[centre][h1]The Wuhdige Tribe[/h1][/centre]

A full half century had passed since the arrival of the first later-named Spirit Bird, and by now they had taken many of the original discoverers of their home island with them. Tokuanhe had passed a seal’s age ago, and his son Jokuanhe had been ruling for the following twelve years alongside his wife, Julempe. Donwah and Dondo’e had both competed eagerly for the title of tribe champion in the beginning years, but as time had gone on, it had seemed that neither was able to utterly best the other in any activity the selka could think of, whether this be running, hunting, rock throwing, lifting or even wrestling. In perhaps a bit of desperation to get them to stop, Jokuanhe had thus named them both champions, though this had sown some seeds of rivalry between them. Likewise, Tokuhe had also risen to the challenge and requested to compete for the title, but Jokuanhe had denied him the right, reasoning that his own son had not been of age at the time, and that Tokuhe would have needed to rule in his stead should anything happen. This had been an adequate trade, Tokuhe had thought, and life continued in peace for the Wuhdige.

However, as the years passed and Jokuanhe’s son, Jotokan, as well as Tokuanhe’s youngest Yukuanhe both grew into adults, the battle for succession slowly began to split the clans. First, Tokuhe, being the oldest, claimed the title of successor for his own, arguing that Jotokan was still young and inexperienced - much too immature for the title of chieftain. Jokuanhe had defended his son, but his very need to do that had already proven to the rest of the tribe that the chieftain’s son still was illeligible to rule. However, quickly Tokuhe was challenged by his younger brother Yukuanhe, who reasoned that Tokuhe was old and frail - much too weak to lead the great Wuhdige tribe. Tokuhe rose to the challenge, and was as such given the right to select the game they would compete with; however, he was much too certain of himself and chose a mastered art from his youth, though one he had not practiced for many years since - rock lifting. 

Yukuanhe had been reluctant to accept - while Jokuanhe had always been the fastest and deftest in their siblings flock, Tokuhe had a secret technique that allowed him to lift nearly any rock. While both Jokuanhe and Yukuanhe had always thrown his stones and sticks further and harder than Tokuhe, neither had ever bested him in rock lifting. However, the youngest brother knew his advantages: Tokuhe was indeed old and frail - not in seven years had he shown his skill, excusing himself with an ageing back and aching legs. No one had seen him lift much heavier things than pebbles. It was rude to pick on your elders, so no one had ever pestered him about whether he could still claim his title as the greatest rock lifter, but Yukuanhe had been certain that the old seal’s muscles and bones were much too weak to best him.

He thus had accepted and the tribe had gathered before the Home Cave to witness the duel of strength. Jokuanhe, an old and aged seal whose spirit had began to call for the Spirit Birds, had barely managed his way out of the cave to see the spectacle. Even from the far reaches of the island, the split-off families like the Julu, Woiwoi and the newly formed Yugweh made their way over to see. The perfection of cliff-tears, now-dubbed stone-spit, had allowed for more spread out and larger camps, no longer solely reliant on body heat to survive the icy nights. It also allowed for big “fire fish feasts”, which were rampant in the background of the event. The rules had been laid out: There would be ten rounds with increasingly heavier rocks. The one who could lift the most would win. The event brought in more selka than had gathered outside the Home Cave since the burial of Tokuanhe and Odende. In the background the fires were raging as selka threw some fish on their barbed spears and held them over the fires.

The competition began. For the first five rounds, both parties showed both strength and skill - Yukuanhe’s raw power radiated around him and oozed outwards through sweat, groans and the pumps of veins. However, the gray Tokuhe proved to be a most able opponent, his flawless technique allowing him to lift many kilos worth of stone with seemingly no effort at all. Yukuanhe’s curiosity gnawed at his mind - how did he do it, the old blubberball?! However, as both parties were required to lift simultaneously to avoid any cheating, the younger brother never got the opportunity to study Tokuhe’s technique. As the match reached its halfway point, they both shook hands lovelessly and went their separate ways to mingle with their closest. Yukuanhe sat racking his mind over how the old seal did it while he ate his halfway lunch, his great stature surrounded by his own kin - all who praised him, hugged him and marveled at his strength. However, the youngest brother heard none of it - all he thought about was how his elder could put up such a challenge in his vastly frailer form. Despite the blubber, he knew a good gust could blow away the old clump. So why, why and why could he not win?!

The next set of rounds began. Reinvigorated by both food and fury, the giant Yukuanhe took his place next to the small boulder. Opposite of him stood Tokuhe, his visage as determined as Yukuanhe’s own. The following two rounds went by, the seventh round characterised by growls and grunts from Yukuanhe’s exhausted form. How, by his own pa, how?! How did his brother manage to lift these weights without so much as a single sound beyond a quiet [i]hup![/i] - he could not figure it out. 

The eighth stone was rolled over. The size had grown to the point where one normally needed two selka to carry it. Yukuanhe coughed and felt a metallic taste in his mouth. He took a moment to study his adversary: Tokuhe had an almost intimidating ability to hide his weakness despite his age, yet even dulled eyes could see that the old selka was tired. The crowds held their breaths as the competitors took their stances. Yukuanhe exhaled two vents of hot air through his nose and bent his torso forward, curving his back and flexing his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around the stone and awaited the signal. He dared not look up for fear of being disqualified, but he knew the geezer’s stance already was radically different from his own. Naturally, no others would share the competitors’ secrets for fear of the game losing its fun and flair, but right now, Yukuanhe cursed that culture. 

“Go!” went the judge and Yukuanhe flexed his back muscles. They ached after all the lifting - a deep-rooted pain that he had felt many times before when lifting rocks, and a common ailment among the greatest in the sport. Strangely, he thought as he lifted, all others but Tokuhe had felt it… Now that he thought about it, didn’t Tokuhe actually straighten his back when he--

“ARGH!” came a roar from the opposite side. Yukuanhe had lifted his boulder to his chest at that point and the judge called for the competition to stop. As Yukuanhe dropped his rock into the sand, he saw Tokuhe kneeling a few metres before him, one hand clutching his lower back and his other resting on top of the boulder. Surrounding him were his wife, children and friends, all patting him all over to in an anxious effort to help. 

“What happened?” Yukuanhe called. “We wasn’t finished, y’hear!”

The judge whispered something to Tokuhe, who shook his head. The judge nodded somberly and went over to Yukuanhe, grabbed his hand and raised it into the air.

“Tokuhe gives up! Yukuanhe’s gonna be the new chief after Jokuanhe!” 

The crowds exploded into a cacophony of celebration and complaints. Yukuanhe took a moment to let it sink in, then raised his other hand in victorious celebration. As he laughed joyously, however, more and more of the other selka noticed Jokuanhe had fallen over. As more and more were notified, all the present selka rushed to his side. 

The chieftain was dead, and in the distance, the great Spirit Bird approached to take his spirit to the Cave of the Family Jewels, the new, sensibly named afterlife now that the great Ocean of Fish was deemed to be fake. Yukuanhe was promptly named chief. During his rule, Tokuhe passed away, having been left crippled and broken from the competition, and Yukuanhe did not rule for long anyway, for a fever took him a mere three years after his ascension to chieftain, leaving Jokuanhe’s son, Jotokan, to rule the Wuhdige. It had been fifty years since the first arrival of the Spirit Birds, and the last of Tokuanhe’s sons had been claimed by it. 

Jotokan, already far over middle-aged, had been aged by a determination to prove Tokuhe’s accusations of immaturity and inexperience to be gravely wrong. As such, he had spent the years since the very start of the succession dispute striving to become a true Wuhdige, leading hunts and fishing trips, digging and building burrows, being a loving husband and father and participating daily in sports and games. In terms of popularity in the tribe, he vastly outranked every other runner-up for the chief spot in the Home Cave, and while he initially brought the tribes tightly together, he created a dependency on his own personality - a glue sustained by his own character that held together increasingly ambitious and competitive clans, and so it was a beautiful day in the autumn when the apples and pears grew thick and juicy and the mushrooms were plump and nutritious that Jotokan received the news:

“Chief! Chief!” Duhwah, son of the deceased Donwah and Yui, shouted as he came running into the Home Cave. The chieftain gave his champion a concerned frown and stood up - as did his wife, Selenu, and his children, Aloo, Kulee and Tokkan. 

“What’s got you pantin’, Duh?” Jotokan asked with a scratch of the head. Duhwah spent a few minutes catching his breath, holding up a finger to signal a pause. Selenu gave Jotokan a uncertain look. “Look, Duh,” she started, “This is why you can’t always be the rock-thrower. You gotta be the catcher, too, sometimes.”

“Oh, shu’h… Uhp!” the warrior groaned and finally straightened himself up. “Oh’kay, I think I’m gooh’d,” he mumbled with a shake of the head.

“Alright, then, what you got to tell me so much you sprintin’ harder than ol’ Eliul when he hears ‘fired fish’?” Jotokan asked as he plopped his hands on his well-toned, yet slightly blubbery hips.

“It’s, uh, pretty related to the Elus, actually, chief,” the champion said sheepishly. “Or, uh, more specifically, the Julus. The boy Julo has been pretty loud about his wantin’ some room in the Home Cave, as you know…”

Jotokan snorted and shook his head with a roll of the eyes. “Julo’s still just a boy, Duh. He’s loud, yeah, but it’s his gramma and grampa’s fault that they moved away to begin with. If he wants a spot in our cave, by ol’ Yop in the clouds, he gotta come take it himself.”

Duhwah made a sheepish grimace. “Now, uh, chief, y’see… He’s here already.”

Jotokan recoiled in surprise and on cue, a young, smirking selka came into the cave with a frivolous gait, followed by ten others. He put his hands on his hips and looked around, admiring the inside and the paintings the selka had made on the walls. “Now -THIS- is a home!” Julo exclaimed and turned to his followers, who seemed to be the rest of his immediate family. “Got a nice, warm feel; keeps the snow out; no wind… ‘S perfect!”

“Julo, what’re you doin’ here?” Jotokan asked impatiently. Julo ignored him.

“I think we’ll sit ourselves down oveeer… There!” He pointed at the spot of the cave right next to Jotokan and the other Tokuan descendants, the part of the cave specifically carved out for the Elus, complete with neat drawings and symbols on the wall and ceiling above it. Jotokan grunted and clapped his hands together to catch his attention. Julo gave him a roll of the eyes. “Hey, chief,” he mumbled.

“Oi, Julo! What you think you’re doin’, huh, comin’ in here and claimin’ what ain’t yours? That’s the Elu spot! Last time I checked, you ain’t Elu, nor have you been since your gramps Eliap and Joo left ‘em to make your Julu name. If you want back in, go to your cousin Eel and see if you can get him to let you. Just know that he ain’t too fond of ya.” Jotokan gave the smaller selka a stern scowl, but received only a snicker in return.

“Now, chief, [i]chief[/i], don’chu think I’ve done that? Kelp, I’ve pretty much begged the blubberball to let us stay here, but he ain’t lettin’ up. [i]We ain’t got’ny space[/i], he keeps sayin’, but we know them Elus ain’t as many as they used to be now. Too many girls, our grand-uncles and grand-aunts had, lots of them got with other clans - your woman’s also Elu, if I recall.”

Selenu gave him a glare. “Yeah, but we two ain’t related, you fish-head.”

“We are, and you better like it,” Julo snapped and stuck a finger up in Selenu’s face. The girl hissed and slapped him and Jotokan struggled to break up the following short brawl.

“Alright! Calm down, you two! Julo, you ain’t welcome here with that ‘tude of yours, but you know how we can settle this right. You know the rules - if you wanna get a spot in the cave, you either gotta be born in it or compete to live in it. Thems are the rules!”

Julo snickered. “Yeah, sure, I know ‘em. Been prepping real good for them, too. I wanna challenge my cousin for his spot in the cave!”

Jotokan and Selenu stood staring at one another for an awkward moment. Julo crossed his arms over his chest proudly and his followers sounded a cheer in his name. Jotokan sucked in a breath and nodded at Duhwah, who set off in a running gait out the cave. While they waited, Jotokan sat down and motioned for Julo to do the same, which he did.

“Julo, son, what happened to ya? Your pa and ma were pretty happy folks out there in the wilderness, as their mas and pas had been. What changed?”

Julo snickered and shook his head. “Yeah, they was happy, alright… All that freezin’ and starvin’... Was supposed to be part of the experience, y’know - ‘no strong boy ever got their fish from ma’s hand’, gramma used to say, but she grew up in this here cave. She ain’t known nothin’ about actually growing up out there. Ma and pa heard that line all their lives - they’s quickly started thinkin’ it was the truth, y’know. But we, nah… We’re done with that. We been freezin’ and starvin’ enough.”

Jotokan sighed and waved over Selenu. “Hey, Selly, fetch these goodfellas some fish, will ya? And some apples while you’re at it.” Selenu nodded with a frown. Their daughter Kulee came along, too, while their sons Aloo and Tokkan sat down on each flank of their father. Jotokan continued, “Sorry to hear that, son… We always knew y’all had it bad, but… Yeah, never knew y’all had it this hard. Can’t help but ask, though - why didn’t y’all just… Ask to move back? Could’a made y’all some fine burrows out on the beach. There’s still room and--”

Julo snickered interruptingly. “Now y’see that? Back home, I could’a never asked my woman to fetch fish and apples like that, ‘cuz we ain’t got none. Yeah, we could’a moved back, but you’re smart, chief - you know Eel and the Elus wouldn’t have let us live near the cave. We would’a gotten that spot right by the tide line, y’know, where the burrows fill with sea water at night and nothin’s really changed.” He shook his head. “Nah, chief… We throwin’ our rock high and hard. We either goin’ for the big home or we…” He sighed. “... We gotta leave, chief.”

“Then leave,” came a hostile snap from the cave mouth. The selka inside turned to see Eel, a fat, sneering male with a greasy whisker-stache, backed up by six mightier-looking relatives. Julo got to his feet as his family parted the path between them and clapped his hands happily.

“Cousiiiiiiin,” he exclaimed with fake enthusiasm.

“Shut up, you krill,” Eel snapped back. “You know you ain’t welcome on Elu turf!”

Julo gestured around him. “This ain’t Elu turf, couz’, this is the chieftain’s turf - like all Wuhdige land is.” Eel shot some hot air out his nose and Julo frowned. “Like it or not, the Julu are Wuhdige, and we can freely roam around like the rules say.”

Eel thundered over to Jotokan, smacking his shoulder into Julo’s on the way, and shook hands with the chieftain. “Hey, chief, nice to see ya.”

“Nice to see ya, too, Eel. Hope the seas got a lot of fish for ya today,” the chieftain answered. Eel shrugged.

“Eh, Eole got some cod and Elueh caught a few herring. A good catch, I’d say,” went Eel with a warm smile. Jotokan raised a brow.

“You, uhm, you didn’t check the waters yourself?”

Eel patted his large belly and let out a chuckle. “My, chieftain, [i]chieftain[/i], you know I ain’t no fast swimmer. I’d never catch up to ‘em. No, no, good to have brothers and sisters around who can take care of lil’, ol’ me, I say.”

Jotokan made a short-lived frown and nodded. “Yeah, sure. If it works for ya, then I suppose it’ll be alright.” He pointed to Julo. “Julo here’s challenged you for your family’s spot in the Home Cave.”

Eel snapped around and stared Julo down. “Oh, he’s still here? My, chieftain, you ain’t gonna let him do that, are ya? The Elu’s been in this cave since the first days - why, ol’ Elop’s jewel would darn straight crack if we ever left it, I bets!”

“He still has challenged you, Eel,” Jotokan repeated. “Wha’chu say?”

Eel looked back at Julo who was still smirking at him, and then back at Jotokan. “W-why… N-nah, ‘course not! I ain’t recognise this challenge from a darn Julu! Nah, he can go straight home to his there hole.”

Jotokan sighed and shook his head. Julo grinned and made a wide, extravagant shrug. “Welp! Looks like this is it, folks! We ain’t gettin’ it here thanks to this big, wimpy sardine over here.” He thumbed over his shoulder at Eel and the fat selka turned an embarrassing shade of pink.

“W-what did you call me?” he asked with an outraged tone.

“Called you what you is, you wimpy, fat sardine!” Julo taunted and cackled. The rest of the Julus joined in on the laughter, and it was evident that even the Elu Eel had brought along seemed to disapprove of their leader’s answer to the challenge. Selenu came in the cave mouth with two fish, offering one to Julo - however, it was snatched by Eel who bit off its head and pointed the headless, limp cod at Julo’s face. Selenu recoiled and Jotokan rushed to her side, scowling at Eel.

“You take that back, you darn krill! Or else I’m gunna slap you silly with this here cod!”

Julo just stood there smiling. “Yeah, ain’t weird you got so fat if you keep eatin’ every time you’s actin’ like a lil’ scared sardine! Hah!” 

Eel’s eyes went wide and he turned to his siblings, all of whom were either burying their faces in their palms or about to do it. The fat selka grit his teeth over the mouthful of fish and swallowed. “You’re just a lil’ strip of kelp, Julo! Fine! I’mma take that challenge, which means I get to pick the game!”

“As is the rule,” Julo agreed. Jotokan let out a sigh of relief, just as his daughter came in with an armfull of apples, one of which Eel snatched as she walked by him.

“Well, a’ight!” Eel said as he took a bit of the apple, chewed and swallowed. “I choose fish-eating!”

The present selka all recoiled a bit in surprise - all except Julo. Jotokan shook his head and patted Eel on the shoulder. “Look, Eel, it’s a fun suggestion, but we don’t wanna waste food like that. We got lotsa fish, but not enough to watch two selka stuff themselves and--”

“It’s fine, chief,” Julo assured him. “I like this challenge. Maybe I can finally eat my fill of food for once.”

Jotokan remained skeptical, but Duhwah patted him on the shoulder to show his support for the idea. Selenu, looking rather torn now about her allegiances to her original family, also patted the chieftain in agreement. The chieftain’s two sons Aloo and Tokkan also nodded their opinion. Finally, the chieftain gave in and said, “A’ight, fine, fine. Duhwah, take a couple of boys to the sea and fish us another week’s worth. Selenu, fetch some girls and pick some fruit and berries and browncaps. We gunna need as much food as we can get for the winter, so I hope one of yous get full real fast.”

Eel smirked and patted his belly again. “Nothin’ to worry ‘bout, chief. That scrawny krill won’t last long.”

Jotokan sighed. “I hope not, by ol’ Yop. A’ight… You both happy with the challenge?”

Julo snickered. “Sure am, chief. When do we start?” Eel nodded with determination.

“A’ight, we startin’ in three days. We gonna need to stack up the food piles first. What’re the stakes?”

Julo raised a fist into the air. “If I win, the Julu will take the Elu’s place in the Home Cave! The Elu’s gunna be living on the beach!” Jotokan nodded and looked to Eel who raised his own fist.

“If I win, the Julu won’t just go home to their holes - they gunna leave the Wuhdige for good!” There came several gasps, even from the Julu themselves, but Julo nodded. 

Jotokan furrowed his brow. “These terms agreeable?” he asked both parties.

The contestants nodded. Eel glared at Julo and punched his fist into his palm and then left the cave. Soon, the chieftain’s family, Duhwah and the Julu were all that remained. Jotokan sighed and rubbed his temples, Selenu hugging him for comfort. The chieftain looked up at Julo who still stood smiling at the waddling figure making its way away from the cave. He pursed his lips and let out a pensive hum. “So… Really that set on gettin’ in, huh?”

Julo nodded. “You have no idea, chief… A’ight, we’ll be back in three days.”

“Three days,” the chieftain agreed. With that, the Julu went out the cave entrance and away from the main camp. Selenu rubbed her chin against Jotokan’s shoulder and sighed.

“Really got big changes ahead, don’t we?” she remarked.

Jotokan nodded. “Yeah… Real big ones.”

[hider=The Timeskip!]
The timeskip happens! During those 50 years, there’s a lot of turmoil in the tribe as the old generation is replaced by the new. Jokuanhe takes over as chief after Tokuanhe, but nobody knows who will rule after Jokky. Tokuhe runs for the role of champion, the tribe’s second in command and one who is illegible to become chieftain himself, but is denied as Jokky wants someone to be able to rule if something should happen before his son, Jotokan, comes of age. However, nothing happens and then there are suddenly three runner-ups for the throne: Jotokan, the chief’s son; Tokuhe, Tokuanhe’s eldest after Jokuanhe; and Yukuanhe, Tokuanhe’s youngest, but also the strongest among the three. Jotokan’s removed from the fight early on account of being inexperienced, and Tokky and Yukky settle it with stone lifting. Yukky is strong, but Tokky’s got that squat lift technique. However, Tokky’s much older than Yukky, and his old bones fail him eventually. Yukky is thus made chief after Jokky dies, but only rules for three years before dying of fever. Jotokan takes over, having spent his life to prove everyone who named him a bad leader wrong. He becomes a respected leader, but at this point, the tribe is starting to form a lot of rivalries inside itself, and the Julu, sick and tired of living outside now that their parents are dead, make their claim for a spot in the Home Cave - specifically the Elu spot. The Elu are having none of this and Eel, their leader doesn’t recognise the challenge as worthy. However, he’s then called chicken by the Julu leader Julo, and promptly accepts the challenge and decrees that they shall have a fish eating contest. The challenge is accepted even though Julo looks to be with a massive disadvantage, and Julo makes it clear to the chieftain that he’s determined to have his family live in the heat of the cave no matter the cost.
[/hider]

[hider=New characters]
[b]Jotokan:[/b] Eldest son of Jokuanhe and Julempe and chieftain of the Wuhdige after the timeskip.
[b]Julo:[/b] Eldest son of Julup and Agih, granddaughter of Agoi, and patriarch of the Julu clan, the offshoot from the Elu pionéered by Eliap and Joo.
[b]Eel:[/b] Eldest son of Ehog, eldest of Elop and Agoihe, and Agola, youngest daughter of Agoi and Yulo. Leader of the Elu clan.
[b]Selenu:[/b] Wife of Jotokan and daughter of Ehog and Agola.
[b]Aloo, Kulee and Tokkan:[/b] Respectively eldest son, eldest daughter and youngest son of Jotokan and Selenu.
[/hider]