Call of the Wild

(60,000,029BC)

Cayla had a frighteningly pale face. She slept or moaned in bed nearly all hours of the day, getting up only to go to the bathroom.

Pearl looked on in concern just outside her parents' bedroom. Earl stood cautiously behind her. "What do you think is wrong with her?" Pearl whispered.

Earl shrugged. "I dunno."

Pearl took her brother by the hand and went to the dining area. It was spotless, due to the fact that their father Dominic insisted they eat outside like their ancestors. She sighed, wiping a tear from her eyes. "I've never seen Momma like this," Pearl muttered sadly. "Somethin's wrong. We gotta get to a doctor."

Earl looked away.

Pearl glared at him. "Earl – you're not just gonna leave her like that?"

Earl still avoided eye contact. "Dad said --."

Pearl slapped her hand on the table. "I don't give a flyin' hoot what Dad said," she hissed. "Our mother's sick an' she needs our help."

Earl finally looked at her. "None of us have jobs, Pearl," he said finally. "How do you expect us to pay for a doctor?" He looked down. "Maybe it's just something she ate."

Pearl grit her teeth and looked away. "Ain't nothin' we eat makes the color of what's in that toilet, Earl."

Earl scratched his head. "The Laws of Nature, the Code of the Wilderness … they all agree that the sick and the dying --."

"Mama's not dyin'," Pearl retorted. She shot a dirty look at her brother. "Go find Pa and get him here. Mama doesn't want anything in this life except a lovin' family that sticks together. That means all of us have to survive, Earl."

"We're not immortal," Earl grumbled as he stood up.

Pearl glared at him, teeth bared. "You get Pa over here or I swear, Earl – you'll never live to see adulthood."


Deep in the swamp, Dominic stuck his feet in the cold marsh, letting mud ooze up his feet. He leaned against a tree and sighed contentedly. Earl appeared in a red-and-black jacket. "Dad?"

"Don't bother me, kid," he sniped.

"Dad, Mama's sick," Earl insisted, rubbing his hands nervously.

Dominic glanced at his son. "Boy, you make sure you take her out away from the apartment. You don't want scavengers runnin' around all willy-nilly when she passes."

Earl growled, clenching his fists. "Didn't you hear me? Your wife needs you! The Code of the Wilderness --."

Dominic stood up and stared down his son. He jabbed an index finger at the teen's athletic chest. "Code says a lot o' things, boy," he said. "The Code was written by a bunch of dinosaurs who want to pretend to do things the old way while makin' themselves a bunch of unfit ninnies." He waved dismissively. "Before our ancestors learned to write and read, the sick and the dyin' were left behind. It kept us safe, boy."

"But it's wrong!" protested Earl loudly and desperately. "You committed yourself to her when you married her! You're supposed to defend your mate and the mother of your children!"

Dominic leaned back and crossed his arms. "Boy," he said coldly, "I gotta defend her against predators. She's just sick. It's a whole different story."

Earl roared, "She's sick with germs! Germs are just tiny predators we can't see!" He glared at his father. "How can you even say you love her? All you've ever done is find ways to get me an' Pearl to do all the work!"

Dominic pushed his son down into the muck. He snarled, curling his upper lip. "Earl Sneed Sinclair – marriage ain't never been about love. It ain't even in nature. You ever see lesser animals like amphibians get married? Of course not. They just get to business and move on with their life. I bring home the food. I kept you youngin's alive, despite the fact I was dealin' with kids who couldn't snap the neck of a dragonfly. An' here you are, darin' to lecture me about my duties! Your momma turned her back on me. She was a vicious monster in the old days. She could take on prey four times her size in her prime. After you two were born, she got this 'civilization' nonsense in her head, worshippin' those fools like that Phillips female. She became the very thing she rejected. I can't go save a female like that. I won't. She's slippin' down the food chain an' nothin' you or Pearl or those 'doctors' can do about it." He turned his back. "Now move on, boy. You go ahead an' get sick if ya wanna, but I ain't comin' back."


Earl slinked into the apartment, hanging his head low. He entered his mother's bedroom, caked in mud. Cayla and Pearl gasped when they saw him as Pearl held a wet washcloth to her mother's face.

"What happened, Earl?" Cayla asked weakly.

Earl looked at his mother and then looked at Pearl.

"Where's Papa, Earl?" Pearl demanded.

Earl tried to wipe off some of the mud, in vain. He finally glanced back up at his mother. "He … he … he's not comin', Ma."

Cayla's eyes started to tear up.

Earl flashed a look of shock. "Nononono – I mean, he wanted to, honest! He … uh … he … he was followin' me back to the apartment … when … when … he got sucked into a swamp. You know – you don't watch where you're goin' and that stuff just sucks ya straight down," he added, getting more confident as the lie wore on. "That's why I'm covered in mud. I tried to pull him out. He's … he's just … gone, Mama," he said, starting to sob. "I tried to save him. No matter what happens, me an' Pearl'll be here to help you until you get back on your feet again." He put a hand over his heart. "I promise."


Roy gasped the next day. "You're quittin' school? Can you do that?"

Earl shrugged. "I don't have a choice, Roy. Pearl's gonna try getting some singin' gigs to help out until I can find a job. Someone's got to bring home some money until Mama gets better." He sighed. "Pearl found an ad in the newspaper about creating some jingles for some radio commercials. She's got to move to do so. That just leaves me."

"I'll help, pally-boy," Roy offered. "You've been dere for me, let me help you out for a change."

Earl smiled bashfully. "Thanks, Roy. You wouldn't happen to know who's hiring teenagers, would you?"

Roy shrugged. "Well, teenagers aren't the usual pool for prospective employees, but I'll ask around." He gasped in an epiphany. "Hey, I'll ask da principal! Dat way, you can get a job an' still stay around da teachers and keep learnin' stuff!"