Prologue
Central Oregon Territory, North America
15,835 B.C.
Early Spring
In his native tongue, Jay urged that they hurry back to the village. Without hesitation, he bent beneath the sturdy wooden shaft, hoisting it onto his shoulders with practiced ease. He and his sister, Tatia, had been assigned the critical task of carrying water-filled skins to the camp.
Once Jay steadied himself under the load, Tatia deftly tightened the ties on the sacks dangling from the strained branch, ensuring everything was secure. With a firm smack on his back, she signaled that all was as it should be.
The forested hills and sweeping grasslands of the southern Cascades were rife with danger. Wild animals roamed and hunted freely, but it was the bears, dire wolves, lions, and sabre-toothed cats that were most feared.
Burdened by the weight of the water skins, Jay tread carefully along the stream’s rocky bank, his feet wrapped in durable animal hides for traction. Tatia moved ahead, spear in hand, her long, dark hair swirling in the gentle breeze as she scanned their surroundings with a hunter’s vigilance.
On the return, encumbered with their load, they were the most vulnerable. The clanging hollow bones and shells they wore provided some defense—likely to scare off some predators and other large animals.
Typically, only the women and girls of the tribe did this kind of work, but Jay, ever the prankster, had been caught defecating in his uncle's foot wrappings. Forced to help his sister, Jay discovered a newfound respect for chores he had previously deemed beneath him. After a nearly mile-long trek, he stayed alert as they made their way up the hill into the small village.
The outcropping of trees a few hundred feet in elevation, overlooking several square miles of grassland, was an ideal location for the Takal tribe. Numbering about fifty individuals in total, they lived in large tent-like structures made of thick animal hides stretched and tied across bones and branches, sealed with tree resin. Prized most were massive Mammoth bones—with their tusks forming extravagant entrances to the dwellings. Dug into the center of the camp, a large depression served as a fire pit, its perimeter reinforced with various sized stones.
As Jay and Tatia made their way through the center of the village, the morning sun was cresting just above the trees. They arrived at the opening to the largest tent or aboche as they were called, supported with massive tusks towering at least three times taller than they stood. Tatia pulled aside the hides covering the opening as Jay carefully shuffled inside with the load. They spent the next several minutes emptying the water from the skins into large clay pots.
Outside, there were suddenly calls and yelling from men returning from the hunt. Jay would typically be with them. He left his sister to finish and ran outside. Entering the camp's perimeter were warriors from one of two parties that had gone out that morning. Leading them was Jay's older brother, Cai. At seventeen, he was two years older than his brother and already a highly skilled, strong and confident hunter. Cai and the others dragged something big through the tall grass with ropes. It was a freshly killed boar.
Out of the aboches came most of the tribe to greet their arrival. Jay ran over to his brother to see, along with the throng of others. Cai, upon seeing his brother approach, threw down his rope and lifted Jay easily into the air before embracing him with a laugh. He then chastised him for not being with him on the hunt. The attention very quickly went back to their prize.
The beast was massive. Much of its dark brown hair was mixed with blood and dirt, caking it in a reddish mud. The tribe's healer and mystic, Tarfuul, approached and commanded the party to stop.
He raised his wooden staff adorned with bird skulls to the clear sky. He proclaimed that it was a good sign for the spring season and went on to say that they would hold a great feast to honor the spirits of the many that had died over the harsh winter. Jay, Cai and Tatia's mother had been among them.
There was suddenly a sharp boom, like a clap of thunder in the distance. A collective gasp erupted across the camp as they turned to look. Shielding their eyes, they all strained to see it better. Moving across the sky was something so bright and intense, it looked like a second sun. A low rumbling, like a thousand horses stampeding, spawned from its wake as it approached. The object pierced through the clouds and descended rapidly through the atmosphere toward them.
Screams followed by chaos ensued as most of the tribe scattered. They ran in all directions. Most scrambled for their tents or the depression around the fire pit, some down the hill, others stayed huddled in place. There was a deafening roar as the flaming object streaked just a few thousand feet over their heads. Those still out in the open were scorched in a flash of intense heat as it passed, lighting patches of grass, trees, clothing, aboches, and other combustibles around the camp on fire.
The shockwave that immediately followed flattened most of the structures on the hilltop. People already on the ground were shifted from where they lay. Anyone still standing, including most of the hunters, Tarfuul, Jay, and Cai, were thrown like ragdolls from the blast. As the meteor slammed into the earth just a few miles away, a second pressure wave swept over the hill even greater than the first. The ground buckled and shifted as waves of energy radiated outward from the impact.
After regaining consciousness, among the moans and cries of his people strewn about the hilltop, Tarfuul rose to his feet—to a now shattered world. The camp was utterly devastated. He immediately helped a mother next to him strip the burning clothes off of her screaming infant.
His face was reddened and burned. His braided hair, beard, eyelashes, and eyebrows were mostly gone. Between coughing and spitting up blood, he looked west, toward the impact site. The grassland and forest in that direction were in flames. Beyond, at the western horizon's edge, an immense column of black smoke rose high into the sky. Cai and Jay, coughing and with burns across their bodies, rose to stand next to him.
Struggling to speak, Tarfuul said that whatever came from the sky must have been sent by Uhele, their deity, and that they must go see what it was.
But that would have to wait. Helping the burned and wounded, burying the dead, and rebuilding their homes would be the priority in the coming days.
Two weeks later
A blackened scar stretched across the land from the Fallen Sun’s path; at least, that's what the Takal tribe had started to call the object. The fires and smoke had finally abated, largely due to rains that had fallen steadily from the day before.
Cai, Jay, their father Apanni, chief of the tribe, Tarfuul and most of the surviving warriors formed an expedition to the impact site, even though many were still nursing injuries and burns from the cataclysm. Setting off at sunrise, by noon they crested the final hill. The previously forested area lay exposed entirely. For at least a mile in all directions, the skeletal remains of trees, thousands of them, burned and ripped apart, were felled away from the impact site. At the center of all the destruction was a crater roughly as large as their hilltop camp, about 100 yards across. Steam continued to billow from patches of earth scattered about the perimeter. The heavy rains had formed a shallow pool inside the expanse. Chief Apanni, who led the group, stopped just shy of the crater's rim, a circular ridge about ten yards above the water, and looked inquisitively over at Tarfuul. Tarfuul stepped to the edge with his staff draped in clattering bird skulls, raising it to the sky while he closed his eyes. He mumbled something before opening his eyes again. He looked down into the center for a few moments before smiling. He motioned and said that Uhele's gift was before them.
Apanni stepped first into the crater and began to traverse carefully downward. The others followed. The ground's surface was in some places smooth and hardened, like glass. After a few minutes, the group reached the pool’s edge.
Immediately visible was a black object at the center of the expanse, jutting slightly above the clear water's surface. Other dark objects lay scattered across the bottom around it. Apanni first touched the water with his fingers then slowly stepped into the pool. He motioned for his sons to follow him and for the others to stay. As he made his way toward the center, the brothers followed close behind.
Cai approached one of the objects, lifting it out of the pool. It was about the size of his palm, smooth and dimpled with a metallic sheen. He quickly placed the fragment in his waist pouch. Jay did the same with a smaller one. This prompted uncontrolled excitement from the other warriors who stepped into the pool and followed, picking up fragments along the way. Tarfuul was close behind them.
As he approached the stone at the center, Apanni spotted an oddly shaped fragment. He reached into the water and lifted out what could be best described as a shard. Half as long as his arm, glistening and jet black, it looked like a much longer version of the flint and obsidian knives they would create and use for cutting meat. He touched the blade end with the thumb of his other hand to check the sharpness.
"Punelle," Apanni said as he winced before placing his bleeding thumb in his mouth. He then wrapped the fragment with leather straps before stashing the object at his hip.
Apanni stopped next to the central object. He leaned forward and placed his hand on the stone. It was cool to the touch—smooth, dimpled, and shiny, consistent with the pieces that lay around it. Only a portion was visible; its bulk lay buried in the ground beneath their feet.
As they gathered around to touch it, Tarfuul pushed his way in to stand next to the chief. He placed his hand on it as well. They stood in silence for a few moments under the drizzle of rain before Tarfuul spoke. As he finished, and by odd coincidence, the flash, crack, and boom of distant lightning and thunder gave enhanced credibility to the decree. He proclaimed that the Stone must be brought back to the village.
Six weeks later
In the clear night sky, a full moon watched silently from above as the tribe assembled in the circular dugout surrounding the fire pit. It was just after dusk, and the skinned and dismembered portions of various animals turned over in the blaze on a massive spit. Sitting away from the others, adorned in more colorful attire, were Cai and Jay. Dressed only in fur loincloths, they had their exposed skin painted with bright red, black, white, and yellow glyphs. It was a special night for them both. Soon they would be reborn into the tribe with the full status of warriors. They would be permitted to take a mate.
There was a new smaller pit a few yards from the main one. In its center sat the Stone, shimmering a yellow orange in the firelight. It had taken most of the Takal tribe fifteen days to roll and drag the stone from the crater to their encampment. Now fully unearthed and cleaned, it was roughly spherical, about four feet in diameter. A noticeable chunk was missing at the top—like a bite had been taken out of it.
Tatia walked over to her brothers with some cooked meat, holding the bone encased in steaming flesh in front of their faces for them to smell. A few of her friends followed. Jay smiled and waved her away. She laughed then took a bite in front of them. Cai looked over at Jay with a smirk and shook his head. They’d been fasting for two days now in preparation; soon they would be permitted to eat. Cai told her that cooked food was for the weak. Jay chuckled in agreement before throwing a rock that bounced harmlessly in front of her. One of the girls sat down next to Jay, putting her arm around his neck, before whispering in his ear. He grinned from ear to ear as she moved her hand down under the leather pouch covering his groin.
"Panaeha!" Tatia yelled at her friend before smacking her on the shoulder. The girl rolled away from Jay giggling.
The beating of a drum began, and then another until a chorus of drums played to the same rhythm. Soon this was joined by chanting and singing from the tribe. Around the new stone altar, men brought and placed burning logs and wood from the central pit. As he chanted, Tarfuul put chunks of flesh in the bowl-like depression at the top of the Stone, and he poured blood from a skin pouch. He then turned to face the crowd.
Tarfuul shouted. The drumming and chanting abruptly stopped. He said to them that Uhele was watching and was pleased. And that although they had suffered much, the experience had made them stronger and wiser than before. It was time to use the gift from their god, or what they now referred to as Uheletaka. He called on Cai to come forward and stand before it.
Cai did as instructed. Tarfuul began to chant as he dipped his hand into the pool of blood. Starting from Cai's forehead, Tarfuul dragged his hand down the front of Cai's face, his middle finger following the contour over his nose, lips, and chin. He finally planted his bloody palm on Cai's bare chest, over his heart.
He told Cai that he would have the strength, ferocity, and wisdom of the bear and that the power was now his to take.
Cai placed his hands on both sides of the altar before lowering his mouth into the steaming vat of the recently killed cave bear's blood and organs. Simultaneously, the depressions on the Stone’s surface began to glow and pulse a deep red and orange color. He chewed, slurped, and gorged himself on the mixture. People began to notice the Stone's fragments around the gathering, some already adorning their clothing as charms or necklaces, even the dagger Apanni now wore strapped at his waist, had grooves on their surfaces that started to radiate as well.
Suddenly, Cai lurched backward, gasping for air. His entire head was covered in blood. He looked to the sky before a carnal scream erupted from his mouth. He then collapsed to the ground and began to convulse.
Three warriors quickly grabbed and lifted Cai, who was now unconscious but breathing, off the ground. Tarfuul, visibly startled at what had happened, stammered that the gift of the bear was now with Cai and to take him away. The men swiftly carried him off to his family's aboche.
Jay fidgeted nervously. He shifted and picked at his toes after seeing what had happened to his older brother. The strange, seemingly alien manifestation of the Stone had everyone in awe.
Sensing his youngest son's apprehension, Apanni walked over and placed his hand on Jay's shoulder. It's okay to be afraid, he said, but you are stronger than the fear. Jay smiled before responding that he just wished that his mother was still alive to see it.
After removing what remained of the bear's blood and bits from the altar with a rag, Tarfuul replenished it with fresh blood and parts of a dire wolf. He commanded that Jay come forward.
Jay rose from where he sat, looking at his father one last time before going to the Stone. His father nodded in encouragement.
Tarfuul performed the same anointing with blood on his hand to Jay's face and chest. He then spoke, saying that Jay would have the speed, cunning, and passion of the wolf and that the power was now his to take.
A similar sequence of events took place. Jay descended headfirst into the Stone's bowl-like depression, consuming the dire wolf's remains as the Stone and fragments continued to glow. Then, like his brother, he collapsed. But instead of falling unconscious, he continued to scream and writhe on the ground in pain, ripping his loincloth off in the process. Tarfuul, visibly distraught, called for him to be removed. A group of warriors moved in.
While Jay's body contorted on the ground, a howl exploded from his mouth that sounded neither human nor animal. His body began to shift, elongate and deform. There were tearing and popping sounds as his torso and head expanded. Hair seemed to grow instantly out of his skin. The warriors retreated a few steps, stunned at what they were witnessing. Tarfuul mumbled incoherently as he hid quickly behind the Stone.
Apanni pushed his way through the men to see his son, but his son was gone. In his place, rising above them on two malformed hind legs, stood something that resembled a ghastly mix of man and wolf. Startled gasps and cries erupted from the gathering as most stepped back, some bolted for their tents.
Jay? Apanni asked the hunched over creature.
It cocked its head to the side as it looked down at him with its blood-red eyes, one freakishly out of place on its brow, as if it understood. Then it snarled, revealing fangs as long as a man's hand. It lurched downward before anyone could react, engulfing Apanni's head in its mouth, sinking its teeth into his chest and backside. The monster lifted him off the ground as he flailed in vain to free himself. His screams muffled as it thrashed him back and forth high in the air until Apanni’s decapitated body tore loose, covering the horrified warriors in their chief’s blood. After a few chews, the beast gulped down the head.
An explosion of chaos and screams followed as the tribe scattered in all directions. Warriors dashed for their weapons, but not all were able to escape. The nightmarish creature snatched a screaming woman off the ground as she attempted to flee.
Suddenly, there was a tremendous roar from inside the chief's aboche that drowned out all other sounds. Tearing through the thick hide wall of the tent bounded another enormous, deformed creature. Its head and body resembled a bear, but was grossly misshapen, with longer limbs than a typical bear. It lunged at two warriors scrambling to retrieve their weapons, knocking one of them down. The beast descended on him, chomping into his torso, biting him in half.
Alerted to the bear, the wolf looked up from its feeding. It snarled at the other monster and then charged. The bear rushed forward to meet him. They closed the twenty yards between them in a blur—slamming into each other mid-air. They landed close to the fire pit, with the wolf's jaws locked down over the bear's shoulder. The beasts thrashed around on the ground, the bear tearing into the wolf's skin with its claws as the wolf bore down ever deeper with its fangs into the bear's flesh.
A score of warriors, each armed with multiple spears, encircled the violent spectacle, captivated by the unfolding battle yet holding back from attack. The pair of monsters abruptly rolled, smashing into the great fire pit, sending the spit and its contents of cooking meat, flaming logs and embers spilling across the area. The hair and skin on both creatures caught fire. Howling in pain, they separated.
Seizing the moment, the warriors hurled their spears at the creatures, only to be shocked as the same weapons that could pierce the hides of mammoths merely glanced off their thick skins. In desperation, they snatched up flaming pieces of wood.
The wolf, now ablaze, darted toward a clearing at the hilltop’s edge with the bear following, its fur smoldering. Close behind, the warriors gave chase. In a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames, the wolf dropped to the ground, rolling in the dirt, but the bear lunged, clamping its jaws onto the wolf’s neck. A chilling squeal cut the air as the wolf thrashed against the bear’s grip, claws raking wildly, while the ground trembled with the fury of their struggle. Gradually, the wolf’s cries subsided under the bear’s crushing grip.
Seeing their chance, the warriors flung burning wood and torches at the beasts, some rolling directly under them, reigniting the flames. The bear released the wolf as fire spread quickly over them both, forcing them to flee down the hill and vanish into the night.
***
Legends would tell of how the warriors saved the man-wolf, or what they would come to call the varg, for had they not interfered, the man-bear, or the karu, would have killed it.
In the months to come, as the varg fled west across the great land bridge south of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet to Asia and eventually to Europe, the tribespeople dragged and rolled what they now considered the Felstone, a cursed object, many miles away to lava caves at the base of a volcano. There they sealed it away and hid its location with the hope that it never be found again.
As history faded to memory, memory to legend, and legend to myth, the secret was safe, or so it seemed.
