Shadow Slave

The world moved on.

Tatal settled into her married life, and the shadow settled into his usual aloof existence. He felt the land around him change slowly. The trees reached desperately for the sky. the beasts prowled the forest, hunting those who were weaker than them while being hunted by those who were stronger.

Tatal became much busier as she matured and built her family. Her young husband proved to be a hunter of great skill and talent, effortlessly demonstrating his worth to the men of the Shadow Tribe and eventually becoming their leader. The old shaman who had officiated the wedding, meanwhile, was beginning to succumb to her age.

As a result, it was decided that Tatal would become her successor. She began her training not long after the wedding, and it consumed most of her time.

Her visits to the dark cave where the shadow dwelled slowly grew less frequent. Still, she made an effort to come at least once a month, bringing news of the outside world and chatting with him about nonsensical things that only a human could find engaging.

Then, the number of her visits reduced to once every few months or when something important happened.

That was because Tatal was with child.

Soon enough, she came to the dark cave carrying a small bundle of cloth. Nestled within the bundle was a tiny infant, its face red and wrinkly.

Tatal’s own face shone with a subtle light that the shadow had not seen before, and a soft, unfamiliar smile played on her lips.

”Look, Shadow.”

She presented the bundle to the darkness, then gently pressed it to her chest.

”This is my son. Isn’t he lovely?”

To the shadow, the infant looked like a strangely shaped lump of uncooked dough — ugly, to say the least. Even Snuggle had more charm than it.

However, inexplicably, he could not help but feel that the tiny human was, indeed, lovely. It was so lovely that the shadow could not express it with words.

Perhaps because the infant was a part of Tatal.

Eventually, his cold voice resounded from the darkness.

“Yes. He is beautiful.”

After becoming a mother and assuming some of the duties from the faltering old shaman, Tatal rarely had time to escape all her responsibilities and venture into the mountains to visit her reclusive friend. However, she still came once a year, every year — on the day they had first met.

The world was slowly changing. The village expanded, the forest around it replaced by fields. A master from a neighboring tribe came to build a crude stone mill. The humans learned something new every month, swiftly developing in all manner of crafts.

One year, Tatal brought with her a sharp blade. She showed it to the shadow, full of reverence.

“Look, Shadow. This is called copper. It comes from the earth, like stone... however, unlike flint, it never breaks. It never chips, never crumbles. It can pierce the toughest hide while remaining whole. Is it not a miracle?”

Even though Tatal was performing the role of a shaman now, in her heart, she was still a hunter. So, her eyes shone with wonder as she looked at the copper knife.

Another time, Tatal brought a pile of bricks. Her voice sounded excited.

“Look, Shadow! This is called clay. I saw it when I visited the Crow Tribe — their chieftain’s home is built from these things. He called them bricks. And you can get clay easily, too! My husband has been digging clay for a week now. I told him that if that haughty Crow has a brick home, then we must have one, too!”

And yet another time, the shadow was disturbed by the sound of panicked bleating and saw Tatal dragging a skinny sheep with a red coat into the cave, holding it by the horns.

”Shadow! Shadow, look!”

The shadow felt the desire to palm his face, even though he had none.

‘Gods, what is it now?’

“What is that... thing?”

Tatal smiled.

“It’s called a sheep! My grandfather used to hunt these beasts for meat and hide. However... they shed their coats every year. So, if you look after them a little, you can weave as much cloth as you want. Wool, Shadow! Don’t you see my dress? It’s so much lighter than hide — and softer, too. No one else in the village has one yet!”

She paused for a moment, and then laughed ominously.

“Those arrogant Crows will die of envy the next time we meet.”

The shadow... was impressed.

Tatal’s people seemed to be developing faster than he had expected. Perhaps it was because War God, the goddess of life — as well as technology and progress — was the divine patron of all humans. Maybe it was because they were descendants of the First Humans, who had wielded mythical power and had been creatures of myriad talents.

But, of course, not all of Tatal’s visits were happy ones.

Life was a constant struggle, after all, and it was especially so for the ancient people who lived in the Age of Gods.

The shadow’s presence might have scared off most of the Creatures of Corruption, but there were still some who failed to perceive him or were too mad to be turned away. There was no peace between humans and mystical beasts that dwelled in the untamed expanse of existence, either.

Even mundane predators were a deadly threat to them, at times, fighting desperately for ownership over the wild land.

There were other human tribes, as well. There was famine and disease. There was the unpredictable harshness of indifferent nature. The life of Tatal and her tribe was idyllic at times, while at times it was full of strife, struggle, and sorrow.

And even if Tatal did not show it, the shadow knew that she felt the harshness of the world more deeply than most. She had been orphaned at a young age, after all, and then thrown into a dark cave to die by the person whom she trusted the most. Her heart had been wounded, and so it was more sensitive to pain.

Tatal was still young when the old shaman died, and she became the new one. The responsibility over the entire tribe suddenly fell onto her shoulders, and when she appeared at the mouth of the shadow’s cave — far ahead of her usual visit — there was fear and uncertainty written on her pale, tired face.

”I don’t know, Shadow... I don’t know what to do. Human life is so fragile. One wrong decision — less than that, even, just a bit of bad luck — and the entire tribe will be gone. It’s terrifying. The elders shield themselves from that terror with blind faith... faith in the gods, faith that tomorrow will be the same as today... but I cannot be like them. I wish that I could.”

She looked deeply troubled. The shadow tried to console her as best he could, but he was not someone who knew solace well. His own existence was endless and endlessly arduous, after all. There was no solace to be found for him, so how could he soothe another?

Tatal came to him after her second daughter died of fever, as well. This time, she didn’t say anything, and just sat silently in the darkness, tears streaming down her face. The shadow did not try to console her, since she was inconsolable. He simply stayed by her side, all around her, allowing his darkness to hide her tears from the world.

Another year, a man of her tribe killed another in a fit of jealousy. Conflict was commonplace among the people of the tribe, but crime was rare. Its people stood together against the hostile world, after all — they had to trust and support each other in order to survive. A tribe could only survive in unity, and since crime undermined it, those who broke the unspoken laws and customs were dealt with harshly.

Thieves, murderers, and people who used force to get what they want — there was no place for them among the people of the tribe.

The criminals were meant to be banished... but, actually, banishment was considered to be the cruelest of punishments. If the shaman was merciful, she would sentence the guilty to death instead.

Tatal was one such shaman. Usually, the chieftain of the tribe — the strongest of the hunters — would carry out the execution. But since Tatal was stronger than the strongest among the tribe’s warriors, or perhaps for some other reason, she chose to end the murderer’s life with her own hands. She came to the shadow’s cave a few days after that, surrounded by a somber silence. Her face was motionless, and her gaze was distant. There was a painful, burdened ache in its depths.

After sitting silently on the stone floor for a long while, she spoke quietly.

”I’ve never killed a human before, Shadow.”

Her voice was heavy, as if pressed down by crushing weight.

Tatal took a breath, then sighed.

”I never thought I would.”

She smiled joylessly, then looked into the darkness.

”Have you ever killed a person, Shadow?”

His cold voice resounded in the cave, as calm and unaffected as it had always been.

”Too countless to count.”

Tatal’s lips trembled.

She studied the darkness with a pained expression, and then asked in a fragile tone:

”How do you live?”

The shadow remained silent for a short while.

Eventually, having failed to find a better answer, he answered simply:

”One day at a time.”

Tatal stared at the darkness.

Slowly, her pale smile brightened a little, as if she was amused by something.

Looking down, she laughed quietly and whispered.

”One day at a time...”

Life went on. Tatal seemed to have found the courage to face it again, meeting its countless challenges one at a time — and overcoming them.

Her tribe overcame all the adversity that the world threw at it, as well.

They survived. They grew.

They flourished.

It was funny... the shadow had witnessed great and terrible beings fighting each other across the vast expanse of the newborn world. He had beheld gods and demons — albeit from afar. He had felt the earth trembling under their footsteps and seen them reshape all of existence with their dire feats.

But, somehow, the mundane and fleeting lives of the small, insignificant people of the tribe had become far more fascinating and meaningful to him, at some point.

Because Tatal was one of them.

Time passed, and she turned from a young girl into a woman who carried the weight of her duty and responsibility with grace. Despite the scars left on her heart, she was still full of joy and resolve. She enjoyed all the boons that life had to offer — fully and never holding anything back.

However, life had no shortage of ordeals in store for those who dared to face it with a smile.

And so, soon enough, Tatal’s harshest trial yet arrived.