Page 40 of Caveman Alien's Touch

I groan and buck and shake, losing track of time and space.

Noker stirs under me, bringing me back to the world. “That was fun. Itispossible to Worship a woman with only fingers, then.”

“M-hm,” I reply, only half present and feeling wonderfully relaxed. “You learned well.”

Noker arranges us so I’m lying on top of him. I can’t ignore the great hardness at his middle.

“I’ll take care of you too,” I mutter as I lay my head on his chest. “I’ll just rest for a moment…”

- - -

I wake up and find myself alone and the cave brightly lit with alien sunshine.

Well, maybe it’s just as well if we don’t go to get breakfast together. The rumor mill would go crazy. Or at least crazier than it is now.

As usual, I make my way up to the plateau. Korr’ax and Bryar have made sure that we girls don’t have to start the day being stared at by the tribesmen at the common table down on the ground, and boys from the tribe carry food up the stairs.

“Looks like another sunny day,” Alba says when we sit down to eat. “And you’re looking like the cat that got the cream. Or is it milk? I forget. Damn, is that even an expression? Or did I just make it up?”

“Ever see a cat on Xren?” I ask as I grab a wooden ladle and scoop some piping hot mystery stew from a pot and heap it onto my plate. “Or milk?”

“I thought it was your project to find something that makes milk,” Astrid says. “For your bakery.”

“The search continues,” I tell them as I blow on the stew. “But I’m going to be picky about the milk. And about the eggs, although those should be easier to find. You must admit it would have been pretty great to wake up to the smell of fresh croissants. Or just newly baked bread. Let’s see now…An artisanal loaf featuring a golden-brown crust that crackles with every slice,” I make up, “giving way to a soft and airy interior. Generously packed with a blend of crushed nuts from the mysterious jungles of planet Xren, each bite offers a satisfying crunch and a rich nutty flavor.”

Alba tosses a fruit pit at me. “Can someone shut this girlup?!Now I’m craving freakingbread, but there isn’t a loaf for light years around!”

I grin. I’m in a really good mood today, ready for anything. “Perfect for toasting or enjoying on its own, this bread pairs beautifully with creamy butter, gourmet cheeses, or a drizzle of honey. Ideal for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack, Alba’s Nutty Dream is a wholesome, flavorful addition to any meal.”

Alba groans.

Astrid takes a sip of water. “It would be nice to get something like that; I’m not arguing. But who would get up at three in the morning to bake?”

“I would,” I tell her. “Every day. You couldn’t pry me away from my rolling pin with six wild raptors.”

“And if I had seven?” Alba asks.

“Then I would have to question your commitment to the pastry cause. Sorry, girls. I’m not quite awake yet.”

“You’d have to bake for the whole village,” Astrid says. “Because this arrangement here, where they bring our special breakfast up to this penthouse every day… it probably shouldn’t continue much longer.”

“It does feel a little weird,” Alba admits. “It’s like we’re a special group of VIPs who need their breakfast brought to them, while everyone else eats at the common table like plebs. It can’t endear us to these guys, sitting up here all high and mighty.”

“Nobody’s complaining so far,” I point out. “But I know what you mean. Bryar always has all her meals at the common table. Both here and in the Tretter tribe.”

Astrid picks up a fruit slice. “If you’re going to bake bread for the whole tribe, that means hundreds of loaves. And can you imagine when someone has a birthday? Which would be just about every day in a tribe this big?”

I chuckle. “If we actually get to a point wherebaking birthday cakesbecomes too annoying a chore, then I’d say we’ve pretty much made it here. But I’ll do my best to maybe make it happen. I’ll be going to Noker’s clan to see his camp today. He knows a bunch of interesting plants that might be useful. We mostly need a wheat substitute.”

“They have nuts,” Alba says, “like you just cruelly pointed out with your fictional bread. Grind them into powder and dry it, and you’d have a kind of flour. More or less.”

“I’m willing to try anything,” I assure the girls. “Meanwhile, Astrid, are you going to become the new shaman?”

“I don’t know,” she sighs. “There’s a lot of nonsense going on with their beliefs. I’m not sure I want to deal with it.”

“Might be a good help to us,” Alba says, squinting out at the jungle. “If one of us tunnel girls had a real job in the tribe. I think there’s some serious prestige in being a shaman.”

“That would be the only reason I might do it. We kind of need to raise our status a little. Not having to rely only on Bryar’s good graces. Hi, Piper!”

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