Approximately 1.7 years ago in the time of Homo Erectus 

Authors Note
Day to day life of our early ancestors is recorded only as a educated guess, inferred chiefly by fossilized remains. Therefore, some parts of this story may posses inaccuracy, as there were no written record from so long ago. Homo Erectus, a point given by many reliable sources,  communicated in forms  of grunts, in lieu of modern humans enriched language. Consequently, the main character of the following story would not be called by a name such as given. However, in order to refer to “Ekene” easily, this action would henceforth be required.

Chapter 1:
The sun arose in an orange glow, puncturing the once-dark sky. Light crept leisurely over the landscape, and the sky  descended into a brilliant blue.   Ekene arose from the hard, dirt ground and gazed at the panorama surrounding her. The woman were at the beginnings of the day of work, gradually pulling up from their sleeping positions and drifting out of the darkness of the cave . Automatically, Ekene  stepped nimbly over the sleeping young, towards her mother. She performed these actions every morning, hoping the result would differ. But the dark-haired woman only smiled and gestured at children, asleep under the stone roof of the cave. Ekene grunted angrily as her mother stepped gracefully through the trees, long hair falling in waves down her back. She swiveled around and glared at the remaining women; all girls around her age, of whom were all responsible for the children too young to hunt or gather. Ekene detested this job, and observed with jealousy as her elder sister ambled into the thicket of trees, black tresses flung over her shoulder. They never went far, the gatherers, occasionally meandering back through the clearing, and eventually returning to conduct other mandatory chores of the day. Proceeding forward, Ekene angrily sat on the rough edge of a log and aided the other girls in fire-building. She swiftly swiped two, sharp rocks together over the mesh of twigs and moss, and by mistake, strik her thumb instead. A girl gently took the two stones from her fingertips, and Ekene briskly brushed blood from her calloused thumb, and paused momentarily before returning to the huddle of girls.
...

By late-morning, Ekene was exasperated once again. Her tribe's young were infuriating in the morning, and settled only when the women returned with the mid-day meal. Wearily, she shooed away her younger brother and sister, of whom had been harassing Ekene since their awakening hour. She glared aggravatedly into the cave, where the girls were trying desperately to control the children, then slowly moved her gazed towards the transfiguring blaze of flames. The fire-circle consisted in a small, confiding clearing walled by a thick conspiracy of trees. Ekene had a sudden, unnatural urge to march away from the cave, through the forest. The complex thought, however, quickly dispersed, and Ekene stood to stop a stray child from disappearing behind the rough exterior of the cave. Scooping the small boy into her strong arms, she chided the boy with a stern grunt before placing him gently upon the mossy, forest floor. The young child’s near escape brought terrifying images of the muscular beasts lurking not far from the tribes habitat. And Ekene was once again contented with her small home, glad of its protecting essence. 

Chapter 2:
The sky darkened steadily, Ekene watched from below the canopy of leaves, enthralled. Around her, the blackness of the night thickened, and she shivered slightly. Her mother, viewing this action, beckoned Ekene to the  light of the crackling fire. The alloy of flames danced mysteriously, with the entire tribe encircling the relieving warmth. Ekene watched as her brother lovingly groom her mother's thick tangle of hair, and noticed the long, deep scars that blemished his arms. He had recently joined the band of hunting, and was seemingly suffering from the dangerous proceedings of killing vicious beasts. Her brother was born shortly after Ekene, and caused a strange connection between the two. This implored a urge to protect her noticeably weak brother, and a nagging worry regarding his survival. Ekene glanced upon the kind face of her father, and then to the determined one of her eldest brother, both of them were noted hunters, possessing many skills and a extensive knowledge of tool-building. Ekene hoped they were protecting the delicate personage of her favorite brother, insuring he was always to be safe. She sighed at the thought as she  stepped into the huddle cautiously, and was hit by the strong scent of cooking meat. The smoke burned Ekene’s eyes, and she tumbled blindly through her clan, before being snatched by a long pair of arms. Her vision cleared slightly, and Ekene peered up to the fair face of her elder sister. She smiled momentarily, then observed the welcoming scene; several held stones in their hands, striking them together very precisely as to make sufficient hand-axes, causing grey dust to settle upon their brawny hands. Others were in the process of preparing the shiny slabs of pink meat, the source of a delicious, smoky aroma. Ekene breathed in deeply, absorbing the luscious smell. And she watched in delight as large strips of deer were passed around, and grabbed hers hungrily, shredding the juicy meat rapidly, thoroughly satisfied. As the night advanced, Ekene sagged comfortably beside her sister, her eyelids rather heavy, and gradually fell into a deep slumber. .

...

Ekene awoke in a blanket of darkness, crammed beside two sleeping bodies. She drowsily elevated her arm, and her fingers brushed a cold substance. Someone evidently carried her into the cave. Ekene heard, unintentionally, a variety of animal growls and snarls. The general night killings, she assessed, and dissolved into a state of sleep. Ekene, however, was still aware of the hard floor beneath, as a particular noise aroused her. A nearby yelp, quickly silenced. Too near and familiar to be a animal. Instantly, Ekene scrambled up. Others were stirring around her, she simply crawled over them, ignoring the irritated grunts.  She slipped through the shallow mouth of the cave, several men were already out, frantically running about. Ekene peered through the flurry of activity, and became very aware of the red flecks showered upon the ground. A heavily-bearded man pushed her forcefully back into the cave, she landed painfully on a rocky surface, but remained stationary. Ekene listened, for many hours, the hurried footsteps and urgent shouts of those outside. By early morning, she haltingly crawled back out into the open, hand pressed against her throbbing forehead. The males were trekking steadily away from the clearing, weapons clasped in their dirt-caked palms. One boy turned sadly around and held up three, scarred fingers. Ekene understood. Three had been killed, probably taken by animals in the dead of the night. She sighed, and reluctantly went to work, worried of who these three unnamed may be.

...

Ekene had attempted to explain the happenings of the night to the other females. Some did understand, and quietly went to work, well others were confused, and knitted their thick eyebrows together, only deciphering the true meaning as the spots of red became vivid. Ekene herself searched distraughtly each who emerged the cave, finally crawling in as she lost her patience. Her mother and sister had already departed, but her smallest siblings had yet to awake, or sat now in the stomach of a great beast. Ekene smiled at their two sleeping figures, relieved, and crept quietly out of the cave. Still anxious was she for the life of her father and brothers, Ekene was at nonetheless satisfied with her remaining family members.

Chapter 3:
The evening fire circle was a melancholy affair. The three who had been killed were quickly identified; two children and one teenage girl. Ekene recognized their kin immediately, as each wore a expression of deep sadness. One man in particular appeared so distraught and agonized that she was almost afraid. Ekene observed his anguished expression, and watched in disbelief as he slowly stood to his feet. All stared into his weathered face, and mournful eyes, and with great effort, the man bellowed a great grunt. He gestured at the fire, to the blood, and into the distance. The flames flickered eerily in his face as the man impersonated a vicious beast, and pointed to the trees. Ekene vaguely understood; the man wanted to leave. To abandon their home and travel to different lands, lands without ferocious animals and a dying habitant. With the help of the fire, their tribe could discover paradise.

Chapter 4:
Ekene accepted the terrifying prospect uneasily, and followed her clan with unsure footing over the great expanse of land. A feeling of precarious confusion clogged her simple line of thought, and she stubbornly stared at the ground, afraid of the endless region in front. Out in the open, unprotected, prey for the savage creatures swarming the savanna. Many others were equally downcast, frightened of the unknown. Ekene peered into their apprehensive  appearances, and with an unknown surge of bravery, resolved to stand strong, and hold her head high. She, with determination, raised her line of sight, and with dread, discerned the bounding lion ahead.

…

Ekene screamed in a garbled, indistinct manner. Her clamorous exclamation acting as a warning call for the tribe; children scrambled behind frantic mothers, men scrambled for weapons.   Ekene surveyed the proceedings with a quiet sort of fear, that crept steadily towards her beating heart. The lion advanced her father. With skill and strength, he kicked the beast's snarling mouth, and watched, with growing dread, as it flew, mouth gruesomely bloody, towards a trembling youth. Ekene’s feeble brother. She shut out her senses, as so only the heavy weight of her luggage made any impact. Suddenly, Ekene was scooped up by an unknown creature (not the lion?) of whom seemed to be running at terrific speeds. A long interval of time followed, of which existed as only a blur to Ekene, until she was finally placed by her mournful father. Her favorite brother was gone. Dead like the three others who induced this risky decision. Ekene curled up by the fire, wondering if they would ever reach paradise.

Epilogue:
Ekene and her tribe never did reach their desired destination in their lifetime, and although the journey was hard, and the group lost many, Ekene’s remaining family members all survived, dying as grey-haired, toothless elderlies. She herself grew contented with her lifestyle, believing her clan would be remembered with honour by descendant as the ones who began the expedition to paradise. Ekene also nurtured to 5 children, of whom she would sacrifice her life too. She eventually perished at old age a few days after acquiring an unknown sickness, but suffered very little, as she died in her sleep.