path in the flow of the river . The Great River flowed the same way the sun moved across the sky, though it turned north and even south at points. Its flow was not fast, but the sheer amount of water pushed everything in its way.
Ember removed the last leather thong and the pole came free. She secured it to the back of the tiny dugout boat where a groove had been cut for the pole. The current would be the driving force behind the journey. Behind her, the sounds of the chanting and singing be came faint.
Ember couldn't bring herself to look back for fear she would start crying or lose her nerve. Instead, she concentrated on the river. The boat was small and splashed from side to side as it rolled through the choppy waters of the Great River. For a while, Ember looked at the shore for landmarks. She could see the familiar places near the tribe slipping away like the last glints of sunlight at the end of a day. Soon, the little boat had gone so far that she no longer recognized the land. Ember spent the remainder of the first day watching the slow change of scenery along the river bank. The thick trees and deep ground cover were slowly replaced with more reeds and smaller trees. Ember lived in a heavily wooded part of the land with thick trees and dark forests. Traders said patches of open area and even high valley walls were not uncommon along the river.
Ember had never seen anything beyond her tribe. Traders and the few hunters who had journeyed to and from the Far East , like Darkwood , said the forests were greater and deeper as they had journeyed farther inland, while fewer people were found outside the banks of rivers. Those who had come from the south described forests giving way to lighter wood, such as the banks she now moved past, as well as more stones coming from the ground. Of all the directions a person could explore, the west and the south had always interested Ember the most. The south had large villages and exotic peoples. The north and west were quite unknown as most trade was with the south and the east. Now, she too would know the strange lands where the sun trav eled to each evening.
After a while, Ember opened her leather bag and removed some dried meat and a boiled tuber. She chewed on the food while sipping from one of her four clay pots of water. She would need to fill them each night when she pulled ashore and heat them by a fire to make the water safe to drink. It was said that fire cleaned the wayward spirits from the water. Failing to remove these wayward spirits could allow them into one’s body, causing illness.
Many of the gourd-shaped water pots in the tribe had blackened sides from this heating process. One had to be careful not to place chilly water during the cold season in a cold pot too close to the hot fire or it would surely crack and leak water all over the offending hearth. Such incidents were one of many reasons why each longhouse had two heart h s.
As the first day rolled along, Ember spent the time singing to herself. As the songs became repetitive, Ember relaxed, entering a state of half-awake day dreams. She had always been one to lose track of what was happening to her, easily slipping into the world of her quirky mind. Ember's day dreams and considerations of her people slowly rocked her into a stupor. She once nearly lost the pole dozing off!
The water sure is dull. Fish must sleep all of the time , she mused to herself.
As the evening settled in, Ember directed the tiny craft towards a small sheltered bank. Good camp sites were always important. A protected bank could often be found at a bend in the river. Powerful rock spirits imbued many large boulders with the strength to hold back the river, creating these small pseudo ponds aside the shore.
The Great River will one day claim these boulders, but not without a fight! sh e thought with a bit of mirth.
Ember sat up high in the boat and held her arms wide to the river and yelled a challenge to the river.
“Bring
Ember removed the last leather thong and the pole came free. She secured it to the back of the tiny dugout boat where a groove had been cut for the pole. The current would be the driving force behind the journey. Behind her, the sounds of the chanting and singing be came faint.
Ember couldn't bring herself to look back for fear she would start crying or lose her nerve. Instead, she concentrated on the river. The boat was small and splashed from side to side as it rolled through the choppy waters of the Great River. For a while, Ember looked at the shore for landmarks. She could see the familiar places near the tribe slipping away like the last glints of sunlight at the end of a day. Soon, the little boat had gone so far that she no longer recognized the land. Ember spent the remainder of the first day watching the slow change of scenery along the river bank. The thick trees and deep ground cover were slowly replaced with more reeds and smaller trees. Ember lived in a heavily wooded part of the land with thick trees and dark forests. Traders said patches of open area and even high valley walls were not uncommon along the river.
Ember had never seen anything beyond her tribe. Traders and the few hunters who had journeyed to and from the Far East , like Darkwood , said the forests were greater and deeper as they had journeyed farther inland, while fewer people were found outside the banks of rivers. Those who had come from the south described forests giving way to lighter wood, such as the banks she now moved past, as well as more stones coming from the ground. Of all the directions a person could explore, the west and the south had always interested Ember the most. The south had large villages and exotic peoples. The north and west were quite unknown as most trade was with the south and the east. Now, she too would know the strange lands where the sun trav eled to each evening.
After a while, Ember opened her leather bag and removed some dried meat and a boiled tuber. She chewed on the food while sipping from one of her four clay pots of water. She would need to fill them each night when she pulled ashore and heat them by a fire to make the water safe to drink. It was said that fire cleaned the wayward spirits from the water. Failing to remove these wayward spirits could allow them into one’s body, causing illness.
Many of the gourd-shaped water pots in the tribe had blackened sides from this heating process. One had to be careful not to place chilly water during the cold season in a cold pot too close to the hot fire or it would surely crack and leak water all over the offending hearth. Such incidents were one of many reasons why each longhouse had two heart h s.
As the first day rolled along, Ember spent the time singing to herself. As the songs became repetitive, Ember relaxed, entering a state of half-awake day dreams. She had always been one to lose track of what was happening to her, easily slipping into the world of her quirky mind. Ember's day dreams and considerations of her people slowly rocked her into a stupor. She once nearly lost the pole dozing off!
The water sure is dull. Fish must sleep all of the time , she mused to herself.
As the evening settled in, Ember directed the tiny craft towards a small sheltered bank. Good camp sites were always important. A protected bank could often be found at a bend in the river. Powerful rock spirits imbued many large boulders with the strength to hold back the river, creating these small pseudo ponds aside the shore.
The Great River will one day claim these boulders, but not without a fight! sh e thought with a bit of mirth.
Ember sat up high in the boat and held her arms wide to the river and yelled a challenge to the river.
“Bring
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