Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
But for now, we can hunt together and mate in the hunter caves. As long as I have Mah-dee at my side, I will take what I am offered and be thankful.
We kiss and I hand her back the spear she has dropped. “Let us go, then.”
We hike, moving up one of the gentle slopes that surround the valley that is the tribal home. Mah-dee likes to come up here, because we can see from a very far distance. I let her lead, because it is important that she learn how to find game trails on her own. But when we get to the edge of the cliffs, Mah-dee points at moving specks in the distance. “Is that a herd of dvisti?”
“Too small,” I tell her, walking along the cliffs a few steps to get a closer look. I count three hands of specks and see two long squares behind two of them. Sleds. Which means… “It is Maylak’s party. They must have killed a sa-kohtsk.” I eye the sleds, curious at the sight. Normally the sa-kohtsk meat has a strange, bitter taste to it and my people leave it for predators, taking only the khuis that twine in its heart. The fact that they are bringing sa-kohtsk meat home with them tells me that there are more concerns about the brutal season and whether there is enough food for so many mouths.
I should have gladness in my heart that my tribesmates are returning healthy and whole. I watch them walk, and no one is limping or moving slow. One jogs ahead, and then circles back, his movements almost playful. They are happy with how the hunt turned out, then. I should be glad.
But I am not. I am disappointed to see them, because that means it is that many faces returning to the caves. The freedom Mah-dee has had to come and go as she pleases will disappear with the return of the others. I will not be able to sneak into the storage caves with her and mate. She will not be able to slip out of the caves and see me. I bury my anger and frustration and turn back to her. “Come. Let us find a game trail.”
“Everyone’s coming back? Should we…should I go back to the cave?” Mah-dee looks up at me, curious.
Her words are like a knife in the gut. “Do you wish to go back? I can take you.”
She chews on her pink lip. “Actually I’d rather spend the rest of the day with you, if that’s all right. I can see them anytime.”
Warmth fills my chest. I nod, because I do not trust my voice. That she would choose to stay with me this day is a gift. I hold a hand out to her.
Mah-dee moves forward and laces her small, cold fingers with mine. “So what does this mean for you and me?” she asks.
I hate that I must say the words. “Today will be our last hunting trip. It is as you have said. There is no ‘you and me.’”
MADDIE
There’s a party that night, but it’s a subdued one. Everyone’s tired from their journey, so it’s not the most energetic of reunions, but everyone gathers by the fire and Maylak passes around her fat, wriggly baby boy Makash, who now has brightly glowing eyes. They even pass him to me, and I don’t point out that he’s ginormous and looks strange to me after seeing so many pale blue half-human babies. Makash is deep blue and his horn buds are twice the size of the others’. Even his tiny chest has the hard plating already.
Maylak flutters around the group, touching everyone, and looks anxious despite her happiness. I guess she’s worried that someone might have gotten injured while she was gone, but the people left behind were a boring group. I doubt anyone left the cave other than me or Taushen, who stayed behind to hunt for fresh meat for the elders and preggos. Josie sits next to me by the fire, but I might as well be invisible for all the attention she’s paying. Her mate is back and she’s clinging to him like he’s about to disappear again. I suppose it’d be cute to see them so lovey-dovey if I didn’t feel so mixed up myself.
Hassen isn’t here. The entire tribe has come out to hang together and eat and catch up. Heck, even Asha’s sitting at the fire, a good distance away from her mate, and she’s holding Maylak’s baby with a blissful look on her face. No Hassen, though. He’s not allowed.
I glance out at the cave entrance, but it’s empty, thick snowflakes blowing in and melting on the stones. Right after the others got home, a storm started. I suppose I should be worried about Lila, but she’s with her mate and a bunch of other people. They’re fine. Instead, I’m thinking about Hassen. He’s all alone out there, and while he knows how to take care of himself, I can’t help but worry. All it takes is a twisted ankle and…I shake those thoughts free from my head, because I can’t go down that path. He can take care of himself.