The Way of the Plains By Brandon Pilcher A cool evening breeze swept across the prairie and brushed

against Cougar Eye's coppery face. From atop a hill he watched a herd of woolly mammoths mill around and graze on the tall green grass. He was a safe distance from them but could still get a sense of their captivatingly awesome size. To observe these great hairy elephants going about their daily lives burdened him with remorse when he considered what he had to do tomorrow. You excited about the big hunt, son? he heard a kind voice say. Cougar Eye turned his head to see his father Red Rock smiling down on him. The youth shrugged and said, I suppose so. That didnt sound sincere. Is something bothering you? Red Rock gently laid a hand on his sons shoulder. It took a while for Cougar Eye to force up the courage to reply. I dont know if I could ever be a hunter. What? Dont put yourself down like that. Of course you can be a hunter. Youve trained all those years. Its not a question of whether I am capable of hunting. Its just thatI dont know if I want to. Red Rocks brow furrowed in confusion. What in the Creators name do you mean? Every man your age wants to go on a mammoth hunt. Its what separates the men from the boys.

Cougar Eye hesitated again. How was he going to explain his feelings to his father? Maybe he could get Red Rock to see what he was seeing. Look at those mammoths. Are they not majestic? They are, my son, but since theyre all female, we wont be hunting them. Were after the bulls. No, thats not what I meant. I mean, just look at them! Do you really have the spirit to take the lives of such beautiful animals? And do you want to sleep outside a tipis warmth? Do you want to go around without your clothes or moccasins? Do you want to live without ever tasting meat? You know our people depend on hunting for everything we need. It is the way of life on the plains. Cougar Eye was silent again. He had to admit his father had made a valid point, for almost everything their tribe needed to survive had indeed been made from hunters kills. Still, that was not enough to soothe his conscience. But it is so cruel! We are to these animals what the knifetooth is to us, and do we not try to keep the knifetooth from eating us? Yes, but there is nothing wrong with the knifetooth wanting to hunt us. It must hunt so it can live, and we in turn must hunt so we ourselves can live. Besides, just as we try to fight back when the knifetooth attacks us, so does our game fight back when we attack them. But why did the Creator make it so that some animals must kill other animals so they can live? Why couldnt he make us all live off, say, grass or rock?

Because there is only so much grass in the world. If all animals ate just grass, there would be nothing to keep them from eating up all the grass. Only hunters like us and the knifetooth can keep the grass-eaters in check. Its cruel, yes, but no other way can work. Now, do you wish to prove your manhood or not? Cougar Eye nodded. Then you must go on the mammoth hunt whether you like it or not. It will be thrilling, I promise, even if it is dangerous. The youth said nothing. He simply ignored his father and returned to gazing at the mammoths. Even then he could not stop wrestling with what Red Rock had said. That had all been true, but the mere sight of these animals in all their magnificence was too tear-jerking for him to accept that they had to die for his people. Cougar Eye would continue to be haunted by this even when he finally returned to his tipi for sleep.

Wake up, Cougar Eye, Red Rock said as he rubbed his sons shoulder. The youth struggled to open his heavy eyelids. When he finally did, he saw that it was still dark outside their tipi. Why are we getting up so early? he yawned. Because the chief wants us to scout for the mammoths before the big hunt can begin. Now please get up. Red Rock pulled his son up onto his feet and then the two exited the tipi with flint-tipped spears. The night had just begun to fade from black to dark blue, a sign of mornings onset. Cougar Eye followed his father out of their camp and across the prairie, scanning

the ocean of grass as they went. They held their torsos low so as to appear as inconspicuous as possible in this vast, open landscape. The youth noticed a large circular depression of trampled grass. Next to it was a big, rancid ball of dung with little shards of grass poking out of it. This raised his heart rate and made him quiver with excitement. I see a mammoth footprint! he said. I do too, and theres a whole trail of them going eastward, Red Rock responded. Now we have to be especially careful as we follow it. We dont want to spook the animal. They tread slowly and quietly down the trail. Cougar Eyes excited trembling worsened with every step he took, but his eagerness now mixed with dread as he anticipated what could happen if they did indeed scare the elephant. That the sun had now risen over the eastern horizon made stealth even more challenging. Even with its poor eyesight, a mammoth could easily spot them out on the grasslands in broad daylight. It was therefore to Cougar Eyes relief when the footprints lead to a grove of cottonwood trees. Maybe hes in there, he said. At least well have more cover. And so will the mammoth, Red Rock said. If anything, we have to be even more careful there. Cougar Eye saw his point when they penetrated the copse. With the dark shadows cast by the treetops, it gripped his spine with icy claws. He tightened his grip on his spear.

The groves silence was broken by low rumbling. Heavy footsteps. Branches snapping. The two hunters froze. Cougar Eyes heart now throbbed wildly and his neck hairs prickled. What was that? he asked. The answer came when the ground started to shake. Something was stomping towards them! Turning his head leftward to see what it was, Cougar Eye saw a big bull mammoth erupting out of the trees, trumpeting ferociously. He knew he should run but was too paralyzed by sheer terror. The only movement he made was his jaw dropping to let out a scream. The shaggy beast swung its head and slapped Red Rock with its trunk, knocking him onto his back. So great was the collisions force that his face was smeared with blood. Cougar Eye, seeing his father so brutally injured, felt even more scared than before. He raced towards Red Rock to help him up. Before he could get to him, the mammoth grabbed Red Rock with its trunk and hurled him into a tree. Cougar Eye could hear bones cracking and saw his father limply fall to the ground. The worst he had feared had happened: Red Rock was dead. This turned the youths terror into a wildfire of rage. He would not tolerate anything killing his beloved father. He wanted revenge. With his spear pointed forward, Cougar Eye charged towards the elephant, roaring with bloodlust. He would pierce the creatures heart and bring it down! Or so he had hoped. Just as Cougar Eye was about to thrust his weapon, the mammoth stepped back out of the way. He collided into a tree and his spear snapped in

half. Both pain and horror racked the young hunter. The horror came from finding out that he had lost his main weapon. How was he going to slay the brute now? Then an idea struck him. Maybe he could still use his spears point as a dagger and stab the mammoths skull. There was just the question of climbing onto the beast. Cougar Eye began to scramble up a tree trunk with the spearhead in his mouth. Before he got very high, the tree shook violently. The mammoth was ramming its bulk into the cottonwood! The youth hugged the tree as hard as he could, but that was not enough to keep him on it. He fell screaming off and landed on the mammoths back. Again the hunter felt overwhelmed by pain, this time in his spine. Only the animals shaking its body could spur him into action. Cougar Eye grabbed the mammoths brown hair tightly and started to creep towards its head. The elephant bucked and shook to get him off, but every time he clung hard. Eventually he was able to reach the beasts scalp, but just as he raised his makeshift dagger, the mammoth slapped him with its trunks tip. This broke and bloodied his nose. Teeth fell out. The agony was excruciating. So excruciating, in fact, that Cougar Eyes hatred was rekindled. The fire of vengeance burned in his veins with such fury that it energized him into stabbing the mammoths skull again and again. Each time he went deeper into the bone until he finally felt the spearhead pierce something soft and fleshy: the creatures brain. The mammoth trumpeted more shrilly than usual. After jumping off the animal onto a tree trunk and climbing down, Cougar Eye saw the beasts body wobble and then collapse with a thunderous thud, throwing up a great cloud of dust. The animals flanks

rising and falling with heavy breathing were its own body movements, and even these faded into complete stillness. The mammoth was dead. Cougar Eye did not feel a rush a pride. Instead, gazing at the mammoths giant carcass, he felt pity. Tears welled up in his eyes as he considered that he had slain such a beautiful animal. But then, looking at his fathers corpse, his sympathy for the elephant evaporated and he felt satisfied. No matter how majestic mammoths were, his own father was far more precious to him. A day ago he would not have wanted to kill this mammoth. But now that the mammoth had taken a beloved family member, he was far more willing to continue the way of the plains.