Over the next few months, more survivors were found and Flat Rocks now had close to 30 people. Some people transitioned in easily, others took more time. Those who were at first leery about pledging to The Agreements eventually came around as they experienced life at Flat Rocks. After the devastation of the Ash Rain, the bode offered a rare refuge of safety, comfort, and acceptance. As with many things at Flat Rocks, the stories and songs around the bodefire at night were a mixture of new and old from the survivors' bodes.
Esri was now also on the Elders Council. Most of the disagreements that came to the Council were minor and easily dealt with. There were a few violent incidents that resulted in people being banished from Flat Rocks for periods of time. The Council worked to find a resolution to whatever had caused the violence. So far, in every case, those banished had returned making a renewed commitment to The Agreements. The Council acknowledged that this might become more difficult as the effects of the Ash Rain diminished and living outside of Flat Rocks felt safer.
One evening Zura sat with Grilu and Sela in the Thinking Circle. Those two were the keenest of the children to learn the workings of the Circle, what the Guideposts meant, and how to set the markers. Esri came to join them, "Is tonight the night, Zura?"
"That's what the Sky Bones tell me. You'll watch with me tonight?" asked Zura.
"Of course. So much has happened since the last time we waited for her. The Always Cloud is so much weaker. How little we knew," said Esri. "I wonder what changes will come this next time around?"
"What? Who are you talking about? Who is coming?" Grilu piped up.
Sela said, "They're talking about Angry Snake. Is she coming back? You said she would. When can I see her? What will happen? You're not going to leave the bode when she comes, are you?"
Zura laughed, "No, no, we're not leaving Flat Rocks. And yes, Sela and Grilu, the Sky Bones are saying that before Sun-Man returns in the morning. Angry Snake will begin her journey across the sky. Esri and I will once again greet her."
Grilu yelled, "And Sela and I will too!"
Esri smiled, "Yes, of course, if you want. I'll come get you when it's time."
Sela said, "When you talk about Angry Snake, you say she brings change. What will happen? I don't want anything to change. Why does Angry Snake make things change?"
Zura said, "She doesn't make change, but she reminds us that nothing stays the same and we need to be watchful what is happening around us and keep seeking what I call - harmony."
"Har-mo-ny? What's that, Zura?" asked Grilu.
Esri laughed, "It's one of those Zura words. It's when things feel calm and steady, when we have plenty of food, no one is hurt, no one is angry, no one is scared. You know those times when everyone in the bode is happy."
Sela said, "We have harmony at Flat Rocks now. Everything needs to stay the same. Can't we tell Angry Snake we don't want change? What if bad change comes?"
Zura shook her head, "We can't stop change. Babies are born, people die. Or terrible things happen like the Ash Rain. What we can do is to keep seeking harmony, even if the change is bad. That's the lesson of Angry Snake and what she is coming around to remind us of."
Grilu asked, "Is that why you and Nagar made the Agreements? To seek harmony?"
"Yes. With people coming to live together from different bodes, we needed some things clear, like the Guideposts we use for the night sky, to help us find harmony among strangers," said Zura.
Sela said, "I like the Agreements. They mean no one will hurt me or Muni or you, Grilu. That is, no person will hurt you! I never want to leave Flat Rocks."
Zura said, "There will come a time soon when there are too many at Flat Rocks and some will go to start a new bode. But they will also have the Agreements. And it will be a good bode too, like Flat Rocks."
Sela said, "I'll stay here."
* * *
One afternoon, Esri, Nat, and Dagan were out looking for eland tracks.
"Look, over there," Nat said and pointed off in the distance. "Who's that?"
"More survivors? They're coming from the direction where we found Sela and Muni," said Dagan.
"We must be careful. What if they're Violent Ones?" said Esri.
"It looks like a group with no children. They're walking quickly and not trying to hide. They're not afraid," said Nat.
"We should meet them, but there should be many of us so they won't hurt us. We must get others," said Esri.
"They haven't seen us. We're hidden here. I'll stay and watch them. You and Dagan get more people," said Nat.
Esri and Dagan hurried and came back with a larger group from Flat Rocks.
"It's all men in the group," said Nat.
"Let's make ourselves visible and walk forward slowly. But be ready," said Barsa. There were five men in the group of strangers. All were carrying spears and looked to be in good health. Two were around Barsa's age and the other three younger, like Nat. Barsa and Piram quickly chose who should fight whom if it came to that. The Flat Rocks people carried strands of sinew to tie up the strangers if necessary. Though they outnumbered the strangers, with five strong men, if the strangers did fight, it would be difficult to subdue them.
"I wonder why there're no women with them?" said Esri.
"In the past, I met some people who did not let women hunt big animals. Maybe they're like that," said Barsa
"They're not moving like they're hunting," said Piram.
"You're right. It's like they want to be seen. Let's walk like we have no fear," said Barsa.
Gradually the two groups moved toward each other. When they were near enough to read the expressions on each other's faces, one of the strangers began waving what looked to be a belt strung with shells and started speaking loudly.
"I think they want to trade," said Esri. "He's using some words like Sela and Muni's. I know from some of the early songs we made together."
"Esri and I will go forward and speak with them. Stay a little behind us but move immediately if anything happens," said Barsa.
Esri and Barsa worked out that trade was what they strangers wanted. The strangers brought out some finely cured, soft antelope skins and necklaces and bracelets of sinew strung with small shell beads. The strangers indicated that they wanted to trade for some flints and pieces of obsidian, as there was little obsidian where they came from.
The two groups sat together under some large trees. Esri and Barsa did most of the talking for the Flat Rocks people. Barsa had some familiarity of the strangers' language from his travels and Esri from spending a lot of time with Sela and Muni in their early days at Flat Rocks.
Though this sort of trading meeting should have felt normal, like what used to happen in the days before the Ash Rain, it did not. There was an undertone that made the Flat Rocks people uneasy. The strangers snarled and laughed at times in a way that felt unsettling.
The Shell Bead People were clearly interested in the women from Flat Rocks. Only Riga gave some response to a flirtatious gesture from the one of the young men, the largest, most handsome of the group. Esri tried asking them about their women. The strangers either didn't understand or chose not to respond.
After a few hours, Barsa said to the Shell Bead People, "We'll go now and come tomorrow and bring things to trade." He gestured with his hands and used a stick to draw pictures on the ground to further illustrate his words. "You stay here."
One of the older strangers who appeared to be the leader said, "I am Ulun. We'll stay and trade tomorrow."
The Flat Rocks people walked back home. Once they were a short distance from the strangers, Piram said, "Kai and I will hide nearby and watch the strangers tonight. I don't trust them."
"Nor I, Piram," said Barsa.
"I worry that they're here for some reason other than trading," said Esri.
"Or maybe that is all they are here for. It would be good if we could begin trading again," said Riga.
They went back the next day with some obsidian, flints, and carved bowls in exchange for some of the pieces the Shell Bead People brought. They wouldn't say who had done the work. It was agreed that the two groups would meet again in the same place at the next full moon.
The Shell Bead People were vague about the location of their bode but left the impression that it was not more than two days' walk which meant that they must have moved there recently. The Flat Rocks scouting parties had not encountered the Shell Bead People in their broad searches for Ash Rain survivors.
Over the next months, the trading continued somewhat regularly. A few times the Shell Bead People brought an older woman who was the mate of the leader, Ulun, and the mother of the handsome young man Riga spoke with, Hanu, and one of the other young men, Otom.
Riga always wanted to go to the trading, each time getting a little more familiar with the handsome one, Hanu. No one was too surprised when Riga announced she was going to stay with Hanu and start living with the Shell Bead People. Esri tried to dissuade her, "You don't know how they live together. What if they have harsh ways? We should get to know them better."
"It's time that I had a mate and Hanu is strong and handsome. You don't like it that he picked me and not you," said Riga.
"No, no, that's not true. I don't want any harm to come to you," said Esri. "Promise me you'll come to the tradings often."
Riga left with the Shell Bead People and came to the next trading. She was wearing a beautiful, soft cape of antelope skin and an elaborate bead belt. "You should see my wonderful bode and the nice things I have, and Hanu is a great hunter. We have lots to eat."
"Your cape is beautiful. It must have been hard work to make it so soft. How did you do it?" asked Esri.
"Oh, I didn't make it. Others did. They made it for me. Hanu is a respected man in the bode," said Riga.
"And you are happy, Riga? Is it like Flat Rocks?" asked Esri.
"Of course, I'm happy with Hanu. He takes good care of me. I don't go hunting for antelope anymore, but I don't need to so it doesn't matter. Things are decided better than at Flat Rocks. Everyone knows their place, less talking about everything," said Riga.