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Clanluna
Chapter 10: Brac’s manhood hunt.
Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling
Earth’s Children is owned by Jean Auel
Brun’s Clan List
Deceased members:
Iga – mother of Ebra and Uka
Uba – mother of Creb, Brun and Iza
---Iza (28) – Uba’s mother, adopted mother of Ayla
--------- Broud (21) – former Leader (Wooly Rhinoceros totem)
Dorv
Women’s Teepee
Luna (20) – Leader, 1st Weech, (Spirit Deer totem)
--- Zeen – (1) ½ Clan son of Luna
Ayla (14) – Clan’s first ranked medicine woman (Cave Lion totem) 2nd Weech, Zar’s Mate
--- Durc (3) – Ayla’s ½ Clan son, Grev’s milk brother (Gray Wolf totem)
----Iza (1) – Ayla’s ¼ Clan daughter
Uba (8) – medicine woman, childless
Ebra (40) – Broud’s mother
Uka (25) – Ebra’s sister
Oga (17) – Broud’s widow
----Grev (4) – Oga’s second son
Ovra (18) – Goov’s mate, childless (Beaver totem)
Aga (24) – Droog’s second mate
Aba (35)
Ika (20) – Crug’s mate
---Igra (6) – Ika’s daughter
Ona (9) – Owl totem
Iga (21) - of the Others
Men’s Teepee
Brun (33) – Former leader (Bison totem)
----Brac (8) – Oga’s first son
Grod (29) – son of the mate of Zoug (Brown Bear totem)
---Zoug (43) – second in command to the leader before Brun
Creb (36) – former 1st ranked Mog-ur, 1st Weez-Ur
Zar (20) ½ Clan man from the South (Middle East) mog-ur’s acolyte (Cave Bear Totem)
Goov (20) – mog-ur (Aurochs totem/Ursus totem)
Droog (31) – toolmaker, Aga’s second mate
---Groob (6) – Aga’s son born to Droog’s hearth
Crug (22)
Vorn (13) –
Borg (9) – Boar totem
Luna and Goov retreated from the Cave and faced the Clan. Who would she choose to face Ursus, the Great Cave Bear? Should it be one of the young up-and coming hunters? Brac was ready for his manhood hunt. One of the older hunters? This could be a last triumph for an old man. Or perhaps she or Ayla should have this honor? Having a woman do this might solidify her Leadership. After looking in the eyes of the Clan, she made her announcement.
“The cave is a Cave of Ursus. One of you must overcome him. The one I have chosen for this Most Holy Task is . . .”
Chapter 10: Brac’s manhood hunt.
“ . . . Zoug.”
Zoug?! The Clan looked at the old man in surprise. What could their Leader be thinking? Many of them began to doubt the wisdom of a female Leader more than they already did. But what could they do? She’d already bested nearly all the men in the Clan at once. No one wanted to share Broud’s fate.
Creb peered intently into the eyes of his old friend. Although Creb was not The Mog-Ur anymore, he knew as much about how to inspire people as he ever did. With a single look from his eye, Creb caused Zoug to remember the days when they had been younger. The days when Creb had been a crippled, mangled, Acolyte and Zoug had been the 2nd ranked hunter to the mate of Creb’s mother, Uba.
The years seemed to meld away from Zoug as he grabbed a spear from Grod and stepped forward.
“This hunter is ready to face Ursus,” signed Zoug.
“Then, come with this Leader,” signed Luna, as she led Zoug and Goov into the cave. By the light of her wand, the three of them preceded into the depths of the cave to the place where the stunned Cave Bear lay. As soon as they saw it, there was a flash of red light as Luna awaked the beast.
Ursus gave forth a thunderous growl as Zoug stepped forward, his spear at the ready. The bear reared up as Zoug thrush at it tentatively with his spear. The Cave Bear swung a paw at the old man and raked it across his right arm, marking him as a chosen of Ursus. Enraged, Zoug leapt forward a thrush into the heart of the Cave Bear. With his dying gasp, the Cave bear raked its’ claws over Zoug’s midsection, disemboweling him before falling on the hunter.
Goov took in to sight before them. If Zoug killed the Cave Bear, then Ursus would allow them to keep the Cave. But what if Zoug died in the process? The way he was bleeding, there was no chance the Zoug would live. He’s already passed out from the sudden blood loss. More than ever, Goov wished that he could go ask Creb what to do. But he wasn’t an acolyte any more. He was this Clan’s mog-ur. He had to deal with this on his own. The mog-ur turned to his Leader and announced:
“Ursus has chosen Zoug to go with him into the Spirit World. The Cave has been approved by the Spirits!”
Just then, a bawling sound came from deeper in the Cave. Apparently, the Cave Bear had been a mother protecting her cub. Luna went forward to seek out the source of the sound. In the next chamber, they found the squalling bear cub.
“Aawwww! Isn’t it cute!” exclaimed Luna, in English as she came forward to pet the small cub. But when she turned back to look at Goov, she saw that he had his arm raised, poised to strike with his spear.
“Don’t you dare kill this bear!” gestured Luna, angrily. “The Weech is keeping the Ursus cub!”
“Meat eaters can not share a cave with the Clan,” stated the mog-ur. “It is not Clan.”
“Ayla told me that at the Clan gathering the host Clan raises a Cave Bear cub as a member of their Clan,” signed Luna. “This is no different. The Bear stays!”
Goov shook his head in resignation as the Luna sat down and let the cub nurse off of her for a minute before getting up and resuming their exploration of the Cave. They found several more chambers before returning to the surface, followed by the cub.
When they emerged, Luna announced:
“Ursus and Zoug have sent each other to the Spirit World. We may move into the cave.”
“What is that!” asked Ayla, as she pointed and the small cub following Luna and Goov from the cave.
“This is the newest member of our Clan,” stated Luna. “Just as the host Clan at a Clan gathering raises a Cave bear cub as a member of the Clan, we shall raise this cub as a member of our Clan.
But it is late. There is a bear carcass that we women will have to take care of while the mog-ur, his predecessor, and the acolyte give Zoug a funeral worthy of a mog-ur. In the end, Zoug was chosen by Ursus.
We will sleep in the teepees one more night. Tomorrow, the men will have Brac’s manhood hunt, while the women prepare the cave.”
Now that Luna had finished her speech, the women of the Clan drug the Cave Bear carcass out of the cave and began butchering and dying it. While this was going on, Goov prepared Zoug’s body for burial, aided by Creb and Zar.
That night, they had fresh Cave Bear steak for dinner. Everyone praised Zoug’s heroism in providing such a delicious meal.
The meal was followed by a burial ceremony for Zoug, in a chamber, deep within the cave that had been designated for burials. He would be the first of the Clan to be buried in this chamber.
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The next morning, after breakfast, the women began setting up hearths under Luna’s direction and moving the Clan’s possessions into the Cave. While this was going on, the men set out for Brac’s manhood hunt.
Creb and Goov stayed behind to guard the cave. Creb because he was incapable of hunting, and Goov, because as mog-ur, he need to meditate on the totems of the new members of the Clan.
As Goov sat in the chamber that had been set aside for men’s ceremonies, he searched his memories for some clue as to the totem of Zeen. Instantly, his mind was drawn to the memory of the child playing with the bear cub this morning. It didn’t surprise the mog-ur that his predecessor’s mate’s son would have Ursus as his totem. Goov knew already that this child would make a better mog-ur than he.
Next, he meditated on Iza. But all he could get for her were images of strange horses, with horns on their heads! A male totem! Then he realized that since her mother had a male totem, she was likely to have one too. It least Iza’s male totem was not too powerful. It would be easier for her to find a mate than it was for her mother.
Now Goov turned his attention to Iga, the woman of the Others. But by the end of the day, Goov had to give up in failure. All he had been able to see were images of enormously fat women of the Others. As much has it hurt his pride, he decided to consult with his predecessor, Creb.
By mid morning, Luna felt that the women had things under control, so she decided to spy on the men. She needed to decide the hierarchy of the Clan and watching them hunt would help her in this. Luna pulled out and enlarged her broom before straddling it and flying off. While searching for the men, Luna decided to hide her presence from them. A disillusionment charm took care of that.
Under Brun’s leadership, the men traveled for a couple of hours until they found a herd of horses in a nearby valley.
“This is our plan,” signed Brun. “We will sneak around the herd in a ‘U’ shape. Zar and Crug will get closest to the herd. When this hunter gives the signal, Crug and Zar will run at the herd from opposite directions and cut one horse off from the herd. We will each take turns chasing it towards Brac. When it comes for you, Brac, you will make the final kill with your spear.”
It seemed like a good plan. They had done similar hunts many times before. But before they could get close enough, Crug spotted people on the far side of the herd hunting the same horses. Suddenly, the herd began stampeding towards the Clan. Crug and Zar ran forward trying to turn back most of the herd. They succeeded. Most to the horses ran in opposite directions at right angles to the Clan. But several were still running straight for Brac. All plans for running them down were forgotten as the horses galloped straight for Brac. To his credit, Brac stood his ground and when the lead horse came close enough, the plunged his spear into its’ heart. The horse’s scream was echoed by another horse scream that had been brought down by the strangers. Zar threw a spear at the retreating horses and brought down another one. When he tried to cast another, he spear went flying out of his hand.
“Stop! What are you doing?” exclaimed Luna, in English as she appeared before Zar and landed her broom.
“We are hunting, as the Leader commanded us,” signed Zar.
“But, they’re horses!” signed back Luna angrily. “You can’t hunt horses!”
“Why not, the Clan has long hunted horses,” signed Brun.
“Well, not any more! No more horse hunting!” commanded Luna, as she turned to the retreating horses. She yelled at them in English:
“Oh great Hhhhwwwwnym, We apologize for the death of your family. Know that their bodies will be used by us with honor!”
Just then, a knicker caught their attention. There was a small colt nearby, approaching them cautiously. Luna realized that one of the dead horses was its’ mother. She knew that the colt couldn’t survive on its’ own. She also knew that the men of the Clan would be tempted to hunt it.
With a wave of her wand, Luna transfigured the colt into a young centaur. That would make them hesitate to kill it!
“Hey!” called one of the strangers as he approached.
Luna turned and saw that there were three strangers. Two of them were obviously half-Clan like Durc, Zar and Zeen. The third was a man of the Others. To Luna’s eyes, he looked normal. All three of them had the brown hair and eyes that were typical of the clan. When they began signing, they all used the ancient Clan language.
“Which of you is the Leader,” asked the first stranger, a half-clan.
“This Weech is the Leader of this Clan,” replied Luna.
“What is Weech?” asked the man of the Others.
“A Weech is a woman who can do magic, like this!” signed Luna, as she summoned the young centaur to her and protectively put her arm around it.
“We have no Clan,” signed the first stranger. “Will your Clan accept deformed people like us?”
“You are not deformed, two of you are part Clan and part Others,” assured Luna. “And you are a man of the Others.”
“This man is not of the Others” signed the man angrily. ”My mother was deformed like you and this man is. But her mother was said to be less deformed like Vorv and Brog are. And her mother was said to be a normal woman of the Clan. This Man is Clan!”
“You are welcome to join our Clan,” assured Luna. “We have just found a new cave. But we do not have enough women for all of you to mate.”
“Vorv and this man have mates,” stated the first stranger, Brog. “But they are deformed like us. We also have some children.”
“Go and bring them here,” commanded Luna. “They can help me butcher these horses.”
After Luna levitated the horse carcasses all into a cluster, she conjured a knife and began butchering while the men guarded against predators. She made sure to give, Brac and each of the men a piece of liver before beginning in earnest. Soon, the strangers had returned with two half-Clan women and four children. Two of the children looked half-Clan, one looked like a girl of the Others, and the last looked like a normal Clan boy. When she saw that they had arrived, she stopped working and introduced the men of her Clan to them. Then she had the strangers introduce themselves.
“This hunter is called Brog,” began the first stranger they had met. “This is my mate, Ena, and her children, Eva and Boov,” signed Brog as he introduced a half-Clan woman and her two half-clan children. “That is Vorv and his mate, Uva, and her children, Broov and Ugra,” He indicated the other half-Clan woman, the Clan boy and the girl of the Others. “and finally, this hunter is Groog.” He indicated the man of the Others.
“Well, you are all welcome to join our Clan but you will have to get used to doing things a little different from most Clans,” began Luna. “First of all, we have a female Leader. Do any of you have a problem with that? Good. Also, any woman who wishes to, may become a Woman-Who-Hunts. Do either of you wish to learn to hunt?”
“It is not proper for a woman of the Clan to hunt,” replied Uva.
“I would like to learn to hunt,” stated Ena.
“Your daughters will have the same choice,” signed Luna. “Certain animals are forbidden to be hunted. Horses, for one, also we have specific animals that are not to be hunted. This Weech has an Owl, a Cave Bear Cub and this Centaur that live with the Clan.
“This girl wants to hunt too,” signed Eva.
“Of course you can,” replied Luna, as she bent down to sign at the little girl. When Luna came towards the girl, the centaur had followed and the girl hesitantly reached out a hand to pet it.
This surprised the men, who had been afraid to approach the strange creature.
As Luna returned to the task of butchering the horses, she asked Uva:
“How did you come to have no Clan?”
“Our Clan lived North and West of here,” began Uva. “There was an earthquake that killed many of the members of our Clan, including Groog’s mate and her children. Because we are deformed, we were blamed for the angering the spirits. We were told that if we did not leave, we would be Death Cursed.”
“Well you needn’t worry about that anymore,” assured Luna. “This Leader doesn’t think you are deformed at all.”
Once they had finished field dressing the horses, Luna shrunk them and put them in a fold of her wrap, with the exception of the one that Brac and killed, which they had strung between two poles so that Brun and Grod could carry it with Brac walking in the front of the line to proclaim his new status as a Man.
Luna had to walk, coaxing the centaur to follow.
When they arrived at the Cave, there was great surprise, not only at the strangers but also at the half-boy/half-colt centaur. When the women over came their fear enough to swarm forward to finish butchering Brac’s kill, Luna pulled the other two horses out and enlarged them.
While the other women were working, Luna pulled Ayla aside.
“Ayla, since the cub will be living at my hearth, do you think you could take care of the Centaur?”asked Luna.
“This woman would be happy to,” signed Ayla. “Where did it come from? This woman has never seen an animal like it!”
“This Weech made it,” replied Luna. “He used to be a normal colt, but this Weech transfigured it into a Centaur.”
“But how?” asked Ayla. “This woman thought you couldn’t transfigure living things and that’s why you couldn’t fix Iga’s throat.”
“It is easier to change one thing into another, than to make small changes in a living thing,” explained Luna. “For example, this Weech can easily change you from a woman to a cave lion.”
Luna pulled her wand from behind her ear, flicked it, and suddenly a full-grown cave lioness was standing where Ayla had been. Before anyone could react, Luna flicked her wand and changed Ayla back.
Sitting on a rock, taking in this scene with a look of religious fervor, was the woman of the Others that the Clan was calling Iga.
Luna talked to several other members of the Clan about the changes to come tonight.
After an evening meal of horse steaks, where everyone praised Brac’s kill, the men began the hunt dance where they re-enacted the meeting with the three new men of the Clan. The dance culminated with Brac’s kill. Brac ended the dance in front of Goov. Goov made the mark of a hunter at the base of Brac’s throat that proclaimed him a man. Then, Zar applied the healing salve to the scar.
Next, Luna came forward holding her son, Zeen. While the hunt dance had been going on, she and Ayla had slipped back a few steps to her hearth, where Luna had changed out of her Clan wrap and into clothes. She put on her leg warmers, a green skirt and purple blouse, over which she wore a sun yellow robe. On he feet she wore her metallic silver pumps. When she had first met Ayla, the high heals allowed her to be the same height as Ayla. But Ayla had grow a few inches since then. On her head, she wore her hat that looked like it had a live eagle perched on it and Ansalong had flown over to perch on the eagle’s head, much to its’ obvious discomfort. Ayla had donned her hat too, the one that looked like it had the head of a living African lion perched on it. The mog-ur painted the sign of the Great Cave Bear on Zeen’s right arm and announced:
“Zeen’s totem is Ursus!”
“Screeee!” called the Eagle on Luna’s hat.
“Hoot!” answered Ansalong.
“Roar!” replied Ayla’s hat.
The Clan’s hands flew into motion as they expressed their surprise that such a young boy would be chosen by Ursus.
Next, Ayla came forward holding her daughter, Iza. The mog-ur painted the sign of the horse on Iza’s chest and announced:
“Iza’s totem is horse!”
“Roar!” replied Ayla’s hat.
“Screeee!” called the Eagle on Luna’s hat.
“Hoot!” answered Ansalong.
Then, Groog picked up Iga and carried her forward. The mog-ur painted a line of red oche on her forehead and announced:
“This woman’s name is: Iga.”
Each member of the Clan came forward and repeated her new name. By the time they had finished the message to her was clear. In the spirit world, Iga would be her new name.
When Groog brought her back to the mog-ur, he painted another stripe on her forehead and announced:
“Iga’s totem is Spirit of the Others”
The Clan didn’t quite know what to make of this, neither had Goov. Creb had theorized that perhaps the Others didn’t always have totems? Or maybe their totems were different?
Then Luna brought forth the Cave Bear cub. The mog-ur drew a line of red oche on its’ forehead and announced:
“His name is: Winter Sleeper!”
The Clan couldn’t believe the mog-ur had formally named an animal, even if it was a Cave Bear. In keeping with tradition not to call the bear Ursus to its’ face, Goov had given it a name that consisted of the signs for: ‘Winter Sleeper’.
When Ayla led the Centaur forward, the Clan became noticeably uneasy. The mog-ur drew a line of red oche on his forehead and announced:
This Ceen-tar’s name is: Ekwus!”
The whole Clan expressed shock that the strange creature had been adopted into the Clan!
“Before we begin the matings, this Leader has a few announcements to make,” began Luna. “This Weech is now Leader. As the Leader, there is a need to clear up the hierarchy of the Clan. As Leader, This Weech is the 1st Ranked hunter. The Women-Who-Hunt will continue to hunt separate from the men. 2nd ranked below this Leader will be: the mog-ur, the 1st Ranked male hunter, the 2nd Ranked Woman-Who-Hunts, and the 1st Ranked Medicine Woman. Goov will remain the mog-ur. The 1st Ranked male hunter shall be: Zar. Ayla shall be both the 2nd Ranked Woman-Who-Hunts and the 1st Ranked Medicine Woman.
The next tier of authority shall be: the 2nd Ranked male hunter and the 2nd Ranked Medicine Woman. The 2nd Ranked male hunter shall be: Vorn and Uba shall remain the 2nd Ranked Medicine Woman.:
Luna went on through the rest of the hunters delineating their ranking. She integrated the new members of the Clan as high ranked members.
After this was accomplished, Groog carried Iga forward. The mog-ur once again painted a mark on her forehead, then, painted the sign of Groog’s megaceros totem over it. The mog-ur then proclaimed:
“The Spirit of the megaceros has overcome the Spirit of the Others!”
Groog then, carried Iga off to their new hearth.
Next, Crug and Oga came foreward. The mog-ur painted the sign of the hamster on Oga’s chest, then the sign of the wolf over it and announced:
“The Spirit of the wolf has overcome the spirit of the hamster!”
Oga sat at Crug’s feet until he tapped her on the shoulder. She then rose and followed him back to their new hearth. Ika followed close behind with their two children.
Finally, Brac came forward with Aba. He had been promised by Luna that he would get a 2nd mate as soon as a suitable girl became a woman. Until then, he needed a woman to perform those tasks that he didn’t have the memories for. The mog-ur painted the sign of the ground squirrel on Aba’s chest, then the sign of the bison over it and announced:
“The Spirit of the bison has overcome the spirit of the ground squirrel!”
Aba sat at the young man’s feet. Brac hesitated before tapping the shoulder of the much older woman. Now that he was a man, he needed someone to perform women’s tasks for him. But there was one task he had not desire for her to perform for him. He supposed he’d have to borrow other men’s mates when he needed his needs relieved. Once he’d tapped her on the shoulder, the old woman rose to follow him back to their new hearth.
Chapter 10: Brac’s manhood hunt.
Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling
Earth’s Children is owned by Jean Auel
Brun’s Clan List
Deceased members:
Iga – mother of Ebra and Uka
Uba – mother of Creb, Brun and Iza
---Iza (28) – Uba’s mother, adopted mother of Ayla
--------- Broud (21) – former Leader (Wooly Rhinoceros totem)
Dorv
Women’s Teepee
Luna (20) – Leader, 1st Weech, (Spirit Deer totem)
--- Zeen – (1) ½ Clan son of Luna
Ayla (14) – Clan’s first ranked medicine woman (Cave Lion totem) 2nd Weech, Zar’s Mate
--- Durc (3) – Ayla’s ½ Clan son, Grev’s milk brother (Gray Wolf totem)
----Iza (1) – Ayla’s ¼ Clan daughter
Uba (8) – medicine woman, childless
Ebra (40) – Broud’s mother
Uka (25) – Ebra’s sister
Oga (17) – Broud’s widow
----Grev (4) – Oga’s second son
Ovra (18) – Goov’s mate, childless (Beaver totem)
Aga (24) – Droog’s second mate
Aba (35)
Ika (20) – Crug’s mate
---Igra (6) – Ika’s daughter
Ona (9) – Owl totem
Iga (21) - of the Others
Men’s Teepee
Brun (33) – Former leader (Bison totem)
----Brac (8) – Oga’s first son
Grod (29) – son of the mate of Zoug (Brown Bear totem)
---Zoug (43) – second in command to the leader before Brun
Creb (36) – former 1st ranked Mog-ur, 1st Weez-Ur
Zar (20) ½ Clan man from the South (Middle East) mog-ur’s acolyte (Cave Bear Totem)
Goov (20) – mog-ur (Aurochs totem/Ursus totem)
Droog (31) – toolmaker, Aga’s second mate
---Groob (6) – Aga’s son born to Droog’s hearth
Crug (22)
Vorn (13) –
Borg (9) – Boar totem
Luna and Goov retreated from the Cave and faced the Clan. Who would she choose to face Ursus, the Great Cave Bear? Should it be one of the young up-and coming hunters? Brac was ready for his manhood hunt. One of the older hunters? This could be a last triumph for an old man. Or perhaps she or Ayla should have this honor? Having a woman do this might solidify her Leadership. After looking in the eyes of the Clan, she made her announcement.
“The cave is a Cave of Ursus. One of you must overcome him. The one I have chosen for this Most Holy Task is . . .”
Chapter 10: Brac’s manhood hunt.
“ . . . Zoug.”
Zoug?! The Clan looked at the old man in surprise. What could their Leader be thinking? Many of them began to doubt the wisdom of a female Leader more than they already did. But what could they do? She’d already bested nearly all the men in the Clan at once. No one wanted to share Broud’s fate.
Creb peered intently into the eyes of his old friend. Although Creb was not The Mog-Ur anymore, he knew as much about how to inspire people as he ever did. With a single look from his eye, Creb caused Zoug to remember the days when they had been younger. The days when Creb had been a crippled, mangled, Acolyte and Zoug had been the 2nd ranked hunter to the mate of Creb’s mother, Uba.
The years seemed to meld away from Zoug as he grabbed a spear from Grod and stepped forward.
“This hunter is ready to face Ursus,” signed Zoug.
“Then, come with this Leader,” signed Luna, as she led Zoug and Goov into the cave. By the light of her wand, the three of them preceded into the depths of the cave to the place where the stunned Cave Bear lay. As soon as they saw it, there was a flash of red light as Luna awaked the beast.
Ursus gave forth a thunderous growl as Zoug stepped forward, his spear at the ready. The bear reared up as Zoug thrush at it tentatively with his spear. The Cave Bear swung a paw at the old man and raked it across his right arm, marking him as a chosen of Ursus. Enraged, Zoug leapt forward a thrush into the heart of the Cave Bear. With his dying gasp, the Cave bear raked its’ claws over Zoug’s midsection, disemboweling him before falling on the hunter.
Goov took in to sight before them. If Zoug killed the Cave Bear, then Ursus would allow them to keep the Cave. But what if Zoug died in the process? The way he was bleeding, there was no chance the Zoug would live. He’s already passed out from the sudden blood loss. More than ever, Goov wished that he could go ask Creb what to do. But he wasn’t an acolyte any more. He was this Clan’s mog-ur. He had to deal with this on his own. The mog-ur turned to his Leader and announced:
“Ursus has chosen Zoug to go with him into the Spirit World. The Cave has been approved by the Spirits!”
Just then, a bawling sound came from deeper in the Cave. Apparently, the Cave Bear had been a mother protecting her cub. Luna went forward to seek out the source of the sound. In the next chamber, they found the squalling bear cub.
“Aawwww! Isn’t it cute!” exclaimed Luna, in English as she came forward to pet the small cub. But when she turned back to look at Goov, she saw that he had his arm raised, poised to strike with his spear.
“Don’t you dare kill this bear!” gestured Luna, angrily. “The Weech is keeping the Ursus cub!”
“Meat eaters can not share a cave with the Clan,” stated the mog-ur. “It is not Clan.”
“Ayla told me that at the Clan gathering the host Clan raises a Cave Bear cub as a member of their Clan,” signed Luna. “This is no different. The Bear stays!”
Goov shook his head in resignation as the Luna sat down and let the cub nurse off of her for a minute before getting up and resuming their exploration of the Cave. They found several more chambers before returning to the surface, followed by the cub.
When they emerged, Luna announced:
“Ursus and Zoug have sent each other to the Spirit World. We may move into the cave.”
“What is that!” asked Ayla, as she pointed and the small cub following Luna and Goov from the cave.
“This is the newest member of our Clan,” stated Luna. “Just as the host Clan at a Clan gathering raises a Cave bear cub as a member of the Clan, we shall raise this cub as a member of our Clan.
But it is late. There is a bear carcass that we women will have to take care of while the mog-ur, his predecessor, and the acolyte give Zoug a funeral worthy of a mog-ur. In the end, Zoug was chosen by Ursus.
We will sleep in the teepees one more night. Tomorrow, the men will have Brac’s manhood hunt, while the women prepare the cave.”
Now that Luna had finished her speech, the women of the Clan drug the Cave Bear carcass out of the cave and began butchering and dying it. While this was going on, Goov prepared Zoug’s body for burial, aided by Creb and Zar.
That night, they had fresh Cave Bear steak for dinner. Everyone praised Zoug’s heroism in providing such a delicious meal.
The meal was followed by a burial ceremony for Zoug, in a chamber, deep within the cave that had been designated for burials. He would be the first of the Clan to be buried in this chamber.
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The next morning, after breakfast, the women began setting up hearths under Luna’s direction and moving the Clan’s possessions into the Cave. While this was going on, the men set out for Brac’s manhood hunt.
Creb and Goov stayed behind to guard the cave. Creb because he was incapable of hunting, and Goov, because as mog-ur, he need to meditate on the totems of the new members of the Clan.
As Goov sat in the chamber that had been set aside for men’s ceremonies, he searched his memories for some clue as to the totem of Zeen. Instantly, his mind was drawn to the memory of the child playing with the bear cub this morning. It didn’t surprise the mog-ur that his predecessor’s mate’s son would have Ursus as his totem. Goov knew already that this child would make a better mog-ur than he.
Next, he meditated on Iza. But all he could get for her were images of strange horses, with horns on their heads! A male totem! Then he realized that since her mother had a male totem, she was likely to have one too. It least Iza’s male totem was not too powerful. It would be easier for her to find a mate than it was for her mother.
Now Goov turned his attention to Iga, the woman of the Others. But by the end of the day, Goov had to give up in failure. All he had been able to see were images of enormously fat women of the Others. As much has it hurt his pride, he decided to consult with his predecessor, Creb.
By mid morning, Luna felt that the women had things under control, so she decided to spy on the men. She needed to decide the hierarchy of the Clan and watching them hunt would help her in this. Luna pulled out and enlarged her broom before straddling it and flying off. While searching for the men, Luna decided to hide her presence from them. A disillusionment charm took care of that.
Under Brun’s leadership, the men traveled for a couple of hours until they found a herd of horses in a nearby valley.
“This is our plan,” signed Brun. “We will sneak around the herd in a ‘U’ shape. Zar and Crug will get closest to the herd. When this hunter gives the signal, Crug and Zar will run at the herd from opposite directions and cut one horse off from the herd. We will each take turns chasing it towards Brac. When it comes for you, Brac, you will make the final kill with your spear.”
It seemed like a good plan. They had done similar hunts many times before. But before they could get close enough, Crug spotted people on the far side of the herd hunting the same horses. Suddenly, the herd began stampeding towards the Clan. Crug and Zar ran forward trying to turn back most of the herd. They succeeded. Most to the horses ran in opposite directions at right angles to the Clan. But several were still running straight for Brac. All plans for running them down were forgotten as the horses galloped straight for Brac. To his credit, Brac stood his ground and when the lead horse came close enough, the plunged his spear into its’ heart. The horse’s scream was echoed by another horse scream that had been brought down by the strangers. Zar threw a spear at the retreating horses and brought down another one. When he tried to cast another, he spear went flying out of his hand.
“Stop! What are you doing?” exclaimed Luna, in English as she appeared before Zar and landed her broom.
“We are hunting, as the Leader commanded us,” signed Zar.
“But, they’re horses!” signed back Luna angrily. “You can’t hunt horses!”
“Why not, the Clan has long hunted horses,” signed Brun.
“Well, not any more! No more horse hunting!” commanded Luna, as she turned to the retreating horses. She yelled at them in English:
“Oh great Hhhhwwwwnym, We apologize for the death of your family. Know that their bodies will be used by us with honor!”
Just then, a knicker caught their attention. There was a small colt nearby, approaching them cautiously. Luna realized that one of the dead horses was its’ mother. She knew that the colt couldn’t survive on its’ own. She also knew that the men of the Clan would be tempted to hunt it.
With a wave of her wand, Luna transfigured the colt into a young centaur. That would make them hesitate to kill it!
“Hey!” called one of the strangers as he approached.
Luna turned and saw that there were three strangers. Two of them were obviously half-Clan like Durc, Zar and Zeen. The third was a man of the Others. To Luna’s eyes, he looked normal. All three of them had the brown hair and eyes that were typical of the clan. When they began signing, they all used the ancient Clan language.
“Which of you is the Leader,” asked the first stranger, a half-clan.
“This Weech is the Leader of this Clan,” replied Luna.
“What is Weech?” asked the man of the Others.
“A Weech is a woman who can do magic, like this!” signed Luna, as she summoned the young centaur to her and protectively put her arm around it.
“We have no Clan,” signed the first stranger. “Will your Clan accept deformed people like us?”
“You are not deformed, two of you are part Clan and part Others,” assured Luna. “And you are a man of the Others.”
“This man is not of the Others” signed the man angrily. ”My mother was deformed like you and this man is. But her mother was said to be less deformed like Vorv and Brog are. And her mother was said to be a normal woman of the Clan. This Man is Clan!”
“You are welcome to join our Clan,” assured Luna. “We have just found a new cave. But we do not have enough women for all of you to mate.”
“Vorv and this man have mates,” stated the first stranger, Brog. “But they are deformed like us. We also have some children.”
“Go and bring them here,” commanded Luna. “They can help me butcher these horses.”
After Luna levitated the horse carcasses all into a cluster, she conjured a knife and began butchering while the men guarded against predators. She made sure to give, Brac and each of the men a piece of liver before beginning in earnest. Soon, the strangers had returned with two half-Clan women and four children. Two of the children looked half-Clan, one looked like a girl of the Others, and the last looked like a normal Clan boy. When she saw that they had arrived, she stopped working and introduced the men of her Clan to them. Then she had the strangers introduce themselves.
“This hunter is called Brog,” began the first stranger they had met. “This is my mate, Ena, and her children, Eva and Boov,” signed Brog as he introduced a half-Clan woman and her two half-clan children. “That is Vorv and his mate, Uva, and her children, Broov and Ugra,” He indicated the other half-Clan woman, the Clan boy and the girl of the Others. “and finally, this hunter is Groog.” He indicated the man of the Others.
“Well, you are all welcome to join our Clan but you will have to get used to doing things a little different from most Clans,” began Luna. “First of all, we have a female Leader. Do any of you have a problem with that? Good. Also, any woman who wishes to, may become a Woman-Who-Hunts. Do either of you wish to learn to hunt?”
“It is not proper for a woman of the Clan to hunt,” replied Uva.
“I would like to learn to hunt,” stated Ena.
“Your daughters will have the same choice,” signed Luna. “Certain animals are forbidden to be hunted. Horses, for one, also we have specific animals that are not to be hunted. This Weech has an Owl, a Cave Bear Cub and this Centaur that live with the Clan.
“This girl wants to hunt too,” signed Eva.
“Of course you can,” replied Luna, as she bent down to sign at the little girl. When Luna came towards the girl, the centaur had followed and the girl hesitantly reached out a hand to pet it.
This surprised the men, who had been afraid to approach the strange creature.
As Luna returned to the task of butchering the horses, she asked Uva:
“How did you come to have no Clan?”
“Our Clan lived North and West of here,” began Uva. “There was an earthquake that killed many of the members of our Clan, including Groog’s mate and her children. Because we are deformed, we were blamed for the angering the spirits. We were told that if we did not leave, we would be Death Cursed.”
“Well you needn’t worry about that anymore,” assured Luna. “This Leader doesn’t think you are deformed at all.”
Once they had finished field dressing the horses, Luna shrunk them and put them in a fold of her wrap, with the exception of the one that Brac and killed, which they had strung between two poles so that Brun and Grod could carry it with Brac walking in the front of the line to proclaim his new status as a Man.
Luna had to walk, coaxing the centaur to follow.
When they arrived at the Cave, there was great surprise, not only at the strangers but also at the half-boy/half-colt centaur. When the women over came their fear enough to swarm forward to finish butchering Brac’s kill, Luna pulled the other two horses out and enlarged them.
While the other women were working, Luna pulled Ayla aside.
“Ayla, since the cub will be living at my hearth, do you think you could take care of the Centaur?”asked Luna.
“This woman would be happy to,” signed Ayla. “Where did it come from? This woman has never seen an animal like it!”
“This Weech made it,” replied Luna. “He used to be a normal colt, but this Weech transfigured it into a Centaur.”
“But how?” asked Ayla. “This woman thought you couldn’t transfigure living things and that’s why you couldn’t fix Iga’s throat.”
“It is easier to change one thing into another, than to make small changes in a living thing,” explained Luna. “For example, this Weech can easily change you from a woman to a cave lion.”
Luna pulled her wand from behind her ear, flicked it, and suddenly a full-grown cave lioness was standing where Ayla had been. Before anyone could react, Luna flicked her wand and changed Ayla back.
Sitting on a rock, taking in this scene with a look of religious fervor, was the woman of the Others that the Clan was calling Iga.
Luna talked to several other members of the Clan about the changes to come tonight.
After an evening meal of horse steaks, where everyone praised Brac’s kill, the men began the hunt dance where they re-enacted the meeting with the three new men of the Clan. The dance culminated with Brac’s kill. Brac ended the dance in front of Goov. Goov made the mark of a hunter at the base of Brac’s throat that proclaimed him a man. Then, Zar applied the healing salve to the scar.
Next, Luna came forward holding her son, Zeen. While the hunt dance had been going on, she and Ayla had slipped back a few steps to her hearth, where Luna had changed out of her Clan wrap and into clothes. She put on her leg warmers, a green skirt and purple blouse, over which she wore a sun yellow robe. On he feet she wore her metallic silver pumps. When she had first met Ayla, the high heals allowed her to be the same height as Ayla. But Ayla had grow a few inches since then. On her head, she wore her hat that looked like it had a live eagle perched on it and Ansalong had flown over to perch on the eagle’s head, much to its’ obvious discomfort. Ayla had donned her hat too, the one that looked like it had the head of a living African lion perched on it. The mog-ur painted the sign of the Great Cave Bear on Zeen’s right arm and announced:
“Zeen’s totem is Ursus!”
“Screeee!” called the Eagle on Luna’s hat.
“Hoot!” answered Ansalong.
“Roar!” replied Ayla’s hat.
The Clan’s hands flew into motion as they expressed their surprise that such a young boy would be chosen by Ursus.
Next, Ayla came forward holding her daughter, Iza. The mog-ur painted the sign of the horse on Iza’s chest and announced:
“Iza’s totem is horse!”
“Roar!” replied Ayla’s hat.
“Screeee!” called the Eagle on Luna’s hat.
“Hoot!” answered Ansalong.
Then, Groog picked up Iga and carried her forward. The mog-ur painted a line of red oche on her forehead and announced:
“This woman’s name is: Iga.”
Each member of the Clan came forward and repeated her new name. By the time they had finished the message to her was clear. In the spirit world, Iga would be her new name.
When Groog brought her back to the mog-ur, he painted another stripe on her forehead and announced:
“Iga’s totem is Spirit of the Others”
The Clan didn’t quite know what to make of this, neither had Goov. Creb had theorized that perhaps the Others didn’t always have totems? Or maybe their totems were different?
Then Luna brought forth the Cave Bear cub. The mog-ur drew a line of red oche on its’ forehead and announced:
“His name is: Winter Sleeper!”
The Clan couldn’t believe the mog-ur had formally named an animal, even if it was a Cave Bear. In keeping with tradition not to call the bear Ursus to its’ face, Goov had given it a name that consisted of the signs for: ‘Winter Sleeper’.
When Ayla led the Centaur forward, the Clan became noticeably uneasy. The mog-ur drew a line of red oche on his forehead and announced:
This Ceen-tar’s name is: Ekwus!”
The whole Clan expressed shock that the strange creature had been adopted into the Clan!
“Before we begin the matings, this Leader has a few announcements to make,” began Luna. “This Weech is now Leader. As the Leader, there is a need to clear up the hierarchy of the Clan. As Leader, This Weech is the 1st Ranked hunter. The Women-Who-Hunt will continue to hunt separate from the men. 2nd ranked below this Leader will be: the mog-ur, the 1st Ranked male hunter, the 2nd Ranked Woman-Who-Hunts, and the 1st Ranked Medicine Woman. Goov will remain the mog-ur. The 1st Ranked male hunter shall be: Zar. Ayla shall be both the 2nd Ranked Woman-Who-Hunts and the 1st Ranked Medicine Woman.
The next tier of authority shall be: the 2nd Ranked male hunter and the 2nd Ranked Medicine Woman. The 2nd Ranked male hunter shall be: Vorn and Uba shall remain the 2nd Ranked Medicine Woman.:
Luna went on through the rest of the hunters delineating their ranking. She integrated the new members of the Clan as high ranked members.
After this was accomplished, Groog carried Iga forward. The mog-ur once again painted a mark on her forehead, then, painted the sign of Groog’s megaceros totem over it. The mog-ur then proclaimed:
“The Spirit of the megaceros has overcome the Spirit of the Others!”
Groog then, carried Iga off to their new hearth.
Next, Crug and Oga came foreward. The mog-ur painted the sign of the hamster on Oga’s chest, then the sign of the wolf over it and announced:
“The Spirit of the wolf has overcome the spirit of the hamster!”
Oga sat at Crug’s feet until he tapped her on the shoulder. She then rose and followed him back to their new hearth. Ika followed close behind with their two children.
Finally, Brac came forward with Aba. He had been promised by Luna that he would get a 2nd mate as soon as a suitable girl became a woman. Until then, he needed a woman to perform those tasks that he didn’t have the memories for. The mog-ur painted the sign of the ground squirrel on Aba’s chest, then the sign of the bison over it and announced:
“The Spirit of the bison has overcome the spirit of the ground squirrel!”
Aba sat at the young man’s feet. Brac hesitated before tapping the shoulder of the much older woman. Now that he was a man, he needed someone to perform women’s tasks for him. But there was one task he had not desire for her to perform for him. He supposed he’d have to borrow other men’s mates when he needed his needs relieved. Once he’d tapped her on the shoulder, the old woman rose to follow him back to their new hearth.
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