As soon as the Shell Bead People left Flat Rocks, Jolam and Grayla went to get Saba, Sela, and Muni and bring them back to the bode.
"What if they sneak up on us in the night and kill everyone?" asked Sela.
Muni asked, "Are the other children from our bode dead?"
"We are many more than they are. Someone at Flat Rocks is always watching. They will not attack us," said Jolam,
"What about the children? And Riga? Why didn't Riga come?" said Sela.
Saba said, "I don't know, Sela. I'm worried too. We need to make a plan. You can help us because you can tell us things about them."
Grayla put her arms around the children, "You and Muni are safe with us. We will not let them harm you."
The next day, after Nat and Kai returned. People gathered to discuss what to do about the Shell Bead People who they now called the Violent Ones.
"We need to attack them before they attack us," said Piram. "Now that they have seen where we live and how many we are, they're making plans to come in and kill the strong ones and make the weak and little ones slaves. We have all seen what people like this can do. We must move quickly."
"If we attack them, many of us will be killed. It will bring sorrow and anger and then we become killers and Violent Ones like them." said Nagar – gasping and coughing.
"But Piram is right. We can't just sit here. And what about the children and Riga?" said Tars.
Zura said, "Listen to what Nagar is saying. If we kill them, we're saying that killing people is right. Our Agreements say it is not right. She is not saying we do nothing, but we need to find a way to help the slaves that is not by killing."
"A few of us can go and watch them. See where they live, how many are in their bode," said Nat.
Esri said, "It might be possible to get slaves away from them during the night."
Barsa said, "Maybe some of the Violent Ones want to leave. Last night at their campfire, the young man, Geslo, who doesn't say much in the tradings, sat with me away from the others. He asked me many questions about our Agreements and how we live. Some of his questions were curious. He asked me if we laughed a lot and if everyone laughed a lot, not just the Elders."
"You're saying they're not all Violent Ones?" said Esri.
Barsa shrugged, "Perhaps not."
It was agreed that Kai and Nat would scout the Violent Ones' bode and they left the next morning. It would be several days before they returned as it was nearly a two-day walk.
The people at Flat Rocks felt unsettled and anxious. They made sure that a number of them were always keeping watch. When people took children any distance from the bode, they did so with several adults for protection. A few days after Kai and Nat left, Grayla, Jolam, Sela, Muni, Grilu, Wilki, and Wilki-Dumu decided to go down to the river and gather mussels. Wilki said, "Esri, come with us. You've hardly left the bode in days."
Esri said, "No Wilki, I want to stay. If Nat and Kai come back early, I want to be here. Anyway, I have a bone carving I'm working on."
"I'm going to stay too with Esri," said Sela. "Can I work with you?"
"Of course, here, I have another bone. I'll show you how to make Muni's face." She turned to Wilki. "Be careful."
"Don't worry. We're a big group and we're not going far."
Esri was working on replicating Zura's Sky Bones with marks for noting the new rhythms of the plants and animals that they were noticing. Before she started on her work, she gave Sela a thigh bone from an antelope and showed her how to etch it with a flint, being careful to cover the flint edge resting in Sela's hand with a small piece of skin so she wouldn't cut herself.
Esri picked up one of her Sky Bones and compared it to one that Zura brought from their old bode. The work was tedious and exacting. Esri was glad to have something to absorb her thoughts and pass the time. She was impatient for Kai and Nat's return.
In a little while Esri said, "Sela, let me see what you've done."
"It's not very good, not like what you make. I've ruined the face. It doesn't look at all like Muni."
Esri laughed. "It's pretty good for your first try. I think it looks a little like Tars."
Sela crinkled her face. "I doubt he would want it."
"You might be surprised. Here, I'll show you how you can make his ears."
Shouts and screams came up from the river followed closely by the running figures of Jolam and Grayla pulling along Grilu and Muni. "They're here! The Violent Ones! They've come back! They're after us!"
The people of Flat Rocks gathered around Jolam and Grayla. "Where's Wilki?" asked Esri.
"She came with us," said Grayla. "She was yelling 'Run, run to Flat Rocks.' What happened to her? No, no! She was right behind us.'"
Esri took off for the river.
"Wait, Esri," said Tars. "Don't go by yourself."
"I'll go with her!" nearly everyone shouted.
"Quiet," said Tars. "How many Violent Ones were there?"
"Three," Grayla and Jolam said.
"Grayla, Jolam, Esri, and Piram, you go. The rest stay here. There may be other Violent Ones around waiting to come into Flat Rocks," said Tars.
When they reached the river, they could see signs of a struggle from traces on the ground.
"I thought she was running fast, even with Wilki-Dumu in his sling. Wilki is a strong woman," said Grayla.
"She fell," said Piram. "You can see she ran and then fell."
"And then they would have grabbed her," said Esri, "but they can't be far."
"They are far," said Jolam. "Look." And he pointed down the river. There were some people sitting on what looked like several logs lashed together moving rapidly away from Flat Rocks. As they watched, the raft went around a bend of the river.
"They must have built that and waited for someone to appear by the river," said Piram.
They kept staring at the point where Wilki disappeared. By the time they could build something similar to float down the river, the Violent Ones, Wilki and Wilki-Dumu would be long gone.
"I should have gone with you. She wanted me to," said Esri.
"We never thought they would come so close to Flat Rocks. They were waiting for us," said Jolam.
They walked back to Flat Rocks and told the others what happened.
"We need to go get Wilki and Wilki-Dumu," said Esri.
Zura said, "Yes, but it would help us greatly to hear what Kai and Nat have found out. We need to know how many live in the Violent Ones' bode and there may be others who need our help. Yet, we can't wait for long."
"Tomorrow morning, if they haven't yet returned, a few of us can find Kai and Nat, bring them back and then we can make a good plan," said Tars.
Nagar was resting in her usual spot. "Tars is right. I am worried about Wilki, but we don't want a massacre. They're not going to kill her. They would have done it right away."
"They want her as a slave or a partner for someone. And they'll want Wilki-Dumu to add to their bode," said Barsa.
When darkness fell, half of Moon-Woman shone above the cave. When most of Flat Rocks was asleep, Esri slipped away. She avoided the night-time watchers and began walking near the river in the direction where the Violent Ones took Wilki. Esri walked for hours and found the place where they left the raft and went on by foot. In a sheltered spot nearby, Esri slept for a few hours and walked and ran for all of the next day following the tracks.
As night fell again and she got closer to the Violent Ones' bode, she knew she needed to concentrate on stealth more than speed. She heard the panting noises of a big cat nearby and clambered up a tall tree, listening and watching in the light of the half moon. She saw no movement from big cats nor heard any further noise. After some time, hearing only the small night noises, Esri lowered herself to the ground. Immediately a large hand closed over her mouth.