CHAPTER 7
She woke early and headed toward her cave. She would show them the river so they could get fresh water and the waterfall so they would have a secondary hiding place if they needed it. She would not show them her other places, not yet.
She waited, still and silent as the morning fog rolled around her. She knew the tallest and the female saw her, but they made no move toward her and so she stood her ground. Let them realize that she was not afraid of them. Wary, that was only wise, but not afraid. After all she had survived years where no one else had survived weeks and she knew where the dangers lurked if the worst happened she knew where to lure them.
They were all awake now. She assumed the two who saw her were telling the others. She stepped back into the gloomy dawn shadows and moved to the other side of the glade.
She was glad she had moved when the female stepped outside the cave and began making calm, encouraging noises. The tallest though was frowning fiercely behind her. She stayed hidden suddenly not sure about showing them anything.
A few minutes later they left the cave and headed into the forest. She darted into the cave and noticed that all their things were again gone. She padded over to the wood container and picked up the two food gifts.
She left the cave and followed them. She realized where they were headed. No! Oh no, not the clearing, not in the early morning. Maybe she was wrong. Racing silently through the woods to get ahead of them she relied on memory to avoid the pitfalls hid underneath the fog. She threw herself down at the top of a small rise and waited. If they came this way, they were indeed headed for the Circle and it was not safe to be there this early. The dawn grazers were out and both the night and day meat-eaters would be converging on them.
They appeared, walking silently in the quiet morning then the tallest stopped and turned spotting her. She could not let them go to the clearing. She stood up, shaking slightly at being completely exposed to them. She remembered the others, the tiny dart that made her sleep. She remembered also waking up captive, tied up and unable to stop them from hurting her.
They made no move other than to watch her. She pointed toward the Circle and shook her head. She backed away slowly. They still did nothing alarming.
She stepped forward and looked toward the Gate struggling between not wanting them dead and fearing the hurt if they caught her. Then she heard the slight rustling sound that could be leaves in the wind, but there was no wind. The big clawed meat-eaters. She looked back at the strangers and motioned them to follow her.
The middle male looked to the Circle. She motioned frantically. They had to leave now! The female said something and then the male and then they were moving toward her quickly.
She retreated; hopefully staying far enough ahead not to hit by the sleeping dart, but never letting them lose sight of her. She finally heard the flowing water just ahead. She stopped by the giant leafed plants and waited for them to come into view.
As soon as they saw her, she stepped beyond the leaves and hurried up the water edge some distance. Turning, she stood and waited. Thinking of the gift-giver and how he had fallen the day before she knelt by the water never taking her eyes off of them. She scooped up some water and drank.
The males talked then the biggest knelt and drank as well. He nodded and made sounds. The gift-giver made distressed sounds and the tallest snarled back. The gift-giver drank as if he thought the water would hurt him then he drank more. Soon they were all drinking the water then they brought out containers and filled them with water. Good, she would not have to give up one of hers.
She turned and continued up the water's edge until she reached the waterfall. She moved to the base of the falls and waited for them. She was thankful they seemed to understand she did not want them to close and kept a distance between them and her. When they stopped by the pool watching her she stepped behind the falls.
Moving sure-footedly she crossed the slick ledge to the other side of the falls. Moments later they appeared. Deciding they were safe now she dove into the water swimming swiftly to the far bank and clambering out.
She would go hunt the small grazer she didn't get yesterday and then return for them. She scrambled up the steep side of the bluff the water fell over. At the top was a plateau where a large herd mid-size grazers lived. She could not kill a full-grown, but if she were lucky, she grinned, she was too practiced to depend on luck. If she took her time, she would get a young one.
She waited in position, hand holding the knife poised over her shoulder for a long, long time until finally a very young one got brave or distracted and wandered away from the group. Without hesitation, she threw the long bladed knife and jumped up when it went true.
The young one dropped to the ground and she startled the rest of them by jumping from cover. They raced in the opposite direction and she was left in peace to skin and gut her kill.
She took it to the bluffs edge and dropped it over the edge swiftly climbing down after it. She slung it over her shoulder and edged toward the cave. She stood in the cave moments later looking around bewildered. Where had they went?
The Circle. She shut her eyes and sighed. Stupid! She headed that way as fast as she could knowing she'd most likely have to sacrifice her kill to save them. Why go back to the clearing? It wasn't a safe place and the Circle let people in, but didn't let people out.
She reached the clearing breathless and frightened. She drooped in relief as she saw the strangers safe near the Circle. The Circle filled with the blue water and then sounds came from it and the strangers made sounds back.
Confused, she crept nearer, leaving her kill by a tree. A few minutes later the Circle emptied. They stayed near the Circle, but alert, watching the forest. Good they had learned to be on guard. She returned to her kill and began cutting it up and putting it in her bag. It weighed a lot less without the bones.
Shortly, the Circle filled again and voices sounded and then something appeared. Someone sent the strangers things through the Circle? That was a first and she wasn't sure about how to react to it. Were they not outcasts like her family?
The female got something from the wooden holder and started arguing with the tallest. The tallest refused to do whatever she wanted until the gift-giver took the item and pushed it against him and spoke sharply. The gift-giver stalked off and began packing items into his large bag.
The tallest strode over and talked softly and a memory stirred. Her parents standing that way in the morning outside the cave discussing the day.
She smiled slightly at the memory.
The other male made loud noises and screwed up his face. The gift-giver pulled out his hand held thing and then panicked and began saying sounds loud and sharp. He pointed at a tree across the clearing and the strangers began scrambling to gather their things.
The tallest pushed the gift-giver and then they were all running. She heard them now the little meat-eaters, a lot of them coming this way. She saw how fast they were running and knew they wouldn't make the tree. She finished hacking up her kill and crouching moved toward the strangers.
The gift-giver made it to the tree and climbed high. The tallest though stopped and turned pointing his killing thing at the meat-eaters and it made sounds and one by one the meat-eaters died.
The female turned and dealt death, but there was so many. She ran after the stranger who was weighted down with his bags. Why wouldn't he drop them? A shout and she turned toward the tree to see the gift-giver back on the ground dealing death as well. They would all die if they didn't get in the tree quickly!
They weren't going to make it. She stood up and yelled at the meat-eaters. They stopped and stared at her. Their elusive prey was making itself available. They had tried time and time again to catch her. They ran after her. She threw the raw meat at them. Several stopped to eat, but most came after her or turned back toward the strangers.
She ran for her tree and scampered up it agilely. Settling high in a crook she saw the strangers all in their tree. She pulled out the gifted food and began eating, waiting.
She wasn't disappointed. She knew her world. With a roar the big cats appeared drawn by the fresh meat and attacked the meat-eaters. The battle was soon over and the little meat-eaters ran for the tree line while the big cats feasted.
The big cats were licking their mouths clean and laying around when the Circle filled again. More sounds back and forth and the Circle emptied.
The sun was setting before the sleeping cats awoke and wandered off. The strangers climbed down and hurried to the Circle. What were they doing now? They should be heading for the cave. She frowned as she watched the male stranger stick something on the trees she had planted to keep the flying things out.
They made sounds and then they began running for the trees. Taken by surprise she scrambled down from her tree and ran after them. The loud noise scared her. She flung herself down beside a tree and covered her head and shook. She stayed huddled there until the forest noises returned to normal.
Finally, she stood up, trembling. She looked around for the strangers and not seeing them hurried after them. It was getting late and they needed to be safely in the cave. It didn't take long for her to catch up to them.
She saw the gift-giver stop to drink, waving the others to go on. She wished she had something to carry water in where it wouldn't spill when she ran. She saw a slight movement and jerked her attention away from the gift-giver. A very young big cat stalking the gift-giver!
The female yelled as she leaped at the big cat. The gift-giver fell to the ground as she collided with the cat. Her long knife sank deep into its chest and it roared in pain lashing out at her. Its long tooth slashed her arm leaving a burning trail of pain in its path.
They hit the ground hard wrestling. She tried to pull her knife out for another strike while keeping the mouth full of teeth away from her throat. She pulled the knife half way out and the cat's back leg jerked and intense pain sliced down her leg. Then everything went dark.
She woke slightly. She was being carried, bounced around. One of the strangers was running with her. Captured! The ground danced sickeningly in front of her eyes. It hurt and the darkness slid over her again.
She came queasily awake, sort of. She was laying on something and there were strangers all around her. Fear mingled with the pain and then she saw the gift-giver sitting next to the tallest and the female. Darkness came again.