18 Sudden shock

I woke with a start and was out of the cot before I realised. I felt things crawling all over me and I instinctively ran to the water. I took a breath and jumped in, submerging myself.
The irritations stopped and looking up at the surface of the water, I saw hundreds of ants coming together to form an ant raft. This is what had jerked me awake and shuddering at the thought of them in my hair, ears and mouth, I sculled backwards to get up water of them, and resurfaced.
Looking at the ever growing raft I realised there would be little to salvage at camp. "Why didn't Alpha react? She usually does before me?" Then I stopped and a deep pain eminated from my heart. I knew then, she had died in the night and the ants were reclaiming her body.
Lifting myself out of the water I carefully retraced my steps avoiding the ever increasing line of ants. Standing the oppositie side of the fire pit, I stared at our skins we had shared for all that time. She, like the skins, were black with ants. They had already invaded her eyes and mouth and were busy burrowing under her fur. There was nothing I could do, Nature had given birth to her and now reclaimed her. Once She had finished with Alpha, there would only be bone remaining.
I bowed towards Alpha's remains and thanked her for her company all this time. 
Accepting I had to pretty much start again, I gathered together what I could; knives, oiled skin, bamboo poles, cooking pot, comb. There was little else. The skins we had so carefully tanned over the years were gone. I salvaged my boots and a spare set of clothes and left the rest to decay back into the soils. Spreading the fire pit out and cleansing the ground as best I could, I packed my bundle and began walking away. 
At a respectful distance, I turned and bowed to Alpha, "From dust you came and dust you return, full circle. Thank you for your kindness and wisdom, may your soul find peace, may your rebirth be a happy one," and with that I turned and walked away.
It was the end of one period in my life and I knew I was entering another.
I wondered what it may bring and prayed to the spirits around me. I hoped they would gift me experiences which weren't too traumatic and that as I moved into this new stage, I would perform well.
Little did I know what was coming my way in the future and how the experiences of my past would save my life and countless others, time and time again.

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