Chapter 12; The Blood Quest
Without telling any one but Kal, who was sworn to secrecy, he had gone off to find Kiv at his father, Kad’s, hunting camp. For the rest of that away time, they had hunted and fished and chased girls from the hunt master’s camp. Both boys ran and wrestled, growing in stature and strength. Then, when the red leaves fell and the horns sounded across the Outer Worlds, and the People began accumulating at the Last Well for Gathering Time, he had avoided seeing or speaking to Han or her family.
He did know that Kiv, his blood brother, was preparing a blood hunt. They both had spoken many times about their shared desire to catch and kill a Blood Cat. It would take most of the next away time for this accomplishment. He went to his parents just before they were to return. His parents were enjoying the cool night at the top of the skull. A small lamp and a sky full of stars was all the light they needed. He knelt before his father and put his head in his lap. Since he had been a baby, he loved to have his head rubbed by his father. “Father, I need to ask you something.”
“If you are not afraid of my answer, you may ask anything, my child.”
“I want permission to ask Uncle Kad to join Kiv’s Blood Quest.”
“Since the first mumblings of this quest came to our ears, we have wondered when you would be asking this. I remember when your Uncle Kad and I went on our quest. Stand up. Let me look at Thee.”
They stood face to face. Lar was only slightly shorter than his father. The older man looked at his wife. “Look, mama, “ he said, surprised, “He is no longer too short.” His mother nodded, slightly frightened, but proud. The older man placed his hands on the strong shoulders of the younger. “Thee are fine and strong. You must do this thing and thee must do it well.”
“Thank You Father. Mother I love Thee.” He hugged them both and ran off to find his uncle. They laughed as he ran off. She called behind him, “Don’t fall down the steps. You would hate to miss the quest.”
“Oh, Mother…” drifted back up the stairs.
Lov turned to her husband, “Is this safe?”
“Kad and his huntsmen will make it as safe as they can, but, the boys must make the kill.” She buried her face in his strong shoulder to hide her fear. He had patted her back, but, like all fathers, he was a little afraid, too.
Lar ran to the campsite of Kiv’s father. He entered and sat right in front of the giant man, waiting to be noticed. Finally, after making him wait an eternity, they man made a big show of noticing his best friend’s son. “Yes, lad?”
“Uncle Kad…I must speak with Thee alone.”
“Do we speak thus? Am I not to be greeted first?” The men around him knew what was coming and they enjoyed the torture of the boy.
“I am sorry, Uncle…May the Watcher bless this tent.”
“And all of it’s visitors…”
Lar waited. Kad must speak next. He took a bite and chewed a while. Then, he took a drink and swished it around in his mouth. Finally, he spoke. “Yes, boy..?”
“Uncle I need to speak to you.”
The giant man looked at his son’s best friend. This must be serious, he thought to himself. “Speak, little brother.”
“May I join this blood hunt, too?”
Kad looked thoughtful. “Yes…I have been watching you and my other sons.” He looked around the tent. Men were nodding agreement. Lar was well liked in the hunting camps. He did his share of the work and was good at song and story when they nights of fun were called for.
“It is time for this. You know that this cat is the most dangerous creature in their world?”
“Yes, Uncle…I am ready to face this day.”
“Get Kiv.”
Lar ran to find his friend, “Come…speak to your father with me.”
Kad took both boys off alone. They sat together on three stumps. The older man say them in a small circle so that he could see them both. “You know how important this rite of passage into manhood is to you both?”
Both boys nodded. He continued, looking gravely at his son, “Will you share this hunt with Lar?”
“Gladly, Father. We are one spirit in this.”
“Okay.”
Both boys beamed. “I am glad that the future Watch Man will be going on this quest.”
He knew that, with his men along, the boys were in very little danger. With him to help the boy’s with their growing skill at story telling, the adventure would become legendary. None of them knew that they would be gone for three more than moons. It took almost a moon to get the first track and spore of their prey. The boys were getting discouraged. Then one day, a hunter came to them. Cat sign was spotted off to the east. They hurried to gather their kits together. All they needed from here on would be carried on their backs. They would eat nuts, berries and daily killed meats. Some dried meats were carried also.
Weapons were cleaned and sharpened. A spear and a knife was all that they were allowed. All the rest would be in wagons. At some points, the wagons may be days behind them. For once begun, the chase must continue or the Blood Cat would turn and hunt them each down by scent. The biggest mistake many men had made was to wound but fail to kill a cat. They had been known to even go to the out skirts of the great city to follow the scent of a bad hunter.
They didn’t see the Cat at first, but each day brought more and more fresh cat signs. Through hill and forest, swamp and glade, the chase continued. The hunters grew lean and closer to the bone with the chase after the giant cat. As days passed into weeks, the increasing amounts of blood cat sign encouraged the group. Finally, on the forty third day, they had one cornered.
The first encounter had gone badly. It was a bloody, snarling battle. Several of the men had been maimed by the creature. One of the men was clawed as it escaped. The injured men were sent back to the main camp on litters to be treated by the healers. The rest of the hunting party went on chasing the devil. Two more days followed with no sleep and little food. Finally, the great beast was cornered in a box canyon by a scouting party. The horns were blown to gather all of the scattered hunting parties together. Lar, Kiv, and two other boys plus several of the oldest hunters spent a worried supper that night planning the attack. All night long, fires were kept lit and horns were blown so that the beast would get no sleep. Lar and Kiv were in a sweat lodge to rest and consider their futures.
At first light, the boys were allowed to see the beast for the first time. Lar looked with deep fascination at his foe. It stood taller than any man at the shoulder. It was two men wide at the front. It had long curved teeth that came curling from it’s upper jaw. It stood defiantly, shivering with exhaustion and pain. The Blood Cat waved its huge paws back and forth, roaring and flailing its talons.
The men and boys drew into a half circle around the beast as they began their attack. In a bloody battle, several more men got hurt. Finally, the cat was beaten to a standstill. A net was thrown over it which immediately tangled it’s claws and teeth.
“Quickly…” said Kad, “the net will give way soon. See how he thrashes with those mighty claws and teeth.”
Lar and Kiv moved in slowly, watching for any break in the animal’s thrashing. “Careful…” they cautioned each other.
As they had discussed and practiced so many times, they moved forward. Following the instructions of the Master of Hunts, they positioned themselves to be ready to deal the death blows. They must come from both sides at once.
“Now!” he bellowed.
With simultaneous heart thrusts into each of the two hearts, the mighty beast breathed its last. Immediately, howls of blood lust filled the small canyon. The men rebuilt the huge fire in the center of their camp and danced like heathens around the carcass of the dead cat.
Both boys were lifted up on the men’s shoulders and carried around the carcass three times. They were set down in front of a throne covered with skins. On the throne was the skinny old man who had led their hunt. He was wearing the head of a boar with deer antlers attached to the to
p. “Kneel!” said the figure.
The boys knelt before the Hunt Master. “Who killed this beast?”
Kiv’s father came forward, “Oh, Great Master of Hunts…That great beast was slain by these two here.”
“These two children..?” He pointed at the kneeling boys.
“Yes,” said Kiv, gravely.
The boar’s head looked all around. “I don’t believe it. Who has seen this feat?”
All around the fire, men spoke out, “I… I… I have seen this… Me too…”
“This is a great task…to rid the world of so great a predator…”
“Yay…” and the whooping and howling went on for several minutes.
The old men held up his skinny, muscular arms. The camp fell quiet. “What will be the man names of these two?”
Kiv stood, “I wish to called Kiv…the name of my grandfather.”
“A good name.”
Lar stood, “I wish to be called Lar…”
“A good name…” He turned to the man, “You have heard the names…( they howl) you have seen their bravery…(the men howl some more) Do you accept these two men into the ranks of hunts men?”
As one voice, the men say, “Yes..!”
“I must prepare the men…”
Their heads were shaved expertly by the Master of the Hunt and bathed in the cat’s blood. As he shaved them, the old man muttered, as if in a trance, “Each boy’s hair must be sacrificed to the memory of the beast that had created your manhood.”
As he had done hundreds of times before, he left a two finger strip of hair down the middle of their scalps to show their manhood. Fat and blood from the beast were mixed to make a foul smelling paste that made their hair stand on end in a high mane. The rest of their shorn locks were thrown into the cook fire as a sacrifice to the Watcher for bringing them through this quest unscathed.
They skinned the cat and cooked the hearts. Kad held the bleeding organs high above the cook pot, “These are the hearts that had nearly cost us all our lives. Eat this strength to grow even stronger as men of this clan and tribe.” The cat was so big, that the skin made two coats just the right size to fit both young men. Later, when he was fully grown, Kiv’s coat became a vest. Lar’s coat would one day be the burial robe of his tiny wife and child.