Written by trexmaster. Posted on Dec 22, 07:27 AM.

Revised: Dinosaur Huntress, Chapter 2

This is the revised version of the second chapter of Dinosaur Huntress that I published a few days ago. The changes so far have been small, such as a few changes to the dialogue.

***
Although the sun had two hours to fully complete its ascent, it was already quite hot, so most of the villagers were concentrated around the small watering hole that the village had been built around. People drew water out of the watering hole using clay jugs, either for drinking or to relieve themselves of the heat. Some children raced around laughing while their grandparents watched; others sat in a circle listening to the village shaman tell stories. Men chattered to each other about politics, warfare, and wives, while women gossiped about hunting, friends, and husbands. Nearby, a team of men was busy constructing a new hut, using as material dinosaur bones recycled from their wives’ kills for the walls and grass thatching for the roof.

Juwanna repeatedly struck a piece of flint against a hard cobble, little by little breaking small flakes off. As she labored, the flint took on a flat, triangular shape, its edges becoming increasingly sharp. When she was satisfied with the flint’s form, she tied it to a long, wooden shaft she had whittled out of an acacia branch, using plant fibers for rope. Her new spear was now finished.

Three months had passed since her first hunt. The stegosaur by now had been completely eaten, its bones used to repair the palisade that encircled the village. Since then, she had gone on several more hunts with her sister and friends. None of them were particularly dramatic; the prey they took was rarely any bigger or more dangerous than a juvenile hadrosaur. Still, Juwanna found that she often broke or lost her spears while hunting, so she had to spend much of her spare time either forging new weapons or foraging for the necessary materials.

Juwanna reached for another flint from the pile she had gathered, but just as she started banging it, she felt a hand gently pat her on the shoulder. Juwanna turned her head to see Ikhasa standing there. “Sister, father wants us over now,” Ikhasa said, “He has a visitor over who requests to see us. You can finish that spear later.”

The two sisters navigated their way away from the watering hole through the village to their father’s hut. As befitted a chief, it was by far the village’s largest hut, standing twice as tall as the rest. It had been constructed out of sauropod bones, with the skull of an Allosaurus mounted over the entrance to protect the chief from evil spirits. Inside the hut, Chief Obunga was seated on an ebony chair, wearing an allosaur-skin robe and an elaborate crown fashioned out of white feathers.

“Ikhasa, Juwanna,” the chief addressed his daughters when they arrived, “I would like to introduce you to Yupibara.” He gestured towards a young man about Juwanna’s age also standing in the hut. From his appearance, the man was obviously not Nbari; his skin was colored pale brown instead of black, his hair was straight and cropped into the shape of a bowl, and his eyes possessed epicanthic folds that gave them a slanted, narrow look. His body was fairly short and scrawny, and was decorated with red body paint and bone piercings. Strapped to his back was a bow and quiver.

“He is an emissary for the Kunamamo people who live in the rainforest to our south,” Obunga continued, “His people have come to us in a time of dire need and request our help. Yupibara, could you please explain to my daughters why you have come?”

“Of course, Grand Chief of the Nbari,” answered Yupibara, “My people are currently at war with the vile Pahua’toas, so all our able-bodied men have been sent to fight them. In their absence, a terrible tyrannosaur has intruded upon our traditional foraging ground and claimed it as its own. Now we cannot go into the forest to find food without risking our lives. Even worse, the monster will sometimes besiege our village, wreaking destruction and feasting upon us. Now we are starving and cowering in our homes.”

“Could you not simply send your women to kill the tyrannosaur?” asked Juwanna.

“No. Among the Kunamamo, it is the men who are responsible for hunting and warfare. Nonetheless, we have heard great tales of your huntresses and have the utmost respect and admiration for them. That is why I have come here, to ask for your aid.”

Juwanna looked down at her necklace. Her thoughts drifted back to that night in her childhood, those glowing yellow eyes and sharp teeth chomping on her mother.

“We shall gladly help,” she said, “Ikhasa and I shall travel south to your land and kill that tyrannosaur once and for all.”

A smile spread across Yupibara’s face. “That is wonderful news! My people and I are indebted to you for your courage and compassion. How can we repay you?”

“Repayment shall not be necessary. The glory and honor of the deed will surpass any material gift in worth.”

“Excellent! We shall leave as soon as possible.”

“One more thing before you leave,” said Obunga, “Juwanna, Ikhasa, promise me that when you kill the tyrannosaur, you will pull out one of its teeth and bring it back to me as proof of your deed. Now may the spirit of your mother watch over you.” He got off his throne, walked towards his daughters, and hugged them tightly.

***

“I don’t understand,” Juwanna asked Yupibara as she and her sister led him towards the village gate, “how come your men do all the hunting?”

“Funny,” said Yupibara, “I’ve always wondered why among your people the women do the hunting.”

“Have the gods not ordained that to be the normal custom among hunting creatures? Among raptors, carnotaurs, and allosaurs, the females are the ones who provide meat for the pack. Humans shouldn’t be any different.”

“I understand where you come from, but what do Nbari men do if they don’t hunt? And who raises the children?”

“The men build our homes and guard them from predators and our enemies. As for our children, they are taken care of by our elders. What about your people? What do your women do?”

“Kunamamo women gather fruits and herbs from the forest and raise the children while the men are out hunting and fighting.”

“That sounds like a boring lifestyle.”

“They do not mind. At least they are normally safe and don’t usually have to worry about getting killed by their prey.”

“I see. Say, what game have you personally taken?”

“Nothing as impressive as that stegosaur you are famous for, I regret to say. In fact I have slain nothing bigger than a Hyracotherium.”

“Is that so? Then how did you make it all the way from your village in the rainforest to here? You must have stumbled upon a predator at least once.”

“Oh, several. But I always ran or hid. Honestly, I am considered a horrible coward among my people. If I were not the only man still in my village young enough to make the trip, someone else would have been chosen as emissary.”

“You should not be too hard on yourself,” said Ikhasa, “It takes a certain type of bravery to even dare to travel all the way here.”

They were now behind the village gate. It consisted of two doors, both made of wooden poles tied together with plant fibers, underneath an archway made of dinosaur ribs. Standing by the gate were two guards, each carrying a spear and dinosaur-skin shield. After Ikhasa asked them if they could go through, the guards pushed the gate doors open, letting the three adventurers pass through towards the savanna.

Tagged as Critique, Dinosaur Huntress, Trexmaster.

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