Page 16 of Caveman Alien's Bride

I nod, not too interested in anyone but Bryar. “Pypr. Your friend. She can come along, but I’m not marrying her. Perhaps I can offer her to some other chief in exchange for hunting rights or the use of their Lifegivers. Or perhaps she can become the property of a whole tribe if they agree to make me chief. There are many tribes that don’t have as good a chief as they should.”

The prospect is interesting, but only Bryar matters to me now.

“Marriage,” I repeat. “Marry me, and you will be safe. I am strong, and I have a sword. And I am the chief of two tribes.”

Bryar points her slender finger at the last drawing. “See, eye don lyk that leesh.”

I nod. “Yes! My hand will protect your life.Iwill protect you. And you will bemine.” If only she understood!

“Nou deel,”Bryar says and gets to her feet, dragging her friend up with her. “Yukan protec mee withou da leesh orda maridge. Jus becuz is da rite ting tadoo.”They both turn their backs to me and walk away along the beach.

I scratch my chin. This didn’t work out the way I was sure it would. Either she doesn’t understand what I mean, or she’s saying ‘no’.

She’s not stupid. I think she probably understands. But why would she say ‘no’? She needs protection in the jungle! I saw her nearly getting killed by a rekh, and this beach she lives on is where the trok will come up and lay eggs. It could happen any day. This beach will attract many Bigs then, hoping to eat the trok’s eggs and avoid being eaten themselves.

Is it me, then? She doesn’t likeme?

I gather my drawings and roll them back up. I may have to find another way to explain this to her. And I will have to bring her a gift of some kind. Like I would if she were The Woman. Which is still a possibility.

Giving the ocean a quick glance to check for the trok, I stride back the way I came. It’s an awkward walk, because my crotch swells hard whenever I see Bryar. And even this strange experience doesn’t change that.

“She said ‘no’,” I tell Breti’ax, who’s been waiting at the top of the hill.

“No? How strange,” the old man says. “Did you explain it to her?”

I shake the roll of drawings. “I explained using these! She must have understood. But she turned her back and walked away from me.”

“That is very peculiar. What did she say? Was there a reason?”

I unroll the sheets and take out the final drawing. “She pointed to this line and said something that sounded angry. Well, not angry. Just… not happy.”

“The line that symbolizes that your hand shall always protect her throat, meaning her life? I doubt she would object to that. Perhaps we should not have used symbols in the drawings.”

“Perhaps,” I mutter. “But it should be obvious that I want to marry her. It’s the only way a man can live with a woman, as the shamans of both my tribes agree.”

“Give her a gift,” Breti’ax suggests. “Pretend that sheisThe Woman. Maybe all women work the same way.”

I get an idea at the same moment. “I know exactly what that gift will be.”

“That’s a start,” Breti’ax says and starts walking back the way we came.

Turning around, I draw breath. “I will be back!” I yell as loudly as I can.

5

- Bryar -

A deep, loud yell makes me jerk. “That sounded like a caveman.”

“Or many,” Piper says as we both hurry to hide by the cliff. “You don’t think he brought his buddies, and now they’ll just attack us?”

“Anything is possible. Damn, do you think I should have just agreed to marry him?”

Piper gazes up at the edge of the cliff. “I really don’t. This is not how people get married at all. Sure, you’d need some protection against the monsters. But what happened to courting? Getting to know each other? Getting engaged? And he has to know that you’re not from around here. Can different species evengetmarried?Shouldyou get married on an alien planet? I mean, it’s not going to be legally binding anyway. But still.”

“It’s like blackmail,” I fret. “‘Marry me or I won’t protect you’. Well, we’ve done fine all by ourselves until now.” It’s an exaggeration, of course. We have barely survived. Every day is astruggle, and we’re both really tired of it.

“Like a protection racket. He may be the boss of the caveman mafia. And then it turns out that the only thing he can protect you from ishim.”

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