Page 39 of Caveman Alien's Bride

I learn a lot of new words, and I keep making notes of them.

It’s a weird feeling to walk around with a heavy weapon at my side, but it also feels natural on this prehistoric planet.

After sunset the whole tribe gathers around a big fire next to the huge wall painting. There are several big tables and benches, and large slabs of meat are grilled on the fire. Some drums are playing while the tribesmen relax and eat. I notice that they mostly drink juice and water, not their frit wine. I see Korr’ax’s hand in that.

I sit beside Korr'ax, and Piper sits next to me. We’re the center of attention. For some of the tribesmen, this is their first chance to get a good look at us. But they don’t speak to us, and when I try to ask them something, they glance at Korr'ax and give very short answers.

Still, the mood is upbeat and relaxed. There’s a warmth in the tribe that is hard to miss. These guys are closely knit, and it feels totally natural.

“This is the Borok tribe,” Korr'ax says, clearly proud. “I am also the chief of another tribe, called the Tretter tribe. I will take you to see them in a day or two.”

“You’re chief of two tribe?” I ask. “Why not make one tribe of two?”

“We in the Borok tribe have stripes of this color,” he says and points to the orange stripes on his chest. “But the Tretter tribe have blue stripes. They have other Lifegivers and their own village. But in some ways, the two tribes will act as one.”

“Which tribe isthis?” I ask, touching one of his green stripes.

“That’s the Krast tribe,” Breti’ax says from the other side of Korr'ax. “Korr'ax has stripes from both the Borok tribe and the Krast tribe. Nobody knows why. When he was first taken out of the Lifegiver, he was nearly given to the Krast because his green stripes were more clear than the orange ones. But we decided to keep him here. And we were happy that we did.”

Piper is being quiet next to me, keeping her head down and just eating.She’sclearly not happy about the situation.

“How are you doing?” I ask her quietly.

“I’m alive,” she says, not looking up. “And on this planet, that’s pretty much all you can hope for.”

“It feels like in a tribe like this, you can hope for more,” I carefully remind her. “The safety and the food are taken care of. That’s what you and I had to spend all our time on before. Here, I wonder if we can’t focus on other things. Like, this pottery?” I hold up my mug. “Sothick and heavy. Just showing them how a potter’s wheel works would be a revolution. And now we know they have fabrics, we can help make better clothes.”

“They don’t value pots and dresses,” Piper says tightly. “Only the oldest men make pots and baskets, and they don’t do it well because nobody cares that much. They like swords and hunting. The signs are everywhere. I will never be good with a sword.”

“We can help them understand,” I try. “Show them what a good mug looks like. How nice it would be to wear a shirt or pants.”

“I was never a potter or a tailor,” she says. “Sorry, I know I said something else before and I don’t mean to be negative. You’re right, of course. But I have to say that I’ve never felt more like a third wheel in mylife. It feels like I’m living on charity. I’m only tolerated because of you. And I can’t help but wonder when one of these guys is going to demand I marry him.” She glances at one of the men along the table. It’s the one who brought us the food basket the other night, the one we almost had to chase away. He’s looking at her, too.

I lean over to Korr'ax. “Who that warrior who keep staring Piper?”

He looks over. “That’s tribesman Dren’in. He brought you the food last night, remember?”

“I remember. He not nice last night. Say strange thing.”

“Dren’in is a strange man,” Korr'ax says. “But good huntingsprontand bringing us furs.”

I decide to check out more about Dren’in later. For now, he’s seen me bringing him to the chief’s attention. That may keep him in line. After all, none of these guys have seen women before, and they have no idea how to act around us. We can’t expect them all to be perfectly chivalrous.

“Keep your sword by your bed,” I tell Piper. “Always pull up that ladder, and scream the moment anything happens. This is all so new to them, but I think we can guide them in the right direction.”

She gives me a little smile. “I know. The sword actually helps me feel better. It’s super sharp.”

The night is mild, and for once the jungle doesn’t smell that bad. Probably because it’s outside the fence. The sounds of wildlife are also more distant than I’m used to. The blue moon is rising in the sky as a thin crescent.

I point. “What is name?”

“That’s Yrf,” Korr'ax says. “The companion of Xren.”

“Xren is…?” I point to the ground.

“Yes, Xren is the planet. Yrf is the moon.” He holds up both hands and lets one finger circle his fist, showing me the moon in its orbit.

That seems to me to be a pretty advanced thing for a caveman to know. I would have expected them to think the planet was flat and the moon to be some kind of god.

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