“He’ll be back,” Nathan reiterated, “probably about midnight or shortly thereafter, just about the time I finally get to sleep.” Nathan went into the back room and removed his wet clothes, and returned wearing his robe, which was considerably shorter by now, showing a good portion of his well-shaped male legs. He looked down confused, but shrugged and started dinner.
Sure enough, long after they had bedded down for the night, Demon was howling outside the cave. Nathan got up and let him in but didn’t allow him in the sleeping area because he was wet. The dog fussed and whined but finally laid down in front of the fire pit and settled down. Riley grinned to herself—score one point for her! She kind of missed his big old stinky dog body though.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
In the small confines of the cave, Nathan was forced to become more sociable. There were few times during the day that either was alone, mostly when Nathan left to hunt, fish or take care of his flock. It was as though they were married, but without the physical intimacy. By unspoken agreement, they avoided physical contact and were careful about privacy.
Though comfortable with this arrangement, on more than one occasion, Riley caught herself staring at him, the way his muscles moved, his expressive face and the efficiency with which he tackled every task. He didn’t shrink from performing any job, no matter how lowly, and didn’t expect her to take over the “womanly” chores just because a female was now in residence, for which Riley was eternally grateful. A chief cook and bottle washer she was not, and never had been. She was more at ease doing the male-oriented duties than the female ones. However, she admitted grudgingly to herself, had she taken a desk job working nine to five in a normal, safe atmosphere, she would most likely not be where she was today.
Every evening, after the daily chores were completed, they would sit and talk for hours. He was thirsty for information on the modern world, and she was willing to spend whatever time necessary to update him on whatever topic he chose. Nathan’s contribution to these evening sessions was to explain life as it presently existed. Never being a party animal, Riley was not finding it too hard to adjust, but she did miss her books. She still had not fully accepted that she was stuck in this place, but blaming Nathan wasn’t doing any good either. He had accepted wholeheartedly her intrusion into his life and went out of his way to make her feel welcome and needed, and if ever a man needed a companion, he did.
Nathan had fashioned a shelf for her parents’ picture, and other than her one pair of modern day panties, it was the only possession she had. He had helped her sew another pair of leather leggings and several soft tunics. On one occasion, they had made felt, laughing and talking as they walked and walked. Nathan had hummed a tune and they had even danced on the felt for awhile. Demon had viewed the whole incident with bored disgust, yawning and finally snoozing while they played.
Nathan proved to be an excellent hunter and fisherman and there was always sufficient food on the table. In the deep recesses of the cave, Nathan had stored dried vegetables and meats for the winter, but Riley looked forward to warmer weather and the addition of some fresh fruits and vegetables to the daily fare. She learned that although they were in the midst of an ice age, they were far enough south that the seasons did come and plant life was abundant during the warmer months. It would be interesting to see if she could identify the vegetation.
Nathan left one morning to hunt, faithful Demon at his side, leaving Riley to fend for herself. With nothing else to do, she decided to investigate the deeper recesses of the cave. Nathan had indicated there was an escape tunnel that exited out from the spring room, and she decided now was as good a time as any to investigate. A quick inspection did not reveal the location but by careful scrutiny and well placed raps with a wooden mallet, she was finally able to locate the opening. Nathan had concealed the opening with another cleverly designed door, rolling on wooden casters like the door to the inner room of the cave. She forced the door open and peered down into the dark. Not eager to explore without some sort of illumination, she found some tallow candles and lit one from the fireplace. A slight breeze wafted through the tunnel, and she had to cup her hand around the candle’s flame to prevent it being blown out.
Riley stepped into the naturally formed tunnel, walking carefully on the uneven floor. The tunnel was claustrophobic. Riley barely had room to stand up, and the tunnel itself was extremely narrow. Anyone much taller than Nathan would be hard pressed to move through the tunnel easily. The candle cast a weak glow in the dark—shadows danced eerily on the rock walls. Riley’s imagination went wild. Nathan had assured her that the tunnel was empty of animal life, but in case it wasn’t, she didn’t want to be the first to make such a discovery. Dying of heart failure so young wasn’t on her present agenda. Her mind conjured up the image of the monstrous bear, now lurking in the shadows. She found reassurance in the fact that it was doubtful he could have fit into the confines of the tunnel, though other creatures might not have the same problem.
She gingerly made her way along the slightly angling downgrade, keeping her eye out for anything slithery or slimy that might be waiting in ambush. If the size of the bear was any indication, she didn’t want to encounter any spiders or snakes, if there happened to be any in here.
Skittering sounds broke the silence and spider webs caught in her hair as she moved forward, her skin crawling with visions of the imagined occupants. Obviously, Nathan didn’t use this outlet on a regular basis and anything could have gotten in. Water dripped down the walls along the way, making the pathway not only uneven, but slick as well and she had to concentrate to keep her footing.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally arrived at what she believed was the outer door. A quick check of the door proved once again that Nathan had used wooden casters and the door could be opened quickly if needed. Since she was unsure of what might be lurking on the other side, she opted to forego opening the door for another day. She turned and in doing so, the candle glow danced off a large form, covered in fur, filling the tunnel. Riley screamed and fell backwards, the candle dying out as she fell. Scuttling backwards, she groped in the dark for anything she could use as a weapon.
“What are you doing in here?” Nathan’s voice calmly came out of the dark.
“Oh my God, Nathan! You scared the be-jesus out of me!” Riley almost fainted in relief, so thankful was she to hear his voice.
Nathan’s hand found her in the dark and he helped her to her feet. “Sorry, but there’s something I wanted to show you so I came back to get you.”
“Well, next time make some noise and let me know you’re behind me. I thought a bear had me!”
“I didn’t know you were so skittish or I would have made noise as I came down.”
“Skittish? I’m not skittish! Generally, I’m a very calm and collected person, in my real life, that is.”
Nathan moved along the tunnel, holding her hand to guide her along. He seemed to know every curve and obstacle by heart so they moved easily through the twists and turns.
“What possessed you to come in here?” Nathan asked again.
“I was a little bored and you talked about an escape route and since I had some time, I thought I should be aware of its location, just in case.”
“You should! But ask me to show you next time. It’s kind of tricky to maneuver in here if you don’t know the layout.” They turned a corner and light from the opening to the spring room softly lit the tunnel.
Riley almost ran into the spring room, immensely grateful to be out of the tunnel. “Now, what did you come back for that you had to scare ten years off of my life?” Bending over, she swished her hands frantically through her hair, praying that she hadn’t picked up some hideous crawling creature in the tunnel. Nathan watched in amusement. He hadn’t realized she was so easily frightened.
“It’s a surprise! Get dressed in your outer clothes and you’ll see. I don’t get to see this very often and I thought you would be interested.” He gathered up som
e jerky and a water bladder. “We can have a picnic along the way.”
Riley raced around, adding layers in anticipation of the weather outside, excited at the prospect of an outing and the expectation of a surprise. She followed him out of the cave and into the sunshine. It was a beautiful but very cold day, the snow considerably deeper after the recent storm. A slight breeze blew, lifting her hair gently from her already rosy cheeks. Nathan bent down to tie some homemade snowshoes on her feet then they started off.
Having never worn snowshoes before, she tripped a number of times until she got the hang of it. Nathan moved easily while she scooted along like she had a stick up her fanny, but it worked for her. Nathan’s face twisted in amusement as he watched her progress, but he was careful not to say anything to belittle her technique.
Nathan took a course heading north, along a track he had made earlier. Riley followed behind Demon, in her usual place. At the edge of an overhang, Nathan pointed, “Look out there, can you see them?”
Riley’s eyes adjusted to the glare. She could! In the distance, a herd of what she thought looked like giant deer moved slowly through the snow-covered expanse, towards the tree line. From her vantage point, they looked enormous.
“Those are Megaceros, I believe they are called. I call them moose, but if I remember right, they are actually deer.” Nathan explained. “They can stand ten feet tall and have an antler span of eleven feet. Pretty impressive! Now look to the right! Can you see them?”
Maneuvering around, the others were obviously planning to attack the herd and had positioned themselves in readiness.
“They’re actually going to attack those huge animals?” Riley gasped. The others seemed so small in comparison to the behemoths. She watched as the drama below unfolded.
“They’ll try to force one of the smaller ones away from the rest and then they’ll coordinate the kill.” The others certainly seemed to be following this method of synchronizing their attack. Several others were distracting the lead animals while still others were forcing a smaller animal away from the herd. After several minutes of this concerted approach, the huge animals, realizing they were under attack, formed a defensive circle with the largest animals facing outward and the smaller ones inside for protection. The enraged animals charged the others repeatedly, trying to ram or stomp them to ground, all the while protecting those inside the safety of the circle. The young animal selected for slaughter managed to avoid capture by the others and ran back to the herd.
“The others will probably give up now. Once the animals form a circle, there’s very little chance that they can take one. Generally they try to take one while they are spread out, but it’s almost impossible once they circle up. The moose will fight like crazy to protect the younger herd members, and the others just don’t have the ability to break through their line. Moose can be pretty ferocious when protecting their young.” He paused for a moment. “From what I’ve read, it’s believed the Megaceros were hunted to extinction by man.”
Though the food chain was a fact of life, Riley was happy that the animals would be safe for now. They were a wondrous thing to see, and she had no interest in seeing any of them die. “Have you ever hunted them?”
“A few times, but I wasn’t successful. I think there’s a better chance when there’s a group going after them. They’re pretty tough to bring down. Are you hungry?” Nathan handed her some jerky while he chewed on a piece. Riley took the strip of smoked meat, barely avoiding Demon’s quick snap.
“Aha!” She yelped triumphantly, “think you’re pretty fast, don’t you?” She waved the meat slowly back and forth, teasing the dog unmercifully. Demon watched the piece of jerky, his jaws salivating as he imagined the taste. Relenting, Riley broke off a piece and tossed it to him. “What will the others do now? Will they give up?”
“They’ll back off for now, but I suspect they’ll keep near the herd until they can take one or more down. There’s too much meat there to pass up.”
“Do they hunt every day or only when necessary?” Food gathering took on a whole new level of importance when there wasn’t a grocery store in the picture.
“From what I have seen, they mostly hunt every day, but I know they have provisions stored as well. I’ve watched their encampment a lot, just to observe their habits, that sort of thing, and there’s always a group that goes hunting each day if the weather permits, as well as those who fish on a regular basis. Food gathering is the central core of their existence.”
Riley nodded; a lot could be endured over a full stomach. “This picnic would be better if we had some homemade bread, fresh fruit, and a bottle of wine,” she mentioned unnecessarily, “and where’s the ants?”
Nathan laughed softly, his dark eyes sparkling as he snapped his fingers. “I knew I forgot something! Next time I’ll bring some. I’m sure the ants these days are big enough that two or three would be able to walk off with the entire meal.”
“Great!” Riley grumbled. “Is anything small around here?” She tossed another piece of jerky to Demon, just for future good relations.
“We should start back,” Nathan commented, “if you’re ready.” Without waiting for her answer, he turned and plowed along the same path as they had come. Nathan avoided looking at her as she stumbled a few times again, but she thought she saw his shoulders shake. Bite me, she thought, tripping again. These stupid snowshoes weren’t on her list of favorites.
“Keep your eyes open,” Nathan warned, “with a herd that size so near, many of the larger predators will be in the area as well.”
Immediately, every tree and bush became a thing to be avoided, providing cover for any evil skulking in their wake. Riley veered away from any large rocks, trees or brush, slowing their retreat down, her meandering path covering twice the distance of Nathan’s.
By the time they had covered half the distance to the shelter, Nathan was grumbling at her slow progress. “For Pete’s sake, quit worrying about every little tree or bush, Demon would let us know if anything was close.”
“Are you sure?” Riley nervously questioned. “What if he misses something?”
Demon took that moment to stop and stiffen up, his eyes focused on something unseen to Nathan or Riley, his nose quivering as he inhaled the scent. Nathan watched the dog closely, taking his cue from the dog’s bearing. Her heart stopped, or at least she thought it did, and then it began pumping furiously as adrenalin flowed through her limbs. Demon crouched, growling softly, a subtle warning of some unseen danger. Nathan grabbed Riley’s arm and pushed her behind a nearby rock and motioned for her to be quiet. She could neither see nor hear anything, but every instinct screamed that they should flee. Growls rumbled softly from Demon’s chest, his entire body stiff and tense.
Nathan scanned the direction Demon was focused on, hoping to catch sight of whatever caused the dog’s warning. Below them, and upwind, a large saber toothed cat moved stealthily along the tree line, working its way towards the herd of giant moose. Behind it, four more huge cats were following his lead, stalking their enormous prey. Demon slowly relaxed as the cats moved away, unaware that they were being observed from above.
“It’s okay,” Nathan mouthed. “They’re not paying us any attention. At least not right now. We’d better get back to the shelter while their attention is focused elsewhere.” He helped her to her feet and brushed the snow from her behind.
“I suppose you’re telling me nicely that they would find us quite palatable as a dinner choice,” she grumbled, her knees shaking from the near encounter.
“Yeah, I hate to say it, but they would. That’s the first I’ve seen so many hunting together. It must be because of the herd. Most of the other ones I have seen were alone or with perhaps one other. Weird.” He watched the cats disappear into the distance.
Riley had to agree and the remainder of the trip went a lot faster than the first half. Imagining what those huge cats could do to them added impetus to her momentum, even with the snowshoes on. She quit worryi
ng about the unseen dangers and worried about the real ones. They finally reached the cave and Riley flung herself inside, falling face down as one snowshoe caught on the uneven floor. She landed in a heap, banging her nose in the fall. Nathan rushed to her side, helping her to stand, his eyes sparkling as he fought to keep from laughing. Outraged that he would laugh at her, she jerked her arm free, glaring at his insensitive humor. Nathan was immediately contrite as blood dripped from her swollen and discoloring nose.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “I didn’t realize you were hurt.” He tried ineffectively to stop the bleeding as she slapped his hand away.
“Justh quit! You’re making it worsth,” she intoned nasally, as she leaned back, pinching her nose. “Thith ith your fault, you know!” she complained.
“My fault! Why is it my fault?”
She dropped her hand, glaring at him. “I wouldn’t have fallen if you hadn’t scared me!”
“I unintentionally scared you this morning. The cats scared you this afternoon, so why is it my fault?”
“Just forget it! Forget I said anything.” Reaching down, she took off the offending snowshoes and threw them against the wall of the cave, and stalked over to the inner door, waiting for him to open it. As soon as he did, she stomped into the shelter, clearly annoyed with him and everything else. She plopped down on a chair, tilting her head back to stop the flow of blood. Nathan brought her a cold compress and pressed it to her nose and forehead.
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