This is Persistent Dawn. Feel free to talk about what I write and offer suggestions. Earlier, I asked if folks wanted to read it. If there's a bunch of folks don't want me to junk up the forums with this, let me know. Peace!

Please don't point out spelling errors, grammar errors, etc. By the final draft, entire chapters can disappear, paragraphs can be rewritten twenty times and some characters or traits can suddenly appear or disappear. So it's terribly inefficient to work on spelling and grammar issues at this point. Also, style issues (especially "show don't tell") can be silenced. Firstly, b/c I'm experimenting with a form of storytelling that I enjoyed from White Fang and b/c sometimes I tell instead of show in order to return to it in a future draft. Sometimes the words I need aren't ready in my head to put onto paper.

I should note that if you see something inconsistent, let me know. I may have already caught it, but sometimes I forget something important. So far, I think I've caught any inconsistencies in my writing, but man-o-man, sometimes they can trickle in for the bigger books.

I'm aiming for 100-150 pages with this one, btw. It might grow on me, though. We'll see.

I usually write chapter by chapter, but sometimes I'll skip a section or a chapter. If I do that with this book, I'll include a short blurb about what is being skipped. I do this to keep the pace in my head, because I'm not quite sure how the events will pan out, or I'm not able to internalize characters very well at the moment of writing so that I'm not able to produce anything of quality.

It usually takes me 6-12 months after a book is written to finish polishing it up good enough to send out. (I'm still working on another draft of The Darkest Wand many years after its original publication date)

Beware that sometimes things can change in earlier chapters. Names can spontaneously change (this just recently happened in Persistent Dawn b/c two characters had such a similar sounding name that I screwed up who was who and swapped them).

And lastly, my best-reviewed book was my first-written. 2nd best was 2nd written. 3rd best was 3rd written. So this may be utter crap. :)

(btw, "utter crap" is not that cheese-like crust on a cow's boob, but the image suits)

And now, without further ado:

Persistant Dawn

Chapter 1: Big Game

Moses simultaneously released a breath and a bamboo arrow, the first silent and the latter whistling through the air. It caught the heifer <note: I'm going to make the heifer a bull in a rewrite> in the neck, tearing through its jugular. She barely knew what had hit her before she fell.

Moses spent the next few hours chopping down thick bamboo trees and wrapping them in twine-like vines which grew best in this part of the day.

When he was finished fashioning a wheel-less cart, Moses tended the kill. He sliced her clear down the belly and gutted her. He wrapped its entrails around the cart and stuffed as many of its organs into its stomachs as he could.

He worked from the inside out, much like an ant. He cut, pulled, and then placed a chunk of meat onto the cart. He reached into a pouch about his waist and spread a seasoned salt preparation over the meat. And then he’d return to the beast’s interior.

By the time he was finished, only bone and skin were left. But after a few practiced cuts, even the skin was taken up, leaving only a few bones. But Moses was no worse for the job. Although he had spent several hours inside the belly of the beast, he bore only a few splatters of blood on his chest, hands and feet.

With his kill complete, Moses checked the time by looking at the sun behind him. Through a thick cloud of black smoke rising up from beyond the horizon, he could clearly see a third of the sphere rising up from the east. He figured he had perhaps seven or eight hours of rest, depending on the winds. And he was desperate to take it. This kill was especially large and he would need every minute of rest he could get to find the strength to pull it home.

So Moses pulled the skin of the beast over his body, hairy side down, and fell into a deep sleep upon his stomach. Seven hours later, he awoke.

Moses slowly peeked out of the skin. Red light and hot, sulfuric air rushed into his enclosure, but Moses showed no sign of discomfort except for the beads of sweat that instantly formed on his skin. He listened intently for a few moments, and then lifted the hide a little more. He acclimated himself to the rise in temperature, but he also listened a while longer. The creases between his eyes proved that what he heard enraged him, but he lowered himself back to the ground, enclosing himself darkness.

He slowly and silent reached around to the quiver on this back and drew a single arrow – this one dyed green and feathered with longer feathers. Of course, he could not see the green, but the truth was that he could recognize this particular arrow even without the feathers. Moses was a master of his quiver and always knew where each arrow rest.

His body-length bow lay beside him. And though he had only needed to perform this particular maneuver once before in his entire Hunter life, he had full confidence that he could execute it. So in one amazing effort, he hurtled himself onto his feet, threw off the skin, pulled back his brilliantly green arrow and let it fly into the heart of a tiger who was only moments before enjoying what he likely thought was a gift from his animal gods. The poison from the arrow did not have a chance to flow through the tigers’ veins because with a combination of the tiger’s luck and Moses’ skill, his heart stopped upon impact.

It was only after his adrenaline subsided that Moses realized how hot it had become. The winds were against him today. Smoke from the horizon reached its tendrils clear over his head into the uppermost heavens and continued to streak on toward the western horizon. They had made good time and surely it would snow soon back home.

But even with temperatures rising rapidly and he could not let a skin as valuable as a Tiger’s be wasted. He worked quickly and his lines were jagged and rough, but even a poorly made Tiger skin would be worth a very good trade. Though, he had another purpose for it in mind.

After it was skinned, Moses took just another few minutes to tidy up the meat which had been scattered by the tiger. And then he threw its skin on the cart, covered his back with the heavy heifer’s skin, and then retreated from the sun.

Moses was accustomed to pulling a few hundred pounds ten to fifteen miles per day. But this cart was far bigger than normal and it held far more meat than his typical game. Usually entire hunting parties would be needed to go this far, but Moses wanted to surprise his tribe. His father was a member of The Council and had secreted him information: Phoebe was to be given to him as his wife upon his successful return. Now he was sure to arrive with a hero’s welcome. The most beautiful woman on the earth was about to become his. And he would be bringing enough meat for a feast and a tiger skin to give to his new wife as a wedding present. Life could hardly be better.

But the trek home was a long one, especially with the blazing heat behind him. He marched as hard as he could until he collapsed. And still the heat pressed on. After only an hour’s rest, he resumed for what must have been thirty more hours. The sun still beat down on him rather hard. The cattle skin was nearly tanned, which was a testament to the hunter’s wisdom he had learned when he was young.

As he marched, he remembered his old master David. “Always skin an animal – even a rabbit. Not only will the skin help the village, but it will help you. When you hunt The Edge, it will protect you from the sun. When you trek home, it will warm you. And always watch for the Behemoth. Its skin is the greatest of all, even taking Job to the Pool of Fire.”

Job, the Behemoth and Pool of Fire were myth from thousands of years ago, but their lessons were true. The further a hunter goes from home, the larger the game they must find, for the larger game not only provides more food, but its skin is thicker and protects its wearer from the sun better than most things can. And this heifer was a godsend.

“Thank you, Lord Jesus, for making the heifer and leading her to graze where my eyes can find her,” Moses prayed. “And give me the strength to make it home with her.”

At that, he felt the Holy Spirit’s prompting him to stop and eat. Usually, he would snack little to none on a return trip. But too many hours had passed him by, and he needed nourishment. So he found his strength in the sun-browned salted beef. He ate nearly a quarter pound of it before he felt strong enough to continue. And then, grabbing hold, he pressed on.

As he traveled, the trees’ trunks shrank and they became leafier and greener. And ten hours later, they were smaller still. And the air was much cooler and smelled fresh and clean. And then, somewhere around the time that the world was all just seedlings, it started to rain. Moses lifted the skin over his head to keep himself dry, but the muddy ashen ground was even more difficult to traverse when it was wet.

He had no idea how slowly he had been traveling, but now he would be lucky if he was moving a tenth of it.

Finally, after he had given his all, Moses passed out into the mud.

Chapter 2: Home


Moses awoke on the back of a cart with his cattle skin draped over him. Snow was falling like lofty angels from heaven. He was being pulled by two men, his cart being pulled by six. Healer Sarah was behind them, walking along beside the cart on which Moses had found himself.

“Don’t get up, though I know you can, Moses,” Sarah said. “You have pressed too hard and hurt yourself – though I understand why. You found quite an animal in the Leaf Region.” She winked.

Healer Sarah was a close friend of Moses’ father. She surely knew that Moses had yet again disobeyed his rightful hunting territory – where the trees are leafiest – and pressed on toward The Edge. But she would also know about Phoebe, and she would know that he knew about the upcoming marriage as well.

“You shall find time on your knees to thank the Holy Spirit for the strength to do what should rightfully be done by six or eight hunters,” she added.

Moses only nodded. He obeyed Healer Sarah and watched the early dawn sky. He found peace in the sounds of the crunching snow, the silence of the vast tundra and the twinkling of two bright stars directly above him. And without much effort, he found deep rest.

***

Moses awoke yet again, this time completely rested. Healer Sarah was no longer behind him. Instead, he saw only a peaceful night sky with a gentle blue glow on the western horizon. He sat up and looked westward toward the familiar sight of a few hundred teepees alit with scattered cooking fires and a brilliant array of millions, if not billions, of stars flooding the sky.

He could also see Samson and Paul decked in thick ox furs pulling his cart over the icy obsidian plains. They were no more than a mile from home. The other hunters and Healer Sarah were nowhere to be found.

“Greetings, Samson. Greetings, Paul,” Moses said loudly.

Samson looked over his shoulder and smiled. “About time you woke up, you lazy goat.”

“Is everyone already back home?”

Samson nodded, facing forward and still pulling hard. “Apparently, Healer Sarah thought it wise to hustle your catch back home so we could have some sort of celebration.”

“Oh?” Moses said with a grin. He hopped off the cart. “What sort of celebration?”

Paul laughed. “Don’t you dare think we’re foolish enough to believe that you of all people don’t know.”

Samson looked back over his shoulder, expecting to see Moses in the cart. Then he looked to his left and was surprised to find that his nimble friend was already walking beside him.

“Feeling better, I see,” Samson said with a smirk. “And you don’t even look worried.”

“Why should I be worried? I’m getting married today.”

“Are you sure?” Samson asked.

“Well, I’m fairly sure. And your ‘subtle’ hints only confirm my suspicions.”

“You don’t understand,” Samson replied in his deep voice. “Will you want to marry her? That’s the question.”

“Of course. It’s Phoebe.”

“I always pictured her with a man more like…”

“What, Samson? More like what?” Moses was growing agitated and his voice was even more so than his nerves.

“Well, more like me,” Samson replied. “No offense, Moses. But you’re not the greatest hunter. Sure, you bring good game, but this is the third time I’ve hauled your sorry self in a cart. You eat too little. Possess too little constitution. You’re like a man’s servant, not a man. And Phoebe. She’s woman. The dangerous kind.”

Moses wanted to be angry. He wanted to shred Samson into fleshy strips of leather with his bare hands. But he was confronted with truth. He was a third of the size of Samson. This was his third trip in the back of a cart – his life being saved all three times by his best friend, Samson, who did not have a relative on the Council.

Would he be good enough for Phoebe? What was the future going to be? What if they weren’t compatible? Would her parents accept him? Could he continue doing what he loved, being a hunter? Were they going to have children? How soon?

The questions kept coming. His heart raced. Was he sure he wanted to be a husband? What did that even mean?

He suddenly found himself sitting on the ice. His chest hurt and his breathing was erratic, but fast.

Samson dropped the cart and fell to a knee. “Hey, I was just harassing you. You’re alright. You’re fine. Breathe.” Samson’s voice carried authority, and Moses obeyed. A few deep breaths seemed to set his heart right. A few more and he could pull himself back up onto his feet.

“I was joking,” Samson assured him.

“No you weren’t,” Moses replied. “You’re right.”

Paul stepped in. “Don’t listen to Samson. He’s foolish. What Samson forgets is that he does not have a mate yet because he isn’t ready. He’s too blunt. He lacks wisdom. And he’s…”

“Hey!” Samson interrupted. “Be nice.”

Paul turned away from Moses and winked at Samson.

“Alright, have your fun,” Samson conceded. He lifted the cart by himself and started rolling it across the hard rock and ice surface.

“Seriously,” Paul said. “Don’t doubt yourself. You’re smarter than most men. You’re from a good family who will support you wherever you should find shortcomings. And you’re the most amazing hunter I’ve ever met. You’ve been clear to the Edge and back, bringing back game twice the size than anyone would imagine. Sure, you’re not as big as Samson and his ilk. But you make up for it. And I doubt Phoebe cares that you’re not a giant. She’ll love you for who you are.”

Moses shrugged. “I hope so. Or it’ll be a short party tonight.”

Paul laughed. “That’s the spirit. A little humor and we’ll be back on your feet.”

Moses smiled, but he wasn’t trying to be funny. As prideful and arrogant as he could be, he doubted everything about himself at the time of his wedding.

***

When the trio finally made it back to the village, they were greeted with desolation. Not a soul walked about. No children played and no babies cried. But the aroma of meat cooking over a spit was unmistakable. And then, from a single skin-wrapped teepee, his father stepped out. This, Moses knew, was the start of his wedding.

“Paul, Samson. Return home. Let me walk with my son.” Moses’ father’s voice was stern and somehow angry.

Moses sighed as he saw his closest friends depart, leaving only his father who, by most eyes, was furious. His arms were crosses, his eye narrow and his lips thin. But Moses could see through the charade. And he knew the marriage ceremony. But what he was unprepared for was the emotional impact of the theatrics.

“You are too loud, lazy and arrogant to remain in my house,” he shouted. “You are no longer permitted to remain with me. You are no longer my blood.” He turned his back on his son.

And then, from another teepee, his mother stepped out. She was wearing his most beautiful skins. “I fed you from my bosom and I bathed you on my knee. But I grow tired of working on you. Leave me be,” she said. And she turned her back on him.

And then, from another teepee, his younger brother Caleb stepped out. He wore the gazelle skins of a hunter-in-training. He shivered beneath them, as all in training. “Make way for me,” he shouted. His voice cracked in the middle of the sentence, which threw away any attempt at boldness from his little brother, but the meaning was not lost.

Moses had rarely been more in love with his family. They had severed him off, abandoning him to…

…her. Phoebe stepped out of her teepee wearing a flowing white cotton gown. Even from two hundred feet away, Moses could see the intricate work of the gown that must have taken thirty seamstresses ninety days to complete. But the gown only served to accentuate her curves and guide his eyes up her body into her face. Her high cheekbones, youthful chin and girlish grin pulled on him like a magnet. And with the force of attraction, he found himself compelled to approach her with even steps.

And with each step, the opposite of what he expected happened. His questions disappeared one by one. His heart calmed. His breathing evened. And when he was a mere twenty feet from her, he was hardly himself at all. He was somehow emotionally or even spiritually melting into his bride.

But then her father and mother stepped out of her teepee and stood in front of her.

“Who are you and what do you want with our daughter?” the asked simultaneously.

Moses’ eyes glued onto her father’s eyes. He was a worse actor than even Moses’ father. His feigned harshness was betrayed by their inherent softness. Moses chanced a glance a Phoebe’s mother and noticed that she wasn’t even trying to act. She was smiling as widely as she could, possibly even a bit giddy.

“Elder Elijah, Lady Anna, I humbly request to become one with your daughter, Phoebe,” Moses replied.

“You have no family of your own. Please make one with mine,” Elder Elijah replied. And then he and Anna stepped apart to fully reveal Phoebe. “Kiss her as a sign of your love and commitment to her and her family. And thus you will be wed.”

And so Moses stepped forward.

Phoebe was even more beautiful this close. Everything about her appearance was smooth and gentle. The firelight from all of the fires in the camp played dancing shadows over her face, which met him with a smile and a tear.

“I love you,” she said.

“And I you,” Moses replied. “Forever.” And then he kissed her.

The moment their lips touched, the very ground beneath them shook with the thunder of shouts and cheers from the entire village which looked on in secret. Teepee doors flew open and hoards of friends and family swarmed around the newlyweds. Both Phoebe and Moses were met with hugs and kisses. A band took up their instruments and played music for them. And for hours on end, the village danced, feasted and told stories of the couple’s youth.

And only when everyone was too tired to dance and eat any longer, Moses’ father approached the couple and said “Follow me.”

He led them to a new teepee. “This is yours, son. Treat your wife well and may you have many children.”

Moses saw his father’s hope in grandchildren written clearly across his face. Almost everyone in the village had a dozen children. But not so with his mother and father. After Caleb was born, something had happened which caused his mother to become barren. And ever since then, his parents yearned for more little ones. Few others in the village could understand what this marriage meant to Elder Elijah, including Moses. But Moses could clearly see how pleased he was and how important it would be to treat Phoebe well.

“I will, Father,” Moses promised. And then he entered the teepee with his wife.

Chapter 3: Married Life

While everyone slept, one teepee was filled with the passion of young lovers. And after their energy was spent, even they slept. And finally, with crust in their eyes and their breath reeking from the feast, they awoke.

“Good morning, love,” Moses said, facing his bride.

Phoebe was silent. She watched her groom’s face. She saw him, but only now did she realize that she did not know him. And, typical for her, she said what was on her mind.

“This all happened fast,” she said. “We grew up together and I wanted to marry you, but I feel like I don’t know you.” She didn’t sound resentful or even hinting at regret. She only stated what she saw was a fact.

Moses chuckled and rolled over to stare up to the center of the teepee. “I know the feeling. I was paralyzed by it on my way back to the village. And you know what I figured out?”

“What?”

“We don’t know each other. We only could know each other a little before we wed. And now we have so much more to learn. We love one another now, but imagine how our love will grow as we learn more and experience more together. We don’t have the answers to our questions. But I know that the answers are found in love.”

Phoebe sighed. “You’re an eternal romantic and a see-good-in-all-er.”

“You disagree?” Moses asked, turning back toward her.

Phoebe paused in thought and then shook her head. “No. Honestly, no. You’re right.”

Moses reached around her and pulled her close.

“I love you,” Phoebe said. “And I can’t wait to see what God has planned for us.”

Moses smiled in response.

***

When they finally exited their teepee, the entire village was bustling. Apparently, they had overslept. But that was their privilege.

They both stretched and yawned, looking eastward toward the perpetual twilight that lit their village with long, soft shadows.

Although both looked in the same direction, they saw different things. Phoebe had never been to The Edge, where fire met earth. She had only heard the tales told by hunters – and most of those stories told by Moses himself. Although he was a young hunter, he was fast. And it hardly hurt that his father’s place as an elder kept him from any stern punishment for taking such terrible risks. Instead, he was always celebrated for his visits to The Edge. To Phoebe, East was the land of hunters and heroes. Heroes like her young husband.

But to Moses, East was far more complicated. Hunting was better, sure. And he had his fair share of being a celebrated hero for brining exotic game to their camp. The wealthiest in his camp wore his furs, and that brought him great pride. But those feelings of elation were subdued by the terrible feeling that The Edge was in fact the edge of his existence. It was as far as he could ever travel eastward. And as the world collapsed into fire and smoke every day and renewed as ice and rock in the far West, only he and a select few knew just how small their world was. And since the day he saw The Edge, he had only wanted it to be a larger world. In fact, that was why he traveled to The Edge so often. He yearned to see more than his eyes would allow. He wanted to see a bigger world.

But now, with his wife at his side, he was filled with a new sense of the world. He felt like the physical world was so small to make room for the world that teemed inside of him. With Phoebe, his world was now wide open. Children, work, love, grandchildren. He could see his life coming together with but a glance at an eastern twilight.

“Day one,” Phoebe said, taking his hand.

“Of many,” Moses hoped.

“What shall we do today?”

“You mean after we see High Elder Luke?” Phoebe asked.

Moses nodded.

Phoebe taunted him by swirling a finger on his chest. “We’ll see.”

Moses thought that married life suited him well.

***

They entered High Elder Luke’s humble teepee with his permission. For each of them, this was their first time in the tent without their parents at their side. Now, they were on their own.

“Sit,” he said in the dim light of a quiet fire.

They obeyed and sat on the warm bison rug.

“You are married,” High Elder Luke said, slowly enunciating each word. “And now you must prove yourselves worthy of child-bearing. Moses will forgo the hunts until Phoebe is with child. And each day, Moses will care for Phoebe. Is this understood?”

They both nodded.

“Is this understood?” he asked again.

“Yes, sir,” they both said.

“Then go and make children to replace this generation with my blessing.”

“Thank you,” Moses said.

They both stood, preparing to exit when High Elder Luke commanded them, “Wait.” They all turned back to see the village chief reach behind him and present a great tiger skin. “A gift from your husband,” he said. “Caught near The Edge.”

Phoebe’s mouth dropped as she accepted the gift.

“You got this for me?” she asked.

“Yes. And thank you for finishing it for me, High Elder,” Moses said.

“It was nothing.”

“But, you shouldn’t have,” Phoebe said, still quite in shock. “We could sell this to a neighboring tribe and feed our village for a week.”

“But, I got it for you,” Moses said with more than a hint of sadness creeping into his throat.

High Elder Luke stood. “We have food, Phoebe. And a gift like this befits you. Not from your love of material things, but your husband’s love for you. If you think this is the best he will give you then you are wrong. Moses is a good man, one of the best young men I have ever met. I foresee that he will do great things for you and this village. So accept the gift to give your man strength and give him every reason to work hard for you.”

Phoebe looked her new husband in the eye and said, “Thank you. And,” she turned back to the High Elder, “thank you for the wisdom.”

“It was nothing. Go and make babies,” he said, smiling widely.

“You heard him,” Moses laughed, opening the door flap for his wife.

<Note: Sorry for the lack of posting. If you're still reading and you feel like talking about what you're reading, please send a message or post here. What are your guesses as to what's going on? Are you able to make sense of some of the odd things?>

Chapter 4: Children

Ten hunting trips passed and still Phoebe was without child. The village packed and moved westward.

And then another twelve hunting trips, and still Phoebe was without child. The village packed and moved westward.

And then the hunting party of the thirty-fourth trip returned home, Moses and Phoebe met their friends with sallow faces.

Samson carried a large gazelle over his shoulder. Paul carried twenty squirrels tied by their tails into a ball. As they met their friends, as they had thirty-four other times, their jovial smiles changes to reflect their friends’.

“Still no child?” Samson asked.

Moses shook his head. Phoebe kept her face hidden by her draping hair. Her beauty was masked by shame.

“Then High Elder Luke will declare her barren?” Samson asked.

Moses nodded.

“I am sorry,” Samson said.

Moses shrugged. Phoebe turned away, heading home in disgrace. Moses stood in the knee-deep snow and stared eastward at the growing twilight.

Samson and Paul pressed on, bringing their kills back to a hungry village. Other returning hunters dotted the landscape as they carried or dragged their prey home. But Moses stood like a sentry for hours, staring.

***

When he returned, he had already missed the wedding celebration of a very young hunter named Obed and his wife-to-be, Ibri. The rumor was that she was with child before the last hunting trip. Obed’s wedding was likely uncomfortable and unkind and Moses was glad to miss it.

Phoebe, on the other hand, was forced to watch from her tent. As she shamefully returned from meeting with the last hunting trip before her barrenness was to be made public and definite, the ritual had begun. But instead of feigning anger, their parents meant it. Apparently, the rumors were true.

Phoebe ducked into her teepee while the ordeal was unveiling before the gawking village, but her friend Sarai was waiting for her.

“Phoebe, I’m so sorry,” she started.

Phoebe turned away from her, unwilling to face anybody. She stuck her face out of her teepee’s flap and pretended to pay attention to the wedding ceremony.

Sarai poked her head out of the other side. “I…” She didn’t know what to say. Her friend from the time they were babies was barren. And a barren woman, no matter their parentage or the fame of their husband, would lead a lonely, pitiful life.

Sarai was not yet married herself and she did not pretend to fully understand Phoebe’s predicament, but she wanted to be present for her friend. So she decided to just watch the ceremony with Phoebe.

“Master Michael, Lady Rizpah, I humbly request to become one with your daughter, Ibri,” they could hear Obed after being shamed by his family.

The entire village was silent.

“I hate her,” Phoebe said beneath her mop of bedraggled hair.

“Hmmm?”

Phoebe turned to face Sarai. “I hate this Ibri girl. Look at her. She’s dressed up in a gown and the village mocks her for her apparently weak thighs. Too weak to keep the slow and simple Obed from O-bedding her. And what is her punishment?”

At first, Sarai thought the question was rhetorical, so she remained silent. But then, after Phoebe said nothing, Sarai decided to answer. “Public hu….”

“This!” Phoebe interrupted. “One day of ridicule. But this lazy prostitute’s shame is my envy. Her life will be complete. Mine will be empty. She gets one day of shame by doing everything wrong. I did everything right and I am now useless.”

Phoebe looked down at herself and laughed. “Me. I am the useless one. Was I not just fifty hunting trips ago the most eligible bride? The most beautiful?”

“Most prideful,” Sarai thought she’d joke. A single glare proved that this was no joking moment.

“And now I have more shame than her? Racca!” she shouted.

And before them, the ceremony continued. “You have no family of your own. Please make one with mine,” the bride’s father said. And then he and his wife stepped apart to give Obed access to his bride.. “Kiss Ibri as a sign…” Michael lost his will to speak. He took a deep breath to regain his composure. But this, apparently, was too much grace for Phoebe to see, for she burst out of her teepee and ran, seething and red-faced.

“As a sign of your love and…” This time, it was not the father-of-the-bride’s will to speak that kept his tongue, but sheer astonishment. Phoebe zipped passed him, fist raised high. And in a single pounce, landed upon the pregnant Ibri, driving two fists six times each into her pale face before Obed and Michael could pry her off.

“Prostitute!” Phoebe cursed at the poor girl, who was apparently conscious but only just.

Obed gave his father-in-law the remainder of Phoebe as he collected his wife.

“Dearest Ibri,” he said. “Come up.”

And with effort, she sat up, which somehow turned on a faucet of blood from her nose. It ran down her lips, in her mouth and dripped off her chin poured all over her beautiful wedding dress. Although the care of his bride and the loss of the expensive dress were certainly Obed’s concern, Ibri was still far too dazed to even care for her own face.

Healer Sarah had already left her teepee and just now reached the poor girl. She pinched her nose and pointed her head up to the stars. “Stay like this for a bit,” she recommended. “And the bleeding will stop.” Ibri couldn’t totally understand, but she allowed the healer to work.

Now with his wife in good care, Obed stormed through the packed snow toward Phoebe. He had a hundred things to say and prepared to hit her, no matter her parentage or husband. His flush face and back-hand rising were evidence enough that Elder Elijah had already dashed from his tent, hoping to intervene in time. But already, he knew he wouldn’t make it on time.

“Don’t you lay a hand on her!” he shouted with his most authoritative voice. But even with his political power, Obed’s fury was growing murderously raw.

“You useless, barren dog!” he growled at her as she stood helplessly bear-hugged into submission by Michael. And then he swung at her with the back of his hand, full forced. But his crotch met her foot as she kicked with such blind ferocity that she sincerely believed she would kick through his body and send his head flying straight above. Instead, he lifted off the earth for just a moment and then doubled over, howling.

Michael picked her clear off the ground after that and hugged tighter than he had a right to. Phoebe threw her head back and connected once with enough force that she heard a crack, but he did not let her go. In fact, he held her even tighter, now restricting her breath. She threw her head back again less out of fervent indignation and more out of desperation, but he pulled his head back enough that she could not connect. But where she missed, her father’s fist landed squarely. And Michael and Phoebe fell together into the snow and ice.

Michael was slow to rise, but not Phoebe. She sprinted from the scene straight into the center of town where large game roasted for the celebration. Without missing a beat, she ripped off a chunk and kept running westward, into the night. She ran for miles until she could run no more. She was cold, out of breath and still furious. The snow was now mostly ice and travel was slow on foot. So she simply quit. She turned off her emotions. She shut down her legs. And she just crumpled into a heap of cold, shameful, useless flesh.

Chapter 5: Moving Day



Moses returned to the village a while after things had settled down. The normal exuberance of Moving Day Eve was rather mute and nobody would tell him why.

“How was the wedding?” he asked Samson as he sat near his teepee, snacking on a chunk of his gazelle.

He only shook his head. “Speak with your father-in-law,” he said.

So he made his way through the crowd of the entire village as they feasted. Old men told stories made sweeter with the accompaniment of drink. Children played games and fought with sticks made from trees which they had never seen. And the bride and groom were nowhere to be seen as they feigned to produce their first offspring, though everyone knew she was already pregnant.

After searching for a while and not finding his father-in-law, he decided that his question wasn’t really in need of an answer. So he joined in the celebration by grabbing a jug of wine and hunk of bison.

He found Paul standing near a bonfire, so he joined him. Paul held a half-eaten roasted squirrel skewered by a sharp stick and a wooden mostly empty of ale.

“Greetings Paul!” Moses called out to him as he approached the light of the fire.

“Greetings Moses,” he said as Moses found a spot around the fire. “You seem happier.”

Moses shrugged. “Perhaps when compared to this ‘celebration.’ Why is everyone so glum?”

“I think it was just the shock of it all,” Paul replied. “I mean, we knew Phoebe was a bit disappointed with her childbearing, but her reaction was… Forgive me. I shouldn’t even speak of it.”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

Paul cocked an eye. “You weren’t here?”

“No, I was… resting and praying. What happened?’

“Ask your father-in-law,” was his reply.

“No no no. That’s what Samson said. What happened?”

“Seriously,” Paul said, “ask your father-in-law. It’s not my place to speak ill of his daughter. Especially when it’s Elder Elijah’s father.”

“I can’t find him. Just tell me what happened.”

Paul sighed. “Follow me.”

And so he led him to Paul’s teepee. Inside, someone had already carefully packed all of his belongings into a small moving box. Now only a bearskin lay of the floor. Paul kneeled on it and offered the spot beside him to Moses. He bowed slightly and then kneeled, facing him.

“I’ll tell you because you are her husband. She attacked Ibri and Obed during the wedding. Though she was only here for a moment, she made a fool of them and tore our village apart for a brief time.

After her attack on the bride and her family, Elder Elijah attacked Ibri’s father. And then Ibri’s mother produced a rock of ice and stuck your father-in-law in the temple with it. Elder Elijah fell, and so his wife and a few of her friends meant to attack Ibri’s mother. And then her mother’s family stood behind her.”

“What?” Moses shouted. He was red with anger and shame. He wanted to doubt Paul’s words, but he knew they were true.

“Thankfully, God has provided us with a wise chief. High Elder Luke intervened and brought the whole argument to a stop. And so we were commanded to enjoy the night.”

“And so where are Phoebe and her father?”

“Phoebe ran out west. I’m sure we’ll catch up with her tomorrow. I suppose her father may have turned in early. He was rather dizzy after the assault.”

Moses sighed. “Unbelievable.” He stood and paced briefly. “When things get difficult, she makes them worse.” He drove his fingers through his coarse, thick hair as he felt the responsibility of maintaining his wife lay squarely on his shoulders.

Paul rose up to meet his friend. “Don’t’ be hard on her. As evil as her actions were, she can hardly be blamed. She is an unquenched woman with passion and life for a dozen women. And she has just been told she is to be declared barren.”

“That is no excuse,” Moses replied.

“Yes, it is. For you, that means going back out and being a hunter – what you’re good at. For her, it means a life filled with loneliness. You will be gone. She will have no children to fill her home. She may be given the occasional opportunity of being a chosen Gatherer, but those times will be rare. Instead, she will sit at home and grow old without a purpose.”

Moses shook his head. “It hurts, I assure you it hurts. But she will overcome this. She has friends. She is good with sewing and knitting and she’s an able Gatherer. So she will sew with a friend and help with their children. We’ve seen it from others. It’s not even rare. She’s overreacting and that is all.”

“I don’t disagree that she overreacted. I think she is struggling with how to react. She probably feels the weight of your disappointment about her barrenness. And the weight of her father and mother’s disappointment. She will be the end of her father’s storied line.” Paul rested a hand on Moses’ shoulder. “Tell her she’ll be okay. Tell her that you’ll make it work. Tell her you’re not disappointed.”

Moses looked his friend in the eye and with a tear said, “But I am.”

***

Since their marriage, Moses and Phoebe had packed the teepee and other belonging together. Although the move had signaled yet another cycle of frustration with childbearing, it had always brought them great joy to work together. They were good at it. And even though Moses was certainly strong and fast enough to pack everything they owned in under an hour, he was only half-way through disassembling the teepee after three hours of frustrating work.

Elder Ezra rested on his back with his head propped up on a bamboo beam from his neatly packed teepee and watched his son-in-law struggle. He thought it unwise to offer his assistance and just allow Moses to go through the motions of grieving on his own for a while. He watched as Moses vainly pulled up on the bamboo beams which were buried deep into the ground. Even with all of the strength he could muster, the beams would only occasionally budge an inch or two.

The poor young man was covered in layers of sweat, which fell to the already soaked mud beneath him. Even so, the green sprouts of the grass beneath his feet were probably happy to drink more as they prepared to grow.

Although lost on Moses during this move, Elder Ezra always took the time to embrace the day before a move. The grass sprouting to the west was always the most vivid green he could ever imagine. And the bamboo quickly sprouting to the east to form the great Bamboo Forest seemed to be like a shield protecting him and his people from the wild beyond. But when he looked at his feet, he knew that soon this very spot would be eaten by the bamboo and spat out into that wild. And so it was those same feet that God provided him that would keep him safe in the west, where nothing lived except man. And where nothing is warm or soft except his wife.

He smiled and thanked God for his feet, and his continued energy. Four people in his village no longer had the energy to make the move. Their teepees were the only ones still standing. They would be swallowed up by the bamboo in a day or two. Their funeral would be today.

Elder Ezra looked back at his struggling son-in-law. “At least you have fight,” he whispered to himself.

“God’s spirit breathes in you and you will live for another day. Don’t forget that. Don’t ever forget that.” At first, he thought he was speaking to Moses. But then he wondered if he was truly speaking to himself.

Elder Ezra lazily prayed for an hour or two. He likely drifted to sleep a few times. But when he finally woke from his prayerful nap, he found his daughter and son-in-law sitting on their packed teepee, speaking gently with one another. He considered his prayers answered.

*****

The village gathered as the Daystars neared the very top of the sky. The entire village gathered around four men and one woman and laid their hands upon them.

“Jesus,” High Elder Luke spoke loudly for all to hear, “today we send you five of our beloved. You know their names: Nehemiah, Josiah, Jessop, Matthew and Sarai. They were great men and women. Hunters and Crafters all of them. And they will be missed. They are yours now, so please open the grave and wake them to the coming of New Jerusalem in the age to come. Amen.”

“Amen,” everyone repeated.

A solemn meal was shared; the four remaining tents were emptied of anything the Elders found would be useful to the village, and then, just as the Daystars topped the sky, everyone returned to their packed belongings, put them up on their shoulders, and headed westward toward the icy obsidian plains. It would take seven days to reach their next village site. And for those seven days, hardly a word would be spoken as they mourned the five they left behind.

<this one catches me back up to posting where I'm at. Enjoy!>

CHAPTER 6: A NEW HOME

The silence was therapeutic for Moses and Phoebe. The day they had left, High Elder Luke told Phoebe that she was now barren. Both Phoebe and Moses expected it. And now it was official.

With each step toward their new home site, they understood the reality of their life better. They prayed. And with brief whispers and touches, they found strength in each other.

Moses held their entire life on one shoulder and wrapped his wife up in love with his other arm. His strength was fueled by his love for his wife.

His breakthrough was in his prayers and a logical assessment. Though he may have been disappointed in Phoebe, he understood that God was in control of these events. Not him. Not her. Just God. So it was at God whom he should direct his disappointment, but he knew that God loved them both. So clearly, God intended something far bigger than children in their life.

And so the trek was not only to a new home site, but to a new home altogether. A home without the expectation of children almost seemed easier. Now they could focus on doing good work for their community and their God instead of focusing just on themselves. Life, it seemed, was finally getting back to moving along.

*****

After the great trek, Moses picked a site and unpacked the tent. He crushed the ice and obsidian in eight locations, all in a circle. He kept at it for two hours until the eight holes were nearly eight inches deep. He put his eight bamboo posts into the holes and wrapped the entire setup with skins until a great teepee was made for his wife and him.

He put a bearskin on the ground and layered a few other skins for a bed. Phoebe decorated with a few interesting crystallized rocks. Moses placed his hunting pack against the far side of the teepee. And then finally, they were home.

Home.

A new home.

A new home filled with silence.

And the silence grew.

And after a day of silence, Moses finally understood that things were not as well as he hoped. He searched his mind, trying to figure out why he couldn’t talk to his wife. And he wondered why she couldn’t talk to him.

Perhaps, he thought, they didn’t know each other well enough. They had been so focused on having children that he didn’t really know what to do with her anymore. He knew her as a child, but he did not want to play with her. He wanted to…

What did he want?

“Moses!” a voice called. It was Samson.

Moses smiled at his wife. She was lying on the bed, daydreaming. “I’ll be right back,” he said.

Moses left the teepee and was immediately relieved to be gone. “Samson! What’s up?”

“I want to be sure you were leaving with us in the morning for the hunt.”

“Yes. I’ll be with you guys. It’ll be like old times!”

“You know it!” Samson smiled widely and jogged back to his teepee. He was clearly excited to spend more time with his friend. And the more Moses thought about, he was rather excited to.

“What did he want?” Phoebe asked? It was good to hear her voice.

“He wondered if I was going on the hunt.” Moses said.

“Are you excited to go?”

“I am. I miss the old gang. I miss the hunt.”

Phoebe nodded and showed a face of contemplation. Moses wondered some sort of self-pity was erupting in her thoughts, but her next words were rather unexpected.

“I’m not staying here to knit and sow. And I’m not walking for ten days just to bring back a cart of berries from the Bamboo Forest. While you are out, I’m going to prepare for the Hunter’s Test. And when I pass it, I’m hunting with you for the rest of our days.”

Moses’ mouth dropped. “Are you serious? You want to hunt with me?”

Phoebe shook her head. “No. Listen, I love you. Not hunting. I want to hunt with you. I want to be with you. Don’t you get it? I don’t care about having children half as much as I care about you.” She began to cry, but continued. “I’m tired of us acting like we’re stuck doing something we don’t want to do. You married me because you love me. My parents chose you and your parents chose me because of our love. Not because of a babies.

“Our love reflects God’s love on this whole village. And if God says ‘no’ to children, then I’ll be hell-bound if I’m just going to lay down and be an old seamstress when everything in my heart say to stay with you. To love you. Together, with our kind of love, we could move mountains.”

Moses picked his bride right off her feet and her closely. Looking into her eyes, he said, “Train and study hard. I’ll come home early and help you. Let’s do this.”

For the rest of that day, it was like they were just married again. The future was unknown, but they would face it together. It made the parting the next morning all the more difficult.

*****

“Moses!” It was Samson. “Wake up! We’re heading out!”

Moses was already awake. In truth, he had barely slept a wink. He looked up and took in all of the stars. The best part of a move was the stars. There were even more of them out here.

“Ready?” Samson asked.

Phoebe poker her head out of the teepee. “He’s ready. Come here.” Moses leaned in for a kiss. Phoebe gave him a small bag of rations. “Bring back something good,” she said with a wink.

With another kiss, Moses departed and met up with Paul.

“Glad to see you made it,” Paul said. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to be a Gatherer.”

“Not in this life,” Moses said, smiling widely. “Shall we three go together? It’d be fun to take something very large together.”

“Sure,” Paul said. “You up for it Samson?”

“Of course.”

Paul smiled just as wide as Moses and pointed eastward. “Then let’s march for the sun!”

The three, and dozens of other hunters, started making their journey through the night toward the twilight just barely nipping the horizon.

((I haven't heard feedback in a while. Let me know if you're still reading this and I'll post more))