Year of the Lions

The Year of the Lions is the Tribe’s name for Year 7, a period when mountain lions pressed close to the settlement after drought had killed off the herds that had sustained their population. Their presence changed ordinary movement into a risk, cost the community four Dogs, and left Ish with an injury that shaped decisions years later.

The Year and Its Name

Year 7 was remembered as a strange and threatening time. Mountain lions seemed to be everywhere, so people scarcely dared walk between houses without a rifle and a Dog nearby to give warning. Even the Dogs stayed close to their human companions. Children were kept indoors, and the lions’ sudden proximity made the settlement’s exposed routines feel unsafe.

The name Year of the Lions records the danger that defined the year. It also preserves the Tribe’s understanding of the crisis: a change in animal behavior was not an isolated threat, but a consequence of the earlier abundance and subsequent collapse of prey.

The Lions and Ish’s Injury

The mountain lions did not quite dare attack a person, but they took four Dogs. Ish understood the cause: during the years when the herds had been plentiful, the lions had bred rapidly; after drought killed the animals they depended on, the predators were left short of food and drew ravenously toward the settlement.

The danger culminated when Ish missed his shot. Instead of killing a lion, he merely raked its shoulders; it charged and mauled him before Ezra could get a second shot home. Ish survived, but afterward he walked with a slight limp and tired quickly when he had to sit in one position for a long time, including while driving.

Lasting Consequences

The injury outlasted the immediate danger. By the time the Tribe considered sending an expedition, Ish could scarcely make a strong protest before being ruled out because of his disability from the mountain-lion attack. The roads had also deteriorated and cars had become unreliable, leaving little reason or opportunity for him to drive. In this way, the year’s brief, dangerous encounter continued to narrow Ish’s choices long after the Tribe had named the year for it.