The Tribe was down to two-hands-and-two-fingers members now. Since the shift in the weather and the big cat had driven them from the cleft, the Tribe had been in steady decline.
Big Stick had been their leader since defeating and killing One-Eye, the old leader. Big Stick ate One-Eye's parts to signify the transfer of leadership and so that One-Eye could advise Big Stick as a spirit.
Her name wasn't Akane, it was Small Club. She wasn't good at many of the woman-duties, so she helped hunt. Since losing their home in the cleft, all of them were more-or-less hunters.
She was hunting when they heard the yips and cries of cubs, and the smell of fresh blood drew them.
Unprotected cubs. They would feast well, Small Club knew. Though small and with not much meat - the Tribe was starving as they wandered and looked for food and a new place where the Tribe might flourish.
That was when Little Pecker found the Strange Cave.
The Tribe had gathered to observe the Strange Cave when Others came out. Shaped like people, but not people. Maybe like Hairy People except not covered in hair.
Small Club snarled at Big Stick's little stick getting hard when he looked at these Others' women.
There was a male among the other Tribe and Small Club hissed. Taller and looking stronger than Big Stick, wrapped in strange hides like the Other Tribe's women, but clearly a hunter. Small as her sound had been, the male had obviously heard and was looking around.
The Tribe went still and hidden, something they'd had to master long long ago. Those who did not learn this did not live long far from the cleft.
The male seemed to look directly at her briefly, and Small Club felt her heart pounding away in her chest. Those eyes. Like fragments of sky.
The male's eyes flicked away again, as if he had dismissed the threat of the Tribe. Small Club felt the heat from Big Stick and knew that that dismissal had angered the Tribe's leader.
The Other Tribe moved towards the sounds and found that two howlers were dead, and it was from Scar-face. The old big-cat was sick and lashing out, killing things it ran across but Scar-face couldn't eat all it killed. The Tribe had fled from it more than once.
The Others were taking the food. Big Stick challenged them for right to the food.
Small Club and the Tribe watched, hiding put aside, as one of the Others' women made flame!
Big Stick declared he would kill the leader, take the Others women, and breed them. Their Tribe would be made strong again and they would have fire!
That didn't last long. Other Male moved like a stripe-cat, fast as tear-eyed-cat, and struck like thorn-face. Big Stick lost his stick and fell hard.
Big Stick tried to gather the Tribe. "(We go now. Come back later. Kill Tricky One, eat him, get strong like Tricky One. Take women. Make Tribe strong!)"
Small Club spoke up. "(Big Stick not so big. Many Tribe die since leave home. Big Stick challenge male with sky eyes. Big Stick lose like little child. Sky Eyes not think Big Stick worth eating.)"
Small Club came over. As Alpha Female of hunting party. This was a risk, of course. Maybe Others were not another tribe but something else that only looked vaguely like people. Maybe they would kill her. Yet she could see they were well fed, and her own belly was rumbling.
She finally reached him, signalling submission as best she could, and then sniffed Sky Eyes all over. If he ate people of Tribe, she could smell it maybe? There was no sick-smell.
Sky Eyes said something in that strange way the Others had been doing. Making very complicated sounds in a pattern, unlike her own Tribe's language of growls and grunts and body language.
He touched her then, accepting her into his Tribe. He did not touch her in such a way that indicated he would mate with her, but on the shoulder - accepting her as hunter.
"(It's okay,)" indicated Small Club to her former Tribe's members. "(We join this Tribe. They eat well. We more safe.)"
"(NO!)" declared Big Stick. "(I leader. I say we go now. Come back, kill male, take women.)"
"(Idiot!)" said Small Club, getting between Sky Eyes and Big Stick and waving her own club at her former leader. "(This Tribe do well. This Tribe well fed. This Tribe be strong. You idiot, we no follow!)"
"(I leader! I say what Tribe do!)" said Big Stick.
"(You leader Tribe-of-One!)" said Small Club as the others came to surround Sky Eyes. "(We join this Tribe!)"
"(Small Club right,)" said Grass-Weaver. "(You bad leader. Other Tribe know many thing we not. We join this Tribe, learn do. We gets stronger.)"
"(I be back. I fight kill Tricky Male.)" Big Stick thumped his club onto the ground before turning and scurrying off with a limp.
"(I think Sky Eyes bigger stick under hide than Big Stick has,)" guessed Rockthrower, sniffing the male in question.
Small Club made a humorous noise as Sky Eyes backed away from Copperhair sniffing his crotch. "(Sky Eye already have many women. You have prove worth to Sky Eye for he mate you.)"
"(Might be so,)" agreed Grass-weaver.
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(Posted Tue, 31 Jan 2006 08:37)
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