It was a brisk and hazy morning. The sun just barely popping the horizon had yet to provide the warmth to heat the world. Sturdy, little red-headed Eep sat on her favorite outcropping of grey green rock overlooking the vast rolling water. Normally so energetic, Eep lounged quietly, feet tucked beneath her and her arms crossed in front of her body. She loved this time of day. The moment the sun peaked over the rolling waves felt like a kiss from her mother when she was small and the rays fell on her forehead, caressing her face. A soft weight pressed lightly on her neck as he sat beside her. Guy. He often joined her, the two of them basking in the delicate glow of the dawn. She turned her head to face him, taking in his sleepy morning face. He grinned and ran his hand through his hair.
"And this morning?" He asked her this question every time. It meant he wanted her to describe what she saw. He relished her descriptions on everything, delighting in her surprise and respect of every detail. Guy would close his eyes and let her words wash over him, imagining what she saw before he would let himself truly see it.
"It was bright. Stinging. That shimmery color of the inside of a shell or Sandy's eyes. A burning ball, so fuzzy. And then it lit the tree tops on fire and became clear. The flock of turtledoves nesting nearby leapt into the air and soared on the beams into the puff...what do you call those puffy things again?" She crinkled her nose as she thought hard.
"Clouds?"
"Yeah! Those. The clouds. And then they disappeared." She raised her hand to the sky and stretched out her fingers to imitate their path. Guy reached and pressed his hand towards hers, turning it and intertwining their fingers.
Their eyes locked and Guy's face turned serious, "You're becoming a better storyteller than Grug." Eep laughed and opened her mouth to speak when a sharp, angry screech sounded from the beach. Eep's pet and riding companion, a young red owlbear, had been playing near the surf and was now joined by another owlbear, this one large and much darker. A male. A cruel, growling came from behind the bared teeth and then suddenly the darker animal pounced on the back of her squalling creature.
"Guy? Guy! Wha—she's getting hurt! We have to go stop—Guy! GET UP!" Eep pounced to her feet and tried to shake Guy's hand off hers, panic setting in for fear of her pet.
"Stop, Eep. Owbe is fine. Just leave it." His grasp tightened on hers and he tugged gently to try and encourage her to sit back beside him.
"How can you say that? Listen! She's in pain, guy! What is he doing to her?" Eep's disbelieving face peered down in ragged need as she tried to comprehend why he wouldn't listen.
"It's—it's just a thing, a natural thing. That happens. You know, it's um...a life thing that happens." He faltered his words, a blush blooming on his darkened complexion.
"What?" Eep's concern for her animal was tangible and she reached to tug at her hair, a sure sign of her distress. "That. That...sound is not natural! What is it then, that 'thing' they're doing, if he's not hurting her?"
Guy cleared his throat, and she watched as his complexion reddened. "T...ah...ergh...hm. They—well, they're you know, uh...mating?"
Eep cocked her head and stared hard at her embarrassed companion, "...What?"
"Mating, Eep. They're mating. It's...uh, well, what animals...uh, you know, for...they're mating, Eep, just leave it. Sit down and no more questions." His tone grew exasperated and sharp. He glanced at her awkwardly before abruptly looking away.
Guy yelped as she squeezed his hand hard, trying to make him recognize the trouble her poor pet was in, "This isn't right! We have to make him stop! We have to get him off her! He'll kill her! GUY!"
"Eep!" Guy barked at her, "Knock it off! There's nothing you can do! They're going to mate whether you like it or not, just Leave It! I don't know what to tell you!" His lips pressed in an angry line on his face and he glared at her, disbelievingly. How could she not know? He didn't know how to explain something like mating to someone like—like Eep. There was no way he could...why did she not know?
She started at his voice and ripped her hand from his. He was angry? Guy was never angry with her. Grug plenty, sometimes even Thunk. But never Eep. He wouldn't look at her. And that voice...that voice was not her Guy. She didn't understand. Her eyes hazed over fuzzing her vision and she clutched her arms to her body as if cold.
"Eep, I..."
"NO!" She turned abruptly on her heel and took off at her full capacity. Guy was quick, but there was no person alive who could overtake Eep at a full run. Not even her little sister, Sandy, although the child would soon become a challenge. She heard her name. His voice was now pained, calling her back to him.
No.
No more angry men. No more telling her what to do or who to be. No more yelling. This new world was wonderful, so much to do and see and smell. There was the light. And Grug, Grug didn't worry so much anymore. He didn't yell and stomp around, or throw things, or pout...as much. He let her explore and didn't raise a fuss. There was more life and more laughter and more love. And Guy. More and more there was Guy. They were always searching each other out. When he awoke, she was there smiling. After her kills, he always came to ruffle his fingers through her hair and tell her she was awesome. During rainstorms and thunder, they sat together under the green canopy of leaves and he would cradle her, their stolen embraces quelling her uncertainty. More love. And that is why the anger shook her so. He had never spoken to her that way.
Eep paused for breath, taking in her surroundings. She had run blindly, trying to get as far away as possible, and found herself in a lush thicket of fresh smelling greenery. Eep sank to her knees against a thick tree trunk, gasping, her lungs screaming for relief. Now that she had stopped, she permitted herself to think. "Mating?" she spat disdainfully. What a HORRIBLE thing! What was the point this...this mating thing, had? Poor Owbe. Her defenseless little owlbear making those noises, being hurt by that hulking beast, it made her heart ache. The screeching sound haunted her, reverberating through her brain.
Eep slammed her hand hard on the ground growling, "And stupid Guy!" The first pound left a fist sized dent in the ground and pained her knuckles...it felt good. She slammed her fist into the hard earth several more times, leaving her hand raw and red. Her vision became blurry again, the wetness gathering at the corners, frustrating her more.
She wanted Ugga. Ugga always knew what to say. Grug would grunt, Thunk would stammer carelessly, and Gran would make fun, but Ugga, Ugga would come and sit quietly, often smoothing Eep's wild hair. Then after a bit of silence, she would speak simple things in her soothing voice and it would be okay. Eep's breath came in shuddering, painful gasps as she sobbed into her hands. The need for comfort overtook her senses. She curled up into the tiniest ball against the tree, her heart heavy and her legs shaking with the ache of her muscles. He had never spoken to her like that, so harsh and biting. Guy always loved when Eep asked questions, loved to answer her and make her think.
Although it was still early, the wetness in Eep's eyes made them sting and want to close, surrendering to sleep. Taking the thought to be cautious in mind, Eep ascended her tree, climbing high into the foliage. Normally Chunky or Owbe would be with her for protection, but the tree would work just as well. At a low branch with thick leaves and a wide base, Eep settled and made herself as comfortable as possible, falling into a fretful sleep.
She awoke at the burning hours of midday. The sun was hot overhead, even through the canopy shelter of leaves. Eep began her descent and quickly scaled to the bottom.
"Have a nice nap, Eep?"
The sudden voice startled her and she spun swiftly to see her mother resting against the base of her tree. "Mom."
"I smelled you out," Ugga patted the ground beside her. Eep stepped over and plopped down, resting her head in Ugga's lap.
"Sorry I haven't been helping today. I needed a break." Eep sighed, "Guy's angry with me."
Ugga chuckled, "Funny, that's what Guy said to me but in reverse."
"Huh?"
She smoothed her fingers through Eep's unruly hair as she answered, "Guy said you were angry with him. He's been sitting on the beach all morning talking to Belt. Just a bit ago, he came to me and explained how he messed up and now you were angry and he couldn't find you. So I offered to try. You're not angry?"
Eep sniffled, "...no."
"Hmm, okay then," Ugga let the silence build, "It is natural, you know."
"Mom?" Eep raised her head.
"Mating. It is natural. Guy was right. Mating is how we get little Eeps, and little Thunks, and little Sandys. Your father is my mate, Eep. Animals mate, people, we mate. Then there are baby animals and baby people and then they grow up, find mates. I've never...we never said anything really to you kids. There was nobody around, everyone we knew died. When year after year in that cave amounted to it still being just the six of us, well, I didn't know if there was anyone left in the world, honestly. I figured there was time still. But you're getting older, all of you." Here Ugga paused for a moment, smiling wistfully. "I'm sorry seeing what you did scared you. But it's truth, Eep." Ugga blinked repeatedly, her eyes wet, and looked down at her daughter with what she hoped was a reassuring smile, "Someday Gran will be gone. Gran is my mom, just as I'm yours. So the babies you will have will make me a gran."
"Mom. I'm scared." Eep turned her cheek, hiding her shame.
"Oh, Eep, what does your dad always say?"
The redhead grinned cheekily and turned back to Ugga, nudging her with a shoulder, "Release the baby?"
Ugga laughed, "No! Never be afraid! Things will work, I promise. But you have to guard against this. You can't just run away when you're afraid. Sometimes you stay and stick it out. You're a big girl now, a woman. And things are going to scare you, but you will face it. You and your mate, together."
Eep looked apprehensive, "Mate? No, I don't want a mate. They're mean...and—and angry. They hurt you. Can't I just be Eep?"
Ugga smiled again, "We'll see about that. I have a feeling your mind might change. But in the mean time, you should forgive him, Eep. He was confused and embarrassed. He didn't understand how you didn't understand. I told him that we've never really...well, talked about it. He's sorry, poor boy. You were so scared and it scared him. So he reacted the only way he could think of by trying to explain something he really knows nothing about either. He has been beating himself up all morning about it, and I think he's suffered enough, don't you? He never meant to hurt your feelings, Eep."
"I'm...not ready to see him. Mom? What did you do...when Dad yelled? How did you not want to just run?" Eep's eyebrows knit together, waiting for the reassuring words from her mother, needing to hear that it would be okay.
"I took a deep breath. I remembered that I loved him and that most times the harsh words came from a place of good. He was worried and that was all. And then you kids came along and I really loved that he kept us save, until I realized that he also kept you so unhappy. It was a matter of time before you would grow to hate us. And so I'm glad Guy came along. Your father is happier, your brother and sister are happier, and you, you're happier. That is all I care about. And he doesn't yell so much anymore, so that's nice." Ugga rolled her eyes as she laughed, thinking of her mate. "Now then, we need to get something started for tonight's dinner. And I think I'm in the mood for fresh meat, what do you say? Want to hunt with your old mom?"
Eep nodded and stood up pulling Ugga up with her. She sighed and asked childishly, "Race? Catch me?"
"I'll always catch you, my baby girl." Ugga planted a light kiss on Eep's forehead. "But, you're on!" Ugga placed her hand on top of her child's head and dunked her to the ground, taking off with a head start, "Better catch up, Eep!"
Hours later, Ugga and Eep returned to camp, laden with their fresh kill, a plump chickenfish.
"Eep!" Grug's voice rang out, "Guy's been looking for you everywhere. He took Chunky and went toward the sun a knuckle ago." Grug took his finger and held it in front of his eye, squinting. "Blow your shell. Let him know you're okay."
"No."
Grug grunted and tossed his cross little daughter his own shell, "Go on."
"NO!" The shell came flying back and donked Grug on the side of the head.
"Fa!? Uh, you know what? Fine!" He bent and retrieved his shell, "Girls! I hope this is the last of them. So Dramatic! Fine! Just trying to help. One minute all, 'Dad, I love you', the next? Abuse! I give up!" The hulking man set to building the fire, mumbling to himself.
Eep rolled her eyes and went to find her baby sister. Sandy was gnawing on a thigh bone when Eep picked her up and swung her around. Sandy squealed as her big sister threw her up in the air and then slung them both on the ground. She held onto the tiny girl's hands, placing her small, nimble feet under the child's belly, and lifted her as though she were a soaring turtledove. The sisters rough and tumbled until dusk broke and the bird was nearly done roasting. The shrill cry of Gran's shell rang out, alerting the small clan to food. Seconds later, a bounding sound from the distance brought Chunky and Guy into view.
In a panicked, almost strangled shout, Guy called, "Grug! I can't find her! I just don't know... EEP! Where have you been?" The cat galloped to camp and Guy tumbled off his back to the ground, racing up to Eep and Sandy, arms open wide for a comforting embrace. Eep's eyes narrowed as she tucked Sandy under her and rolled, bounding to her feet, away from Guy. She "hummph"ed as she placed her little sister on her broad shoulders and stalked away. Sandy turned her head and shrugged in sympathy at Guy, waving her little hand.
Guy's shoulders sagged and his face drooped as he whispered miserably, "I give up."
A huge meaty hand clamped down tightly on his neck, "Not yet you don't. That's just how they are." Grug's toothy smile peered down at Guy, "Why, Ugga was so stubborn one day about something so...so stupid." Here, Grug stuck a hefty finger in his mouth and pulled his lip aside, revealing a large gap in his molars. "She punched me right in the jaw. We had our mating ceremony just a day later and I haven't spent a day without her since. Could have done a few days without her mother, though." Grug chuckled lightly at his own cleverness.
He ruffled his hand through Guy's hair roughly, "Look, women are difficult, but they're worth it. She's not really mad, just stubborn. Give her some time, son. She'll stop and get back to being Eep. Besides, look at how much I've yelled at her, and she still seems to like me sometimes..."
"Grug?"
"Yeah?"
"You just called me 'son', you know that, right?"
The fist that swung and punched Guy in the shoulder knocked him down, 'Yeah, I know. Now, come on. Food's ready."
At the dinner fire, Eep sat next to her mother, talking quietly, and pointedly not glancing in Guy's direction. She refused to acknowledge his presence, leaving him feeling bruised and frustrated. Soon after the bones were picked clean, Grug called for a story, grabbing a fist full of colorful earth. Guy looked up, hopefully, but watched as Eep picked up Sandy and snuggled up next to Ugga, who shot him a sympathetic glance.
She was punishing him. He hadn't been without Eep for a single day since he'd met her and he needed her with him. Needed the brush of hands as they walked together. The feeling of her eyes on him across the fire when he told stories or when he explained something new. He needed the scent of her closeness and the sound of her breathing as they sat in the comfortable silence of together.
She was his life and his breath, his heartbeat. And she was killing him. He shouldn't have gotten so flustered and embarrassed. It was mating. It was a natural experience between every animal, sometimes hard and cold, sometimes sweet and wonderful. The little creatures around him, his own mother and father, Ugga and Gru...ewww. If it wasn't done, no more new life happened. He would do it with his mate and make little ones.
His mate. Not likely. He had wanted Eep for his own, to be his mate. To live with him and for him and he her, until the day came when they didn't exist any longer. And yes, he wanted to mate with her, had thought about it...the thought coming increasingly more and more often as of late. The way the light struck her eyes and the clever way she went about her day made him smile and the desire to become one with her became more difficult to ignore as each day passed.
It would have been a perfect moment, the sun peeking above the horizon and the two of them together. So many of those moments had passed by as of late, with Guy being just too shy to ask for what he'd wanted for so long. And then it happened. And it was so loud and so violent and it humiliated him that she was so insistent they go 'help' her pet. It wasn't her fault...she just didn't understand. He'd never thought she wouldn't know. He hadn't meant to speak so angrily. He just didn't know what to say. And then she was gone in a flash and it broke him. He'd spent the rest of the morning berating himself to Belt, who listened in earnest, and then growled his annoyance with his person, ordering him to go talk to her.
Talk. He should go talk to her. Make her understand. She would. She...she...she was gone! Guy stood abruptly, knocking Belt awake from his unexpected movement. He scanned around, panic rising, making it hard to force out a breath.
Gran noticed and shook her head, smirking to herself, "Poor, lovesick idiot." She stood and walked over to him slowly, placing a withered hand on his strong arm, "She went to sit on that big rock you kids like to go to, to watch the sunset." The old woman sauntered off, her dress tail dragging the ground behind her. As she walked, the toothless mouth uttered, "Go make me some great-grandkids, young 'in."
Guy unfastened Belt from around his waist, "Go with Sandy, okay? I have to fix this." Belt cooed and latched onto his favorite playmate, waving a clawed hand in the direction of the beach.
"Just go talk to her Guy, tell her how it really is." Ugga set her hand on his back and patted it reassuringly.
"But what if she says runs away again, Ugga? I feel terrible, I think I've messed things up for good. I just want a chance to explain. To fix what I've broken between us. And what...after all this...she says 'no'? I'm such a fool..." Guy's teeth worried his bottom lip as he stared into the darkening sky.
"That is a risk you will have to take. And if she says no, ask her again. You have Grug's and my permission already. The hard part is over." She pulled him into a large hug, "Trust me, son, and keep asking. She loves you. And we love you. Just keep asking." Ugga let go of Guy and took hands with her mate to find comfort in his warm strength. They loved him.
That morning when Guy had explained to them why Eep had disappeared, he let it slip how much he cared for their daughter. Surprisingly, Grug had been the first to speak, "Well, yeah. Did you think we were stupid cavemen or something? You've proven yourself. I mean...she could do worse, right?"
Ugga had smiled at him, brightly, "I think you've caught him in a good mood. Anyway, you know you have my blessing. Just. Please? Don't go too far? I want to see my grandbabies if, if that's alright." Guy had squeezed her tightly. No, they'd stay close. He envisioned a hide tent, near their family. He saw Eep tossing their kids out to play with Sandy and the grandparents in the early dawn, to return to their bed and snuggle her swollen belly close to him for warmth. Just as his mother had to his father...before. He remembered. His brother hadn't lived and shortly after that, neither had his parents. Years and years later, after a hard, lonely journey, he had found Eep and she had been his salvation. She and her family.
Eep.
He took off at a run, quickly scaling the shale pile to the large flat platform overlooking the water and scanned for his little redhead. She was there, sitting with her knees pulled up, resting her chin on her crossed arms. Guy looked around and plucked a small purple flower, intending to negotiate with a peace offering.
"I can hear you, you know." Her voice was tired, as tired as he felt.
"Yeah. I know." He cautiously walked over and sat beside her, reaching to place the flower in her hair.
She paused for a long while, and then buried her face in her arms, "Why are you here?"
He sighed and replied quietly, "Because I need you to understand." Guy curled his knees up under his chin as well and wrapped his arms around them, tilting to lean against the stone wall.
She sniffed, "You're just like him. All men are just like him." This pulled at his heart. He knew who she was referring to and he wasn't like Grug. It crushed him to think that she could think so. He liked Grug, had learned a begrudging respect of Grug. Guy could never understand him, or how he acted sometimes. Still.
"But you love him, right?"
Eep nodded into her arms and sobbed.
"And...and you love me too, right?" Guy set his hand lightly on her shaking back, "Because. I...you know—I love you, Eep. And I love your family. Our family. So I told your mom and dad that I did and uh. If you want, you know, we, uh, we could. Together. We wouldn't er...go far, with cause, you know, I promised...Eep? You, uh, do you? I mean. You uh, you didn't answer so...you. Hmmm. You. You. Don't. I thought that...I—never mind..." He trailed off and bent his forehead to his knee. Guy was on the verge of leaking profusely from his eyes and his hand had crawled from her back to clutch at his forearm. He could go. He would go. He didn't care what Ugga said, it would hurt too much to ask again. There was more tomorrow and...who was he kidding? There might be more tomorrow out there, but he would never make it without her.
"You are just like him. When it's important, you never let me talk." Her words came out thick and wounded, "I do."
Guy's head snapped to stare at her. Her face had raised, eyes red, and her bottom lip was trembling, but she still wouldn't look him in the face.
"You—you do?"
Eep sighed, miserably, "Of course I do, Guy. I...I can't imagine my life without you. I love you."
Guy's eyes began to fill for an entirely different reason, this one felt happy...it felt good. A small, slow smile crept onto his face as he reached a hand to caress her cheek, "I'm not like him, Eep. Because I can say 'I'm sorry'. What happened earlier, I just...I was afraid and embarrassed and I didn't know what to say. I like explaining things to you, watching you learn new things...it makes you so happy. But that, that was a different new. That I—I just couldn't explain and I never thought that you didn't know. I got flustered. Not at you, at the situation and the confusion, and I never should have snapped at you. You were worried, and you didn't understand...and I just made it worse. I'm sorry." He scooted closer and put his arm across her shoulders, squeezing her into his own body.
"Owbe's alright. I checked on her. That was so horrible...I never want to hear those sounds again." Eep covered her face with her hands and shook her head rapidly.
After a few moments of silence, Guy cleared his throat, "It's not like that for all animals, Eep."
"What?"
"That. Mating...it's not like that. Most creatures don't know better. They are moving solely on instinct, what nature tells them is right. Some creatures, the ones who think and learn, people mostly. For people, it's different because there's love."
She grunted in disgust, "It's Horrible!"
"No, no, no," he explained gently, quietly, "for people, when they...uh, mate...it's wonderful. It's two coming together as one and the separation between life and life disappears as they love one another. And from that they make another life, their life together and the life that comes from their beings. It's not angry and violent." He pondered for a few seconds before chuckling mischievously, "Although sometimes it's just as loud."
Eep stared at him incredulously, in stunned shock, causing him to blush ferociously and duck his head. "Eep?" He continued very quietly, "Would you be my mate? Stay with me and love me?"
"No."
Guy's eyebrows furrowed as he glanced back at her, heartbroken, and replied in a strained whisper, "But, I thought..."
"I am NEVER mating with you. I will stay with you and love you forever. But I am NOT doing...that." She spat the word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth, "EVER." Guy's laugh rang out in the dark night. She poked his side questioningly, "What's funny?"
Wiping tears from his face, he reached for the back of her neck and pulled her face to his, "Then we'll do something different. Something else. We will um... we'll make love."
Eep blinked at him skeptically, and then nodded an affirmative decision, "Okay. I can do that. I'll be your mate and all the other stuff I said...but no mating. Promise me."
"Promise." Guy took the opportunity to do something he'd been craving for a long time. He cradled her soft, pretty face in his cupped hands and pressed his lips to hers, mimicking what he'd seen in the past. His parents, packs of nomads he'd been with briefly, from what he'd witnessed, this pressing of mouths together was a kiss and it came from love. She gasped, opening her mouth, reveling in the new sensation that sent a spark shooting through her entire body, and Guy took the chance to open his as well, wanting to breathe her breath, merge them into one person, one feeling. He pressed against her and felt her heart beating a fast and rhythmic pulse. It felt like all the sunrises and sunsets Guy had ever seen wrapped into one explosive moment and he craved her now more than ever. The fire that rolled through her body left her tingling and alive, she wanted nothing more than this and only this. Eep trembled in his arms, wanting to jump into his skin and never leave. When she pulled back, panting lightly, she saw his eyes glowing at her in the dark, like his torch the first night they met.
"Making love?" She smiled at him for the first time in hours and it felt like the first time in his life he'd ever been truly happy, "I can do that."