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Lanoga rolled over and smiled at the child sleeping next to her. Or rather, her feet. Lorala had recently taken to sleeping sprawled under her furs with her head buried deep inside and her feet sticking out of the top. Lanoga laughed to herself as she quietly got up without disturbing the small child. Lorala had turned into a very precocious 5-year-old. The dwelling was dark and quiet as Lanoga’s brothers and sisters continued to sleep, piled on the various sleeping platforms. She had banked the fire the night before, and before long she had a fire burning. She started some water to boil for tea and then lit several lamps in the dwelling as she set about preparing the morning meal.
As she waited for the water to boil, occasionally replacing the hot rocks that heated it, she looked around her small home. Light was just starting to peek over the top of the walls, and she could see the top of the abri that defined the roof of the cave her people shared. The sounds of rustling let her know that there were several other early risers starting their day in other dwellings. In the dim morning light, she thought about how all of this had come to be.
******
When Lanoga was only 10 years old Tremeda had lost her milk and abandoned Lorala to Lanoga’s care. The healer, Ayla, had taught her how to care for and feed the baby, and helped her to arrange other women to nurse Lorala when she was close to death. As young as she was, Lanoga had essentially adopted her siblings and cared for them as a mother. When the leaders of the Ninth Cave tried to arrange to have Lorala adopted to a young mother who had lost her own baby, Lanoga had fought to keep her. Ayla and many of the mothers who nursed Lorala came to her defense as well, and Lanoga was officially recognized as their mother.
When Tremeda was found dead at the base of a cliff later that winter smelling heavily of barma, she was already several moons pregnant. Lanoga mourned the loss of the baby but felt great relief that her mother was walking in the next world. In many ways her mother had felt more like a spirit than a living mother anyway. Maybe she had not been made to walk so long in the world of the living and would be happier in the spirit world. They were the lowest ranked hearth in the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii. Her mother’s mate Laramar provided no food or clothing for the children, and when she died Tremeda had left the children living in squalor. Lanoga, being her eldest daughter, was also Tremeda’s heir. All that had been Tremeda’s in life, became Lanoga’s. While it wasn’t much, it did include the filthy dwelling they called home.
One morning while fighting a headache from the barma he had consumed the night before, he had hit Lorala for crying and waking him. Lanoga, fed up, took the children from the dwelling and went directly to Zelandoni, the spiritual leader and healer of their cave. It was early, but Ayla was already in Zelandoni’s dwelling, nursing her own daughter. Zelandoni sent Ayla to fetch Joharran, who was leader of the cave. While they waited for Joharran, Lanoga tearfully told Zelandoni what had happened. When Joharran arrived, he was aghast. No one liked Laramar, though they liked to drink his barma. But surely even he could not have hit a small child that could not even count 1 year.
Joharran stopped to gather several other men, including his most relied upon advisor Solaban and his brother Jondalar. Lanoga’s siblings were left with Joharran’s mate Proleva, who fixed them a morning meal. She would watch them until their sister returned. Along with Zelandoni and Ayla, Lanoga trailed behind the group.
When they reached the dwelling Joharran was appalled at what he saw. There was no drape on the front, and the dirt floor was covered with rot and debris. The only sleeping platform had Laramar, snoring loudly. Looking around, the rest of the furs were on the filthy floor. Apparently he expected the children of his mate to sleep in his refuse. Joharran angrily grabbed Laramar from his bed and threw him to floor. Laramar was startled awake, cursing and kicking out at being disturbed.
“Lanoga!” Joharran said loudly, “Please repeat what you told me and Zelandoni!”
Lanoga stepped forward, took a breath, and said, “Lorala was hungry and started to cry. I didn’t have any food to give her, so I tried to quiet her by giving her my fingers to suck until it was time for her to go to Salova’s to nurse. It was still too early to take her. Laramar was angry that she woke him, and he hit her telling her to be quiet if she ‘knows what is good for her.’ She is just a baby, she has no words. She doesn’t know anything! He should not have hit her!”
Laramar glared at Lanoga. He had never much liked the children of his hearth, but she was the worst. And lately she seemed to think that she was better than him. Walking around in finer clothes, caring for the children like she was a grown woman. When Joharran left, Laramar decided that he would teach Lanoga a lesson she would never forget. Then maybe she would treat him with respect.
Joharran looked into Laramar’s eyes and asked, “Is this true? Did you hit a child who cannot count 1 year for crying because she is hungry? Did you hit a hungry child, even though you refuse to provide food for her and let the children of your mate live in this filth?” Joharran was seething, and with his advisors and Zelandoni behind him, Joharran seemed much bigger than Laramar remembered. Laramar suddenly understood the he was in very serious trouble.
“I am not feeling well this morning. The baby would not be quiet while I was trying to get some sleep. I am tired of being disrespected in my own dwelling,” he ended lamely.
Lanoga could take no more. “This is not your dwelling! This dwelling belonged to my mother. You refused to care for her or her children, even though you were her mate and promised to do so. She is dead now, and as her oldest daughter I claim it as mine. The only things that belong to you are your hearth stones and your filthy furs. I never want to touch them or look at them again. I want you out of my dwelling!” A fire burned behind her eyes as she made her declaration, and Zelandoni could not help but be impressed by the power of this child. She would bear watching.
The rest of the delegation looked on in shock at the small child who could only count 11 years but had made a powerful argument. Traditionally the children of a man’s hearth would care for him, even after their mother was gone. But Laramar had made it clear from the beginning that would not care for the children. He had never provided food or clothing for any of them, leaving them cold, dirty and hungry for their entire young lives. Ultimately, he had never fulfilled his responsibilities as man of their hearth, and it would be wrong to demand that he be cared for now.
Joharran looked from Lanoga to the now stricken Laramar. “Lanoga is correct. This dwelling belongs to her now. She has been providing for these children for months now, more than you have ever done. I cannot force you to leave the Ninth Cave. You were born here and as such you have the right to remain until the entire cave decides otherwise. But you cannot stay in this dwelling, and you may never enter it again without Lanoga’s permission. Everything here belongs to her, except your personal belongings and your hearth stones. As your mother is dead and you have no living family, you have no dwelling. I will provide you with a tent and allow you to stay Down River until you can trade for the materials to build a new dwelling, or until you find another cave willing to accept you. I would recommend that you not drink anymore of your barma, as you have nothing else to trade.
“Jondalar, go to my dwelling and ask Proleva to give you our spare travelling tent and a pack. It has several patches but will provide sufficient shelter. Solaban, escort Laramar to the signal fire hearth. He will wait there for his belongings. Zelandoni and Ayla will make sure that everything is packed and brought to him. He has lost the right to remain in this dwelling.”
*****
It had not been easy for Lanoga after Laramar left. Her elder brother Bologan had been away with friends, and when he returned, he was shocked and angry. He had been learning to make barma and even though Laramar was not kind to him, he seemed proud that the son of his mate had an interest in his craft. Initially Bologan had decided to stay with Laramar Down River, but Laramar was seething and refused to even look at the son of his hearth. Bologan tried for nearly a full moon to help Laramar, but finally Bologan returned to Lanoga’s dwelling, dejected and heartbroken.
Bologan was amazed at what he found upon his return. The dwelling was sparsely furnished, but clean. The dirt floor had been paved, and several sleeping platforms had been built. They even had hay padding and furs on them. While the hides on the walls were not finely decorated, they were clean and had no holes or patches on in them. There was even a stiff hide at the opening, something they had never had as long as Bologan could remember. He saw the warm fire, and there were several lamps lit around the dwelling, including one in front of a Donii statue. Lanoga, who was sitting on a pad next to the fire working on a project, looked up and smiled when she saw her brother.
Lanoga explained that after Laramar had been removed, there was a great sense of shame in the community. They had willfully ignored the desperate conditions that these children had been living in for many years simply because they did not like Tremeda and Laramar. Many had forbidden their children from associating with Tremeda’s filthy children, further isolating them from the love and security that all children should have. Joharran called a meeting, and it was agreed that the entire cave owed restitution to Lanoga and her siblings. Everyone had volunteered their knowledge and materials to help clean and repair the small dwelling, turning it into the comfortable home that Bologan had returned to. In addition to the work that had been done to fix their home they had been provided with a large amount of provisions to help them survive until they were able to support themselves. Additional promises were made to Joharran to teach the children the skills needed to be productive members of the cave.
Lanoga could see the shame and sadness her brother was feeling, both at the loss of the man of his hearth, and for having blamed Lanoga for protecting their younger siblings. “I don’t blame you Bologan. I know you love Laramar, at least as much as anyone could. You were the only one he seemed to care about at all. When he hit Lorala, I knew that he would get angry one day and kill her, just for being hungry. I am her mother now, and I did not want to bury my child just because I was afraid.” Tears rolled down Lanoga’s cheeks. In the whirlwind that had happened over the past moon she had not spoken much about her own feelings, particularly her fear of the man of her hearth. Until the day Laramar left, she could not remember a day in her life when she had not been hungry and afraid. Lanoga knew that she would never live that way again.
“Bologan, can you promise me something?”
Bologan looked at her hesitantly, not willing to promise without knowing what she wanted.
“Promise me that you will never touch barma again. You will not make it and you will not drink it. It has destroyed our family. Our mother died because of it, and the man of our hearth beat us and left us to starve because of it. There is an evil spirit in barma that seems to hurt us more than other people. I have already decided that I will never touch it, and I will teach our siblings- my children- never to touch it. The evil spirit seems to have been chased out with Laramar, but I do not know if it will come back if more barma comes into this home. I never want to see it here, and if you choose to drink it you will not be able to live here with us.”
“Lanoga! No, I- I don’t know how to do anything else! And I like it! It doesn’t seem to make me do bad things. Maybe it was just Laramar and mother who were cursed.”
“Do you remember when you almost died? You had been drinking barma and fighting, and the other boys dumped you on the floor like refuse, unconscious and bleeding? What is that, if not an evil spirit? There is no good in it. It cannot be in my dwelling. I love you Bologan, but I will not be afraid anymore. And if you were drinking barma and living here, I would be afraid.”
She wasn’t crying anymore. In fact, when Bologan looked into her eyes, he saw a strength that he had never seen before. It was like she was empowered by the Mother herself. In that moment, he made a decision. “I promise. I promise I will never drink barma and I will never make it again. And I promise that until you are mated, I will help you care for our siblings. I will hunt with the other men, and I will protect you.”
Lanoga smiled as Bologan’s chest puffed up with pride. For the first time in their young lives, they were happy, safe, and at peace.
******
Lanoga was extremely proud of the home she and Bologan had created for themselves and their siblings. She heard Bologan rustling in his furs and knew that he would be awake soon. There was a big hunt this morning, and Bologan would be participating. She poured some tea for him and scooped some cooked grains and roast bison into a bowl.
Bologan was now 17 years and a very fine hunter. He had also discovered that he had a talent for drawing, and his craft was decorating panels for dwellings. Lanoga could count 15 years and her craft was making leather and furs. Soon she would be mated to Lanidar, the young man she had loved since she was 10 years old. As a child she had never dreamed that she would find such joy in life, but looking now upon her home and her family, she imagined the best was yet to come.