The Way of the Beast

***

  With his feet hanging down into the dark unknown, Stenhelt sat on a smooth rock ledge in the cave. It was cooler in the plain, slightly descending stone cavity than outside. He could see the vapor of his rapid breath from the hazy light that filtered in from the mouth of the cave, and tried to calm his nerves. Next to him on the small ledge sat Chohla, waiting patiently. Sten's mind had become increasingly rife with doubt, silently debating the sanity of the wise herbalist.

  A short time before, they sat in Chohla's camp and made the purple paste. While Sten grinded Skyberries, Chohla explained that only natural items could pass through the hallowed caves. Forged metal ruined the attempt. That was of little concern to Sten; metal was expensive, and he could make do without it anyway. His knife was carved from bone, and the blade tips of his short spear and arrowheads were stone that his brother had shaped.

  Using still water that had gathered in the recess of a small boulder as a mirror, the two applied the symbols onto their faces. Sten fussed with the paint on his own face as he listened to another detail that Chohla offered. Within each hallowed cave was a mark of its own location, whether painted or carved into the rock. It was up to the traveler to remember them for the purposes of returning to that specific place. The hallowed cave they were about to use was closest to Sten's home, so he was determined to memorize its mark.

  Casually satisfied with their matching painted symbols, Chohla led Stenhelt up through the thin pines and into the cave. The mark carved into the cave wall was pointed out to Sten, who studied it for some time and ran his finger through the grooves. Afterward, they easily found a rough hole in the side of the cave tunnel, and sat together facing the darkness.

  After a short while of sitting there quietly, Chohla softly said, "I'll go first. Remember, I won't be able to encourage you after I hop off this ledge because I won't be here anymore. As proof, you won't hear me land on anything below. It will feel like a short fall, not enough to get hurt." When Sten didn't reply, Chohla added, "It's alright if you don't want to do this. Sometimes trust isn't enough. What's before you, it's a scary thing. I'll understand, Khoveyo."

  There were another few moments of silence before Sten replied, "I'm just waiting for you to go ahead and jump, master Chohla."

  The traveler smiled at his distant relative and then hopped off the rock ledge. Stenhelt listened intently, but only heard the wind whistling through the trees outside. He slowed his breathing, made sure his weapons were secure, and finally pushed himself off the rock lip and into the mouth of darkness.

  The drop did indeed feel short, although Sten felt dizzy when he landed on hard, gritty earth. Pain thrummed behind his right eye, and his upper lip felt wet. He was in complete darkness, but saw a dim light off to his left. "Master Chohla?" he inquired nervously.

  "Let your eyes adjust," the traveler said from somewhere nearby. "I remember this cave. It's been a long time since I've used it. The last time I was here, a bear lived in it."

  "Do you think it still does?" Sten asked as he reached back to unstrap his spear.

  "Ah, no, Khoveyo; it was most likely before your father was born that I came here last, so I'd wager she and her cubs are long gone. Let's move on and get our bearings."

  Surprised by what Chohla said, Sten said, "Before my father was born? How old are you?"

  "Does that matter? No, it's what we do while we're here that matters. Sometimes, Khoveyo, I worry about your people's obsession with time."

  Sten followed Chohla up a slow incline toward an opening that offered light, moving slowly to ensure his footing on the uneven floor. "Master Chohla," he wondered aloud but with a muted tone, "I thought we would have to climb out. I mean, we jumped into a hole. Don't we have to do that with every hallowed cave?"

  "No, some are like this. To others, it remains a cave that people can explore with torches or other supplies. For travelers like us, though - and you are one now - we can just paint our symbols, rely on the power in our blood, and wander into the darkness of a sacred place until we feel the sensation of shifting, of movement."

  "You call it a sensation?" Sten asked dryly as the throbbing in his head persisted.

  "It pained you?" Chohla asked as they reached the breach in the rock. "I suppose it makes sense, that traveling for you wouldn't be as easy. Your lineage is mixed." They stepped into the next chamber, a small bowl-shaped cavern with a wide opening on the far side. "On the good side," he commented as they moved forward, "you're the first of your people to travel in this way."

  As the pain abated, Stenhelt realized that he had in fact somehow changed locations. Stunned at first as he followed numbly along, the realization that he'd taken part in some sort of magical journey quickly thrilled and energized him. Despite the new surroundings, he had to be sure. Rushing to the cave mouth, Sten looked out at the unfamiliar vista.

  The view was from a high elevation with blue skies and soft clouds overhead. Sten looked down over a barren, rocky slope that gave way further below to expansive woods of autumn-touched oaks and firs. Having a strong sense of direction, he felt the cave faced northwest. The woods thinned to the north, roots unable to find purchase on the low heath plateau that stretched away toward a distant mountain range.

  Sten then gazed left, off to the west. The colorful woods continued, but his strong sight caught the signs of a wide stream or river far out in the treed distance.

  He had never seen that land before, he was sure. By some mystical means, Sten had traveled in the way of his ancestors. Barely keeping his heart in his chest, the hunter's mind whirled with wonder and questions.