Stares-into-Night felt things go gray and the world become distant. The blood and gore of the mangled snake-cow stayed sharp and red as it rolled down the side of the Star Hat. It flopped to the ground with the boneless finality of death, and laid there bleeding.

Stares-into-Night heard a whimper and realized that it was his own.

As the rest of the Cow snakes sniffed and dimly began to discover that their leader was dead. Stares-into-Night blinked and began to get a handle on what he'd just seen. The Star Hat tolerated the molestation of the Snake-cow until it's patience wore thin and then casually, with enormous magic and a ripping noise, it destroyed the snake-cow in a single instant.

Stares-into-Night felt his bones grow cold. How could merely mortal hunters confront that magic? If they antagonized the Star Hat it would simply sweep them away. On the other hand, if it chose to, it could simply sweep them away, regardless of any provocation.

Stares-into-Night tried to flog his stunned brain into motion. The People were not the fastest people in the world, They were good climbers but not the best there were. The People were far from the strongest creatures in the world, and far from the toughest.

The People were the thinkers, the clever ones. They could lure the strong fast creatures into traps. They could build weapons and tools. The People were the smartest creatures in the world and that had saved them from the teeth, claws and dangers of the world.

Nothing fast or strong, nothing with teeth, claws knives or spears was going to do any good here. Stares-into-Night knew that brains were all that would make any difference at all. With horror Stares-into-Night realized that he just couldn't think though the shock. Even Raptors had to work hard to take down a Snake-Cow

Stares-into-Night tried to shake the fog out of his head and carefully discarded useless notions.

-*-

"Do you still wish to launch your attack?" Sees-Far asked True-Spear.

True-Spear looked extraordinarily grim. "Their ripping death can't possibly get all of us. With enough warriors, we could get though and kill them."

Sees-Far's ears were flat back against his skull, his lips peeled back to show all his teeth, his eyes were dilated to their maximum extent. "You don't know that. Recall that our Forest Demon, the one we know anything about, has killed entire hunting parties. How many warriors must survive the ripping death to overwhelm those things? You speak foolishness, suicidal foolishness."

True-Spear's Body Language was similarly distressed "What would you suggest, pathetic cub, abject surrender?"

Stares-into-Night looked thoughtful. "If I thought it might work, I'd certainly suggest it."

True-Spear hit Stares-into-Night. "YOU MAKE ME SICK!" Stares-into-Night flopped off the top of the branch he was sitting on and barely retained his grip as he rolled underneath it.

Sees-Far and what was left of his hunting party found themselves spearpoint-to-spearpoint with the Rock Skin hunting party. Sees-Far focused his excellent vision of his opponent, a beefy hunter. Their spearpoints hovered inches away from each other's throat.

Sees-Far noted grimly that Sandy-Coat and Finds-Things were engaged in a complicated cross over threat with two Rock-Skin Hunters, trying to defend each other. He noted also that the youngsters had claimed higher positions, granting them advantages in height and leverage.

"If you push this, I'll leave you a couple of hunters shy for your heroic rush, True-Spear." Sees-Far said, with a calm he did not feel.

True-Spear breathed deeply and harshly, trying to recover his wits.

The Beefy hunter facing Sees-Far growled deep in his chest. "It would take the Sunrise Tribe to conceive of such an act of extraordinary cowardice."

"It is not cowardice to climb away from a Raptor," Sees-Far said. "It is intelligence. It is not bravery to leap into certain death. How often can that monster make the ripping death? How far can it see and how far can the ripping death reach?"

"It's Sky-Demon magic. We must resist it." The Beefy hunter said. "All tales of our ancestors say so."

"All ancestral tales of the Sky Demons said that they have beaks and claws." Stares-into-Night grunted struggling back onto the dorsal side of the branch. "They were said to kill by flinging great tongues of fire."

"You need to keep your freakish mouth shut now." True-Spear snarled. He placed the razor sharp point of his spear under Stares-into-Night's throat. "I won't listen to your heresies and idiotic blather while demons breathe down our neck."

Sees-Far shook his head slightly, never taking his eyes off his opponent. "This achieves nothing. Let us go, True-Spear, and go arrange your courageous martyrdom. We must return to our people and figure out how to survive this."

"Agreed." True-Spear snarled. At his word the Rock-Skin hunters raise their spears away from threatening the Sunrise Hunters. More slowly the Sunrise Hunters raised their own spears.

"Fools." True Spear snarled. He turned and leapt away into the forest, followed by his hunters.

The Sunrise party stood still and breathed deeply for a bit, recovering their composure.

"If this is how you make friends and influence people, Stares-into-Night, Perhaps we should send you out to meet the Demons. We'd be fighting with them before you'd know it." Sees-Far chided his
Shaman friend.

Stares-into-Night looked at Sees-Far with haunted eyes. "Actually, I'm thinking of doing just that."

Sees-far blinked at him in shock. "You know, in your own way, you're as mad and as stupid as the Rock-Skins."

"Yes. Perhaps even worse." Stares-into-Night agreed.

-*-

There was no keeping the Tribe away from the first report. The reactions were loud and varied.

Sandy-Coat and Finds-Things huddled around Holds-Bird, Strong-Voice's wife, Senior Female of the Tribe, and mother to Sandy-Coat. She stroked them reassuringly. A Warrior's first battle was traumatizing. This was even worse.

"This is not possible. You're telling tales!" Grabs-branch-lefthanded insisted.

By far the most common reaction was "What do we do now?"

Strong-Voice leaned back in his perch, the grim weight of responsibility evident. "I'm considering retreat." He said.

Sees-far nodded "It has much to recommend it."

"We don't know enough." Stares-into-Night said.

"You never think we know enough, old friend." Strong-Voice said, tolerantly.

"It's possible that retreat today means that the Demons merely have to move farther to get us." Stares-into-Night said. "Retreat merely puts the dilemma off for a while."

"You know as well as I do, that this doesn't make retreat an invalid option." Strong-Voice said.

"We have lived in this area for a long time. It's a very good place." Holds-Bird said. "That means at the very least, preparing to move the tribe will take a while."

After a moments thought Strong-Voice nodded "Let's get ready to move."

The Sunrise Tribe scatted to begin the strenuous task of packing to bug out.

Stares-into-Night looked at Strong-Voice. "I'm going to go surrender to the Demons."

Strong-Voice was grim and exasperated at the same time. "What do you expect that to accomplish?"

"Anything. At this point I am lost. We need new thoughts, new ways of dealing with things. Spears and Hunting Parties simply aren't enough for this." Stares-into-Night looked haunted.

"Thank you for that vote of confidence." Sees-Far said.

"I am certain you could die very gallantly at the hands of the ripping death." Stares-into-Night snarled. "But I'd rather you stayed alive."

"And I you, despite your trying madness." Sees-Far said. "What makes you think they won't kill you and eat you out of hand. Our Forest Demon never talked to anyone."

"He's Our Forest Demon now?" Strong Voice asked

"Did anyone ever try to talk to him before?" Holds-Bird asked.

Strong-Voice and Sees-far considered this thoughtfully.

"She has a point." Stares-into-Night said.

"Your Knowledge must be preserved." Strong-Voice said. "How will we know how to climb to the Afterlife without you?"

Stares-into-Night shook his head. "Holds-Bird knows more about the arts of healing than I do, she taught me. I hardly think ancient tales of wizards and demons and falls of great cities to the earth is relevant at this point."

Some irritation showed in Strong-Voice's manner. "This helps us define who we are. This helps tell us right from wrong and helps us guide our children into the future. I don't think our history is irrelevant at all."

"It is if no one survives these new demons." Stares-into-Night said. "Send Sees-far and a hunting party to watch what happens to me. It'll teach you something, even if only at what range the Forest Demons like to attack."

"You must stay with the Tribe." Strong-Voice said in his best Chief voice.

Sees-Far shook his head sadly. "You know how well that will work."

Holds-Bird "Why do you males spend so much time inventing new and interesting ways to die?"

Stares-into-Night shrugged "I didn't invent the Star Hat. I didn't invent the Ripping Death. But they are here none the less."

Holds-Bird sighed. "It your life, it's your death."

Strong-Voice sighed. "See, I'm the Chief of the Tribe. When I was a boy I thought that meant that the Chief says and the tribe does. No one told me about you Stares-into-Night, or I'd have chosen to spend my days picking berries and weaving baskets."

Stares-into-Night shuddered inwardly at the black humor. "Tomorrow morning then."

Strong-Voice nodded. "Maybe then, you'll have come back to your senses."

"It's never happened before." Stars-into-Night's tone was feeble.

Holds-Bird shooed Sees-Far and Stares-into-Night "Go to sleep. We'll talk again in the morning."

-*-

Stares-into-Night looked across the grass at the Star Hat. The dead Snake-Cow was in worse shape now. Raptors had been at it in the night.

Sees-Far looked even more grim. "There are a couple of Raptors down near the Star Hat. I can't see any detail, but the shorter blue one with the lumpy front and the long mane has been digging in the
remains."

"Maybe It's a shaman, seeking knowledge or components for spells." Stares-into-Night said.

"Or maybe it's breakfast." Sees-Far added. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I want to go home. I want none of this to have ever happened. I want to wake up screaming to find this a nightmare brought on by fermented berries. I want anything but this. I just can't think of anything else to do." Stares-into-Night said. His voice sounded hoarse.

"Good Luck." Sees-Far said. "May our Ancestors guide you into the trees of the After life."

"Uh-huh, thanks."

Stares-into-Night climbed down. The pull of gravity towards the forest floor seemed heavier, more ponderous and dangerous. The colors seemed brighter. The trees and grasses seemed sharper and ore beautiful. The smells of the living forest seemed richer and more layered than Stares-into-Night recalled or quite some time.

"This may be the last time I see this." Stares-into-Night thought.

Reaching the solid ground he set his spear aside and shivered. Could he really do this? Part of Stares-into-Night's brain was screaming. "RUN! RUN FAR AWAY! WHEN YOU GET THERE *KEEP GOING!!*" Stares-into-Night spent a few moment shivering and swallowing the incipient panic.

Then he turned and entered the grassland with resolute steps. The grass crunched and smelled interesting. The Blue sky was warm and soft and seemed welcoming. The distant horizon was beautiful.

Stares-into-Night walked towards the carnage that surrounded the Star Hat.