The First Jumper (first draft version)

The First Jumper 15: Departure

Everyone watched the rabbit lower itself to the ground, nose around for more clover, then burst into motion, darting between Tiger's feet, across the camp, zig-zagging, and into the brush.

Tiger leapt a good two feet in the air as the rabbit passed by underneath.  By the time he got his feet back on the ground, turned around, and his spear raised, the animal was gone.

The tribe looked at one another in stunned silence for several seconds, then nearly everyone talked at once.

Little Bear woke at the sound, and sat up.  Everyone fell silent when he did.  He looked around curiously, then laboriously began getting to his feet.

Raccoon and Willow both stepped in to help him.  Everyone just watched in silence.

"How do you feel, Little Bear?" said Raccoon.

Little Bear thought for a moment, then indicated he needed to go to the latrine, so Raccoon started walking him off in that direction.

"He moves too slow," said Tiger.

"True," said Cave Bear, "but when the gods are moving, don't get in their way."

Tiger looked to see that his father was as shaken as any.

"It was just a rabbit, father!"

Cave Bear frowned at his son.  "How are you going to be chief, if you don't look at what is in front of you?"

"I looked--"

"Have you ever seen an animal do that?  Have you ever seen an animal, caught and about to die, thrown at someone, suddenly become calm like that?  Not only that, it looks like it liked being with Little Bear so much, it came back in the middle of the night."

He looked in the direction Little Bear and Raccoon had gone.  "These are fearful times, son.  Rabbit has powerful magic.  Ignore it at your peril."

He looked around at the others.  "Leave at sunup," he said, and clapped his hands.

The tribe scattered, to see to their things, make a last trip to fill water skins or to the latrine, or to take care of special items.

Ringtail and his sons had the most important task, of managing the clay pot with the fire god, along with enough wood to feed it for three days.  Every night, they would renew the wood, so they could always keep the fire god alive.  Others carried extra spears, or bags of spearheads, or flint for making more spearheads, or shafts for making other spears, or rawhide cord.  Some carried furs, for snows were surely coming.

Raccoon had to carry all of his medicines, to appease the gods in every place they walked through, and to drive away evil spirits that made his people sick.  He had collected much in the Cave of Flying, because he would not come back here until next summer.  If they had another winter like the one three winters back, he might not come back for a very long time.

With no sons other than Little Bear, Raccoon was heavily burdened with his medicines.

Willow carried a water skin and a skin pouch of dried meat, but her main task was supporting Little Bear, who carried nothing but himself, and made the best speed they could.

Every man and boy able to wield a spear carried one as a walking stick.  Every woman carried food and water, unless she was carrying a baby.  Only three of the women were so burdened, as very few babies born this late in the year survived.

As the sun came up, they started out, going downhill but away from the latrine area, down through the long grass before the lake, and into the short grass.  They turned left along the shore, and stayed about halfway between the long grass and the lake, so they were not where a large predator could leap at them out of the long grass, but not squishing through soggy ground.