Primitive Instinct: The Journey Home

The chiefs were already gathered when we showed up, including Osh’ri’ca. Diesel wasn’t happy to be left out, but his mood improved when Ivy produced a bone for him to chew on and gave him scratches in his ruff.

Roar and I greeted the chiefs by covering our faces and the questions began. My hunter had thought of everything, it seemed, and we were there for a long time before the chiefs began asking their own questions, mostly directed at Roar. He was a skilled hunter and had been in many mammoth hunting parties since earning his name so young, so of course they wanted to know everything they could about him.

They kept looking at me, though. They were very curious about the small thing that had done so much, apparently, but they didn’t really have much to say to me and I just sat there silently. Sometime later, the silence spread to everyone for a bit before Osh’ri’ca stood up and put a fist over his chest.

“I will offer you a place with my clan,” he said, and Roar nodded to acknowledge him.

Once that was done, Osh’ri’ca left, along with five other chiefs. Those that remained either offered us a place with them or chose to think on it longer before deciding. When the last one finished speaking, we were dismissed and I followed Roar to our sled with Diesel behind us while Ivy stayed with her husband, looking slightly confused.

“Come,” he said, grabbing his bow and handing me mine before leading me into the forest.

“So, what’s bothering you?” I asked after we’d gone a long distance away from the camp.

“So many offered to accept us,” he said. “I was not expecting it. Three or four maybe, but most of them?”

“You are kind of a big deal, Roar,” I smiled at him.

“I’m not,” he frowned.

“In case you didn’t notice, I was discussed very little in there,” I smiled at him. “I might be a curiosity and have gotten some of their attention, but it’s clearly you that they want.”

“But I haven’t done anything worth their attention,” he frowned.

“Roar,” I grabbed his arm and turned him to look at me. “You let a cazza chase you to keep it away from me and all it was able to do was break your leg and scratch you up. You got away from it and survived. As much as it scared me, and it still does, that kind of thing doesn’t happen because of luck. You ran faster than that thing and you outsmarted it. You killed a mammoth on your own shortly after earning your name. You carry the spear made from its rib. You fought off raiders, by yourself, and earned your name as a hunter and warrior cycles before others would be considered old enough to do so. The things you have done at such a young age are amazing. Those chiefs would be fools not to ask you to choose their clan.”

“I wasn’t expecting it,” he said, looking at his paws. “Not many want to risk it...”

“I don’t think appearance is something they care about here,” I took his paws and put them on my face. “You are incredible, Roar. I am very glad the mammoths led me to you.”

He smiled softly and leaned down to put our foreheads together, since I left my hat off, not expecting to be coming out here.

“So am I,” he said and gave me a quick kiss. “Let’s go back. Your face is already getting red from the cold.”

“You do a good job of warming it,” I patted his paws that were still holding my face and he laughed before letting me go to take my hand.

“I don’t know which clan to choose,” he admitted as we started a slow walk back.

“Which were the ones you were hoping for?” I asked him.

“There were three. One didn’t offer, one is thinking still,” he said. “I would prefer the one that is still thinking. It isn’t too far from Osh’ri’ca and his mate but far enough where it isn’t too warm for me.”

“Is that the only reason why you prefer that one?” I asked him.

“The ones from the clan that I spoke to say the chief is wise and fair and talks to them often about what is needed,” he said and looked at me out of the corner of his eyes with a smirk. “And it’s close enough to Ivy so that, when you have kits, she will be able to be there for you.”

“Oh,” I said and blushed hard enough to make him laugh as we came back into the camp.

“I have spoken to Osh’ri’ca and he will acknowledge the start of my gifting,” Roar said when we reached the sled. “If we haven’t chosen a clan, he’ll also join us.”

“Good. You aren’t the only one that’s impatient,” I told him, and he smirked at me.

“I’m aware,” he said and rolled his eyes to look at Diesel, who seemed to be oblivious.

“Traitor,” I muttered, and Roar chuckled.

I got my creative on and used some skinny little trees to make a tent frame that I could slip into the hides I had stitched together. It would only be slightly larger than the little one we all cram ourselves into and it wasn’t half as warm as the big one made of that very thick hide, but it was something.

Roar was in the back of the sled taking a better look at the things we’d brought with us and organizing it all, probably to better hide the gifts he’d made for me when I looked up and saw one of the chiefs coming towards us.

“Roar,” I said softly, and my hunter was instantly by my side with his spear in his hand.

When he saw who it was and put it aside and covered his face with his paw.

“Let’s not stand on formalities right now,” the chief waved his hand. “I wish to speak more, that is all.”

Roar nodded and gestured to the stones he had put down for us to sit on near the fire pit we’d made, and I poured us all some tea.

“I’m curious about you, Fern’rath’fik,” the chief spoke and I tilted my head a little bit as I passed him a cup.

“I’m not very interesting,” I replied.

He looked around at our little camp and smirked, “I think you are.”

“Why not talk about this with the others?” I asked him.

“And have them trying to convince you both to join them instead?” he laughed. “I didn’t become chief by telling every thought I have.”

“I would expect not,” I laughed before I shook my head. “But it’s not me making the choice on this. Roar’kaol’tok is looking for my safety and I trust his judgment. I might have a name, but I’m little more than a kit.”

“You are far more capable than a kit,” he looked around again.

“Because I was taught to be this way. I was raised to know things about surviving, but Roar’kaol’tok has led me to this,” I gestured around at our belongings. “I have clever ideas, but none of it would mean anything without him. It’s not me that you should be interested in, chief.”

“Yet, everyone seems to be looking at you,” he lifted an eyebrow.

“I’m strange,” I shrugged. “Even those that are familiar with Osh’ri’ca’s mate are curious about me because I’m different than what they thought they knew about my kind. I’m really not that interesting.”

“Hm,” he hummed thoughtfully before he took a sip of his tea. “Perhaps this is true, but you were able to do much more than most, given your limitations. You don’t hear well, don’t see well, can’t walk well in the snow, have no fur to keep you warm, yet you have kept a wounded hunter healthy.”

“I’m not sure how that’s relevant,” I said frowning.

“When a hunter is wounded in the snow cycle, he starves until he heals,” Roar explained. “There is no food given to the clan by the chiefs. What you hunt, you keep. If you don’t hunt, you don’t eat unless you trade for food. That does not happen often.”

“Oh,” I said then shook my head. “Well, he didn’t always make it easy to keep him healthy.”

Roar grinned and the chief chuckled.

“I think all three of you have more to offer than anyone knows,” the chief finally said and looked at Diesel for a moment. “Is he orou?”

“He’s what my kind call a dog. As far as I know, there is nothing to compare him to here,” I answered. “His ancestors would have been slightly similar to orou, once, but that was long ago. Longer than can be said. Dogs are very common to us, but even then, Diesel was quite unique.”

“He makes sounds that I think are words, though I don’t understand them,” the chief said, and Roar nodded.

“He communicates in a crude way. Not many understand his sounds,” Roar said. “It was how Fern’rath’fik was able to learn our language so quickly. It was... entertaining, at times.”

I giggled as Diesel huffed and looked away.

“Well, I will offer you a place in my clan,” he said with his fist on his chest. “Have a safe night.”

When he left, Roar chuckled and shook his head.

“What?” I asked him.

“Osh’ri’ca warned me that he would be the hardest to convince. And he is the chief of the clan I think would be the best for us to be in,” he said and looked at me with a smile on his face. “Do you really think I taught you so much?”

“You know I do,” I rolled my eyes. “And I’m sure there’s a lot more where that came from.”

“I have a few ideas,” he smirked, and I bit my lips to try and not smile.