Page 12 of Fall

“Why was he on the outskirts before?”

“He was new to the tribe. Had no ties and hadn’t proved himself as a manyet.”

“Why was he new?”

“Most boys leave the tribes they were raised in when they hit puberty.”

Lenna thought about this and then realized the obvious reason for it.“Ah. So that’s how they avoid inbreeding.”

“Yes. The boys leave and join other tribes. The women hold the tribetogether, maintaining its history, character, and behavior.”

“How many tribes are there on this planet?”

“I don’t know. Dozens. Maybe hundreds. Since I’ve been here, we’veencountered at least thirty others, and we’ve never ventured very far from thisregion. There could be a city on the other side of the planet, and I wouldn’tknow.”

“You never wanted to find out?”

“I don’t think there’s a city. Rone came from very far away, if I’munderstanding the stories about him correctly. And he knows of nothing butother tribes like this one.”

Lenna turned to look at Rone—her Hairy Man—and saw that he was watchingher.

He seemed to watch her a lot, but she couldn’t read his expression enoughto figure out why.

After a few minutes, she started to get self-conscious and turned back toDesh.

“So women always stay in the tribe they were born into?”

“Usually—unless they’re kidnapped by other tribes.”

“What?”

“Occasionally, another tribe will kidnap a young woman. It seems to befairly standard practice. If there aren’t enough girls born into a tribe, theyneed some way of getting more.”

“That’s terrible! Surely tribes would fight each other over that.”

Desh gave a half-shrug. “Not as much as you’d think. They seem to have anunderstanding among themselves to avoid all-out war. Survival is the chiefpriority, so war has to be avoided at all costs. The only real act of war wouldbe entering another tribe’s territory. The boundaries are clearly understood,and no one has crossed those lines in the years I’ve been here.”

“Then how are the women kidnapped?”

“In no-man’s land. Tribes have to occasionally leave their territory—tohunt or scavenge food or such things. Last year, two of the Kroo girls weregathering herbs, and they were taken by the Hosh, our nearest neighbors. Tamenand the other hunters caught up with one of the girls before they reached Hoshterritory, so they got her back. The other they didn’t catch up to in time, sothey had to let her go.”

“They just let her go?” Lenna shouldn’t have been surprised but she was.The families in this tribe didn’express affection the way she was used to, butthey seemed to at least have a sense of loyalty.

“What choice did they have? Entering Hosh territory is an act of war, anda woman just isn’t worth that.”

“Nice,” Lenna muttered.

“Hey, it’s not my worldview. It’s theirs. Anyway, a man wouldn’t be worthit either. If a man is attacked or killed by another tribe, then you can seekrevenge in no-man’s land—but you can’t cross into someone else’s territory todo it. It’s a different world. You’re going to have to learn to adjust.”

“I know.” She paused, feeling depressed and so deciding to change thesubject. “So you’ve never killed a boar?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Or any other animal. I’m not allowed in the innercircle yet. They won’t even let me join the hunting parties.”

“If I killed a boar, would they let me in?”

He laughed. “No. Women don’t hunt. The only way you get in is if a manchooses you for a mate.”

She scowled and muttered out a complaint about archaic, misogynistcultures.

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