Mondo's Clan

Chapter 24: Preparation

Side Note: Malo, Noma, & Lil accompanied by Sola and Soli were dispatched to do the same job as Socar. They accounted for 15 lomen before the attack.

 Authors note: On the discovery of the lomen's bowl the estimate was given as 100 feet not as the 100 yds. across that it is, the length is about 200 feet, Roughly an acre and a half.

Noma's Tribe had arrived and was spread out in the forest. I had sent Timi to call his tribe and give them the plan of attack.

The day came and the infiltration began from all sides The Steps were guarded by the Cats and Handlers. The Southeast Steps which was the nearest to the Bramble Gate was guarded by Mondo & Bruno, Backed up by Malo & Sola, Northwest or River steps, covered by Sonda & Sondi backed up by Socar & Duri, Southwest pit steps, Teal & Girl, Last but not least was Northeast pit steps, Drago & Runt.

The bowl was surrounded by all our people each one had their slings and bags of rocks. Everyone had 4 or 5 spears, and at least 3 knives. There were groups of women in reserve with hundreds of simple bamboo spears ready in case they were needed.

Bruno roared and was answered by each lion in turn. That was the signal every hunter stepped to the rim, picked a target and let fly. The lomen panicked and tried for the steps only to be met by the cats and spears. We were doing what we planned total containment.

We herded the lomen to the center of the bowl. We moved down the steps cats first. Once the Cats and handlers were in the bowl our hunters began leaping the 12 ft. to the floor of the bowl. Now it was to be a fight spear to club. Once the lomen were in the center of the bowl we could not reach them with the slings so this was our only choice.

We started to yell The Beast as our rallying cry. The lomen hearing that still tried for escape. Taking advantage of their hesitation the cats leaped into the middle of them. 7 Big cats can reap havoc on scared lomen. The cats would rush them and they would turn to escape only to be impaled by the spears of the Hunters. If they got past the spear men the extra women and older kids were there with the bamboo spears and slings.

The battle carried on for hours. The lomen gave up and sprawled face down. Now was the hardest part of this war. We could not leave any of them alive. Nor could we spare any of their captives. There was already stakes available here in the bowl, we secured the prisoners to these stakes.

Our medicine people, Char, Tor and Ludi Began checking over our people, we had lost 22 people and had 34 injured. We had also lost one of the cats.

Malo was one of the injured he had stepped in some blood and went down he landed on his left wrist snapping the bone. He tried to get up but was hit by a lomens club breaking his shoulder. The lomen was attacked by Sola who ripped out the lomens throat. Another lomen swung his club striking Sola in the spine breaking his back. On the second swing the club crushed his skull.

Our captives consisted of 15 lomen and 23 assorted tribesmen and 7 lomen kids. The women who were a good ways along on their pregnancy were begging to be killed the others just showed fear. The kids were the worst if you got close to them they tried to bite and claw.

We split up, part of us watched the prisoners the rest began gathering firewood and brush. The bodies had to be burnt. It was hard to make the decision of what to do with the live ones. After much talk and thought the decision was made. We also took time to bury the two open pits trying to avoid disease.

Noma's clan would take the injured thru the Bramble gate and care for them. The lake clan and the cats and handlers would take the prisoners. Mondo's Clan would set the flame to the pyre then proceed to the bramble gate.