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[hider=Summary]*‘Moon’ refers to number of ‘full moons’ that have passed since a person’s birth
**'Cycle' is equivalent to One Hundred moons, or eight years and four months

Tells the tale of the rise of Eskandar, from his Caesarean birth and his mother's death, until his marriage upon reaching his first cycle to Zekra
The death of his father and his forced exodus from the camp, due to superstition over his birth
He proclaims that he is blessed and that with his leaving curses will descend on the tribe
He turns up at a village one day with a bow, claiming that he had been gifted it by Elysium herself, and that he is the Blessed of the Moon-Mother (as he'd always known he was)
He goes around teaching various tribes how to make and use bows
He eventyally settles down with his numerous wives and children
Bato, first-born son of Eskandar and hero of this story, does his survival thing
Thou shalt love Bato much
Another tribe infringes on the Eskandar hunting grounds
The Eskandars enslave them and force them into marriages with them
It turns out that these guys are what remains of Eskandar's old tribe - some giant ant apparantly descended from the moon and it summoned various monsters who destroyed their holy cave
Eskandar assures them that their curse is gone and that they will be blessed so long as they obey him[/hider][/centre]

[centre]Genesis[/centre]

[i]Moon: 0[/i]
It began with shrieks of agony and tears. It began with a single, high-pitched scream. It began with a death. The Wise-Woman had declared that the woman would not survive the birth. She had ordered that a sharp rock be brought and the baby be cut out of its mother’s womb – the baby would die, but the mother may survive.

And her eyes had widened in fear when she saw the child; bloodied, frail…alive. She had inspected it and taken some of the blood. She had mixed it with leaves and earth and stirred it in a concoction over a fire before tipping it and reading the signs. And she had made a most fateful declaration.

‘There are none who survive a Sharp-Cut birth except those who are cursed. This child will bring misery and death upon us, it must be killed,’ but the child’s father, distraught at having lost his mate, dismissed the Wise-Woman’s words and declared that his son would live. His father’s other mates cared for him, and the child grew, and when he reached his first moon he was given a name.
Eskandar, they called him, ‘Born of a Scar’.

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[i]Moon: 48-156[/i]
Under his father’s supervision and the care of his father’s mates, Eskandar grew into a healthy young boy. From his youngest days, it was clear to his father that the boy was different from others. He began walking long before others his age could, and he took to water like a fish. His eyes were perceptive and his mind keen on learning, and there was nothing that he passed by without carefully observing.

As young as forty-eight moons*, his father started taking him along to the hunts, and though the boy did not partake, he watched and learned. And he soon began hunting down smaller prey of his own volition – rabbits, birds, he would climb into the highest branches to find bird nests or stalk near the nests of the Elephant birds to get an egg. And he was ever obedient to his father.

Upon reaching his first cycle** - for the Wise-Woman kept count of such things – his father deemed it time for him to get a mate. And it was settled that little Zekra – who had just recently reached her seventieth moon - would be the one. With a mate now in his care, Eskandar set out to prove that he was capable of tending for his own family. He joined the hunters and endeavoured to prove himself a hunter and a man. He collected hides and commanded Zekra to sew them together so that they could set up a tent of their own in the camp – he did not like living in the cave with those unable to make a tent for themselves. And he lit a fire outside the tent and commanded Zekra to never let it go out, day be it or night. And though she was yet young, she endeavoured to obey. And though the fire would sometimes go out and great would be his rage, he would forgive her and command her not to let it happen again.

‘This fire,’ he would tell her as they lay together in the furs during the night, ‘is our honour and a sign of our status. It says to all, “look ye, our fire is ever lit, food is ever ready for all who come, warmth can here be found,” and for that reason, you must never let it be extinguished, for that would darken our faces before the people and bring great shame upon us,’ and though she did not understand how this could be so, she would nod in agreement and bury herself in his arms, ever seeking his personal happiness and his pleasure with her. And though the moons passed and the days brought good with them and bad, their bond only grew. 

But the memories of men are long, and they do not forget so easily. So it was when Eskandar’s father died that the superstitions arose once more. The Wise-Woman – so old and gnarled was she, yet still defied death – launched her accusations against him and stirred the inhabitants of the camp against him. Then an esteemed young warrior and a father to a young child, Eskandar was not so easily threatened. He had seen one cycle and 56 moons, so old and craven a thing as the Wise-Woman did not scare him. But he feared for his young son and wife. The madness of a people driven by superstitions and traditions was to be feared. Only a fool did not beware. Sitting by his fire one night, with Zekra beside him and little Bato suckling in her arms, he whispered calmly.

‘I know you have only very recently endured the hardships of baby-making, and your body is still pained, but we must leave this place. We are not welcome, and every day my fear grows that their hatred for me will take shape in harm done to you and our child,’ he paused and looked into Zekra’s eyes. He found within them fear and sadness – indeed, her own father had disinherited her for her association with him and bearing his child. That same father who had rained praises upon Eskandar’s father while he lived, and who had most willingly given Zekra to him in marriage. How quickly did the hearts of men twist and turn and change. He had built his name and reputation, built his tent and lit his fire, hunted the greatest beasts and fed his family better than most and dressed them best of all. None denied his ability, his qualities, that he was born for greatness. When he spoke all listened, and when he took action all watched. Yet at the hurl of a word, an ungrounded accusation, due to a birth beyond his control, he was now shunned and spat upon when he walked past. A man such as he did not have to sit idly as all this was done to him. His very existence here was a mercy, from great Elysium herself, upon this camp and its people. He knew that with certainty. He was not obliged to remain. The blessing, if abused, would melt away. And that was exactly what he planned to do.

‘Tonight,’ he said, ‘under the guiding light of our Moon-Mother. You and I shall depart. We shall bring the tent down and gather up our furs, and we shall depart from here never to return,’ and with those words, he departed from the fire and went for a walk to the Wise-Woman. She was the one who kept all the information on the people of the camp, he would need to find out how she did so. For he planned to take up that responsibility for his family tonight.

‘Wise-One,’ he called from outside the tent, ‘I have come to speak with you,’ there was silence as he waited, but soon enough the old hag’s voice summoned him in.
‘What is it that you want at so late an hour of the night? Should you not be resting with your woman?’ Eskandar looked around the large tent. Indeed, it was the largest tent of all, and had a fire burning in its middle, and a hole in its ceiling for the smoke to escape.

‘I would sleep, Wise-One, but sleep does not help when it is the soul that is tired,’ he responded. She stood up and circled round the fire, staring into the young man’s face.
‘Soul? What is this word you speak?’ she asked suspiciously.
‘Even if I were to explain it to you, Wise-One, you would not understand. You cannot understand now if these many moons have not made you. I am a blessing from great Elysium upon you all, I have great gifts which I can share with you, my mind sees and understands what you cannot. But you cannot see this great blessing, for you are all sightless,’ his were bitter words, and she did not like them. She cried out derisively and walked away.

‘You are no blessing!’ she screeched as she walked from him, ‘you are but a curse, and you will be cleansed. You hang like a storm-cloud over the people and bring nothing but misfortune! And your words are proof! You speak as though you were a god, you will ruin us all. What will it take for us to be rid of you?’ it was not a question directed at him, but he stepped forward and answered it.

‘If you wish for me to be gone, I will be gone by the coming of the first light of day. But I have one request, if you wish that I should leave,’ she turned to him, her face still suspicious, but a glimmer of interest in her eyes. She waved for him to speak.
‘Show me how you keep a record of the moons we have lived,’ he said. Her eyes widened and she shook her head in fear.

‘No, never will I let you know. That is divine knowledge, none may have it but the pure,’ at her words, his eyes flashed dangerously and he casually reached for one of the burning pieces of firewood, ‘w-what are you doing?’ she stuttered as he picked one up.

‘All your “divine knowledge” is in this tent, all the records of the moons. If you do not do as I ask, it will all burn. You can bring the whole camp upon me, but your precious tent, and all that’s in it, will become ashes,’ his eyes, though they reflected the light of the flames, were cold and hard as ice. Fear filled her face and she shook her head.

‘N-no, you must not do that. I cannot, it is divine knowledge, none can have it but the p-’
‘Be silent, hag. If you will continue to defy me, you will burn along with your tent, now tell me how you do it,’ and with that, he stepped forward and brought the flame dangerously close to her face.
‘Please! Please! Keep the flame away! Put it back! Put it back! I will do as you say,’ she scampered frantically away and huddled amongst the furs near the wall of the tent, ‘just please, put the flame down. Stop swinging it around all over the place,’ though he did not trust her, he decided to put it down.

‘If you deceive me, neither you nor your tent will survive the night, even if I should die,’ and with that, he carefully placed the stick back among the flames. She stood up and hobbled towards a pile of oddities, small stones, bits of earth, gathered animal fat – he always thought it strange that she always demanded animal fat.

She brought them out and placed them on a piece of bark and sat before him.
‘First, you need to create the mixture. Stone, clay and animal fat does it. You mix it together,’ she spread the clay out on the piece of bark and began grinding the strange stone with a bone. To Eskandar’s surprise, it very quickly crumbled and took on a red colour – despite the fact that the stone had been silver!

‘What kind of stone is that?’ he asked in shock. The old woman looked up at him as she worked, shrugging.
‘I don’t know. But you can know from the mark it makes. Rub it against anything and it should make a red mark. That is the kind of stone you need,’ once she finished grinding the strange stone down, she mixed it together with the animal fat and poured some water on it. Some berries she had were also crushed and added. The result was a strange paste.

‘What is this, some kind of poison you hope to slay me with?’ he scoffed, ‘your concoctions do not scare me, old woman,’ she gave him a hard stare before standing up and commanding him to follow her.

‘And keep your tongue still, child, I do this only because I said I would,’ and he followed her up to the cave where the ones without a tent slept. She told him to get a piece of firewood and to stay close by her side. They walked deep into the cave, where none dared go for fear of angering the Wise-Woman. She eventually came upon a part of the cave wall that had strange markings on it.

‘Here it is,’ she said simply, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous place. Eskandar approached the cave wall and raised the make-shift torch to the wall.

[centre][img] http://i.imgur.com/N9nzog2.png[/img][/centre]

All along the wall, there were drawn impressions of the many inhabitants of the camp, beside each impression were various markings, some small and some large. Some markings had been hastily crossed off while other impressions had been crossed off in their entirety.

‘The small markings are the number of moons. The big markings are the number of cycles. The ones who have been crossed off are the dead,’ the Wise-Woman explained, ‘and it is with this mixture that I go about this divine duty,’ she added, at which Eskandar scoffed.

‘Divine duty? If you believed this to be a divine duty you would have done a better job than this petty attempt. It is poor, inefficient. It has probably been passed down for generations without improvement. I pity the first great thinker who created this, for they did not realise that they were gifting too much to creatures who cannot think,’ with that, he walked along the wall until he came to what was recognisably him. One cycle and fifty-six moons, he counted. He commanded her to lead him to that of Zekra. His wife had lived one cycle and sixteen moons, some thirty moons his junior. 

‘And Bato has seen but three moons,’ Eskandar committed the numbers to memory. He would eventually have to find a better way of recording the moons than the old woman’s way. This one was cumbersome and put too much power in the hands of one person – too much responsibility. The chances of a mistake occurring were too great.

‘Will you be leaving then?’ the old woman asked him? Without a word, he nodded. She came forward with her pigment and reached out with it to wipe his impression from the wall.

‘No!’ he shouted, and she froze. Taking the bark pallet from her, he dipped his hand into it and proceeded to wipe his impression from the wall personally, and each of the marks that tallied his age. Then he did the same for Zekra and Bato. 

'Wait, you are taking Zekra and Bato with you?' she asked in shock. 
'My family is my blood and flesh, where I go, they go. As I command, they obey,' he returned the pallet to her, and he could tell that she was enraged by his actions – he had transgressed all bounds. ‘In the morning, I will be gone. The mercy of great Elysium, her blessings, all that the people, whose fates are in your hands, could have achieved, they shall go with me,’ and with that, he turned away and proceeded to walk out of the cave.

‘We were great before you!’ she shouted at his departing back, ‘and we will be greater without you! What do you think you are! A god? You’re not even a man! You’re barely a cycle and a half!’ but her taunts fell on deaf ears, however, for Eskandar was done with her. She, as far as he was concerned, no longer existed.

When he got to his tent, Zekra had already tied much of their belongings up with rope, ready to be carried on their backs. Realising that carrying so many furs would slow them down, he ordered her to leave what they did not need and carry only what would not slow them down. While she sorted through them by the light of the fire, he set about bringing the tent down.

Being a small family, their tent was fittingly small. He had not wished to tire Zekra out unnecessarily with the sewing. He was a proud man, he did not deny, but he was not cruel. And his pride was not without basis, for it was the pride that ensured his dignity and honour and status among the people. The pride that was quick to lash out when insults were piled at the door of his flesh and blood. It was not a pride that drove him to harm those in his care. 

With some possessions on his shoulders and others trailing behind, tied to him with a rope, the two began their long journey to find a home. Zekra hugged her child close and stayed close to her lord and life-mate while he dug the butt of his spear into the ground and used it as a walking stick. Above them, in the heavens, the moon guided their way.

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[i]Moon: 153-209[/i]
The old man squinted at the strange young boy who had marched into their camp not half a day earlier, with a young child and a pregnant mate in tow. And he had proclaimed himself to be Blessed of the Moon. At first, they had simply laughed, but then he had revealed a strange object. It looked like a stick of some kind, with one string attaching one end to the other.

‘This,’ he proclaimed, ‘is the blessing of the Moon-Mother. I have come to enlighten the ignorant and lead the stray,’ and with that, he pulled out the tiniest spear imaginable and notched it into the strange object, and he did as he had practiced in the moons since he had witnessed the glory of the Moon-Mother’s hunt. To the shock of all present, the strange spear disappeared into the sky at alarming speeds, landing far outside the perimeter of the encampment. The old man had seen it himself, and it was indeed a most miraculous thing. He had demanded to see it tested on prey, and the pretender obliged them. His aim was sure and his shot true. From further than any spear could be thrown, he pierced the neck of a deer with the divine weapon.

‘What is it that you want from us?’ the old man asked, now sat in his own tent with the strange man. The man did not respond immediately, choosing to study the old man who sat before him.

‘I am Eskandar,’ he finally said, ‘Blessed of the Moon. I have come to bestow her blessings upon you. You must listen, and you must obey,’ and though the old man did not like what he heard, he was not one to risk the wrath of one by Elysium blessed. For six moons did Eskandar stay with them, and they cared for the pregnant Zekra as though she were their queen. And he taught them how to make the strange weapon – which he told them was called a ‘bow’. And he taught them how to use it. But the condition was always one: listen, and obey.

When the sixth moon arrived and a daughter was born to him, Eskandar announced that he was departing, he and his family. For they had delivered the blessings of the Moon-Mother and had to continue their mission. The old man did not protest, for he had grown weary of the autocratic young man, and he had grown wearier still of how the people so willingly did as he said. But the self-proclaimed Blessed of the Moon surprised him by delivering a final sermon on the day of his departure.

‘Listen, and obey,’ his voice reached all in the midday heat, and those who were standing and those who sat and even those who lay down on their backs listened, ‘I have been with you but a short while, and you have obeyed me well. I leave with you this final command: let the youngest of you obey the oldest of you, let the son and the daughter know their position before their bearer and sire. Just as you have obeyed me, obey those who are wiser and older than you. And should they command you to do that which is evil, then say to them words most kind, and let there be no hostility between you and them,’ and with that he departed. Eskandar, Zekra, little Bato and baby Elia, who was named in honour of their glorious Moon-Mother.

Not many hours had passed before another joined them. Seri, youngest daughter of Gre the old man. Her father had commanded her to go join herself with the Blessed of the Moon, for a greater honour there could not be.

For thirty-six moons did the family travel, through ice and snow and mountainous terrain, through plains and hills and blazing sun. Some camps met them with great hostility and refused the blessings of the Moon-Mother, and others were delighted at their coming and threw themselves at the feet of Eskandar, declaring him a vicegerent of the Moon-Mother and a god in his own right. And his family grew, his mates were many and his sons and daughters proliferated. His pride in his family was clear. He had seven mates, and each bore and continued to bear him sons and daughters. With them, he would create a lineage who would listen and obey, and who would glorify the Moon-Mother who had blessed them so.

At the end of the thirty-sixth moon, Eskandar deemed it time to settle and establish a camp of his own for his growing family. It was no good for them to ever be travelling, risking the dangers of the wild and the dangers posed by other men. When they came to a great cave, beyond which was a huge prairie, which gave way to hills and forests, and through which ran a great river, he knew he had finally found [url=http://i.imgur.com/RYMKbhs.png]a good home[/url].

The first tent to be laid down was that of Zekra, and inside it, he hung the Bow of the Moon-Mother, and he worshipped before it and lay with Zekra that night. The next day, he laid down the tent of Seri, for she had been his second mate. And he worshipped the Moon-Mother again and lay with Seri that night. The third tent to be laid was that of Tse, for she was the third of his mates, and esteemed was her position. And he worshipped the Moon-Mother again and lay with Tse also. He did the same for Beru, Cala, Anja and Kae, for each mother of his children and life-mate a tent of her own, with furs aplenty and the best of clothing. His children were commanded to remain in the cave, for none of them was permitted to build a tent their own until each had grown to maturity by enduring the ritual of passage. And those who had not yet reached their thirty-sixth moon were permitted to remain with their mothers.

Sitting outside the cave one day, he spotted Elia fiddling around with the beads of her necklace. He called out to his second-born, and she ran towards her father, who gathered her into his arms and rained kisses upon her.

‘These,’ he explained, as he took one of the small clay beads between his fingers, ‘tell you how many moons you have seen. Look, the small beads represent one moon, the slightly larger ones, though you don’t have any, represent five, the medium sized beads represent ten moons, you don’t have any of those. The larger ones represent twenty moons. Look, you have one, two. Two larger ones. That’s twenty each which adds up to…’ he thought for a few seconds, ‘forty, forty moons. Now you also have one, two, three – three small beads. Forty and three. So you have seen forty-three moons, little Elia,’ he planted an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

‘But puppaa,’ she frowned at the beads, ‘why does Bato have even bigger beads than me? And look at yours, you have the hugest beads in the world puppaa!’ she giggled as she touched the two large beads on her father’s necklace, each representing one hundred moons, a cycle. There was also a five-moon bead and four one-moon beads. two hund and nine moons had he seen.

‘That’s because I have seen many, many moons indeed. And Bato has seen 56 moons, so he has one large bead for fifty moons, one small bead for five, and a smaller one for one. As soon as you reach your fiftieth moon, I will be sure to give you a bead as big as Bato’s,’ she squished her face and pouted, clearly not happy at this.

‘But I want it now!’ she complained, and Eskandar’s smile quickly disappeared when she began screaming.
‘Elia,’ he said sternly, his eyes darkening as he stood her up before him, ‘never raise your voice before me,’ his voice was cold and low, and she did not hear it over her own screams.
‘I said, don’t raise your voice before me!’ he growled as he struck her across the cheek, causing her to stumble to the side and gasp in shock. Her mother, who had heard her screams from the tent, was immediately upon her, soothing her and trying to see where he had struck her.

‘Eskandar!’ she said in a reprimanding voice, ‘she is only a young girl!’
‘No!’ came his reply, ‘she will soon be a woman! She must learn respect! When I speak, she must listen, and she must obey!’ with that, he hefted his spear and marched off on his own. He had not travelled the world and taught entire peoples so that he could sit and be slighted by a little girl!

Zekra left the shocked Elia in the care of the sisters Beru and Cala and went after her life-mate. He had never struck Bato before, nor had he shown anger when any of his eleven other children cried – though admittedly, they were all younger than Bato and Elia. But she had to end such behaviour, it was not the Eskandar she knew who struck his flesh and blood. She found him brooding upon a large boulder, his face the embodiment of fury.

‘My dearest,’ she said gently, ‘come down and let us speak,’ his angry eyes settled upon her.
‘You should not have raised your voice before me, Zekra,’ she bit her lip and looked guiltily away.
‘You…you struck her, Eskandar. I have not known you to strike your own family,’ in anger, he hurled his spear, and it settled in the earth not too far away.

‘What business of yours is it how I rear the fruit of my loins? Far be it from me to direct my fury at my family, but do not test me, woman! I shall not stand for disobedience. I am the Patriarch; my Word is the Law. All must listen to what I say, and all must obey!’ he descended from the rock and began walking towards his spear. She walked towards his departing back and reached out to his shoulder
‘Eskandar, please, listen to m-’ without warning, he turned and struck her across the face, sending her flying to the side.

‘Do not speak unless I permit you to! Do not touch me unless I ordain it!’ her utter shock at his unprecedented strike quickly gave way to tears, and she got up and ran back to the camp.
‘I have not dismissed you!’ came his voice, ‘come back! Come back I say!’ but she did not obey. She ran until she reached her tent, and she flung herself upon the furs and wept bitter tears. Never, never had he struck her before.

When the moon, on that fateful night, was attained to her full height, Eskandar quietly poked his head through the entrance of the tent. He could just about make out the shape of Zekra inside, with Meli, who has seen thirty-one moons, Sarin, seventeen moons, and Hezric, six moons, lying about her. 
‘Zekra…’ he whispered softly, ‘I am coming in,’ he lifted the flap which covered the tent’s entrance and entered, making his way carefully towards his first and dearest life-mate. She did not move when he placed his hand upon her face and turned her slowly towards him, taking her up into his arms and lying in the furs with her. There was silence between them for the longest time, their deep breathing and the breathing of their children around them, the only sound.

‘Zekra,’ he whispered, ‘speak to me,’ his hand moved through her hair and he willed her speak. She chuckled bitterly.

‘You “permit” me to speak? What am I, your slave?’ her words were cold, but he met them with warmth.
‘No, Zekra, you are not my slave. You are my life-partner, my support, my right hand. You must listen to all I say, and you must willingly obey. Who can I expect obedience from should you, of all people, defy me?’ there was a tinge of sadness in his voice, but it was clear that he did not regret what he had done.

‘How is it that you can strike me and cause me pain, yet still call me your right hand? I have not heard of a man who strikes his right hand,’ her words were bitter still, but she was trying to understand how he was thinking.

‘I have not known of a right hand which did not obey,’ came his eventual reply, and the silence grew between them once more.

‘Zekra,’ he whispered, ‘will you not be my right hand?’ she did not respond, but buried her face into his beard instead and sobbed the night away.

When he awoke in the early hours of the morning, before the sun had fully risen, she was not beside him. The children were still asleep around him, and he could hear her outside. Crawling out of the tent, he found her adding wood to the fire. He helped her, and they sat together and watched the sun slowly rise. With the rising of that sun, a new way of life rose too, for her life-mate was no longer simply her life-mate. Though she had ever been obedient, she now understood what he wanted. It was not just obedience; he wanted her to be his support, to ensure that all obeyed him, that he was not simply her master and lord, but master and lord over all. He was the Patriarch, his Word was the Law, and he the Law personified.

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[i]Moon: 255[/i]
Batto watched with care as his father heated the small wooden rod over the fire, before straightening the bent wood on a rock and waiting for it to cool into its new, straightened shape. It amazed him every time he watched it – a piece of wood which had been bent became impossibly straight. The newly-straightened piece of wood was passed to him and he slowly set about carving a notch at each end. One end for the string, and the other for the arrowhead to be placed and tied into place.

Once done, he set about placing one of the arrowheads he had chipped earlier with his father into the notch, placing it carefully and tying it with the natural rope his father had taught him how to make. Once the arrowhead was secure, he set about fletching the arrow with feather fletches which his dad had carefully cut and prepared. The sinew of the [url= https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/5f/c8/15/5fc815e1fcc8e56a1ce858c1d11e4357.jpg]great-furred-big-horn[/url] was yet wet and pliable, and smelled slightly. But it would soon dry and become extremely strong. Tying the fletches from one end and then from the other, he was certain to keep enough space between them and the notch at the end – his father had told him repeatedly not to place the fletches too close to the end. His father’s wrath was to be avoided at all costs, and his pleasure to be sought always.

‘Did you see that, Elia? Now you try,’ the young boy passed one of the small rods to his younger sister and she set about doing the same. She had helped him many times before and was swiftly growing adept at making fine arrows.

‘Me too, me too, lemme make some,’ Gar, first-born of Seri, reached out for a rod, and Bato obliged. Seeing this, Meli reached for a rod also and began muttering with Gar, trying to follow his example.
‘Me too! Me too!’ whispered Sheb, for he dared not raise his voice loudly before his father.

‘And m-’ Zeri half-shouted before Sheb put a hand across her mouth and told her to shush. Bato clicked in irritation, but his father commanded him to show them how he did it, and he set about his duty without complaint, with Sarin joining them also. Around the fire, the children of Eskandar, girls or boys, learned from their father, and each of them taught their other siblings in turn.

‘Bato,’ Eskandar suddenly stood up, ‘bring your spear and come with me,’ at these words, Bato scrambled to his feet and ran back to the cave, where his spear was. Elia looked up hopefully towards her father, she wanted to go and hunt with them also. Her father considered her for a few moments before nodding for her to go get her spear. A delighted laugh left her mouth and she ran off after Bato. Gar’s hand was suddenly on his father’s foot, and he was also looking up hopefully. Eskandar laughed and picked the boy up.

‘Let us see how many moons you have first,’ before Eskandar could start counting, the boy opened his mouth.
‘Oh! Oh, puppaa, I know, I know,’ he took up the necklace in his little hands and counted, one large bead, worth fifty moons, a smaller one, worth twenty, another one even smaller, worth five, and four tiny ones worth four, ‘fifty, sixty and seventy, seventy, seventy…seventy-three, four- five! Seventy-six, seven, eight, nine. Seventy-nine puppaa!’ and Eskandar smiled and rubbed the boy's head in pleasure.

‘You have your dad’s brains, that’s for sure,’ he laughed, ‘yes, seventy-nine moons. In six moons, I will take you out to hunt with Elia and Bato. Be patient,’ the boy’s face fell slightly at this, but he did not argue.
‘Alright puppaa,’ he said meekly.
‘But I will not take you until you make the very best arrows for me! So make sure you make better arrows and show your siblings how to, understood?’ the boy’s eyes lit up at this.
‘My arrows are the best puppaa! I promise!’ his father laughed and put him down.
‘I’ll have a look when I come back, now make sure to look after your siblings while I am gone, and do as your mothers say,’ and with that, Eskandar left his children by the fire and set off to the prairie, Bato and Elia hot on his heels.

When they reached the watering hole oft used by the great-furred-big-horns, Eskandar asked for the furs, and Bato handed him the disguise. It was a huge fur of great-furred-big-horn, which allowed one to get closer to the animals than one could otherwise. Once Eskandar was disguised, he ordered Bato and Elia to do likewise and to hide in the long grass away from the pond. They would watch and learn. 
Eskandar waited closer to the pond until the great animals came, five them in total. Their hooves sunk into the mud at the pond’s side and their massive heads descended towards the water. Eskandar’s eyes flashed over the animals until he found a cow suitably fat. With his eyes locked on her, he slowly moved through the long grass until he was within throwing distance. Taking very careful aim, he hurled his spear and watched as it sunk deep into the massive beast’s side.

She gave off a great, explosive grunt. Eskandar quickly backed away into the long grass and watched as the animals scattered, getting his bow ready. The large cow, with the spear still in her side, was also attempting to run away. Eskandar was not worried, she would run for a small while, but would eventually collapse. And even as he watched, the animal slowed down, her hooves struggling with the mud, and her flanks collapsed beneath her. Bato gave off a whoop and Elia laughed as Eskandar made his way to the prize. The two followed him and looked at the fearsome beast.

‘Remember,’ Eskandar said as he crouched some distance from her and waited for her to breathe her last, ‘we hunt to eat. Our glorious Moon-Mother has given us the earth and all that is in it, but we must not abuse it. We hunt the great-furred-two-horn for food, not for any other purpose. We kill no more than we need. We do not waste what we have,’ and with that, he walked over to it and began skinning it with a large stone knife, and Bato helped him. Elia watched and did as her father showed her. They carried what they could back to the camp, then returned once again and carried the rest. On the third return, they collected the bones and walked through the prairie until their father stopped them in an area full of dead grass and plants.

‘That the prairie may be full of life, we must rid it of what is dead and unneeded,’ he told them and commanded Bato to run back to the camp and carry a flame to them. As they waited, Eskandar and Elia circled around the area, clearing out any plants and creating a gap between the area to be burnt and the rest of the prairie land. When Bato arrived and gave the flame to his father, Eskandar handed it to Elia and told her to burn the part they had encircled. With no small degree of anxiety, she did so, looking back a few times for confirmation before setting the dead plant-life alight. The fire spread quickly, hungrily consuming the dead plants, and Eskandar backed away from the blaze and watched as the fire spread. It was contained by the gap he and Elia had created, but he would wait a while until the fire had fully calmed before leaving it. One never knew when a wild spark would manage to fly across the clearing and start an even bigger blaze.

‘This is but a small fire, that you may understand. The prairie is large and I have burnt much of it many times, and every time it returns greener and more beautiful than before. The earth is given us that we may make it bloom, and make it bloom we shall.’ 

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[i]Moon: 273[/i]
Bato lay under the huge tree, looking up into its thick branches and pondering deeply. For the past six moons he had been roaming the prairie on his own, for his father had commanded him so. He had told him that in order to become a man, he had to survive alone out in the prairie for six moons. The boy, barely aged a cycle and twenty moons, had obeyed.

Taking nothing – for his father had forbidden it, not even clothing or a spear - he had ventured out into the wild. Though young, he had accompanied his father out on hunts and had long ago learned to make spears and skin animals and light fires. He made his place of stay near the River of the Moon-Mother, beneath a huge tree with a big trunk and thick branches which protected against wind and rain alike. And when the whim took him, he climbed up into its thick, powerful branches and slept there.

[centre][img]http://orig03.deviantart.net/ea0e/f/2012/234/8/4/river_in_grassland_by_viridianmoon-d5c27co.jpg[/img]
The River of the Moon-Mother[/centre]

Fish was plentiful and would have sufficed him, but his father had told him that he had to bring back with him ten hides from the great-furred-big-horns, and two teeth from the [url=http://i.imgur.com/PeNS25T.jpg]Big-Tooth-Mighty-Claw[/url]. Hunting down the great-furred-big-horns had simply been a matter of time, he needed to make a spear and eat after all and the great creature provided much meat.

He had gotten to making a spear almost immediately, and the huge rocks at the river side were perfect. He hammered against one of them with a smaller rock, striking the edges in order to break a suitable slab off. He inspected the bits that came off from time to time. Eventually finding one which satisfied him, he climbed atop a large stone and began carefully striking the edges of his budding spear tip, and finally sharpened it with a smaller stone with a sharp edge. Satisfied, he went searching along the river-side for a small tree, eventually finding one that was slightly taller than him. It took some work, but he eventually uprooted it and set to breaking away its roots and small branches. He tested it a few times, jabbing it and throwing it, and he was pleased with it. Getting a stone with a sharpened edge, he cut away half the width of the wood at the top and tested the spear-tip. [url=http://i.imgur.com/ufDILN8.png]It would fit perfectly and only needed to be tied in place.[/url]
All he now needed to do was tie the stone spear-tip to one end of the rod. With the stick and stone safely under the huge tree, he began collecting long blades of grass. Amassing a good amount, he crouched by the river side and held the dry grass in there and waited. A good ten minutes later, he withdrew his hands and began working on making rope from the grass, twisting braiding the pieces together into a stronger fibre. He pulled on the rope a few times to tighten it and test its strength and was satisfied.

Before long, he had tied his stone spear-tip to the rod and was gambolling around with his newly-made spear, eager to test it on a great-furred-big-horn (and get the necessary material to dress himself). And he did so many times and collected the ten hides needed for him to become a man. But he dared not face the fury of the Big-Tooth-Mighty-Claw, and for long did he think of how to slay such a powerful predator. For many moons he watched the creature from afar. Some hunted in packs while others were solitary. His father had hunted one such beast with him once. They had both dug a very deep pit and covered it with branches and dead grass, and had made it attractive to the beast by placing a dead deer near the pit. They returned a good three days later and discovered that one of the huge cats had indeed fallen in. The mighty being did not look so mighty, however. It had gone almost three whole days without food or water and was lying on its side, breathing frantically.

‘Even the mightiest beasts are as children before us,’ his father had told him, ‘for beautiful Elysium has blessed us with minds and given us the world to do with as we please. It is not with the power of the body that man rules, but with the complete superiority of his mind,’ and Bato had listened to every word his father said, and he had pondered on those words, and he lived them, for they were the Law.

If he was to hunt the Big-Tooth-Mighty-Claw, he would have to use the might of his mind, not the strength of his arms. And now he sat under the huge tree thinking on how to trap the beast. It would take far too long to dig a hole and trap it, and he could not simply put a carcass under the tree and jump on it from above – the lowest branches were far too high up for that. 
He had watched the great beast long, and he saw that it did not chase its prey, for it was slow and could not run long. Instead, it sat in wait and pounced upon its unsuspecting victims, tearing out their throat and leaving them to bleed to death before feeding on them. Other than physically hunting down the beast, the only thing for it was to lure it where the prairie broke off into hilly terrain. There were many gullies and rocks there. He could easily lure it and drop a great rock on it while it fed. If it did not die from the blow, he would be able to finish it off with his spear.

He sat up, his eyes wide. Would it work? He had considered so many other things – hanging a rock from a tree with a giant rope and cutting it loose (but making such a large rope would have been as long as digging a pit), and he had considered spearing it from up in the branches (but there was every possibility that the beast would sense his presence, then he would be the one trapped), and many other such ideas. But this one seemed like the best. And so he went for it. He used a huge great-furred-big-horn to lure the beast, and he waited long with a huge boulder at the ready. 

It took long, and various other predators would find the carcass and go off with it, forcing him to hunt another. Two tiresome weeks passed, and he grew convinced that the plan would not succeed, even as he dragged yet another lure – a deer this time – and hoped for the best. He had hardly gotten atop the gully when a band of four Big-Tooth-Mighty-Claws appeared and made for the trap. Overjoyed, Bato stayed low and waited for them to begin feeding. Ever so slowly, he crept to the edge of the small hill and, without so much as releasing a breath for fear that he would be heard, dropped the small boulder down the side. The beasts perked up immediately and scattered, but one of them had buried its head deep into the deer’s stomach and could not remove it fast enough to escape. The rock glanced off its flank and rolled away.

Worried that he had done no damage to it, Bato decided to run back around and track it down if he had to. When he got there, he discovered that it was gone, but he could hear its groans and knew it to be nearby and injured. Hefting his spear, the young boy stalked forward to claim his prize and become a man.

He found the mighty being hobbling away not too far from where he had injured it. Its leg had clearly suffered damage from the blow. Without hesitation, adrenaline over-riding the crippling fear running through him, the boy ran forward and plunged his spear deep into its other flank. The Big-Tooth-Mighty-Claw gave off a horrendous roar of pain and tried to scamper off, but it was futile. Keeping the spear-point between him and the great cat, Bato circled round and stared into the cat’s eyes. He looked carefully and ensured that he would forever remember this moment and this feeling. The moment he became a man. He plunged the spear into the beast’s chest.

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[i]Moon: 320[/i]
‘A large group, you say?’ Eskandar looked up quizzically at Bato.
‘Yes, men, women and children,’ the young man replied, ‘they looked to be quite settled in the Hills-Beyond, and I tracked a few of their hunters. They hunted fish from the Moon-Mother and they took of the great-furred-big-horns,’ at these words, Eskandar’s face darkened visibly. Who were these upstarts who dared trespass on their hunting grounds? He slowly got to his feet and commanded Bato to call on his siblings and prepare to drive off these trespassers.

For the first time in many moons, Eskandar brought down the Bow of the Moon-Mother. The arrows were kept in a rawhide quiver, and the bow was strung over his shoulder. In his right hand, he held his trusted spear. Over the years, he had experimented with the old woman’s strange concoction, and he had been able to create pastes of different colours, and he had taught his children how to use them for camouflage. In this upcoming encounter, they would also be used for terror. The trespassers would not know what hellish demons they had called upon themselves when they dared trespass on the hunting grounds of the Eskandars. With his warrior life-mates, Seri, Belu, and Anja flanking him, and no less than seventeen of his children following behind, the warband made their careful way through the prairie, crossing the Moon-Mother and making for the Little Big-Trees where they would not be so easily spotted.

From there, Bato directed them silently towards the enemy camp, which was not too far from the western edge of the Little Big-Trees. It seemed like they had chosen to make their camp on a small rise by the river. It was an intelligent spot, for no one could approach the camp without being spotted – if there was anyone looking, that is. It would still be a risky thing to fall upon the camp, and so Eskandar decided that they would camp out in the forest and keep watch of the enemy camp. When some hunters left to take of the prairie’s blessings on the Eskandars, they would ambush them.

‘Do…do we kill them?’ Elia’s eyes were wide as she asked the question, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of killing other humans – even if they were trespassers. Eskandar thought on the matter for a while before shaking his head.
‘We surround them when they are far from their camp. If they surrender, we do not kill them. We take them for ourselves. They serve us, and we take what life-mates we want. If they fight, we slaughter them all,’ with his commands clear to all, he ordered that the person keeping a watch on the enemy camp should be there at sunup, and should switch at midday, and again when the sun is halfway down, until sundown. 
‘If you spot their hunters, you come back and tell us, and we stalk them until they are far. Then we trap them,’ and with that, the waiting game began. It did not take too long. After two days of waiting, a band of six hunters emerged from the encampment and made for the prairie. Eskandar set out, along with his three life-mates, as well as Bato, Elia, Meli, Zeri, Sarin, Tora, Hezric, Orif, and Jarl. Eskandar stuck to the forest edge and stalked them while the rest of the warband kept deeper in and carefully followed his lead. As the hunters went deeper into the prairie, Eskandar and his warband emerged among the long grass and stalked them, fanning out widely and slowly surrounding the hunters. 

When they had closed in as far as they could in the long grass, without alerting the hunters, Eskandar rose up in the long grass and gave off a mighty ululation. The hunter turned, their spears at the ready, suspicious of the strange demon who had emerged from the grasses – indeed, his colour was red and black and yellow, with a mixture of what may have been natural skin here or there. With their attention on him, Eskandar notched an arrow into his bow – and they seemed to not realise what it was, for they did not react – and he let it loose, purposefully missing. The shock of the group quickly turned to anger and one of them grunted a few words before hefting his spear and charging towards Eskandar. He was quickly followed by the rest of his group. Taking a few steps back, Eskandar prepared his spear and shouted for his warriors to rise. And they did so. Screeching and giving off the most demonic screams, the Eskandars rose up from the long grass and quickly encircled the terrified group, sharpened stone spears pointing sturdily at the trapped hunters.

‘Bend your knees or die,’ Eskandar growled, and they seemed to understand him, for they did so, placing their spears on the ground before them and getting down on their knees. Their weapons were quickly taken and their hands tied behind them with thick rope. More rope was brought and tied around their necks, and they were all tied together in a line and marched off to the Eskandar encampment. Their feet were tied and they were left with Eskandar’s other life-mates and children.

The operation was carried out twice more before the enemy camp stopped sending out hunters altogether. Eskandar waited a few days more, ensuring that they went some time without food – any warriors or fighting spirit would be consumed by their hunger.

Soon enough, Eskandar struck with his warband, descending upon the camp in the early hours of the morning, before anyone had awoken. Those who in the camp were either asleep or too hungry to offer up any resistance. The entire camp was looted, and its women, children, and remaining men were marched off in ropes to the Eskandar encampment. The enemies were some fifty-seven, individuals in total, seventeen of them mature males, twenty-seven mature females, and the other thirteen were children.

Of the women, Bato took four life-mates, Gar took three, Sheb took two, while Sarin, Caz, Hezric, Palo, Orif, Derk, Reyk, Jarl, and Wezar were given one each, as they were all mature and had taken part in securing victory over the enemies. The other seven women were left to serve and do as Eskandar’s life-mates wished. The thirteen children were sent to live in the cave with Eskandar’s own children, and they quickly learned to do as their Patriarch commanded.

Of the sixteen men who remained, Elia claimed four for herself, Meli took three, Zeri another three, Tora took two and Rana took one. The four who remained were permitted to set up their own tents and to take as life-mates as many of the remaining women as they wanted – so long as they obeyed their Patriarch in all he commanded them. This they accepted grudgingly, which made Eskandar doubly suspicious, and he kept his eyes and ears peeled for anything strange.
 
His suspicions were confirmed one night as he stalked past one of the new tents, and he heard those within it conversing in hushed voices. He crept closer and tried to make out what it was they were saying. Something about ‘the monster’. But more than that he could not quite make out. He put the matter to the back of his mind, deciding to deal with it in the morning, and returned to Cala’s loving arms.

When morning arrived, he sat before his fire and called on the tribe to come to him. It did not take long for those who were awake to alert those who were asleep, and for everyone to gather around the Patriarch.

‘As I slept during the night, I had a most frightful vision. I know not what to make of it, but I have been seeing this self-same vision for many nights now, and I fear it is due to the coming of you foreigners into our tribe. You have not told us why it is that you came to our lands. I have seen something in my visions, a terrifying monster-’ the moment he spoke the word, a great commotion broke out and some of the new tribals looked visibly shaken.
‘How? How do you know of the monster?’ one of the men asked, his voice trembling.
‘It is not for you to ask where the Blessed get their blessings from, now speak. Tell me of this monster and what it has done,’ his words were a command, and his command was to be obeyed. After a few of the women – who had reacted worst of all – were calmed down, one of the older men – whom Elia had taken as a life-mate – sat across the fire from Eskandar and began relating the story.
 
‘Not more than a hundred moons ago, a strange creature descended from the moon and entered the holy cave of the Wise-Woman. We were all extremely scared, but the Wise-Woman was scared most of all. She kept saying, “it is as he said, it is as he said”. But none of us knew what she was talking about. She told us that the monster that had entered our holy cave had to be offered gifts, or its wrath would descend on us. But we were all terrified, we did not wish to go anywhere near the holy cave. Not long after, the earth itself rumbled beneath us, and creatures stranger than anything we have ever seen descended from the moon also. And one, a giant with immense wings and endless eyes, hammered into the ground and destroyed the cave. Then the monster rose up out of it and floated above the strange winged beings it had summoned. It was a thing most terrifying, and the Wise-Woman fell ill from the terror of it and died soon after. And her final words to us were, “it is as he said. We are cursed,” though none of us knew what in the name of Elysium she was referring to. But we did not wish to remain in a place that was cursed, and so we left. The last we saw of that place was the monster sending away the strange beings, and in their place it brought forth a giant man-bear; a beast as I have never before witnessed. I know not what came of them, or where they have gone, or when they will come for us again, but ‘tis a thing most terrifying and many of us still have horrific visions of that monstrosity and the strange minions it summoned forth. One can only pray that our Moon-Mother will protect us from it and what it has summoned,’ the tale was met with awe-struck silence, and Eskandar himself could not help but raise an eyebrow. But it was clear to him that he spoke the truth, for he recognised these people now. The wrath of Elysium herself had descended upon them, and she had brought them to him as slaves, where once they had been free and blessed with him among them.

‘Fear no more, for the curse has been lifted and you have returned to the blessing. No monstrosity shall harm you so long as you remain with the Blessed of the Moon-Mother, and are ever obedient.’

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