The Stack

Chapter 1 – The Cave Bear Hunt

In the dawn glow from the sky hanging just above the tree tops, a small group of young men and women met just inside the gates of Cave Bear tribe to say their goodbyes. Kael’s father thumped his leather-covered chest proudly in salute and symbolically gave him the family spear, the one that hung over the inside door of their hut, with a beautifully carved shaft and a precious sharp point of blackened, beaten metal – a rare find. His mother, a little teary-eyed, looked as if she wanted to hug him but just waved and smiled, handing him some rations for the hunt, well wrapped in leaves and pine gum to keep the food smells from alerting their prey.

Shyly, Lira stepped forward between them, a young woman soon to have her own rite of passage in the Women’s tent, with her dark braid swinging as she pressed something into his palm – a talisman of some type, suspended on a thin leather thong. The smooth grey pendant was warm from her touch, carved with a strange sigil: a group of overlapping triangles. “For luck,” she whispered, “my mother give it to me – it kept her safe”, her voice barely audible over the murmur of the group’s goodbyes. Kael nodded and smiled, tucking the pendant beneath his tunic, where it rested against his chest like a second heartbeat. As he watched Lira retreat back to the camp, he was consumed by thoughts of the future — he would be a man of his tribe, and he and Lira would marry. A crow’s harsh caw snapped him back. The group was already moving out. He hadn’t been paying enough attention. Refocusing, he jogged forward to catch up to his spot, near the front of the group.

The cave entrance was far from the tribe’s camp, half hidden under a giant pine tree whose roots extended down from the cliff as if to grab the cave entrance with skeletal fingers. But the roots right in front of the entrance were gray, and marked with many slashes from the bear’s claws. Kael crept forward next to his friend Natan. They were the scouts, sent to ensure their prey was indeed within its lair. The air inside the cavern was thick with the scent of damp earth and the ever-present musk of the cave bear. Kael adjusted the grip on his spear, his calloused fingers tracing the fine grooves of the shaft. He proceeded into the cave slowly but with a smooth, constant motion. Enter too slowly, and the bear would smell their presence and wake up, but enter too fast, and they might stumble on rocks or bones that they failed to see. They would find the cave bear by getting close enough to hear the breathing.

There were two ways forward. Natan pointed to the right, a slippery descent into darkness. Kael nodded and pointed to the left — he would take the tunnel slightly up. As he continued, he saw signs of claws in the mud-drenched floor– good. He stepped carefully in the darkness, but there was almost no vision this deep in the cave. He could hear the bear’s slow breathing now. Turning back, his foot scuffed in the gravel, and the breathing immediately turned into a series of snorts as the bear woke. Time to leave! He ran back towards the front of the cave, and soon he saw Nathan in the increasing light. He signaled the bear was to the left, and it was coming! No longer silent, he called out loudly for the others to come into the cave – the prey was awake. Quickly, a group formed around him. The hunters of his tribe moved like shadows, their breath steady, their eyes sharp in the diffused daylight of the cave entrance. This was their rite—their moment, and his — to prove he was no longer a boy, but a man of the Cave Bear tribe.

The cave bear was old, a gray smear in the blackness at first, then as it approached the entrance, they saw its sunken angry eyes, its scarred ears, and its fur matted with the grime of the cavern walls. It lumbered forward, its massive paws crushing loose stones beneath its weight, its snorting breathing rough and loud. Kael’s pulse quickened, but he forced himself to breathe. He thought back to many years of practicing with his father. “The bear is fast and strong, but he will be outnumbered. When his attention is off you, you will have the perfect opportunity to – thrust – like – this!”. He trusted his father’s advice remembering how his father’s spear had cut deep into the wooden target they were training with. He knew this. He hefted his spear – the same spear his father had used — feeling the sweat on his palms.

Now the bear was on them. The first hunter lunged, his spear glancing off the bear’s shoulder. The beast roared, swiping with a clawed paw, and the man crumpled to the ground, his leg ruined and bloody. Natan darted in and dragged the injured hunter out of the fight. Kael didn’t hesitate. He darted forward, his spear aimed for the bear’s flank, but the beast moved unexpectedly to swipe at the injured hunter, and he only gouged a short gash into the bear’s side. But it got the bear’s attention, and he paused, backing off and reassessing the many threats that sought to bring him down. Another hunter had his spear lined up with the beast’s rib cage, but then slipped in the gravel. Reaching farther than seemed possible, the bear raked his claws down the hunter’s back – was it Rontin? – which quickly welled up with blood.

Roaring, the massive monster next dived at Kael, who was already slipping out of the way, colliding sharply with the wall of the cave in the process. Knowing he had only seconds, Kael shook off the shock and rose to his feet. The brute had passed him but quickly turned toward him. Kael thrust his spear now – deep into the side this time. He felt the impact with the bear’s ribs, and had to strain to pull the spear out again. Snarling, the bear twisted towards him like a striking snake, but Kael was already moving away as the beast’s jaws snapped shut where he had stood.

Another hunter struck, then another, until the bear staggered. Kael’s heart sunk as he saw a new form lying still upon the floor – would they be going home without another one of their own? Other hunters darted out of the way as the bear struck, changing position. He heard someone cry out in pain, but with the bear’s strike, Kael saw a new opening, and darted in. Mentally calling out his father’s words, “Thrust – like – THIS!”, he drove his spear upward, beneath the bear’s ribs, into its heart. He was quick, but not quick enough to fully dodge the bear’s return swipe. Luckily the claws didn’t catch him, but the heavy backhand blow felt like a tree had fallen on him, and he felt pain before he could roll out of the way. The beast, now with its life flooding out of its chest, let out a final, shuddering breath before collapsing.

Silence, then cheers from the other hunters who watched the formidable beast collapse in a heap. Kael felt dizzy from the dying blow he had intercepted. He was probably only bruised, but it had taken the wind out of him, and Kael moved to lean against the nearest wall to find support while he got his breath back. Small rocks turned under his feet, and trying to find better support, he found a hole suddenly opening underneath him. He heard booms ring out as the falling rocks hit something far below. He tried desperately to cling to the rough wall, but the wall simply moved as the cavern floor gave way. He cried out once as he scrambled for purchase, his fingers scraping against loose rock as he slid into the crevice. The world tilted, and then he was falling, tumbling into darkness.

He landed hard, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. He saw stars – he must have hit his head as well. For a while, he just lay there on an uncomfortable, shifting pile of rock, gasping, his vision swimming. When his vision cleared, he could barely see the wall right in front of him, in the tiny bit of light coming from somewhere above. Despite the throbbing pain in his head and side, he investigated.

Not a rock wall. Something strange.

Metal. Smooth, smooth metal that was far more strong and unblemished than anything he had ever seen. It was polished like an ornamental shell! Who could make such metal? Was it the work of the gods or men? He felt like he must be dreaming. Or going mad! He touched it, and left a dirty fingerprint. It was real, not a vision!

Smooth, seamless, and cold to the touch. His heart pumping wildly in disbelief, Kael pushed himself up, his fingers tracing the surface. There was a seam—a line running vertically down the center. He pressed his palm against it, and with a hiss, the metal parted, revealing a dimly lit shaft.

A door. Not just a flap of leather. A beautiful metal door that slid away silently to expose a dark place, like a curtain being drawn.

Kael’s heart pounded. He forgot all about the bear and his compatriots in the cave above. His world was turned upside down. He had heard stories of the Great Above, of the world beyond the sky, but this—this was something else entirely. The elders spoke of the sky as a barrier, a limit. But this perfect metal wall moved. This went somewhere.

He had to know what this meant. He stepped inside.

The doors slid shut behind him, sealing him in. The walls were lined with strange lights, glowing faintly in the dark. At the center was a panel of buttons, each marked with symbols he didn’t recognize. His fingers hovered over them, hesitating. What was going to happen to him? What would happen to the tribe?

His hand trembled as he reached toward the glowing symbols. Were they warnings? Traps set by spirits? The symbols pulsed gently, almost invitingly. He thought of Lira, of the tribe above—then pressed his palm flat against one.

The floor dropped beneath him.

The ride was smooth, almost silent, save for the hum of machinery beneath his feet. Kael’s stomach twisted. He had no idea how long he was inside, but when the doors finally opened, he stumbled out into a world he didn’t recognize. He felt immediately a bit heavier, bathed in a steamy heat, and a strongly glowing and yellowish light.

The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and something sweet, like overripe fruit. The “sky” here was different—not the soft glow of the “sky” he was accustomed to, but a hazy, golden light filtering through a canopy of towering trees. Vines hung from the branches, swaying gently in the breeze. And the sounds—chirping, rustling, the distant call of creatures he had never heard before. Up above him, he saw agile animals – like small humans – swing between tree branches and up vines.

Kael’s breath caught. This wasn’t just another part of his world. This was somewhere else. This isn’t even his world. Pacing softly along the path, he was awed by the size of the trees around him. The broad-leafed, heavy vegetation was completely foreign, and was visible as far as he could see in all directions. What if there were people here as well. Worse, what if there were monsters? Would he ever see his tribe again? His family? What about Lira?

A twig snapped.

He spun, protecting his aching side, his spear raised, but it was too late. A net dropped over him, yanking him off his feet. He struggled, but rough hands pinned him down, binding his wrists. Through the weave of the net, he saw them—scavengers, their faces painted with streaks of mud and ash, their eyes sharp with suspicion.

“Floor-Born,” one spat, wrinkling his nose. “Still reeks of whatever hole he crawled from.”

Kael glared up at them, his headache not improving his temper. “Let me go.”

The scavenger smirked. “What threat do you bring? You’ll stab us with that stick?”

Kael’s jaw tightened. He had just killed a cave bear. He scrambled to get control of his spear, but it was locked tight in the net. The pain in his side throbbed more strongly after his efforts.

But before he could respond, a voice cut through the tension.

“Tivy, enough!”

The scavengers parted, and an elderly woman stepped forward. Her hair was streaked with gray, her face lined with years of hard living, but her eyes were sharp, assessing. She knelt beside Kael, her fingers brushing the pendant around his neck.

“Where did you get this?” she asked. “And do you know what the symbol means?”

Kael hesitated. “It was a gift.” Then, “I don’t know about the symbol”, he admitted.

The woman’s gaze flicked to the elevator behind him. “You came through the Stack.”

“The what?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she turned to the scavengers. “Tivy, Korrick. Cut him loose. He’s coming with us. He’s useful to us. Or at least his pendant is.”

Kael rubbed his wrists as the bindings fell away. “Who are you?”

The woman offered him a hand up. “Mara. I keep us alive up here. And you, hunter, you may have potential. You’ve just become the most interesting thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

Kael felt for his pendant, as if to confirm that he still had it. Then he took her hand, got up, and followed them, shaking his head.