The Path to the Sun

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Falling into the routine of the Lendhi clan was easy for Kiran as they traveled the great meadow, following the path of the migrating beasts, drawing their life from the land. Whenever a beast was killed or other food was found, they lingered at camp for a few days, harvesting, collecting, filling their baskets with the bounty of nature, then went on their way again.

In no time, Jandon was back to his normal stride, and he and Roh and Kiran ventured out with the hunters, stalking the beasts, antlered deer, and rodents that shared their grassy world. From Haktu, they learned to hunt by spear, how to follow animal tracks in the dirt, how to stalk their prey in stealth, always downwind, and to make the silent hand gestures the Lendhi used to communicate during the hunt. Haktu showed them how to wield a sling, swinging it about his head and flinging it accurately to stun or kill small game. When Kiran asked Haktu how he knew where to find the beasts, the master hunter smiled humbly and said the Spirits guided him, the signs were there for all to see.

The women of the clan were as open and willing to share. They taught Kail and Bria to recognize fruit bearing bushes and how to collect their edible seeds, buds and flowers. With sharp, pointed sticks they would dig bulbs, tubers, and roots out of the ground. Kail and Bria learned to read the behavior of the plump grassland birds to locate their nests and their nutrition-rich eggs. Soon the girls had their own storage baskets filled with small apples, blue and red berries, wild legumes, edible ferns, and the hard grains the Lendhi ground and cooked into mush.

Kail worked hard, and Kiran was glad to see her adjusting to life outside the village. She seemed to thrive here with new purpose, doing her part to learn the skills they needed. The color came back to her cheeks and he even caught her smiling.

Deke spent his days with the children, preaching the Truth, so, he said, they may know the love of the Great Father and be delivered from the wicked ways of their parents. All the while he preached, the children listened with open-mouthed fascination to the flow of strange sounds. Kiran wondered how Deke couldn’t see; they didn’t understand one word.

Some days, Kiran would join the women, an excuse to be with Bria. With patience, the women showed him how to collect the tall grasses, which ones were strongest, and how to weave sturdy baskets by placing the larger reeds at the bottom and making them waterproof with tightly woven patterns. When he attempted to make his own basket, the young girls bubbled with giggles.

He had no idea that grass could be woven so tightly and made to hold water, yet these women did. They understood things about the world, things he’d never considered important before. It wasn’t just knowledge. The Lendhi seemed to live with the rhythms of nature, as a part of it, not separate from it. It was their way of life.

Late one afternoon, Roh arrived in camp with a young deer slung over his shoulder and a manly grin on his face. He had made his own kill using the weapons of the Lendhi. The clan greeted him with smiles of congratulations. He dropped the carcass with a thud in front of the Toran tent.

Haktu stood proudly next to Roh. “Must… What word? Pray. Honor animal Spirit.”

Haktu dropped to his knees. Roh knelt next to him. Kiran did the same.

Deke stood with his arms crossed, wearing a frown of disdain.

“Well done, Roh,” said Bria, kneeling next to him. Kail hesitated, looking to Deke, then her eyes lingered over the camp. She dropped to the ground next to Bria.

Deke leaned forward, his taut voice lowered, and said, “Pray? For an animal?”

Bria spoke through clenched teeth. “You bow, or you don’t eat.”