They both understood the void, but had no explanation. On a deeper level they tried to convey something they could feel but not communicate. They both were experiencing a growing awareness, not just of their surroundings, but a muted questioning of their being and a wonderment of their consciousness. Cha caressed the side of Ott’s head with her hand as she stared into his eyes. They shared a cognitive understanding, and at that moment a bond was formed that made them one. They would share the same hearth from this day on and remain inseparable.
A few nights later, Cha took a red rock from their hearth and grated its surface with another rock, creating a fine red powder. As Ott looked on, she placed the powder in the recess of a small limestone slab. A flame flickered nearby from a limestone bowl that served as a lamp. It contained a mixture of burning animal fat and tallow. Carefully, she poured the hot fat and tallow in with the red powder and mixed it with a small stick. She blew out the flame and let the mixture cool, then rose and walked to the wall at the rear of the area. She dabbed her palm into the bright-red mixture and moved her hand to the wall. Several moments passed until she finally placed the mixture on the ledge and stepped back to where Ott stood facing the wall. Three red dots radiated in the glow of the fire.
15
Ott and the others crouched low in the brush on both sides of the well-worn game trail. Their carefully selected positions placed them above the trail with a clear view in both directions. The ambush would be a complete surprise. Ott had outlined the strategy to the men, and they understood what was expected of them. He had emphasized that they must act quickly and in unison at his command. They waited silently, spears grasped in the hurling position with palms curled and facing upward on the shafts. Three deer trotted into view at the curve in the trail. Ott and the others remained motionless as the animals passed below them and continued down the path. This hunt was not for meat. Moments passed silently as the men stared ahead at the curve. Then in their slow, crouching gait, twenty Prog rounded the curve and moved toward the spot where Ott, Malan, and the fourteen others were concealed.
Since the first open violent incident a month before, Ott had developed a new consciousness concerning coexistence with the Prog. His new attitude had soon spread to the rest of the men. No longer did they fear the Prog, nor did they avoid them in surprise encounters. Pitched battles became a common occurrence, with the bloody results most often surprisingly in favor of the Cro-Magnon. The one-sided victories were due to an evolutionary factor in the development of the Neanderthal species that would eventually become fatal. In accord with their means of foraging, the heavy musculature of the Neanderthals had developed to the point where hurling a spear was difficult and unnatural at best. Now, in the face of open warfare, that inability would prove deadly.
It was with detailed observation and forethought that Ott had planned the ambush. He had discussed it with Malan, and together they had gathered the best of the hunters and explained their course of action. The ambush site was selected for two reasons. It provided excellent concealment that would allow for surprise, and it was near the Progs’ cave. Ott wanted them to know they were becoming vulnerable close to their communal cave. He hoped an attack nearby would cause them to abandon the cave and evacuate the territory altogether. The constant conflict was interfering with the clan’s normal hunting and collecting activities.
Each of the Cro-Magnon hunters held a spear with two more lying within easy reach. The Prog moved unsuspecting down the trail, carrying their heavy thrusting spears and massive club axes. As they came within range, Ott could smell them, a distinct mixture of smoke and putrefying meat. Ott readied himself as the leader of the Prog stopped, raised his head, and flared his nostrils. He turned and looked up toward Ott as he sniffed the air. A ripple of excitement swept through the Prog.
Ott sprang to his feet and with a high-pitched yell hurled his long, slender spear. The Cro-Magnon rose screaming, and a torrent of flint-tipped spears rained down on the Prog from both sides of the trail. Screams of pain and panic filled the air as the Cro-Magnon grabbed their second volley and threw again. Some of the Prog dropped instantly. Others writhed in pain and pulled at spears protruding from their bodies and limbs. A few attempted to move up the inclines toward their attackers. They were met with a third flight of the deadly shafts. As the Prog thrashed in confusion and panic, Malan raised a stone hand axe over his head and, still yelling, charged into the Prog, followed by Ott and the rest of the Cro-Magnon warriors. The dead, wounded, and dying Prog were no match for the onslaught. The carnage was swift and complete. Within a few moments, all twenty of the Prog lay dead on the blood-soaked trail.
A strange quiet fell over the scene as the warriors inspected the dead bodies. Aside from the rough-hewn clubs and thick spears, some of the Prog carried roughly fashioned hide pouches containing hand knives, scrappers, and other stone tools used to butcher meat and prepare hides. Malan inspected the pouch carried by the Prog leader and turned to Ott and several of the others nearby. His face twisted into a grimace—the pouch contained butchered human flesh.
Ott turned from Malan and looked toward the Prog cave. The next attack would be the biggest yet, and it wouldn’t be on a game trail. With the scent of blood heavy in the air, the predators were already closing on the Prog bodies when Malan, Ott, and the others started back toward the cave.
16
The cave of the Cro-Magnon was huge and labyrinthine with passageways connecting a multitude of rock-faced rooms ranging in size from those barely large enough to accommodate one person to cathedral-like chambers that could shelter a hundred or more. The seventy hearths of the family groups occupying the cave were located along the central chamber in areas where natural fissures and draft channels vented hearth fires. The cave was so large that many of the areas in the deep interior had never been explored. It was in these farthest reaches that Cha found the natural formation she had been searching for.
On many occasions, she had penetrated the dark recesses of the cave, illuminating the stark walls and narrow tunnels with flickering torches. Well out of sight and sound of the main living areas, she had maneuvered through twisting passageways and broad, open expanses where the light from the torches barely outlined the vaulted ceilings. Several times with torches burning low she had almost lost her way back, but she always managed to find the areas that were growing familiar. By the time she began the work, she could move between the hearth and the farthest point in the cave by feel alone.
Cha surveyed the room bathed in the light of five torches she had placed throughout. It was large and high with three distinct walls and wide ledges that extended at different angles and gave crawling access to the higher reaches of the rock faces. Access was through a small opening in an obscure location at the end of a passageway extending a short distance off the main shaft at the rear of the cave. The opening’s small size added contrast to the large expanse, which could easily accommodate fifty people.
The configuration of the room was such that light from the torches reflected at angles that illuminated the walls in a soft but even glow. Cha had known immediately that this would be the room. What she hadn’t realized was that it would be the first.
The idea had come to her late one night shortly after the Prog incident. Ott was asleep at her side as she sat watching the flames of their hearth dancing and casting shadows on the rock wall where she had painted the red lights. As she stared through the flames, she envisioned the images of her reality, of her consciousness. She saw Malan and thought of his stoic strength that inspired everyone. She centered on Ott and felt the unexplainable bond that had grown stronger since they had been taken. Ahru seemed to peer from the flames and at once evoke a mystical awe and reverence. Then the animals appeared and ran across the plains and crept through the forest. Herds of bison thundered over the open grasslands, and the giant bear reared and snapped at the air. Coal-black horses flickered from the flames and paraded proudly with tails twitching. Wolves snarled with noses to t
he ground as they circled their prey, eyes burning the cold fire of the predator’s stare. In this trancelike state Cha knew these images should and could be shared in a permanent dimension. She knew she would bring them to the cave in the same way she had placed the symbol of the red lights on the wall of the hearth she shared with Ott.
Powders ground from rocks were mixed with fat and tallow, then heated and stirred to a fine paste. Ash and charcoal were mixed in the same way. Combinations of powders were mixed to develop new colors, and brushes were fashioned from sticks and animal hair. Cha would smear the colors at the base of one wall, and each time she marveled at the effect. She wanted to produce the images in the fire and the images of her consciousness. She could visualize them on the wall.
Alone in the chamber illuminated by several torches, she approached the largest of the rock faces. Using the first brush, she formed a curving line, quickly followed by another and then another. The form took shape and the image of an auroch with its long, curving horns appeared as a black outline on the smooth rock face of the chamber. Red ochre mixed with ash became the brownish hide, and pure ash became the white chest. Cha worked almost effortlessly from a feeling without constraint. Lines and colors blended in smudges and strokes that appeared in spatial perspective and astonished her as she created the mind-images.
On days when Ott and the others were away from the cave, she would finish her regular activities and then steal away to the chamber and continue her work. As she progressed, she knew someday she would reveal what she was doing, but not until she was ready. Over time she perfected her techniques and painted a variety of animals. Some were mere charcoal outlines. Others became detailed and alive with diverse colors. Often, she would use natural formations on the rock faces as part of a painting, giving the finished image a raised, dimensional perspective. The more she painted, the more natural the work came to her. It was as though something had been triggered in her mind and her prowess was a natural part of her consciousness.
Eventually she covered most of the prominent rock faces in the chamber with likenesses of nearly every animal that roamed their environment. In the flickering torchlight, the images seemed to move, and a strange, ethereal glow permeated the chamber. It would soon be time to reveal the images to the others.
Late one night she stood basking in the dancing light and staring at her creations. Then she sensed movement to her rear. Grabbing a torch, she turned as Ahru appeared from the shadows.
17
Ahru had watched Cha and Ott closely since the Prog confrontation. As the spiritual protector of the clan, he took it upon himself to learn everything he could about everyone. His authority was second only to that of Malan, and that authority was built upon knowledge—knowledge of events and of every member of the clan. What had happened to Cha and Ott had no reference point in his entire existence, and he knew he must do everything possible to understand what had happened and what the implications might be for himself and everyone else. For that reason, he made special efforts to watch and interpret Cha and Ott’s actions.
Ott’s behavior was easily understood and almost expected. He was maturing and becoming a respected member of the clan hierarchy. He participated aggressively in the hunts and almost single-handedly had organized the attack against the Prog. Ott’s emerging leadership did not diminish Malan’s position, but his growing role was obvious. He was becoming a warrior, and warfare was becoming a regular clan activity. With each victory, the men of the clan became more confident and the all-out attack on the Prog cave became more eminent. Ott was the driving force behind the increased attacks and always planned them carefully with Malan and the others. Ahru watched and took part. He called upon the spirits of the larger predatory beasts to side with the clan and guide them with stealth and ferocity. The night before every excursion, Ahru would convene a ceremonial fire dance and appear dressed in various hides and elaborate headdresses constructed of the horns and teeth of large cats, bears, or wolves. His incantations and dances inspired the men’s confidence and became an integral part of their warfare ritual.
All this Ahru understood. It was Cha’s behavior that he found disturbing. And when he discovered the chamber, what had been disturbing became frightening and confusing. Cha had been at work in the chamber for several weeks, and most of the paintings were complete.
Late one night he watched as she rose from the hearth she shared with Ott and slipped into the shadows leading to the rear expanses of the cave. He waited a few moments, and then with several torches he moved into the darkness and traced her steps to the small opening of the secret chamber. He stood outside and watched as the light from the torches flickered on the cave floor from the entrance. Then slowly and silently he crawled through the opening and made his way to the darkest part of the chamber.
He surveyed the interior, awestruck, as Cha stood facing the far wall. The images on the wall were unlike anything he had ever seen, and though he recognized them, he could not comprehend their existence. It was as though he had entered a world of spirits and images that were at once recognizable, but totally alien to his comprehension. He stood silent and transfixed as Cha moved about the rock face with strange implements moving from her hands to the wall. He marveled as an outline took shape from the implement and then gained color and a recognizable form. The image of a horse appeared, and Ahru knew he was witnessing an event of spiritual proportions with implications he could only sense as powerful. He had to be a part of what she was doing.
Cha seemed to dance in front of the rock face as she created the images. She finished the prancing horse and stood for a moment with the strange implement dangling from her fingers. Then, as she turned and walked to the far torch, Ahru stepped from the shadows and revealed himself.
Both stood quietly for a few seconds. Then Ahru raised his right hand to his head, patted his temple several times, and in a sweeping motion gestured toward the largest expanse of the paintings. Cha understood and began walking backward while motioning the shaman forward. Ahru approached the wall, eyes darting across its entire expanse. He stopped an arm’s length from the rock face as Cha took his hand and moved it toward the largest image of the auroch. He extended his fingertips and moved them across the image. He repeated the procedure over several of the images, each time tracing the outline.
Eyes wide with wonder, Ahru reached down and grasped Cha’s hands in his. He raised her hands and stared at them and the brush she held. With an almost undetectable smile, he nodded ever so slowly and led her toward the small opening. This night the clan would meet the new animal spirits Cha had created, and in keeping with his stature, Ahru would be the one to show them the way. Cha understood the shaman’s needs and let him rouse Malan and several others from their sleep.
18
One by one the men of the clan stooped and entered through the small opening to the secret cave. Soft cries of astonishment filtered back through the opening to those waiting to enter. Finally, the last man hunched through the opening and surveyed the images, then like the others he mouthed a low moan at what he beheld. Heads rotated and eyes moved from image to image in the flickering light. Like Ahru before them, each of the men drifted from quiet bewilderment to spiritual reverence as they viewed the images. Together they shared the experience as a single entity, and as they did, a slow epiphany swept over the entire group. The essence of their existence, the animals that provided sustenance, were for the first time symbolically a part of their consciousness.
As Malan, Ott, and the others looked on, Ahru motioned to Cha and retrieved a brush from a small ledge. He extended it to her and gestured toward the wall. Taking the brush in her hand, she faced the silent gathering. Then she turned, picked up a piece of charcoal, and approached a blank expanse of the rock face. The men shuffled and gathered closer as she swept the charcoal across the stone in fluid movements. First, horns took shape, followed by a hump and torso. Deftly she created the shape of the auroch, and then, switching to the brush, she applied red o
chre followed with light ash mixed with tallow. In a few moments, the image was complete.
As Malan stepped forward, Ahru grasped his hand and moved it toward the rock face. In the same fashion that Ahru had before, Malan tapped at the image. Malan examined it for a few quiet seconds, then, turning toward the silent gathering, he removed a flint blade from his wrap. He raised it and softly touched it to the image as he looked from the men to Cha and the image of the auroch. Within seconds everyone understood. The next hunt would be for the auroch, for now the spirit of the auroch and all the animals belonged to the clan.
In the ensuing days, Cha continued to create the images. Without any reluctance, she showed others how to use the tools and prepare the pigments and powders. While some were wary, others like Nin the medicine woman exhibited an almost natural affinity for creating the images and derived pleasure from her creations and the response to them. Some of the men and women would never touch the tools or attempt the magic in Cha’s presence, but when alone they would prepare the materials and steal away to attempt creations of their own. Over the course of weeks, many images were created in areas of the cave infrequently visited by anyone except the creators of the images.
No one ever attempted to paint on any surface used by Cha. Her ability was recognized as the source of the images’ power, and she alone created them in the largest gathering spaces in the cave. Her images were the ones around which the rituals of the hunt were developed, and those rituals gave rise to another dimension of the cohesiveness and organization of the clan of Malan.
Before each hunt, the men would gather in the once-secret chamber. None of the women except for Cha were permitted. A ceremonial fire was built, and with the men seated, Ahru would summon the spirits of the images with a low, guttural incantation. When finished, he would indicate the animal to be hunted on the following day. Then in single file, beginning with Malan and followed by Ott, the men would each pass their spearpoints or flint blades in front of the spirit image, being careful not to touch it.
The Way of the Seed_Earth Spawn of Kalpeon Page 5