Chapter Two:

Out of the Cave and into the Desert Sands

"I suppose it makes sense that you can use a cactus needle as a needle," Jory snorted as she stitched together the crude cloth she managed to weave.

Sewing was about the only thing she could do at the moment. It was midday, the sun was high overhead and the heat was was no way that she could go out and do anything of value. It had become her daily routine to do most of her scouting and exploring when the sun was low. It was too hot during the day so she stayed in her little cave making tools, clothing and other useful items. It was too cold at night, so she slept uneasily. She had seen the sun rise seven times since she woke up in the strange sand filled place. It was hard and she was barely getting by. By sheer luck, she had found a small cave in a large rock formation that was just big enough for her to squeeze into. She was relieved to find that it opened up for her to stand and move about. She was also happy to see that there were no other occupants that she had to chase out.

"At least there weren't any of those big cats bunking in here," she grumbled at the thought of the giant felines that she had encountered on her travels.

Her mind was still reeling from all of the things that she had found in this strange, deadly sandbox. Normally she would give a second thought to seeing a bobcat or lynx. There was even that cougar that tried to go after the spring calves that one year. Then again, she had her shotgun to protect her and her animals. That and these 'cats' were bigger than anything she had ever seen. They kind of reminded her of the pictures she had seen of panthers and lions, but they had long fangs that curved. They were sharp and could pierce flesh like a sharpened blade.

A pack of them was able to take down one of those huge humped beasts, she had watched the whole hunt, The scraps and hide I got from the leftovers did up my survival chances.

"Right now I've only got a couple of spears, a flint knife and a stone hatchet and pick," she looked over at her few tools and weapons, "Hmm… I've managed to kill some of the smaller critters and fended off a few of the larger ones. Don't think I could take them head on though. It's going to be hard enough to keep remaking all this stuff. Stone tools and weapons are fine for basic survival, but I don't know how long I'm going to be here… wherever 'here' is… I need a sturdier set."

Jory let out a heavy sigh. Though she had managed to stay alive, there were still many things that kept her from advancing. She felt fortunate enough that she found a cave that was near a natural spring. The water appeared and smelled clean, but she still felt like she should boil it before drinking it. The makeshift still she crafted worked like a charm. Waiting for the water to boil was unbearable when her throat was dry and raw. She made up several small water pouches and one larger one to store pre boiled water with the hide she was able to procure.

"I need to figure a way to tan the hide and make some leather," she thought out loud, "Grandpa said that they would…," she paused.

Jory could feel emotions whelming up inside of her. She refused to cry though. Besides not wanting to waste precious water, she wasn't the type to cry. She didn't even cry at her grandpa's funeral. There was so much that she had to do during that time that she didn't have time to cry. Doing the burial arrangements. Taking care of the ranch and the animals. Transfer of property. All the paperwork. It was exhausting just thinking about it. Even on the day of the funeral, she was out in the fields and barn caring for the animals that her grandfather had carefully tended to. The day after, she was right back out there. She never knew a good night's rest after that. Her days were filled caring for the ranch while the nights were filled with paperwork. Things might have not been so rough if the ranch hands hadn't decided to move on to other places. Jory was grateful for Big John and his brothers coming to help when they could. He had always looked after her grandpa ever since grandma died. He was such a good friend.

"Hey Uncle John," she looked to the cave entrance, "Are you and grandpa here? Or did you go to your sky spirit world? I hope you did. You, your family and grandpa don't deserve to be in a place like this. I hope y'all ain't suffering. I hope…," she held back her tears, "I hope I don't meet you in this desolate place."

Wiping her nose, Jory went back sewing together the shirt she was making. Weaving and sewing were easy enough to do when it was so hot. She had already made a pair of pants and a sturdy set of shoes. Admittedly she had maybe wasted some of her precious cloth on making a bandana to protect her head from the unforgiving sun. It was still something she questioned. Not only did she wake up barely dressed in a desert, but her head had apparently been shaved just leaving her with peach fuzz. She could tell that it was growing, but it was annoying that her nice long brown hair had been shaved off. She wasn't all that girly, however she took really good care of her hair. Jory always liked the way Big John's people thought about hair. Connection to family, community and their spirituality. Though she wasn't part of those beliefs, she still liked the way Big John's people thought about things and nature.

"There. Done," she held up the shirt.

It didn't look too bad. She had made and repaired her own clothing before, but it was the first time she had actually used cloth she had made herself. It had taken a few tries, but she had made a primitive loom. She was surprised at herself that she was able to produce a usable cloth so quickly. She knew how to weave, but it took a few tries and it was sometimes hard to get into a rhythm. Maybe it was because she had time to concentrate and there was a dire need for protective clothing.

"May seemed counter intuitive," she mumbled to herself as she slipped the homemade shirt over her head, "But this will keep the sun off my skin… wish I could make a proper hat," she ran her hand over the bandana that covered her head, "... and some gloves. That would help with protecting my hands," she noticed that her hands had become more rough than usual.

She really didn't mind it though. She had always had rough hands due to her very physical lifestyle. However, in this life she understood that any injury to her could mean her chances of survival would decrease significantly. That's another reason why she needed to figure out how to tan hide. She could at least make a pair of gloves and add a bit of protection to her clothing. She could even enhance and strengthen her current weapons and tools.

"If I can recall correctly, Grandpa said that they would apply brain oil after the hide was stripped and clean. Wring and reapply. Stretch and smoke. Yeah… I remember doing it a few times when I was young," she thought for a moment, "Smelled something terrible though," she grumbled, "but if that's what it takes… then that's what I have to do," she stood up.

Twisting about and stretching, Jory made sure that her new shirt would hold together. It moved with her and luckily wasn't itchy. She also thought herself to be clever for adding laces to the sides, back and front so she could adjust them as needed. There were no signs of the shirt tearing and the stitching was holding. It would have to do.

"The sun should be heading behind the cliffs soon," she began to gather her tools, weapons and water skin, "Hopefully I can explore a bit more. Maybe find a better place to bunk… or maybe some other people. I can't be the only one, right?"

It was strange that she hadn't seen any other signs of people. It truly seemed to be an empty place. She held onto hope that she would find others. Maybe like her. Maybe they too woke up in this place not knowing how they got there. Maybe they had… She shook her head. She had promised herself to not think of past things. To only hold onto what would help keep her alive. Whatever was happening to her… wherever she was… she had to keep moving and do her best to survive. She was so thankful for all things that her grandpa and Big John had taught her. They were keeping her alive even though they weren't here with her.

Taking in a deep breath, Jory crawled out of the cave. The sun wasn't so high anymore and felt a bit cooler than it was before. She checked herself one more time to make sure that she had all she needed.

"Spears… hatchet… knife… water… I'll pick some berries along the way," she sighed as she started for a ridge that she had been wanting to investigate, "I just need to stay high and away from the odd creatures I've been seeing," she sighed once more, "I hope I don't run into those two legged lizards again. Those things were fast and deathly," she frowned at the thought of those two scaled nightmares she had encountered a few days before, "Tore those big eared fuzzballs apart like they were made of straw. They took notice of me, but they were more preoccupied with the meal they had in front of them. I got away that day… I might not be so lucky the next time," she gripped her spear tightly.

Wouldn't mind seeing if I could break some of those beasts. They're fast and seem pretty strong. Would make it easier to get around… if they can even be tamed. What am I even thinking? she laughed at herself, Haven't even been out in the sun long and I'm already getting crazy ideas. Taming upright walking lizards with fangs and claws… Jory… you goin' crazy in this place.