by Kip Nelson
“Why don’t you try it?” Darren suggested, and handed Brent an item of clothing.
Brent looked a little uncertain at first, but he soon found the simple joy in this activity. It was liberating to release his anger and frustration. The two of them started shouting as well, before they collapsed into laughter as their minds grew hazy with this release.
The rocks were left with muddy patterns that looked like abstract art, and while the clothes still were stained and wet, they were at least free of excess mud. Darren took back the clothes he’d given to Brent. He decided they were as clean as they ever were going to get until he took them to the stream, so the two of them went back inside and got a fire started.
When the fire was blazing, Darren put the clothes over a branch and held them near the fire to help them get warm. He checked them regularly until they were dry, and then pulled them off. In the meantime, the family wandered around their cave, trying to ignore there were deadly predators sharing their living space.
It was an impossible thing to ignore, though. And as the following days unfurled, it was clear the mountain lions weren’t going to go anywhere. Darren wasn’t sure what to do about this, since now the family was starting to get on each other’s nerves.
Michelle and Tara were throwing more tantrums, and the fact they weren’t having many satisfying meals didn’t help matters. Brent still was going on about riding the bike, and Darren was adamant that he wasn’t to go anywhere until the mountain lions had been dealt with. He wished he could make Brent see how dangerous the outside world was, but Brent couldn’t fathom the threats that awaited them, and Brent wasn’t equipped to handle them.
Darren himself was feeling the effects of exhaustion and exertion. Since the five of them were sleeping in much closer proximity, Darren wasn’t getting much rest, for he was putting the children’s comfort ahead of his own. He could feel his temper getting short, and it took a lot for him to hold his tongue so as not to upset his children any further.
The mother mountain lion didn’t seem to have any of these problems. She and her cubs had adapted to life far better than the Dawkins family had. Darren quickly grew envious of her and wished he had her same poise. He did notice that she hadn’t left the cave, though. He wondered how full their bellies were. He hated to think that he and the kids were just takeout.
Although his stomach ached for the satisfying taste of cooked meat, Darren would hold off hunting until the mountain lions retreated. He didn’t want to do anything more to make them think this was their home, and bringing meat back here only would make them aggressive. So, they subsisted on nuts and berries and warm soup.
One morning, Darren was lying down and the kids were up and about. He was glad for the rest, and like sometimes on a lazy Sunday morning after a hard week’s work, his muscles were aching and he couldn’t have gotten out of bed if he had tried. The rocky ground wasn’t even that comfortable, but his body was crying out for rest, so he listened to it.
The two families that now were sharing the cave had come to something of an understanding. They didn’t interfere with each other, and no longer did the humans always have to sidle against the cave wall. When a fire was lit, the mother mountain lion kept her distance, but the cubs enjoyed the warmth, and like all youngsters, didn’t fear what they had not experienced. Darren wondered if the mountain lion had been scarred by fire. Wildfires had been known to spread through these woods in the dry summer months, and perhaps she had good reason to be afraid.
Darren heard giggling, and a little growl. He looked up and saw Tara and Michelle crouched down, holding their palms open, feeding the lion cubs like it was a petting zoo. Fear flared inside him and he got to his feet, ready to call out to them, although he didn’t want to do anything to startle the animals. He hissed at the girls, asking them what they were doing, and the only thing they replied was that it tickled.
The fear subsided quickly when Darren saw that the girls were in no immediate danger. The mountain lion cubs looked harmless, eating out of the girls’ hands. The mother mountain lion was standing back, watching the proceedings carefully, and once again Darren was convinced they were alike.
“Don’t do it for too long,” Darren said, worried that the cubs would get too comfortable with the girls and start enjoying the taste of flesh. As cute and cuddly as these mountain lion cubs were, it was important to remember they would grow into dangerous predators with an appetite for blood, and a lust for violence.
He looked toward Betsy and Brent and they just shrugged. He beckoned for them to join him, and when they came over he spoke in harsh whispers.
“How could you let them do that?” he asked.
“It’s not like we had much of a choice. We were tending to the fire and when we turned around it already was happening. I think they all are curious about each other, really. It’s quite sweet when you think about it,” Brent said.
“But we have been careful and the mountain lions haven’t made any violent movements,” Betsy added hastily.
“I’m still not sure about this,” Darren said.
“You can’t really blame them, Dad. It’s not like there’s much to do around here to keep them occupied, and you know how Michelle is like with animals. She always was going to be intrigued,” Brent said.
“Tara’s the same. And, to be honest, I have to admit that it’s hard not to go up and cuddle them. As long as we share the cave with these mountain lions, this eventually was going to happen,” Betsy said.
Darren sighed. He knew they were right. Perhaps it was his fault for not driving the mountain lions away. Maybe he should have been more aggressive and defended his territory, but the mistake had been made and the mountain lions weren’t going to wander off. Either he would have to make peace with their presence or figure out a way to get rid of them. And he started thinking that killing them was going to be the only solution.
He didn’t want to do it. He had fought against the idea initially. It was going to be even harder now that the family had formed a bond with them, but they couldn’t live like this for much longer. They needed every inch of space the cave could provide. They needed to be able to bring meat back to eat. They couldn’t live in fear of this predator.
Darren’s gaze drifted across the cave toward the mountain lion mother and their eyes met. He wondered if she knew he was plotting her death.
Chapter Eighteen
The Dawkins family spent another interminable night huddled together in the darkness and Darren knew it couldn’t last any longer. The mountain lion and her cubs had to go, one way or another. He wasn’t about to take his family out into the wild and find another cave. The mountain lions had been born here. They could find another place to live because this was their natural habitat. Darren and his family needed it more than the mountain lions did.
In the sleepless hours of the night Darren was trying to figure out a way to drive the mountain lions away without actually harming them. He thought about taking the fire and using it to frighten them away but thought that might provoke them. And he didn’t want to spend every minute of every day chasing them away. Because at some point the chase was going to have to end, and as soon as he turned back toward the cave, the mountain lions would return. It wasn’t as though he could keep a fire burning eternally, after all. If the mountain lions wanted to be here, there wasn’t much he could do to stop them.
The second idea he had was to do something to scare them away, perhaps making masks and rudimentary weapons out of the materials at hand. They were industrious enough that they probably could make masks to wear, and the plan would be to frighten the mountain lions so much that they ran away.
Of course, there was one dramatic flaw to that plan. The mountain lions were just as likely to attack out of fear as they were to run. Darren couldn’t put his children in that much jeopardy, so quickly dismissed that plan. Besides, it also had the same flaw as trying to drive them away with fire, there was nothing from stopping them from coming back.
It soon became clear there was no way to drive away the mountain lions short of force, and even then, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t return. The only way to get rid of them was to kill them, but the thought unsettled Darren. After all, the mountain lions hadn’t actually done anything wrong. They only were doing what came naturally, following their survival instinct.
It seemed cruel to kill them for wanting shelter, and to punish the mother mountain lion for wanting to keep her cubs safe. But Darren had to do what was right for his own kids. The law of the jungle was you had to do what was best for your own family. So, Darren realized he would have to steel himself for the task.
He rationalized it by telling himself the mountain lions also would provide them with plenty of meat, enough to fill their bellies for a few weeks at least. That would give them more strength to forage for longer periods and make better defenses for their home. They might also be able to skin them and use the fur for new clothes as well. But the fallout would be almost be worse than the actual act itself. It would be hard for Tara and Michelle to understand. They might even see him as a monster, but there didn’t seem to be any other option for him.
Still, it almost seemed as if he was betraying the mother mountain lion somewhat. It was as though he was taking a gun to his own head and killing himself, such were the similarities he found between himself and the mother mountain lion. Tara and Michelle would want to keep the cubs alive, of course, but such a thing couldn’t be allowed to happen. They only would grow up to be as deadly as the mother herself, perhaps even more so.
But as slivers of daylight broke through the gloomy darkness of the cave, Darren rose and looked out, and saw that the mother mountain lion was absent.
Are they gone?” Brent asked.
“She is,” Darren said, “but she’ll be back. She wouldn’t have left them,” he said.
He looked down at the cubs who were still sleeping, writhing on the ground, stretching their paws out to try reaching for their absent mother. Darren stood up while the other children slept.
“Where has she gone?” Brent asked, following him.
“Probably to hunt, which bodes well for us. It means she’s decided that we’re not going to be their dinner. But I’ve been thinking about what we were talking about earlier. I don’t think these animals can stay here any longer. There’s only one way they’re going to leave, but it’s not going to sit well with the girls. When the time is right, I want you to take them out to gather some berries, and when they’re gone, I’ll do it. I’ll kill these cubs,” Darren said, looking down at the cute, helpless cats.
It seemed wrong to be plotting their doom, but he knew it was the only way. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling he was doing something terrible. It was as though someone was plotting the death of his own children in his absence, and shame rose through his soul.
However, to survive meant making difficult decisions, wrestling with a conscience, and ultimately making the hard choices. Darren knew the cubs wouldn’t make it through the day, and when the mother returned, she would find death waiting for her.
The girls didn’t suspect a thing as they rose, and when Brent asked them to go out with them they didn’t question it. Betsy did, though. Darren saw Brent whisper something in her ear, and then she looked at Darren with sadness in her eyes. It wasn’t something any of them wanted, but Brent and Betsy were old enough to realize it was the way things had to be.
Alone with the cubs, Darren went to get his gun. But as he took aim at them, he saw a shadow crawling over the wall. The mother mountain lion had returned.
Find out what happens in part four! Available Now!
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