Page 11 of Fall

Lenna made a face. “That doesn’t sound like a good deal to me.”

“But they’re responsible for taking care of their previous mates, so onceyou’re the mate of an alpha, you’re set for life—at least as long as the mancontinues to have authority in the tribe. I’m not saying it’s a great deal foryou, but it’s probably the best way to secure your position. Otherwise, you’restuck on the fringes with the loners and orphans.”

Lenna watched Tamen for several minutes, and she felt nothing but disgustat the idea of being his woman. Maybe that was the smartest thing for her todo, but she wasn’t going to do it.

Not yet, anyway.

She’d made it this far in life without subjecting herself to the whims ofanother person. Her independence had always been the most important thing toher. She might be in desperate straights here, but she wasn’t quite that desperateyet.

The Kroo stayed around the bonfire, eating and socializing until the moonwas high in the sky. Then everyone went back into the cave.

The cave was large and open, scattered with beds made of furs andgrasses. It didn’t take Lenna long to figure out that the beds were for thealphas and their women and families. Those on the fringes like her didn’t get abed.

She didn’t even get an animal skin for a blanket.

It wasn’t a cold night, though, and she was exhausted. So she found aspot that was mostly clean where she could lay with her back to the wall,giving her some sense of safety.

Desh had said that women were treated better in this tribe, but she stillfelt very vulnerable in a cave full of men who didn’t seem to see her as a realperson.

She wasn’t far from Rone’s bed, and he felt safer to her than the others.He might not help her, but he wouldn’t hurt her. There was comfort in that.

She closed her eyes and tried to drown out the overwhelming smell of dirtand body odor, and the sound of couples having sex around the cave.

She was tired enough that she actually went to sleep.

***

Lenna spentmost of the next day picking more berries. None of the women had said a word toher—they acted like she wasn’t even present. But Lenna was hanging aroundaimlessly after the morning meal, wondering what she should do, when Rone cameover to her and handed her the sack she’d used to collect the berries on theprevious day.

He didn’t say anything, and she wouldn’t have been able to understand himif he did, but the meaning was very clear.

She was supposed to gather more berries. That was evidently her task inthis tribe, in return for which they would feed her (at least a little) andkeep her safe from predators.

It was a better deal than getting eaten by sabretooth wolves, so shestarted searching the growth beneath the copses of trees near the cave. Theywere far from the deep woods now, and the landscape was hilly, with a lot oflarge rocks and wide stretches of grassland. But there were groupings of treesscattered around, so that was where she went to look for berries.

The tribe had spread out to a variety of tasks—some staying near the caveand working on mending clay pots, stone tools, and clothing. Others goingfarther out to spear fish in the nearby river or hunt for small animals.

Lenna wasn’t comfortable venturing too far out, since there wereevidently hostile tribes and predatory animals around. She made sure to stay insight of the men at the river and was pleased there were enough berries aroundto fill her sack.

The tribe evidently didn’t eat a midday meal. When she returned to thecave with her berries, Tamen came over to take them from her hands, peeringinto the bag suspiciously.

Evidently, he was satisfied with her haul because he nodded and thengestured over to a pile of fresh fish, where a boy who looked around ten yearsold was working. Lenna watched for a moment, realizing the boy was gutting anddeboning the fish.

She looked back at Tamen, who gestured her over.

Evidently, she now got the enviable task of gutting and deboning fishwith a boy.

She didn’t try to argue, however. She just went over, sat down, andwatched him until she could figure out how to do it.

She was smart and competent. If she had to gut fish to earn her keep,then she would do so without complaining.

By evening, she was exhausted, and her fingers were raw from working onthe fish. She’d cut herself numerous times on the fine, sharp bones.

The smell of meat cooking was delicious, but she was so ravenous that shedidn’t even complain when Desh brought her over bread and the turnip-thingsagain. Most of the tribe sat in a large circle around the fire—she countedthirty-six of them. But she and Desh sat just behind the circle, as did a fewothers on the fringes. A very old woman whose mate must have died, since she nolonger had a man to vouch for her. Two orphaned children. And another young manaround Desh’s age.

“Do the fringes ever move into the circle?” she asked Desh, after takinga bite of her bread.

“Yes. Jono, over there, was back here with me for the first year. Butthen he killed a boar and took a mate. He’s in the circle now.”

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