I smiled at him and placed my hand on his lips. "Yes, I know. Mar, my brave warrior."
The tribal council assembled and banished Tam-Rue and Bordith from the tribal lands forever for infractions of conduct in the warrior class. All warriors were instructed to kill either man immediately if they ever set foot on tribal lands again.
When ten days had passed Mar and I became one, Atula sealed our bond in a ceremony at the community tent. I was no longer a full priestess. That did not matter anymore, I had made my choice.
Chapter Six
Invasion
It was a beautiful spring day. I gathered herbs and roots in the deep forest. On my back was a wood frame baby carrier that firmly held our newborn son, Taer. His father Mar was on border patrol. He was often away for several days. I missed him.
I was no longer a member of the esteemed priestess class. I now belonged to the warrior class, as Mar is a great warrior of high rank.
Nesa and I have gathered many roots and herbs. She is Mar’s sister, also newlywed. We live in thatched huts below the cliffs on the forest floor. Nesa was picking greens that we have found growing by the banks of a swift flowing stream. Her basket was full. We have gathered other herbs which we will use in our meat stews. I had the meat cooking back at the settlement.
A cool breeze blows through the mountain valley. It feels refreshing after a morning of gathering. Our golden hair is swept in spirals around our heads by the bursts of wind.
Nesa and I loosened the high crisscrossed straps of our sandals and removed them from our feet. We waded in the swift flowing waters of the stream. There may be clams in the sand, and we have found some. Clams add good flavor to stew, and the shells have many uses. We collected the clams and put them in our drawstring bags made of deer hide.
Nesa suddenly stopped and turned her head toward the reeds and tall grass to our left. She remained silent and motioned for me to stand quiet. Now I heard what she did; a rustling in the grasses there, and we saw the brush move. Could it be an animal coming to the stream to drink? We withdrew from the cool waters and quickly put on our sandals. We hid in the tall grasses nearby.
Now we heard men’s voices from across the stream. A band of warriors emerged from the dense brush. They are Umbunti warriors…our most feared enemy. They are clothed in buck skin with arm bands, war paint applied to their faces, carrying the full array of quiver, bow and arrow.
We must go quickly and warn our people of this invasion into our lands. Nesa and I ran quietly through the tall grass towards the forest. We must not be taken captive by the Unbunti, or they will turn us into slaves.
We stayed low to the ground so that we would not be seen. My heart was beating hard within my chest and I trembled. Once we got to the forest we ran all the way back to the settlement.
We reached the forest. We got to the path and started to run. Nesa was ahead of me as I carry my son. We entered our settlement, a clearing with many thatched huts covered with animal hides.
No one was there. My pot of stew had been eaten.
Usually there are several families outside, children playing and women doing work. Nesa and I looked in every direction. Everything was quiet. Our settlement has been abandoned.
Nesa looked horror stricken. “Everyone is gone! What should we do?”
She was looking for guidance from me.
I knew that whatever had happened to our kinsmen probably had something to do with the fierce warriors that we had seen at the stream.
“Our people must have seen the Umbunti warriors too, and they left the settlement. They probably went to the cliffs for protection.”
Nesa looked around the settlement. “If the Umbunti are near we have to get out of here fast!”
“Come, Nesa, we must hurry to the cliff dwellings,” I said, pointing towards the cliff trail.
We walked cautiously to the cliff trail, keeping alert for invaders.
The baby had been asleep in his basket carrier, but if he were to awake, and started to cry, this would be cause for alarm and it would possibly reveal our presence to our enemy. The large boulders along the lower cliff trail would conceal us and block sound.
We saw movement ahead to one side of the trail. A warrior with a spear came out from behind a boulder and stood in front of us, blocking our way.
He was Mubi, one of our tribal warriors. Mubi recognized us immediately.
“Mubi!” I cried. “We have seen Umbunti warriors in the forest! Our settlement has been abandoned. We are going to the rock shelters for protection.”
“Yes,” Mubi replied with a worried look. “We are under attack by the Umbunti. Come, my warriors will take you to the safety of the cliffs.”
We saw several other tribal warriors hiding in the rocks. Mubi motioned for one of them to come join us.
“Kol! Take Saline and Nesa to the cliff houses. Be watchful as you go!”
Kol was a young warrior with light wavy hair. He was wearing buck skin leggings and a grey fox fur vestment. He carried a spear and bow.
He led us along the trail towards the cliffs. We walked fast.
“Kol, please tell me what you know, what is happening? Nesa and I have seen Umbunti warriors in our territory.”
Kol turned and looked at me “The lowlands are under attack. I heard that they have taken the River Village. We are fighting them near there,” he explained.
“Do you know anything about Mar, my husband?” I asked.
“I saw him go toward Swan Lake this morning. He was with many other warriors.”
I remembered the platform high in the tree above Swan Lake where Mar and I sat together all day watching the birds in flight. He showed me how to mimic every bird call in the forest.
Those were times that I cherished deeply, but now that peaceful, happy memory had been stolen away by these invaders into our lands. I was worried about Mar. I knew that the lake would be a place of intense fighting.
Kol sensed my misgivings. “Mar is one of our best warriors. Don’t worry, we will drive the Umbunti from our lands.”
“How many invaders are there, Kol?” I asked nervously.
He looked away from me as he answered. “There are many more this time. We don’t know for sure. We fight them in the lowlands.”
We have been at peace for many seasons. Small roving bands have come into our lands in the past, but we have easily defeated them. But he Umbunti are by far the most difficult to fight. They keep coming back in greater numbers.
We arrived at the cliff houses. “Saline and Nesa are accounted for and well!” Kol announced loudly.
Everyone was very happy to see us. Nesa found her family members and they embraced. I saw father in one corner of the cave where he was working with several others on arrow shafts. He stood up and gave me a hug.
“Saline, we were all very worried about you and Nesa!”
He smiled and I could see tears of joy in his eyes.
Baby Taer wiggled in the carrier on my back and he started to whimper.
Father patted his head. “He is hungry.”
I loosened the straps and lifted the carrier from my shoulders. Father pulled Taer from the basket carrier and held him to his chest. He sniffed Taer’s hair and kissed him on his cheek, rocking him gently in his arms. Taer giggled and grabbed onto father’s beard.
“Taer has slept through all of this trouble,” I told father. “He never made a sound as Nesa and I ran across the forest to the cliff village.”
“He is as Mar!” Father laughed. “Swift and silent on the hunt.”
I took Taer to my breast and he feed eagerly.
“Father, we saw Umbunti warriors in the forest. They had war paint on their faces.”
“Probably a scouting party,” Father said, his face becoming tense. All our warriors have gone to fight them.”
Father’s hands had cuts and scrapes all over.
“You work in the weapons pit, father?”
“Yes Saline. We must make many more arrows and sp
ears. Our warriors will need a constant supply.”
Father looked very tired. He had been over worked and losing sleep.
Our cliff shelters were very crowded with our people from the low lands and other refugees. I recognized some children from Amara’s village.
“Father. Why don’t you take a rest? I can take your place in the weapons pit.”
“No, Saline. You need to take care of Taer. Go to the hut. You can make some mush and be comfortable there. You also need to get some rest after what you have experienced with the Umbunti.”
I knew father would not give in, he would not stop until he was too tired to stand. I went to the hut with Taer and made a fire in the pit from an ember. I cooked a large batch of mush that would feed us for a few days.
Taer crawled across the stone slab floor and played with his wooden carved toys. He cooed and made hoots as he played.
I ate some mush. I flavored it with some honey, then fed Taer. He ate all the mush in his bowl.
I gathered wood from outside our hut and put another log on the fire. I noticed that there was no more wood left, so it would be necessary to get more in the morning.
It was getting late in the day. I was feeling sleepy. I picked up Taer and put him in my bed. I laid down and nursed him. We both fell asleep.
Chapter Seven
Weapons Pit
I was at the stream again, watching the swift flowing waters. There was a large fish swimming near my bare feet. I heard bird calls in the distance.
I saw Mar up on his secret tree platform. He was making bird calls which signaled to our warriors where the enemy was hiding. Our warriors surprised the enemy and they were scattered.
Bone woman was cooking at the fire pit in front of her hut. She chanted our ancestral invocations as she stirred the pot. She looked up at me and smiled, saying: “Saline, do not forget my words. You are the mother of many people. Your children will prosper across the lands. Keep the faith always…never forget the teachings of our ancestors.”
“I promise that I will remain in the faith always, Aivena.”
We embraced. A strong breeze rustled through the trees. I felt it blowing on my face and through my hair. I got a scent of the chill air from the ancestral cave. I saw my ancestors upon the sheer cliffs. They were young and strong, wearing clothing of deer hide. They smiled and waved at me, and seemed pleased.
I suddenly saw the face of an Umbunti Warrior. He got closer and closer, until all I saw was the warriors face, his thick lips and wide nose, and the red war paint. His eyes were dark and completely expressionless.
He grabbed me on the arms near my shoulders and shook me violently.
“No!” I cried. “Stay away!”
He laughed and made a grimace.
“You… come with me, my slave!”
“No! Go away, let me go!”
I was now aware of a gentle lapping at my face. My dog Dallie was by my bed, licking my ear.
I rolled over and ran my hand through her soft fur. She’s a black and white dog, speckled on her legs and belly. She’s also a good watch dog, guarding our cliff village. She does not wander off, preferring to stay near us always.
I am worried about food; for Dallie and for us. Our normal hunting patterns have been disrupted. We will have to eat our cured meats or catch small animals like snake or lizards. We still have chickens for eggs. We will eat our goats only as a last resort, as they serve as our pack animals and give us milk and cheese.
I have some dry kibble for Dallie, cured chunks of meat that I kept in a covered jar that hung from the ceiling of the hut in netting.
I recalled my dream. I wondered if it was a sign from the ancestors or the goddesses. In some ways, the dream felt like an affirmation, and in other ways more like a warning.
I got up and went to the back part of the hut where we had food hanging in twine netting. I took down the kibble jar and took out several pieces of cured meat. Dallie was excited and wagged her tail for the kibble. She ate from my hand.
Taer was awake. I could hear him cooing from my bed. I will feed him the mush that I have make. I took a clean bowl from a shelf and spooned the mush into it. I picked up Taer from the bed and held him closely, rocking him gently. I sat on a stool at the table, placed him on my lap, and fed him the mush. I used honey to sweeten it. He ate eagerly. I also gave him some dried fruit cakes.
I put Taer in his play area in one corner of the hut. Some dividers kept him there.
I looked outside the hut to check the sun’s position. The light at the treetops was brilliant on the side facing east, so I knew that it was mid-morning. The drums were now silent that once signaled the position of sun and moon. We must be quiet so that our enemy won’t find us.
Our supplies were only enough to last for about ten days. We had goat cheese and some bread, dried fruits and cured meat. Our water jars needed to be refilled.
I still had some vegetables in my packs that I gathered early yesterday at the stream. I decided to make some hot soup.
I placed more wood in the fire pit and rekindle the flames from the embers.
I took some cured meat down from the ceiling and removed it from the netting, cutting off a large slab. I placed water, the slab of meat, and the vegetables into an earthenware pot. I placed it over the fire on a tripod.
Soon my soup was boiling. I added some salt and other spices. Dinner would be ready when father comes home from the work pit later today. He has not eaten a good meal in several days.
I put Taer into the basket carrier and hoisted him onto my back. We went to visit Father.
There were men and women working at the weapons pit. Some made arrow shafts from fresh cut tree branches. A large pile of arrow shafts had been made in the pit. We prided ourselves with the sleek design of our shafts; the best crafted arrows in the region.
Other workers fashioned sharp arrow tips from a supply of strike stone obtained in trade. Father worked with a group of skilled craftsmen who mounted and bound the arrow tips to the shaft with sinew and pine resin. There were many finished arrows, and these were placed in bundles of sixteen.
Father was so busy that he did not notice me and Taer. Gessa, a woman working at his side, saw me. She nudged Father. He looked up from his work and smiled.
“Saline, how did you sleep last night? I hope that you are well rested.”
“I slept well, Father,” I said. “I had a long sleep and I am well rested this morning. And you Father? Have you been sleeping well lately?”
I could see his weary eyes. He looked like he had not gotten a good nights’ rest in a long while.
“I sleep off and on. I can get by on just a short nap.”
He shut his eyes and made snoring sounds. Everyone in the pit giggled.
“Father, you need rest. You look very tired. I can work in the pit and give you a break.”
“Don’t worry so much, Saline. We are caught up on the weapons supply. We will all take a break soon.”
“I have made some hot soup Father. It will be ready at mid-day.” I said.
“That sounds good. You make the best soup, Saline. I will have it with bread and cheese.”
I nodded my head. “The soup will be good that way, that’s the way we always eat it.”
I felt a tug at my skirt. I looked down and saw a young girl. I recognized her from the River Village. Her name is Kai-am. Her eyes were sad. I never have seen her like this, she has always been a very happy girl.
“Kai-am, what’s wrong? You look so sad.”
She started to cry. I picked her up and held her close. Now most of the children from the River Village surrounded me.
One of the older girls stepped forward and spoke.
“I know why she is upset,” she said. “It’s because we don’t know about our parents. What happened to them?”
I looked at all the children. I could see fear in their eyes. I wanted to comfort them, but I also knew that we must not get our hopes too high.
“We
must be strong, children. Our brave warriors are fighting to protect us and our ancestral lands. My husband Mar is one of those warriors. He will lead his men to victory over these invaders.”
I said this to comfort the children, but I think that I was also trying to reassure myself. I understood the danger as I tried to mask my own fears.
I thought about Amara, my best friend. I knew her bravery. She was a fighter. She would not easily give up her home, and she would be fighting alongside the men with her proven skills with the bow.
Sohone, an elderly woman from the River Village, beckoned. “Children, come now. We will play some games!”
There were many games that the children liked. The lentil bag toss, blocks, painting, tag, hide and seek; to name a few.
The children ran to the play area. I joined in on the fun, moving from one group to another. I enjoyed interacting with the children as they played. Several boys played a line game in the sand. They used round rocks to mark their square.
Some girls played a flute in the back of the cave. The melody was pleasant and soothing.
Some of the boys fashioned toy spears and pretended that they were hunting Umbunti warriors. They aimed at some round sinew targets. I could see that some of them were becoming skilled with the spear.
The girls were interested in a bag toss game where they tossed lentil bags onto a deer hide from a distance marker. The bag tossed closest to a marked target meant victory. I played this fun game with the girls until it was time to go back to the hut to get a meal ready for Taer and Father.
Back at the hut I stirred up the embers in the pit and added more wood to bring up the fire. My meat soup had simmered to a thick, tasty broth. I took some of the broth and put it into an earthenware bowl and stirred in some pieces of bread. After it was cooled, I gave it to Taer. He loves to eat broth and bread. He slurped it and made a mess on his chin. Dallie ate what was left over or what fell on the floor
Several warriors brought filled water jugs to the shelters. It is too dangerous for us to go to the waterfalls now. We had to wait for the water deliveries.
The Wings of Creation Page 4