Chapter 9: Clan creation.

Act 1: Vines of thorn.

"Is it really that simple Shaman-elder?" I asked, my eyes filled with shock as we drank tea I made by boiling some of the log mushrooms I smoke dried. I still don't have a name for them.

She took a long sip from her wooden bowl-cup, as she smiled, exhaling in satisfaction. "It really is that simple, each of us in a herd before becoming an adult must have as called it a role, a profession. You already know of them." 

"Warriors that protect's, Foragers who feed's, and Crafters who build's, and Elders?" I asked, once again astounded, on how simple their society was. This was the bedrock of how humanity was forged! 

"We nurture and guide our future, we are what you call 'leaders' of our herd, but your description of leaders is close but." She paused as she thought about it. As a child helped me fill her cup with more mushroom tea.

"We don't order the younger ones of our herd, we simply give them suggestions or advice, and they can refuse or do something else with that advice." She said smiling thanking the child with us listening in to us talk, she wasn't the only child in the earthen mound-houses I built for my herd to live in.

There were many, but they were sluggish, drowsily lying on the sailor beds made of vines and leaves I taught the crafters to make, half asleep listening, as I learned the younger a rabbit folk is the more sleep they needed, even the oldest child who was 4 snow season old can only be awake for more than five hours a day and 3 hours at night.

The youngest only been born last water season can only be awake an hour a day, just enough for food and play before they fainting and needing to be carried inside a den. 

"Why do you even ask this child?" The Elder-shaman asked, as she looked at me curiously as I played with a small rabbit child that has yet to learn how to become humanlike.

"I want to change the herd." The Shaman-elder raises an eye at that and then started laughing like an old woman.

"Heh heh heh. . . Child, you've changed us already! Look at this den! It is much better than are old ones, even without your fire it is warm inside, it keeps the rain away, and it's big enough for many to live in and strong enough to shelter our children. . Cough! Cough!. ." As she spoke passionately she started coughing, but unlike before there wasn't blood on her mouth.

I moved forward and pressed my hand on her chest, burning away her aged pains, until she was breathing normally again. "You really should stop using your healing on us older folks, we must be returned to earth some day and it wouldn't be good for the herd for us to stay alive for too long."

She said smiling, I've learned how they reproduce and it was both very very fascinating, sad and beautiful. . . "I've already passed the age of most elders being of the 8th generation surviving 41 snow seasons, it is fine that this cycle would be my last." She said her voice was gaining vigor.

"She is right, you know, even as much as I like her, she is only suffering now, better for her to die, and her body become a new batch of children." The living vines that grew into the house spoke in her cruel voice.

I looked at her spirit directly, making her twitch in fear. "Child! No! She, the vine spirit, has been protecting the herd for generations and is part of our family! Stop making her fearful." I breathed out blue flames, as I let my spike of anger go.

"I apologize, Vine spirit, and Elder, sometimes I have trouble with my own flames." I have learned a few weeks ago how the Shaman-elder knew of our arrival beforehand.

At first I thought she had some kind of future sight magic, but no, she was bonded with the spirit of the vines surrounding the herd and protected with the stick palisade. The spirit was a daughter of the Forest-father and he told her about me, and that gave the Shaman-elder a vision of us traveling.

She cannot truly understand spirit talk, but she is emphatically connected to the spirit, making them understand each other's intentions and emotions but nothing else. The vine spirit stopped trembling, which made the Shaman-elder a tired. 

"Haaa. . . I know the vine spirit is cruel but she is right, now tell me what is this other change that you want?" She said as I felt her essence and I know she would support anything I would suggest.

And I want a government or atleast something that can govern the systems I'll be building to develop them enough so they wouldn't need to live this scattered as a people. I want them to develop fast, but not so fast that they'll break or become another 22nd century UN-Terra, breaking because they're society wasn't able to keep up with their advancements.

I need to make sure this era, is there only dark age. . . If I can't do that, then I failed, and it would be painful to leave and start again.

Act 2: Hunt. Pov Herd warrior.

At first it was small things, new better weapons, better food, and other entertainments besides wrestling. . . and I enjoy singing the most, from the other new ones of enjoyment for the night. 

But then the changes became bigger, new better dens, the foragers being able to protect themselves with fire and then now. . . were hunting! We're ourselves hunting rather than fighting off those monstrous cursed beasts.

We agreed for why wouldn't we? A hero from our myths came, gave us so much and now asked us to change and we will try. "Hold. Hold. Hold." I whispered to my right as I passed it to my left.

We waited as we hid around Lazir the sage as he screamed dyingly and covering himself with fresh blood, while circling in a small clearing, running away from unseen monsters. He told us this was called acting and being a bait, for predators. . . and it worked.

Three Long-fangs appeared cycling him slowly, their eyes blood red, they completely ignored us all there focus on Lazir, I was terrified, at how easily his plan had worked.

Then he stopped his act as he noticed the beasts only a handful of meters from him, he talked spoke with gutaral. "Rgraa! Roar! Gruhh!" The beast answered as they seemingly spoke back.

"Throw!" He screamed as he uncheated his stone bladed, wooden bodied warrior club.

I immediately moved, standing up with my Flint pointed spear thrown and it struck through stabbing and shattering in one of the cursed Long-fang's hind legs. "We HUNT!" we all screamed as we pelted them with spears, many missing.

"Charge!" Lazir said as he decapitated one of the Long-fang's as he was beaten and thrown into a tree.

"Raghhh!" The Long-fangs roared at us, they were wounded as we charged towards them, our Head-warrior, Vivi and Amber leading the charge.

"Come on girls! WE Protect Lazir!" I yelled along as with both hands I tried piercing one of their sides with my spear, but it broke as it struck the beast flank, then I saw it shift its claws swiping at me, with my flint axe, I swung at its claws.

It stuck to the Long-fang's paw but I was clawed away, I felt my arm, side and neck burn in pain, much like the times we trained with Lazir. "Damn!" I cursed as everything turned dark.

 "Are you okay?" I opened my eyes, and saw Lazir's kind eyes, burning blue, as he looked down on me, as I felt his hand leave my chest, I felt for my wounds and they were gone, nothing pained me, not even the sprain on my leg that I got charging towards the long-fangs.

"Fine, thank you Sage." He nodded and continued on to the other wounded, I sat up and saw the cursed beasts, all dead, one with a missing head, another with half of it gone, and the last many spears stabbed at its neck and heart.

"Sigh. . . we won, We HUNTED!" I creamed and the others cheered along, even though they were tiredly sitting, us the foragers helped them up and walk or started carrying pieces of the beast's into our village. . .I wonder what the sage needs it for, another cloak? He does know eating its meat would curse us doesn't he?

Act 3: Naming ritual. Pov Ash.

It is done, we worked on the corpses of the long-fangs, their hides cured using water, salt, grinded pine barks, and ash. The bones were removed, most of the meat placed in the smoke-houses, the rest cooked in stews or roasted, the organs and undesirable meats placed near a large hole, near a pyre.

"My herd, my family! Hear me! We feast tonight, on those who hunted us, and with their death we become stronger! Now we perform the Naming ritual!" He said infront of all of the herd, even the sleepy children were there to witness this. . . Holy event.

With flames in his eyes. "WE sacrifice a portion of our hunt to the earth, as the Earth-mother and her spirits provide for us!" He said kicking the baskets filled with bad meats, and organs and solidified blood into the hole.

As every tree, leaf, vine, and plant in the forest sang, and the earth itself shook. "Oh Earth-mother, and spirits of the forest, this is our gift to you all! Give our ritual your blessing." And the earth closed as it ate the gift of carrion and closed the hole.

"Hear it my family, the forest sings of us! We are no longer just a Herd! But a Clan! We are now Clan Flame-sing!" He said with the fires of the entire village turning blue rather than orange. As the sparks yelled our Clan's new name as the forest echoes it.

I was struck in awe by this, as this was grander than how lazir had described. "Now!" He yelled, lighting a pyre of flames that was much larger than our dens, as he stood infront of it with no fear in his blue burning eyes.

"Take a bone and throw it into the fire, joining our Clan! and be named, by my flames and of the spirits." Then he started singing, sounding like the forest, as the elders nodded to each other and pushed the warriors to go first, as planned.

But many were struck fearfully awed, with their legs trembling and eyes glazed. . . much like the other adults. Most have already succumbed, their legs failing them forcing them to sit as they desperately fight off fainting of fear.

"I will go!" The Head-warrior went forward, took a leg bone from the pile and with a fearless grin and faltering eyes, she threw the bone into the Flaming blue pyre.

The bone bursted into flames, turning to white ash. And then, Lazir, the forest and the fire spoke, echoing each other. "You are now Axelia! Warrior of the Clan Flame-sing!"

Vines popped from the ground, holding the Head-warrior, forcing her to stand, as her flesh ripped itself apart, now named Axelia as she started. "AHHHH!" howling in agonizing pain, as Lazir approached his whole body glowing in fire, as he pressed his hand on her chest.

Healing the pain but we all saw her body breaking, by an unseen force. . . What is this? This never happened to us. "Do you accept your new name and role!" Lazir yelled to Axelia.

"I do! I am Axelia! Warrior of the clan Flame-SING!" She screamed as her whole body ignited and her dark brown fur was coated with flames, her flames! As it was dark orange-red. Not Lazir's brilliant blue, as he himself smiled and lifted his hand off her chest.

As Axelia the Warrior stood by herself as vines fell off her. She was burning and glowing much like Lazir but her light was much weaker and dimmer. Then he looked at us and smiled, I know that look, this was a test and it succeeded. He wants us to be next. . . I took a breath and walked towards the pile.