Civil Vicious

Chapter 2: The Tribe

When I awoke the next day, it must have been early because the light seeping through the cracks in the branch-made door was dim and dusky. Around me, I saw people sleeping. They were scattered throughout the cabin with little regard for order or organization. They lay on top of pelts, all pointing in different directions. Some were huddled together in groups of three or four, presumably for the sake of sharing body heat, while others sprawled their limbs in all directions, snoring loudly.

I sat up to see the same young woman as before laying next to me. She was laying on her side, her face only inches from mine. Her eyes were closed, and strands of hair hung over her face. Though the light in the cabin was dim, I could see that her face looked cleaner than it had the day before, and her hair was a little less unruly. 

She looked peaceful, even beautiful.

Scanning the room, I saw that I was the only one awake. My heart skipped and my mind started to race. I had no clue where I was, but I was scared and overwhelmed with terrible confusion. I wondered if I could find a way out of this strange place, away from these strange people. 

Slowly, quietly, I stood up. I crept barefoot along the dirt floor. I moved slowly, placing each step deliberately so as not to accidentally kick a sleeping person awake and cause a panic as I made my escape. My heart pounded thunderously when I reached the wooden door. I carefully eased it open and stepped out into the early morning twilight.

My eyes darted around frantically as I took in my surroundings. Hardly able to believe my eyes, I saw that the shelter was, in fact, a cave. A deep carving in the side of a rockface, its mouth covered by the makeshift wall of sticks. The cave sat atop a cliff. 

I stood on the edge of the cliff's shelf, the cave and its towering rockface was behind me, and before me was a drop off, perhaps one hundred feet to the bottom. There was a forest down below. Lush, green trees extended off into eternity. Bewildered by the impossibility of my whereabouts, I looked around desperately for a way to escape. 

Near the cliff's edge, I found several coiled ropes which had been fashioned out of vines and anchored around jutting columns of rock. Swallowing my fear, I stepped toward the pile of ropes.

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" a voice emanated from behind me. 

I jumped and turned around to see the young woman standing in the doorway, still naked and beautiful. Her posture seemed so casual, looking at me as though she were amused by my attempt to escape. We both stood frozen, staring at one another. Her eyes were still welcoming and kind, but behind them I could see her mind spinning, trying to anticipate my next action.

 After a long moment, she stepped out of the doorway and placed her toes on the edge of the cliff, "That's a long way down. One slip could get you killed, or worse."

"Worse?" The word spat out of my mouth involuntarily.

She chuckled and turned to face me, "Why do you want to leave?" she asked.

I opened my mouth to speak but couldn't find any words. It was as though my head was filled with rusted gears, locked into place and unable to turn.

"You don't have a reason?" she said with a playful chuckle.

"I need to go home," was all I could think to say.

"Where is that?"

I tried to think, but no answer came to mind. It was like the answer to her question was a balloon floating further and further away from my grasp. Eventually, all I could do was stammer dumbly and utter, "I guess I'm not sure."

"Then why not let it be here?" she said, and then turned away from the cliffs edge, stepped toward the cave's door and motioned for me to follow. Hesitating to gaze once more down the sinister drop, I followed.

***

I learned that this place had a daily routine. Each morning, they woke up as the sun rose. They'd swig some water from clay basins, then brave the daring descent down the ropes. Once they reached the bottom, they'd spend the day gathering berries and roots and greens, grazing as they went. At the end of the day, they'd bathe. I assumed there was some sort of pond or river nearby where they washed themselves and collected drinking water. At the end of they day, they carried their collection of food up to the top of the cliff and ate together in the cave. They shared everything, all the food they collected was meant for everyone else and they seemed to have no possessions of their own. They'd spend the rest of the evening talking, laughing, and singing songs. Each night, before going to sleep, they all drank from a designated stone jug which contained the peculiar, bitter liquid.

I didn't leave the clifftop for several days. The others insisted I spend my time resting and healing my still-throbbing head which I later learned had a nasty gash on the back. During this time, the beautiful young woman stayed with me. I asked her for her name, but she told me that she didn't have one. In fact, none of them did. They all simply referred to each other as, "Friend."

"Alright, Friend," I said, "How did you get here? Are all of you people a family or something like that?"

She chuckled and said, "I suppose we are a family of sorts. But I came here the same way as you. We all did, really."

"Dazed and confused?" I joked.

She chuckled, "Well, yes. We were found in the wilderness."

"How could that be?" I asked, not quite making sense of things.

"It's the will of Kokegna," she said with another smile.

"The will of what?" I asked, totally confused.

"Kokegna," she said slowly, pronouncing each syllable deliberately. "He's our chief, our leader. He's more of a father figure, really. Kokegna is a mystical man. He can connect us with the spirit of the natural world. His blessings allow nature to remain our ally so we can collect food and keep safe from the townsmen."

My mind spun rapidly, forming a thousand questions in a second. "A mystic?" I said skeptically.

She nodded, a gleeful smile on her face.

"And he blesses you?"

"He blesses us. That includes you, Friend."

"Alright," I muttered, still not understanding. "So, who are these people he protects you from... what did you call them?"

"The townsmen. Their savages. Really vile folk. They live in enormous clusters outside the forest. They brutalize each other for sport and kill for their own gain. They've built empires on the backs of the downtrodden, wielding power like a weapon against one another," she shuddered. "Kokegna keeps us away from them. Keeps us safe."

I thought for a moment. The notion of these "townsmen" seemed familiar. "Where did you and I come from? I mean, before we were found in the wilderness?" I asked.

She gave a sheepish smile, "You're clever, you know that?" She placed a hand on my leg, her touch was soft and warm. "Kokegna liberated us. He found us in the woods, trying to escape the townsmen. That's why he brought us here, to keep us safe from them. In a way, I suppose we were all one of them. But now, we're us. We're free."

"So, he found us in the woods?" I asked dumbly, trying to process the outrageous story.

She nodded.

"Running away from the townsmen?"

She nodded again.

"Alright then. So, where is he? Kokegna?" I asked.

"He lives here. You'll meet him once you're rested and healed. He's eager to officially introduce himself," she said with an eager grin. 

For some reason, though her smile was kind, her words made me feel sick.