Two Rivers (10 page)

“Of course!” 

“The bear may leave the area by then,” said someone,
disappointed.

“Not likely.”

Involuntarily, he glanced at the boy again, meeting the firm
gaze of the dark eyes, seeing none of the previous uncertainty.

“I would rather do it as soon as we can.” The boy’s voice did
not tremble anymore, ringing clearly in the flickering darkness.

He tried to suppress his grin, proud of the young cub against
his will.

“All right. We’ll see what we can do.”

In the corner of his eye, he saw the Porcupine girl gone,
dancing again in the inner circle, her back turned to him. Oh well, he thought,
shrugging.

Chapter 9

The footprint was huge. It was so wide he could put both his
palms into the mud congregating in the main cavity if he pressed them tightly
against each other, and still there would be some space left.

What gigantic creature would walk on these feet, and why
upright? No regular bear, surely. Unless he was an
uki
, or a flinty
giant, one of the Evil Twin’s creations that were reported to roam the land
since the times immemorial.

Shivering, Tekeni rose to his feet, his gaze glued to the
smaller cavities left by the sharpest of claws, of that he was sure.

“Seems like your friend did not leave the area after all,” said
Two Rivers, measuring the print in his turn. “An impressive creature.”

Tekeni just nodded, not trusting his voice to sound firm enough.

“He has been around recently but not very recently, if all we
have are those prints and nothing else.” The older man got to his feet. “Two
dawns, I would say. Or worse.” He shrugged. “Well, let us hope we’ll manage to
tempt him back.”

“To tempt him?”

“Yes, of course.” The large eyes measured him, flickering with
challenge. “Let us hear how you would do that.”

“I… well…” Tekeni frowned, trying to think. “We need meat. If
he thinks he can get something to eat, he would come.”

“Yes, a promise of a good meal would make it worth of his
trouble. But,” the tall man looked around, frowning. “This is not a good place
to ambush such a fast moving creature of much age and experience. Judging by
the size of these prints, your challenge has both qualities and more, so we
will need to outsmart him, if we want you to come back with its magnificent
pelt and the claws, won’t we?” His frown deepening, Two Rivers looked around
once again.

“What’s wrong with this place?” asked Tekeni, mainly to prolong
the conversation. Everything that kept them from proceeding seemed like a good
thing to do now. “I can hide here in the woods or behind this cluster of rocks
and shoot him when he comes.”

Two Rivers licked his finger and brought it up in a showy
manner.

“The wind,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “Coming the way it’s
coming now, it will give your presence away before the beast will as much as
glance at our offering. We don’t want it feasting on you instead, do we?”

His stomach tightened so painfully, he almost shut his eyes,
feeling his cheeks beginning to burn. However, the older man’s laughter rang
lightly, encouraging.

“Don’t feel bad. You are learning, and you are asking good
questions. That’s why I explain it all and ask for your opinions. Not to
ridicule you, but to make you learn. If I do it all by myself, you will not
learn half of it.”

He turned to study the print once again, and Tekeni appreciated
the gesture, knowing that the man was allowing him to calm down in privacy, to
think it all over.

“What we would need is a more open space,” Two Rivers went on,
as though talking to himself. “At least fifty or so paces from the woods. This
way you will be able to see and shoot with nothing to obscure your vision. Like
this clearing with the spring we left not long ago.”

“But the clearing has no rocks, no cliffs. Where will I hide?”

Fearing to hear that he would have no hiding place at all,
Tekeni took a deep breath, preparing for the worst. This man had been so good
to him since the trouble with Yeentso, helpful, supportive, kind. Yet, it was
he who suggested that he, Tekeni, should go hunting the giant, grizzled bear
instead of five deer. So maybe all he wanted was to see the show, the
spectacular death of the stupid youth torn to pieces by the bloodthirsty
monster. Could he really trust the man the rest of the town distrusted so
openly?

He bit his lips. At the time, it seemed like an appropriate
solution, a beautiful alternative. Yet, most of the people thought differently,
with Seketa being plainly terrified, shooting furious glances at the man
through the whole discussion of details that interrupted the dancing. She
clearly did not trust Two Rivers, or his judgment, and there were many who
shared her doubts. Too many people were killed or injured by the fierce,
bad-tempered grizzled bears, too many to count. And there were only a handful
who owed the magnificent furs to soften their bunks and the beautiful necklaces
of giant claws to adorn their chests, all of them grown-up, experienced hunters
and warriors. No youth had boasted such possession.

The thought of Seketa brought the familiar wave of warmth. What
was she doing now? It had been five dawns since they had left the town,
crossing the Northern River and wandering its western banks, seeking the
creature. Five dawns of peace and quiet. They had been very careful, making
sure to leave no marks, to listen intently, and not only because of the bear.
The warriors’ parties may be lurking, on their way to this or that raid. Two
lone hunters would be an easy target, maintained Two Rivers, as they hid their
canoe in a small inlet. Armed with bows and knives only, they could offer no
decent resistance. There was a reason why the hunting was done in large,
well-armed groups.

“We return to our camp and hope to find something worth
shooting at on our way.” Two Rivers was on his feet again, looking resolute.

“A bait?”

“Yes, a bait. We will offer your creature a good meal, served
prettily and with a great reverence. He won’t be able to refuse.”

“Will we drag it all the way to the clearing?” asked Tekeni,
unable to even fake laughter, the memory of the giant prints clouding his mind,
making it fuzzy, paralyzed with fear. Oh, Mighty Spirits!

“Yes, we will drag it to the clearing, and we will build a
small, unobtrusive fence. And we will make an offering to the spirits to make
the wind stay the way it was for long enough.”

Tekeni blinked. “A fence?”

“Yes, a fence.” His companion’s face lit with an amused smile.
“Unless you plan to face your projected adversary with no cover at all.”

“Oh, yes, I understand.” Embarrassed, Tekeni busied himself
with inspecting his bow. “I need to make sure it’s in a good shape,” he
muttered.

“Yes, you will have to make sure of that. A torn bowstring
would see you dead very quickly.” Climbing the trail with the practiced skill
of a good hunter, Two Rivers turned his head, grinning. “I know how you feel,
but I do believe you can do it. I wouldn’t bother to drag you into this
enterprise if I did not, would I?”

“It can be quite a sight, they say,” muttered Tekeni, picking
his step between the slippery rocks adorning the bank.

“What?”

“The bear tearing someone apart.” He studied the muddy ground,
seeing the trails left by multitudes of smaller creatures.

“Oh, yes, of course. I’ve seen this, too. That hunter did make
it, though. He was a resourceful man, played it dead for the mighty bear to get
over his initial rage, then used his knife when the creature paid less
attention. By the time we had come within a shooting range he was still alive.”
The man kicked a stone, grinning at the memory. “Bleeding mightily, I must
admit, but living to sport quite a few impressive scars.”

“Who was it? Do I know this man?” asked Tekeni, forgetting his
own plight for a moment.

“No, you don’t. He was killed by the enemies a few summers
later. It was before you were captured.”

For some time, they proceeded in silence, the light atmosphere
gone again. On what side of the Great Sparkling Water was this man killed?
wondered Tekeni. Must be on the other,
his
, side, judging by his
companion’s suddenly hostile silence. He pressed his lips tight.

“When you will be behind the fence, waiting for the bear to
come, you will be scared out of your senses,” said Two Rivers, when they emerged
from the woods and stood upon a high bank, facing the river. “It’s all right.
Everyone would feel that, whether they would admit it later or not. The trick
is not to lose your presence of mind. If you start to think of the ways to get
away, you succumb to panic, and you are done for.” A glance shot at Tekeni was
piercing but kind. “Concentrate on your mission. Remember what you came to do.
Think about that and nothing else. Realize that there will be no way back. You
came to kill the creature, and this is your only way out. Put all your thoughts
into the first shot and think of nothing else. This way, you have a chance. The
first shot is most likely to seal your fate. Or at least, spare you a lot of
pain and running around.”

“Did you do this?” asked Tekeni, feeling his lips dry and
quivering. Trying to appear as calm as he could, he kicked a stone and watched
it rolling down the cliff.

“Yes, I did. It was also a sort of a challenge, an attempt to
prove my worth. But I wasn’t as young as you are. I’d been to a few raids by
then, so I was sure I could manage.” A chuckle. “That confidence melted away by
the time I was half way through the waiting.”

“And then what happened?”

“I shot it, and I still don’t remember how. I was too terrified
to pay attention. But at some point, when the beast was roaring and charging
toward me and I was sure I was done for, I noticed that it had been roaring
strangely, in a sort of a gurgle because of all this blood gushing through its
mouth. At this point, I realized that I was safe, safe to jump around and shoot
all the rest of my arrows until it was dead. It was an incredible feeling, well
worth the anguished waiting and the fear.”

“So you do have a magnificent fur adorning your bunk?” asked
Tekeni, breathless.

“Yes, of course.”

“And the claws?”

The man shrugged. “I do have a double row of those, but I don’t
wear them. Something to do with a certain dream and my guiding spirit.”

“Oh.”

He watched the river raging far below.
Would he ever cross
it again? Would he live to see more than a few more dawns, until they managed
to shoot something to lure the bear?

“If you manage to do that and live, you will take a great step
toward the acceptance of the town.” The man seemed to be also immersed in
studying the opposite bank. “Five hides are just a payment. Not a step into
bettering your life. While a fur of a huge brown bear is a statement. A statement
of a proud person who would not be put in his place. They keep saying that you
are in the wrong, because you don’t follow the rules, but let me tell you
something. You are not in the wrong, because this is who you are. You cannot
change. You are not a person to just blend into the background. You are
standing out, and this is what angers many people. Your origins are only a part
of the problem. Had you been humble and quiet, anxious to belong, you would have
blended nicely, accepted like any other average person, local or not.”

A mirthless grin stretched the man’s lips, but his eyes still
wandered the distant shores.

“You are not that sort of a person, and people like Yeentso or
those youths, who tried to pick a fight with you on the day of the ceremony,
and many, many others, even your Clan Mothers, are sensing that, and oh, Mighty
Spirits, it angers them greatly. They are desperate to put you in your place,
by all means they have.” The measuring gaze turned to Tekeni, resting upon him,
reflecting half amused appreciation. “Well, take this advice from me, boy. If
you can’t blend, don’t try. Stand out and be yourself. They wanted you to get
them five hides, counting on you exhausting yourself by trying to comply with
the request, remaining poor for some summers, paying your debts instead of
gathering possessions? A sure way to put you in your place. A good solution.
Well, they won’t get this! Instead, you are going out and bringing them the
magnificent fur of the huge, grizzled bear. A payment worthy of your crime. You
almost killed a man, a man older and stronger than you, and you go and kill a
bear, another worthy adversary, to pay for this crime. People will hate you all
the same, but they will be afraid of you now, too, because you will not be a
foreign cub of no significance anymore. After this, many would pause to think
before crossing your path. Those youths from the ceremony, and the cowards like
Yeentso, too.” The piercing gaze bore at him, full of meaning. “You will not be
loved and cherished, but you will be respected. And admired, too, if you will
go on proving yourself the way you feel fit, and not the way they want you to
do it.”

Shaking his head, the older man turned back toward the river,
kicking a stone in his turn.

“You have potential. And your path will be different, more
difficult to walk, but you should walk it proudly, with no misgivings, because
this is what you are.” The smile was back, with a twinkle creeping into the
dark gaze. “And it will make it easier to get the prettiest girl, too. Now,
this Beaver Clan girl is not a coward like Yeentso or those boys who are
coveting her. She is smart and courageous, and she had evidently been sensing
the same qualities in you, arriving to her own conclusions. Some women are good
at that, you know? They can smell it in the man, can see who would make a good
father to their children.” Laughing, he raised his hands as Tekeni tried to
protest. “Don’t turn all red on me, protesting your innocence. I heard what she
said, admonishing this other youth, and you’ve been evidently watching her
while she danced. That youth was pissed for a reason.”

“Many are watching her,” muttered Tekeni, his throat dry, lips
having difficulty forming the words.

“Oh, yes, she is a pretty little thing and very upright. I
would advise you to keep away from trouble, because she will bring you trouble
all right. But this would go against my previous advice. Don’t try to blend
into the background. Kill the grizzled bear, court the prettiest girl, fight
for her if you have to. You can’t pretend to be an average person because this
is not what you are.”