Read Online Death on the Trek by Kaye George - Free Book Online Page B

herds of pronghorns, bison, and musk ox were seen. Stag moose were seen once. But the process to build a trap, drive them into it, and corner these for a slaughter, was more complicated than they could do and would take more time than they had while traveling. Three times lone mastodons were spotted in the great distance. The tribe was tempted to go after them, but Hama and Hapa both argued that they would be gone long before the hunters could reach them. They had always depended on mammoth and that was the animal they must find.
    They still had the dried meat from the Hooden. The only person who enjoyed eating it was the Hooden female, but they all ate it.
    At one dark time, as everyone was preparing to sleep at the edge of a spruce forest, Panan One Eye asked Hama if he could give a name to the Hooden female who traveled with them. Hama discussed this with her mate. Hama and Hapa were quick to reach a decision.
    Hama gathered the Hamapa in a sitting circle and thought-spoke to the tribe while pointing to the strange one sitting next to Panan, That one does not need a name. She is not one of us .
    Enga saw the puzzled look on the face of the Hooden female. She could have no knowledge of what they were discussing, but could see that she was being pointed at and that the Hamapa thoughts concerned her.
    Panan countered, We have always taken in those who come to us. We took in Bodd Blow Striker and Fall Cape Maker. We also took in Enga Dancing Flower and Ung Strong Arm.
    Hapa was quick to answer. Enga and Ung were infants. Bodd and Fall are people like us. This one is not like us. She is tall and dark and narrow. She does not follow our ways. Can she understand or send thought-speak? She probably will not ever breed or bear a child for us. What work can she do?
    Panan jumped to his feet. She is a person. She must have a name. Hama is the one who said she could travel with us and—
    Hama stood, too, and raised her chin at him. Travel, yes. But I have decided she will not be useful, not knowing our ways. She will not live with us when we reach our new place. She will have to find her own kind then. Dakadaga will not name her.
    Enga watched Vala Golden Hair during this public argument. At some of the dark times, Panan set up his sleeping place between Vala and the Hooden. At other times, he was very close to Vala and the Hooden had to find her own place. But some dark times were spent with the Hooden female and Vala was left alone with Sooka. At those times, Vala was not far from where Enga and Tog slept. Enga thought that Panan and the Hooden may have been coupling.
    As the days wore on and the trek continued through the same kind of land, tempers again grew shorter and shorter. One day, at a mid-sun rest under some large shrubs, Enga heard soft weeping. She pushed through the brush and followed the sound. The sobbing sounds stopped as she approached. Someone was in distress and Enga wanted to see if she could help, but did not want to startle whoever it was. Making deliberate noise as she parted and snapped branches, she kept going.
    She pushed one last thick, leafy branch aside and saw the Hooden squatting on the ground, huddled against one of the thicker tree trunks. The Hooden turned up her dark, tear-streaked face and sent a plea to Enga. The female could not send thoughts, but her look conveyed a plea that was clear. Her eyes spoke of sorrow.
    Tears sprang to the eyes of Enga and she knelt to put her arms around the female. How lonely she must be with no one to communicate to. She smelled different than a Hamapa, but not too much different. Her skin felt the same as the skin of anyone, even though it was not the same color. Since she was now dressed in Hamapa mammoth skins, given to her by Ung Strong Arm, she did not appear very much different either. Her skin was darker, she was taller, and her very short, dark hair curled up against her head, but those were small things.
    The female trembled under the touch of Enga. Was