A Woman's World

by Lynne Hill-Clark

  When she was able to get a good look into its eyes, she used the opportunity to try to make a connection. “This is for you. Come and eat. I know you’re hungry.”

  The creature’s four eyes blinked at different times while it debated whether or not to take a chance with Baya. In the end its hunger won over its fear as it slowly moved toward her and the fresh kill laid out in front of her.

  “That’s it. Come on.” Baya took a step back.

  The creature tore at the flesh of the varmint. It took ravenous mouthfuls of meat with each bite.

  Baya laughed. “You poor starving baby.”

  The creature jerked its head toward her, apparently understanding something she had said.

  “You don’t need to eat so fast. Your food isn’t going anywhere.” Yet Baya remembered what it was like to want to swallow all the food in front of her at once.

  She sat crossed legged and waited patiently for the creature to eat its fill. When most of the meat was gone it backed away toward its den.

  “Wait. Do you have a name?”

  Four eyes blinked in confusion and it scurried away.

  Baya sighed and headed for camp. “Well, I’m learning a lot. Apparently, it doesn’t like fire. Our campfires most likely do help to keep predators away at night.”

  Chapter 52

  The next morning Baya woke to a sharp hiss followed by familiar irritated clicking noises. The shiny rainbow-colored baby had knocked over the stew pot from the previous night and was licking the insides clean.

  Doba scurried to hide behind Baya.

  “Good morning, little one,” Baya said.

  The baby moved away from the pot but didn’t run to its den.

  “Good girl. You don’t need to run.”

  Yes, it does. Shoo. Shoo. Doba’s voice sounded in Baya’s head. He finished with a loud hiss.

  The beast took another step back. When Vicaroy got to his feet the animal ran for shelter.

  “You scared her. I think she was coming around,” Baya said.

  “That thing is a female? As skittish as it is, I would have thought it was a boy.”

  “It’s a girl for sure.”

  “We don’t have time for this.” Vicaroy was already packing up their camp. “What are you planning to do, take it with us?”

  “Of course. She will die all alone out here.”

  Vic can’t see what the problem is with letting it die and for once I agree with him, Doba protested.

  Baya laughed.

  “What?” Vicaroy said with reluctance.

  “Doba must not be able to say your full name. He calls you Vic. Hmm …Vic.” Baya rolled the name around on her tongue. “I like it.”

  Vicaroy frowned. “I guess I’ll start calling you Bay.”

  It was Baya’s turn to scowl. “That sounds like a boy’s name.”

  “Well we wouldn’t want that.”

  “Okay, I won’t call you Vic … too often.”

  He chuckled. “We have to travel quite a while just to get back to our eastern path. We should get going.”

  “We can’t leave without the poor little creature.”

  “It’s terrified of us. How will you convince it to come with us?”

  “I have to try.” Baya dug around for a piece of dried meat and headed for the den entrance alone. “Come on little one.”

  Nothing.

  “Please, come out. We’ll take care of you.”

  No response.

  Baya placed her finger to her lips. It must not have been as hungry as it was last night.

  More time passed. She could feel Vicaroy’s mounting impatience.

  “Come on, baby. Please!”

  Baya heard its thoughts before she saw the tiny black nose peek out. Baaa…beee.

  Baya’s heart jumped. “Yes. Yes, you’re a baby.”

  Ba…by. Four black eyes peered out at Baya.

  “Yes. Come out. I won’t hurt you.”

  Baby, mama calls me.

  Relief flooded through Baya. It could communicate, at least a little. “Baby is what your mother called you?”

  It took a couple cautious steps out into the early morning sunlight. Baya inhaled sharply at the lovely beast. Iridescent hues of blue, green and orange danced off its feathers and scales.

  “We must give you a proper name.” Baby would not do as that would be like calling Doba, Insect. The name popped into Baya’s head and she knew it was perfect. “I will call you Tara.”

  Tara. The animal tried out the name.

  “Do you want this, Tara.” Baya held the meat out.

  She sniffed the air but didn’t come any closer.

  “Come on Tara. I’m your friend.”

  Fend?

  “A friend, it’s someone you can trust. Someone who won’t hurt you.”

  Mama says, no such thing. The world outside is bad. All bad.

  “Not all bad. Would I bother to feed you if I wanted to hurt you?”

  The animal blinked in confusion or deep thought — Baya wasn’t sure which. It was difficult to understand the creature’s thoughts. They were muffled and garbled at times. Tara’s language was simple and Baya knew that the young creature didn’t understand half of what she said.

  Baya tried anyway. “Take the food from my hand. Trust works both ways. You have sharp teeth and claws, so you could hurt me and I have powers, so I could hurt you. But we won’t hurt each other. This is how you build trust.”

  Tara eyed the meat and then Baya for a long while. Mama brings meat.

  “Yes. And so do I.”

  Tara inched forward. Step by step. Slowly, until her sharp teeth gently snatched the meat from Baya’s out-stretched arm. Tara all but inhaled the food.

  “You kept your mama hunting all the time with that appetite.” Baya slowly reached out to rub the shiny feathery neck.

  Tara let out a guttural purr when Baya’s hand found the right spot behind her tiny ear. Instinctively Tara’s head leaned into Baya’s hand for more.

  “Tara.” Baya spoke softly. Four wide eyes peered back at her expectantly.

  “We’re heading east. We have to keep moving. You won’t make it on your own. Please come with us. We’ll care for you.”

  Mama come back.

  Baya’s heart sank. “No Tara. Your mother … will not come back. She’s … gone.”

  Mama never leave.

  “She didn’t want to leave you but she … had to. Your mother is gone for good, Tara. I’m sorry.”

  Tara looked back to the den. Gone long time.

  “Yes. Tara your mother has been gone longer than usual and she is not able to come back. Although she wanted to.”

  Where go?

  “She had to leave.”

  Why?

  “Tara, she’s dead.”

  The creature took a step back and sat down hard on its back leg. No. A whimper escaped from her as she fell to the ground, her two front paws spread out in front of her.

  Baya wanted to weep for the poor creature. “I’m here to take care of you now.” Her voice broke.

  There was a long silence.

  “We have to get moving,” Baya finally ventured.

  Tara didn’t move.

  It was as if she had given up. Tara no longer cared if she lived or died.

  “Come on Tara. I know you miss your mother but she wouldn’t want you to die.”

  Only a whimper came from the little creature.

  “Will you let me carry you?”

  No response.

  Baya ran her hand over the soft feathers and along the hard-scaled body. She rubbed behind Tara’s ears. Another whimper but the animal leaned into the touch. Slowly Baya worked her hands under the creature and lifted it into her arms. Tara was heavy. Not much bigger than a toddler but much heavier. “You’re solid muscle aren’t you?”

  Tara lay her head on Baya’s shoulder and let herself be carried away. She watched her den disappear in the distance. Mama, she murmured in Baya’s head.

&nb
sp; “I know. We’re your family now.”

  Chapter 53

  A shiver ran up Vicaroy’s spine and he suppressed a yelp. “What…” Vicaroy snapped his head to the side only to find Doba’s four black eyes staring at him. Doba sat perched on his shoulder. The shiver had been caused by Doba’s many legs as they crawled up his body. He barely resisted the urge to swat the insect away. How does Baya put up with this creature?

  Doba gave him an irritated click but the insect’s attention quickly turned to Baya and the beast that was in her arms.

  Vicaroy sighed at the sight. “And now it seems she’s collecting animals. And I guess I inherited you out of the deal.”

  Doba gave a quick hiss to indicate that he wasn’t happy about the situation either.

  “Well, let’s get going.” Vicaroy waved them on with his hand.

  They made their way back toward the lake and the peaks that held the morning sun. They didn’t want to get off their eastern path, which started at the lake. Baya’s arms quickly grew tired from carrying the heavy creature which lay limp in her arms. She paused to rest, setting Tara down.

  Tara plopped down beside Baya. Baya worried that the creature had lost its will to live. It didn’t care about its safety or anything else. “Hey there, it’s going to be okay.” Baya rubbed behind its ears.

  There was an involuntary guttural purr that came from Tara.

  Baya waved a piece of dried meat in front of Tara’s nose.

  After a couple sniffs Tara’s head was moving in time with the meat that Baya moved in front of her.

  “That’s it. Now you can have meat whenever you want. But I want you to walk on your own, okay?” Baya stood and slowly moved away.

  Tara bounded after her.

  “That’s it, come on.” Once she was sure that Tara would follow she let Tara take the meat from her hand.

  Baya was relieved not to have to carry her. They could make better time with Tara walking on her own.

  When the two fingers of the sentinels came into view they headed east. As the day wore on they topped a grassy hill only to find an incredible sight.

  Baya’s mouth fell open as she took in the vast field of wildflowers that lay in front of them. Bright pinks, blues, purples and oranges lay before them. The flowers stretched as far as they could see. Tara leapt forward without hesitation. She fully disappeared into the flowers. Her brightly colored feathers and scales blended in perfectly. The only thing that gave her away was an occasional movement of the flowers. Her head could be seen briefly when she leapt through the foliage.

  “Tara seems right at home here,” Baya observed.

  “Tara?” Vicaroy questioned.

  “That’s her name.”

  “I guess you’re not the only one who can disappear into their surroundings.”

  “Tara was made to be in a field like this and it definitely lightened her mood.”

  Tara darted toward them and Vicaroy tensed.

  She ran around Baya’s legs and back into the field. Come on. Baya heard Tara’s voice. Mama used to bring. Good hunt and play.

  “Your mother used to bring you here to play and practice hunting?” Baya bellowed after Tara as she waded into the knee-high foliage.

  Yep, Tara yelped as her head peeked out of the flowers and then quickly disappeared.

  Is it dense, like Vic? Doba asked.

  “No. Neither of them is stupid,” Baya answered. “Tara is young and has never seen humans before. She will have to learn how to communicate better. Like you did. How old are you, Doba?”

  At least ten.

  “You see? You’re much older and you’ve been around humans your entire life. You’re used to the way we talk and how we act. Tara is not even a year old. She has a lot to learn. Like I’m sure you did when you were young.”

  “I have to admit, she is a lovely creature,” Vicaroy said.

  Doba only clicked his disapproval in Vicaroy’s ear.

  They hunted for small game in the flowery meadows and by nightfall they were still surrounded by flowers. The colorful fields seemed to go on forever.

  Exhausted from a day of walking, Tara fell fast asleep after dinner. On one side of Baya lay Doba and pressed against her other was Tara.

  Vicaroy couldn’t help but smile as he stayed up a bit longer to make sure the fire was stoked good for the night and to make sure they were safe. He didn’t sleep deeply anyway, not while they were out in the open. After being attacked by Tara’s mother he was even more on edge. It didn’t ease his mind that Tara preferred these lush hills. That meant there would be others like her in these parts. Vicaroy hardly let himself doze.

  Chapter 54

  The following morning Vicaroy poked at the campfire coals without seeing them.

  “What’s on your mind?” Baya asked.

  “I’ve been thinking —”

  “I can tell.”

  A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “Yeah, well, now that we’ve been attacked … do you think it’s time to set protections spells around us? I mean, if you’re strong enough and all.”

  “That’s a good idea.” She rubbed his shoulder. “You know you can always tell me what’s on your mind.”

  He nodded.

  Baya set a protection shield around them before they headed out.

  The day brought about more of the same vibrant fields.

  “This land is so vast and completely uninhabited … by people. It’s a shame that Pathins is over-crowded when there’s all this lush land in the world,” Baya said.

  She stumbled forward.

  “Are you okay?” Vicaroy asked.

  Baya felt dizzy and her legs were wobbly. She placed her hand over her stomach when it growled. “I don’t think I can walk all day and keep a protection spell around us. It’s only been an hour and I’m hungry again.” She lifted the spell and the dizziness faded.

  Vicaroy looked like he was ready to catch her if needed. “I guess it was easier to maintain the protection when we were sitting around on a boat.”

  Baya nodded. “I guess so. It would help if there were other women around. Together we can magnify our powers.” Baya bit her lip and shook her head.

  “It’s okay. We’ll be fine.” He handed her some flatbread.

  A distant rumbling, like thunder, could be heard. Yet there were no clouds in the sky. Tara scrambled to hide behind Baya.

  “It sounds like it’s coming from the east.” Baya shoved the bread into her mouth.

  “I’ll see if I can get a better view.” Vicaroy headed for the tallest tree not too far off.

  Baya notched an arrow. Little bumps formed on the back of her neck and there was a sinking feeling in her stomach. She scanned the horizon for signs of any threats.

  Once he was high up in the tree, Vicaroy let out a low whistle. “Baya, you’ve got to see this.”

  She placed her bow over her shoulder and reached for the lowest branch of the tree. A growl came from behind, causing Baya to instinctively make herself disappear.

  “Climb, Tara!” Baya yelled. She helped it get its front paws around the tree.

  Four black eyes and a large toothy mouth lunged for Tara and unknowingly for Baya as well. Tara was able to claw her way up the tree, as sharp teeth chomped at her hind leg but only found air.

  Baya spun around the tree slamming her back into it. The attacking animal breezed by. Although it was multicolor and iridescent it didn’t look like Tara. It had a hump on its back and its nose was longer and thinner. It also had large floppy ears and a short curved tail covered in feathers.

  It spun around and both Baya and the beast looked up to find that Tara was using her powerful back leg to leap up the tree, holding on with her front claws as she climbed.

  There were more snarls and the beast lunged for Tara.

  Tara flicked her tail sending the sharp spike at the end into the predator’s nose. There was a yelp and the circling beast backed away. This gave Baya her chance to grab the nearest branch and crawl her
way into the tree. Another beast snapped its powerful jaws but missed Baya as it couldn’t see exactly where she was. It was only able to smell her.

  Baya’s heart sank. The bottom of the tree was now surrounded by these creatures. She scrambled onto another branch as one jumped for her, driven by her scent.

  “Baya!” Vicaroy yelled.

  Another yelp rang through the air. Baya paused her ascent and turned to find an arrow sticking out of one of the animals.

  Vicaroy shot another arrow as an animal lunged for the tree trying to claw its way up after Tara. Baya let herself materialize and called up to Vicaroy. “We’re all in the tree and it doesn’t look like these animals can climb. Don’t waste any more arrows.”

  Vicaroy exhaled with relief. She and Tara made their way higher up into the tree.

  “Look.” He pointed to the northeast.

  Baya took in the sight with a sharp inhale, her jaw slack.

  Tara tried to make her way to the branch Baya was on but the bark under one of her paws gave way and Tara roared in fear as she hung on by only one paw. Baya lunged for her loose front leg. Tara panted heavily as Baya strained to pull her into her arms.

  “It’s okay, you’re safe,” Baya whispered.

  She could not keep her gaze from the horizon as she patted Tara’s feathers. There were too many animals to count. Herds and herds. She could make out several different types. The largest beasts were bigger than a common house, with three thick legs the size of tree trunks.

  The creatures moved slowly and in unison as they used the long arms coming off their faces to pick grass and flowers and shove them into their large mouths. Each one had three such arms where their noses should have been. This way they could continuously shovel food in as they walked.

  “Look at how much they eat. No wonder they are so huge.” Vicaroy’s voice was full of awe.

  “They’re so large they shake the earth when they walk. They must be causing the thundering noise,” Baya added.

  All the animals were covered in scales and had three legs. This was where their similarities stopped. Some of the species had different colors and markings. Yet they all blended into the rainbow-colored vegetation. Some had glistening stripes of blue, green and purple, while others sported hues of red and orange. Some were thick and slow and yet others were lean and fast. They ran around one another and leapt into the air with ease, as they played in the meadow. The different types of animals were clumped in herds largely of their own kind.