The First Jumper (first draft version)

The First Jumper 10: Recovery

Tiger did not stop running until he reached the camp.  Cave Bear heard his son’s voice, and came running to hear why he sounded distraught.  All had heard the thunder in the sky, earlier, and were fearful of what it might mean, although none had seen the dragon itself.

Raccoon came up to stand beside the chief, as Tiger told the story.  All were upset, when he told about the sky demon attacking them.  When he told about the demon setting the tigers on them and killing Camel, they cried aloud.

“Where is my son?” demanded Raccoon of Tiger.

Stammering, Tiger told of the monster that had held Little Bear.  Tiger believed he had slain it, but he did not know if it would kill Little Bear.

Cave Bear took one look at Raccoon, and called the warriors to assemble.  Leaving a guard to watch over the women and children, all the rest went to where Tiger had fought the monster.  Raccoon carried his spear with the others, but he also carried his medicine bag.

With nearly all the men in the tribe, they took a much faster route, running along the lakeshore to the lower valley, staying in the open, short grass.  Not even the sabertooths would attack such numbers, although they stayed well away from the tall grass.

When they got to the place, it was very strange.  The monstrous object sat in the short grass, and before it were two creatures.

One of them was the strangest thing any of them had seen.  It was certainly dead, and Tiger’s bloody spear beside it appeared to have killed it.

“My son is truly a warrior!” said Cave Bear, and the men raised a shout to salute Tiger.

Raccoon did not shout, for he was kneeling beside the lifeless body of his son.  He was wracked with sobs.

Cave Bear endured Raccoon’s demonstrations for a minute or two, before he said, “Leave him.  We go.”

“No!  My son died fighting the monster.  We should eat its heart, and then we should burn the body of my son, to recognize him for his deeds.”

Cave Bear looked at his friend for a long time, then nodded once.  Then he gestured to the rest of them, and said, “We drag the monster back to camp.  Tonight we eat it, and burn Little Bear.  Ringtail, gather wood for a pyre.”

It was a long walk back to the camp, dragging the monster.  It was hardest for Raccoon, who carried the body of his son, occasionally dripping tears onto him, but he did not allow anyone to help him.  When they passed the little lake, they had to restrain Camel’s father Bison, for he would have attacked the sabertooths they could hear within the long grass, still feeding on Camel.

At least I get to bring my son home, Raccoon thought.  Then he allowed Bison to help him carry Little Bear, for he had lost much that day, too.  Bison had other children, as Raccoon did not, but he was nearly as devastated as Raccoon was.

That night, Ringtail prepared a great supply of wood, to go onto the evening fire.

Little Bear lay to the side, ready to be placed on the pyre after the evening meal was done.

They had much discussion over how to cook the beast, and what part of it was its heart.  In the end, they tried to cut it up as though it were one of the animals they knew, but nothing made sense.  When they put it over the fire, it began producing such a terrible smell that none of them could stand downwind of it.  

When starving, they had learned they could eat nearly anything that walked, including skunk, although that was disagreeable in the extreme.  This time, only two of them could bring themselves to take a single bite of the thing.  Within minutes, both of them were vomiting.

“Enough,” said Cave Bear.  “Burn the demon.”

The wood that should have been for Little Bear’s funeral pyre was placed around the monster, and it was burned into blackened shells and bones by morning.  None of them would ever forget that smell.  

Clearly, they all knew, this was something evil.  Tiger had done a great thing.  Even though the loss of Little Bear and Camel was especially heavy when they had so few children, Tiger had destroyed something which represented a threat to the entire tribe.

“We will burn Little Bear tomorrow,” was all Cave Bear said to Raccoon.

Raccoon understood, although it made him sad.  He knew there could be no more wood for the fire until then.  He lay down beside the body of his son, to keep scavengers away.  He would not leave him until Little Bear was placed on the fire.

Willow came over and lay down on Little Bear’s other side.  Tears were on her face, and Raccoon found comfort in that the girl had cared for his son.

Raccoon knew that it would soon be time to leave the camp.  Two of the other tribes had already left the valley, though the game was still plentiful.  The arrival of such an evil thing meant that the valley was not safe, even though Tiger had killed the monster.  Another might come from its tribe.

Even more, they did not know what bad magic might have come into the camp with the body of the demon.

Raccoon stayed beside Little Bear all day.  Willow brought him food and water, and they talked.  He told her all about Little Bear’s life.  Willow laughed, and cried, and told him about the things she and Little Bear had talked about.  She was surprised to find that he had answers to many of her questions, and had many more of his own, to which neither of them knew the answers.

In the late afternoon, Tiger came by to find them, still sitting on either side of Little Bear’s body, talking about spiderwebs.  

Tiger frowned at the sight.  Dead people were dangerous; everyone knew that.  If you didn’t stay away from them, they could strike you down with sickness.  That was why the dead were either left where they fell, or burned on a pyre.  Having an unburned corpse in the camp endangered everyone.

“We should have left him,” Tiger said, gesturing to Little Bear.  

Raccoon stared at him for a long moment, then said only, “Was my son still alive, when you left him, Tiger?”

Tiger paled and swallowed, then said, “The demon had him.”

“But was he alive?”

Now Tiger flushed, and he said, “He, he might have been.”

Raccoon only stared at Tiger without expression, until Tiger turned, suddenly, and stalked away.

Willow reached across Little Bear to place a hand on Raccoon’s arm.  “You know he will be chief some day,” she said.  “It is not good to shame him.”

Raccoon smiled sadly back at her.  “I know.  And he knows I am our only medicine man.”  Then his expression turned grim.  “But he abandoned my son to die, and I want him to remember he did that, and not some brave thing.  He is not the leader his father is.”

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