[Askoga]: 89.Short Stories.The Ivory Man

As my family and I sat around our fire, eating, I caught a flicker of movement up near the base of one of the cliffs. I looked up, expecting to see a friend-wolf, or a cousin-deer. Instead, I saw an ivory-skinned human. He quickly disappeared, but I knew he had seen us. I turned back to my dinner eyeing the few bites I had left. Quickly I finished them, then rose and retreated from the fire. Before I could leave, though, my grand-mam grasped my wrist, “Have a care, child,” she cautioned me, then waved me on. She would cover for my absence at the fire-games.

Silently I thanked her for that, as I darted through the long shadows that evening brought forth. My dark skin would hide me from this man-child until I could see him better. But, alas, when I was near, he looked suddenly at me and swore. He scrambled away, tucking something away into his belt.

I followed after him, keeping as silent as I could. He’d had some practice in forests, for he didn’t blunder as most of the ivory people do. But still, I started catching up to him. As I ran, I strung up my bow and knocked an arrow, but I waited. It is dishonorable to kill another from behind. Better to wait until he could attack me himself, or defend himself.

Then came a surprise to me. He’d found our carved steps—our ladders, if you will—in the cliff face. He climbed nimbly up one, but I, knowing better the layout, chose a different one, that would get me up quicker. Because I’d been surprised by has knowledge of the ladders, I lost a few precious seconds while I slung my bow over my shoulder and held the arrow in my mouth. But I gained them again on my ladder choice.

At the top of the cliff, he was off again, like a cousin-deer, and I followed, my arrow ever at the ready, in case he decided to turn and fight. I recognized the piece of wood in his hand as a bow, even though it was not strung, but he appeared to have no other weapons. As I well knew, though, appearances could deceive.

Then, suddenly, I could no longer hear him running. I found the place I’d last heard him, and looked around, sniffing the air. I located his general area, and crouched to wait him out. He’d climbed a tree, though he could be in one of three, and I could not see him.

This ivory man intrigued me, for he ran much like our people, he seemed to know the ways of the forest, and from the glimpses I’d had of him, he appeared to be built well, and in good shape. What man-child would come by us but a history-seeker, there to steal our precious things, and tell us that it was for a good cause? But they were not usually so versed in the forest ways, and they did not bother to hide when they saw us as kindly to our neighbors, and not the barbarians they thought of us. So, I would wait him out, and see if he was a history-seeker and a thief, like the others.

The second part of this can be found at 89.The Kiss