A NOVEL SET IN PREHISTORY
The Oak People
Chapter 13: The hunt fails
Bidari
A soft, urgent hiss from Nuno and Bidari opens his eyes, suddenly alert. He crawls silently over to rouse Goi and Tipi, his finger to his lips, then joins his brothers. From their position on a ledge above the spring, screened by the thorny vegetation, they can hear water spurting from the belly of the mountain just below. Now Bidari begins to hear the sound that alerted Nuno — a clipping and scraping of hoof on rock. Koldo listens, his head cocked to one side. He holds up two fingers to the others, crouching behind him. There are two beasts coming to drink. The hunters spread out along both wings of the ledge, the scuffling sounds of their movement masked by the voice of the water. Each armed with his spear, they wait for Koldo’s signal. Bidari’s heart is beating fast. He glances at Tipi. His skinny face is slick with sweat and his knuckles are white, clenching the wooden stave of his spear.
The male comes into view first, nimbly picking his way among the rocks to reach the cool water. Then the female follows, more slight than the male, stick-thin white legs splayed among the stones. The buck lowers his head and drinks gratefully from the pool, then tosses his horns and ears in the running water. The men remain still and silent, hardly daring to breathe. Magic ripples down Bidari’s neck. An eagle calls, circling overhead, and the female lifts her slender neck and looks up, her snout twitching.
Still the men wait, spear arms raised, for Koldo’s signal. It will come when she lowers her head to drink. Bidari feels a nudge next to him and gestures to Tipi. Wait. Suddenly, everything is wrong. There is a loud crack as the head of Tipi’s spear hits the rocky ground, short of the target. The antelope jump and spring away from the pool at once, back along the rough path. Goi is on his feet. He takes aim and hurls his spear at the retreating haunches of the female, but he is too late. The animal disappears from view down the slope.
They are walking to the cave, in single file along the narrow path. The antelope will not come back to the spring today. Eshtu is dropping down towards his home and the wind breathes cool, salty air on their backs. Tipi walks just ahead of Bidari, his head down. Back by the running water, Koldo had turned on Tipi, his voice like thunder.
‘Why didn’t you wait for the signal?’
Bidari had tried to say it was not the boy’s fault but his brother had spun round, his face hard. ‘The boy may be young but he has to learn.’
A chasm of anger had opened up in Bidari’s chest. ‘Then why don’t you teach him — you’re his father!’
Koldo had cursed. Then, he seemed to soften and let the boy alone. But Bidari knows, as they all do, that the loss of the doe is a sore disappointment. The people need meat.
The path fades as the hillside descends more steeply, becoming clothed with dense stands of buckthorn, yellow-green flowers clustering now amidst the glossy leaves. The men snake their way down between the shrubs, their practised feet finding the easier places. The gnawing hunger starts again in Bidari’s belly. He wonders if the women have found earthnuts — anything that will sit heavy in his gut and satisfy him. They walk in silence. If there had been meat to carry home, they would be singing now.
Bo
It is getting late but the fingers of Eshtu still play warm on the nape of Bo’s neck as she twists her head under the spring to drink. Thirsty after the climb with her bag full of pods, she takes long, satisfying gulps. The water that misses her mouth splutters in tiny cataracts over her shoulder and down the new valley that has opened up between her breasts. She moves her head from side to side under the cold flow, until her hair is a heavy wet rope, hanging down her back.
She hears a sound and pulls her head away, wiping the water from her eyes. Bidari is on the path. That means the hunters are back! But he is alone and the droop of his shoulders answers her question before she has even asked it.
‘Did you make meat?’
He shakes his head. There is nothing more to be said. Still Bidari stands, looking at her. Water is trickling down her face, over her chin and onto her breast. Bo goes to wipe it away but finds that she doesn’t want to touch herself in front of him.
At last, Bidari speaks. ‘Where’s Hua? I thought she’d be with you.’
‘No — Ansa took her. To pick grass peas.’ Bidari turns away and now she can begin to squeeze the water from her hair. ‘Isn’t she back yet?’
He shakes his head and Bo begins to feel uneasy. It is getting late. Where is Ansa? She and the other women have been back a long time. The blank disappointment of the hunt has left Bidari’s face, and now it is coming alive with fear. They go to the watching place, the sky a soft green-blue, with wisps of flame. There is just enough light to scan the slopes below. Bo’s young eyes are sharper than Bidari’s.
‘There! Look!’ She grabs Bidari’s arm, pointing.
A figure vanishes behind a stand of buckthorn but then reappears — it is Ansa climbing up on the easier path, a dark silhouette against the reddening sky. They go to meet her. Hua is slung to her front and as soon as she hears Bo’s voice, the little girl cries to be put down. She toddles unsteadily towards Bo’s outstretched arms, her face breaking into a huge smile. Bo clasps the soft, warm weight of the child to her chest.
‘Have you missed me?’ Hua’s face is sticky and streaked with yellow. ‘Did Ama find you an egg?’
‘Where have you been?’ asks Bidari.
Ansa doesn’t answer, just stares down at the ground. All at once, Bo realizes what is missing. ‘Where are the peas?’
Silence. When Ansa looks up, her face seems pale and her eyes are red. ‘I didn’t find any,’ she mumbles.
‘Yes you did!’ Bo replies. ‘I saw you picking them.’
Ansa’s cheeks flush red and she turns away from them both, towards the cave. She breaks into a run but Bidari follows. He catches up with her and they walk together, his arm around her waist. Bo stands watching, bouncing Hua on her hip.
Thank you for reading. Chapter 14 coming soon …
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