by Saxon Andrew
“Oh?”
“Arashi told me after the meeting with them six months ago. He’s one smart archer.” Harvey stared at Andy, “What are you going to do?”
“How far away is that light?”
“I would estimate about thirty miles.”
“That’s too far; the forest comes up to the cliffs in numerous places between here and there. The numbers of carnivores would be too high to get there safely without a full contingent of archers to support you. We’re not ready to make that trip.”
“We won’t go along the cliffs.”
“How would you get there?”
“Whoever picked these caves uses the tops of the cliffs to deliver the ones taken out of time. Notice that the top of this cliff is basically flat and about ten feet wide as far as you can see. We’ll get there by walking along the top of the cliffs. We’ll avoid the forests and carnivores by going over the top.”
“You’ll need to wear your camosuits.”
“I know. If all goes well, we’ll cover three miles an hour. We can leave mid-afternoon and arrive around midnight. We’ll lay low and see what happens the next day. We’ll then go another thirty miles and take a look at the cave that went dark.”
“You should send one of your scouting party back from the first cave to let us know what’s going on.”
“I will. If all goes as planned, we’ll be back in four days at the latest.”
Andy thought for a moment, “I think you should take Jenak with you.”
“Why? He’ll slow us down.”
“Not as much as you think. He’s in good shape; I saw him run across the clearing to kill a raptor that threatened one of our women.”
“Why do you think we should take him?”
Andy looked up at the sky, “If the Time Takers are trying to get humans to build an advanced civilization during this time; the humans on Atlantis had already built one. I wondered why Jenak’s group was moved to another cave. I think the ones from Atlantis are being favored by the ones that put us here.”
“You think there are Outsiders in one of those two caves?”
“Maybe in both of them; they had the population of an entire continent to take for their little project here and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the caves had nothing but Outsiders in it.”
“What do you think will happen if our Outsiders discover others like them are here?”
“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. He does speak their language; you might need that.”
“You’ll need to tell him and get him fitted for the camosuit.”
Andy nodded, “I don’t want you taking a risk at the furthest cave.”
“What do you mean?”
“If it is dead, there is a possibility the Time Takers may be repopulating it.”
I doubt that.”
“Why?”
“If they were attacked by the closest cave, they aren’t going to use it again. It would only be attacked again.”
Andy thought about it and slowly nodded, “You’re right; just be careful; only send one down if you deem it necessary. I don’t want you risking the entire scouting party. Check to make sure the light wasn’t hidden and if it isn’t, before entering the cave, make sure the stone wheel is actually inoperative.”
“That’s good advice. We’ll travel light. We’ll take some of the dried meat and enough water to complete the trip.”
“I would suggest you carry water in separate containers and leave some of them along the way. That way you won’t have to carry the full load getting there. You’ll use the ones you drop off on your trip back.”
Harvey stared at Andy and smiled, “Are you sure there’s not some Indian in your family tree?”
“I don’t know. I sometimes wonder who I am and what I’m doing here.”
“Get in line; you’re not alone.”
Andy looked down into the clearing and saw Linnae had left. Anna was standing staring up at the top of the cliff wagging her tail. Harvey said, “That dino really loves you.”
“She can smell me and hear my voice even this far away. She is the best warning system we can have.”
“She has saved us several times.”
“One more thing, Hotah.”
“What is that?”
“Make sure the cliff is clear; we don’t know how they managed to get to the last cave. I don’t want you walking up on a raiding party coming our way.” Harvey nodded; he had already thought of that. He watched Andy grab the rope and repel down the steep cliff wall.
• • •
Anna was waiting for him at the bottom and she ran over and stood directly under Andy as he dropped down the cliff wall. Andy tried to drop to the ground but Anna kept moving under him. Finally, he dropped on her back. Her legs buckled a little and then she ran toward the cave. Andy held on and managed to drop off before Anna jumped up to the level of the cave’s entrance. She stopped as Andy jumped up and stood beside her. He rubbed the side of her head and Anna immediately calmed down; she followed Andy into the cave where Linnae had a bucket of river grasses for her. Linnae hugged Andy and saw something was bothering him, “Are you alright?”
“I’m sending the scouts out to go take a look.”
“They’re good, Andy. They’ll stay out of trouble.”
“I’m considering going with them.”
“That would tell them you don’t trust them.”
Andy sighed, “You’re right.”
“Besides, I don’t think Anna could bear having you gone that long.”
“We’re going to have to do something with her. She’s getting too big.”
“She’ll be fine; I’ll take care of her if you must leave. Besides, no one could get near us as long as she’s standing guard.”
“She at least thinks all of us are members of her herd. For an animal with such great sensory skills, she’s not very smart.”
Linnae nodded, “Her brain is small but her heart is huge. We really don’t have to take care of her now; she feeds herself at the river and pretty much stays out of everyone’s way.”
Andy looked around and saw Jenak in the archery room. “Excuse me a moment, I need to speak with Jenak.” Linnae hugged him again and took Anna back to the cave entrance and pointed out the entrance. Anna croaked a small protest but turned and went out of the cave.
• • •
Jenak saw Andy looking at him and heard him say, “May I talk with you a moment?” Jenak nodded and walked out of the archery training class and sat down on the cave floor with Andy. “I’m going to send you out with the Scouts.”
“I’m not completely up to speed on the bow yet.”
“They’ll handle things if trouble arises. I want you to go with them in the event an interpreter is needed.” Jenak stared at Andy and Andy told him about the other caves. Jenak asked questions and after thirty minutes of back and forth, he said, “I will go with them. However, I wouldn’t recommend opening a conversation with any of those from Atlantis.”
“They’ll attack first.”
Jenak nodded. Andy stared at Jenak and he said, “You wonder about my loyalty.”
“I do.”
“I really don’t blame you.”
“What would you do if there are others like you out there?”
“I can’t speak for all of us but I would choose to stay here.”
“Oh, really?”
“I think all of us have learned that the cutters wouldn’t have saved us in a large dinosaur attack. It’s the combination of the bows and cutters that give us an edge. We stand a better chance of survival being here.” Andy nodded and stared at Jenak. Jenak sighed, “That’s a good answer but it’s not the real one.”
“Go on.”
“My group all lived in the same village a long way from any major city. Do you know why we chose to do that?” Andy shook his head. “Our society had a class system. The Royal Class pretty much ruled everyone else and was extremely cruel in putting anyone in their place
who disagreed with their instructions. It was dangerous to live around the upper class. That’s why all of us followed Ronar when he ordered us to take control of our cave. He was a member of the Royal Class; everyone feared not doing as he said. When I dropped my cutter, I knew I would be killed if he survived.”
“Why was he living in your village?”
“The Ruling Class wouldn’t allow more than twenty people to live without a Royal. He was assigned to us and he complained about it constantly.”
“What are you saying?”
Jenak looked at Andy, “For the first time we live without the constant threat of an angry Royal over us. I think this is the happiest we’ve been in our entire lives. I don’t think we want to fall back under their control.”
“If we find more of your people, we won’t force you to stay with us. If it can be worked out safely, you can go.”
“I’ll ask the group what they want to do tonight. When do I leave?”
“Tomorrow around mid-afternoon.”
“I’ll let you know what we decide tonight.”
“That would be good. You need to go with me to the Indian’s bow room and get fitted for a camosuit. We also need to change your training quiver for a camoquiver.”
Jenak’s face showed his stress. He saw Andy staring at him and said, “I guess this is my ’I see that this stuff is real’ face.”
Andy laughed, “Yes it is. Check in with Harvey and see if he needs you to do anything else.” Jenak nodded and shook his head.
• • •
Andy left Jenak and spoke briefly with Maxus about the construction of the walls around the clearing. He left Maxus and walked along the wall toward Linnae. He passed the entrance and saw Anna lying down on her pad next to the stone wheel; her eyes closed. He stopped and saw one of them open slightly and the tip of her tail move ever so slightly. He walked over, sat down beside her, and rubbed her lower jaw. Her low frequency groan started. She had loved being rubbed on her lower jaw since she first came out of the egg. The Wheel team was no longer needed. Whenever anyone wanted to go out, Anna would put her head against the wheel and give it a shove.
They learned the hard way one night that a wheel lock was needed in the event Anna opened it inappropriately. Two chocks were put in place to prevent future occurrences and there were no more problems. Andy rubbed her jaw and the side of her head until she fell asleep and he quietly stood and saw Linnae watching him. The love on her face was clear and he was so thankful he had listened to her.
Later in the evening, Jenak and the other Outsiders walked across the cave and Jenak looked at Andy and Linnae, “Do you have a moment to talk with us?”
“I do.”
“We’ve discussed the possibility of other people from Atlantis being here. Most of us felt like if there were other humans, some of them had to be from Atlantis. The fact that we were moved to a new cave indicates our people are being treated differently.” Jenak looked at the other Outsiders and said, “We have decided that our place is here. If we have to fight to preserve our new home, we will do it.”
Andy looked at the group and saw the woman that had stared at him with hatred when her husband had been killed. She saw him staring at her and she said, “You did what had to be done. I knew it then but my loss was too fresh and my emotions overcame my logic. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we’ve been more at peace here than ever before. We are no longer Atlantans; we are a new people. I will not go back to the fear of the Royals every waking moment of my life. My home is here.”
“I’m really hoping we won’t have to fight your people if there are more of them here.”
The woman shook her head, “If you value your freedom, you won’t have any choice.”
Andy looked at Jenak and he nodded. “Should we attack them before attempting to communicate?”
A young man snorted, “Would you attempt to communicate with a Raptor before firing? They’re just as dangerous; probably more dangerous to be honest. I would also request you do something for us.”
“What is that?”
“Stop calling us Outsiders.”
“What would you like to be called?”
“What do you call our gathering here?”
Andy looked at Linnae and saw her shrug, “I don’t know that we’ve come up with a name for us.”
“Then it’s time you did. We are all in this together.”
Andy shook his head and looked out at the cave and saw all the people were no longer strictly staying in their original groups. Now that they all spoke the same language, they were more comfortable visiting among the others. Andy shouted, “I need everyone to gather here for a moment!” People started passing the request on to the people on the far end of the cave and they started moving toward the wall Andy was standing next to. Everyone finally arrived and Andy said, “Please sit down for a moment.”
Everyone took a seat and Andy said, “The Outsiders have just told me that they consider themselves part of our community and will defend everyone here against any threat. I can see that they mean it and I welcome them to our community. They requested that I stop calling them Outsiders and when I asked them what they wanted to be called, they said they want to be called what everyone else is called. I’ve got to say that we really don’t have a name for our community. I ask that you discuss this among yourselves what would be a good name and let’s see if we can come up with a name for our family here.”
Andy looked at the group and said, “I know some of you may question whether or not we are a real family but you need look no further than some of our new children. All of us will be the ancestors of those that will come after us. They will forge a new civilization that all of us will have had a hand in creating. I’ve seen many of you have chosen a mate from a group different from the one you were a part of originally; Linnae and I are a good example of that. Many of you have demonstrated your creativity in the past and I ask that all of you come up with a name for us.” Andy looked at Maxus and smiled, “I no longer see Maxus as only a Roman; I see him as a brother helping me do what’s necessary to protect us. All of us are doing this together.” Andy looked at the Outsiders, “These friends are no longer Outsiders; they are a part of us. Let me know what you come up with.”
The gathering broke up and Andy heard the discussions taking place. Linnae looked at Andy, “You could have just come up with a name for us and they would have accepted it.”
Andy continued to stare out at the cave as he said, “That would be my name; what they come up with will be their name. They’ll like that name more.”
Linnae smiled, “You are very remarkable, my love.”
Andy shrugged, “I wasn’t much before all this happened. I was just a junior engineer at the company I worked. No one really thought of me as extraordinary.”
Linnae put her head on Andy’s shoulder, “Sometimes, it takes dangerous events to bring out what’s inside you. You’ve become what we need. Thank God you did.”
Andy looked at Linnae and smiled, “I didn’t know myself as well as you knew yourself.”
Linnae looked up into his eyes and said, “What do you mean?”
Andy looked up and started reciting, “I know I am a very valuable person and, if you take the time to get to know me; you’ll see that I’m right about beauty being more than a face and body. I would never betray your trust and you could always count on me to protect your back. You’ll see my value if you take the time to look.”
Linnae shook her head, “That is exactly what I said word for word; how did you remember that?”
“It was those words that opened my broken heart. I’ll never forget them and nothing I have ever heard has been truer. I love you, Linnae; and I always will.” Linnae’s eyes glistened and she put her head back on Andy’s shoulder and held him tightly.
• • •
Jenak looked at Harvey and saw him put his cutter on the ground so the direct rays of the sun would hit it. He pulled his and placed it beside
Harvey’s cutter. Harvey handed Jenak a metal hook with a sharp point in it. A short piece of climbing rope was tied to the hook, “What is this?”
Harvey picked up his cutter and said, “Come with me.” Jenak followed Harvey to the cliff wall and Harvey activated his cutter; the beam was only three inches long. Harvey turned the beam off and stuck the cutter’s handle against the cliff wall. He activated the beam again and Jenak noticed that he didn’t see the bright beam. Harvey turned the beam off and took the hook and stuck it into the hole the cutter had made. He grabbed the rope and hung from the hook.
“If we encounter anyone moving toward us on the cliff, we are going to cut a hole in the cliff and hang from the rope until they pass. You need to take your cutter and practice making the hole and hanging as fast as possible.”
“Do you think this might be an issue?” Harvey shrugged. Jenak said, “May I see your cutter?” Harvey handed Jenak his cutter and Jenak increased the blades length to two feet. He reached over his head and put the handle against the cliff wall and activated the blade. He then pushed the lower hand guard forward and grabbed the handle of the cutter. He hung from it and it supported his weight. Harvey’s eyes widened and Jenak said, “It would be a lot faster to just jam the cutter into the wall and swing down than to punch a hole and set a hook in it. There also wouldn’t be anything on the path that could be seen if you use this technique.”
Harvey smiled, “You need to show us how to do this on top of the cliff.”
“I’ll be glad to show you.”
Harvey looked at the cutter handle, “How do you get it out?”
“I suspect the easiest way would be to use the hook to pull yourself back up to the top of the cliff and then activate the blade. Turn it off and you can simply take the handle and put it back in you quiver.”
Harvey looked at Jenak and shook his head, “Is there any way to change the length of the cutter blade without activating it?”
Jenak removed the cutter from the cliff wall and showed Harvey the solid metal ring on the end of the handle. “Pull this ring out and turn it to the right to extend it. One full turn is maximum length, half a turn is half of its length. Push the ring back in and the cutter is reset to your desired length.”