Elion's Tale: Part Two

Elion stood at the edge of a cliff, peering down upon the valley below. He watched closely as the tribe he once belonged to made their way to a 

clearing. It had been a long journey, but he was finally ready to return to the tribe and show them what he had learned. After a year in isolation, he had become and 

efficient hunter, a competent gatherer, and had no need for the leadership of the tribe. It was not his intention to rejoin, but to show them all what he had become. 

He still remembered the day of his exile, a bleak and terrifying day. Unsure of what to do or where to go, he had made his way through the forest, followed by only two 

companions. It was luck that saw them through their first month of exile, however, when the two abandoned him, Elion began honing his skills, relying more on his 

ability to harness the recourses around him rather than hope that familiar recourses would appear. He wore a shirt fashioned from the skin of his first kill with 

matching pants. His long, blonde hair draped over his shoulders, flowing half way down his back. He bore the scars of his past encounters across his left eye and right 

arm. As the tribe began to settle in to what would become their next camp, Elion made his way around to a path leading in to the valley. He soon found himself just a 

few meters outside of the camp but chose not to make his presence known yet. He simply observed as the hunters sat and talked, mocking the workers as they always had. 

The leaders circled the camp, instructing the workers on what items were to go where. The gatherers began picking leaves from nearby trees, leaves that Elion 

recognized as having medicinal properties. Before long the camp site was complete and the workers began preparing a meal for the tribe. Despite all of the hard work 

they had put in to building the camp, they were still tasked with preparing the food and were even given the smallest portions. As the tribe sat to begin their meal, 

Elion emerged from the brush, spear in hand and head held high. "Nothing has changed since my departure," his voiced cracked, unutitlized during his exile. The entire 

tribe seemed to gasp in unison as he made his appearance. Quiet whispered flooded the camp, accompanied by shocked glances in Elion's direction. "So," the eldest 

leader spoke as he stood to greet Elion, "you've managed to survive on your own out there. Impressive. For a worker." Laughter broke out over the hushed whispers of 

the tribe as members of the hunters and gatherers pointed and mocked Elion. He responded with a smirk and held his spear high, "I have claimed the life of the beast 

of legend. I wear its flesh and wield its bone. You may ridicule me for my previous role in the tribe, but I no longer have need of you." He turned to the workers, 

speaking louder as his voice slowly returned to him, "You are the most important aspect of this tribe, yet you accept their relentless taunting and contumely. Follow 

me and I shall guide you down a better path." The workers stood and cheered, clearly in agreement with Elion. The leaders, however, violently interjected. "You dare 

attempt to splinter our tribe?" the eldest leader spoke, his voice booming across the valley, "This insolence shall not stand!" With those words, the hunters stood and 

drew their spears as they slowly approached Elion. He watched as they tried to surround him, but he had already set his trap. Two of the seven hunters were caught in a 

snare which snatched their feet from below them, leaving them suspended several feet in the air. Three more lunged toward him but were knocked from the air by a 

swinging log. The final two stood their ground, not moving an inch in any direction. "How did you set up these traps so close to our camp?" one of the hunters asked. 

"I've become far more skilled in every aspect of survival in the forest than any of you could hope to be," Elion replied with a sly smile, "including stealth." He 

firmly planted his spear in the ground and folded his arms over his chest. "Enough!" the eldest leader shouted, "You've made your point, Elion. Now leave us in peace." 

Elion turned his gaze to the elder, "I shall take my leave with the workers, or you shall make a vow to treat them with the respect and dignity that they deserve." The 

elder glared at Elion and grumbled as he mulled the thought over in his head. "Fine. You have the word of the elders. The workers shall now be treated with the same 

respect as the hunters and gatherers. Now leave us," he spoke with contempt lining his words. "I'll be watching," Elion replied, "so you had best hold true to your 

words." With that, he took his leave, drawing his spear from the ground and scoffing at the two free hunters as they coward away from him. He made his way back up the 

cliff and set up a small structure. This was the perfect vantage point to observe the tribe and ensure that the workers were receiving the treatment the leader had 

claimed they would. Every day he would watch closely as the tribe continued their regular business, taking note of their body language when interacting with the 

workers. Days passed, the tribe moved on, and Elion followed, maintaining enough distance to prevent suspicion from the hunters as they ventured out for food. He 

followed the tribe for two weeks without incident, when there was a sudden outburst. Though he couldn't hear what was being said, he could sense animosity resonating 

from the group of hunters as they shouted and flailed their arms violently, their rage clearly directed toward the workers. He quickly descended the cliff and rushed 

closer to find out what was going on. The hunters had decided to put an end to the leaders due to their "foolish" decision to hold the workers in the same regard as 

the hunters and gatherers. As the argument swelled to a crescendo, the hunters prepared for combat, aiming their spears at the workers. Elion had seen enough of this 

ridiculous display. He drew his spear and leapt in between the workers and hunters. "This is not what we agreed to!" he shouted, his rage growing as he spoke, "Lower 

your weapons while you still have that option!" The hunters, rather than dropping their spears, attacked Elion ferociously. He lunged backward, blocking, parrying and 

dodging as the hunters assaulted him. He plunged his spear through the heart of the lead hunter, ending his life in an instant. Elion took several steps back as the 

other hunters surrounded his victim. "It doesn't have to be this way. Relinquish your weapons and end this madness," Elion spoke with fury still dripping from his 

lips. The hunters refused to oblige, returning to their assault. Elion quickly dispatched two more of the hunters, slicing their throats in one quick motion. The 

gatherers joined in, throwing rocks and sticks at Elion. He blocked and dodged as many as possible, however, even with his skill, he could only avoid so many attacks 

at once. A rock smashed in to the side of his head, throwing him off balance. The hunters took advantage of this opportunity, piercing his left shoulder and leg. Elion 

cried out in pain but did not relent. He quickly twisted, snatching the spears out of the hands of the hunters, and stabbed one through the eye. The other fled to grab 

a spear from one of his fallen comrades. Elion broke off both ends of the spears and continued his onslaught, racing toward the gatherers. In a matter of seconds he had 

slain all twelve of them, leaving only the three hunters and four leaders. "Stop this foolishness!" one of the leaders shouted over the chaos, "There's no need for 

more violence!" The hunters elected to resume combat, rushing toward Elion with spears thrust forward. Elion expertly dodged their attack and plunged his spear through 

their skulls, forcing it through until he had vanquished all three remaining hunters. He then turned his attention to the elders. "Elion. What have you done?" one of 

the elders spoke, anguish teeming in his voice. Elion approached them without uttering a single word, and, one by one, cut them down. Now all that remained were the 

workers. Elion sat by a small fire the workers were using, panting heavily and looking over his wounds. The workers were too shocked to say anything. After several 

minutes of silence, Elion finally spoke. "Today, we start a new tribe. One that will treat all members fairly. One that will have no need for classes. Today, we begin 

anew," his spoke as the workers listened intently. The only response they offered were slight smiles and sighs of relief. Over the course of the next few months, Elion 

would train each of the workers in the art of survival. They would learn what plants to gather, how to hunt, how to remain hidden, and how to fight should the need 

arise. His tribe would be superior to the previous one in every conceivable way.