The Shell Clan are on the move again. Well they’re always on the move, one way or another but at this time of the year they are heading north. The days are getting longer and this year there was no arguing about staying put, not after the last time. The kid has been given a name but more often than not she is referred to as ‘The Sacrifice’ she doesn’t like it but if you remember it was better than the alternative which was to be sacrificed.
Going north wasn’t always easy, there was the great waste to cross, and this usually took 5 moons and was only possible with careful navigation by a few landmarks. They have arrived at the second one of these, a large dead tree. The tree was the most important of all the landmarks because it signified water. Without this they would die and so they were always relieved to see the Tree.
The Sacrifice or Sura as she will be called from now on has practiced daily with her sling but is still useless. She carries two stones, Rock 1 and Rock 2, on the off chance she can get close to any game to pelt it.
Tohana maintains they should have eaten her long ago but Luana and Ayah had insisted they would make her a valuable member of the clan….given time.
Kee’Ak the other male member of the tribe kept his thoughts to himself. If asked he would have probably replied that she was all skin and bone, she wouldn’t even make a good stew and as they didn’t have cooking pots on this journey there was no point in worrying about it.
After the tree they saw the haze of green, there was the water, and around it the vegetation and hopefully even some prey. The Clan could carry food for 5 Moons but it was always nice to supplement the tough dry meat for some fresh juicy stuff.
“There they are” muttered Tohana, “food on the hoof” and he looked hungrily at the small horse clustered around the water grazing peacefully. “That would be fast food” Ayah replied taking out her sling and a fine round river pebble.
Just then the herd galloped away from the water, the Shell Clan smelled trouble, the only thing that would drive the horse away was a hunter. Hunters were always competition and usually dangerous competition as well.
Bi-peds; the worst sort of trouble. Vicious, mean and dangerous Bi-peds would kill you just for the fun of it, then suck the marrow from your bones before eating the rest of you. The Shell Clan knew all about Bi-peds, after all, they were Bi-peds and these three looked like they had plenty of marrow to suck on.
There was no need to discuss their plan of attack, the Clan were well versed in what worked and what did not work. The two females ambled wide around the flanks of the prey and the males waited. There was a short argument about the kids role but both females refused to take her and she was instructed to stay behind the men and keep out of the way.
The Kid failed her activation and the prey predated towards her.
As they drew closer the females of the Clan realised these Bi-peds were different to any they had encountered before. Their faces were different and they looked powerful, big boned with strong muscles and well crafted weapons.
We’ll eat well tonight thought Ayah as she started to swing her sling in well practiced moves.
She watched the smooth river pebble fly straight and true, hitting the big male on the side of the head and he went down like a sack of potatoes. Not that Ayah thought that, she didn’t know what a sack of potatoes was but the simile is apt.
Ayah is a master with her long ranged weapon; well anyone throwing a 6 to wound followed by a second 6 to kill has to be extremely competent.
This didn’t have the effect she hoped for and the large juvenile predates towards her, that club he’s carrying looks deadly and if he gets close she only has a small flint knife to defend herself with.
Luanna pelts the Female of the small family, causing a wound and she backs away.
Ayah has two choices, she can howl at the juvenile to try and frighten him away but in these sorts of situations her howl often comes out as a croak, something the others make fun about later, so she pelts the juvenile with another stone.
She doesn’t hit him but he flees in terror at the sound of the pebble swishing past his ear. This isn’t something he’s encountered before and Ayah with her sling is a pretty scary thing.
Ignoring her instructions the Kid runs forward, howling like a Banshee, she holds Rock 1 ready to throw when she judges she can hit the Hominoid.
This doesn’t have the effect her tiny mind envisaged. I believe she thought this would grant her kudos with the Clan and maybe they would see she could contribute to their survival. Also maybe she thought they might stop calling her the Kid or worse “The Sacrifice” and give her a real name, something like Sura Giant Killer, or Sura the Fearless. It was not to be, the Hominoid advanced….fast. The Kid threw her stone but shaking with fear doesn’t improve your aim and she missed. The Hominoid didn’t and stabbed Sura in the arm, wounding her and she cried out in pain.
In spite of the fact that Tohana maintains they should eat the Kid and be done with it, he has developed a strange liking for her and roars at the female Hominoid. This has the effect of saving Sura as the Hominoid races forward to attack Tohana.
Tohana hits and wounds the Bi-ped and she retreats.
Never one to let a meal get away Tohana moves after her and strikes again, she feels the full weight of his axe and dies immediately.
Kee’Ak lopes forward in support of Tohana but the death of its family causes the juvenile to predate forward towards Kee’Ak, revenge might be on his mind.
The resulting exchange of blows is ineffective but the noise of the battle attracts three more of the hominids. They are too late to save the Juvenile as Kee’Ak stabs him twice and kills him with the second blow.
Ayah lopes forward and the nearest Hominoid attacks, then the Hominid roars but it’s going to take more than that to make her back down, Having failed 2 activations it’s 50/50 on the last. She is lucky and pelts it with another river pebble, wounding it which causes it to back off.
Luana has also loped forward and then slows to a skulk, weighing the chances of making a hit with her sling she decides she needs to be closer before wasting a fine round pebble on a risky shot.
Tohana raises his club and advances on the spear carrying Hominid, it rushes forwards and stabs him with the pointy end. Not to be out done Tohana hits the Hominid with his club, wounding it, then he deflects the return stab as Sura fails her activation and the Hominid roars in pain.
A close up of the titanic fight taking place between Tohana and the spear wielding Hominid. Their blood stains the dry earth and they are both tiring fast.
Ayah slings another river stone at the Hominid she has already wounded and kills it. I said she was good. She then pelts the one farthest away from her, this just makes it mad and it moves to attack.
Luna sees the danger and slings a stone at it, misses but the club wielding Bi-ped changes direction and charges at her. That’s not what I wanted she thinks but is able to send another stone in it’s direction, this hit’s and wounds but doesn’t stop it’s charge, it cracks her a wicked blow with the club.
Wounded though he is,Tohana is still able to deliver a killing blow, gaining some respite to get his breath back, he sees Luana is hard pressed and without thinking he rushes at her opponent.
With one mighty blow he crushes its skull and the fighting is over, the only sound to be heard is Kee’Ak saying in a very stern voice to Sura “Don’t you ever attack something 3 times your size ever again, or you will be in real trouble”. It seems Tohana isn’t the only one who has a fondness for the bold young girl, maybe they won’t eat her after all.
Well that went well, this is the first time the Shell Clan has met the Neanderthals and I wanted to use all the 6 figures I’d painted but 6 to 4, 5 if you count Sura is a bit of a tall order so I split them into 2 families of 3. The slings give the Clan an edge which they took full advantage of but after this fight 3 of them are wounded, this will require some dice rolling to see if they survive without some serious impediment for the future.
Well it’s a dangerous world on a Palaeo Diet.
Cheers
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