:10,002 B.C. :
She was cold and hungry. She could hear the sounds of others nearby, but she was afraid to get too near. She had gotten separated from her clan when the heavy waters fell from the sky. It had been as many lights since as she could remember since she had gotten lost. She could smell fire, and it scared her. She knew how deadly that creature was despite it's lack of legs or mouth.
But, she was too scared to go on by herself. She needed the safety of a clan. She needed others around. She edged forward and looked around the thick limbs of the tree. The clan before her was unusual. Every clan she had ever seen, including her old one, had many people. A leader, several hunters and many women and children. This wasn't a clan from what she could see. Four males. That was it. None of them looked like hunters.
They were so unusual, she almost ran away. Two were smaller than her. One was her size and very dark. One was much taller. All of them wore pelts like her. All were lean and the other three were browned by the sun like her. All were skittish, like her. But the tall one was different. Almost as if he was a different animal altogether. He made fire. He didn't fear it. He tended it, made it tame.
She eased back into the darkness. She would need to keep watch. She wasn't sure it was safe yet.
The first time it happened, they were too suspicious to accept it. But when it kept happening they began to grow more easy. Every time the darkness left, they would find food outside their cave. A clutch of eggs one day. A rabbit another. Some fish once, and a a couple of birds another time. They tried to set traps for whatever was leaving them food, but each trap failed.
He was angry. He watched the others devour the fresh meat. They were not blood. They had found each other by accident. They had each been left behind or run off from their clans. They had no skills for hunting or fighting and alone, they would have died. But they found each other. They found roots and berries. They had been barely surviving before the food began to appear. Whatever magic it was, he was grateful. But he was angry his traps continued to fail.
It took her until the next moon to approach them. She watched them come out of the cave and look around expectantly. It was the first time she had not left them an offering. They looked sad and grumbled a bit. Slowly, she stepped out from the trees, a large bird in her hand. She cringed when they saw her and became agitated. She tossed the carcass to them and fled back into the trees.
He moved carefully through the bushes, sure she came this way. For four lights and darks she had shown herself, only to flee almost immediately. He caught a faint sound to one side and he slowed. He crept closer, and heard a splash of water. His eyes found her immediately. She was in the water, near the edge. She bent over and eased her hands into the pond. She held perfectly still for a long time. Suddenly she threw her hands up, sending water onto the dirt. He watched with amazement as a fish flopped helplessly on the dirt.
He moved into the clearing and she growled. She spun and took off toward the trees but he was faster. He caught her and they tumbled onto the grass. She struggled to break free, but he used his size to pin her down. Warily he looked at the female beneath him. She growled at him fiercely and he surprised himself by growling back. She grunted a low warning and he snapped his teeth at her. Instead of being cowed, her eyes flashed at him angrily.
He felt a thrill when she tried to move again and he pressed her more firmly into the grass. She whimpered softly and he reached for his pelt. He flung it away and grabbed hers. He growled once more, and her eyes dropped. He entered her quickly, laying claim to her.
They weren't a normal clan. She was the hunter and they were the gatherers. The short ones were good at finding roots and berries. The darker skinned one was good at making them coverings with pelts. Her man kept them safe. He knew when the heavy snow was coming and moved them south. He hid them from other clans and when the waters from the sky came back, he led them to higher ground. No, it wasn't a normal clan at all. But it was where she belonged.