AMARA
Amara was shocked that the other beast tribes were so afraid of fire. In her studies, she read that before the War, thousands of years ago, all beasts worshiped the Phenix tribe for their blessing of fire.
"How did everyone become so lost?" Amara wondered. They were about to leave to see Chief Niwe. Amara thought back to their first meeting. It was very short, she wondered how much she would have to reveal about herself to gain his trust. She trusted Borin but was wary of everyone else.
"Are you okay to head out now Amara?" Asked Borin in an anxious tone. Amara noted his nervous excitement. "The cold seasons here must be very harsh" thought Amara to herself.
"Sure, that sounds good."replied Amara to Borin. She quickly stood up and followed Borin to the door. They walked out and Amara turned around to get a good look at their house. It was even more beautiful when the sun was fully up. The thatched roof and stone-clay walls complemented each other well.
"Do you think Chief Niwe will be okay with using fire?" Amara asked Borin. He turned and looked at her while continuing to walk toward Niwe's house.
"I'm not sure but once he hears we will be able to store food for a whole season I think he will at least try. Everyone here has experienced the horror of the cold season." said Borin with a melancholic tone. This deeply disturbed Amara. "What were the cold seasons like for them?" pondered Amara. Back home they all stored food all year and stayed inside until it warmed up again, she had fond memories of spending unlimited time with her family.
"What are the horrors of the cold season?" asked Amara anxiously.
"The food gets very scarce, many tribesmen starve. My father Damen, Niwe's brother, starved to death two cold seasons ago. There wasn't enough food for everyone, so my father gave any that was left to me, tuskar, my mother, and her youngest mates. Many families have experienced the same fate." Amara was silent for a moment, she didn't know life could be so cruel to so many. Below the Mountain truly was a scary place, her ancestors were right.
"I'm sorry Borin" said Amara sympathetically.
"It's okay because if we can convince Niwe to preserve the food we won't have to go through that anymore. Replied Borin.
They reached the part of the path that connected to the rest of the village Amara noticed many bear beast man stealing glances at her and Borin. She was filled with anxiety, but Borin reached down and started holding her hand which alleviated it somewhat.
"Are you going to be okay talking to Niwe about your village?" spoke Borin quietly
"Yes I have a plan." replied Amara smiling.
They quickly reached Niwe's home it was larger than theirs and even though it didn't have the stone-decorated walls, Amara still found it very quaint. Borin walked up to the wooden door, knocked and shouted.
"Uncle it's me Borin I have something to discuss with you."
"You can enter!" replied Niwe with a shout.
They walked inside and saw Niwe, Enota and Xylo, one of Enotas mates. Enota was holding a large, weaved basket full of food wrapped in black oak Leafs.
"Enota! What are you doing here?" said Amara, her voice full of light excitement.
Enota smiled "My teacher Orla's mates have all passed away, she's A storyteller so everyone gives a little food to Chief Niwe to give to her. I'm just here to collect it." Enota replied
"That's amazing! I'm glad you all support each other like this." Said Amara.
Before the girls could keep talking Niwe spoke.
"What did you need to speak to me about Borin?" Borin made eye contact with Amara, seemingly asking if it was okay to speak in front of Enota and Xylo. Amara nodded after understanding the message.
"Amara has a way to keep food edible for a whole season!" said Borin seriously.
Niwe's eyes widened with disbelief, and he turned to Amara.
"A whole season? Please tell me how you do this?" Requested Niwe sincerely.
"My tribe used two main ways, in the hot season we would take meat and fruits get them in thin pieces then lay them out in the hot sun. That would dry them making them able to store for a long time. However, when that wasn't an option, we would use special buildings called smokehouses. We would hang meat from the ceiling and start a fire in a pit in the floor which would dry the meat and give it a delicious flavor" Said Amara passionately. She felt a deep fulfillment from sharing her knowledge, although she used to hate studying, she was grateful her father made her. Enota, Xylo and Niwe all looked at her shocked for a moment.
"Your tribe would use fire!? Were you not wary of it Spreading? What tribe were you from?" questioned Niwe who was obviously taking this seriously.
"The pit in the floor is what keeps the fire from spreading since the Smokehouses have to be built with wood. Also, I'm sorry I'm still doing my best to remember everything. The only other thing I remember is being attacked by abandoned beasts." said Amara nervously. Amara felt bad for lying but she was telling some truth.
Niwe put a hand on his chin and looked at her for a moment deep in thought. At the same time, Enota approached her with a pity-filled gaze and put her hand on her shoulder. In the beast world, it wasn't uncommon for females to be kidnapped and brutalized by abandoned beasts never to be seen again.
"Don't push yourself to remember too much about it." said Enota gently. Her sympathetic tone made Amara's eyes water. she quickly nodded in response.
"I'm sorry that happened to you Amara, are you okay if I ask more questions?" said Niwe with a soft look in his eyes.
"Yes, that's what we came here for." replied Amara trying to smile softly.
"How would your tribe get the fire?" asked Niwe. Amara figured this question would come.
"A male would put a large log in the middle of the town and carve a hole inside it. They would fill it with dry leaves and would vigorously roll a dry stick between both hands on the kindling until it created smoke then while continuing to roll it, they would blow on it finally making it catch fire. This would be the community fire which everyone could use to get fire for their families. To keep this safe and to keep the fire alive there would always be a guard next to it." said Amara. All four of them looked at Amara dumbfounded that such a lifestyle existed. Niwe was the first to break the silence.
"The best and safest course of action I believe is to build a small smokehouse and use a private fire for it. If we introduce this to everyone with no proof, it'll only scare and intimidate them. Borin your house is secluded, build the smokehouse out there. Enota will your mates be willing to assist them?" said Niwe. Enota looked at Xylo who nodded. "Xylo will help but I will have to ask Ash regardless of if he says yes, we can meet at Borin's tomorrow morning to get started." said Enota smiling excitedly.
"That sounds great, we will see you tomorrow." replied Borin. Niwe nodded contently giving his approval.
" This is great, everyone is dismissed, keep me closely informed on how it progresses, and don't tell anyone else about this until we have proof it works" said Niwe Motioning them out.
TO BE CONTINUED