The First Jumper (first draft version)

The First Jumper 06: Feather Hunters

Part II: Little Bear

“Wait!” shouted Camel, as Tiger and Little Bear scrambled ahead.

“Hurry up, then!” Tiger called back, laughing, but he did not slow down.

The three boys made their way to the edge of the jungle with their spears, and stopped, peering quietly out into the tall grass.  Anything from dire wolves to sabertooth tigers could be out there.

Tiger gestured for Little Bear to climb a tree to check the grass for animals.  

Older and much stronger than the other two, Tiger was their natural leader, and the others did not question his status.  His father Cave Bear was the tribal chief, and most of the tribe assumed that Tiger would take his father’s place one day.  

Little Bear, who was nearly Tiger’s age, was adept at climbing, as was his namesake, but he did not want to be the one blamed if they missed anything dangerous out there.  Still, he did not want to disappoint Tiger, who was his closest friend.

He climbed as high as he could, and watched the patterns in the grass.  The two boys below waited patiently, although they remained alert with their spears.

It was the hottest part of the day, and very little was moving.  Little Bear listened as well as watched and tried to test the wind for what was before them.  Camel were there, his nose told him, even before he spotted the ungainly creatures on the far side of the small lake.  

A small herd of mastodon were off to the side, eating from the large bushes growing out of the grass.  They were too far to the side for Little Bear to catch their scent, but he could see them easily enough.  They were agitated by something, but not alarmed.

Little Bear tried to determine where they were looking, but his nose told him first, this time.

“Tiger!” he called down, quietly.

“What?” said Tiger.

“Not you,” he said, “Sabertooth.”

“Where?” hissed Tiger, his voice sounding a bit like a squeak.

Little Bear shrugged, touched his nose, and pointed upwind.  Tiger and Camel climbed up to just below Little Bear.  Little Bear smiled.

Patience was the essence of survival, and the boys waited patiently.  In the Long Spear tribe, they had learned by terrible experience that hasty means death.  

There was no sign of the most dangerous predator, but the boys were not worried.  Several other tribes were in the large valley with theirs, but Cave Bear had told them that none were likely to attack before it came time to move on.  There was plenty of food, and plenty of predators, so the tribes had no need to fight over resources, and needed all their warriors to hunt and protect their tribes.  

On top of what Cave Bear said, Little Bear’s father Raccoon said that the hard weather they had been having in recent winters meant that all the tribes were likely to have many more women than men, as hunting in winter was far more dangerous than hunting in warm weather.  What it meant was that they were likely to be safe from raids by other tribes.  Not everyone followed this argument, but the respect in which they held their medicine man meant they heeded what Raccoon said.

Cave Bear had sent out scouts to watch, and if it seemed safe, to meet with, each of the other tribes.  It had gone well for all of them, and one of the scouts had brought back a party from the tribe he visited.  They had brought dried eel from the big water, and fur, which they traded for the excellent spearheads Long Spear tribe produced.