It was a cold, brisk night, with the wind gently rustling through the trees. In the distance, the sound of feet pounding the earth could be heard, as two hundred warriors made their way toward the tree circle. The ground vibrated from the impact.

Aapo glanced at his wife Fairuza again. Of course the other tribes would be arriving much later than they to the meeting. It seemed that the others grew later and later every time. And there wasn't much that could be done about it. Aapo knew his people were getting restless, and resolved to sit in his particular stone and keep a serene disposition. Aapo couldn't let on to his tribe his true emotions of anger and frustration, for when the King gets upset, everyone gets upset.

Off in the distance, figures began to emerge from the shadowy trees. Aapo and Fairuza stood, for the other tribe had arrived. It was the Nuotomins, mountain dwellers. After three full days of tireless walking through the harshest of terrain, they finally arrived to the full moon assembly. In the front walked Nal m'se, tall and proud, leading her tribe with dignity. Though she leaned heavily on an elaborately decorated cane and strolled slowly, for she was advanced in years, something in the way she carried herself demanded the respect of everyone, including Aapo and Fairuza (though they would never admit it). Instead, Fairuza leaned over to Aapo and whispered,

"No wonder it took so long for them to arrive."

Nal m'se, flanked by the other six matriarchs of the Nuatomin tribe, made her way toward to circle of stones, where the chief leaders of the three tribes sat during the discussion.

"Good evening," Nal m'se greeted in a slow, steady tone.

"Good evening," Aapo responded. "Hit a lot rough patches on your way here?"

"The mountains are much harder and more unpredictable to navigate than the prairies and forests that you must travel through."

"The agreement was to meet at sundown. Maybe next time you can allocate more time for your journey to ensure that you fulfill your part of the bargain," Aapo shot back.

"Our tribe struggles enough with the rough journey as is. I refuse to force them to leave a day earlier simply for the sake of arriving a few hours sooner," Nal m'se declared firmly. Aapo would have have responded, but was interrupted by the sudden shaking of the ground. All turned to the forest to catch sight of the cause. It was the Eredst, running in to join the other two tribes. Nal m'se and Aapo searched the crowd for the for the last person needed before the meeting could begin.

"Evening," Fa said cheerfully. Nal m'se and Aapo turned to the spokesmen for the Eredst tribe.

"Getting a little lazy with the running, are we?" Aapo quipped.

"Our apologizes, Aapo. We know how you feel about punctuality. We lost track of time. But fear not, Aapo, for the night is still young. There is still plenty of time for collaboration."

"You all should know better than too be late, both of you," Aapo chided. "There is so much to discuss and we must be home by dawn...." 

"Then let us not waste any more minutes on petty discrepancies," Nal m'se asserted. Nal m'se and Fa took their seats on the stones next to Aapo and Fairuza.

"As the eldest, I shall start the meeting," Nal m'se announced and the crowd fell silent. Nal m'se surveyed the gathering, ensuring that no one intended to talk over her. "We have been blessed this season with much animals and skins. We have much that can be traded. We are also grateful that the Shaso tribe has not threatened us since the last time we met. The decreased risk of violence has increased productivity within the camp, so we have been fell fed and clothed."

Aapo stood next. "We have had a very productive hunting and farming season. We have had ten new births in our tribe, as well as the death of one of our Elders." His voice stopped, as he waited the customary five seconds of silence to honor the death of a tribe member before continuing. "We have not faced any outside threats. As of right now, no other tribe has come against us."

"We too, have experienced an unusually good season," Fa's voice echoed through the trees. "We have had three days of rain, which we are extremely grateful for, which has made the heat more bearable during these months of scorching sun. Our hunters have been very successful in catching game meat and fur to trade. We also have harvested an excess of medicinal herbs this season. We have not faced any outside threats." Fa crouched down in his seat, indicating that he was finished.

"Well," Aapo began.

"It seems we all have had a fruitful season during these warm months," Nal m'se stated.

"Yes," Fa agreed.

"So, there is lots to trade," Aapo finished. "Let's begin."

Working out a trade deal took hours of time and dedication, mainly due to the Eredst tribe. As a direct democracy, every member that was fifteen years and older had to caste a vote, which was collected and counted seven times by the seven vote counters. If the tribe voted no, a new deal would have to be decided, until ninety-percent of the tribe voted in favor of the deal.

To some extent, Nal m'se knew how trying it was to come to an agreement with the Eredst tribe, and thus, understood why Aapo was upset with the tribes arriving late. At the same time, Nal m'se didn't want to be faulted for weather that was out of her control. Not even Aapo would have considered that there would be a snow storm during the hottest time of the year. It was a miracle that the Nuatomins arrived at all.

The deals were made right as the first rays of sunlight shone down from the heavens.

"I think its time for us all to rest," Aapo announced.

"We agree," Fa affirmed. "We are very tired from the journey."

"Let us reconvene at sunset to settle any last minute ties," Nal m'se proclaimed. "While we wait, we may sleep and attend to our own tribe's needs."

The leaders rose from their places and dispersed to their tribes.