He sucked greedily at her breast and Dawn had to forcibly peel him off to save some nourishment for his sister Moon.
Dawn looked up at Chaiko and smiled, her expression faintly apologetic for her abruptness with him the night before. It was not characteristic of her to be nagging or confrontational in their private life; she always strove to be a dutiful and pleasing mate. Chaiko smiled back at her, acknowledging that yesterday had been exhausting for her. He then grabbed Yael who was trying to escape, not at all intimidated by the wetness of the dew. Beside them, Fire-Dancer rose and Hollow-Tree blinked somewhat reluctantly into the world. Wild-of-Wind looked around with the same eagerness as Yael and the two seemed to be exchanging signals. But Chaiko kept a firm hold on his son.
Yesterday, all of the Ekulan—Dawn, Fire-Dancer, Hollow-Tree and Wild-of-Wind — excited a great deal of curiosity wherever they went. Complete strangers accosted them sometimes, asking the most inane questions imaginable. “Is it true that you people eat only vegetables...?” or “Is it true that a man can have more than one mate among your people?” Of course they were disappointed that the answers did not conform to their expectations.