The Mender

Scavenging

Piram was anxious to look for the cat. If the big cats were back, the bode should know what territory they were taking over, both for the protection of Flat Rocks and to take advantage of scavenging the remains of the cats' kills.

Piram wanted to take Grilu with him and asked Dagan to join them. Piram was more at ease with Dagan's amiable, quiet ways than some of the other younger adults, who often challenged his opinions.

They got up early the next day, before sunrise. Esri rose with them. Before they started off, Esri pulled Dagan aside. "Watch over Grilu. I worry that Piram will push him to do something dangerous."

"It will be all right, Esri. Piram is a good tracker, and Grilu is anxious to learn the ways of the big cats. You know I'll be careful."

Esri helped them pack extra water and bundles of smoked meat. Magenta clouds illuminated the morning sky as they walked away. She stood for a long time on top of the cave, watching them clear the next ridge.

It took them until nearly midday to locate big cat tracks. Sometimes the tracks disappeared for long stretches. Whenever they did, Piram and Dagan conferred over the most likely direction the cats would go. Grilu paid rapt attention to these conversations. He still had his little boy spark and enthusiasm, but since the Naming, he restrained his exuberance and was eager to prove himself as a great hunter.

While Piram no longer had the vitality of a young man, he had years of experience studying the wily ways of the big cats. He and Dagan usually agreed about which direction to take when the tracks disappeared. Whenever they didn't agree, they followed Piram's instincts.

That night they built a small shelter out of branches and grasses and rationed their supply of smoked meat and water. Grilu slept soundly, with a child's confidence that the adults would keep him safe. Piram and Dagan took turns staying alert throughout the night to any potentially threatening noises. The next morning, Dagan rose first and noticed several vultures circling in the distance. He pointed them out to Piram and they quickly broke camp and set out in that direction.

It might be a recent big cat kill that they could scavenge, with care. They needed to move cautiously, determine the location of any big cats, and time their attempts at scavenging until after the big cats took their share. There would be other animals who would want to scavenge the kill but if there weren't too many, they could hold them off until they carved off some portions to take back to Flat Rocks. Maybe the kill would provide a good haul of meat and offer Grilu a lesson on how tracking big cats could yield easy food.

When they came close to the circling vultures, they saw a large eland lying on the ground, half of its side torn away. Piram and Dagan split up circling around the kill in opposite directions. Grilu went with Piram. The men used bird whistles to signal if they sighted any big cats or other animals. Piram said to Grilu, "Look, the vultures are starting to feed on the eland. That means the big cats are probably not close anymore."

Piram had Grilu climb a tree until Piram was certain there were no powerful predators nearby. Grilu was light enough that he could reach the higher, smaller branches that would keep him safe. Piram proceeded alone. Grilu watched from high in the tree, eager to be taking part in the scavenging.

Piram continued walking, scanning the area for signs of big cats. He moved a distance from where he left Grilu and saw Dagan on the opposite side of the kill. Dagan looked over toward Piram and began shouting and waving his arms and running. Piram spun around in the direction Dagan was gesturing and saw Grilu racing toward the kill, his small flint spear held high, yelling at the vultures, intent on claiming a piece of the eland for himself. Grilu didn't realize that one small boy would do little to scare away the vultures and he was putting himself in danger. Piram also began running and yelling and waving his arms.