Chapter Twenty-Eight - Similarities

  -Summer-

  Mermel’s enthusiasm only grew as Belbet coaxed herself into explaining more. She gestured to the small swell in the river, where the fish traps were. From here, they could see the sticks poking up out of the water and the ripples caused by the caught-but-not-dead fish.

  “Like with those, the goal is to bring in food without risking our lives, or spending so much energy as one might hunting. That way, we can spend that energy on other things. Work smarter, not harder.”

  It was one of Victoria’s favorite sayings, although she wasn’t always good at following through on it. Fundamentally though, it meant not just looking for better ways to do something, but also easier ways too.

  “That’s a funny saying. Most people just do whatever has always been done.” Mermel tilted his head, canine ears flopping just a little in confusion. Mohniit, whining in Dahnei’s arms, pitched a fit until he was deposited into his mother’s lap, sleepy and mumbly.

  Petting his hair softly, she nodded, “Yes, but if someone doesn’t grow, they wither. We’re going to grow as much as we can, for all of time. That’s how we make survival easier not just for us, but for those that come after us. We must always consider those that come after us, as well.”

  “Too much growth can stifle a thing.” Kaion reminded, frowning. Belbet nodded, thinking of weeds strangling good seedlings. “If left to grow, the horns or tusks on an animal can grow inward and pierce them. How do we avoid such a thing, in this case?”

  “Growth without purpose stifles,” Belbet emphasized, “Carefully tended, growth supports and provides. Running unchecked, however, with no thought for the future or those who come after, growth eats up everything around it. So we have to make sure to give back in equal measure. That’s how we survive.” Belbet said, trailing a bowl through the water. She brought it up to sluice the water over Mohniit and herself.

  “That’s how I grow the seedlings, breathing in the energy of the earth. Sharing my own energy back. A circle of energy between me and the earth, and it makes the seedlings healthier.” Now Belbet was mostly musing to herself, although all of the adults were paying attention. Her own eyes were out over the water, where her eldest daughter was leaning back on her own, splashing when she lost her balance, but trying.

  A fierce sort of pride welled up in her heart and she couldn’t help but smile. “I believe that, as adults, we have a responsibility to leave this world better for those that come after us, just like as children, we have a responsibility to learn as much as we can about the world and ourselves. I don’t ever want to stifle a child’s spirit, or to cause them to make themselves small.”

  “Beaver Clan was similar.” Olleb commented, his first words in a while. He seemed to shrink a little, leaning into Mermel’s side, The shaggy man nodded as if to encourage his thinner friend. “The Brood Mother had final say on what children were able to say or do, and it was a very respected role, with the responsibility of shaping the next generation. Mermel’s mother always said that children were precious.”

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  “They’re the future.” Belbet nodded, letting her smile blossom on her face, even as she turned it up to the sun, to warm.

  “Future?” Olleb asked, tilting his head now. She could see how these two were raised together, since they seemed very similar in mannerism.

  “Yes. The time that comes after our lives. The time that comes after we pass on.” She smiled, “The future is something that we can look forward to. Like a story we tell ourselves to give ourselves something to work towards.” She said, hoping she wasn’t overselling her own wisdom. Honestly, the Victoria part of her was a bit embarrassed to be saying such things so openly. But it also felt like a relief to speak her intentions out, rather than keep them swirling in her head as if she was alone in this whole thing.

  It hit her like a bolt of lightning. She wasn’t alone. It wasn’t just her against the world, anymore. She’d known that, sort of, after all, she’d had Dahnei and Mohniit with her the entire time, but… Now she had Deenat and Kaion too. Two adults who seemed intent on sticking around and helping her.

  There was a family in that, a community to be created. Her eyes prickled, but she sniffed back the feeling and smiled instead, soothed just a bit as if the wild danger that had simmered on her shoulders, much like the now-missing pain of her dislocated shoulder, was healing now. The cascading burble of the waterfall made her think of the white noise of a city. It was a different sound, of course, but it was noise nonetheless.

  “AUNT!” A voice called over the din, and Belbet snapped to look. Eefim stood at the edge of the river, his calves being lapped at by the ripples, and his arm waving at them to come in.

  “Ah, looks like bath time is over for today.” She sighed, shifting to slide off of the sitting rock and into the water. She shivered as it came up over her hips, and cradled the warm bundle of her now-dozing Mohniit close to her. She smiled to the three men, and chucked her chin towards the shore. “You guys are welcome to stay here, or join us on shore. Either way. Dahnei!”

  Her daughter turned to look at her, already on her way back to the rivershore, and waited for Belbet to swish to her side through the water. The two of them came to the pebbly shore together, and out onto the beach, the water sluicing from their naked bodies, as Belbet picked up her still-damp furs with a wrinkled nose.

  The three of them walked the few feet back to camp, where Eefim had settled down to his work picking the feathers from birds he must have hunted while he and Deenat were out looking for the source of the prints. Deenat was holding a thick pole of some wood, carefully carving off the end into a sharp point, which worried Belbet some.

  “That’s a big spear…” She commented, as she pushed open the door of the finished hut, setting her sleepy boy down in their furs. She brushed his dark hair out of his face and placed a gentle kiss to his temple, before turning back to where her sister was sitting at the fire. “Are we going to be hunting something that will need that?”

  “Protection, just in case.” Deenat mumbled. “We didn’t find the source of those tracks, so we need to be prepared in case it’s a raider.”

  Victoria-in-Belbet blinked, surprised that raider was already a word, but when she thought about it, it made sense. Belbet had memories of rogue males and small groups sometimes trying to steal from the Lynx tribe’s meagre hunts. She nodded, and turned her face to Eefim, who was still plucking. “Those feathers will come in handy, so-”

  “Don’t burn them, I know, auntie. You’ve said so before.” He said, a whine of annoyance in his voice. She blinked, surprised by the attitude. But she supposed after running around in the forest for so long, the boy was probably hungry, and therefore grumpy.

  “Thank you.” She smiled at him, deciding to let this one slide. Even still, after preparing a quick meal for Eefim and Deenat, who had missed breakfast and lunch both, she and Dahnei settled in for nap-time.

  Mini Character List

  Victoria/Belbet - Our Main Character, 21 yr old pregnant Mom. - What was that about? Kaion's acting somewhat strange...

  Dahnei - 5 year old paleolithic child. Daughter of Belbet. Jerboa Mouse-Spirited. - Sleep so deep I do not dream...

  Mohniit - 2 year old paleolithic child. Son of Belbet. Rabbit Spirited. - pretty sounds in my dreams.

  Unborn Baby - I'm fine, just tired.

  Deenat - 25 year old paleolithic gatherer - Ermine Spirited. - If this woman is a danger to my tribe, I'll end her.

  Eefim - 11 year old paleolithic hunter-in-training - Why wouldn't the woman come into the camp?

  Kaion - 26 year old man. Ram Spirited. - Ah, she's not seeking other males... she's just collecting people. Alright. A strange thing to collect, but not so strange as to warrant leaving.

  Wolf - If I lay here, in the shade like this, the heat can't get me.

  Olleb - Serpent Spirited. - What a strange collection of things in this camp. And the people are stranger too.

  Mermel - Malamute Spirited. - What an exciting collection of people in this camp! Olleb, I ike them!