The Way of the Beast
***
Puffy clouds were sliding across the early morning sky when the two men woke. Refreshed from a comfortable night's rest, Chohla was eager to reach the end of their trek. Conversely, Sten was sullen and groggy; he was still upset with himself, and had slept poorly because of it.
They walked for a short while and reached a small, rocky creek meandering through more white birches. Hardy plants had somehow kept their blooms in places along the weaving waterline, adding to the picturesque location. They followed downstream until they eventually came to a gentle slope with bedrock jutting out in places. The creek pooled and splashed over those mossy rocks, creating a further sense of calm in the serene woods.
"Can you sense it?" Chohla asked as they both looked down the small, wooded hill.
Certain he was referring to the hallowed place, Sten replied, "I feel like we're standing on it, or perhaps in it." He looked around them. "Is this it - at the top of this rise?"
"You had it right at the first; it's under us. Follow me." Chohla led Sten down the slope, stopping just before the land leveled out. "Here we are," the traveler announced, gesturing to a large slab of rock. Water washed over its surface before cascading over the smoothed edge, dropping an arm's length to another rock below it.
"Do you mean that rock?" Sten asked, confused.
"No, I mean under that rock. It's a shelf, or a roof of sorts. There's a cave entrance under it."
"So... we have to lie in the creek, and crawl through that little waterfall?"
"As there's no other way in," Chohla replied with a hint of exasperation, "then yes, that's what we have to do. Since you've let yourself get soaked twice since we've entered these woods, I thought you'd be used to it."
"Very funny; I'll follow you in."
Pushing their gear ahead of them, the two men slithered under the waterfall. Beyond it was dry rock and utter darkness; their bodies blocked daylight filtering through the falling water. They had to stay on their stomachs because of the low ceiling, which made Sten begin to feel edgy from being hemmed in. Their scuffling movements soon made echoes out into a space ahead of them, relieving Sten to know that the cave widened soon.
The rough stone walls began to slope downward, allowing the two men to quickly go from lying flat to standing. "Today, Khoveyo," Chohla said with a contented sigh, "you will learn a great many things. More than most hallowed places, this one is special. My people have left some of what we've discovered on the walls here. Perhaps we may both learn something new."
"Should I start a fire?" Sten asked.
"There's no need. The high sigil I planned to show you can - among its many other uses - create light." The sound of Chohla rummaging through his large bag went on for a moment before he said, "Ah, here it is." There was more of the same noise, followed by him sniffing in the scent of something. "Yes, that's it. Now let me prepare."
Sten sniffed as well and caught the sickly sweet aroma of poisonous skyberries, meaning that Chohla had opened his container of purple paint. A few short moments later, something in front of him began to radiate a soft yellowish light. It was a stick or rod of some type being rolled in the palms of Chohla's hands, steadily glowing without heat or spark. Ignoring the illuminated cave around him, Sten continued to stare in wonder at the object. Chohla stopped rolling the sturdy cylinder in his hands and held it up by one end. It was a bone - a glowing bone.
"This," Chohla said, "is a bone totem. While the sigil for hallowed travel is powerful, it is for only one purpose. On the other hand, a bone totem is a tool for simpler purposes, but it has many of them. One of those uses is to give off light like a dimming torch, as you can see. Before I go on, there are three simple rules to be followed in order for the totem to work."
"Three rules?" Sten asked hesitantly. He'd had trouble with the mandates of hallowed travel, and was worried that another set of complex instructions would only confuse him.
"Yes, only three rules, and very simple. The first is this." Chohla held the glowing bone totem under his chin with one hand, and held open the top of his leather vest with the other. A purple symbol was drawn on his upper chest - a circle in the center with a long line through it. "This is the symbol for the totem. Next, you can only have one bone totem at a time. And the bone must come from the same breed of animal that you first killed with your inherent skills."
"With my inherent skills... It must be a wood cur."
"Hmm, too bad," Chohla said. "There are no curs in these woods that I know of. You'll have to wait to get your own totem."
Sten nodded, and then asked, "So that's it? Those are the three rules?"
"I said they were simple, Khoveyo. For a bone totem, the rules are few and the uses are many. It can give off light, obviously, but it dims away after a short while. The totem can also draw out poison or infection from an open wound, and sear the cut without burning. If you're searching for a certain person or animal, it will act as a divining rod and point the way."
"I did something akin to that when I began my search for the wolf pack," Sten pointed out.
"What you did is what my people call far-sight. It will tell you the basic direction of the type of animal you seek, but not a certain one. I should also point out that, for you, far-sight will only find lesser animals, not people. It is a useful skill, but you had to concentrate for a time, didn't you? With the totem, you only need to have that person or animal in mind and then wave the bone in a pattern."
"I see the difference, although far-sight is better suited for a hunter."
"True, but the bone totem has other uses that are quite helpful to a hunter or traveler... or anyone else, now that I think on it. Placed with other goods or gear, the totem assists them in a way. It will keep meat chilled for a time, and pull moisture from, say, a wet blanket much faster than letting the sun dry it. Fruits and vegetables will stay fresh longer as well, and it keeps my paints from drying out. One of my people put her bone totem in her quiver; it made the shafts straighter and the arrowheads sharper. This assistance is why I carry this bag with all my things in it, so that the totem may help in many ways at once."
"Helpful indeed," Sten commented with admiration.
"There is one use I came upon that I quite enjoy. If I stir any sort of stew or soup with the bone totem, flavor to my liking is added. Spicy, salty - whatever fits your tastes. For your bland cooking alone, I suggest you find your own bone totem as soon as possible."
"My cooking is not that bad," Sten retorted with mock indignation, knowing for a fact that he had no talent for it.
"Oh, and one more thing," Chohla said. "Here, take the totem." When Sten put his fingers on it, the bone instantly lost its glow and left them in the dark once more. Chohla rubbed it again until the glow returned. "Once you've set your totem to a task, you may set it down," he explained. "If anyone other than you touches it, though... Well, you saw what happens."
"I never thought I'd say it, but I can't wait to find a pack of curs. Do I need a certain bone?"
Chohla shrugged. "Not really, but I don't suggest anything too thin or curved. Mine is a leg bone from a bear. Sadly, it wasn't a big bear. Then again, I was proud of it as my first kill."
Sten looked around the small, barrel-shaped cave. There was nothing of interest except to the rear of it, where there was a crack in the bedrock wide enough to be called a passage. Chohla gestured to it, saying there was more to see. They both had to maneuver sideways in order to slip through, and finally stepped out into a wide natural tunnel that curved off to the left.
Sten first studied where the cave led to, wondering if using hallowed travel required jumping into a hole or simply walking off into the dark. His attention was diverted when he noticed paint on the walls of the tunnel. Asking Chohla to move his glowing bone totem around, he saw that the walls on both sides were covered in drawings and symbols.