The Other

 

            Gligor rose early that morning for the purpose of being prepared when the herd of antelope passed through the open plain just beyond his clan's cave. It was a dangerous trip from the cave through the woods, traveling alone in the dark and upon his arrival to the edge of the forest meeting the open plain, he climbed the furthest tree, taking a seat in the blind about twelve feet off of the ground. The darkness through which he had just passed slowly transitioned into dawn, creating visibility across the open plain.

              The rising of the sun always made him smile and he could feel the excitement of the coming hunt building within his chest. Now that sunlight had crept into all corners of the forest and punched through the canopy, he lowered himself to the forest floor, readied his spear and remained at the back side of the tree waiting for the sounds of the soon to be approaching herd.

              After taking several deep breaths, he rotated all of his limbs, warmed himself up for the action that would soon take place, and a distant gentle rumble let him know that the time had come. The first two antelope leapt into the plain to be almost immediately followed by at least two dozen others running at full speed. He locked his attention upon one in the middle and released his spear, driving the stone tip directly into the animal's heart, dropping it to the ground to bleed out.

              The rest of the herd continued on, leaping past their fallen comrade, to disappear further down the plain, giving Gligor open space to skin and butcher the animal. He rolled the hide into a tube shape that rested over his shoulder, the meat was cut into medium size pieces, and the bones and organs were left in a pile to be scavenged by the wild animals. With the additional weight of the kill, he needed to follow the stream to a bridge further down, requiring him to pass by another clan with whom he and his had a less than amicable relationship.

              His pathway and steps were cautious and silent, for the last thing he needed was to encounter a scouting party who would certainly take the hide and meat from him. Before revealing his presence, he stayed at the edge of the tree line to scan for any signs of activity. Searching every possible space, he double and triple checked the land before him and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw no activity.

              Keeping his body low and walking at the edge of the steam to avoid splashing water and the crackling of branches or swishing grass, he kept his sight and hearing on anything that gave any hint of exposure. The sound of a single voice gently humming caught his attention and he lay himself flat in the short grass, trying to triangulate the source of the sound. Deciding that it came from the water's edge about thirty feet ahead of him, he rose to his hands and knees to see a young woman performing a morning cleansing ritual.

              He took one step forward to unfortunately step on a small branch, releasing a small snap, causing the girl to turn and look at him, to give a smile and a subtle wave. He held his finger in front of his lips, begging her to remain silent as he passed by. She nodded, acknowledging his request, and slowly moved out of the water as he approached. Feeling somewhat awkward, the girl was completely disrobed and embraced him, whispering for him to take her with him.

              He motioned toward her pile of clothes that sat at the edge of the grass, and she hurried toward them to clothe herself, then returned to take his hand, pulling him toward the bridge that sat another hundred yards downstream. They moved in silence downstream, crossed the bridge, and he could feel her eyes upon him, and her hand in his. As they descended into a valley to disappear from view from the small village of her clan, she finally spoke, introducing herself and thanking him for helping her escape.

              "I am so thankful that you arrived when you did," she said, "I have been looking for a chance to get away from them, for my father was planning on trading me to the military leader of our clan for his commitment to help my father retain his position of power."

              Gligor listened to her story and thought she was pretty, and kind, and was happy to know that he helped someone escape from a bad situation. A young girl as payment for something like this just seemed wrong to him. The two of them spoke for the remainder of the walk back to his clan, but he spoke with caution as he couldn't be too careful when dealing with someone from this other clan, who were known for their hostility and deception.

              They rose from the valley and approached the collection of caves to find that clan activity was fully engaged. Gligor led the girl to the clan mothers who stood around the campfire, and he explained what had happened on the other side of the stream. The girl was far too young for marriage, so he hoped that she could be assimilated into the clan for her own protection. He unwrapped the meat from the antelope and presented it to the women for preparation, to then bring the hide to the older men for cleaning and tanning.

              He and the clan leaders sat around a second, smaller fire and he talked through the details of his hunting victory, his return to the stream, his finding the girl, and the long walk back home. Strong words of warning and caution was the response he expected, as the clan chief spoke of this young girl probably being a distraction, to give them a reason to attack them and rescue the girl. Gligor understood the concern but truly wanted to believe that he had done something good in getting the girl away from them.

              The first day passed, then a week, and then a month, which encouraged Gligor that he had done something good in helping her. The girl seemed to become part of the clan, befriending the other girls around her age, and regularly interacting with him, frequently dropping comments and hints that they should one day be married. By this time, he had just turned seventeen and she was clearly a couple years younger, and in his opinion, too young to marry, and he had much to learn before he became an active part of the leadership of the clan.

              A full year passed, and they saw nothing of the other clan that hinted at a hostile response to the girl's disappearance. A second year passed, and the clan mothers began planning for the marriage between them, a traditional practice that had nothing to do with romance or personal interest. As the year drew to its end, just before the autumn rains began to fall, the marriage ceremony took place and was consummated in the presence of the clan mothers, with the goal of adding a new child to the clan.

              The impregnation did not take place but the following spring they succeeded in their efforts. Over the next ten years, four children were born from them, yet Gligor could sense that something was wrong, as the girl seemed to be pulling further and further away from him, spending more time with other young mothers, the clan mothers, and focusing on her children.

              Gligor remained faithful and focused, fulfilling his role as husband, father, provider, and an active part of the clan leadership, wondering what exactly was happening and what he could do to change the course she seemed to be taking. Her general lack of interest in him turned into a disdain and eventually into hostility until he felt everything drop away, leaving a hollow, empty, dead feeling inside.

              He maintained his faithfulness and love toward her and their children, but nothing he did seemed to change anything, make anything better, or move her in any positive way. He felt like he was running into a stone wall, making no progress, and making no substantial change to the situation except for the damage to himself. Her hatred was shocking, and he could make no sense of its origin or goal, as if she deliberately and specifically wished to destroy him, their family, and all of the good he had poured into them.

              The kindness and love only continued to come from him and he could see no other path or progress to follow that would change anything. More than several times, he walked in on her while she was with another man, either in their cave, out in the woods, and even once out in an open prairie, each time an excuse was given, words were twisted, and he ended up being the one to blame for her unhappiness and infidelity.

              The light in his soul only continued to dim, and the emptiness in his heart grew larger with each day after the seventh encounter of her infidelity. Eventually, he packed a small bag and walked away from the clan, giving the girl the opportunity to make a decision and act on it. A full week had passed when he returned to the clan to find that she and the children had departed to rejoin her clan on the other side of the stream.

              He arrived at the caves very early that morning and sat before the cold and inactive campfire, feeling lost and confused, empty and hopeless, wondering where it had all gone wrong. It seemed as if the warning from the clan leaders had been the reverse of what was feared. She came in among them, became one of them, and then left with his children, taking away that which had become the most important part of his life.

              Now that it had come to this, he knew that there was nothing left to do, there was no other path to follow, or activities to achieve to undo and restore what had been lost. Those who should have been the next generation were now gone, following the ways of a foreign group, a twisted group, an alien culture that was so far beneath everything that he and his had achieved. What was once good, beautiful, and right had now become twisted, ugly, and lost.