Chapter 17
Tana-Il’ POV:
‘Battles just aren’t meant to be fought during this time...’ I thought while shivering. ‘Death comes to all during the Great Cold, a curse, but also a blessing. Just as the Mighty Mahr ordains.’ I further pondered.
Shaking myself from the philosophical trance I was in, I looked to the side and asked, “How long has it been?”
“Aki’s grace now hangs above our heads father!” Kaito promptly responded.
“Just call it Akigi like everyone else!” I snapped.
“Needless formality is the reason the Tamul tribe is in the state it is now.” I further explained.
‘They should be about done right?’ I mused, remembering the conversation I’d had with Miso just a while ago.
~~~
“To sum it up, if you admit to being a muttan then you will be stoned to death. You will claim that we are many akigis’ away, so they will make your death a public event. Since there will be no one left guarding the tribe, it will be easy for us to enter the tribal grounds… is that correct?” I asked.
“Ye- yes…” Miso replied while shivering, his imminent demise clearly weighing on his mind.
“We have already made a deal…” I said softly.
“As long as you deliver on your end, I can assure you that your chosen and sparkling will live peaceful and abundant lives amongst the Tula.” I continued.
He remained silent, so I pressured him further.
“Even if you betrayed us and somehow managed to hold onto your life, it would only be a matter of time until you all will have to go out to hunt. We will pick you off one by one till there are none left, then we will plunder everything. Is that what you want?” I asked in a questioning tone.
“No! Of course not!” He yelled, a fierce glint in his eyes.
“Good, good… then we have a deal.”
~~~
“Honorable Il’” an excited voice shouted, jolting me from my reverie. “The guards are entering the tribal grounds!”
“Are they?!” I asked equally excited.
I quickly arose from my seated position and crested the small hill we were camped behind, barely peeking my head over to see the situation in the valley below.
Once I’d confirmed that the guards hadn’t gone to relieve themselves or get something to eat, I ordered,
“Men move! You know the plan and your parts to play in it. For the Il’ Clan!” I yelled excitedly.
“FOR THE IL’!” They responded with equal fervor.
Our distance from the tribal grounds was a little less than a kilometer, not too close, but not far enough away to make the sprint a problem for the elite and highly trained hunters of the Il’ clan.
We quickly spanned the distance, hearing cries of,
“STONE HIM!”
“STONE HIM!”
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“STONE HIM!”
When we finally entered the tribal grounds, I said calmly but urgently, “Does everyone remember what they must do?”
“Yes, clan leader.” They murmured.
“Good!” I replied smilingly, “As long as everything goes to plan, we will be covered in spoils and women when Akigi next rises!”
As if a burst of electricity had suddenly made its way through the gathered Il’ men, they rushed off in their preordained directions.
I stood there silently, finally allowing myself a moment to relish the coming victory.
‘What should I do now?’ I wondered.
The cries for blood were my answer, Miso had helped me so much in the past few days, I might as well see him off… right?
Rushing towards the noise, I pushed and shoved my way to a good spot in the crowd. Close enough to see the action, but not so far that I’d be at the center of attention.
Not that it mattered, the throng had already sunk into insanity. Miso’s last moments were like this:
“DO YOU WANT HIM TO DIE?” The Grand Elder inquired
“YESSSSSS!!!” The crowd roared.
“DO YOU WANT TO FELL HIM YOURSELF?!?!” He asked again.
“YESSSSS!!!” They bloodthirstily responded.
“THEN GRAB A ROCK,” The Grand Elder said while grabbing a stone, “STONE HIM.” He completed his sentence while viciously casting a stone to the small of Miso’s back.
“My love,” Miso cried urgently, bearing the pain of the rocks that were swiftly pelting him. “You must leave. Please! You don’t have to share this fate with me.”
“No!” The woman replied, shaking like a leaf and tears in her eyes. In that moment she was feeling more pain than she had felt in her entire life up to this point. Rocks smashing against her bones, the sharp edges gashing her skin.
“Just as you chose me, I chose you. If you are to burn in the Great Darkness… I will go to burn with you. You will never be alone, even in your suffering.” She cried as she vainly attempted to cover Miso’s body from the torrent of rocks smashing against them.
“What did I do to deserve a woman like you? I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.” Miso said as he grasped her face.
SWEEE
SWEEE
SWEEE
SWEEE
Larger and heavier rocks were cast onto the couple, crushing their bones, tearing their skin, and making a mushy mess on the snow-covered ground.
Just about everyone joined, the men, women, children, even the aloof Elders.
The couple had long sense stopped crying in pain and fear, but the rabid crowd hadn’t satiated their bloodlust. Once they ran out of stones to throw, they scooped snow and small pieces of wood and threw that.
What finally ended the madness was a sudden shout, “FIREEEE! THERE IS A FIREEEE!”
It’d been so long since the last stoning in the Tula tribe, I must admit that I felt slightly sick watching all this occur. It’s truly unfortunate that I can’t entirely keep my promise to Miso.
However, the sudden panicked outcry did bring a smile to my face. As the tribesmen of Tamul ran around haphazardly, pushing, screaming and causing chaos, I slowly but surely sifted through the pandemonium, making my way towards my first target.
Pino POV:
“The food is almost ready.” I said quietly, glancing towards the bed.
I was met with no response, as I’d gotten used to. This kid, after saying his name when he first woke up, didn’t speak a word to me.
It’s worrying, I’m no child psychiatrist, but there must be a reason why he ended up so far out here, all alone, and on the verge of death.
So far, I’ve only tried to coax him a little bit, only asking him small questions or talking to him when it’s time to eat.
This seems to have yielded small results, seeing as he’s a lot less jumpy than he used to be.
The pot on the stove released a delicious scent, one that’s entirely unexpected for completely unseasoned meat.
I peered into the pot and judged that the meat was fully cooked, so grabbing two pieces of hare hide that I’d fashioned into mittens, I grabbed the pot and placed it onto one of the small areas not covered by fur.
Then I grabbed two bowls and ladled portions of the broth into them using a third.
Grabbing the two portions, I walked over to the bed and sat on its edge, as I usually do.
“Here Atilla.” I spoke.
He grabbed the bowl, like he always does.
I sighed quietly and began to eat.
“Mhun’ thjyu.” A voice echoed behind me.
“SPThhhh-” I spit my soup across the room.
“What?!” I asked excitedly.
“Mhun’ thyju.” Atilla repeated.
“I- I don’t understand.” I responded confusedly.