I awoke at the first light of sunrise, fully refreshed. I could not hear the goats, and slightly worried that something had happened, I quickly left the hut. I appeared to be the first in the village to rise, which was good because I needed to talk with Cadune privately.
He was in his normal place, with his back against the wall of a hut on the north side of the village. He was idly watching the goats peacefully graze in the meadow. They were held by long leather leads that were staked into the ground, and since it was quiet and they had plenty of grass to eat they were content, even the ram.
“That was quite a scene last night,” Cadune remarked quietly as I sat down next to him. “Would you really have done it; killed a person just for killing an animal?”
I considered my answer carefully. I found Cadune to be a very intelligent man, and I knew he was trusted and respected by all the villagers. Though he was not an elder, Cadune was one of the leaders of the village. The tribe considered the job of the guard that watched during the night to be one of their most important positions.
“Yes,” I replied honestly. “I would not want to do it, and I would do it with regret, but the goats are that important to our future, and the people needed to realize that.”
“Our future? Do you plan to stay with us?”
I paused, once again considering my answer. “Yes, I do. There is much work to be done here, and I can help make the village a better place to live... and I want to do that.”
I was surprised to realize that I actually meant what I said. The most important thing to me was becoming a King, but making their lives easier and better would help both of us in the end.
As we sat I told him what I planned to ask for at the meeting that morning. I didn't want to force the tribe to do anything; I wanted them to change of their own accord because they realized it was for the best, and I knew it would help if a respected man like Cadune was on my side. Cadune realized the benefits of what I described, and he agreed to support me in the meeting.
As I stood to leave he said wistfully, looking at the goats, “They do look very good, you know, to eat.”
Bursting into laughter, I said, “Yes, perhaps they are. And after we have raised enough of them, you can find out.”
With that, I walked to the fire to roast some potatoes and think more about what I would say to the tribal leaders after breakfast.
We did not meet until later that morning. I insisted both Catto and Kalou attend the meeting, and they did not wake until the sun was high in the sky. Nadar and one of the elders did not think it was necessary for Kalou to attend, and they were obviously uncomfortable with a woman being in a meeting where important decisions were to be made. I told them bluntly that while Kalou was a woman, her intelligence and strength rivaled any man’s, and that to exclude her would be a grave insult. While I believe Nadar was pleased that I thought so highly of his daughter, he still did not appear happy that she would attend.
After Catto and Kalou arose and ate, we met in Garon’s hut. I reviewed the benefits of raising food at the village, and described in detail how it could be done by the tribe. I made it very clear that it would take the time and energy of both men and women, young and old. Though we would still need hunters and potato gathers to continue supplying the village with food, everyone else would be needed to get the village ready to farm. We would need to immediately start building tools to prepare the soil, and construct fences to hold in our goats.
After some discussion, all the tribal leaders agreed. Farming would be the future of the tribe. They appeared to understand the challenges that were ahead, but they were committed and everyone said they would do whatever was necessary. I left the meeting in high spirits. Nothing could stop me now!