Chapter 4

Near Sunrise on 'Mount Hemp'

The humans came to the meeting just before sunrise. While they were not of one mind on the subject to be discussed – if indeed there was a topic for the meeting at all – they were in general agreement on one thing: the sunrise came much too early in the day.

That was a ridiculous idea, of course. The sun brightened the sky at exactly the correct part of the day: at sunrise. When else should it happen? At noon, or late in the day? Perhaps it could come up earlier, while it was still dark. Idiotic concept.

The six humans came up toward the tree where they had seen Meriah and me yesterday. That tree was atop the first rise of the hills, and there was a small dip just beyond it, before the ground formed a higher hill. In that small valley were 251 hexapuma matriarchs: The Council. Some had to travel almost all night to be here, for they were from the other side of Yerowl.

Most had arrived by using the ninGrahhlls' big leap. The big leap was a method of travel available to the ninGrahhlls: each of them could take one other 'puma and leap about fifteen hundred kilometers to twenty-five hundred kilometers in but a few seconds. The leap was in fact not a leap at all, but more a re-materialization at a different point. (Merlin has advised me, at later times, that it was a form of teleportation.) It was tiring and could not be repeated immediately, of course, so it took many hours to come half-way 'round Yerowl.

So, there were a great many ninGrahhll here as well, but they were in the next valley – out of danger. The matriarchs were very protective of the male of the species. While many of us felt that we could put up a more-than-adequate account of ourselves against any except a female hexapuma, we would never voice that thought to one of the matriarchs. We weren't sure their egos could stand the thought of a male actually fighting.

Perhaps this would be a good point to explain how hexapuma society worked. A clan could be fifty to one hundred adult 'pumas. Within each clan, the females generally ruled; although 'ruled' would be a too strong a term for the reality. Generally they decided on issues when a decision was necessary; usually the whole clan – males included, but not adolescents or the young – was of one mind on most things. The females were bigger (by about double the size of the males) naturally stronger than us and were better hunters. AND they bore the young, being active during the three month pregnancy until the very end.

The adult males did rule the various camps that made up a clan. Technically, the females were in charge here as well, but they almost always acceded to our 'suggestions.' We ran the camps, set fires at night and took charge of the young, from the time of their weaning – at about four weeks. We wove baskets, prepared the meals and generally did everything that was needed around the camp.

What? Did you think we were 'just' animals that had some thinking and telepathy skills? Oh, but of course ... you're probably a human. Anything less than a human is 'just' an animal. Typical.

An adult hexapuma is about 100-130 kilos (female) or 50-75 kilos (male) with six limbs; the body is about 2.5-3 meters long, excluding the tail, which is about a meter long, and in most other respects, is like any of Earth's large predatory cats – with one major exception. The two pairs of limbs closest to the head– we call them the fore limbs and the mid or middle limbs – have opposable thumbs. Each fore limb has four central digits and an opposable thumb on each side, six digits in all. The mid-limb is about one-third of a meter behind the fore limb, and has four digits with a single opposable thumb on the inside side of the arm – five digits. The rear limbs are, naturally at the back end of the 'puma, and have no opposable thumb and only five digits. We are heavily clawed on the rear limb, less so on the mid limb and have nearly no claws on the fore limb.

The females live to about 80 years, about the same as the males. It is the Grahhll and ninGrahhlls who live longer – to about 100. Usually, when his mate dies, a Grahhll begins to groom his successor, being sure that he has passed his extensive knowledge of all the histories. Quite a few notable things have happened to our people over 100 Grahhlls' lives.

Having the memory of over one hundred Bard's lives – or Grahhll lives, as we would call it – I know that the earliest of our kind were more heavily clawed and were larger in the body. At first they hunted only physically, and had only the merest hint of mental powers. It is my personal belief that within ten more Grahhll lives, we will have even less in the way of claws, but that is just me. Others don't think much on this subject.

Those were rough and dirty times, with over a hundred 'pumas claiming to be Grahhll. Within a few Grahhll's lives the clans became larger and there were fewer claimants to the title of Grahhll. But it was only21 Grahhll lives past that Thrahhll The Great, the first of the Yerowl-wide Grahhlls, unified the planet. I know that his matriarch, Sharwenta, is given credit for it, but it was Thrahhll's ability to perform the big leap that allowed 'pumas from all over Yerowl to come together. It was Thrahhll who taught the other Grahhll's to leap. When he was acknowledged as THE Grahhll, the others willingly became ninGrahhlls.

There are, of course, many who are not matriarchs and not ninGrahhlls. These citizens are simply that – citizens. But citizens have collectively the greatest control of how hexapumas live. As they hunt or fish, or make baskets, or play with the young, or just spend a day laying in the sun, they shape the society we are. Never in my memory – and it is a vast, vast memory – has a matriarch called for a hunt when most of her clan wanted to be at the riverside, playing with the cubs. As I said, mostly we are of one mind as to what to do.

I realize that my telling of history, brief as it was, relies heavily on the story of the Grahhlls. That is the way I think. Despite being smaller and less physically powerful, it is my thought that the Grahhlls and ninGrahhlls are what make our people the planet-dominant creatures we are. We can perform the big leap. It is we Grahhlls who can communicate at great distance. And, of course, we raise the young to understand our society and our responsibilities; not to mention, we carefully nurture those we recognize as future ninGrahhlls.

The 251 matriarchs were of one mind sitting in the dewy grass of that swale between the hills, waiting for the six humans to arrive. The over 400 ninGrahhlls sat with me over the next hill, listening, but we were of one mind also.

The People had not had visitors from space before; indeed we had not encountered another sentient species before. We were unconcerned. Yes, the humans used tools more specialized and complicated than we did. They lived inside 'buildings'; we did not. But the humans were physically weak and needed those tools and shelters. Did we enjoy the winters on Yerowl? No. But they made us stronger for being able to withstand the weathers and the floods that eventually came. Usually, of course, the clan would decide – excuse me, the matriarch would decide to move to a warmer part of the land, or out of the mountains. In the summer, we'd move up to the mountains and to the cooler climes. Simple enough. Only a human would decide that he or she needed to conquer the weather and remain in one place year round. Hubris, again, I think.

The humans crested the hill and when they saw the 251 matriarch hexapumas their minds went blank for a moment.

Jay's mind called out for Meriah. 'M'am?' She was confused because there were 251 fawn / grey mottled hexapumas sitting there, and I guess they all looked alike to her.