SABIS the SURVIVOR

Chapter 16: Knuckling Under

Chapter 16: Knuckling Under

Sabis trusted Daris. He knew that Daris would come to his aid, even if it meant that Daris could be hurt. That is what tribe members do: remain available to others of the tribe even when it is less than convenient to do so. Sabis had been born into his tribe, the Over Strata, and due to his warrior Father's high standing, he had enjoyed the benefits of being surrounded by many people who tended to and cared for him after his Father's untimely death from his fall.

-----------------------

There had been a tribal burial and grieving ritual on the day after Father's death. Sabis, being the eldest son, had the right to perform the burial then the knuckling under ceremony.

When a tribe member dies, his body becomes an empty shell but his bones that contain his soul need to be returned to Mother Earth so that the energy contained in the soul can be reborn. In burying a dead person's bones, Mother Earth can reunite that person's soul with his ancestors and furnish future tribe members with the essence of who they were in life. The Overs and Unders would carve out a deceased person's bones and place them in a lake which they called 'The Sea of Fertility.' This bone lake contained the skeletal remains of many generations of fallen tribe members.

So in front of the tribal Elders and his family, Sabis de-boned his Father's 'empty shell.' Then he used a ceremonial Elder blade to pierce the skin over the knuckles of his non-dominant hand. When the blood flowed freely, he would plunge his tightened fist into the sacred sea of fertility and recite the following dirge:

"Let my blood mingle with all of the blood that rests in your soul, and all of the souls of the ancients. Dear Mother Earth, receive my offering and let my Father rest in your arms forever. May you guide him to the resting place of the ancients. Let it be."

Once he had completed his recitation, Sabis plunged his Father's skeletal parts into the sacred sea. After that ceremony, he would then carry on as the head of the family. Unfortunately, due to his rather young age and the unexpected death of his Father, he had not really been given any guidance as to how to do this. Nor did he feel prepared for this responsibility. So, in the days that followed, Sabis used every chance possible to learn the ways of the Elders.

In keeping with Survivor tradition, Sabis used his Father's skin, hair, sinew, and innards as bait for his track and kill outings. In tracking, with the help of Elders he became a champion. In survival training, he excelled. In subsisting on meager rations and little rest while on hunting excursions, he found that he had the ability to slow down his breathing to where his body was nearly frozen still.

Frozen too were his emotions. It was as if he had stopped feeling after seeing his warrior Father take his last breath. Before Davis' passing into the stone, his mood would flip-flop in a desultory fashion like his long wavy hair and moss tunic hem when out on a wind-swept expedition. But after the knuckling under ceremony, he reserved his emotions, kept them tightly wrapped around a pole in his spine and brain, so that he could focus on developing his survival skills and bring honour to the memory of his Father.

One Elder who trained Sabis was named Brevis. He had also trained Davis before Sabis was born. Sabis liked Brevis due to his big smile. Brevis used to tease Sabis that,

"If you don't master slowing your breath, then you will run out of them before it is your time."

Brevis and most other Elders believed that Mother Earth bestowed a fixed number of breaths to each individual for their lifetime. In the days following Father's death, Brevis offered assistance to Sabis and in particular, in how to slow one's breath.