Prolog
The arrows rained down on the warriors like a rain shower. Not all arrows hit their target and left a mortal wound in their wake, but they were not discouraged and threw themselves into battle with heartbreak.
The conflict had been simmering for a long time and all attempts to settle the enmity between the two clans had failed despite best efforts.
There was fierce fighting on both sides. The Cuqon had crossed the great river and surrounded the Ignain settlement. The Ignains fought back bravely and defended their lands from the invaders.
A fierce fighter emerged. Her arrows always hit their target and she never avoided a duel.
But the others fought bravely too and followed their leader, who set a good example and shot arrow after arrow at her opponents in the thick of the battle or used her spear to stop the onslaught of an enemy warrior.
They kept advancing and gaining ground, but the defenses didn't give up.
The country had long been littered with the bodies of the wounded or killed combatants, making advance more difficult, but the attackers were not discouraged and fought for every meter and every small victory.
They understood each other without a word, followed the leader's signals and used every free space to advance further.
"She's been hit", one of the warriors called out to the others, and they winced. That was news that froze everyone.
"Especially now", cried the wild warrior, "we owe her that. Her death must not have been in vain!"
In the Heart of the Jungle
After the rain of the past few days, it was a blessing when it finally stopped and the sun came out.
Our clan had taken shelter in our simple dwellings and slowly the confinement was overwhelming. I finally had to go back out into the woods.
The rainforest that lay on either side of the Nousynias was our real home. Lush greenery surrounded us as far as the eye could see. Majestic giant trees soared into the sky, forming a dense canopy of leaves that barely let the sunlight through.
The forest provided us with everything we needed. The young members of the clan gathered berries and plucked the fruits of the forest, while the older war riors hunted with their bows. Their arrows always hit and there was a feast when they returned from the hunt.
The men tended their pelts, tanned them for leather, from which they made clothes, bags and other things, and selected the particularly rich pelts for our sleeping quarters.
My best friend Ilyana accompanied me as almost al ways. She was like a sister to me and we shared every thing. She was a year older than me and was already a full member of the clan and had learned to shoot with a bow.
It was wonderful in the forest. The air was filled with a mixture of earthy aromas and the sweet scent of exotic flowers that shone in myriad colors. An almost inex haustible variety of plants, lianas and growths stretched from the ground up to the treetops and clung to every free spot in the jungle.
"What do you want, Fusytie?" she asked me.
"Let's gather berries", I suggested, "Clourpada is always happy when we bring her bunga berries for Krayne to use as medicine."
Clourpada was our leader, ruling over our clan with wisdom and kindness, and Krayne was a healer, using the fruits and herbs of the forest to make potions that cured all sorts of ailments, healed wounds when one of us was injured, and who gave birth to children.
"And I'm in the mood for fresh chakras", Ilyana laughed, "you know - I'm always in the mood for something sweet!"
"Like Dyalpiupnid?" I answered.
"Nah", she contradicted and grinned, "Dyalpiupnid only has eyes for you. I'm sure he's just waiting for you to finally be old enough for the ritual and you can make him his mate."
"He'll have to be patient a little longer", I grinned.
"Oh, it can't be much longer", Ilyana assured me, "you've grown tall and your curves are a sight to behold."
I blushed. Ilyana didn't mince words and since she had a companion who shared her fur, she talked non-stop about nothing else.
"Just because I'll soon be old enough for the ritual doesn't mean I have to share my fur with him right away", I replied defiantly, "once we have a family, I won't be able to go into the forest as often as I'd like."
"All the more reason we bring Krayne bunga berries", she laughed, "then you can make Dyalpiupnid happy and still go to the forest as often as you like."
"We'll see", I answered evasively, "it's much more im portant that I can finally learn how to use a bow and spears to hunt."
Ilyana was initially satisfied and we looked around at what the forest had to offer us today.
We found a bush with ripe chakras hanging from it. We immediately ate the first one we picked, savoring the delicious taste of its sweet juice.
Then we collected more of them until the bag was full.
But I still didn't have enough. The fruits tasted just heavenly. Greedy I got into another chakra that the sweet juice just squirted. There was simply nothing more delicious!
"Well, you look great", Ilyana laughed and she was right: in my insatiable greed I hadn't noticed that the juice had spilled all over my upper body.
"Oops", I grinned, "is it possible that today is laundry day?"
"Definitely for you", she replied, joining in my happy laughter.
"Then we'll pass Nousynias on the way home and
fix it", I suggested, "or Clourpada will admonish me again."
Our leader was very particular about such things. She was probably worried that if I was careless with my appearance, I wouldn't be able to find a suitable mate.
"I have a better idea", Ilyana replied, "there's a wate ring hole with fresh, clear water not far from here.
A refreshment would be a boon anyway, and you'll be pretty and clean when we get home."
"Good idea", I laughed, "I don't want to mess with Clourpada, otherwise I might never be able to become a warrior and I might end up with one of those superfluous losers.
* * *
The small pool was hidden between dense bushes that shimmered pink and filled the place with a sweet scent.
Ilyana and I quickly slipped out of our robes and jumped into the water.
We splashed around happily and I freed myself from the sticky juice on my skin.
The water was cool and refreshing, and it was nice
to cool off in the heat.
Then I got my robe, washed it thoroughly and hung it out in the sun to dry.
"Now Clourpada has no reason to scold me", I laughed.
"And Dyalpiupnid will be eternally grateful to you for that", Ilyana scoffed.
We giggled happily. It was always fun with Ilyana.
The Ritual
I didn't have to wait much longer. Clourpada called me and asked to see her.
"You're slowly getting old enough to become a full member of the Cucon", she told me solemnly and smiled, "you've always stood up for our clan and helped out wherever it was necessary. You're not just popular with the young Cucon and your friendship with Ilyana has shown me that you have become a reliable and dedicated young woman."
"Oh thanks", I replied happily, "yes, Ilyana is my very best friend. When we work together, even the hardest work is bearable."
"You learned something important there", she replied, "friendships are important in our lives. It's good to have someone to talk to about anything. You'll learn more and Rhacyone will teach you a lot other things."
That was good. Rhacyone was one of those people who always had good advice when one of us needed it.
"At the next full moon we will celebrate our ritual and dance our sacred dance. And you will become a Cucon warrior, learn to use a bow, have a voice in decisions we make together, and you may take the one mate. "
A companion! I remembered exactly how Ilyana had looked forward to this privilege.
At this point it was a lot easier for me to make a de cision. I liked Dyalpiupnid very much. He was hand some and brave, would talk and laugh with me, and occasionally bring me small gifts and flowers because he knew how much I liked them.
For me it was just him - there was no question. If there was one I wanted to share my
Impressum
Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
Bildmaterialien: Jenni Eales
Cover: Jenni Eales
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 17.08.2023
ISBN: 978-3-7554-5012-2
Alle Rechte vorbehalten