Many seasons past, the People lived on the river. They fished the rivers and they hunted the herds. One day, the great chief Pagh, who was a strong warrior, went to his medicine woman. And he said, “The river is rising. Is this a Sign?”
And Zifu, for that was how the medicine woman was called, said “This is not a sign. Rivers rise sometimes, and fall sometimes. All things change.”
And Pagh said, “Why do all things change?” But Zifu did not know.
The very next day, the People came to a great plain, where they met all the tribes of the world. There were the Serpent People, and the Fox People, and the Bear People, and the Tiger People. And there were so many people there, the very earth shook.
The Serpent People said, “The earth is shaking. Is this a Sign?”
And Pagh, who was very wise and learned the teachings of the medicine woman, said, “Sometimes the earth shakes and sometimes it does not. All things change.”
And the Serpent People said, “Why do all things change?” But Pagh did not know.
Just then the Great Eagle appeared in the sky, and the people were afraid. And the Great Eagle brought forth Four Hunters who are her champions.
“O Great Eagle,” said the People, “why must the rivers rise? Why must the earth shake? Why must all things change?”
The Eagle did not say, but she said, “It is a quest. Go ye into the mountains, where I have taken the answer and placed it inside an egg. When that egg is hatched and grows, then you shall have your answer.”
And thus the People did so, and followed the Great Eagle’s words, and they went into the mountains. And there in the mountains the People saw the Eagle’s nest, and in the next they found the egg, and from it hatched an eagle, and the people truly knew that all things must change.
But in the mountains it was cold, and in the mountains there was little to hunt, and the People said, “Where is there food? Who will lead us? It is very cold and we are hungry.”
Again the Great Eagle appeared, and again the Four Hunters appeared, and the Great Eagle said, “It is a quest. Those among you who are best at finding food must do so, and whoever succeeds shall lead, and take for a mate any in the tribe.”
One man, Bkesh, said he would slaughter every animal, and the people would feast, but the Eagle said, “And what would you eat next season? All things, even Eagles, come from eggs. Who would lay the eggs?” And Bkesh was ashamed.
Another man, Ktope, said he found a Valley, where lived the great herds of huaca, a thousand times more food than any man could eat. But he said, “I do not know how to hunt the huaca. We must sit and watch.” And the Eagle said, “Would you have your people starve?” And Ktope, too, was ashamed.
But then the medicine woman, Jebba, said, “Great Eagle, you have said we must not kill too much, and you have said we must not kill too little. Your people are confused. What must we do?”
The Great Eagle called to his Four Hunters, and they took Jebba away into the forest and showed her the secret of the cages, and they taught her mighty spells to tame the huaca, and Jebba did bring back to the Eagle People a mighty beast for their own, but only one: such a beast in those days was larger even than five of the huaca today.
And the Great Eagle said, “You, Jebba, shall be leader, and you shall have your choice of mates.”
But Jebba said, “Mighty Eagle, I do not wish to be leader. I am a simple medicine woman.”
And the Great Eagle said, “You have tamed a huaca and fed your people. Who else among your people can do the same?”
And Jebba said, “I will lead my people, Great Eagle, but I do not choose my mate to be Bkesh or Ktope. I choose Ammad, the Tool-Maker, for he helped me to build the cages.”
And from that day, the People of the Great Eagle did live among the trees and hunt the huaca.
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