Blue Streamers - part 2
Part 2 - An Alien Experience
Breaker felt ill-used. Reminding him of Heaver was not a friendly thing for Clatter to have done. There was bad blood between the two of them. Heaver's Pere, Lifter, had taken Breaker's Mere to wife after Breaker's Pere had fallen from a high ledge. Taking a widow as a wife was an uncommon action, but marginally acceptable. However, it drove an unmovable wedge between Breaker and his Mere and also led to Heaver's antagonism.
No one had seen the accident. Falls were certainly common enough. Group members often slipped and fell, sometimes with minor result and others times fatally. However, Breaker held a deep suspicion that Heaver and his Pere, Lifter, held some culpability in the event. They had been on the same ledge as his sire at the time of the accident. This would have given them the opportunity to push someone who might have been unsuspecting.
Lifter was wifeless due to a prowling Greater Shait which had taken her as she returned from a late errand in the valley depths. He had been so quick to claim Breaker's Mere, once she was widowed, that it was unseemly.
Breaker tried to put the entire situation out of his mind by tussling with some of the others, but his energy level was too much for them, and they backed off, refusing contact. It was true. This was his year, his season was upon him, and his hormones were raging through his body. His muscles felt like bands of metal as a result.
He sat on a rock to think. If it was not forthcoming without his solicitation, he would ask Stoneskull for permission to descend. There was no way that the elder could deny him the right to make the journey. He was mentally and physically prepared for the hardship he would encounter, and he had already forged a courtship dagger in secret. Some of the males made a big thing out of creating the little knives, but he had preferred to work alone and privately at a forge of his own creation.
His courtship dagger was an ornate and lightweight work of art that appeared heavier than it was. He had already procured the mass of thin streamers that would be tied to the hilt. Their drag through the thicker air deep in the valley would ensure that the dagger would do no major damage to the maid who received the falling blade.
At mid-day feeding, Breaker was not surprised when Stoneskull called his name along with half a dozen others, including Heaver.
The leader stood and spoke with his deep, gusty voice.
“Young males. This spring you have come into your season. It's been obvious to all of us, despite your reticence in showing it.”
There was a baaing of laughter from the entire group. Breaker and his cohort could no more suppress their boisterousness than they could stop breathing. Everyone knew which of the group was full of strange urges brought on by the onset of spring.
Stoneskull continued. “Although we will miss your help, you are hereby excused from your duties so that you can journey to the village of the shes. Take care to carry provisions. Even though spring is here, it is not unusual for a late blizzard to make the descent hazardous. Three years ago one such snowstorm killed all of the seekers. We cannot afford to lose an entire group in that manner. It weakens the brotherhood and makes it difficult for us all to survive.”
Breaker shrugged mentally. Everyone knew of the event. The blizzard had been days in coming. All knew it was on the way, yet the foolish ones had started their descent out of fear that the best shes would already have chosen mates from the competing clans. Their death was their fault. He would be more careful, of course. Besides, the weather promised fair for the next several days. There was no sign of snow in the wind.
The massive leader said, “Gather what you need from the common supplies. Take care to avoid predators. Climb carefully and do not slip. Trust no one from another clan and only trust those from your clan lightly. The journey is a time of anarchy. Normal rules do not apply. Still, take note! I will not hear of dire deeds among your group. If one of you kills another member of our clan, he will meet me in combat upon his return. Now go!”
There was a roar as the entire assembly repeated, “Go!”
Breaker and the others ran to gather the supplies they would need.
The other candidates were closely aligned with Heaver due to his constant flattery. They had conspired to block Breaker's way, giving his chief rival time to select. Heaver had already appropriated the best blanket and the best kukuri by the time Breaker shouldered his way through the door, pushing some of the lighter males aside.
Breaker said nothing, only selecting items he deemed were adequate. He ignored Heaver's taunting leer and gathered his supplies in silence. When he was ready, he exited the hall and headed for the edge.
Stoneskull met him there, at the drop-off.
“Breaker, take care on the way. Your father was my closest friend, and I wish not to hear of your falling as did he. You might not know it, but you have enemies who wish the worst for you. Journey well and come back a full male,” he said.
Breaker nodded silently, then turned and made the first leap, dropping down the vertical cliff face to a ledge that extended horizontally to a passable crack leading downward.
His thoughts turned, as they inevitably must, to the season. It was spring, and he was on his way to seek a mate. He hoped that he would be successful and find a girl who was the envy of the others.
A loose rock rapped on the wall beside him, spinning past and receding into the depths below. He looked upward to see Heaver staring down. Heaver called, “It was loose. I knocked it off to keep the others safe. I did not see you there.”
Breaker did not answer him. It was apparent that he'd been the target of an attack. He moved quickly along the ledge, then bypassed the crack he'd initially thought to follow, opting for the more difficult cliff beyond. The others were not as surefooted as he and would not be likely to follow where he led. He hoped to avoid any additional accidents by taking the harder path.
He knew that such perfidy could exist, but had difficulty in ascribing it to a clan member, even one as unlikable as Heaver. In Breaker's mind, everyone should be honorable. Loyalty to family and clan was paramount. Personal honor and responsibility were values instilled by the clan leaders and enforced by the harsh environment.
End of part 2…parts 3 and 4 follow