Palaeo Diet - Dances With Wolves

Yani explains to the clan how easy it will be to obtain young dogs. We just go into the wolves den and take their cubs. That’s when it went very quiet!

Following on from my previous post the clan had a successful hunt, no one got any more disfiguring scars they have plenty of meat and Yani felt a change in her perception of the animal kingdom and she has become a Shaman, able to commune with, and influence animals.

She’s had a vision of animals helping the clan hunt. She saw these animals as helpful wolves but as everyone knows wolves are one of mans oldest enemies, along with cave bear, cave lions, sabre tooth cats, hyenas, eagles, vultures, well it’s quite a long list but we’ve managed to reduce it somewhat in the last 35,000 years.

The clan were not ever going to share their homes with wolves, and so to help them swallow this huge change in their relationship she explained that in her vision they were a new animal – a dog. When asked how they differed from wolves she explained patiently – well they don’t eat you, and quickly added but we can eat them if we get hungry. The clan all smiled and nodded their heads, this seemed like a good idea until the bombshell about how they were going to recruit these wonderful creatures.

After much discussion and suggestions, including leaving her on the ice to die in the coming winter she finally persuaded them that it would make hunting easier, and as none of the other clans had such an asset it would increase their status at the solstice clan meetings, so finally they all agreed. Well Akoba was still not very happy about it but 3 to 1 and he went along.

The wolf pack that had tried to take the horse kill from them was much reduced in numbers after the fight, and the clan tracked the sole survivor back to the rest of it’s pack and the den.

The wolf den in the centre of the board, there are 4 cubs and 5 adult wolves. Each member of the clan starts in a corner of the board and has to capture one cub each and escape with it. I am actually using one of the scenarios from the rule book, I guess it is for 4 players which is why they start in separate corners.

I placed the wolves using a directional dice and most of them are on one side of the den.

Akoba in the far corner has very little cover and even less once he gets closer to the den. He never wanted to do this in the first place.

Nuponda and Tumak have much more cover and are fortunate that all the adult wolves are on the far side of the den.

Yani whose idea this was is out of our sight to the right.

Tumak’s leg has fully healed and so he has no excuse for being clumsy – except he is naturally clumsy!

He moves forward and is so close he can hear the cubs playing.

That’s when he slips and one of the wolves comes bounding round the rocks and attacks him, taking a big bite out of his arm. Fortunately it’s his left arm and he doesn’t drop his spear.

First bite to the wolf but then the next 2 stabs are to Tumak and he manages to kill it.

Nuponda has made her way into the den and has picking up one of the little balls of fluff. She quickly leaves, making coo cooing noises to keep the animal quiet, strangely - soothing sounds and tickling it’s tummy work wonders and the cub remains quiet.

About now you might be forgiven for thinking these wolf cubs look very much like my Mouflon sheep kids but you would be wrong, it’s just the poor light in the wolf den.

Akoba has not made it any further forward but in his anxiety to remain quiet has stood on a stick which makes a loud snapping sound, attracting the attention of one of the wolves which rushes over towards him.

Around the camp fire that night he would brag that he had drawn off the wolf pack to make it easier for the others. No one believed him.

Yani and Tumak are both in the den but suddenly a wolf appears attracted by noise. It moves forward in a menacing way but does not attack.

It’s a bit confusing now (why now, you might think) because the wolf and hunters move back and forth before the wolf leaves and Yani and Tumak both pick up a cub and get out of the den and make their way to the rendezvous.

Nuponda is making her way back to the rendezvous point when the cub made a noise, attracting one of the wolves.

Well actually Nuponda failed an activation and attracted a wolf. She is able to walk backward, slowly and the wolf doesn’t follow.

Lots happened over in the far right hand corner, Akoba has not moved much at all, the wolf that was attracted over his way was followed by 2 others, Akoba howled, well you would with 3 wolves coming your way. It was a good loud howl fuelled with fear and 2 of the wolves ran away.

The other one didn’t and attacked him - biting his left leg, ouch!!

He hit it with his stone club and the wounded wolf let out such a tremendous howl of pain and rage that Akoba backed away.

Akoba decides he doesn’t want a wolf cub to play with, it means taking it out for a walk 2 or 3 times a day, carrying those silly plastic bags, picking up poo etc and besides he’s a lazy bugger. So he turns and moves back to the rendezvous empty handed, blood streaming from the bite in his leg. He’s feeling a bit grumpy, but he did see off 3 wolves, that must count for something in the clan hierarchy he reasons.
As he continues to explain at every opportunity, the rest of the clan were only successful because of his bravery and self sacrifice, but no one takes any notice.


Back at the campsite the wounded see how badly they are hurt.

Akoba would have lost any positive traits but he hasn't accrued any yet so he's OK

Tumak recovered quickly and as he was the 1st one off the board is the man of the match and gains the Gatherer trait, which is quite appropriate as he gathered the cub most successfully.

So after a very difficult start the Rock Ugly Clan are doing well, they have food, and now 'Dogs' and providing these don't turn into wolves and eat them, the future is looking reasonably bright.

However this is a dangerous era - starvation is only a meal away, death a heart beat away and a good nights sleep a life time away - life is exciting and short when you live in - Palaeolithic Times.

The story will continue but it’s going to take some time before the wolf-dogs are ready to hunt with the clan. I was hoping to post a final picture showing the clan with the dogs but they still need basing. I'm such a light weight. ;)

For those interested in such matters, after the first hunt the clan stayed close to the mammoth kills, while they tended their own wounds, before they were fit enough to add 1/2 a mammoth to the winter store a new herd of the huge animals came by.
One of the females was in milk but had no calf, wolves or lions must have got it, or maybe just the cold, it's on the edge of existence here. Anyway she took to the desolate calf with two dead parents and they bonded, both leaving with the herd on the journey south.
I'm pleased about this, I no longer need to feel angst about the future of the calf.

On the bright side we will hopefully kill it on it's way north next year, it will be bigger then with more meat on it's bones.
Just thought you might be interested.  :0

If you are still here – thanks for reading and let me know you passed this way.


I'm away for a few days and may not have internet so will respond to any comments when I get back if not able to do so sooner.

Cheers and take care out there....