than he, but there was more to the climbing of trees than mere muscle. As one climbed higher and higher, the branches grew thinner, so that a small, skinny tadpole such as Frog actually gained advantage.
“I will catch you!” Fire Ant panted, snarling at him from a branch just an arm’s length below. He was making his anger face, a sure sign that Ant was laughing inside. Frog scrambled to another branch, fighting for position with River Song from Water boma. The two boys jostled for the same position, wrestling in midair, and Fire Ant pushed River with his foot. The boy lost his grip, lost his balance and fell, hitting another branch on the way down, which tore skin but broke his fall.
Father
Mountain,
that must have hurt!
Branch by clambered branch, Frog approached the elusive skin, only his stepbrother Scorpion and a smaller boy whom he did not know still even with him.
Scorpion howled as his grip failed, and he slid back down along a branch, scraping a strip of skin from his thigh as he did.
Suddenly Fire Ant was surprisingly close below him, clutching at his leg. Frog broke free and eeled along a narrow branch. Fire Ant followed. In trying to clamber ahead of Frog, he made a mistake: the branch would not hold his weight. Frog had seen this before. Neither of his brothers understood how large and heavy they were. They were so strong that what to another might have seemed clumsy weight was like an ape scampering effortlessly through the forest.
The branch cracked. The Ibandi gathered below screamed with mirth as Fire Ant plunged, scrambling to catch this or that branch to slow himself before smashing into the heaped grass, leaves and branches at the tree’s foot.
To much laughter, Fire Ant staggered to his feet and danced a few painful steps to show that he remained unslain.
Rejoicing at his fortune, Frog climbed and climbed, feeling that this time at long last he was in his glory. There remained only one rival to rob him of his victory.
This one was even smaller than young Frog, almost as small as some of the tiny folk who sometimes came in from the outer bomas. He raced among the slender branches like a monkey, with eye-baffling agility and a complete disregard for risk to skull or bones.
His competitor grabbed the deerhide token and scrambled back down the tree. Frog pursued him: if he could catch the boy, snatch the skin and push him from the Life Tree, victory might still belong to Frog. But with breathtaking balance and agility this one leapt from branch to branch, heedless of the risk. Frog scrambled after his rival, but no matter what he tried the boy remained ahead of him, finally jumping down from the lowest branch to land upon the heaped leaves as lightly as a grass mouse.
Only then did Frog hear the hooting from those on the ground, and as the rest of the boys reluctantly returned to ground, he saw what had caused the mirth.
The winner slipped on a headband, and then a shell necklace. He doffed the gazelle skin waistlet and donned a dream dancer’s short leather skirt. The boy was a
girl.
Frog Hopping’s cheeks burned.
The crowd cheered for the embarrassment of the groaning boys, even as they simultaneously made wet burring sounds at the girl for doing such a thing. The women were more upset at her than the men, who seemed to find it delicious that their sons had been shown up in such a fashion.
“It serves you right! Climb harder next time!” Uncle Snake called at him, laughing. Even Scorpion and Fire Ant chortled, which confused him. After all, he had beaten them both! What in the name of Great Sky did
they
have to laugh about?
T’Cori was still breathless, but exultant. Never had she climbed so! Surely now she would be given a name: Sunshine Treeclimber, perhaps. She could explore that name, would have no trouble living up to it. A name like that she could be proud of, and maybe her sisters would stop teasing or twisting her hair about a prophecy made generations before she was
“I will catch you!” Fire Ant panted, snarling at him from a branch just an arm’s length below. He was making his anger face, a sure sign that Ant was laughing inside. Frog scrambled to another branch, fighting for position with River Song from Water boma. The two boys jostled for the same position, wrestling in midair, and Fire Ant pushed River with his foot. The boy lost his grip, lost his balance and fell, hitting another branch on the way down, which tore skin but broke his fall.
Father
Mountain,
that must have hurt!
Branch by clambered branch, Frog approached the elusive skin, only his stepbrother Scorpion and a smaller boy whom he did not know still even with him.
Scorpion howled as his grip failed, and he slid back down along a branch, scraping a strip of skin from his thigh as he did.
Suddenly Fire Ant was surprisingly close below him, clutching at his leg. Frog broke free and eeled along a narrow branch. Fire Ant followed. In trying to clamber ahead of Frog, he made a mistake: the branch would not hold his weight. Frog had seen this before. Neither of his brothers understood how large and heavy they were. They were so strong that what to another might have seemed clumsy weight was like an ape scampering effortlessly through the forest.
The branch cracked. The Ibandi gathered below screamed with mirth as Fire Ant plunged, scrambling to catch this or that branch to slow himself before smashing into the heaped grass, leaves and branches at the tree’s foot.
To much laughter, Fire Ant staggered to his feet and danced a few painful steps to show that he remained unslain.
Rejoicing at his fortune, Frog climbed and climbed, feeling that this time at long last he was in his glory. There remained only one rival to rob him of his victory.
This one was even smaller than young Frog, almost as small as some of the tiny folk who sometimes came in from the outer bomas. He raced among the slender branches like a monkey, with eye-baffling agility and a complete disregard for risk to skull or bones.
His competitor grabbed the deerhide token and scrambled back down the tree. Frog pursued him: if he could catch the boy, snatch the skin and push him from the Life Tree, victory might still belong to Frog. But with breathtaking balance and agility this one leapt from branch to branch, heedless of the risk. Frog scrambled after his rival, but no matter what he tried the boy remained ahead of him, finally jumping down from the lowest branch to land upon the heaped leaves as lightly as a grass mouse.
Only then did Frog hear the hooting from those on the ground, and as the rest of the boys reluctantly returned to ground, he saw what had caused the mirth.
The winner slipped on a headband, and then a shell necklace. He doffed the gazelle skin waistlet and donned a dream dancer’s short leather skirt. The boy was a
girl.
Frog Hopping’s cheeks burned.
The crowd cheered for the embarrassment of the groaning boys, even as they simultaneously made wet burring sounds at the girl for doing such a thing. The women were more upset at her than the men, who seemed to find it delicious that their sons had been shown up in such a fashion.
“It serves you right! Climb harder next time!” Uncle Snake called at him, laughing. Even Scorpion and Fire Ant chortled, which confused him. After all, he had beaten them both! What in the name of Great Sky did
they
have to laugh about?
T’Cori was still breathless, but exultant. Never had she climbed so! Surely now she would be given a name: Sunshine Treeclimber, perhaps. She could explore that name, would have no trouble living up to it. A name like that she could be proud of, and maybe her sisters would stop teasing or twisting her hair about a prophecy made generations before she was
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