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    Redbird
    Redbird
    Redbird
    Ebook146 pages2 hours

    Redbird

    By D. E. Harrison

    ()

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    About this ebook

    A total female society is fighting for their exitance. Their Warriors are no match for the males that wish to enslave them. Both sides are armed with the black cutting stones. Red Bird is a young female in the Twiners clan being trained to twist thread. In each Clan is an oral history kept. They have no written words.
    Red Bird is on the ocean shore line when she sees a floating log much larger than the funeral log the High Priestess sails out in when she dies.
    The female society has another serious problem. The population is expanding and is near the limit of its food gathering. The jungle is dense and can offer only so much food. The new High Priestess is turning to farming in the hopes it will feed her people.
    A strange new floating log brings strangers to the shore line. Are they scouts for their enemies?
    The strangers understand the situation. They too are looking for land to settle and plant but know they can do nothing because of the way the society is constructed. They vote to sail on.
    Red Bird is at the shore line when a detachment of the male army come ashore. Already in the boarders of their lands the women flee the male army marching to their capital.
    The strangers halt the invasion but none of the Warriors understand how. Do the strangers have the knowledge to help the outnumbered female warriors save their homes? And what will become of them as a society even if they survive?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherD. E. Harrison
    Release dateNov 29, 2018
    ISBN9780463702000
    Redbird
    Author

    D. E. Harrison

    I am trained as a theoretical mathematician. I am an emeritus member of the American Mathematical Society for fifty odd years. I have lived in Seattle since 1967. I starting writing fiction after writing a family history.

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      Book preview

      Redbird - D. E. Harrison

      Red Bird

      By D. E. Harrison

      Copyright 2006 by D. E. Harrison

      Smashwords Edition

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Chapter 1 Red Bird and the Floating Log

      Chapter 2 Red Bird’s Choosing

      Chapter 3 Red Bird’s daily Activities

      Chapter 4 Population Growth

      Chapter 5 Temple Square

      Chapter 6 Visit the Stone Cutters Clan

      Chapter 7 Red Bird Flees

      Chapter 8 Assemble the Warriors

      Chapter 9 The Enemy Most High leader

      Chapter 10 High Priestess Prepares for Battle

      Chapter 11 The Enemy Gathers Its forces

      Chapter 12 Visitors from the Floating Log

      Chapter 13 high Priestess meets the Log People

      Chapter 14 The Enemy Arrives by Water

      Chapter 15 High Priestess and Derora meet Again

      Chapter 16 Forging Weapons

      Chapter 17 the Final battle is Enjoined

      About D. E. Harrison

      Discover other titles by D. E. Harrison

      Chapter 1 Red Bird and the Floating Log

      Red Bird looks out from behind a towering rock toward the setting orb. She is high on the bluff overlooking the vast empty shore line from her concealed spot. These waters are warmer than other places and are a poor place for the Fishers clan.

      Red Bird is still slight of form but maturing late into a young female. Her long black hair is down to her soft slightly brown shoulders. The slight color is not from the orb, but it is the natural tone of her skin and of everyone she knows. Her dress is nothing more than a robe of vegetable fibers with some markings in it. The length slightly covers her knees. Sandals cover her feet from the Covering clan. Red bird has considered as she became older that there should be a separate clan for sandals only. They move everyone in their journey to complete their mission.

      Red Bird is of the Twiners clan; also known as the Knotters. The material used by her clan and a few others comes from a soft white ball that grows in the Black Forest burnt by the orb spirit many rains ago. They burn fields in the holy twelve cycles of the rains to grow the soft white balls.

      Unknown to very few is that the clans are slowing growing and consuming all the food the jungle can provided.

      Looking out over the bluff, she reasons, the great waters have washed a strange piece of wood away from the shore. It is hard to tell how far away it really is. The great waters are so large that they make everything seem small. Only on ceremonial orbs are the other clans allowed to view this stretch of the great waters. Red Bird punishment is unknow because she has remained longer, then she should.

      Never has Red Bird seen such a log this large float. When a great High Priestess dies, she is set upon the waters to return to her priestly clan from this holy shore line. There she will be the lowest of the low, until another arrives to take her place.

      Red Bird dares not stay longer, but the log is magnificent, with many colors of vines covering it.

      "Could this be the High Priestess’s clan preparing to claim their own? It has been but a few orbs since the dead Priestess sailed from this spot. It is no wonder she will be the lowest of low. Her log is nothing compared to what is on the water to receive her.’

      Red Bird runs the faint path back to her clan’s lodgings as the yellow orb sinks into the great waters. At the lodgings, her Master says nothing to show her distress by her late appearance.

      Her tender speaks, Red Bird, you return late. You will clean the bowls. Your food will be what the others have left.

      The words could have been harsher, coming from the senior tender.

      Red Bird is still hungry after cleaning all the bowls. Only enough food is prepared for each meal. To miss the start of the meal means your bowl goes empty and everyone receives a little more.

      The Master Twiners, twelve in number, are sitting as usual with their young helpers at their sides around the fire. Her Master must wait to speak until Red Bird completes her punishment. All eyes follow her as she sits down on the hard, bare ground. Only the Masters have skins to sit upon. Every evening before the fire, each Master repeats her oath, history, and then describes her special service, with the number of rains she has been in the clan.

      The helpers hear all but repeat only their Masters’ words. After many hours, the Masters return to their enclosures to rest. The helpers sleep where ever it is dry. Under a tree if it rains or in the open if warm enough.

      After leaving the fire, the senior tender speaks again, Red Bird, you do your Master dishonor by being late. Did you forget the way?

      She ignores these fighting words and will dream of large logs and how one might vine them together. She will twine one such log for the next High Priestess to meet her clan.

      This society chooses their young members for their life’s work when their cycle is in its twelfth rain. Those born late in the dry cycle are usually smaller at their choosing. It is normally three rains later that the young females go to a clan and then only as a helper. In rare case the Council of Twelve assumes its full power and determine the fate of the young female. Even the High priestess cannot change their decision. The utmost goal in all their decisions is the well-being of all the members of the society.

      At dawn several of the helpers get up to prepare the first meal, Red Bird being late will be one of those. She knows her duties.

      The food will be the fruit from the Dark Forest, nuts provided in twine sacks. Before she finished last night, she set to soak enough nuts to fill the 24 bowls.

      The fire is set to heat the twelve clan stones. These are special stones from the heavens, with many holes and yet heavier than any stone in all the clans. Some are black; others shine all the time. Each morning they wash them in the eternal spring and places them in the fire.

      The three food servers have completed cleaning the cracked nuts and mashing them somewhat. They now await the stones in twelve individual wooden bowls filled with water. Special grabbers remove only its Master’s stone from the fire. Each Master’s bowl will boil and finish cooking the nuts.

      Pieces of shells and ash from the fire are removed before being set in front of each Master.

      The Masters have been up since the fire started for their morning salute to the yellow globe. They implore it to continue its journey and warm the earth. They express gratitude for another unit of the orb and ask that their labors be acceptable. They wash in the small stream and return for the meal.

      Each of the twelve Master’s bowls has two spoons. The Master’ spoons are large with many fancy and symbolic carvings. The helper’s spoons vary in size and usability to scoop out the cooked nuts from their smaller bowls. Each Master will spoon from her bowl to her helper’s bowl. A worthy effort may result in more to eat. An inferior performance will mean less to eat. The Dark Forest does supply fruit for those still hungry, if time allows. The Masters eat in silence. Red Bird punishment is light for her deeds of yesterday.

      Her Master will work on the holy log this orb and Red Bird will help. It is a rare event to be present when a log has its work begun. Few Masters this orb will live to see another log so selected.

      After the meal, the clan all walks by honor and age to the selected tree. The clan that selects the tree has been at the site for many orbs, the tree fell in a storm during the rains. The choice of the tree was many rains before, as were others. The ground around it was prepared to weaken it enough to topple. Several others had toppled in the past, but the time was not right, and they had no use. The High Priestess lived for more rains than anyone ever suspected.

      This tree was prepared to topple this very season. The stump is half-buried, with much skill the tree is prepared.

      Red Bird sees the tree for the first time, as does all her clan. Never would they ever interfere with the sacred duties of other clans.

      Her thoughts go back to the sight of the log on the great waters, ‘the logs I saw floating were larger than this one, with many somehow vined together.’

      She returns to the present by her Master, Red Bird brings the twine and measure around the tree.

      Debarking the tree is complete. She crawls under the tree through a small tunnel in the ground, handing the twine to her Master. The Master ties the knot in the twine for the tree size. The twelve Masters meet and compare this twine with the twine from their last log prepared for the High Priestess. The twine must exceed the last one by the holy number kept in a special box. Her Master opens only once at each tree.

      The senior Master, keeper of the holy box speaks, Yes, it exceeds the holy number; you and your clan of Fellers have done well. I will now mark the holy location where you will trim and prepare the holy vessel.

      Red Bird crawls again under the tree until her Master is satisfied the twine is in the proper place around the tree. The senior Master makes the twelve holy marks completely around the tree, guided by the knots of the twine.

      All the Masters inspect the twine, marks, with no changes.

      The senior Master gives her final approval, The log has met the holy number. It rejoices in its mission. Let the Circle clan come and prepare the log to begin its holy journey.

      The Fellers clan and Masters back away from the site as the Circlers clan appear, each with a helper.

      The senior Circler mounts the tree, We accept the noble and holy task to prepare this to be the holy vessel.

      With that she removes from a wooden box, a blade the size of Red Bird’s hand. She marks both sides of the twine completely around the tree with a cut so fine it is

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