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A Legend of the Before People, of Atelani, the First Female Chief

Kataku remained on his knees, peering intently at the motionless young doe sprawled in the leaves. “It is true… the gods spared her…” he whispered. As he absorbed the near-miracle, his mind became a whirl of different emotions: wonder, shame, relief, and other feelings that he could not readily identify.

“Yes,” Kohu affirmed. “And the gods brought her back to you.” Standing nearby, the shaman was subdued.

Kataku turned toward him. “What does it mean, father?”

Kohu gestured briefly toward Atelani, who was still asleep despite the recent commotion. “It means that we must make a choice, both of us. The gods are watching you and they are watching me.”

Kataku held his tongue, silently entreating the shaman to speak further. “It was wrong to take this female, this innocent, and throw her to demons. You know it was wrong and you knew it was wrong when you left her tied to that tree.” Kataku hung his head, convicted by Kohu’s words.

“It was wrong to burn her village,” the shaman continued. “It was wrong to take her people captive, to make them slaves, to steal their minds, and to send them to the Twins to be used up and destroyed. It was wrong to usher anakanu into this world!” Kohu’s voiced suddenly cracked and Kataku looked up in surprise. He had not heard such emotion from the wise one before.

A moment passed and Kohu went on: “and yet… the gods have brought this doe ‒these does‒ back to us. We must make a choice.”

Kataku seemed to wilt as the import of the shaman’s words sank in. “Aya,” he murmured. “My family…”

“The choice is ours,” Kohu replied flatly. “We can bind these three over to Ta’alu and his bucks. Or we can leave them here to recover and go on their way. We can return to Orokila and no one will know what happened here in the forest. You will still have your family and you will still be a warrior. Or…”

“I am no warrior,” Kataku interrupted. “I cannot go back to Orokila.”

Kohu nodded. “Nor can I. Our choice is clear, then. The eyes of the Mighty Ones are upon us, and we must do only what is right. The gods will show the path forward.”

Description

A Legend of the Before People, of Atelani, the First Female Chief

Kataku remained on his knees, peering intently at the motionless young doe sprawled in the leaves. “It is true… the gods spared her…” he whispered. As he absorbed the near-miracle, his mind became a whirl of different emotions: wonder, shame, relief, and other feelings that he could not readily identify.

“Yes,” Kohu affirmed. “And the gods brought her back to you.” Standing nearby, the shaman was subdued.

Kataku turned toward him. “What does it mean, father?”

Kohu gestured briefly toward Atelani, who was still asleep despite the recent commotion. “It means that we must make a choice, both of us. The gods are watching you and they are watching me.”

Kataku held his tongue, silently entreating the shaman to speak further. “It was wrong to take this female, this innocent, and throw her to demons. You know it was wrong and you knew it was wrong when you left her tied to that tree.” Kataku hung his head, convicted by Kohu’s words.

“It was wrong to burn her village,” the shaman continued. “It was wrong to take her people captive, to make them slaves, to steal their minds, and to send them to the Twins to be used up and destroyed. It was wrong to usher anakanu into this world!” Kohu’s voiced suddenly cracked and Kataku looked up in surprise. He had not heard such emotion from the wise one before.

A moment passed and Kohu went on: “and yet… the gods have brought this doe ‒these does‒ back to us. We must make a choice.”

Kataku seemed to wilt as the import of the shaman’s words sank in. “Aya,” he murmured. “My family…”

“The choice is ours,” Kohu replied flatly. “We can bind these three over to Ta’alu and his bucks. Or we can leave them here to recover and go on their way. We can return to Orokila and no one will know what happened here in the forest. You will still have your family and you will still be a warrior. Or…”

“I am no warrior,” Kataku interrupted. “I cannot go back to Orokila.”

Kohu nodded. “Nor can I. Our choice is clear, then. The eyes of the Mighty Ones are upon us, and we must do only what is right. The gods will show the path forward.”