Azaria (21 page)

Whether or not Yumineh became aware of his state, he never found out. She didn't pull away, but continued to squirm up against him as they danced. Her warm, sleek body meshing with his kept his mind off Azaria and Jochan. He wasn't watching them when Jochan thanked Azaria for the dance and excused himself from her company, however he did turn to see Azaria kiss him on the cheek and swivel away. A surge of panic gripped him as he realized his awkward situation. He ripped away from Yumineh and turned to flee, hoping Azaria wouldn’t notice who he was dancing with. He didn't feel guilty about it exactly, but knew she wouldn't appreciate his choice of partners. Azaria had made it perfectly clear to him what she thought of the Fox Camp girl. He hurried away, and didn't look back, but could hear Yumineh saying something as he turned to go. Pretending not to hear, and with no particular destination in mind, he simply made for the straightest path away from his friends, toward the outer edge of the mass of dancers.

As she watched him go, Yumineh felt a hand wrap around her waist and knew without looking who it was. She knew Azaria was the reason Dogahn had left. She smiled as she looked over at her, not in pleasure at seeing her rival, although she didn't mind if the other girl thought so. Rather, she smiled because she knew Dogahn’s mind. "Did you enjoy the dance with Jochan?" she asked.

"Yes!" Azaria smiled back. "Do you know where Dogahn is off to? I saw him rush away."

"I'm not sure. Maybe he needed some fresh air. It's getting awfully hot and sweaty in here."

"Mmm, I hope you're right. I hope he's not angry with me for dancing with Jochan for so long. I just didn't know how to break away. I owed him so much, I couldn't be rude."

"I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think he was even paying attention. He seemed to be enjoying himself," Yumineh said.

"Really?" Azaria asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry."

"Yumineh!" Azaria said, turning suddenly, grabbing her arm. "Is that Daneel??"

Yumineh looked in the direction Azaria pointed and saw Daneel, lifted completely off the ground, with her arms and legs wrapped tight around Luzon, the giant Boar Camp boy who’d stumbled across Dogahn and Azaria’s private moment and mocked Dogahn. Their mouths were locked together, with Daneel appearing to be trying to lick the back of his throat.

"Aahhhh!" Yumineh screamed. "It is!! What is she doing with Luzon!?"

"Ewwww, it is Luzon, isn't it?" Azaria laughed, leaning against Yumineh's shoulder. "What is she thinking?"

"What's so funny?" Dogahn asked, as he approached from behind. He’d made a quick loop, pleased to find his embarrassing little problem dissipated. He looked in the direction they were facing and, not believing what he was seeing either, exclaimed, "Holy Ta'ar! Is that Daneel on top of Luzon?"

"Yeah!" Azaria laughed, looking toward him and taking his hand. "She's going to have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow! How did she end up with him anyway? I left her with Brutim."

Dogahn didn't find the sight so funny. He didn't like the arrogant, hulking boy, nor the fact that he was taking advantage of Azaria's closest friend. At least, he assumed Luzon must be taking advantage of her. Knowing Daneel, he admitted it was possible she was taking advantage of him. "She's had too much to drink to know what she's doing. I'm going to get her," he said, pushing between Azaria and Yumineh.

But Yumineh caught him by the wrist. "Wait, Dogahn," she said.

"What? Let go of me, Yumineh," he said.

She was caught off guard by the anger in his voice and almost obeyed, but knew if she let him go, Luzon might beat him to a bloody pulp. She couldn't let that happen. "Dogahn," she said, looking him in the eye. "Azaria is tired. Take her to her shelter. I'll go get Daneel and make sure she gets to her furs safely, okay?"

Dogahn was unconvinced, but knew the consequences of confronting Luzon could be brutal. Still, he didn't want to appear to be backing down so easily. He looked over to Azaria, who grabbed his other wrist. "Yumineh's barely sipped the poison tonight. She'll be fine. Now's our chance."

"All right," Dogahn reluctantly agreed. "But come get me if he won't behave himself."

"I will," Yumineh promised. "You two get out of here before Ilaya and Aisika catch you."

"Thanks Yumineh!" Azaria said, hugging the slightly taller girl. "Be careful. Good night!"

Yumineh embraced them both, her eyes following Dogahn until they were out of sight. She hated watching them leave together, but it had been a good night overall. She smiled inwardly.
I danced with Dogahn. I know he enjoyed it. I could feel how much he liked dancing with me.
She stood near the middle of the crowd, watching Daneel and Luzon a little longer, before noticing Tiriz locking lips with Ilaya. She smiled.
They make a good match,
she thought.
I wonder where Aisika is. She should be back with Dogahn’s poison by now. Maybe I should go find her, just to make sure she's okay.
She glanced back at Daneel once more and shook her head before making off to find Aisika.

7

Azaria lived in an era of transition. As the last ice age ended, the great frozen glaciers receded north and left in their wake overflowing rivers winding through vast expanses of fertile land. Massive herds of gazelle, and smaller numbers of aurochs, horses and red deer migrated through this region, providing abundant sources of sustenance for the people who moved in following the glacier's recession, not to mention the furs, bones, sinew, stomach linings and other items the Natu made use of. Huge flocks of crane, duck and geese also passed through, providing more sources of nourishment. The rivers were overstocked with countless varieties of fish and amphibians and the mammals that fed on them, like the playful otter and the industrious beaver. The Natu took advantage of all of it, and in doing so thrived.

Azaria walked hand in hand with Dogahn, straggling behind a mass of hunters on their way to where scouts had reported the sighting of an immense herd of aurochs. Large, communal hunts were at the heart of the Natu’s strategy for surviving the winter moons. When successful, they provided a huge supply of meat which could be salted, dried and stored for easy access when fresh protein was scarce.

The site was over a full sun's walk to the southeast, past a series of rolling hills dotted with sparse forests. Several paces in front of the couple were a band of female hunters, not all of them as young as Azaria and Dogahn. She watched as they one by one glanced back and then quickly looked away after meeting either her or Dogahn's gaze. She’d noticed many younger women had been paying more attention to Dogahn than usual, even for him, and thought she knew why. He'd always been one of the more popular young men among Boar Camp, but now that they were so clearly together, he’d become almost irresistible. It was almost as if the other women had been jolted into realizing the handsome young man may soon be unavailable, and were now ruing their hesitation in pursuing him. She smiled at the thought. She'd never been overly confident, but Azaria had a good sense of how Dogahn felt about her. It would take more than a few conspicuous flirtations to tear him away. Their strategy of trying to meet his eye while she walked beside him was amusing. As if that would work.

She was intensely happy with their blooming relationship, although she hadn't seen as much of him as she would have liked. He and Tiriz had been obsessed with preparing for the aurochs hunt, practice she would have welcomed had she not been so busy caring for her mother. Dogahn did make sure to spend at least a part of each evening with her though, a gesture she appreciated. She thought he'd probably rather spend the nights with his other friends than with her family, but she always left the decision up to him and he always chose her. Later on, she looked back on those evenings fondly. They were simple nights, and Dogahn was developing a real rapport with Quzo and her father. It almost felt like he was becoming a member of their hearth.

Azaria did have one regret however. As their bond matured, Dogahn seemed less and less able to contain his masculine desires. She knew men had strong needs, could even be aggressive – it was a behavior young women were constantly warned about - but it wasn’t a subject for debate. Azaria well knew what happened to young women who couldn’t control themselves.

A young women’s chastity, was more than highly valued. Promiscuity before tying would utterly destroy a girl's status. Harsher still, it reflected badly on her immediate family. Only a man of extremely low status, or perhaps a lonely, aging hunter looking for a mate to care for him would even consider bonding with a young woman with such a belittling mark.

For the boy involved, the situation was more complex. On the one hand, the nature of young men was well known. Deflowering an untouched girl would bring a kind of respect to the boy among his peers and even from some of the less-principled older men. Although his status would not escape detriment for such behavior, in the end, the desire to spread his seed, reinforced over millions of years of natural selection could simply be overwhelming. Even the women of the community understood this need and it was for that reason he would not bear as much responsibility for the depraved act as the girl would. Life was not always fair in Azaria's world. The only grace which might come from a forbidden encounter would be a resultant birth, proving the boy's potency and the girl's fertility. These were highly valued attributes, as the community's survival was based on a heavy stream of newborns. Too many were lost at birth or before full development, along with the resources wasted in raising them. In fact, this line of reasoning was often employed when a young man - or an older one - engaged in persuading an unbonded girl to couple with him.

However, Azaria had no intention of allowing herself to be sullied, despite whatever frustration Dogahn had to endure.

After a full sun of walking, Dogahn's father Irizahner, and the other elder hunters decided to camp for the night. Dogahn made his approval clear, remarking that it was a good spot, since they were close to a small stream and more than halfway to the area of the latest sighting. If they traveled at the same pace tomorrow, they'd probably be able to make camp around mid-sun and prepare for the hunt the next morning. Any decisions concerning strategy would be made that evening after scouts had surveyed the lay of the land and the position of the aurochs herd.

Whether Dogahn's conclusions were correct or not, Azaria didn't care. She was just happy for an end to the march. She wasn't overly tired, but was getting hungry and wanted to start preparations for cooking the grouse she’d downed. She noticed most of the rest of the hunters seemed to share her sentiment. Although each was responsible for feeding him or herself, none would want for food. If any were unlucky enough to not have caught some sort of meat during their march, they'd be able to trade with someone who had. And there were plenty who had an overabundance of kills by sundown. Azaria saw one hunter with a litter of hares and plump birds strapped over his shoulder. She wasn't sure why he'd bothered with so many, nor what he’d do with them all. Perhaps he just wanted to make sure everyone had enough to eat. Whatever the case, in addition to meat there were lots of other things to eat. If anyone had neglected to bring food with them, now that they had stopped for the evening, they could gather roots or fruit or even try for river-meat. On the way, Azaria had found several varieties of sweet berries and filled half a basket. She'd also gathered some young, tender sprouts and greens which she would stuff inside her grouse before cooking. In fact, she already had more than enough food for herself. But she was thinking of her father also. And Dogahn. Now that they were together, she felt a responsibility to make sure he had enough to eat too. She wasn't sure where the desire came from, but it made her feel good to have someone to care for.

Her father tended to ignore the little things like eating and washing during the large group hunts. Most of his focus was directed toward broader issues. Azaria was sure he was lost deep in thought, wondering what strategy would be most effective against the aurochs and what rituals he should perform to ensure the hunt's success. As the cardinal Ta'araki on this hunt, he’d take blame for any failures, although he’d get only token credit for a triumphant result. Azaria knew the hunters would claim the glory for that - and that it didn't bother him. He was more concerned with ensuring Boar Camp had enough to store for the upcoming winter.

After claiming a scrap of dirt to build a fire and lay down their furs and preparing the meat and other items they had procured, Azaria and Dogahn sat down to their first official meal alone together. She'd just returned from bringing her father the food she'd prepared.

"Did you hear what they were talking about?" Dogahn asked.

"Your father seems overly worried about strategy and mine only wants to discuss which rituals to perform. It's like they're speaking foreign tongues," Azaria laughed.

Dogahn chuckled too. "That sounds like them. I'm going to speak with father later tonight. I'm curious to know what the scouts found. I heard they're back."

"Maybe I'll go with you," she answered. Over Doghan’s shoulder, she saw Daneel approaching.

"Hey you two! How's the happy couple?" Daneel asked, sitting down to join them with a small bowl of stew. Azaria didn't think it looked very appetizing, but then Daneel had never developed much talent in preparing meals.

"Do you have enough food there, Daneel? You can have some of ours. We have more than enough," Azaria offered, knowing it was probably the main reason for the visit.

As she expected, Daneel set her bowl aside and produced a fresh one. "Maybe I'll just have a taste," she answered. "You know how much I love your cooking. For some reason, mine just never turns out as delicious as yours." She looked down at her homely meal with a look of exasperation, before pulling a large chunk of Azaria's grouse from its platter and scooping some greens and berries out also.

Azaria smiled. "So how are you doing? That was a long walk." To be honest, she was surprised Daneel had come. Her friend had little interest in hunting, and she was sure she didn't come along for love of skinning and butchering under the sweltering summer sun. She wondered if her mother had pushed her. Helping to degut and quarter the massive beasts was a good way of prove your utility to potential mates.

"It
was
a long walk, but I'm hanging in there. I heard we may be arrived by the zenith tomorrow. Do you know if that's true, Dogahn?" she asked.

"Ye', 'at 'e 'lan," Dogahn answered, his mouth full. Although Daneel couldn't entirely interpret his grunts, she understood he was confirming the rumor.

The three friends caught up while enjoying the meal, with Daneel's small bowl sitting untouched. Azaria noticed she seemed somewhat preoccupied, often peering over their shoulders into the distance. Near the end of the meal, Azaria turned her head to see what it was Daneel was looking at. She thought maybe she’d caught sight of Luzon, which made her wonder if there’d been any advancement between them since the night of the Matrimonial. She’d had little opportunity to question her on the subject. However, when she turned her head, the true source of Daneel's interest became apparent. Yumineh was sitting by herself, a glum expression on her face. When Azaria waved at her, the other girl directed her gaze down. In the pit of her gut, Azaria had a queer instinct that Yumineh had been staring at them all night. She looked grumpy.
She must be in one of her moods,
Azaria thought. "Daneel, why is Yumineh all alone?"

Daneel hesitated before replying, "Oh, you know her, she just gets these fits every once in a while. Probably just bored... or nervous about the hunt."

---

Daneel was aware of Yumineh’s strong feelings for Dogahn, knew that she’d recently been depressed and knew what she thought of Azaria. For a while, she’d hoped the two would eventually become friends, but recently Yumineh had made her true feelings known. She didn't like Azaria, thought she was somehow deceiving everyone else.

Daneel didn't want to get involved, but was worried about her. She worried how far Yumineh’s despair would take her. She admitted to herself that she didn't really know her Fox Camp friend that well - anything could be possible. She wondered what acts she'd be capable of if her dislike of Azaria turned to hatred. Or had it already? She wanted to convince her to stop obsessing over Dogahn. It wasn't rational. Why was she so stuck on him? There were plenty of men to choose from. Cute ones. And many were interested in her. Daneel had seen for herself how men's eyes lingered when Yumineh passed. Many thought her beautiful. She was a capable girl and had a great personality - for the most part. If she could just get past this, she could be so happy. But Daneel didn't know how to help her. Yumineh's point of view was becoming so warped, so grimly twisted, Daneel couldn't think of a way of reasoning with her. She wondered how one persuaded someone who didn't share the same perception of reality. To everyone else, Dogahn and Azaria were a natural fit. They'd been closest friends since they were children. Everyone was happy for them. Maybe some were a little jealous, but nothing serious. But for Yumineh, Azaria was this evil spirit who'd been deceiving everyone and Dogahn had been completely manipulated by her wicked treachery.

Yumineh stared past Daneel, keeping her gaze locked on Azaria and Dogahn. She knew they were talking about her. She’d told Daneel of her love for Dogahn in confidence, and now knew she was telling them of what she’d shared. She'd seen the whole interaction.
I don't care if Azaria sees me staring at him. I can look at him all I want. There's no rule against that. Plenty of girls are looking at him. I'm not the only one. What does he see in her anyway? She's so false.

Her eyes welled at the thought of the two of them together. For her, they’d soon be promised, and then tied. It wouldn’t be long before Azaria was having Dogahn’s babies.
I can't let it happen. I can't lose him forever.
Her plan to wedge the two best girlfriends apart had failed. Her attempts to catch Dogahn’s attention weren’t working either. He hadn’t responded to any of her advances since the night of the Matrimonials. She’d initially believed his natural attraction to her would be enough to rip him from Azaria's arms. She knew he was attracted to her. He had showed her how much while they danced together that night. But it hadn’t been enough.
He wanted me as much as I wanted him. I'm sure of it. But Azaria's always there, desperate for attention. Pulling him away from me. She's a cheat - deceiving everyone with her treachery. She cheated at the Long Run - I should have won that race. And she cheated at the Temple - she should have been punished. And her sick mother. Everyone feels so sorry for Azaria, because her mother is ill. But who feels sorry for me? My mother and father died long ago. Does anyone feel sorry for me? No! Of course not. Only for poor Azaria.