Young Writers Society

It was well into the night when Eluia stirred. She was lying still and flat, something hard underneath her back. It was smoother than the floor of her hut. She frowned a little and groaned, almost a breath. She shifted. There was something draped over her, heavy and warm but, again, smooth. It wasn’t soft and ruffled like her furs. She smelled smoke and heard the gentle cracking of a fire. She finally heard other sounds around her, light snoring, a beast snorting, two voices whispering. One was warm and deep, a man by the sound of it, and the other was light and bright, like a young doe. The man spoke softly, as if he did not want to wake anyone, Howashay? The woman answered, just as softly, Resti.

Eluia frowned, not recognizing the language. She opened her eyes, gasping lightly as her senses returned and she woke the rest of the way. She saw wooden walls around her, and a pale, furless hide above her. Another hide was draped over her, and there was one underneath her back, trying to pad the hard floor of...whatever she was lying in. She lifted her head and she finally felt it.

Her leg hurt. It throbbed from her hip to her shin, halfway to her ankle, and the area around her knee burned with the smallest flinch of movement. She gasped again and whimpered a little louder, and the pair standing near her stopped their whispering. A flap was pulled open, and a man and woman both peered into the shelter.

Shaysawayk, the woman said, a smile parting her lips. She disappeared from view. It left Eluia alone with the man. She slowly sat up, moving with some difficulty. Her arms and hands trembled from the effort, and there was a sway inside her head. She watched him, every fiber in her body tense with fear and uncertainty. This was not the man she wanted to see.

Where was Mazat? Even better, where was she?

The man slowly raised a hand, showing her his palm. Esee. Amna guna herteya. She must have had a blank expression, because he grimaced and sighed. He lowered his hand, and she finally saw the braided leather band on his wrist. The firelight glistened in the tawny gem woven into the center of it. She perked up, looking at it. Then, she looked at him more carefully. His skin was darker, a little darker than the wood of this shelter, and his hair was brown and braided back. The braids draped freely around his shoulders. His eyes seemed to glow, like honey in sunlight. It was the wild man, the one that saved her.

He followed her gaze down to his band. He smiled a little and pulled one of the leather strips. It came loose, and he slipped it off his wrist. He slowly reached into the shelter, offering it to her. She hesitated, glancing between his bracelet and his face. After a moment, he chuckled softly and extended his reach a little more. Anno yoowanata lyook atit. Takat.

She swallowed and carefully pulled one of her hands out of the blanket. She reached out to him and gently took hold of the band. She felt a spark within the stone. She gasped and brought it closer to her eye, studying the beautiful gem. It wasn’t one that she had seen in their mountains, but it was a gem nonetheless, and it confirmed what she had thought at the beginning. He was her kind.

She looked back up at him. He was still standing there, watching her hold his secret. “Did they capture you?” she asked, forgetting for the moment that they understood two different languages.

The man smiled a little, thin. Weedun’no waordsbuh weyno faysez. Angem. He held his hand out, palm up. She placed the band back into his palm. He nodded to her and put the gemmed band back onto his arm. He then gestured to her, then to his leg. He pat it lightly, and gestured at her again. Maya.

She blinked, frowning a little. She was aware that her leg hurt tremendously, but it took her a moment to remember what had happened. She recalled the horned beast, a break in the trees, and the clash of weapons. She gasped as memories of Mazat and Cihua came to the forefront of her thoughts. She had seen blood from both of them. “Mazat. Mazat! No…!” She flung the hide off of her legs and shifted to get out of the shelter.

The man’s expression changed, eyes widening a little as if with concern. His lips parted and he muttered something to her, but she didn’t catch it. She bent her leg and cried out, instantly putting her hand against her thigh. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Mazat. I have to see Mazat!”

The woman returned, bringing a clay bowl of something with her. She frowned. She muttered something to the wild man, and he responded softly, barely audible. Eluia began to cry again, looking around for any sign of the man she held dear. Was he alive? Was Cihua alive? Or were they being held here, just like her and this man?

She was snapped out of her panic by the woman. She was pale, with hair as yellow as sunlight, and she climbed into the shelter with her. Eluia inhaled sharply and tensed up with alarm, every part of her body poised and ready to strike out at her. “No! Get away from me!”

The man’s hand broke through the shadows and rested on the woman’s shoulders. She stopped climbing and looked back at him. Dont. Gitdan. The woman started to argue, but he spoke again, firm and powerful. His tone commanded respect and carried authority.

Eluia was panting, tears dripping from her eyes and rolling onto her cheeks. She watched, trembling from pain, fear, and emotion, as the woman got down from the shelter, standing outside again. The man stepped into the entryway instead, gesturing for her. She followed his fingers as they waved in a small, gentle circle in front of her, then drew her gaze up to his eyes. He caught her gaze again, and she felt a tap against her head. It was subtle but unexpected. She peered into his eyes, sensing his presence tapping against her thoughts. She swallowed and closed her eyes, looking away from him. The gentle pressure ceased immediately.

He sighed heavily. He spoke with the woman again. A third voice joined theirs, a man in all brown hides appearing in the entry. He barely stood above the wild man’s shoulders, and his face was clean, almost glistening, with bright and cheerful eyes. They spoke briefly, ending with the wild man shaking his head at the other two. The man in brown tipped his chin sharply and backed up from them, finally turning and walking away, out of sight. The woman looked at Eluia again and reached to her, holding out the clay bowl. It had something warm in it, with brownish water that smelled of antelope meat. She thought she saw chunks of vegetable in the dark water. Eluia sniffed and looked at the bowl, curious and hungry, then looked at the man for guidance. When he nodded to her, she took the bowl. It was warm against her hands. The woman nodded to her and smiled, the expression showing kindness, and held her hands to her own mouth as if pretending to drink. Eluia followed her cue and put the bowl to her lips, drinking from it carefully.

Eluia gasped, eyes widening with pleasant surprise. The taste of it was rich with life-giving meat, blood broth, and freshly harvested herbs from the jungle. She smiled just enough to flash her teeth, then put the bowl to her lips again. She drank eagerly, feeling the brew fill her stomach and warm her entirely. But even as she drank, her thoughts strayed back to Mazat. Was he alive? Was he well? Was Cihua alive? Was it even her place to worry about the young man? She had given herself to him that one time, but no claim on her was ever made before the clan.

There was also the situation here: She recognized that this man was her kind, even if from a different clan. She remembered that he saved her from the Man on the Golden Beast, but she was unsure if she could trust him. She knew little about him. But, he had not given her a reason to fear for her life. She finished the bowl and licked her lips clean, carefully handing the bowl back to the woman. She yawned and laid back down among the furs. The warmth of the furs and her full belly lulled her back to at least a partial sleep.

Howashay - phonetic spelling of “How is she?”

Resti - phonestic spelling of “Resting.”

Shaysawayk - phonetic spelling of “She’s awake.”

Esee. Amna guna herteya - phonetic spelling of “Easy. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Anno yoowanata lyook atit. Takat - phonetic spelling of “I know you want to look at it. Take it.”

Weedun’no waordsbuh weyno faysez. Angem. - phonet spelling of “We don’t know words, but we know faces. And gems.”