15 000 Years ago

I was born in a small tribe of hunters roaming about the northern part of a country that now is named Spain.
My father's name was Two Spears and my mother was called Red Moon, Two Spears disapeared
during a hunting trip that he took with Hard Stone,our chief, and his two nephews; Long Arrow and Fast Fist. At that time I was four or five and Red moon was around sixteen winters, we both were adopted by Hard Stone who spent his time making me regret my dad's gentle eyes
and the stories that he used to tell me night times by the fire around which we all gathered until late.
Hard Stone took my mother as his third wife and I became his hated son-in-law, his victim.
In spite of all the bad treatments from Hard Stone and his first wife, Loud Call, I managed to reach the age of ten and I had one more season to go in order to become a full adult member of the tribe, this was achieved through a ritual ruled by the shaman Big horn but I was freed from
the hands of Hard Stone much sooner than expected.
All the hunters were gone to a river spot where buffalos used to cross while migrating to the south, only youngters, women and old people stayed to guard the camp and that day, around noon, I was training throwing spears by a pond near camp,while women and kids played in the water, the spears came from my father, these were my legal property and none could contest this, not even Hard Stone,that was the custom.
Anyway, I was by my target tree when that lion appeared, a female,I didn't have time to think and I just walked toward her, she growled deep but I just pointed one of my spears toward her and got ready to throw the other, pure instinct made me shake my right arm,holding firmly my
other weapon and ready to strike if she chose to attack, She didn't,she growled one more time and left sowly, avoiding the rout.
That female probably had cubs and was alone, I think she couldn't afford a fight in which she could get wounded but my attitude was what made me a man before time.
Three sun passed and the hunters were back, all learned what I'd done,there's not a thing Hard Stone could do about it and they painted me with red earth and the shaman named me by the fire that night, I was to be "High Stand" full member of my tribe.
Later I had to cope with our chief again, he wanted to take Shiny Cloud, my love, as his fourth wife. That's another story.....