by Zara Starr
I could only hope for that.
I sighed, my eyes fluttering open as I glanced up at the cave’s ceiling.
How would I ever be able to go back to sleep? I wondered as my eyes focused.
The shadow and faint glow of ember flames seemed to dance across the stone—which was not surprising when I noticed the glittery crystalline gemstones that seemed to cover every inch of the ceiling.
How beautiful, I thought.
It brought a sense of familiarity to me, as I remembered the glow in the dark stars and planets my parents had put up on the ceiling of my childhood room. I wondered what would happen to me next.
Is this purple man just one person out here in this wilderness or does he belong to a group—or tribe, I asked myself, fearful of the answer.
My mind seemed to be reeling, but the exhaustion of the day soon overtook me and I drifted slowly into sleep.
Five
Karr
I had done my best to ensure the creature I had found nearly drowning in the lake had everything she needed, but upon re-entering the home cave I found it utterly strange that she had not eaten a single piece of the smoked meat I had laid out for her.
Any of the females from the tribe would have loved the leaf I had laid out for her.
She hadn’t touched the cheese either, which was some of the best cheese I had gotten from Julene whose mother had perfected the method of fermenting the bovine milk to create the topas.
Like my smoking of the monlas, it was a specialty treat that only her family line knew to create. I had hoped she would have had a daughter who might have found me appealing, but sadly she bore only more sons.
The topas cheese was amazing and a delicacy. To see that she had chosen not to eat it didn’t sit well with me— Not at all.
What was wrong with her? Had she suffered some strange injury of which I was not aware?
Certainly, she was a strange creature because the hooves she had on her feet earlier were now gone—the first thing I noticed when peering over at her standing in the skin mantle I rarely used.
I perked a brow and came to stand near her, my eyes dancing over her as she now stood within the safety of the cave.
There was something different about this female. No other would have dared to venture outside of the home cave during nightfall, as she had.
She had interrupted my process, but what was even more of a nuisance was her inability to stop speaking. I could not make any sense of her words that seemed to come between momentary shrieking—sporadic and confusing to me, all the same.
I now stood in shock as she continued to refuse the monlas.
What was wrong with her?
I wondered if I should check her over but decided it was best to return to my bed skins for a few moments as I gathered my thoughts.
To my kind, it was considered a major offense to have someone rescue you and refuse their delicacies. But I realized as I simmered in silence, that she was not from our tribe and could not know such things.
I had found myself in an interesting dilemma. What I knew more than ever was that I could not possibly keep her a secret, as much as I wanted to.
There was a burning fire inside this female—I could smell it on her the moment I first inhaled her strange floral scent. It reminded me of the flowers my mother had strewn into her beads when plaiting her hair—a familiarity that both stunned and worried me.
My mother had died because of her foolishness, wandering out to the forest on her own, and here I was with this oddly colored creature with skin unlike my own and a smell that was purely intoxicating. A creature that seemed to like to wander to the forest as my mother had.
I sighed in frustration. I did note that she had eaten all of the moon berries, as there was not a single succulent fruit left on the Guayana leaf. That much was good. The cup of water had been drunk, as well, but I did not know if she desired more or not.
I was still confounded by how she now looked, as opposed to how she had first looked when I pulled her from the lake’s waters—just before the worm was to devour her whole. I could tell that she was female from the shape of her silhouette as the mantle hugged her curves.
Though she did appear strange, she was curiously beautiful. I wondered if it were due to her differences that I found her so appealing, or if it was simply due to my lack of having found a triad, and female, to whom I would be mated.
I snorted slightly—trying to speak to her seemed to bring on the shrieking more than when I chose to be quiet. I watched her closely as I began to eat the fish she had continuously refused.
This, however, only seemed to aggravate her more as she bellowed at me. I was nearly boiling with anger at her rude tone, even though I could not understand a single word she was saying.
She was acting wholly ungrateful toward the person who had saved her life. Suddenly, she began to jog out of the cave and my eyes widened as I reached for my mask and spear—I had to follow her.
She had no idea what sort of beasts slithered just beyond the edge of my work clearing. There were even instances of the dragons growing brave enough to enter my territory to feast on the bones and guts of the monlas I butchered to smoke.
I was a strong warrior—brave enough to protect my own space. But already I could sense this female had no sense of self-preservation—a trait that was necessary if any of us were to defend our mate.
I rushed out of my home cave as quickly as I could, my fingers latched about my spear as I jogged toward her. I called out to her repeatedly, but she only seemed to run further toward the brush line.
When the glowing eyes of a predator were revealed, she seemed to pause foolishly just within its reach. I snorted as I came to stand behind her—my eyes focused on the beast as I pointed at the cave. She had to get out of here if I was to protect her—there was no other choice.
The female yelled—her eyes wide as she went running past me directly into the mouth of the home cave, the place she would be safest.
Crack!
Lightning flashed across the sky—filling the forest with enough light to allow me sight of the dragon that had been stalking her.
The sound of her yelping didn’t seem to help as the beast was staring directly at me—forcing me to react even though I knew the spear was hardly enough to fend it off.
I let out a war cry, hollering loudly as the thunder rolled through the ground—the land quaking beneath my feet. I lifted the spear and tossed it toward the animal’s upper neck—hoping to at least deter it.
Hiss!
The dragon suddenly shifted back toward the darkness—fleeing as the land quivered—to the place it would be safest should sinkholes begin to emerge from the continuous rains.
Satisfied that it had gone about its way, for the time being, I turned to return to the cave— my footsteps certain and quick as I entered the cave once more.
As my eyes focused in the flame’s light, I was surprised to see that she had already moved to the bed skins as was balled up there—seemingly quivering, but why I could not comprehend.
I walked over to her and looked down at her. “Are you alright?” I asked.
She looked up at me and began to shriek again—in sounds that seemed to flood together and made absolutely no sense to me. With a puzzled look, I peered down at her and shook my head slightly.
Why was she leaking water from her eyes? What had happened to her to cause such a strange thing?
I had never seen water leak from anyone and could not understand what had happened to her. She seemed to be rocking back and forth in an odd manner, even as she visibly quivered.
I shook my head again and removed the mask, peering down at the blood that had spurted from the beast’s wounded nape—though I knew it was no killing blow, the damage had been done.
Suddenly, the female’s voice undertook a strange softness and I found myself even more perplexed by her behavior. I did not know what to do to help her any further, but it did not make sense to intrude upon her
when she appeared so odd.
I was concerned about her, but I did not know what else I could do for her. Especially if she was truly afflicted by something.
I was no healer, but there were a few elders who could help. This put me in a position I was not sure I wanted to be in.
Should I have left her in the lake?
Weakness was not something my tribe would look upon kindly—that much I already knew.
I bent down and pulled one of the thinner skins from the mattress and then walked over to sit at the fire. I would leave her be—for the time being.
I wrapped the skin closer around my skin wondering what to do to formulate communication with her—something that seemed damn near impossible.
She suddenly moved, standing up and walking over to where my father’s walking stick was.
She reached for it and walked over toward me—her eyes meeting with mine, and revealing that same intense fire I had noted earlier. A fire I knew could be cultivated into a roaring inferno if the right passion were supplied.
I suddenly wondered if she had ever known such a thing. Could she even withstand mating with such a small stature?
I found it utterly fascinating how beautiful the swell of her body appeared as the fire’s glow licked at her skin—the color astounding and yet slightly worrisome at the same time.
I wondered if she was even strong enough to withstand childbirth. With how small she was in comparison to me, I was not so sure. Then again, it may have not even mattered.
I wondered if she had come from another tribe that we did not yet know of, but thought it impossible with the amount of mapping we had done.
The hunting expeditions we had were no small feat and still, I had never heard of any tribe with females who resembled her.
I could tell that she was not comfortable in my presence and I wondered if that bothered me or why I should even care.
When she began to use the stick to create shapes in the earth near the fire pit, I realized she was trying to tell me something. Just as I had been trying to communicate with her.
She drew a large ovular shaped object and I realized when she began to create squiggly lines inside that it was the lake. Inside, she drew a strangely shaped creature but I realized in moments that it must have been her when she had been struggling not to drown in the lake.
When she finally drew the worm I knew what she was asking me, even though I could not understand anything she said to me since first hearing her speak—or shriek, whatever it was that she had been doing.
I sucked in a deep breath. There was no doubt that she had not just been making strange noises but had been trying to talk to me. The problem was that neither of us could understand the other.
I took the stick from her, knowing that her earlier escape might be repeated since it was obvious she did not understand what had befallen her.
While I did understand the urgency for an explanation, the jungle was no place for any female to spend her time—especially without someone to protect them. I wondered if by drawing what I had witnessed, she might calm down somewhat.
I had heard that females were reactionary when feeling confused. I supposed I would also be confused if I had been pulled from dangerous waters by someone who looked and spoke entirely different from me.
With this in mind, I began to draw the raft, the rope and myself in a similar shape to the figure she had drawn, tossing the rope around the flailing creature in the water.
I wondered if I attempted to speak more slowly she might be able to at least let me know her name, but I had yet to offer my own and the thought occurred that I should.
I pursed my lips slightly as I looked back at her and pointed my main finger back at my chest as I opened my mouth widely.
“Karr,” I murmured as clearly as possible.
She tilted her head and I was not sure if she understood my meaning or not. Suddenly, she lifted her hand and pointed one of the five strangely shaped fingers back toward her own chest and parted her mouth to speak,
“Ella,” she said.
I tilted my head and exhaled, opening my mouth as I attempted to say what I thought to be her name for the first time.
“Uh.” I coughed slightly. “EL-Luh” I finished.
Her lips suddenly twisted upward and I wondered if the gesture was indicative of pleasure or disgust—still unsure of what actions and words meant to her.
“Yes, that’s right!” she said with some excitement in her voice.
I wondered suddenly if I should state my name again, as she had yet to repeat mine. I lifted my hand and pointed toward my chest, but just as I was to speak—
“Car!” she blurted out.
I perked my brow noting the slight variation in the way she said my name—this was not correct. I had to correct her because of the eerie way her voice sounded when she said my name—what she thought was my name.
The last thing I wanted was to be confused with Arh—whom I knew would buck and make demands should he learn of this female’s…Ella’s, existence.
“Kuh-arr!” I said loudly.
She perked her brow and suddenly pointed to the stick and I gathered that she wanted to know how to say it, but I was intent on ensuring she said my name properly before moving to a new lesson in my speech.
I shook my head and she tilted her head—as if she was still confused.
“Kuh-ARR!” she said as equally loud as I had.
I chuckled and nodded in agreement. Then, pointing at the stick, I said, “Lippi tah.”
She looked at me and pursed her lips. “Lippi tah?” she said, then tilted the stick in her hand. “Stick!” she said.
I quirked a brow. “Stuh-ick?” I asked.
She began to giggle slightly and I found myself unable to keep myself from smiling—my lips spreading outward to reveal my canines.
“Oh, gosh!” she exclaimed, gasping as she looked back at me smiling.
I suddenly felt odd and unsure of what she had just said. I closed my mouth quickly. Suddenly, the home cave began to tremble yet again—lightning illuminating the cave’s entrance as the storm waged war above our heads.
I sighed and said, “This is a hell of a storm.”
There was no doubt that the storm outside was worse than the usual ones that came through the jungle this time of year. I worried that with the unrelenting torrential downpour more goo than usual might be produced, which would only make the jungle more dangerous for a female.
Bonk!
She tossed the stick at my feet and suddenly went running toward the entrance, stepping outside.
I scoffed in disbelief. What was her problem?
I thought we had just made some progress, but clearly, that was wrong. I walked back toward her and reached for her arm.
“Don’t go outside,” I said.
She needed to stay in my home cave because of how bad the storm was and the increasing possibility of sickness from the humidity and clinovis mold.
Clinovis mold grew in the rainy seasons when the heat was dispelled and the grounds were unable to completely dry themselves of moisture. It was known to cause severe breathing problems—and was part of the reason why we wore masks when hunting.
The ventilation systems we had created prevented the mold from entering our lungs and enabled us to protect ourselves from scarring, as well.
This made them a must-have for any strong and able-bodied hunter. If she went out into the jungle and caught any clinovis spores, she would die within the day. Possibly the hour, since she was not our kind.
I could not be sure how she would fare when I already knew clinovis had caused the death of many of our females—and reproductive harm too.
I knew that staying in the darkness of the home cave could sometimes be very discomforting, but outside of the cave things were guaranteed to be much worse.
She continued to stare at me and shook her head as she stood outside of the cave, just shy of the entrance. I had now found myself unable to contain the s
ituation, as this female was clearly not going to do what I wished her to.
It appeared I had no other choice but to bring her before the others so we could all determine what to do with her. Even if that meant I would not be gaining a place in a triad—with her, or any other.
I reached for her arm and she stepped back, shaking her head. She did not want to go with me, but I could not just let her loose back into the jungle I knew would consume her within an hour.
I suddenly lurched forward and grabbed her beneath her armpits, lifting her from the ground and tossing her over my shoulder.
Her hands were instantly felt beating against my back. But they were completely ignored, as they felt like massages against the weather-worn strength of my flesh.
Unlike her, I was not so easily dissuaded nor bruised. Such things were almost relaxing, if not downright comical to me as I carried her further from my home cave.
“What are you doing?” Her hands continuously beat against me, but I only quickened my pace.
If she could not withstand my hospitality, perhaps someone in the tribe would be able to get through to her. But I would not allow harm to come to her after I had saved her life, even if she did not seem to appreciate or understand my sacrifices.
I was a hunter and a male of great honor. I would honor my choice to save a life. She may not have understood that, but I would see to it that she had every opportunity to find her way back to her homeland, even if she chose to beat me through it.
“I said what the hell are you doing? Put me down! This is kidnapping! You are holding me against my will and I will see you pay for it!” she bellowed.
Crack! Snap!
A limb came tumbling down before me and I leaped over it, my feet quickening their pace as I neared the tribal cave.
Soon enough, a healer could look her over and ensure she had not already contracted some illness or at least shed light on what she was and what we should do with her next.
I no longer wanted to bear the brunt of confusion on my own and hoped Julene or someone of her station could make sense of the strange female creature I have saved from certain death in the lake.