37 Bonfire (2)

A-Narah went back to watching the dance. The dancing girls all jumped and moved their bodies expertly to the beat. Watching them was captivating. The girls spun and twirled around the fire. Their skirts would flip up and you could here the jangling of bells and braclets that they wore, adding to the drum beat. The drum began to speed up and the girls started going faster and faster around the fire. Them and their shadow became a blur of motion and color with the fire as their backdrop. When the drum came to an abrupt stop the girls halted. All of them holding their last pose and waiting.

This must be the part where any man wanting to declare their affection would go forward. A-Narah looked around but no one moved. The drum beat started up again and the girls returned to their dance. Their dance wasn't as passionate as it had been before, but their skill had not lessened. This time the drum slowed and came to a more natural end. When the drum made its last thump, the girls all stopped and curtsied. Most went back to their rugs, but braver ones went over and approached some of the men to talk to them. A-Narah also saw some of the men get up after the dance and approach some of the girls.

A-Narah came to the conclusion that to join a girl in a dance here was the equivalent to a marriage proposal. Those that weren't ready for that commitment would see the girl after the dance was over. A-Narah saw that most of the girls who came over to where the young men were sitting were all going in one particular direction. A-Narah stretched her neck in order to get a better look. To her surprise in the center of the cluster of girls was Adom. A-Narah snorted and looked away. She couldn't see what was so appealing about him. Her brothers were all better than her was.

Anis also had looked over and looked away.

"Hey Anis," A-Narah leaned over and spoke into Anis's ear, "Do you have interest in Adom like the rest of those girls?"

Anis could hear the scorn in Ara's voice and vigorously shook her head no. "I don't, but most girls here dream of marrying him."

"Why?" A-Narah really couldn't see what was so special about him.

"He is one of the best warriors in the tribe and is most likely going to be the chief in a few years."

"What's wrong with the current chief?" The current chief was still alive so why would they need a new one?

"Nothing, but a chief will choose a successor from out of all the warriors in the younger generation. That person will follow and train under the chief, and when it is time for the chief to step down, then the successor will take over. After that the old chief will become a village elder. The chiefs tend to retire from their role when they feel themselves weakening. A chief must be someone who can demand respect and be the strength of the tribe. A weak chief will only lead to death."

A-Narah nodded along to Anis's explanation. "And Adom has been following the chief around ever since his coming of age ceremony. Everyone is expecting the chief to soon declare Adom as his successor. It just hasn't been made official yet," Anis finished.

"I see," A-Narah said in understanding. It made sense now why girls would want to marry him. He was their best option. Although A-Narah didn't like Adom, she was a bit envious of the girls. They were free to like whoever they wanted, but she wasn't sure if she would ever find anyone or would ever get married. And there was also the fear that whatever blood she had inherited would get passed down to any of her children. If they awoke the ancestral blood like she had they could be hunted for their lives too. A-Narah felt a cold shiver run down her spine at that thought. She didn't know why but she feared capture more than she did death.

A-Narah had learned quite a bit about the tribe's culture tonight, but she still knew little of the shaman. She wanted to ask Anis, but she feared that Anis would just give her the same answers that Feme and Adom had. Anis and she weren't close. There was no reason for Anis to give A-Narah any sensitive information about the tribe. If the people of the tribe wouldn't speak of the shaman openly, A-Narah wasn't sure how she could go about asking. She didn't need more people angry with her like Adom had. It really was a problem that A-Narha had to ponder over. And it wasn't just the problem with the shaman either. There was no way for her to gain the trust of these people either. She would have to slowly win them over. She had to find some way to naturally interact with all of them. She needed to become excepted and not continuously treated like some outsider.

The fire began to dwindle and everyone rolled up their rugs and picked up their cushions to go back to their tents for the night. A-Narah said goodbye to the men and went back over to Feme, so that they could walk back to the tent together.

"Hey, Feme?" A-Narah hesitantly said. "Do you think you might be able to lend me some clothes tomorrow? I feel awkward standing out so much in my own worn clothes from home."

Feme turned to A-Narah and smiled at her, "Sure, dear. I have some old clothes that I used to wear in my younger years that should fit you."

"Thank you." A-Narah smiled brightly back at Feme, and skipped beside her. Together they walked the rest of the way back to the tent side by side. A-Narah snuck a glance at Feme and smiled to herself. If she couldn't have her own mother here, then she was happy that Feme was.