Chapter 27
Attila POV:
“What about ‘Vhai?” I asked, “Since we will change the world surely we’d also be the most prideful, no?”
Pino hummed in contemplation before saying, “It's not about pride. Pride, honour, greed and tradition is what tears the world apart.” He paused before sighing, “No… we want to exude strength, but not arrogance. Instead, what about Enya? Bear-born, born from one of the strongest animals of the forest, it would leave a deep impression on anyone who hears our name.”
He had a sagely expression on his face, one that I stared at blankly. “Y- yeah, it’s a great name…” I said, letting my voice trail off. He glanced at me from the side of his eye, but I pretended not to see him. When I started whistling while avoiding his gaze, the embarrassment was finally too much.
“Fine!” He said, “It’s your turn to suggest a name.” He huffed.
I tried to hold in my laughter as I straightened my back and got ready to make my recommendation. A small giggle escaped my lips as I said, “What about ‘Tesr, or to prosper. Since your given name is Pino, or to survive, then adding ‘Tesr which means to prosper, then our clan would be destined to survive and prosper!” I exclaimed.
“That is… That is… a pretty good name.” Pino said begrudgingly, his sharp rebuttal slowly deflating in his chest. “Tesr…” he murmured, “It sounds foolish to just say aloud, but eventually as we grow from clan to nation, it’ll be a strong name.”
“What’s a nation?” I chimed in, asking questions about words and other things that Pino said or pointed out has become a routine of mine. He always seems to know so much more about the world, likely because he’s the messenger of the great Nah-ture gods. Or, or maybe he’s a strong priest of the Skie-nce majiks.
He always says that he’s no false prophet, although I don’t really know what that means, I do trust his judgement and abilities. Only an Aki-blessed person could have the skills and knowledge that he does.
“HEY!” his voice blasted in my ear like the roar of a rabid bantila “Are you going to help me pack or not?” He asked in a more normal tone.
For the last few days we’d been packing up the house, taking everything of decent quality, and throwing away anything that was too torn, old or dirty. Despite trying to strictly manage how much we took with us, there was still a lot of excess. Since we’d basically be thrusting spears through hide and using that as our mode of support for everything, I’m not excited about the fact that there’s still more to pack.
“Yeah, yeah..” I muttered as I stood and began grabbing different objects and stuffing them into a sack.
2 Weeks Later…
The sun beat down heavily on two people, one young and the other a bit older. There was a thin canopy of trees, barely offering a smattering of shade. There were the sounds of gurgling and roaring that became increasingly loud as the two men walked in the direction of a river.
Pino POV:
“We are..” *huff* “Walking in the direction of the river.” *huff* “Because, because if we follow the river, we’ll eventually find fertile land.” I explained.
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“What’s fertile land?” Attila asked
“Land that’s good for *haah* agriculture.” I responded matter of factly,
“And what’s agriculture?” Attila’s line of questioning continued unceasingly. Eventually, through both baited breath and a torrent of sweat, we finally reached the bank of the river.
Sighing, I unsaddled the heavy two-sided bindle and gingerly put it on the ground. No matter how tired I am, I refuse to risk breaking the pottery that I worked so hard to make.
Slumping on the ground, I kicked my legs out and tossed my hands behind my back. Grunting a sigh of relief, I allowed myself a moment to relax. Although it's still relatively dangerous, I’m too tired to care at this point. Attila sat beside me and we watched the river flow and swirl in silence. There was a cool breeze that dried our sweat and we decided to have lunch there.
Through bites of dried dambi jerky Attila asked, “How much farther do we have to go?” I took a swig of water from the canteen I’d made from the boar’s bladder before replying, “We want to find a large open plot, relatively flat, and neither too close or too far from the river. When we reach that location, we’ll know, trust me.”
In my mind I picture a city similar to the Sumer, the first human civilization. Although our ‘Tesr tribe suffers from lack of members, we have the sole advantage of knowing how civilization and technology will develop. We need a place close to a water supply, fertile enough to support agriculture and animal husbandry, and a ready supply of clay… The list dragged on and on in my head. There are many things that I don’t know, but I’m hoping that there’ll be people from this world and era who can fill in the blanks.
The night crept upon us, and instead of pushing onwards in the darkness, we chose the safer option of camping where we were for the night. I grabbed two poles from our makeshift backpacks and drove them into the ground. Then I emptied one of the sacks and flattened it so that it appeared like a large piece of hide. From there I inserted the poles on the hide’s holes and secured everything with rope, making a rudimentary lean to tent. The emptied contents of the sack was all the supplies that we’d use to sleep, so as I readied the bedding, Attila started making a fire. All in all it took us about thirty-minutes to set up camp.
When the fire was finally crackling, warding away the cool river winds, I swiftly drifted to sleep.
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“Aghh!” I groaned, trying hard to hold back the tears that swelled in my eyes. Si-ah stood beside me in silence, neither complaining about how slow the journey's been or commenting on how much I’ve made my misery clear.
He looked at my bent and deformed leg with sadness, there was already a deep blue color around the injury. Being from a smaller tribe where hunting is the main source of food, we aren’t foreign to injuries. When the wound turns blue, there is basically no hope. Only Aki can save a man at that point.
I silently let the tears drip down my face as we walked deeper and deeper into the forest. The tribe surely suffered, offering enough food for me to make my final journey. I have no idea where we are now, all I know is that half a hand of akigi have passed since we left the ancestral caves of the tribes and wandered out here. I’ve truly messed up this time, not only have I killed myself, but it's uncertain if Si-ah will be able to make it back to the tribe safely! Any manner of things could happen in the wild. Moreover, who will protect the tribe if the only hunting age man is gone? It wouldn’t be too surprising if Si-ah returned to empty caves or starved tribesmen….
Thinking all of this, I couldn’t allow this charade to continue. To return to the wilds, I’d have to trek as deep into the wilderness as I could before succumbing to my injuries or predators. Usually a tribesman would make the trek with you, proving that at the end you were no muttan and faced death bravely. However, tradition be damned!
We were raised in the way of Vookun, worshipping and appreciating our ancestors is a must. Becoming an ancestor is every man’s ambition for the life after, but at this moment, none of that matters. How long will I allow my people to suffer due to my foolishness?
“I can’t go any farther… drop me here.” I said to Si-ah. He froze up, not thinking that our time together would end here. I heard his breath becoming ragged as he said, “No, we can still go farther. The farther you go, the more likely you’ll be accepted into the ancestral tribe.”
I smiled deprecatingly at that, gathering the last of my strength, I pushed him hard. Since he’d been supporting my weight this whole time, that meant that I fell to the ground. Landing on my injured leg and inhaling sharply due to the pain I barely managed to let out a few words, “The second I damned the tribe for glory, I lost any right to enter the ancestral tribe.”
Letting out a hollow laugh I continued as I dragged myself up against a tree, “My time is over now, don’t waste anymore food or water on me.” Si-ah seemed like he wanted to say something, but struggled to find the words. I looked at him strictly, wiping the tears and sweat from my face, “You were always greater than me, the way you think, always larger than mine. As if you were a skyn, seeing farther than I ever could. I love you, I’m sorry, take care of the tribe.” I heard him begin to cry, but I closed my eyes, seeing another man’s weakness is no proud thing. He seemed to be fighting to let words escape his throat, but he finally gave up and began to walk away.
As his footsteps faded, I must admit I’d never felt weaker or more alone. I’m ashamed to say that I cried loudly, bleating like a muttan. Cried because I knew it was over, there would be no more hunts, no more adventures, no chosen and no sparklings. The life of Pino would end here… I cried.
A/N: So if you didn’t know, this is a flashback ;) I’m starting to tie the loose ends (if you remember me saying that)
A/N(2): skyn: means bird