Page 16 of Fall

He was the strangest man she’d ever met, but at least he seemed tounderstand gratitude.

When she finished the bowl and he was still standing in front of her, shesaid, “Glad. Glad stew.”

Rone nodded at her and then waited, as if he were expecting her to dosomething else.

She had no idea what she was supposed to do.

What the hell was he always waiting for?

After a minute, Rone scowled at her and walked away, and Lenna was leftmore confused than ever.

Since the meat was pretty much gone now, the alpha men left that morningto go on another hunting party. Lenna really hoped they’d kill an animalquickly so Rone would return to the cave soon. She was familiar with the Kroonow, and most of them left her alone. But a couple of the men still creeped herout, including Ugar, who was the worst of them all.

Ugar hadn’t gone with the hunting party this time, so Lenna was on edge.

It was too cold now for berries, so Lenna had less work to do than she’ddone before. She watched the other women, trying to figure out something elseshe could do to earn her keep. Most of what the women did involved taking careof their men, which wasn’t any help for Lenna—who had no man.

That afternoon, she watched the women as they cleaned the animal skin blanketson their men’s beds. They took them outside and then shook them off. Then theyscraped them with what looked like large pine cones. Then they hung themoutside on branches to air out in the sun and wind.

Remembering how grateful Rone had been when she’d unknotted his cord,Lenna decided there was no reason why she shouldn’t clean his bed.

He had piles of furs on it—more than any other man but Tamen—but shelugged them all outside, taking them one by one to shake off, scrape off, andthen air out in the sun.

By the state of the blankets, she wondered if they’d ever been cleanedbefore.

The man was really a mess. No wonder he smelled so bad.

The job took all afternoon and into the first part of the evening. It wasalmost dark when she was spreading the furs back out on his bed, pleased withthe results of her hard work.

She wondered what Rone would do when he returned to find his nice, cleanbed.

She was so busy spreading out the blankets she didn’t hear anyone come upbehind her.

She squealed when strong arms grabbed her and lifted her to her feet.Whirling around, she saw the man who had grabbed her was Rone. He was scowlingat her and barking out something that included the words, “Rone bed.”

She’d learned from Desh that their language didn’t include personalpronouns, so they always referred to themselves in the third person.

“Clean,” she gasped, afraid he’d thought she was claiming his bed for herown. “Lenna clean Rone bed. Clean. Clean.” She gestured toward the blanketsurgently.

His scowl turned into his normal suspicious frown, and he looked from herto the bed and then back again.

Then he crouched down and picked up one of the furs, sniffing it the wayhe had the cord.

“Clean,” she said one more time.

He stared at his bed for a long time, gently stroking the blankets.Finally, he looked back up at her.

“Good?” she asked, after a long moment of just staring at each other.

Rone nodded slowly. “Good.”

He stood up, standing very close to her, watching her in that way he hadthat morning, in that way she didn’t understand.

Like he was waiting for something.

She stared back at him, suddenly hit with a wave of attraction that wasbeyond her comprehension.

The man was dirty, smelly, covered with hair, and totally rude. Sheshouldn’t be attracted to him. At all. In any way.

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