Page 16 of Caveman Alien's Terror

In the distance, the dactyl finally regains enough control of itself to try a few shaky beats of its wings. It takes off, hovers unsteadily, and then slowly and laboriously makes its way up to the canopy of leaves high above us, leathery bat wings flapping. It crashes through and releases a rain of branches and leaves.

I look around and hug myself again. The sun is high in the sky, but without that blue presence to light it up, the woods just feel cold and dark. And sad.

“It’s the kind of thing that could get a girl addicted,” I mutter as I pick up the spear. I check the tip. There’s still a speck of gold on there.

“He has gold for blood,” I ponder. “Maybe that’s why he wants it so much. It’s some kind of food for him. Or like a trace element that he needs to live, the way humans need small amounts of iron and copper and zinc. Have you ever seen blood like this, Luna?”

But I don’t think gold is common on Xren. The cavemen have no great use for it, obsessed with iron and swords as they are. But for all I know, they may have heaps of it just lying around without telling anyone because they can’t see any reason to care.

“Should we go back? Tell them about the dragon and the gold?”

Luna twists her tail, but doesn’t seem to have a strong opinion.

Part of me really wants to get back into the village. But that might mean never seeing Praxigor again. Korr’ax will absolutely hunt the dragon with all his men for as long as it takes. They may have already started.

Right now, I can’t bear the thought that I will never feel that safe again. Safe from everything else, that is. Safe from everything in the jungle that could hurt me. But not safe fromhim. And that part had its own allure, one I still feel down in my center.

“You attacked him,” I remind Luna. “That was very brave. Even the dactyl tried to get away before it came close to him.”

I try to straighten my dress, but I need a really pointy needle and a thick thread to fix it. I find my pack and put it back on, but now my mission feels much less hopeful. If I had Praxigor’s help, I might be able to find out what happened to Cora. He could keep me safe, and I could help him look for gold.

I look over my shoulder to the place where he entered the jungle. There’s not a speck of blue, just the green and red and brown of the woods.

“I guess we’re on our own.” I walk into the jungle, and Luna quietly follows.

- - -

It’s a nerve-racking walk. I stay as quiet as I can while listening intently for noises that could mean a dino is coming my way. But once you start doing that, you realize there are so many of those noises that you have to stop and hide beside trees every thirty seconds.

“You want to go in front?” I ask Luna. “You know this place. You can growl if you hear something you don’t like.”

But she looks away and pretends not to hear.

“Smart girl,” I mutter. “Let the alien woman take the brunt of the attack while you stay safely back.”

I know I’m being unfair. Her presence makes me feel less alone. She did attack Praxigor to defend me, and that may have taken a lot more courage than I realized at the time. Because this is a guy who radiates immense danger and who can stare down both dactyls and raptors.

I’m painfully aware that trying to tiptoe through the jungle means my progress is really slow. I’m probably still on Borok tribe turf, and there’s every chance I might stumble over a hunting party or someone out to kill the dragon. That would mean the end of the mission, but it’s also infinitely better than meeting men from another tribe.

“Why did he have to leave, though?” I mutter to myself. “Could have made sure I was safe. Could have asked where I was going. Because he was interested, I’m sure of that. Did you see the front of his pants? You could hire acrobats to do trapeze tricks inside a tent that big. But I guess that’s what dragons do. Coming and going as they please. Like you.”

Luna doesn’t react.

Of course he’s not an actual dragon, I know that. He’s just an alien with some strange abilities, some of which seem magical. It’s probably just technology of some kind.

“Or maybe his species just are freakishly strong and fast by nature,” I think out loud. “Some kind of predator species that sets off the panic in any other creature because they’re so clearly deadly.”

I should concentrate more on the walk, but my thoughts keep returning to the alien. He made a deep impression on me, both the first time by the salen tree and just now. He had a presence so strong that nobody could ever look away from him.

“And he seemed to like it. Being the center of attention. Like he was in a play, playing the main character. Always seeking the best light and striking the best pose.”

Luna keeps ignoring me and my strange ramblings. And I really should be quiet.

The day wears on, and I start looking for a place to set up camp for the night. It won’t be much of a camp, of course. I don’t have a tent, and I’m not about to build a hut. So I will find a place that’s somewhat shielded and out of sight, probably under a bush, and then I’ll lie down and hope to catch a few hours of fitful sleep without being eaten by something.

Just as I spot a promising bush, there’s a sound of something big moving through the undergrowth. The ground starts to shake.

Luna’s back tail sprouts its spikes and she starts to growl, facing the way we just came from.

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