It Started Here

The People lived in a river valley somewhere on Earth, where they had remained for three generations.

Before they had settled, they had moved from place to place, as food in one area became depleted, and greener pastures forever beckoned.

They had been able to settle here after they had begun raising their own animals, and learned how to cultivate their own crops.  There had been division about this.

The People had long since adopted wolves, who helped them hunt and guarded the camp and children, so the idea of raising other animals was nothing new.  But some had resisted the changes, and left the People to continue traveling with the herds.

Now, fewer children had died in infancy, and there was sufficient food, so the People had grown in number, and were strong.  Others had come, to kill the People's animals or steal their food, but the People were strong and had driven them away.

Still others had come to trade, and the People had welcomed and befriended them.  Not only goods were exchanged, but ideas, and the People had learned.

And the People were strong not only because they could now use the land to make their own food, and had learned to preserve it.  They were also frightening warriors.

Halos was one of the older ones among those who had first settled here at the Parting.  He was a quiet, thoughtful one; a thinker who some saw as useless.

Korbos had noticed how a thin branch would spring back when bent.  He had placed a small stone in the fork of a branch, then bent and released it, and seen how far the stone flew.

The People were already using levers and fulcrums to move large stones out of fields, so Halos partly understood the great potential here, and resolved to see if he could use it to throw a spear harder and farther.

He had invented the spear thrower.  It was simply a length of wood about a little shorter than his arm, with a sort of curved cup at the end.  The end of the spear was carved to fit this in a certain way.  The spear was made lighter and shorter, (and could be better described as a dart), and Halos amazed the People as he demonstrated it.  He threw spears three times as far as the strongest hunter, and was just as accurate.  The new spear could penetrate the thickest hides.

Soon, all the hunters had spear-throwers and carried more than one spear.  They competed with eachother to become more accurate and throw farther, and became the most formidable group known.

But the People were peaceful, and had enough land, and only killed to defend their property, or when threatened.  Others who crossed their path grew to become good friends.  Those who traveled would save extra hides and collect the types of stones the people wanted so that they could trade with them as they passed.

Now that the People had the time, some were able to be like Korbos, and think of new things to make life better.    Some developed skills which others could not match.

Sabos, the grandson of Korbos, made the first bow and arrow, and also made a three-wheeled cart, with one wheel that turned.  The first, he made for his grandmother to sit in, for she could not walk.

Sabos was creative, but Sieka was much more skilled with woodworking.  She had a strange sense for the properties of different types of wood, and tried using layers of different types.  Sabos helped her by experimenting with tree saps and other materials to make glues and coatings.

Some of the People called her a magician.  She took Sabos's ideas and began making truly excellent bows, arrows, and carts.

Everyone wanted these things from her, and offered things in trade.  Sieka was only one person.  She was teaching Korbos to help her, and sharing with him, but no one else could match her skill, and the two of them couldn't keep up with the demand.

This is how it began...