Page 64 of Caveman Alien's Touch

“The tribe?” he seethes. “Where I have to spend every day watching other men having women of their own, while I have none? Where I’m expected to go hunting every other day, so the tribe has enough food to serve to all the women who sit on the Mount and look down on us? Where we must gather fruit so the tribe can impress randomFoundlingswith its wealth and stores of food? Where I’m not allowed to point out the unfairness of it all? Is that the tribe you mean?”

“No, I mean the Borok tribe,” I state. “It’s a good tribe, and you’d be happier there than in a rabble of outcasts.”

“I knew it the moment I missed you with the sword,” Unin’iz hisses. “I knew I was too good for the tribe. I knew I would join the outcasts. The swarm came, and I was sure it would destroy the tribe. I ran away from the village to save myself. And you all thought I was dead, eaten by the swarm!”

“Some of us had our doubts,” I tell him. “Nobody else was eaten. And four of your tribesmen died.”

“I know that, Foundling. Those idiots sacrificed themselves for a tribe that doesn’t care for them at all. I’m not the only one who’s had enough of that village. I have friends there still, many of them. I know everything that goes on. I even know where your new camp is.”

“Do you now,” I drawl while coldness goes down my back. I hadn’t thought about that. But if they used a grub to lure us after them, then of course they know where the clan is now.

“Everyone in the Borok tribe knows that Karr’ox gave away one of the best spots of our turf to the Foundlings!” Unin’iz’s rages. “It’s a perfect place to be when on a long hunting trip. There’s clean water, the air is cool, Bigs don’t come there. There’s even a flast bush with all kinds of fine plants around it! And Karr’ox gave it away! ToFoundlings!”

“If only you’d been honorable and remained with the tribe,” I say softly. “Maybe one of the women would have taken a liking to you and you wouldn’t need to be so angry. And who knows, maybe there are more women in the jungle. First there were two, then three more came. Do you know how many there might be? I don’t.”

“Being a true and honorable member of the Borok tribe appears to betoogood for the women,” Unin’iz frets, trying to control himself. “But the moment a Foundling appears, they practically fight over him. Many in the tribe see it, Foundling. And they think the same as me. It’s just that I’m man enough todosomething about it. But they will follow. More and more of them. Until this group of outcastsisthe tribe and the Borok is… nothing. We will take their village.Andtheir women.”

I sigh. “I grow tired of your rantings, outcast. State your business or let us go.”

“My business? Oh, I have no further business with you, Foundling. I just need you away from your laughable camp when I attack it. Your ridiculous appearance might cause my men to laugh helplessly, making them less capable fighters. Not that it matters much, I suppose. But I must admit that you are good with that silly spear, and you might take offense to it when I claim the woman you so foolishly brought there.”

“Leave your dirty fingers off Bronwen, or I will bite them off you, one by one,” I growl as I jump straight up at him, hands stretched out to grasp his throat..

Despite my jump being too short and my fingers finding only air, I swear Unin’iz’s face goes pale.

“Spoken like a true half-Big,” he manages in a weak voice before his face vanishes from sight.

“I will kill you all!” I roar at the empty circle of light high above me, my anger fueled by fear for my clan and for Bronwen.

“Will the brothers be all right?” Dexer asks, voice atremble.

“Yes!” I yell, so frustrated I punch my fists at the walls of the pit. “We shall kill all the damned, dirty outcasts and hang them up as food for the Smalls!”

“But how? Are we not trapped?”

Placing a hand on his shoulder, I force myself to calm down. If nothing else, I distracted the outcasts enough that they didn’t try to kill us down here. “They can’t trap us, Dexer. They only think they can.”

But we’re deep down, and my spear is far above me, if it’s there at all. I can’t see it.

Dexer slowly walks over to the dirt wall of the pit and touches it, then digs into it with his fingers and drags the dirt down to the ground. “Let’s make the pit shallower, brother.”

I look up. Trying to make a mound from the sides of the pit will take days. And it means hollowing out the base of the immense masses of sand, clay, and rocks above us. If that collapses onto us, we’re dead.

“Yes,” I agree, joining his effort with frantic digging at the walls of our prison. “We have nothing better to do.”

21

- Bronwen-

I don’t sleep much after Noker leaves.

I don’t like his parting words, and I sure don’t like the tone he used. It seemed completely out of character for him. Or maybe it was a glimpse into who he really is. I know the clan is important to him.

I wasn’t going to press the point about him doing too much work in the clan, unnecessarily so. I was going to just plant the seed and then let him see it for himself. But if he can’t even take my careful, friendly observations without wanting to get rid of me, then he’s not the man I thought he was. And he may not be ready for a life outside the clan. Or for a life that involves being outside of it at least sometimes. It’s not like I would take him away from his buddies, who are practically his family.

When I see the first light in the sky, meaning sunrise is about an hour away, I sit up on the platform and look down. The other platforms of the camp are swaying slowly back and forth, way below me. Everyone’s asleep.

“Oh well, it was a good few days,” I console myself. But it’s not working. I was starting to really like his sweet, caring ways. And I will miss him.

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