by Laura Jack
They all cried for their loss, even Ruban, and Brinan somehow felt better; still numb - but better. Drained of emotion they sat by the cairn and ate a meal in Lodina’s honour. Matina had even remembered to make the special tea that Lodina had once prepared for the grieving Clan when Juno had died. It helped to calm them all and together they walked back to the small cave – it was home now. As they sat round the fire in the evening, Brinan looked at what was left of his Clan.
Serena stared into the flames, as if she was seeing something a thousand lifetimes away. Matina was resting against her, cuddling Flossa and sucking her thumb. She hasn’t done that in years, observed Brinan. Ruban was lying on his furs with his back to them; he hadn’t been cheeky or troublesome all day - just sullen. Brinan had never taken to the boy, but he couldn’t help feeling something for him now, not just responsibility – but something much stronger – compassion. It was a rare emotion for him. It reminded him of the first day he had seen Luma and wanted to give her a safe home, he almost smiled at the memory. Well she was safe now, and so was Ruban. Callom looked up from the fire and watched Brinan watching them. Their eyes met over the flames of the fire and they exchanged weak smiles.
“What now?” Callom asked.
Brinan knew he meant their plans. He had some ideas and some concerns but didn’t want to voice them in front of the younger ones, they had only just settled. He simply dropped his gaze and shook his head.
“We’ll discuss it tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep; it’s been a hard day for all of us.” He replied finally, realising wearily that he sounded just like his uncle.
“Brinan, how much longer should we wait?” Serena asked him for the fifth time that morning. “It’s been well over a moon cycle. We should be at the Summer Gathering by now.”
Brinan wouldn’t, or rather, couldn’t, give her an answer. Waiting gave him hope, agreeing to leave for the Gathering meant acknowledging that something had happened to the hunters and that they too were dead and he wasn’t ready to for that option yet.
But it was the need for survival that drove not just Serena, but Callom too, they demanded he make a decision. Brinan couldn’t.
“Why don’t we go east and look for Arguus and the other.” Callom suggested finally.
“Don’t you think I haven’t thought of that,” snapped Brinan. “We have no idea where this amber mine is. Let alone what the terrain is like. Think about it, our lake won’t be the only thing that has changed drastically. No, I think our best option would be the Gathering.”
“Finally!” Serena’s tone was exasperated. “Look, if it makes you feel better I have an idea. We’ll travel to the sea first; we know that’s the easiest route anyway. We can fish and gather salt like we always do. Each night we’ll build a cairn and a big fire and leave a trail for them to find.”
“We’ve been making a big fire every day to show them where we are. If they were close they would have spotted it and come to us by now.” Callom added. “It’s a good plan, Serena; we need others, we can’t stay here alone.”
“It’s the not knowing that’s worse, as bad as it was at least we know that Lodina is in the spirit world with the ancestors.” Brinan tried to explain. “I can’t help wondering whatever happened to them. Their first priority would have been to return to the cave.”
“Then we can be sure that something has happened to them too, they may be dead or maybe they’re trapped somewhere because of the water.” Serena tried to be objective but just admitting they might be dead made her throat tighten and her stomach churn.
“If they were in the amber mine, they may have been trapped, although we have no way of knowing if the water level reached them because we have no idea where the mine is.” said Callom.
Brinan didn’t reply, he just stared into space then;
“Emosnar!” He shouted, leaping up. Both Callom and Serena stood up, suddenly alert.
“What?”
“Where?” They were both confused.
“You must remember? Felmas told us it was the story teller, Emosnar, who told him about the amber mine. We will go to the Gathering and find Emosnar, then we can find out where the mine is; then we go there and find out what happened,” resolved Brinan. The moment he though of it; he knew it was the right thing to do. Now they had a good reason to leave for the Gathering. Now they had a workable plan.
At last, there was a shred of hope. Brinan smiled for the first time in many days. Luma took it as a cue that he might be willing to play with her and jumped up on him. He ruffled the hair on her neck and scratched under her chin. Then tried to push her down; she resisted for a moment then got down. Brinan noticed how powerful she was, not in a fearful way; but it set him thinking.
“We can’t leave just yet, we need a few days to prepare. We’ll take as much as we can, I don’t think we’ll be returning to this cave, it’s too small and we will be too isolated in winter. I would like to leave something though. It’s important that we leave something more specific than just fires and stones, Serena do you think you could paint something on these walls to show that we, at least, are still alive and where we are going?”
Serena thought for a few moments, then beamed. “Let’s put our hand prints on the walls; remember the ones we saw in the sacred cave? I could draw us leaving for the sea too, a sort of map. If they come back they are bound to search the area and we will leave the cave open for them to find.”
“Good idea. One more thing, Callom, I need you to make a travois for Luma. She is going to carry Tomas for us.” Brinan was getting enthusiastic, the more he planned the better he felt. Gut instinct was telling him that this was the right thing to do.
“What can I do?” Ruban asked, it was the first time he had spoken since they had found the cave flooded.
“What flint tools have you got for us Ruban? If you have any raw stone left, I want you to prepare it for travel, it’s better to take finished tools than have to carry big lumps of stone.”
“What about me?” Matina asked. Brinan smiled at her, she had that look of enjoying a game but this was no game. He decided that it would do no harm to along with her.
“You need to check your medicine bag and collect not just medicines but ground nuts, carrots, whatever you can forage for food. You too, Serena, and check over our store of food, especially grain.”
“There’s not much Brinan and I think we should keep the grains for Tomas, I’ve added in meat broth and ground up meat for him to his gruels but he is still limited in what he can eat.”
“Okay, we will do some fishing at the lake before we cross it and . . .”
“Would this help?” Ruban held out a basket to Brinan. He opened it and smiled broadly.
“Ruban, I’m not going to ask how you came by all these travel cakes, but I’m glad you did.”
“I didn’t steal them!” Ruban argued sounding a little more like his old self. Brinan knew he was lying but humoured him. For once, his misbehaviour had given them an advantage.
“We are low on meat, Brinan and I was thinking about the lake, we’re going to need to cross it at some point. Why not finish Felmas’s boat and use it.” Callom suggested.
“Okay, but what has that got to do with our meat supply?”
“We only need one big animal; we also need oars for the boat so I was thinking a elk would be perfect. Their antlers make the best oars. There’s bound to be one close by the lake, they will have been affected by the floods too and will have lost their usual feeding grounds.”
Now that they were all thinking about survival, Brinan noticed that the mood in the camp had changed for the better. It reminded him of an old proverb from one of Emosnar’s stories; “Hope should be the last to die.”
“If we all work together - no complaining - we can do this! Do you all agree?”
With a smile, or a nod of the head, they all agreed.
“I think it would be a good idea to move our camp to the lakeside tomorrow. We’ll find Felmas’s boat and start work
on it right away.”
In the morning, after buiding cairns and setting reindeer antlers in an arrow to point to the cave, Brinan announced an inspection of the Clan. All the tasks he had set for them had been completed. He was quietly surprised at the quality of the flint tools Ruban had managed to make. Matina showed him her medicine bag and also produced some wild strawberries that she had found. The tiny red berries were deliciously sweet. They were the perfect breakfast. Serena mashed some up for Tomas.
Callom took him outside and showed him the travois he had made for Luma and also the harness he had made for her to allow her to pull it comfortably and efficiently. Back in the cave, Serena showed him the drawing she had made on the wall. A stick family group, including a stick wolf, heading from a cave to the sea along a lake; then the family sitting in a boat crossing the lake; then following a river to the coast; then crossing land to a cave with stick horses and people and hearths around it.
“That’s clever, I understand this,” Said Brinan. “Let’s just hope whoever finds it does too.”
“We’ve all made our mark on the wall, even Luma - it’s just yours we need.” Serena said taking a hold of Brinan’s hand. “Place your hand on the wall and spread out your fingers like this.”
Brinan did has he was told, it was fun to see his hand print on the wall with the others. Serena also showed him a list of supplies she had drawn on a piece of birch bark. She explained to Brinan what each picture was.
“These are the counting marks, like our hands, four strokes for the finger and one across them for the thumb in black. If you want to count the groups of marks, you make a stroke in orange ochre for every five and you times that by five. So I have five marks here, I times that by five which gives me twenty-five, do you see?”
“Sort of,” replied Brinan, not wanting to appear stupid.
“I do,” Callom said. “Felmas did the same thing when he was counting out measurements. It took me a while to understand it though.”
“Me too,” replied Serena. “Tamo had to explain it several times before I fully understood.” Brinan felt better.
When they were finally ready, leaving the cave was harder than they thought. It represented security and safety. While they had stayed here, they had always nursed the hope that the hunters would appear and all would be well. Brinan sensed melancholy setting in again.
“Why don’t we just stay here?” Ruban said, voicing what everyone was thinking. Brinan took a deep breath; he needed to be calm but assertive.
“We can’t Ruban, we must do something positive. It’s up to us to make the best of things, to survive and continue. We have a good plan and we’re going to see it through. If the hunters are still out there, they will track us and find us. You are part of the Wolf Clan now and like wolves, we are the best at working together, adapting and surviving. Now pick up your backpack and let’s move out.”
Ruban did as he was told. Brinan let out his breath, he didn’t realise he had been holding it. He walked to the head of his Clan and raised his arm. ‘Clan ho!’
They set off, but without the hoots and howls of joy that had begun their journey last year, it was early evening by the time they left. Brinan sent a silent prayer to Magda that he was doing the right thing.
Walking briskly ahead, Brinan took the opportunity to scout ahead of his Clan. He had set a few snares the previous evening in the hope of catching small game for their supper. The less they had to rely on their dried travelling foods the better. He had succeeded in snaring a couple of hares and a badger. The badger he would give to Luma for her supper.
He scouted further down the shoreline and sat down on a large boulder overlooking the lake. He knew that somewhere in the trees just above him was the upturned boat. There was one advantage to the flood. They would not have as far to drag the boat to the shore. It would still be no easy task though. There was so much to plan, and every plan gave him worries. He hugged his knees to his chest. The sun was lowering, reflecting on the surface like liquid amber, mirroring the colour of Luma’s eyes. Brinan stared out over the water, not noticing the chill of early evening setting in his bones.
“Where are you, Mother?” He spoke aloud; somehow, it made him feel better. “Are you alive? Are Arguus and the others? Oh Magda I wish I knew!” He buried his head in his arms and choked with tears of despair. He couldn’t cry in front of the others. He had to be the strong one. But alone, he let himself be sad – and scared. His tears, bottled up for so long fell heavily and he sobbed miserably. “Oh Mother! Please come home!”
No one answered him; Luma whined softly and pushed her nose under his arm, nudging him to acknowledge her. Brinan wiped his nose on his sleep.
‘Get a grip of yourself boy!’ He said it aloud but felt it had come from someone else. Some inner spirit that looked out for him, guided him. ‘You’re leader now – so lead!’ That inner voice again, commanding, decisive.
14 The Crossing
“Brinan!” He looked up sharply, it was Matina, running down towards him. He jumped off the boulder and splashed his face in the water. No-one should see him cry - or doubt himself. His time alone and the opportunity to grieve had helped, he was calmer and resolute. The time for crying was over. It was time to lead.
“Supper,” Brinan tossed the two hares to Matina. “Get skinning and I’ll get a fire going.” The others caught up.
“What took you all so long?” He demanded.
“We did some foraging along the way…” Explained Callom, a little taken aback by his tone.
“… and I’ve found the boat, it’s just up there.”
“We had to stop and change Tomas, it’s not good to let him lie in his own mess, you know that!” Serena snapped. Brinan was a little chagrined.
“Not to mention the smell! We got more strawberries, and Ruban found a stash of hazelnuts.” Said Matina oblivious to the tension.
“Thank you all.” Brinan said finally. It calmed the tension.
“Callom, that’s good news about the boat; I’ve been trying to think of a way to move it. It’s going to be heavy.”
“We’ve got rope; we’ll have to pull it down. Still won’t be easy though.”
“We’ll think of something.” Darkness was falling. They set up ground tents and built a big bonfire. They were more vulnerable to predators out in the open. It was Horse Moon, the favourite moon cycle of many people and the first proper summer one. It was hot, but not uncomfortably so and food was bountiful, provided you know where to look. This time last year, they had already reached the sea.
Felmas’s boat was the last thought to occupy Brinan’s mind when he went to sleep and the first thought that came into his head when he woke up. He had even dreamt about it, but it was a strange dream...
He was standing alone in the woods. The boat turned back into a tree, then shrunk to a log, then many logs, like you would use for a raft. Then the logs rolled down the hill towards the lake carrying a bigger log with them. The bigger log became the boat again and launched into the lake. The wind caught the sail and it was blown away, leaving them all behind.
He woke up in a panic, then realized it was just a dream. In a way, he was excited about the prospect of crossing the lake, but full of anxiety too. They were all up early and eager. The lake provided fresh trout for breakfast, stuffed with herbs and travelling cake. More strawberries were found. Good food put them all in good humour. They even swam in the lake, although it was cold.
Serena was left in charge of the little ones while Brinan and Callom trekked up the hill into the trees. They soon found the boat, upturned and resting on four thick logs.
“It looks like Felmas has been back and done some more work on the boat. I remember him sneaking off a few times.” Said Callom. “These logs should come in handy, we can use them help steady the boat, remember the replica. Brinan? Brinan?”
Brinan didn’t hear him, although he was staring at the logs, he was far away, re-living his dream of the previous night. Understanding
dawned on his face and he let out a whoop of joy.
“I know what we need to do,” he said smiling broadly. “We will roll the boat down to the shore over these logs. You know, like a rolling stone. I think that will make it much easier.”
He was rewarded with a hug from Callom. Buoyed by enthusiasm they turned the boat over, using poles for leverage. Felmas had put in a lot more work, they noticed with satisfaction. The inside had been sanded and shaped; with holes made where they were needed. Four smaller poles were inside the boat, two for oars, and two to hang the sail. It would save them days of work. Callom tied two ropes to the front where Felmas had put in a post with a carved figurehead of a mythical sea creature while Brinan dragged the logs in front and spaced them apart. Hauling the boat onto the logs was the hardest part but once on it rolled easily along. Too easily. It was hard to control the boat as it kept rolling off the front log and jamming into the ground, or worse, a tree. It was Callom, who thought of a solution.
“Let’s tie two more ropes to the back end and then wrap around a tree to stop the boat rolling until we are ready. Then we can bring the logs round to the front and perhaps space them a little wider. The concept worked. They reached the tree line and continued down towards the shore, the others let out a great cheer. Brinan and Callom felt like heroes.
They stopped just short of the water’s edge to eat and rest. Brinan planned as he ate; one more day to hunt and another to make some final touches to the boat.
“I think we should hunt first, then while we work on the boat, Serena and the others can be butchering the meat and working the hide. A elk hide will provide a large sail for the boat.”
“Agreed,” Callom replied. “I think we should search upwind of the camp, anything downwind will have picked up the scent of us and our fire and be long gone.”
It was a sensible plan, and luck seemed to be with them. They spotted just what they hoped to spot - a bull elk. Even from a distance it looked massive and its distinctive overhanging nose gave it a comical look. There would be nothing funny about hunting it though!