[center][h1][b][u]Anhaf[/u][/b][/h1][/center] [hr] Anhaf loosed the arrow, and it nearly found its mark. Alongside him, the other Selka did the same. It had been nearly five days since that first hunting trip - two weeks since the bird arrived at the village. Now, every day, Arryn led a party of hunters out to gather food. And just yesterday, he had decided that one of the hunters was fit to lead a hunting party of their own. Now they had two teams on the hunt instead of just one. The rest of the Selka kept busy by continuing their archery practice, or stubbornly going out to find what fish still remained. Anhaf had decided to join in on the practice, as a means of encouraging his people. He had not claimed the title of chief through blood or force; the tribe had elected him. Thus, it was important that he be held in high regard. He had the best intentions for his people, but if they had no faith in him, he could be deposed, and then someone less worthy might take his place. His people had already begun to doubt his leadership when the shortage began, and even more doubts had emerged when he so readily began listening to the bird, but now that the hunters were beginning to consistently bring back food those doubts had been erased. He glanced over at the shrine of Kirron - a boulder, flat side facing up, covered with blood and topped by a skull. It had not come from a creature they killed themselves, but rather one they found dead in the wild. With all the meat on it, they had believed it to be a gift from Kirron. They had poured its blood on a rock and mounted its skull on top to create a place of worship. Many in the tribe prayed there daily. The most common worshiper, aside from Anhaf himself, was Tohash - an older Selka. Tohash was respected for his age, knowledge, and faith. He had even been a contender for chief, but had accepted his loss with grace. Lately, however, he had proven problematic. He stubbornly refused to learn the bow, instead spending all his time praying or fishing. Tohash still believed that, with enough patience and faith, Kirron would bring the fish back. He had even gone so far as to refuse to consume any meat other than fish, and Anhaf could not grasp why. When asked, Tohash refused to answer. Anhaf had decided to leave the older Selka be. Tohash still brought in fish, which meant he was still contributing, and therefore there was little practical reason to force him to pick up a skill he had no interest in. Anhaf glanced over at a group of Selka who, sharp stones in hand, carved away at sticks. They were crafting more arrows, as Arryn had taught them. The arrows Arryn had given them were more or less just smaller, better balanced versions of the wooden spears they used to catch fish. Given how often they ended up lost, broken, or bent beyond use, it had been a sensible decision to craft more. Indeed, the bird had been nothing but useful. Arryn had taught them valuable knowledge, and even now led a hunting party to help bring them more food. The Avatar had never asked for anything in return, but Anhaf knew that the Hunting God and his Avatar had to be repaid. Then he had an idea. He ordered the six Selka with him to lower their bows. "Follow me!" he said, and then led them into the forest. Tohash looked up from prayer and caught his eye, furrowing a brow in suspicion, but then turned back to the altar. [hr] They emerged from the forest a short while later, carrying a stone boulder. They brought it to the beach, where they washed the worms and mud from the bottom, and then they carried it back to the village. They did not place it directly in the center, but instead near the western edge, close to the tree where the hunters practiced their archery. They positioned it so that the flat side faced the sun, and then Anhaf considered what to put on it. Arryn had told him the importance of ensuring they used as much as what they killed as possible. And Anhaf had done his best to follow that, making sure that every edible morsel of meat was consumed. That gave him an idea. What better way to show that they were honouring Kalmar's teachings than to decorate the altar with proof? So, he retrieved the skull and bones of last night's meal - a great antlered beast that had been brought down. Its bones were more or less picked clean. He brought them to altar, placed the skull on top, and then began to arrange them in a neat pile. "Anhaf! What are you doing?" Tohash's voice demanded from behind him. Anhaf turned to see the Selka standing, with spear in hand. It was the first time Tohash had spoken to him in days. "I'm building an altar," he answered. "We already have an altar to Kirron. Why do we need two? And where is the blood?" Tohash inquired, his eyes narrowed. "This altar is not for Kirron," Anhaf answered. "It is for Kalmar." Tohash clenched his fists, a look of outrage on his face. There was a tense silence. He sucked in air, and his eyes bore into Anhaf's. Then, he almost seemed to explode. "NO!" he shouted. If they entire village wasn't already paying attention to the spectacle, they were now. "You allow the servant of a false god into our village. You accept his teachings, you get us to turn against our old ways, all while spending less and less time praying at Kirron's shrine. Then you go and build... [i]this!"[/i] he waved a frustrated hand to indicate the shrine. "You've gone too far!" Anhaf glanced at the villagers. Only one or two seemed to share Tohash's anger. They were still on his side. Good. He looked back at Tohash and met the older Selka's gaze, raising his voice so that all his people could hear. "I don't know about you, but there is more than enough room in my heart for two gods. Anyone here may worship only Kirron, or only Kalmar, if they want, but there is no reason we can't worship both!" he declared. Many of the Ubbo nodded along to his words. Tohash was not satisfied. "Ingrate!" he shouted in rage, stepping forward and pointing his spear at Anhaf. "Kirron is our creator! He made us! No gifts and no lessons can compare to that! Had you been patient, had you kept faith, we would not have needed the bird's help in the first place!" Tears began to form in his eyes, but the anger in his voice did not dull. "There is still hope. Tear down this shrine, send the bird away, burn those weapons, and Kirron might return to us." Anhaf raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who accuses Kirron of abandoning us, and you say I lost faith?" he challenged. Tohash shook his head. "Don't you see? Why do you think the fish disappeared? It is because Kirron was displeased with us! It was meant to remind us how much we need him, to bring us closer to him! Instead, you ignored this lesson and steered us into the shadow of a false god!" "The fish are gone, either because we caught too much or because they chose to move elsewhere." Anhaf answered. Tohash sighed, and closed his eyes. "The bird told you that, didn't he? That is what he wants you to think!" Then he opened his eyes, and his resolve hardened. "You are no longer fit to lead," he declared and then stepped forward, so that his spear was only an inch from Anhaf's throat. "You will step down, and give-" Anhaf's hand lashed out and grabbed the spear. He pointed it away from his throat and ripped it from the Tohash's grip, then jabbed the butt of the weapon into the older Selka's stomach. Tohash fell to the ground, gasping, but before the old man could get back up Anhaf had already turned the spear around and pressed the tip against his elder's throat. "To threaten the chieftan is to threaten the entire tribe," Anhaf declared. "You know that as well as anyone." He pulled the spear back as if to strike, and then thrust it into the dirt next to Tohash's head. "From this day forth, you are no longer Ubbo, and you are a Selka only in name. You are exiled, and you may never return." Tohash's rage redoubled, and he leapt to his feet. "You cannot stand for this!" he shouted to the rest of the tribe. "This is blasphemy! Stand with me, and we can set things right!" There was silence. Then, one Selka stepped forward - Tohash's son, Yulaf. Moments passed, and then two more came forward. A few seconds later, one of them quickly scooted back it when it became clear nobody else intended to offer support. Nonetheless, those who were willing to stand with him walked right up to Tohash's side. In response, the six hunters who had helped set up the shrine appeared next to Anhaf. Anhaf looked at the two Selka were evident disapproval. "If you wish to join Tohash in exile, you may." They glared back at him, and when he realized they had nothing to say, he continued speaking. "You have one hour to leave." One hour to say their goodbyes and gather their belongings. And so they turned away to do exactly that. The other Selka went back to their business, and once he was no longer the center of attention, Anhaf let out a deep breath. Had he made the right decision? He had decided to put faith in both Kirron and Kalmar, but what if Tohash's words had been true? And even if they weren't, had banishing him been the right move? He had lost three of his people, including his best fisherman, and who knew how many others secretly disagreed with his decision? Part of him also felt like he had failed. He had liked Tohash, and respected him. Perhaps he could have tried harder to convince him, or asked for the rest of the tribe's consensus before building the new shrine. He rubbed his temples. Times were simpler, back when the fish were plentiful and he only knew of one god. But times had changed. He had accepted that, and Tohash had not. [hr] [hider=Summary] Anhaf has decided to join in on the archery training. Meanwhile, Arryn has continued to take out hunting parties. Anhaf reflects on all the bird has done for them, and out of gratitude he decides to construct a shrine to Kalmar. This quickly offends one of the other tribesmen, an older Selka named Tohash. Tohash and Anhaf get into an argument - Tohash believes that they should only worship Kirron, while Anhaf is adamant that they should be allowed to worship both Kirron and Kalmar. Tohash calls for Anhaf to destroy the shrine and send Arryn away, but Anhaf refuses. Tohash threatens Anhaf, and demands that he steps down. A quick fight ensues, which results in Tohash being banished, along with two others who chose to go with him. [/hider]