Marek watched as the boy continued to work on the strange metal sticks. Nearby, the carcass of a peccary was cooking, while the feathered carnivore acted as sentry for the camp. The men had taken to helping scare off the few carrion birds that were attracted to the meat - most would soon be slumbering, but even with the sun down, another hour would pass before the light of day vanished.
Some of the creatures of the night were already on the prowl - snakes and rabbits had begun to search for food, while owls were beginning to replace their daytime counterparts. Large fauna, however, stayed away from the campsite - the feathered predator put everything on edge. Only the mammoth dared to challenge this hunter, and the bull they had been hunting had only left the cave once to feed on some nearby grass. Bull mammoths normally congregated in bachelor herds, only becoming solitary in old age, but this bull was on his own, and he wasn't liking it. Perhaps he would leave when night fell, but that was still up in the air.
Marek's attention turned back to his fellow hunters. The two were talking about their wives - not that it surprised Marek. After the shock of arriving in this desert landscape had settled, they had been wracked with worry regarding those they had left behind. Bhanigob, in particular, was deeply upset - his first child had been born recently, and he was worried about how the young one would survive. If they could not return soon, how would their wives be able to feed themselves? They had never been taken hunting, and few berries grew in the cold lands. Fish were an option, but how long would those last?
The hunters were unaware of the fact that there was another hurdle their wives would need to overcome - the Ice Age world they knew was ending. Spring had arrived early, and the meat store they had been using was now exposed to early warmth. The meat would spoil, meaning that there would be even less available to their families. Time for their old way of life was beginning to run out.
They knew they needed to find a way home. But how?
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Eyeless faces watched the humans feasting, looking for an opening to strike. The large hunter, however, had positioned himself to protect them, leaving the blind creatures with no easy avenue of attack. If they wanted to obtain a clean kill, they would need to wait.
Wait they could. There was little danger in observing their prey a while longer, and letting the flames be doused. Once their quarry was slumbering, they would move in to attack - even one sentry would hardly be enough to deter them.
Hopefully, the buzzing ones wouldn't notice them trying to make a kill.
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Once dinner was finished, Tristan decided to call it a night. One of the men - the one that called himself Korac - had volunteered to take the first watch. Nodding in understanding, the boy had laid out sleeping arrangements and guard shifts. Tristan doubted that he would be able to pull this off normally, especially with adults older than him, but here he was the host, which afforded him certain extra privileges. He would take the third watch, per his...somewhat successful agreement with the leader of the group.
Perhaps it would be useful to try and learn these men's language? It would help if they met others of his kind in the future.
Tristan knew he needed to sleep well if he was to take up the later watch. And yet, try as he might, he couldn't get himself to fall asleep. Too much was on his mind - both about getting home, and finding out about that structure. And then there was whatever had made the footprints he had seen earlier. What kind of creature shifted between two toes and three?
Further thoughts were cut off by the sound of a branch snapping nearby. Immediately on the alert, Tristan went very, very still. The sound faded, only for another branch to snap, more loudly than the first. Now alarm bells were going off in the boy's head - he knew from the sound the branches made as the broke that whatever was skirting around the camp was big - at least the size of a pig. And it sounded like it was getting closer.
Cautiously, Tristan got out of his tent, a wooden spear in his hand. Joining him were Bhanigob and Marek, both holding spears of their own. Terence had also awakened, and even their erstwhile neighbor, the mammoth, had exited his cave.
The humans swiftly formed up with Korac, who was glancing around at the torches they had made before sunset, trying to find what was stalking around. Deer were visible, but none close enough to make the noises they had heard.
Then, suddenly, anew form emerged - that of a mountain lion. The creature was only a few meters away from Korac. For a moment, the whole group went rigid, before they devolved into a ferocious display of sound and gestures, trying to scare off the predator. Tristan even brandished a wrench from the supply tent in an effort to repel the cat. Fortunately, the display was enough, and the carnivore retreated into the brush.
Sighing, Tristan readied to go back to bed. A momentary glance at the torches, however, led him to approach the supply tent once again, bot to return the wrench and get more fuel for the torches.
The attack came from the right. Without warning, a large body slammed into Tristan, sending both tumbling into the sand. The attacking creature was barely phased by the impact, and simply proceeded to snarl at the boy and try to bite at him with its fanged maw, only to take a wrench to the face. Surprised and in pain, the predator leapt back into the shadows, allowing Korac to help Tristan to his feet. Another snarl to the east, though, caused the group to focus on a second of the beasts, and while most of its features were obscured in shadow, enough was still visible - it was a long limbed hunter, unlike any ever seen in the fossil record. More snarls revealed it was not alone - four others of its kind were slowly circling around the camp, looking for an opening to strike.
The first misjudged its jump and to a blow from Terence's tail to its chest. The second tried to attack the mammoth, only to get thrown aside by the herbivore's trunk. The third and fourth took a spear to the gut and a rock to the face, respectively. And yet despite all this, more were beginning to appear.
Just what were these things? And why were they still attacking.
Suddenly, a growl filled the air as the large cat from earlier pounced on one of the hunters, grappling with it briefly before being thrown off. Another moved to finish the cat, only to be attacked by one of the giant gila monsters from a few days ago. Then the howl of a wolf filled the air, and suddenly a pack of future wolves had entered the fray, trying to tear apart the new predators.
And all Tristan could do was wonder one thing: why? Why would competing predators unite against these new hunters? What motivated them to do so?
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The giant lizard tore into the side of one of the long-limbed blind hunters, trying to tear out its lung.
The lizard didn't like the other hunters, and it didn't really have strong feelings toward the humans. But these beasts? It hated them.
They'd arrived months before, shortly after the strange cave had been built by other humans. What had brought them, the beast didn't know. But one thing was certain - once the creatures had arrived, the humans had stopped coming out of their cave.
If that had been the only consequence of the long limbed hunters' arrival, the natives could have tolerated it. Even a little competition would only breed stronger young. But these beasts were different - when they attacked, they did. Not. Stop. They would attack even after suffering fatal injuries, all with the desire to take their foes to the grave with them. And they were aggressive and very, very hungry. They didn't go too far from the human cave, but when they did, they killed often.
Everything in this ecosystem had come to oppose them...even if it meant teaming up with those who were normally enemies.
Or, as the arrival of a small group of bison to aid in the battle proved, even if the unlikely allies were predator and prey.
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The blind hunter watched the battle continue, heart sinking. Somehow, they were losing. Normally, kills were easy to obtain, even against humans, and yet here, all of their pack had been injured without scoring a single kill. If this kept up, they would start taking casualties.
Thus, with great reluctance, the lead predator sounded the retreat call. Run now and live to fight another day.
Besides, it was unlikely the humans would sleep well tonight. And that would make hunting them tomorrow easier.
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AN: To those who were wondering, yes, the blind hunters are future predators from Primeval.
Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!
