Finding Solace (Ancient Origins Book 2)

by C. L. Scholey

  “I have to make you ready.”

  “I am.”

  Solace spread her legs and pushed her hips under him. Cautiously Menace tested her depth with two fingers.

  “See I told you,” she said and panted.

  His perfectly hard hot cock stroked into her making her gasp in delight. His arms were bent at her shoulders only allowing the tips of her nipples to touch his chest. His movement tickled them. She nipped at his throat when he plunged down. Sliding up she gripped his powerful arms.

  “Harder, Menace.”

  “Softer,” he teased.

  He moved slower. Solace gritted her teeth. They should be bouncing all over the cave with her need. She pulled her legs up to wrap around his waist. She encouraged him with squeezes to pump harder. The sweat formed at her temples and she could feel a drop slide down. Finally Menace complied and her body jerked when his cock plunged hard.

  “I love you,” Solace said on a hard whisper.

  Waves of pleasure washed over her when he thumped against her three more times. Menace growled his release. His breathing was heavy when he rolled to the side taking her with him. He gripped her tight as though loath to release her. His lips were at her ear.

  “Thank you, Solace. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for carrying our baby. Whatever you need me to do to make you comfortable just ask. You are creating a human inside you. You are working every day. If you needed me to carry you everywhere I would.”

  “Sometimes I forget you have never seen a pregnant female. I couldn’t ask for a better mate and this baby could never have a better father.”

  Menace kissed her forehead. She snuggled into his warmth enjoying the feel of his warm skin against hers.

  ****

  A hunting and gathering party formed in the early morning. The trail down the mountain was tedious and took a number of days with the added females. Menace made certain to watch Solace for any sign of aches or tiredness. She seemed in a fine mood which made him happy and relieved. Once down the mountain the two groups split to cover more ground. Doom, Clarity, Menace, Solace, and Lochlan made up one group, followed closely by Kiki, Luke, Rex, Bongo, and Muffin. They were in search of not only game but also the few cow seal-like creatures who gave milk for cheese in exchange for safety from other predators. If they came across the beasts, they would send Muffin back for a third group.

  The remainder of the village stayed put to protect their supplies and children. Bubble-gum was left to watch over the rambunctious twins. Three other bulwarks kept guard. The beasts were allowed to go free one at a time to hunt for their own food. Wood was collected and dried as needed.

  As Menace neared a hollowed tree a velociraptor came forward teeth snapping. Muffin was ready to take up the attack but was stopped. Menace held out his hands in supplication and approached with caution. He lowered the pack he carried. The raptor didn’t strike, but held back. Two little heads peeked out the tree trunk. They were less reserved and raced forward to yank at Menace’s pant leg. The adult raptor shook his head in what appeared to be annoyance.

  Menace reached to stroke each little head then handed the little ones a sizable chunk of meat. They retreated back into their home.

  “On no, look,” Solace said and pointed.

  The female raptor was slouched, an arm dangling. She was thinner.

  “It’s broken,” Clarity said. “She must be in a lot of pain.”

  Clarity inched off her pack and sprinkled a chunk of meat with a powdery substance. She tossed the meat to the female. The raptor nudged the food then ate with tiny bites. She whistle whimpered while she ate.

  “That’s it girl, eat up,” Clarity said.

  Solace gazed at Clarity with a grin. “Well you can’t do this alone.”

  “What are you two planning?” Menace asked.

  “Keep the dad busy,” Clarity said.

  The female was slouched. Solace grabbed a few flat branches and pounded any slivers off. Menace groaned when the women approached the female. The male called a warning and Menace stepped forward with a chunk of meat. He sliced pieces and tossed them to the male one at a time. The male ate but kept a wary eye on the women. Clarity straightened the arm with Solace’s aid, and they proceeded to splint the raptor’s arm, then wrapped everything in a tight hide. They left more meat and moved on.

  “First aid on a dinosaur, a raptor,” Luke said while shaking his head. The T-rex beside him nudged his head under the boy’s arm. “Well, don’t be upset. I found you as an egg. You were pretty boring to look at. Now you’re cute.”

  The devastation surrounding them went on for miles. Many huge trees still stood but were recovering from a near drowning experience. The air was different somehow when Menace breathed in. It was much like the scent of losing his people—loss. The earth was grieving. If the planet were female Menace could picture a naked battered and bruised woman cold, soaked and clinging to a large rock, head bowed in defeat, weeping. His heart hurt with the image.

  “Will we be all right?” Kiki asked in a quiet voice.

  Clarity put her arm around her. “Yes.”

  “Everything looks power washed,” Luke grumbled.

  “I can’t believe you remembered Daddy using the power wash,” Kiki said.

  “I remember the sound of the water and the blast it caused when it hit the siding on our house.” Luke ducked his head then gazed at his sister. “I don’t remember what our parents looked like.”

  Kiki hugged him then slung and arm around his neck in mock play while Luke struggled to free himself. Rex squealed and raced to Luke’s aid but a hyena blocked the way.

  “I’m gonna let Rex lick your bowl,” Luke yelled.

  “Then I’ll make sure Bongo farts on your furs before bed,” Kiki taunted.

  “Ew, no not that,” Solace said. “We finally have him sticking his ass out the cave door.”

  Kiki laughed and shoved Luke away. Rex stuck his tongue out at her. For miles they traveled searching for salvation. The jungle grew thicker then came to a clearing. The mammoth mastodons they came across brought relief. There were ten in the herd. All were bathing in a clear pond or rolling in the sandy dirt beside the water’s edge. One nursed her young.

  “Damn I wish I had my gun,” Lochlan said.

  “We all wish we had your gun,” Menace retorted.

  “A gun?” Doom asked.

  “The weapon Clarity told us about, it’s real and kickass.”

  “Solace do you have those blue numbing rocks?” Menace asked.

  She held up a wooden tube filled with rocks and sand. “How many do you need?” she asked.

  Menace took the container and gave her a hard stare. “I’ll let you know once we’ve downed a beast.”

  “I thought I was out here to hunt,” she said in annoyance.

  Lochlan chuckled. “Silly girl, you’re out here for him to keep an eye on you.”

  “Kiki and Luke go be annoying,” Doom said.

  With a whoop the two took off followed by the T-rex. Muffin and the hyena were a danger to the beasts and stalked off to get behind them on the other side of the small pond. Menace climbed a tree after making certain Solace was in a safe place. He could see Doom and Clarity getting into position. The children were harassing one young cow. Menace chuckled at the faces Luke made by sticking out his tongue and pulling his mouth wide with his fingers. The cow snorted not sure what to make of the tiny little being.

  The monarch of the group went after Rex making the little dinosaur squeal in terror and run around the herd waving little arms in the air. While the leader was busy, Kiki added her harassing calls to the same cow as Luke. The young cow became separated from the herd in the confusion. It was then Muffin and Bongo raced from hiding; the shallow water did nothing to hinder their mad dash. The sound of the spraying water startled the herd. The matriarch realized the deception too late. Her bugled call to run was answered by all but one. The lone cow ran in a different direction now followed by Doom and Clarity.
Lochlan stood whooping and hollering when the cow tried to bank right. She couldn’t go back, and she couldn’t go left or right. Her only opening was straight ahead toward the jungle.

  Fast outdistancing the others in her terror, the cow ran under the tree Menace was hiding in and he dumped the entire container, sand and blue rocks, onto the beast. The reaction was almost instantaneous. She dropped, incapacitated. Menace leaped onto her back and slit her throat. The blue rocks were carefully collected back into the container with sand, extracted from the cow without being touched. They worked fast cutting the meat, worried about other predators, but the surrounding area was oddly quiet. With one exception.

  The male raptor approached with hesitance, head bowed in deference, limping. He’d followed them. The dinosaur was almost as thin as his mate, and it was apparent the food he caught wasn’t much, and most was given to the offspring. After removing the hide of their kill, Menace hacked off an entire leg and dragged it toward the raptor. The raptor eyed him and the meat.

  “Do not get used to this,” Menace said as he turned and walked away.

  “Watch out,” Doom yelled.

  The raptor was on Menace. Arms and legs wrapped around him, cheek to cheek. A wet tongue licked his face and he groaned. The raptor released him and hobbled back to the leg bone covered in meat to drag it off for his family. Menace wiped a hand across his sloppy wet cheek.

  “Ew.”

  “Menace has a new love,” Luke taunted. “Hope Solace don’t get mad.”

  “Very funny,” Menace said with a growl to the boy who danced away howling with laughter, a chuckling T-rex went with him.

  “We may as well set up right here,” Doom said.

  “We can make a number of huge fires and once the meat is dry send it in packs on Muffin and Bongo back to the caves,” Solace said. “In fact, if we send a huge raw load now they may send more people to help cut it up. Muffin can scale that mountain in less than a day.”

  “Good idea,” Menace said.

  “Are you sure she won’t eat it?” Lochlan asked.

  Menace smiled. “No. She’s a good girl and knows we won’t let her starve. She’s very loyal and listens well. Same with Kiki’s hyena if she’s the one to ask. That beast will do anything for Kiki.”

  They soon had a few solid haunches of raw meat packed onto the large bulwark wrapped in hides. With a slap to her rump Muffin took off at a run. The hyena was next following hot on Muffin’s heels with his own load after a few sweet words from his master and beloved friend.

  Solace was gazing after the bulwark. “She is getting bigger. I wonder how soon before she has her cubs.”

  “I have no clue,” Clarity said. “But if the males kill the offspring of cubs not their own we’ll be in for trouble. Those cubs are Bubble-gum’s. He can’t defend the litter from the bulwark males.”

  “Then, we will,” Menace said. He winked at Solace who seemed worried. “Nothing will dare harm any cub born to us again.”

  She smiled and he went back to butchering the animal.

  ****

  They came equipped with a large hide tent but all preferred to sleep close to the fires. Sleeping outdoors was a novelty for Doom and Menace. With so few carnivores in the area there was little to fear. There wasn’t a brontosaur in sight to risk a stampede. Each man paced while keeping a close watch as the sky darkened. Solace was sitting on a sleeping fur next to Clarity.

  “Clarity, do you think the earth was formed when aliens played pool?”

  Clarity laughed. “I’m inclined to believe anything.”

  Solace studied the beautiful woman with mid length blonde hair that was almost white. A contrast to Solace’s dark locks. She never imagined she would become fast friends in a primal world with another of her own world. They had known each other for only a year and yet Solace could tell Clarity anything.

  “The alien almost didn’t let me return,” Solace said.

  “He didn’t let me at all,” Clarity said. “I knew I had to get away. I’m surprised you have no tracking devise.”

  “Do you?”

  “Not anymore. It was ripped out very unpleasantly after the alien brought Doom back to life. He said there would be no more interference but I guess he meant with me.”

  “Menace envies Doom’s unmarred skin.”

  “Remember, Doom paid for the release of those victims with his life.”

  “The alien said our DNA, our blood type specifically shouldn’t be here,” Solace said, her hand to her belly.

  “Are you afraid the aliens will take your baby?”

  “A little.”

  “We won’t let that happen.”

  Clarity hugged her and rolled over. It had been a long day and Solace was exhausted. Sleep wouldn’t come. She glanced over at Kiki and Luke. Rex curled up beside the boy. Solace smiled when the boy rolled taking the cover exposing the dinosaur flesh to the cool night air. The T-rex shivered, grabbed a corner, and rolled taking the fur with him. The boy shivered and the action was repeated until Solace rose and draped a fur over the tiny dinosaur, then returned to her bed. In the distance she saw the approach of Muffin and Bongo. The cave hyena dropped beside Kiki and yawned. Kiki cuddled closer to the huge beast. Muffin went to Clarity and was soon settled between the women, the beast certainly had the wolverine stamina, but her exhaustion was apparent. Muffin and Bongo must have raced the entire way there and back. The bulwark was a furnace, her fur, neither too rough nor soft was a comfort pressed against her side.

  Solace locked her fingers under her neck as she lay back, and gazed up at the few stars. There were night sounds emanating from various places. Not too far away Lochlan was snoring. Or perhaps it was Rex. The soft sound of the pacing men’s booties made her smile at the word Clarity always used. A small breeze was chased by a bigger one, but the bulwark was a barrier. Her thoughts wandered. Earth is billions of years old. Why are we, humans, given only a hundred years as certain species or less and why are certain species given longer? How long before another ice age on earth, her planet?

  She sighed realizing her Earth was a memory. So were the children lost to her. It was a comfort knowing they were okay. She could let go of her guilt; it wasn’t hers to carry. The idea made her think of Menace and his tattoos. Would he be as lucky as Doom to be rid of the burden he carried? Then she remembered Doom died to be free of his. Solace shuddered. She lay awake until Menace crawled up beside her. His arms were warm and she finally found sleep when he kissed her forehead in a tender familiar gesture.

  Chapter Twelve

  The tantalizing aroma of meat woke Solace. She stretched and yawned. She had slept late. Muffin was beside her. She sat up and noted the bulwark was awake and keeping watch over her. Solace hugged the beast.

  “Two pregnant ladies basking in the warm sunshine.”

  It was nice to see the sun again and to have heat tickle her skin. As a dark cloud floated overhead she frowned. The bulwark growled low in her throat. Muffin was soon up and snapping and snarling. A young hybrid was creeping toward the beast they’d felled the day before. They began the drying process of some. Solace was about to call to Menace but he had already seen the Neandersauri. It was apparent the young one wanted food.

  Both Menace and Doom approached, swords drawn. The Neandersauri growled, whistled, and motioned angrily. His actions were haughty. He was the superior and the paltry humans must back away from the kill until he took his fill. Menace stepped forward. Solace was also on her feet and settled an arm over Muffin’s furry neck. The hybrid hissed and lunged for Menace. Dropping low Menace sliced the legs off the creature. Solace put a hand to her mouth gagging. She was shocked. Menace normally aimed for a fast kill. The hybrid screamed as it dropped. Menace stood and strolled over. He stared back into the line of a wooded glen.

  Solace and Doom followed his gaze. She could see other hybrids. With deliberation Menace lift the sword high and smashed the blade into the Hybrid’s chest, and twisted. As he removed the weapon nine
more hybrids burst forward. All young but as tall as she. Solace raced for her weapon. The bulwark was on the move and grabbed an enemy by the throat. A fast shake of her head, she severed an artery, blood spurt.

  Kiki and Luke, back to back with a hyena and mini T-rex for support battled. Weapons were swung with tact, perfected aim was theirs. The hybrid went down. Clarity was battling alone and Solace raced to help her while Doom fought two. Lochlan went back and forth, his sword high then low to ward off wicked claws. The hybrids were young but dangerous slicing at them with huge claws.

  Menace battled two near the body of the fallen Neandersauri. It seemed the hybrids were capable of feeling compassion for their own and she caught a few word whistles of rage. The battle was violent. Down went another hybrid. As she reached Clarity, Solace saw four more hybrids approach.

  “Menace,” she screamed. “There’s more.”

  The hybrid who fought Clarity disarmed her, but instead of killing her, he grabbed her and tossed her over a shoulder. Solace couldn’t run him through, she was afraid of killing Clarity.

  “Doom,” Clarity yelled as she beat at the hybrids back.

  Doom slaughtered a hybrid but was fighting two more. Solace realized the goal wasn’t the meat. It was a trick. They sent in one to see their actual number, to see if more humans were hiding. Once they realized they were alone the hybrids struck. Solace gagged as she ran for Clarity, knowing what must be done. She skid along the ground and swung hard severing the hybrid’s legs at the calf. The pair flopped in a heap. Solace was up. As the hybrid swung wildly Solace cut his wrists. Hands fell to the ground.

  A loud roar sounded and Solace placed a hand to her heart when she saw Edge and others from their village running to join the fight The gatherers had come to help with the meat, having seen the hyena and bulwark loaded with food from a distance and instead found a battle. The hybrids tried to retreat but there was no quarter. They were all killed. The fight was over and Solace was in Menace’s arms.

  Clarity, wrapped in Doom’s embrace walked forward. “Thank you.”

  Solace gazed up at Menace. “He taught me that move.”