The Inferior by Peadar Ó Guilín Page B

ancestors and he hunts the ancestors of our enemies.’
    The crowd murmured its agreement. Not even death would keep great Speareye from the hunt.
    ‘We must now find a man to lead us out of trouble and bring us Home; a man the Heroes will possess in times of need, as they often possessed my husband. Let those who would take the place of the chief step forward.’
    Wallbreaker pushed through the crowd to the front. One of Speareye’s deputies followed him, a man named Lingerhouse who’d lost most of his family in the Armourback raid.
    Then the crowd parted of its own accord and Crunchfist passed through. Everyone applauded him, even Wallbreaker. Crunchfist seemed to have no skin; only tattoos. Muscles that would have put Rockface to shame bulged and rippled all over his body. Whispering began. Here and there, men told tales of Crunchfist’s exploits. How he had made his first kill while still a child; how he had broken a Hopper’s back across his knee; how he had been separated from his hunting pack once only to return after eight days dragging a Bloodskin with one hand and a Flim with the other. People said he was the only hunter who still dared enter Hairbeast territory. Stopmouth remembered him on the night of the disaster, breaking through the enemy almost single-handed, his body possessed by a mighty Hero, maybe even the Traveller himself! Stopmouth was filled with excitement at the thought of Crunchfist as chief. He had a brutal nature, but that’s what the Tribe needed now, and with Wallbreaker whispering in his ear, surely the glory days of humanity could not be long in returning.
    After a suitable pause, during which no other candidates presented themselves, Housear asked each of the three men if he truly wished to lead the Tribe.
    ‘I wish to withdraw from the contest,’ said Lingerhouse. ‘I am sure that Crunchfist will feed the Tribe better than I could. I support his candidacy and will be a part of his pack if he will have me.’
    The crowd applauded. Wallbreaker joined in, much to Stopmouth’s relief. Surely he would be next to withdraw.
    Crunchfist curled his lip. ‘No, old man, I will not have you in my pack. Go back to your place quickly or I will remember you next time we need volunteers.’
    Lingerhouse opened his mouth, but thought better of it and pushed himself angrily back into the bewildered crowd.
    ‘And what of you, Wallbreaker?’ said Housear. ‘Do you also wish to withdraw?’
    ‘Withdraw!’ shouted someone from the back.
    ‘Why should I?’ asked Wallbreaker, his voice shaking. ‘I am going to win.’
    Crunchfist laughed, but some hunters applauded his bravado in the face of death. From a nearby window Mossheart began weeping, but only Stopmouth noticed and his heart went out to her.
    ‘Change your mind, Wallbreaker,’ Housear commanded. Her face was stern in the flickering light of nearby torches. ‘We need every hunter we can get. The ancestors will not approve of you throwing your life away.’
    Wallbreaker didn’t reply.
    ‘Very well,’ she said. Then she turned her face Roofwards. ‘I speak to Speareye now! I call to you, husband! Two men would take your place, and you must show us which of them can better feed us. Choose us a man strong enough to lead us Home!’
    She turned back to the candidates. ‘You can take five men each. You have a day and a night to bring flesh back to Centre Square. Whoever brings the most flesh will show himself worthy of leadership. Now, pick your men.’
    Crunchfist shouted first, asking for men to join him. He rejected most of those who showed up. Finally, however, he had five heavily muscled hunters, one of whom was Rockface.
    Crunchfist grinned at his new pack. They were clearly the strongest hunters in the Tribe. Then he turned and pointed at Wallbreaker. ‘His ambush trick won’t work on any of our neighbours now!’ he shouted. ‘And when the Tribe needs volunteers, I will remember anybody who joins him! I will remember your