Scene Setup — Dawn on the River (Tracks & Consequence)

Setting: Early morning. Mist on the reeds.

Onstage: Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, and Jack Righteous together, away from the village.

Opening Dialogue

EVE: The air still smells like last night’s fire.

ADAM: That smell means we lived.

CAIN: It also means the beasts smell us.

ABEL: Then maybe they’ll learn to move.

(Adam crouches, presses fingers into a wide, wet paw print.)

ADAM: Fresh. He doubled back—toward the village.

EVE: Toward the children.

ADAM: Cain, Abel—go warn them. No one alone till the sun is high.

CAIN: And you?

ADAM: We’ll follow. I’ll get Eve home.

(Jack brays sharp and bolts toward the village path.)

ABEL (half-grin): Even he heard you, Father.

ADAM: He hears what I hear. Go.

(Cain and Abel sprint upriver. Adam leads Eve away. Adam’s voice becomes song.)

Song — “I Will Protect Her” (Part 1 — The Vow)

[Intro – Reflective, Intimate]
[Male Vocal – Adam]
I knew the moment I saw her,
She was changed by the fruit.
First Woman, First Queen, First Mother,
Her lips tasted like fire — and my breath went mute.

[Pre-Chorus – Melodic Build-Up]
In her gaze, a new world awoke,
In my chest, a thunderstroke.
Not by command — we chose this flame,
Two hearts, one wild, one untamed.

[Chorus – Uplifting, Ancestral]
From my rib, she was born, now more than a part,
Her change, like a tempest, stirring my heart.
No longer just a cure for my lonely soul,
In our reflection, I find my role.

[All Male Vocals – Chant]
I will protect her (I will protect her)
I will protect her (I will protect her)
I will protect her (I will protect her)
I will protect her (I will protect her)

Bridge — The Blood Between Them (Scene Shift, Rhythm Builds)

[Male Vocal – Adam]
Hand in hand, through Eden’s breath,
Our love was forged in life and death.

[All Male Vocals – Cain & Abel Enter]
Tracks in the dust, claws in the mud —
She’s watching now. We feel the blud.

(Ahead: Jack with the Girl and her parents at the bend. Abel spots her; she waves and runs. Jack brays, warning; she mistakes it for play. Abel lifts his staff, play-acting a lion fight.)

Abel’s Verse — The Living Vow

[Verse – Abel (Solo)]
[Male Vocal – Abel]
I saw her smile when the drums began —
She laughed when I stood, staff in hand.

(Abel twirls the staff; kids cheer. Cain watches, silent. Jack shifts, tense.)

Chorus — Dual Harmony (Brothers Together for a Beat)

[Chorus – Dual Harmony]
[All Male Vocals – Abel & Cain]
We protect what draws us near,
We fight the fire and swallow fear.

[Male Vocal – Abel]
For every breath she dares to take —

[Male Vocal – Cain]
I’ll leave a trail the beasts won’t break.

[All Male Vocals – Chant]
I will protect her (I will protect her)
I will protect her (I will protect her)
I will protect her (I will protect her)
I will protect her (I will protect her)

(The reeds erupt. The lion charges.)

Lion Attack Sequence (Inside the Song)

[Male Vocal – Abel, urgent]
There — the roar! She’s in its path!
It charges fast — I feel the wrath!

[Male Vocal – Cain, sharp]
Stay back! The claws — the breath, the teeth!

[Male Vocal – Abel]
I’ll guard her side — I won’t retreat!

(Jack whips around and donkey-kicks the lion’s jaw — stuns it. Abel sprints in and smashes the paw — CRACK — the staff breaks in two. The lion enrages. Abel is thrown down.)

[Male Vocal – Cain, internal solo]
My hands — they shake, my sight runs wild,
My brother moves — the blud, the child.
Why do I pause when he runs true?
The roar, the fire — what should I do?

[Male Vocal – Echo (memory of Adam)]
Protect her!

[Male Vocal – Cain, breaking]
Righteous call — I hear You still!
If I don’t strike — this beast will kill!

(Cain drives his spear. Impact. The lion collapses.)

[All Male Vocals – Triumphant Chorus]
From dust we rose, from flame we stood,
We bled to shield, we swore we would.
The beast was slain, the ground held fast,
But love don’t crown the one who lasts.

I will protect her (I will protect her)
I will protect her (I will protect her)
I will protect her (I will protect her)
I will protect her (I will protect her)

Final Refrain — Cain Solo (Bitter, Explosive)

[Final Refrain – Cain Solo, Bitter and Explosive]
[Male Vocal – Cain]
She ran to him though he was downed,
While I still held the battleground.
Her eyes found his — half-closed with pain,
But never once looked back again.

[Cain – Final Vow, Controlled Fury]
I won’t kneel for love or praise.
I won’t fade beneath their gaze.
I burned for her — she turned away.
Now I protect... my own way.

Aftermath

(The Girl kneels by Abel, binding his shoulder. Jack stands guard, breathing hard.)

THE GIRL (to Jack): Go—bring them. Bring help.

(Jack nudges Abel, then bolts toward the village.)

THE GIRL (to Cain): Go home. Tell Adam and Eve he’s alive.

CAIN: You’ll send him back?

THE GIRL: As soon as we reach the others. He knows the way.

(Cain looks at the broken staff.)

CAIN (low): He always gets the songs.

(Cain exits toward home. Jack’s hoofbeats fade.)

Scene Notes (What to Watch For)

• Adam’s vow → sons’ inheritance: Adam’s melody becomes their heartbeat.
• Abel acts; Cain echoes: Abel leads the verse; Cain joins only the chorus here.
• Jack Righteous: Warns → stuns the lion → messenger for help.
• Broken staff: Protection symbol shattered; will return later.
• Cain’s coda: Seeds “I protect my own way” and the path toward the mark.

Next in the Story

Cain responds. Protection and pride collide. The mark begins to take shape.