The Lake Southeastern Corner of the Great Basin 12320 BC from The
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The Ashes of Meadow Part I: The Lake Southeastern Corner of the Great Basin 12,320 BC From the branch of a rotted tree, amidst a forest of elm, a pair of vultures stretched their crane-like necks toward the shore, where the new creature appeared. The birds had never seen one such as this, who could float across the water and walk on two legs, but not take flight. They sniffed at the air in his direction, trying to grasp the odd scent. The creature smelled both alive and long dead, as if it wore the skin of the dead upon living flesh. What brought it to this sandy shore? Was it dangerous? Could it die? The scout pulled his makeshift boat onto the sandy beach, surprised at how little fatigue he felt. The journey across the sea, from the camp of his people, to the far southern shores, had taken several days, with many stops for food and rest. His supply of dried roots and jerky was almost gone, but as he looked around, he saw the land offered many meals. The lake was full of fish, and from where he stood, leaning on his spear- stick, he could see pinon pines and several types of edible grasses. He hummed and nodded approval. This was a good place; his people could prosper here. Perhaps there were even still horses and camel left to hunt, here. He had only eaten camel once in his life. When he drew pictures in the sand of the humped creature, the youngest hunters laughed at him in disbelief. Many of the older people were worried. The land was changing, the people were changing. Without the big game to follow, many hoarded supplies. These they defended with violent force, leaving the weak and lazy to 1 nearly starve. Horrible, hungry looks were often exchanged, these days. Some thought the end of the people was near. The scout did not fear the end; in fact, he had grown accustomed to the taste of trout and rabbit. He felt a deep-rooted (and not uncommon) mistrust for many of the others, and so kept to himself, often leaving the camp to wander by nearby streams and lakes. On these occasions, he acquired a great talent and reputation for spear fishing and raft building. It was for this reason he was chosen to make the journey across the new sea and explore the lands. He was quite content to leave the camp behind for the long weeks of the journey, except for, perhaps, the girl who shared his furs. For a moment, he wished he had built a larger craft, so that she could have come along. He would even have welcomed her scorn for his untidiness, just to hear another voice and have another hand. Soon, there would be plenty of work to do, gathering food, finding a spot for the new camp, and then a trail along the land, safe enough for even the nursing mothers and small children to walk. Not only could she help, but she could share the exhilaration of discovery with him. Scouting was dangerous, of course, but that was a part of the appeal. He looked around for signs of predators, but saw only the vultures, still watching him with keen interest. He knew they posed no threat, having seen many of their cousins to the north, eating only fresh carcasses, never attacking the living. With a smile, he imagined that he was the largest and most fierce being to have ever set foot on this land... he felt like a god. Indeed, this must be the home for the gods, he thought, as his eyes trailed over the high mountains, covered in lush warm forest, above. He turned back to the sea, and 2 traced the shoreline until it disappeared, following inlets leading perhaps even further south. The sea in itself was a sight unlike anything he had ever seen, at least until they had made camp along the northern shore. He always had an attraction to lakes and ponds, (a passion which led him to this very scouting job,) but had never seen so great a body of water before. He twisted his stick into the sand, leaning deeply, and wondered if the god of this sea was near, so that he might be able to ask its name. He had never met a god, but then again, he had never before crossed a sea. He smiled again, as he imagined such a meeting. How would he know he was in the presence of a god? Would the god speak? Would he appear in the form of a man? Would the ground shake with his giant steps? In fact, he noticed, the ground was shaking. As the tremor intensified, he felt the earth shaking his spear-stick, until it was pulled out from underneath him. He stumbled backwards in shock and the movement stopped, as suddenly as it had begun. The air was still, with the exception of the vultures, which flew from the tree to the ground, and scampered uphill. The scout dropped to his knees upon the sand, and bowed to the water. Fear, excitement, and awe coursed through his veins, as he looked out upon the waves. The sea god was here! Off in the distance, he could see white crests forming on the dark water. The scout knew this must be the god, for white water only appeared at shores and shallows, yet these came from great depths. He wanted to pray to the god, but the pounding of his heart drowned any words appearing in his mind. Then, from not a spear- thrown distance down the shore, the water began to answer him. 3 “Pop! Pa pa paa pa paa,” spoke the bubbles that broke the surface. The scout blinked and stared. “Paa pa pa pa pa pa paa,” it continued. He rose to his feet, and began to walk towards the sputtering vent. “Paa,” he answered softly, afraid to speak the name of the great sea too loudly. As he approached, waves slapped against the shore, drowning out the sound of the vent. Further out, where the waters churned violently, a plume of steam arose with a deep hiss, and began to fill the sky. The scout froze. Something was wrong... Paa was angry. In horror, he watched as a dark mass, scattered with glowing red patches, emerged and broke the waters beneath the darkening cloud. He watched the glowing eye of the sea as it grew, before he regained his senses, picked up his spear-stick, and turned to run. He never should have come to this place, this place of the gods. Perhaps they were now going to destroy the world for his mistake. No longer could he bring the people here. Instead, he must return to the people, and warn them, telling them to revere the name of the great god, Paa. His descendents would follow Paa, the waters, and use the word for powerful forces, but they would never again stop on the shores of this sea. Change would come to the land, warming and drying. Once the sea had dwindled to no more than a few wide, salty lakes, the people would return. Even then, they would wander for many years, at times, eating no more than bugs and grasses. Eventually, they would settle into the river valleys and plant great farms and cities in the rock, but this would not happen for thousands of years. The vultures watched the scout disappear into the brush in the distance, and then warily sniffed the air in the direction of the disturbance in the waters. The new island sat 4 in the water, spitting bits of glowing, molten glass. A dead fish floated up onto the shore, the first of many, but the vultures remained on the hill. The smell of much death would reach them, soon, surely, but this was not the time to feast. As they turned and made their way under a scrubby bush, and settled into the nest, a gentle snow of ash began to fall on the ground. Part II: The Meadow Southeastern Corner of the Great Basin 1,279 AD Az’nari squinted across the horizon to the place where the road disappeared around mountains, and shivered. The old road, once traveled by many feet, was now eerily silent. Since the time of the great plan, those who were going were gone. Those who chose to stay behind were set in their ways, waiting for death but never speaking of it. They did not travel to the cities as they once had. The emptiness of the area made him uneasy, and he felt compelled to leave the gravelly path for a more peaceful niche. The dark hill, T’seenao’mo, lay just to the west, only a short distance from the road, and so he turned. The soil was soft away from the road, and his bone moccasins sunk with each step, leaving a careless trail behind. He had little to fear from being followed here. Besides, if others had been near, he wouldn’t consider taking the jagged rocks as a shelter. The hill was cursed. He remembered the tale, a warning told to travelers, to keep them away from the dangerous black cliffs. Once, a young girl came to the massive, towering field of sharpened rock, looking to gather roots. The girl was pretty, but weak-minded and lazy, and did not know that she approached the home of the trickster, Coyote.