The Index -|-

Kpleeb paced nervously. Back and forth he strode at a slow pace. He heard a muted cry and stopped to face the hut across the village center. There was nothing to see, of course. Thoka was inside with Chief Kilow, Bre, and the Xinti birthing cavewoman. There were no additional cries, so he began to walk again.

Thoka had winced, moaned, and clutched his leg all the way from the ridge to the village. It had been a long trip, even with Thoka’s floating platform. They had wended their way down the mountain and past the new village that Thoka’s tribe had established only a few weeks earlier. There, Kpleeb had called the birthing cavewoman, named Jial, to board the floating platform. She had been ready, and the pause was very short.

Thoka had made a deal with Chief Kilow and Bre that her child would be born in their village. Both of the women were familiar with childbirth, and they had a special hut that had been set aside for the purpose. Jial was recruited because Thoka did not want to be there alone without one of her own tribe in the room.

Cavemen were not welcome at the childbirth ceremony, which in Kpleeb’s mind, was something of a relief. Yet, he worried, and thought that any caveman should have the choice to witness the birth of his own child. The various cavewomen that had been present when he mentioned the idea had raised their eyebrows and emphatically told him ‘No.’

And so, Kpleeb paced on the other side of the village center. He had been just outside the door earlier in the day, be he had tried to rush in after hearing Thoka cry out. That had got him banished to his current position.

“Wait for Jial,” a voice said.

Kpleeb spun and saw Xit standing there beside one of the nearer huts. “Yes… I will, but I can’t help but be nervous. You understand?”

Xit lifted his chin the way the Xinti did and spoke again. “You ‘nervous’ not help. Cavewoman lead birthing.” His face was entirely deadpan.

He looked back at the hut across the center. “I know that it’s not helpful, but I am nervous anyway. I know pretty much, practically…. entirely nothing about childbirth.” He turned back to face the pale warrior. “You have cavechildren, Xit. Were you not nervous when they were born?”

Xit shrugged as if he had never considered anything so pointless. “Xit not nervous. Why?”

“The birth of your first child, the way this is for me… Well, it is a new thing. It is a special thing. It makes me think of many questions that I have never considered before.”

The pale warriors were so schooled at keeping their emotions from showing that Xit could have been laughing inside… or taking pity on Kpleeb, and he would never know.

After a long moment, Xit spoke again. “Cavewoman lead birthing. No nervous. Xit fight. Xit bring lak for Uuiit.”

Kpleeb shook his head. How can anyone be so focused and unconcerned about a family member? Sure, childbirth is the domain of the cavewomen, but cavemen still had concern. He had seen Xit and his family. It was obvious that there was a deep affection among them. Their culture is different. Maybe the Xinti simply do what they are there to do and nothing more. They are certainly very good at fighting.

“What is this lak that you bring to Uuiit?” Kpleeb said.

“Lak is-” Xit paused and appeared to search for the word. “Shiny.” He shrugged.

“Something shiny? Reflective?” Kpleeb looked around and saw a small polished stone hanging from a cord on a hut nearby. “This is lak?”

Xit put his chin up. “Lak.”

Kpleeb thought for a moment about some other way to confirm. Finally, he turned his back on Xit and slid his bracelet off. “Make a flat piece the size of my thumbnail, very polished,” he whispered. He cupped his hands around the bracelet and waited for a moment before opening them again. It was done, and he took the small, flat piece between thumb and finger and broke it off of the bracelet before placing it back on his wrist. He turned around and stuck his hand out, palm up, with the tiny yellow stone mirror resting in plain sight.

“This is lak?” He asked.

Xit put his chin up again as he glanced at Kpleeb’s hand. “Yes”

“Why?”

“Uuiit want.”

Kpleeb was about to launch into what would surely be a long and painful line of questioning to fulfill his curiosity about the relationship between lak and Uuiit when he heard a voice from the hut across the village center.

“Come see child,.” said Jial with a twist of her head and neck. She turned quickly without any further words and disappeared into the dark doorway.

Kpleeb nodded at Xit and then took a few jogging steps before slowing down. Don’t show them your nerves, Kpleeb! He truly felt like a total n00b around these Xinti warriors. He walked slowly and impatiently across the hard-packed dirt, and as he came closer he heard a gentle mewling and low conversation.

“I’m coming in,” he announced as he approached the door. He did not wait for a response, but entered immediately.

His nose was clobbered by an astringent scent that might have been some combination of elderberries and dert, fermented by the smell of it. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the hut. There along the edge of the somewhat rounded hut wall, Thoka rested on a low table. She was covered from the waist down in a rough cloth that was larger than he had ever seen a caveman weave. In her arms, a tiny form suckled at her bosom. The mewling emanated from the baby as it drew each breath.

Thoka looked up at him expectantly and smiled. It was a weary smile of the likes he had never seen on her face. “Welcome your daughter, Kpleeb.”

Kpleeb stepped closer and looked down at the child. Its form looked much like the other babies he had seen, but it was very ruddy and wrinkled.

“She is so small,” he said.

When he spoke, the baby turned awake from its meal and looked at him. Her face was pink and crowned in a fine, black hair. Her mouth moved slightly, appearing as if to speak, but instead a burp came out. Her eyes were dark and he felt as if she was sizing him up. After a moment, the baby turned and resumed nursing.

“She is new,” explained Thoka. “Small is how they come. Thankfully.” She chuckled slightly. “I don’t need to be ripped in two.”

Jial stepped into his field of view. “You go now,” she said with a nod at the door. “Pale One rest. Baby rest.”

Kpleeb looked at Thoka, who nodded at him. “It’s true, Kpleeb. I’m exhausted and I’m sure you have plenty to do. The Xinti village still needs a great deal of improvement.”

“We can’t keep calling them the Xinti. I will ask the pale warriors for name ideas.” Kpleeb placed a hand on Thoka’s shoulder gently and then on the baby. It was blazing hot. He smiled stiffly and turned to go. As he stepped out of the hut he heard Jial speak.

“Pale One never broken. Not speak such.” It was as much of a reprimand as he had ever heard from one of them.

They take their Pale One seriously, he thought.

As he approached the center of the village near the pole where he had once been bound and beaten, Xit spoke. “Baby?”

Kpleeb nodded. “I have a daughter.”

Xit turned and shouted toward the other pale warriors that had come with them to the village. It was more of a high-pitched bark, repetitive and piercing. Kpleeb watched in awe as the other pale warriors raised their fists and repeated Xit’s shouts. None of their faces showed any emotion.

“Girl baby, much reward,” Xit said turning back toward him. Kpleeb thought that Xit’s eyes expressed great satisfaction. “Much reward.”

Kpleeb looked down at his shaking hands as reality set in. “I thought I would have a son,” he said.

Xit slapped his back forcefully. “Son good. Girl better. Girl child from Pale One-” he paused as if considering his words. “Pale One honors you much.”

The other pale warriors had approached. Xer, Xio, Xep, and Xaq. It was Thoka’s regular crew. Maybe not bodyguards, but, they certainly stuck around. Kpleeb thought that they vied for the position, though they did rotate other pale warriors in and out.

Xer pulled a small pouch from the cord that fastened his loincloth. He tipped the contents into his hand and offered it to Kpleeb. “Much honor,” he said.

On his palm was a tiny crystal. Kpleeb picked it up and looked at it closely. “Fascinating,” he said. “What is it?

“Eat,” said Xer. The rest of the warriors looked at him expectantly as they reached for their own pouches.

“Urg, well…” Kpleeb could not think of any reason why the stoic warriors would harm or play a prank on him, so after a moment of consideration, he dropped the crystal onto his tongue.

“Ganix,” said Xep. The other pale warriors repeated the unknown word almost reverently in unison.

Kpleeb’s eyes swam and he swayed as he looked around him and the sea of painted, white faces. There seemed to be so many of them, and they were all smiling at him. Their eyes exuded joy at his great fortune. He remained standing there for some time, soaking in the emotion, swaying slightly, and grinning like a fool.

The Index -|-

“The best vantage point is just over this rise,” said Kpleeb. His knuckle pointed ahead of the small, floating platform that Thoka sat on. The hillside sloped upward ahead of them and ended in a blue-grey sky. They were in the cool shadow now, but soon would be blinded by the sun shining over the ridge. “We’ll need to stop soon and walk the rest of the way so that we don’t make a silhouette that will be seen from the other side.”

He looked behind him. The slope was dotted with evergreen trees in a sparsely, random pattern. Halfway down the slope, at least a double-stone’s thrown downward and outward was a meadow with spritely, green grass. The landscape in every direction was covered with stones of many sizes – from fist sized up to those that rivaled the five-legged beast that Thoka had once told him about. She had only seen a herd of them as a cavechild, but had described them as being absolutely enormous.

The platform slowed and stopped next to a tree, and Kpleeb retrieved the loop of woven rope that would help Thoka climb back onto its flat surface when they were ready to leave. The platform sunk slowly to rest close to the ground. The Xinti warriors nearby eyed the contraption warily. Kpleeb had thought that by now – nearly ten days after they had defected to Thoka’s tribe – the warriors would be familiar with Thoka’s ‘magic.’

Thoka smiled down at him and held out her hand. “I am too big to be jumping down from here – or jumping at all for that matter.”

Kpleeb took her hand and helped her awkwardly from the platform. “You should not be taking these kinds of trips in your condition,” he said with a slight grin to show her that he was only partially joking.

“The Wet Mountain cavewomen are not so weak, Kpleeb.” She was grinning back at him and also had a hand on her lower back. “Never mind that I have to brace my back against the little one. She is so heavy! I don’t remember my ma saying how much one weighs.”

Kpleeb shrugged. They had entered into awkward conversation territory that made him feel unsure of himself. “Urh… well, she will come soon as you say. I think that her arrival will help you move around and make your life easier.”

Thoka put her head back and burst out with a barking laugh. “Oh, Kpleeb. You are funny!” She wiped a tear from her eye and shrugged as she looked at the hill. With a gesture upward she said, “Time to take a look at this Uuiit person, don’t you think?”

Kpleeb was not sure what was so funny. Why would having the baby, ridding oneself of the obvious discomfort, and finally being un-pregnant be a reduction in chores? It just made no sense to him, but the change in subject was welcome either way. He was smart enough to know when to shut up.

They walked. Behind them and on either side, a dozen of the warriors encircled them. They seem to take Thoka’s care seriously, but Kpleeb had not yet been told why. The fact that a whole band of pale warriors had shown up a mere day after Thoka had single-handedly clobbered them in battle surprised him. Seeing the pale warrior wives and children, none of them painted as violent and vicious warriors made no sense to him either. How could a culture of bloodthirsty demons even have wives and children? Was there any capability of tenderness within them?

Kpleeb watched them stride up the hill on the balls of their feet like a cat that could almost hover over the sharp rocks, stickers, and debris that covered the terrain. They stalked like lions and were as silent as butterflies. They never smiled and rarely talked. How can these people have a family of anything but little, white-painted sociopaths? Maybe the rest of them as just as deranged as these. Kpleeb resolved in his mind to watch the families closely from here on out. After all, there was no sense in trusting them too much.

Thoka did not seem perturbed by them at all. In fact, she was herself in every way. Except, somehow, she was more confident than before. Kpleeb remembered the Thoka he had first met. She was imprisoned, but she was bright-eyed and smart. She knew her own worth then, but now she seemed even more sure. He was not sure what had changed.

“Watch it, Kpleeb,” Thoka said, putting a hand on his shoulder. There was a large gap in the stone in front of them.

Kpleeb could see a deep sliver of black, and when he looked down there were tree tops visible in the distance. “Thanks. This ridge must be more pronounced than I thought.” He turned. “Xer, can you point out Uuiit’s camp? Be careful though. We don’t want them to see us.”

Xer nodded and peered into the distance while walking forward slowly. He scanned and then lifted his arm. “Uuiit,” he said with a nod in the direction his arm jutted.

Thoka and Kpleeb both moved forward. The drop off was steep, and below them treetops stood silent and unmoving. The morning was breezy at the top where they stood. The spot that Xer pointed at was some distance away. Kpleeb did not have a word for it, except maybe to estimate the time it would take to travel there on foot.

“A day’s walk?”

Xer looked at him and angled his head the way Xinti do. “Half sun-cycle.”

Show off, thought Kpleeb. The Xinti were fast and appeared to be almost tireless. If Kpleeb were less of a suave and significant caveman, he might have felta bit overwhelmed by the Xinti prowess and athleticism. He looked again into the distance.

The village small and hazy, but it seemed to be uniform. Someone down there must be persnickety about their organization. In the age of caveman and their ilk, organization and the associated virtues of planning, structure, and unified design were highly unusual. In fact, Kpleeb only understood organization in terms of what must be done in which order so that a complex thing might be assembled. Order was special and when he had spent time thinking about the nature of it, he had realized that symmetry and structure were an indication of a high intelligence.

Kpleeb had never been the sharpest bone on the pile, or the smoothest feral hog in the passel. He had been average back in the canyon river tribe, and even with Thoka, he knew that she was far more intelligent than he was. Despite this knowing, this understanding of his place in the hierarchy of cavemen and cavewomen, he recognized his own intelligence. He knew that his stature was different and higher than the average caveman. In fact, if pressed, Kpleeb would admit that he was probably the smartest caveman alive.

The smartest caveman alive looked down into the jungle clearing and knew with every fiber of his being that the caveperson, or whatever this entity was, that had designed the village was highly intelligent. It made him momentarily take stock of his own mental abilities.

“Well now. We have something different here, don’t we Thoka?” Kpleeb squinted and muttered. “Why couldn’t the gods make my eyes better too?”

“That’s easy,” said Thoka. She stood close, just in front of him and lifted her hand.”

She smells nice, Kpleeb thought with a sense of satisfaction before he was distracted by the air swirling before him. It was as if he saw through a shimmering haze the way the rocks appeared at times on the tundra’s hottest days. The light bent at odd angles, and then flowed towards them. The perspective made him dizzy for a moment as the distant view rushed inward and paused, hovering before his amazed eyeballs. He felt Thoka’s hand on his left quad stabilizing him as if she understood how it must feel to see this rushing torrent of a view explode in front of one’s eyes.

The narrowed and greatly magnified view shook slightly as Thoka adjusted her arm. “Easy, just like I said, huh?”

Kpleeb was taken aback by the utility of this…. thing that Thoka did with her hand. “Is this the invisible forces?” His mind whirled with the possibilities.

“It is. You saw what I can do. This is just the beginning, Kpleeb.”

“Well, it looks like I am on the right side. Remind me not to anger you!” Kpleeb grinned at the back of Thoka’s head.

“I’m your queen, Kpleeb.” Thoka turned and smiled sweetly at him. “But, yes, you should not anger me.” She stopped and nudged her chin at a small group of the Xinti warriors standing nearby. “Xap, come look at this village.”

“I see village,” Xap said with a nod toward the valley. He was a lanky and somewhat swarthy caveman with high cheekbones and even higher eyebrows.

“Xap, come see it closely,” Thoka said. “Stand here.” She nudged Kpleeb aside and pointed to the spot behind her.

Kpleeb glared slightly (and ineffectively) at Xap’s immovable features, but Xap dutifully walked toward Thoka. As soon as he stopped moving, Thoka raised her hand again. Kpleeb saw a shimmering oval appear about a pace ahead of Thoka and then rush toward her. Xap stepped backward quickly. It was just one small step, yet it was one the largest demonstrations of surprise that Kpleeb had seen from any pale warrior.

“The village, close now,” Xap said gruffly, and he bent at the waist and attempted to peer around the edges of Thoka’s swirly air-window.

Xap did not appear to be as ruffled as Kpleeb had felt moments ago, and Kpleeb bristled momentarily before realizing the truth. Well, at least I didn’t recoil like this dauntless warrior. He smiled to himself. It’s a small thing, but I’ll take it.

Xap leaned in and pointed over Thoka’s should. “Uuiit.”

Kpleeb jumped into place over Thoka’s other shoulder and looked. There, in the expanded view, was a very strange sight. A death-white stood at the door of a stone hut and gazed out on the village. The door that it gazed from was raised, waist high off of the ground. The porch was constructed of stone in a way that Kpleeb, thought was beyond any skill that a caveman could do by hand.

“That’s a death-white, Thoka,” Kpleeb muttered. “I haven’t seen one in many years, but that is nothing I could be mistaken about.” Can you get closer?”

Thoka nodded and sligtly adjusted a ring on her thumb. The view zoomed in, but its clarity was reduced. “There are limits, Kpleeb.”

Kpleeb patted Thoka on the shoulder. “It’s okay my queen,” he said mockingly. “We can’t all be perfect.”

“Shut up, Kpleeb,” Thoka said as she stared into the valley. “That is what you call a ‘death-white’ of course. We knew them as the tinkers. Always strange and shiny, but never a common sight.” She pulled her hand down the the hazy view disappeared.

Xap stood up straight and looked at Thoka. “Pale one?” he said in askance.

“I need details.” THoka turned and stepped away from the ridge’s crest. “Xap, Xer, Xit, Xog… All of you. I need to know when Uuiit came here. Where did Uuiit appear first and to whom? You lived under his…it’s rule. What was that like?” She looked around and the handful of Xinti warriors that stood looking at her. “Who is Uuiit?”

Xer spoke up.”Uuiit chief. Come many sun-cycles before now. Gher find Uuiit. Bring Uuiit to village.”

“Xaf say Uuiit from sky,” blurted a shorter, pale warrior named Xud.

“No.” Xog waggled his first and second fingers at Xud. “Xaf crazy. Gher bring Uuiit.”

Kpleeb and Thoka looked at each other.

“Can we talk to Gher?” said Kpleeb. “We need to know. What about Xaf? Anything is possible.”

Thoka nodded, but her face slowly changed as Kpleeb looked at her. She moaned lightly and put both of her hands on her belly. “She comes. We must go, now.”

Kpleeb saw that a pale red trickle pooled at her feet. The blood drained from his face. Though Thoka had told him what would happen, he had not really believed it. “Come. Carry the Pale One to the platform!” He wrapped his arm around Thoka’s torso and helped her hobble down the hill. She groaned with each step and began to clench his hand so tightly that his fingers felt as if they were smashed under a sizable rock.

“Don’t hurry, Kpleeb,” she said hoarsely. “It will not matter if we hurry. She will hurt me the same.”

Kpleeb turned his head to stare at her, but all he saw was the side of her face. Partly white. Partly red. The Xinti warriors danced awkwardly in front of them with their hands held out and low as Thoka and Kpleeb approached the platform.

Kpleeb growled at their fearful inability to approach their Pale One. “Out of the way then, you fools.” He finally got Thoka onto the platform and began to move down the slope at a somewhat dangerous speed.

Thoka grasped his hand tightly and moaned occasionally.

Kpleeb gritted his teeth and hoped to the Great Spirit Tahr that he would live through this birth and come away in a few days with a rested and renewed Thoka..

The Index -|-

Xit hummed silently to himself as he loped through the trees with his practiced gait. It was an easy speed, nothing that he could not maintain for a half a sun-cycle or more. Ahead of him a pace or three, Xer and Xuf moved through the underbrush in the same manner. Though they were not of the same mother, they often ran side by side.

Ahead of the group, Xsp ran like a maddened Jilrop. Xit could not see him, but he knew that he was ahead somewhere. An occasional snapping of branch identified his location and revealed a carelessness that was uncharacteristic of the Xinti warrior. Xsp had refused the call of the Pale One, a fact that surprised Xit as much as any. Xit’s pondering led him to believe that Xsp’s mistake was that of youth. Perhaps it was also the after-effects of the battle. He had not yet been granted his middle-sound nor had he given many battles to the cause. Xer had seen rash behavior before in similar circumstances.

His mind strayed to the Pale One. She had been different than he had expected. Taller and yet more gentle. But her hair was spot on… and she was with child. It must be her, the Pale One. He could not comprehend why he was left alive.

“From the mouth she comes, with child and with vengeance. Pale and terrible, she will disembowel the Xinti.”

Xit did not finish speaking the legend that all Xinti memorized from their early childhood. Instead, he dwelt on the future potential as he parkoured through the brush and branches.

He would bring Teeri and the small ones with him when he returned to the Pale One in the morning. Teeri would know what to do in terms of making a home. It would be a home they would need to serve the Pale One. Xit would do the fighting that he had trained for his whole life.

Maybe she would bring the Xinti to her and then kill us all. Or maybe she will let us live. It is hard to know.

Macabre thoughts were not at all taboo for the Xinti. Truth is truth. There was no benefit in a lie, even if it served to pacify the feelings of one. The only acceptable deception in Xinti culture was its use in warfare.

He dodged a thick shrub. The trees flew past, and the slope began to increase. They would be home soon at the high place. More accurately, they would be to where they had begun to dominate the land as commanded by the Uuiit. Home from now on would now be with the Pale One, wherever she desired.

###

Thoka rose and stretched slowly. The baby kicked gently as if to welcome her to the waking world. The vivid dreams she had experienced at the beginning of her pregnancy had tapered off and became less common, and she was grateful that she had slept well. She rolled over and found that the reed mat she had shared with Kpleeb was empty and cold.

It is past time to wake up. The strange warriors may have arrived already. I suppose I should find a new name for them. They will be my tribe after all. She sighed. This could be a lot of work.

Thoka stood and walked to the door. With her left hand she parted the hanging reeds and looked out into the village center. The bright sun told her that she had slept too late.

“Ugh, Kpleeb,” she muttered with a sigh. This was not the day to be lying about.

The view from the doorway was not as Thoka expected. A few tiny cavechildren chased each other at the far side of the circle. There was nobody in the center. There were no cavemen or cavewomen in sight from her view through the hut door. That was odd. Usually, the cavewomen would be working. Considering that a momentous battle yesterday had made a ruinous mess of their village, they should have been working even harder. There were no bodies in sight, and aside from dark spots on the ground where blood had spilled, there was no real indication of the battle.

Thoka stepped out and walked across the village circle toward the river. A light breeze pushed through the huts on one side and picked up a dust in front of her feet where the dirt was hard packed by years of barefoot traffic. A dark carrion bird soared silently in the general direction of the canyon, and Thoka raised her hand to block the sun from her eyes.

She rounded the corner past a hut on the far side of the circle. There must be some dead still available for the birds. She came to a halt in surprise. Wha?!

Lined up between the village and the river was a large host of cavepeople. They were clumped into groups ranging from two to twelve or so, and there were many cavechildren interspersed throughout. At a quick glance she estimated at least a hundred in total. To the side Kpleeb and Kilow stood and appeared to be talking, but stopped and turned when they saw her. Kpleeb raised his hand to wave. The strange warriors that were interlaced throughout the group noticed and turned to face her in unison. Together, they repeated the strange ritual they had performed the day before. They held their hands at shoulder level with palms upward and fingers facing forward. They followed that gesture with hands folded to cover their pectoral muscles, and a small nod of the head. 

“Thoka, good morning,” said Kpleeb as he approached. He gave her a gentle and quick hug. “The Xinti came to be in your tribe.”

“Why are there so many?”

“These are just a part of their previous tribe. You said to bring their families, and they have done so.” Kpleeb put his hand on her back. “You need to talk to them. You are their leader now.”

Thoka drew in a deep breath. The reality of needing a tribe and asking a few warriors to join her was insignificant compared to the view in front of her. It had become real. Overnight, the was the leader of a real tribe that rivaled the tribe of her cavechildhood back home on the Wet Mountain. She stepped forward a dozen paces until she was close to the line of Xinti.

The smaller children stood and fidgeted. Some hid behind the legs of their parents. The young to adolescent caveboys were very still and showed no emotion, but the cavegirls grinned at her and each other with toothy excitement. Cavewomen stood in the center of each group and watched her with curious eyes and occasionally whispered to others in their group. They were dressed in a thin cloth that reached from navel to neck and a short reed skirt. As far as she could tell, the groups appeared to be families, and usually contained a few adults of medium and advanced age as well as cavechildren of various sizes. She could not say which one, but in front of her was one of the warriors that she had released the previous night.

“Hello,” Thoka said with a nod. She turned head to include the large group. “Thank you for coming. I am told that your people are called the Xinti. Is this true? Who is your tribal leader?”

A warrior nearby spoke up. “You, Pale One.”

Thoka turned her head to look at his impassive face. “Who was your tribal leader before me, and do you have anyone here now that was a leader before?”

“Uuiit was leader. Xinti have no other. Uuiit not come here.”

“Uuiit is a cavewoman or caveman?”

“Uuiit…” the warrior paused as if considering his answer. He finally said, “I not know.

Thoka nodded. She would have to discuss this Uuiit person with Kpleeb.

“It is time to get to work.” She looked at the warrior who had spoken. “What is your name?”

“Xer, Pale One.”

“Xer. Okay. We need to find a place to live. A camp for your family. Please gather the warriors and we will talk.”

Xer shifted his feet and looked behind him before turning to face Thoka again. “Warrior fight, hunt. Cavewoman make home.”

Thoka looked behind the warriors that were lined up and took stock of the cavewomen that peppered the crowd. They appeared to be bright eyed and interested in every word being said, and she thought that perhaps she should ask more questions before setting up the tribal structure. With a shrug, she spoke a little more loudly.

“This tribe must build a camp and create shelters. Who will do this task?”

Every cavewoman raised her hand with index finger extended. There were no other hands.

Okay. Now we are getting somewhere.

“Before we select a location, we must talk about the surrounding area and where to live. Who will help with this task?”

Again, all of the cavewomen’s hands went up, and again no other hands were willing to contribute to the cause.

Thoka looked at Kpleeb. “Alright, let us figure this out with Kilow, Bre, the cavewomen, you and me. First, I need to get a drink and relieve myself.”

Kpleeb nodded. “I’ll get you something to eat as well. We’ll meet here in a few minutes.”

Soon, Thoka, Kpleeb, Kilow, Bre, and a large number of cavewomen sat in a circle near the river. Thoka counted eighteen women from the Xinti group.

“Kilow is chief of this tribe, and Bre is her assistant.” Thoka gestured at each woman as she named them. “Where we settle must not interfere with Kilow’s tribe for we are bound together as allies.”

Kilow nodded and remained silent.

“This is Kpleeb, my man. He speaks with my voice and is the father of my child.” She patted her stomach gently and smiled at Kpleeb. “Now, what are your names?” Thoka pointed at the nearest Xinti cavewoman.

After a few moments, Thoka repeated the names. “Juri, Prolly, Henti, Wooli, Teeri, Butri, Kuiti, Nori, Celi, Mewi, Yoerti, Tori, Dari, Opli, Kari, Lepti, Ipti, and Faeri. Whew. What a list. I will not remember all of these, but please remind me if I forget.”

Thoka squatted and began to draw a line with a stick. She sketched the river, the canyon, and then drew a circle. “This is Kilow’s village. Kilow, can you tell us how far your land extends?”

Kilow took the stick from Thoka and drew a line that encompassed a large area around the village. It extended into the canyon, past the far side of the river and further into the jungle on the other side of the village. “Open Sky tribe live here. Jungle, canyon, river, village.” Kilow accentuated her words by pointing to each place, and finally pointed to a mark she drew on the river’s downstream side. She then pointed with her hand toward the same direction. “Open Sky tribe come from there many, many sun-cycles past. We no return to big water.” She drew a long, curved line perpendicular to the river. She then handed the stick to Thoka and sat down.

“Good. I am sure that these borders are not marked. They are fuzzy, but we will respect the Open Sky tribe’s territory.” Thoka looked at the group of Xinti women and held out the stick. “Where is Uuiit? Are there more tribes or anything else we must know?”

The group of women looked at each other for a moment before one of them stood. “I not speak for all Xinti.”

“Ipti, right?” said Thoka holding out the drawing stick.

The cavewoman nodded and took the stick. “Uuiit here with Xinti.” She marked a spot above the canyon. “Two day walk.”

“How many Xinti?”

Ipti paused and looked at the other Xinti cavewomen. “I not know. Many. More Xinti with Uuiit than with Pale One.”

“Will Uuiit be our enemy?”

Ipti shrugged, but one of the other Xinti cavewomen spoke up. “Some Xinti not follow Pale One. Xsp not follow. Xsp enemy.” The cavewoman spread her hands as if it was all very obvious.

Thoka remembered calling one of the strange warriors an enemy, but had not thought that it would automatically extend to potentially hundreds of other warriors. On the other hand, Uuiit had just had a big portion of its (their?) tribe leave on a moment’s notice.

Perhaps Uuiit will be upset and come attack us with a new force. Anyone leading these strange warriors must be strong in their own right, and it would be wise to be wary of her. I will have to find out more about Uuiit soon.

“Hmm, okay. What is past the canyon other than Uuiit’s territory?”

Kilow spoke up. “Big tundra.” She scraped a section of dirt with her foot. To the right side of the canyon, she poked the dirt and then pointed at the distant snow-topped peak. “Mountain.”

Thoka smiled and looked at Kpleeb. “This is all very helpful. We have tundra there for some unknown distance. We have the river that extends through the canyon to the tundra, the mountain, and a large body of water down here. We need a place to setup the new tribe with access to water, but not too close to Uuiit or Kilow. It is possible that Uuiit will try to attack us or the Open Sky tribe, so we must be careful and ready to defend.”

Kpleeb nodded and looked at the crude dirt-drawing. “Maybe we should move here, toward the mountain. This will make our territory closer to Uuiit and allow us to perhaps head off any attack against the village. We cannot know if there are other cavepeople there, not until we scout.” He made a circle halfway between the canyon and the big mountain. “This is a few days’ walk, but if you help me, I will bring a pale warrior and scout quickly.” He looked at Kilow. “If you agree that we may stay here for a few days, of course, Chief Kilow.”

Kilow nodded slowly taking it all in. “Four sun-cycles,” she said holding up four fingers. “We talk trade for this and all else.”

“Ipti, we will stay here for a few days and then move to a new camp.” Thoka looked at the rest of the Xinti cavewomen. “Please gather food and provide shelter for those who are here.”

The Xinti cavewomen nodded and turned to leave.

“Kpleeb, I must speak with you privately. Come.”

Thoka and Kpleeb walked to the edge of the river. “I will show you how to operate the floating platform. This will give you great speed for scouting. I am concerned about this Uuiit person and their Xinti army, but we have to find a place to live first. We are nothing without territory to defend and grow.”

Kpleeb smiled at her. “I’ll take a pale warrior and find the place for us. Do you hear how they call you the Pale One? They sound as if you are a god to them. I am really curious about it.”

“I noticed that too, but there will be time for that later. At least they are following me. I was worried that I would have to find a tribe and kill their leader to become the boss.” Thoka pointed at the group of Xinti warriors. Please take two of them. Also, we need to find a new tribe name. If Uuiit’s people are the Xinti, we cannot also keep using that term.”

“I agree.” Kpleeb ran his hand down his arm. “By the way, I am almost completely healed this morning.” He flexed his fingers.

Thoka had not noticed, but now that he had pointed it out, she saw only a few small scratches and a handful of bruises. “Maybe the gods also made us heal quickly. We really don’t know the extent of what they have done.” She shook her head at the thought. “We are forever changed in unknown ways.”

“Yes, but we are alive, we found each other, and maybe we can find a way to pay them back.” Kpleeb looked somber as he always did when they discussed the gods.

Thoka knew that Kpleeb was bitter about their previous captivity and how they were altered. He did not mention it often, but she knew it to be true, and it pained her to know that he was angry. The truth was that she kept a simmering resentment about it as well. There were good consequences from their captivity and alteration, but it was still entirely unjust. She felt violated.

“We will thrive and, in the end, we will repay them for the wrong they have done to us. It will take time, and we must be patient.” Thoka looked around the flat area between the river and the Open Sky village. We have a good start here, and when we grow in power, the entities will regret it. We must stop calling them gods, as if they are all powerful and there is nothing we can do to resist them.”

Kpleeb nodded. “Maybe we can also find their true name.” He sighed. “But now, it is time to scout.”

Thoka nodded and patted his shoulder. “Come back quickly with good news and plenty of information.”

In a short time, Kpleeb selected two of the pale warriors, sat them awkwardly on the edge of the floating platform, and with a wave to Thoka, he raised the platform to shoulder height and crossed the river. Soon the scouting party was into the trees and out of sight.

The Index -|-

Thoka stood silently as Kilow and Bre approached. The women appeared to be generally strong. Their bodies were toned and there was very little fat there. Kilow, though clearly the older of the women, was very fit and carried herself with a subdued confidence.

Thoka looked toward the village and saw Molk striding about. His calls to action were heard only faintly. Occasionally, he would help drag a pale warrior into the pile near the very center of the circle – where Kpleeb had once been tied up.

These are the best leaders the tribe has. Molk is muscle only, but he sways opinions through sheer size and force of will.

Kilow stood and stared thoughtfully at Thoka. Her mannerisms were calm and patient. She did not speak.

Bre was very still and held her breath. Her hands were clasped together at her belly button. Thoka could tell by the whiteness of her fingers that Bre was nervous and held herself in check. She would not speak before Kilow.

Thoka looked down at Kpleeb. He sluiced water with both hands up and over his head. Over and over, the water ran down his body and stained the pool at the edge of the river red with his blood. He shivered. Though springtime had come, the water was still very cold. It came from the canyon and beyond that, the distant mountains where snow and ice still appeared at the frosty peak.

Thoka waited. She knew that her power lie in remaining unknown. Kilow and Bre would be wary of her as long as her intentions and actions were uncertain. While she waited, she examined every detail of the river, village, and the cavepeople. The huts were rudimentary clay and stick huts with roofs of fronds and leaves from trees that grew nearby. Each one had a low door with a beaded curtain. The huts circled the village center where the pole that Kpleeb had been bound to was located. Beyond the village was a jungle or trees, and brush that had been naturally cleared away as the villagers had gathered firewood and building materials. Overall, Thoka was impressed. The village appeared to be old, yet it was a step up from dwelling inside caves. The huts, the pole, and the river all pointed toward intelligence and planning over time.

Maybe this Kilow is a good leader after all.

“We talk,” Kilow stated, still looking calmly at Thoka. She held out a tiny, wooden bowl with a semi-gelatinous substance in it. “Salve.” A distant rumble of thunder echoed from the direction of the canyon, and the breeze shifted.

Thoka stared back without emotion. “We need food.” She looked at Kpleeb, who stood carefully. “Kpleeb must be taken care of.”

“I bring,” said Bre breathlessly. She trotted off immediately.

There was a distant rumble of thunder. Thoka ignored Bre and reached out to take the small bowl. It smelled pungent. Pink and gooey, it coated the tip of her finger. She touched her tongue with it. The taste was sharp, and her tongue tingled slightly.

Acidic, with an astringent quality. It was made at least partially out of berry, distilled spirits, and a strange kind of fat.

Thoka rubbed her finger and thumb together and felt the slick grease spread and coat her skin. It felt cool where it touched. She placed her thumb-ring over the bowl, and focused. The invisible forces swam in a sedate circular pattern under and through it the ring. The salve turned a mottled green and blue. Vapors emitted endlessly from the surface and rose toward the sky as smoke would rise from a fire. Thoka turned the bowl slowly, examining it from various angles, and saw that the vapors were affected by the gusting breeze.

“Thank you,” she said finally and raised her eyes to meet those of Kilow.

Kilow waved toward the village. “Come. Sit. Talk.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and began walking toward the group of cavepeople that now gathered there around the dead and wounded.

Kpleeb started to move, but Thoka placed her hand on his shoulder. “Wait, Kpleeb. How do you feel?” She dipped her index finger into the salve again. “Show me your head.”

Kpleeb complied. “I hurt all over, but I will be alright. Is that salve safe? Will it wash off in the rain?”

“The salve is fine. Don’t worry about it” She swiped some of it onto a long cut on the crown of his head, and he winced. “This will clean the wound and keep them from getting infected.” Thoka continued to work on the numerous cuts and bruises that were peppered all over Kpleeb’s body. “Let me do the talking when we sit with them.”

Kpleeb nodded silently.

After a few moments, Kpleeb and Thoka arrived at the circle again. Kilow and Bre were waiting there. Bre held in her hands a small, wooden board on which rested a fruit that had been sliced into thin, bright-green sections. There was also a rough piece of flatbread and a hunk of roasted meat.

Thoka took the tray and turned toward Kpleeb. “Sit and eat. I need you healthy.” She gestured toward a waiting rock.

Kpleeb sat and began to eat with a groan and a sigh.

“Let us talk,” said Thoka nodding toward Kilow. Carefully, she sat on the rock next to Kpleeb.

I cherish you, little one, but you are becoming heavy. The patted her belly gently. Soon you will greet your parents. As was common, the baby moved, and Thoka smiled gratefully.

“Why here?” said Kilow. She sat carefully on a log that was a pace from Thoka. Bre sat next to Kilow without asking.

“Kpleeb and I come from a great distance. We will build a new tribe nearby, and want to trade with you.” Thoka nodded to Kilow and looked around the village. “We help you, and you help us. An alliance between your tribe and ours.”

Kilow shrugged noncommittally. “Where tribe?” She looked around. “You alone.”

Thoka smiled coldly. “Kpleeb, our child, and I are enough for now, but we will bring many into the tribe in time. Maybe even you.”

“What trade?” said Kilow ignoring the statement.

“We want scouts, knowledge of the area, food, and counsel. For trade, we can give you protection and expand your reach.” Thoka looked at the nearby pile of dead warriors. “Without me, you would all be dead. The strange warriors would consume everything you have and then move on.”

Kilow shrugged again as if she had no concern for the life of her people, but Thoka knew that it was false. Kilow was clearly a leader who had spent decades building the tribe’s strength and infrastructure. She was sure to have a vast knowledge of the area as well as any competing tribes. The relationship with Kilow, Bre, and even Molk would likely be critical to her success.

Thoka leaned forward as the wind picked up and a few spattering drops of rain fell around them. “You are strong, but the strange warriors are an exception. They are a new phenomenon, are they not? Their kind will not be beaten by Molk, no matter how many of him you have.”

Kilow showed her first emotion with a slight, mouth-twisting grimace. “I grateful. We survive alone. Many, many sun-cycles. You, not need.”

The rain began in earnest, and Thoka enjoyed the feel of it on her skin for a moment. She raised her chin to the sky and closed her eyes The wind picked up, and she knew that it would be cold soon, especially since the sun was now hidden by dark clouds. After a moment, she raised her hands and twisted her bracelet nonchalantly. Immediately, the rain was blocked above her. It scattered instead on a silvery arc that extended a pace in all directions. The remaining water ran sideways and then downward to pool in the dirt at her feet. Thoka lowered her face and look at Kilow. The rain and wind buffeted Kilow’s hair, yet she was proud and did not stir.

“I know that you are strong. I wish not for alliances with weaklings or fools. I do not come to steal your people or take your land.” Thoka spread her hands, and the bubble that protected her expanded to include Kilow and Bre. “I have need, and my friendship can ensure your future.” Thoka stood abruptly and the bubble vanished. The rain began to pelt her, but she ignored it and walked to the group of strange warriors that remained alive. All five of the warriors were guarded by Molk who watched her warily as she approached.

The first warrior was a little man like the rest. He looked up at her stoically with faint green eyes, as if he saw the coming of his own death and yet was unconcerned. Drops of rain ran down his cheeks and smeared the white paint. Beneath it were angular tattoos painted in a muddy black. Molk poked the warrior’s wounded arm harshly with a stick, and the warrior blinked but did not utter a sound.

“Join my tribe.” Thoka said looking at each of them. “I give you a moment to decide” She gestured to Molk and shook her finger at the warriors. “Bring them food and drink.”

Molk sputtered and then wound himself up for a grander display of cavemanhood-osity-ness. His barrel chest heaved with the pressures of inflated lungs and a not-so-righteous anger, and just as he was about to explode, Thoka turned back to face him.

“Have one of your warriors see to it,” she said with a low hiss. She raised her finger from two paces away and pointed it at Molk’s forehead. “But make sure it is done.”

Molk’s eyes grew slightly, and he swallowed his complaint. He turned and barked at one of the cavewomen. “Bring food. Water!” He turned toward one of the pale warriors and growled at him.

Thoka turned to look at Kpleeb. He had finished eating and was talking to Kilow and Bre. She approached.

“…you know me,” Kpleeb was saying. “We want trade and alliance, and Thoka and I are worthy of your attention.”

He turned to put a hand on Thoka’s shoulder. His fingers moved in a slight arc on her neck, and Thoka was reminded of many tender moments.

“We do not insist, and we will leave this place and take with us our help and friendship if you choose it. However, the great spirit tahr will smile on all of us if we work together.

Thoka nodded her agreement. “I wish to stay in your village tonight, if you agree. We would be under your protection, and tomorrow talk about specifics.”

Kilow nodded slowly and then looked at Bre. “Hut of Wilp, dead now.” She looked at Kpleeb and Thoka with a thoughtful expression and pointed at Bre. “We talk and Molk. Tomorrow decide.”

“Thank you,” Thoka said bowing slightly as she had seen her Ma do to important guests back home at the Wet Mountain. “I want to speak again with the strange warriors. Will you come?”

Kilow nodded, and they all followed Thoka to the grouping of white-painted men. Molk stood nearby and glared at the warriors. A scrawny cavewoman had given each a tuber and a shallow bowl of water. The warriors held the tuber, but did not eat. Though they were bound to each other in a circle, they appeared to be tense and ready to leap and escape into the jungle at any moment.

Molk shifted his hostile countenance toward Thoka as they approached.

He may be afraid of me, but not enough. He bears watching. Thoka settled her cold eyes on Molk for a moment before turning to the bound warriors.

“I gave you time to choose and food and water. By these actions I demonstrate that I can be trusted.” She held out her hands. “Now is the time to choose. You may join my tribe, swear to follow where I lead, and obey my commands. If you choose my tribe, you may return to your tribe to gather your women and children. If you choose to not join me, I will allow you to leave, but we will be enemies the next time we meet.” Thoka paused and looked carefully at each painted face.

Their facial expressions were utterly impassive, but their eyes looked at her with what she thought were various expressions of interest, curiosity, and in one instance, perhaps anger. Not one of them spoken or shifted uncomfortably as if to indicate that they, personally, might be feeling the need to speak. Thoka grew impatient.

“Make a choice,” she said quietly. “You must choose now if you will stay and become one of my own or leave as an enemy.” She looked at the first warrior in front of her and then pointed at him. “Choose!” She paused.

The warrior’s mouth opened slightly and then closed. He looked to the warrior that was bound at his right arm before looking back at Thoka.

“I join you,” he said. His face had not changed.

There was a twitch from the shoulders of the third warrior. Thoka ignored it and moved to the next caveman.

The warrior spoke without prompting. “I join.”

The next warrior shook his head and put his shoulders back. “I enemy.” His eyes spit fire at her, but there was no emotion on his face.

The remaining two warriors joined her tribe.

“Unbind them,” Thoka said to Molk.

Molk looked angrily at Kilow who shrugged. “They not my tribe.”

“Pale warriors captured! Not release! They kill many. I kill. I kill!” He reared back and punched one of the pale faces with a swift and brutal blow.

“Stop!” Thoka roared. She raised her hands and set her feet toward Molk.

He turned toward Thoka in anger, but Kilow stepped between them. Kpleeb took a step from Thoka’s side and stood beside Kilow with his hands raised in a fighting stance.

“Release. Obey.” Kilow said. Her voice was stern.

Molk knelt down next to the bound group and roughly began to yank away the rough cords that bound them. When he was done, he stood and they remained seated in the mud. Molk’s jaw worked and his face was red with pent up frustration.

“Stand and go,” said Thoka. “You are my tribe. Return here with your women and children. Tell the others that this village shall not be attacked.”

The warrior who had refused to join did not wait. He quickly disappeared into the trees. The others held their hands at shoulder level with palms upward and fingers facing forward. In unison their hands folded at the wrist to cover their pectoral muscles, and their heads nodded slightly. Without a sound, they too leapt into the jungle.

Molk stalked away followed by the small group of warriors that remained.

“Thank you, Kilow,” Thoka said nodding at her. “I do not want to hurt Molk.”

“Molk, stubborn but brave. I talk.” Kilow turned to follow the warriors and then spoke to Bre. “Bring Thoka to hut of Wilp.”

###

It was dark, and Thoka rested, reclining on a thick, straw mat inside the hut they had been assigned to for the night. Next to her, a thin tripod of yellow stone stood, and from the tip a small diamond emitted a dim light.

Kpleeb knelt behind her and rubbed her shoulders. His hands felt great, and she found that her mood had begun to mellow significantly.

“I missed you, Kpleeb.”

Kpleeb grunted quietly and continued to knead her shoulders and neck. “I hope you know what you’re doing. Those warriors are dangerous. Molk is dangerous too.”

Thoka nodded and laid her head back into Kpleeb’s lap. She was still tense. Kpleeb’s fingers began to slowly rub her temples.

There is much to do and so many obstacles and dangers. The strange warriors must fear me, but their fighting and teamwork is useful. I hope they reciprocate the respect I have given them. I believe they will. She felt the baby kick. And you, little one. You come soon. I will need help with you.

Thoka sighed audibly. “We must have a tribe. We must trust someone, but we must also be on our toes to watch for the untrustworthy. I need help to bring this baby, our baby, into the world. We need help building a tribe, bringing food and materials.”

Kpleeb murmured something quietly and nodded. At least, she felt that maybe he did. Her eyes were closed and she was… asleep.